The moment the disciples put their faith in Jesus, they were declaring war against the devil. They have chosen to make a stand for the truth.
• The authorities and the people come against what they preach, sometimes out of selfish reasons, sometimes out of intolerance, and at other times, they were being influenced by the devil.
• So we have been reading in the book of Acts persecutions, threats, imprisonments and deaths.
Persecutions come in all forms, from the gravest – like Stephen and now James, being “put to death with the sword” (12:2), or to the most harmless ones, like some sarcastic remarks.
• Whatever it is, one thing is sure - a disciple of Christ can expect some headwind, because the devil is not happy at what he is seeing.
• It is not that we purposely ask for it, or choose to get ourselves into trouble.
• When we pledge our allegiance to Christ, we have already taken a stand with God and against the devil, with the truth and against sin.
Be prepared in these 2 ways:
(1) EXPECT HARDSHIPS IN LIFE
Paul tells Timothy: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 2:3)
It is important that we have this perspective, and be mentally prepared.
• Our belief in Christ does not immune us from the hardships of life.
• The health and wealth Gospel we hear sometimes – that God will bless us with good health and success in whatever we do – is lopsided and incomplete.
• They are half-truths. They are wrong, but only half the truth.
What is usually not explained is how God achieve these ends. He can achieve the same ends through hardships and pains, through trials and setbacks.
• God wanted to prepare Saul’s heart and He caused him to hear Stephen’s testimony and see to his death.
• God wanted to revive the church and He sent them threats, which resulted in the church having fervent prayer meetings.
• God wanted them to preach the Gospel beyond Jerusalem, and so He sent them an intense persecution.
God sent them everything that was unexpected. He sent them the negatives to bring out the positives, the fulfilment of His purposes.
• I’ve just finished reading a book by Jerry Sittser [The Will of God as a Way of Life] and he has this remark about the cross of Christ: “It was history’s darkest hour and greatest moment, an affront to the will of God (“Thou shall not kill”) and the fulfilment of God’s plan of redemption (Acts 4:23-31), a terrible injustice and the ultimate expression of God’s perfect justice and mercy.”
• Who would have guessed it, that God would use something so evil to achieve the greatest good, something so dark to bring forth the greatest light?
Life is hard. Life can be very hard even for a Christian.
I just visited a brother-in-Christ on Wed. He had diabetes and had his toes amputated a year back. He walks very slowly now with the help of a walking stick. Alone and without a job, he got some vouchers from a social worker to buy necessities and a church nearby to deliver food to him every day. The utilities were cut off because he couldn’t pay for them. No water and electricity in his house. His fridge was just a ‘sealed cupboard’ where he puts food. He has to ease himself and clean himself at the nearby coffee shop toilet.
And he is surviving. He says, “Jesus saved him!”
Life can be very hard on you. But learn to see it in the right light.
• This world is not our permanent home. There will be hardships and sufferings. 2 Cor 5:4 “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened…”
• This is the fallen world we live in, but God still rules. We’ve seen persecutions, threats, imprisonments and deaths in this book, but God still rules. His salvation plan for the world is still on schedule.
• And everything worked well. We know that for sure because we are believers today, in Singapore, after 2000 years.
James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” and went on to say they are good for us.
• Trials strengthen our faith and develop perseverance.
• We become more mature and complete because of them, and not apart from them. Put it plainly, we are better of having them, than not having them.
Paul said in Rom 8:35-36 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”
• Paul experienced these but they did not drive a wedge between him and God.
• Heb 12:7 “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?”
That explains why Joseph, Job, Daniel, Peter, Paul, Barnabas and the many other followers of Christ were able to stay faithful to God despite the odds.
• They did not see the troubles they faced as something odd or out of sync with the Christian life.
• Their faith in God is a faith in spite of – in spite of the challenges they faced.
Adopt this perspective. It will prepare us for the troubles to come. When they do come, we will be ready for them.
• Otherwise we will be like what Jesus says in the parable of the Sower - seeds sown on rocky places - we “hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” (Mark 4:16-17)
• We will be prepared. We will not doubt God. We do not complain. We will not be angry at God for not resolving the problems.
(2) YOU CAN STAY THE COURSE BY PRAYING
You get to see God’s hands in your hardships, when you pray.
• The believers did not succumb to pressure; they did not stop what they were doing. They responded to the threats and imprisonments with prayers.
We saw that earlier in Acts 4 when Peter and John were asked to stop preaching.
• The church prayed (Acts 4:27-30): “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
• (1) They did not see the authorities as coming against them, but against Jesus.
• (2) They saw all that has happened as under the control of God.
Their response to troubles is to get together and pray more earnestly. Not being angry with God and quit.
God acts in response to their PRAYERS. Peter was released miraculously.
• We see that again in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas were in prison. They did not just pray, they sang! And an earthquake came. The exact same things happened - their chains came loose and the prison doors opened.
Nothing can come against God and stands. Men can only “do what God’s power and will had decided before hand should happen.” (Acts 4:28)
• King Herod arrested the believers. He killed one of their leaders, James. He felt good, so he went on to arrest Peter and plan to do the same.
• He had the upper hand, and so it seems. But God has the last word. Before the chapter is over, Herod died.
Acts 12:21-24 “On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.”
In God’s great scheme of things, Peter will not die a premature death before the church is firmly established.
• Jesus said to Peter in Matt 16:18 “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
• So Peter will not go until the church is firmly established.
Nothing can thwart God’s plan. God uses persecutions to advance His Kingdom.
• Next line says (12:24) “But the word of God continued to increase and spread.”
• As Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell cannot overcome it.
That’s the perspective we adopt: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 2:3)
• The real FIGHT is when we PRAY. To stay on course, we pray.
Eph 6:13 “Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
• Then he went on to list the pieces of the armour you need to put on. They are the truths of God. They are given to you by God, not man-made.
• And then you FIGHT him with PRAYERS! Eph 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
In the book I just finished reading, Jerry had these well-written words:
• “God is doing something incomprehensibly wonderful – so wonderful, in fact, that it is too much for us to comprehend with our limited vision. His redemptive purpose is unfolding like a plot in a novel that would make Charles Dickens’ complex novels read like a simple cartoon strip.”
[Jerry Sittser, in The Will of God as a Way of Life, p.216]
Hardships, persecutions, sufferings and pain are interwoven into the fabrics of God’s great redemption plan.
• Don’t be surprised by them. Don’t be disillusioned because of them. All the more, don’t be shaken by them. We would have fallen into the devil’s trap if we lose faith in God because of our troubles.
God uses everything we encounter – the good, the bad and the ugly – to write His novel and finish His work.
• In fact, the book is already done, actually. Visualise it, turn to the last page, it all ended well. Very well. It’s a perfect ending.
• In the meantime, face your troubles with courage and stay on course by praying.
