Thursday 27, August 2026

How do we use the power that has been accorded to us? That’s the main thrust of our reflections as we consider Today’s Holy Nougat.

Acts of the Apostles 5:39-40 CEB

[39] If it originates with God, you won’t be able to stop them. Instead, you would actually find yourselves fighting God!” The council was convinced by his reasoning.

[40] After calling the apostles back, they had them beaten. They ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, then let them go.

Power over or Power to

Gamaliel’s speech was convincing. It didn’t hurt that God’s Spirit was already on the case, adding weight and conviction to what the Sanhedrin heard from Gamaliel. Let us not miss this point, siblings. For our creativity and other giftings can only take us so far. God effects transformation.

Don’t mishear me – human will may choose to drown God’s voice out when we speak. And that’s mostly on them. God graces us with gifts that can be used to transform other lives. One such gift is power. How we use it makes all the difference.

Self-Check

Do we use our power for good? How so?

Digging Deeper

Although they yielded to Gamaliel’s wisdom, the Sanhedrin still sought to prove their power over the apostles and the other believers. Thus, they opted to whip and warn the apostles. (It seems that they were still miffed at Peter’s sermon). This suggests that they were demonstrating their power ‘over’ the apostles. Gloria Feldt proposes that “Power over” is a hierarchical and authoritarian approach, where one individual or group seeks to dominate and control others. Our Nougat underscores that definition, for the Sanhedrin insisted that the Temple was their domain and they determined who spoke in it.

Feldt further states that power over is expressed through ‘coercion, manipulation, and the suppression of dissent. It seeks to maintain authority and ensure obedience from both political opponents and the wider populace.’ Obviously, the oppressive approach of the Roman regime seeped into the leadership style of the Sanhedrin. They did not just distance themselves from the apostles; they also subjected the apostles to violence.

Unfortunately, many of us also try to use violence as a method of control in our contexts today. If there was an ‘Abusers Anonymous’, which helped us to recover from our acts of violence against others, many of us believers might find we need such referrals. Sometimes we are guilty of using violence to curb violence. That is counterintuitive. We may find that we have justified our power over others as the dominion God gave us in Genesis 1:27-28. Yet, we note that God was in full creation mode. Could it be, therefore, that God’s dominion mandate involved a different way of using power?

Christ, our exemplar, offers that other kind of power. He demonstrated the Power to. John 1:12 references that power as a creative force which gives us the … ‘power to become children of God.’ If we accept God’s power to effect a process, there’s no need for us to prove dominion. God grants us power that can be shared with others to realise the common good.

According to Feldt, power to enables ‘individuals or groups to realise their own potential, fostering autonomy … encouraging active participation.’ I believe that Gamaliel demonstrated that in his argument dissuading them from killing the apostles. Power to involves shared decision-making, and that’s what Gamaliel offered the team. Although he already identified his desired outcome, he afforded them the power to refuse his recommendation.

What a difference it would have made if the Sanhedrin understood and used that kind of power. Siblings, may we always remember that power is God’s to give and take, and use it wisely.

Point to Ponder

Let’s reread Genesis 1:26-28. How does our understanding of dominion shift when we use power to instead of power over?

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May all we seek be found in Christ