Acts 5-6 CSB
After they called in the apostles and had them flogged, they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name. Every day in the temple, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. (5:40-42)
All of us have known suffering in one form or fashion, but very few of us have suffered for the name of Jesus. Maybe we have been in awkward situations or felt like an outsider because of our faith, but these uncomfortable feelings should not be confused with genuine persecution. In the early part of Acts, we see a fledgling church trying to stand on its own two feet and be different from its Jewish “counterpart.” The church was not a sect of the Jews, but an entirely new religious body being formed within the context of an existing religious structure. Any time this happens the “powers that be” are threatened and they tend to lash out. The persecution these early Christians faced was not just because their faith was different or because they blamed the Jewish leadership for murdering Jesus; they were persecuted because they refused to get in line and they stood against the power brokers of their day.
Unlike the Sanhedrin who craved power and the respect of men, the early believers only craved the glory of God. They preached because He told them too, they taught in public because He told them too, and they gladly paid the price for their obedience. Some of the most riveting words in the entire new testament are “they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name.” It is one thing to suffer in silence or take one for the team—it is entirely another thing to thank God for the gift of suffering and rejoice that you have the privilege of being beaten in His name. As bold as their preaching was, their rejoicing in suffering was an even more powerful witness that spoke volumes to all around them. Something new was happening—something bigger that took on a life of its own. They were carried along by a wave of the Spirit that had them out everywhere, every day proclaiming the gospel message. People who are living in this kind of movement never have to be cajoled to “get out there and share about Jesus.” It just spills out of you and becomes as natural as breathing. What is it going to take to get the church back to that same place today?
