Devotion
There have been many great speakers in history and many great speeches. We can all think of ‘I have a dream’ by Martin Luther King, or Winston Churchill’s ‘We will fight them on beaches’ or perhaps, ‘Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few’, but there can be few more powerful speeches in the whole of history than the very short one we heard from Peter this evening (Acts 4:1-22) as he spoke to the assembled court in Jerusalem.
To put this passage into context we need to look back to the previous chapter. Peter and John were going up to the Temple to worship. As they were passing through the Gate, they met a crippled man who had been there begging from the people who were heading to the Temple to worship.
Instead of giving this man a few coins and passing by, Peter took him by the hand and healed him in the name of Jesus. When the people, who knew this was the lame man, saw this man leaping and jumping and praising God, they gathered and enquired as to what was going on and Peter seized the opportunity to tell them about Jesus.
While he was preaching, the leaders of the people, the Sanhedrin, came on the scene to see what the fuss was all about. When they heard Peter preaching about Jesus whom they had crucified they were furious. When they heard that Peter was claiming that Jesus rose from the dead, they arrested both Peter and John. But, the message had already been delivered and 5,000 people, we’re told, were saved by the grace of God that day!
After spending the night in jail, Peter and John were brought before the council to explain their actions. We are told that the question was asked, "By what power, or by what name, did you do this ?" That really was the wrong question to ask Peter at that time ! That question opened the door for him to preach a fresh message to these Jewish leaders. It was a message all about Jesus.
But let’s go back a little bit further to the Peter we heard about immediately prior to the crucifixion. There we see Peter who ran from Jesus, who hid, who denied even knowing him. It was left to a small number of others, mainly women, to stand at the foot of the cross, whilst Peter, Jesus’ most prominent disciple was nowhere to be found.
But the resurrection of Jesus had changed him. The doubts that he had were wiped away and, filled with the new power of the Holy Spirit, this weak and timid man was able to go and speak to the very people who had killed Jesus and tell them that not only was Jesus alive, but also that they were able to heal in his name and with his power, and even that salvation would be found in no one other than Jesus. And when warned not to speak about Jesus any more both Peter and John said, ‘we cannot keep from speaking about we have seen and heard…’
Peter was a changed man – his love for Jesus was unquestioned, even as he ran and hid, but now added to that love and passion was the boldness and wisdom of God in the Holy Spirit. Peter had realised that by himself he could do very little – he was by himself as he hid and denied Jesus, but with God’s power he could do so much, and that is a realisation that we all need to grasp as we seek to live out the Christian faith in a world that is often not very interested in the message.
And from this account it is clear that the first thing God wants of us is to live with faith. We cannot be right with God merely by keeping the letter of the law; we cannot be right with God simply by disciplining ourselves and we cannot be right with God just by being as good as the next person. We can be right with God only by faith, which is to say that we must live in the constant conviction that God is good… Genuine faith involves an all-out attitude of reliance on God's goodness. It may be compared perhaps to a child's absolute trust in a wise, generous, loving father or mother.
There is a world of difference in attitude, not to mention output, between a son who does things for his father out of love and respect, and that of an employee who does things merely for pay, or out of fear that he may lose his job or not get a promotion. They may do the same things, but the difference in motivation inevitably colours their work. There is a world of difference between a doctor who chose his profession because it made him an instrument of vital human service, and one who calculatingly chose the profession because it promised a large income!
And the same is true with Christian faith: what counts is motivation, spirit. Commitment to religious law and formal observance cannot substitute for the conviction that God is good. That is where faith's reality begins. As Christians today we are helped by God, if we let him help, to exhibit the same characteristics as Peter and John.
The first characteristic is Christ-like. Luke says when they heard Peter and John speak, the men of the Sanhedrin “recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Peter and John had not suddenly become perfect, but what makes up for that is a likeness to Christ. And we become more like Christ by spending time with him. If we will simply spend time with him through God’s word in the Bible, through the views of God we see all around us in creation – seeing his example; hearing his teaching, reading what his disciples said about him, then almost without even realising it, God’s Spirit will begin transforming us to look like him.
And the second characteristic was a confidence in the gospel. Christianity today in this country is very polite, but if we present the gospel as it is found in the New Testament, then we will present a message that is offensive. Peter says “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
If we believe that – if we have confidence in that message – then like the apostles we will demonstrate courage in the face of opposition; and a desire to share the gospel at every opportunity.
And then the third characteristic is that devotion to God. Peter and John knew the potential consequences of what they were doing, but even faced with the threat of violence or injury, they were loyal and devoted to God. Luke says that the Sanhedrin conferred amongst themselves, saying, “‘in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.’ So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.’”
Jesus said, “make disciples of all nations.” For some this will mean being a missionary abroad, or a Christian worker in this country, but for most it simply means living a life devoted to God, but always prepared to follow wherever he leads.
Karen Watson was a young missionary in Iraq. On March 15, 2004, she was killed by unknown assailants. Later an envelope was found that said, “Open in case of death.” Inside was a letter that said in part: “You should only be opening this in the event of death. When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn’t called to a place; I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward. The missionary heart: Cares more than some think is wise; Risks more that some think is safe; Dreams more than some think is practical; Expects more than some think is possible. I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience. . . . There is no Joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him. In His care, Karen”
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