MEDITATION Aspects of love
LOVE’S POWER In the second of his three-part series Major Jim Bryden looks at the power of the Spirit at work in Acts 4:8–12
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HO would have thought the healing of a severely disabled man involving Peter and John could cause such a furore among the ruling authorities! When the disciples are hauled before the nation’s leaders after a night in jail, they display all the signs that they have the upper hand. Assembled are the top brass, an indication of how worried the authorities are. The real reasons for the arrest and trial of the disciples were their preaching and promotion of Jesus. The one whose crucifixion had been deviously manipulated by the powers that be was now proclaimed by these prisoners to be risen from the dead. While it is true that the authorities had decided what to do to Jesus, the believers’ prayer, made by the Christian community following the release of John and Peter, is telling: ‘They did what your [God’s] power and will had decided beforehand should happen’ (Acts 4:28). The crux of the matter is that God is in control. It was his will that the Son should die to save humanity from the
destruction of sin. The gospel in a nutshell says it all, making it clear that salvation comes at God’s initiative: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). The number of early believers was expanding rapidly. The more who signed up as followers of Jesus the greater the threat they posed to the power and rule of the nation’s political and religious leaders. They had to be stopped! The question is: Who is really on trial here? It is meant to be Peter and John. Peter, however, in the power of the Holy Spirit, doesn’t mince his words. With incredible boldness he accuses the officials of rejecting and killing Jesus. But, claims Peter, despite their savage act, God had raised him from the dead. The one they had rubbished like a stone is the very foundation and exclusive channel of God’s salvation for the world. Back to the trial. The court adjourned and now we tune in to a very worried group of leaders. For Peter and John there was no backing down – no apology for what they had done in the Lord’s name in healing the man. The signs of the power of the Holy Spirit in this great act of love were there for all to see. The rulers, as they conferred privately, knew there was no denying that something miraculous had taken place.
Its impact on the public arena ignited a widespread following. To go down the way of punishment and imprisonment of Peter and John could, potentially, spark an uprising. Realising this was too risky a route they agreed to impose threats should the two men continue to propagate their message. When they were informed of this the disciples’ response was to throw the ball back into the authorities’ court, saying: ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard’ (Acts 4:19 and 20). The authorities gave in to the inevitable and gave the men their freedom. Are we ready and able to take our stand for Christ? Do we shudder at the challenge to speak up for him? Have we become so tamed, so conditioned by political correctness, that we tremble in our shoes to take on – should faith demand it – those leading lights of society who would gag the gospel where it does not fit the mould of popular opinion? Only in the power of the Holy Spirit can we claim the high ground for the gospel.
MAJOR BRYDEN LIVES IN RETIREMENT IN BELLSHILL
Salvationist 27 April 2019
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