Thursday 20, August 2026

Hello siblings

Today’s Holy Nougat is a twofer. That is, we get two Nougats instead of one. Hopefully we’ll appreciate the twofer as we continue our reflection.

Luke 12:11-12 CEVDCI

• [11] When you are brought to trial in the synagogues or before rulers or officials, don’t worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say.

• [12] At that time the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say.

Acts 5:32 CEVDCI

• [32] We are here to tell you about all this, and so is the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to everyone who obeys God.

Bold Witnesses

Siblings,

If I thought Peter wasn’t bold before, this second part of his response has changed my opinion. To appreciate the extent of his boldness, we must remember the context. Peter was in the temple speaking to the high priest. That was not Peter’s turf; he didn’t have ‘home advantage’. To speak to the priests in their space like that was dangerous, and he knew it. He and the other apostles had just been arrested by those leaders.

Additionally, Peter was a fisherman, which suggests that he was not a Levite. His religious rank was way lower than the leaders of the temple. Nor was he theologically trained in the manner of the priests, more so, the chief priest. To offer to teach the religious elite about God, Jesus and God’s Spirit would seem as if he was elevating himself.

Self-Check

How do we react in situations where it would seem that we are the least qualified to represent God?

Application

But Peter and the apostles were undaunted. They were not bothered by the trappings of education, status, or religion. They had been trained directly by Y’shua. God’s Spirit was bringing those teachings back to memory. And, some time previously, Y’shua had spoken over their lives, indicating that they would be given audience before rulers and officials in the temple. He did not suggest that the disciples would be gathered for high tea, or whichever meal was socially acceptable in those times. Rather, Y’shua told them that they would be brought to trial in the synagogues. They had been primed for that response long before the actual meeting occurred.

What Luke 12 (and Mark 13) tells us, therefore, is that God had already anticipated and made provision for that moment. Not only is it a comfort to us when we face trials because of our faith, but it is also an assurance of God’s love for broken people. The religious leaders were broken deep within, in the place where it mattered the most. They could represent the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4, whom Y’shua warned that they had lost their first love.

The chief priest was the leader of the temple, the highest level of religious priesthood at that time. But he was not a follower of Y’shua. Through the apostles, YHWH was offering one more chance for him and his team to experience God’s love through Christ and a personal relationship with God’s Spirit. Despite their actions toward Y’shua, they received another chance to experience God’s grace. We serve a God Who specialises in second chances. That’s the reason Jesus died. He intercedes for each of us even now in Heaven, every time we falter in the faith (see Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25).

Speaking up for Y’shua to others is but one way we can convey our appreciation. And, knowing that God’s Spirit will defend us should increase our boldness. Of course, it doesn’t mean we go looking for and instigating arguments with religious leaders to prove God’s faithfulness toward us. Through this Nougat we recognise that God will equip us for the ministry to which we are called and defend our obedience.

That’s enough reason for us to press on.

Point to Ponder

Where, or in what ways, has God called us to bear witness to the saving power of Y’shua recently? How shall we respond?

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May all we seek be found in Christ