Acts 4 - 6 (17th November) - Stephanie

Acts 4-6 relate the initial hazards of the early Church. A description of the spiritual warfare going on in Jerusalem a few months after Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection has been given here. It seems evident here that there can be no work of God without opposition.

We read of the interrogation of Peter and John (Acts 4:3-22); the arrest of the apostles (Acts 5:17-18). The Sanhedrin battled Jesus’ believers with everything at their disposal – intimidation, orders, correction, arrest, punishment, even threatening death so as to stop them from spreading what they were seeing in terms of Scripture.

Meanwhile, the apostles were determined to obey God rather than men. When they do so, the impossible happened, like escaping from jail with the doors still locked. The apostles knew their focus was on prayer and the ministry of the word. They were to “tell the people the full message of this new life.”

With that, the number of believers kept on increasing. Even when the apostles were flogged by the Sanhedrin, in pain they were still “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” (Acts 5:42)

Eventually the apostles were able to leave Sanhedrin alive because indeed what the Pharisee, Gamaliel said was true. “For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38b-39)