Consistency In Times Of Adversity Series

CONSISTENCY IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY

Acts 5:21-32

(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, November 11th, 2025)

We love to hear stories about our persecuted brothers and sisters who stand firm in their faith even if it costs them their possessions, positions, power, or prosperity. We celebrate the resolve of those who remain faithful to the Lord even when facing physical persecution or death.

The Christian Church has endured times of adversity since its inception. Throughout Church history there have been untold millions who have given their lives for the cause of Christ. On the other hand, there have been countless “professing Christians” who have walked away from their service to the Lord for seemingly trivial reasons.

There is no question that a great many people who turned away never truly belonged to Jesus. But there are others who have truly experienced saving faith but they are not where the Lord would have them to be or doing what He would have them to do. The wonderful news is that there is hope for their restoration.

We find a great example of this sort of restoration in the life of John Mark. Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas and was active in the Gospel ministry, but somewhere along the way he ceased his work for the Lord and abandoned his co-laborers in the ministry. Though he turned away for a time, he was eventually restored to the point that Paul declared that he was “profitable for the ministry”.

It is a sobering and a heartbreaking reality when I pause to consider how many men I have served with through the years who are no longer serving in ministry. Even worse, some of them are not even walking with the Lord. Such people did not just turn away from the work, they abandoned the faith.

Likewise, there are many who are members of this assembly who were once devoted servants of Christ who have turned away and are living lives of rebellion and sin. We must never be so arrogant as to think that this could not happen to us. If history is any indicator, there are some who are actively involved in the ministry of Antioch Baptist Church who will be inactive a year from now.

Our selected text tells the story of some men who faced circumstances far more severe than anything we have ever faced. However, they were firm in their resolve and faithful to the Lord. They show us that when times of adversity comes we respond appropriately and consistently. As we examine this passage, I would like for us to consider the importance of “Consistency In Times Of Adversity”.

Acts 5:21-32 shows us that during a time of great persecution, the Apostles trusted in God, they were obedient to Him, and their message about Him remained consistent. Their response to the opposition they faced shows use that:

OUR TRUST IN GOD MUST BE CONSISTENT IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY

After being arrested for continuing to preach the Gospel in Jerusalem, the Apostles were once again arrested and held until they could appear before the members of the Sanhedrin. Early the following morning the religious leaders called for the Apostles to be brought to where they were assembled. They were perplexed when they heard that the jail was secure, the doors were shut, “the guards were standing outside the doors”, and the Apostles were missing.

I am sure the first assumption of the Jewish leaders was that the Apostles had escaped the prison and fled the area. If this had been the case, then their problem would have been solved. Their goal was to silence the Apostles, stop the advancement of the Gospel, and suppress the growth of the Church.

Luke tells us that the leaders really didn’t know what to think at this point. Verse 24 says, “Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be.” Imagine how surprised they were when a messenger arrived and informed them that the Apostles had not fled the area! Moreover, they were back in the temple preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “one came and told them, saying, "Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!" (v25).

The easiest thing that the Apostles could have done at this point would have been to give up the ministry and return to their former lives. But they knew that what is easy is rarely what is best. Moreover, they had been radically changed by the risen Savior and as Peter had already declared to the Sanhedrin, they were “unable to stop speaking about what (they had) seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

The same is true for those of us who have been radically transformed by the Savior. There are many scriptures that point to that fact that devoted servants of Christ will face many hardships in this life. There will be times when the easy thing for us to do would be to remain silent and compromise our beliefs. But we have been saved and set apart for the work of Christ; there is a calling on our lives and we should have a passion to reach others with the Gospel.