Nougat 29

Before delving into the Word, we pause to place Venezuela and all other countries facing catastrophes before God. May God’s comfort and healing be with the people of Venezuela as they deal with the effects of the massive earthquakes.

…. ….

Siblings

Sometimes rivalry or opposition in ministry can get extreme and may result in dire consequences for believers. Peter and John faced serious opposition for their lived faith. Would it be likely to happen to us? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

Acts 4:3-4 CEVDCI

[3] It was already late in the afternoon, and they arrested Peter and John and put them in jail for the night.

[4] But a lot of people who had heard the message believed it. So by now there were about 5,000 followers of the Lord.

Arrested, not Destroyed

It is important to note that Peter and John weren’t detained for healing the lame man. Rather, their teaching was what precipitated their arrest. It destabilised the established religion, and in turn, cost them their freedom for at least a night.

Self-Check

If we lived in a place where religious persecution was commonplace, would our current lifestyle put us at risk? (How visible is our lived faith?)

Application

We note that Peter and John’s message had already advanced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It resulted in many conversions, thus posing a real threat to the Pharisee teaching. I suspect that is what pushed them to arrest Peter and John. They wanted to contain the opposition. It was too late. The message Peter and John offered, i.e., the hope of resurrection in Christ, was too great to be ignored by many people.

That’s the challenge for us today siblings. The truth of the Gospel: that Y’shua is the Son of the Living God, and in Him is hope for abundant life ought to be the constant message on our lips. The abundance that Christ offers provides us with peace in the present and for eternity. In word and in deed, that’s the message we offer to a desolate and dying world.

For the hungry, we offer them the Bread of Life by sharing food as needed.

For the sick, we offer them He Who is risen with healing in his wings, by tending the wounds, praying for and practical healing.

For the lost, we offer The Way, The Truth, and The Life, Y’shua. For in Him we live and move and have our being.

For the depressed and hopeless, we offer comfort that directs them to Y’shua, our Peace, Who takes our yoke in exchange for a light burden.

For the thirsty, our tenderness points to Y’shua, the Living Water.

When this becomes our lived sermon, I am confident that those who haven’t yet met Christ will be excited to join our faith.

Point to Ponder

How can our current Gospel message be improved?

—

May all we seek be found in Christ