Nougat 3

I remember getting hot under the collar (i.e., angry) once in response to something I thought was implied in a question. [Back then, I went from zero to angry in seconds!] Someone with me at the time reminded me to ‘just stick to the facts’. It kept me from getting into trouble and clarified matters for the person who questioned me. That word of counsel has kept me out of other potentially hot situations. Sometimes, there is someone physically with us, as if sent by God; as believers, we always have God’s Spirit to guide us. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

Acts 4:8-9 CEVDCI

[8] Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and told the nation’s leaders and the elders:

[9] You are questioning us today about a kind deed in which a man who could not walk was healed.

Under the Spirit’s Guidance

God’s Spirit began Peter’s response in a similar manner to the advice I was given. Regardless of the religious leaders’ consternation about the impact of Peter and John’s teaching, the problem began with an act of kindness. As stated in a previous Nougat, it’s like the adage says: ‘The good we do, the thanks we get’. Their good deed brought trouble instead of communal joy.

[Now, before we take the adage too literally, we must recall that the trouble which resulted from the healing wasn’t initiated by the lame man. He was ecstatic, and living his best life. However, Peter and John, his human benefactors, were the ones imprisoned.]

That was the fact.

Self-Check

How readily are we able to unravel the details of a stressful situation? Do we rely on God’s Spirit to guide us or is that only a last resort?

Deeper Dive

I suspect that by beginning with the act of kindness (that is, healing the lame man), God’s Spirit touched on an important issue. The lame man was at the temple, the Holy place, the building that represents God’s presence, but God’s representatives at the temple were unable to ‘see’ the man to offer him kindness.

Now note that I’m focusing on their act of kindness. Before we get to the man’s healing (which may or may not be our spiritual gifting), the man needed to be seen. He required affirmation. Those do not demand too much of our humanity. I suspect that the man and others like him had become invisible to the religious leaders. That’s something we have to guard against.

In starting with the main thing, God’s Spirit invited the religious leaders to remember the call on their lives. They – like us – are called to demonstrate God’s grace to those in need. It’s possible that if that issue were addressed, there would have been no need for Peter and John.

Siblings, Matthew 10:20 and John 14:26 both remind us that God’s Spirit will give us _the right words_ for every circumstance we face. When we’re brought before councils and magistrates, or when a window of opportunity arises to share the Gospel, God’s Spirit is ready to guide us. Sometimes the word convicts, it may also offer comfort (like it did for the man healed at Gate Beautiful). Above all God’s Spirit will allow us to point others to Y’shua, the One Who around for our sins.

Peter also did that, and we will see how God’s Spirit brought Y’shua into the conversation in another Nougat. By starting with the healing, the leaders were disarmed, and the stage was set for the Word to be presented to the religious leaders. (We note by this action that God didn’t give up on them. There are some whom we ought not give up on as yet either.) May we be guided by the Spirit’s strategy of soft answers and main facts.

Point to Ponder

As we yield to God’s Spirit, are we inclined to embellish what we’re led to say?

—

May all we seek be found in Christ