17 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were
with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with
indignation,
Who are these people? Why did they rise up? What caused them
to be filled with indignation? (In the original
text the word for indignation is, zelos; the root word is said to mimic the
sound of boiling water. It can be defined as, boiling with jealousy).
The high priest and the Sadducees were some of the religious
leaders of the day. They had political power and money.
The Sadducees were a religious sect, a denomination, with
their own set of beliefs. Such as: no resurrection, no after life, no angels,
no supernatural; this life is all you get. That’s why they were so… sad, you
see.
Now, all of them, Pharisees, Sadducees, the whole lot of the
religious hypocrites, are more accurately defined as the world. Specifically,
the religious sect of the world. They wore religious robes, today they might speak
Christian-eeze, but they are worldly, their thinking is worldly, their hearts
are worldly, they’re selfish, greedy, full of deceit and hypocrisy. Jesus says
they’re like white washed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones. Pretty on the
outside, putrid within. Matthew 23:27.
They, rose up against the work of God.
The Church (Ekklésia) had been doing the work of God, doing what
Jesus did; boldly speaking the faith building, Life giving Words of God, in
Love.
That’s it.
Your mission from heaven should you choose to accept it is
the same:
Boldly speak the faith building, Life giving Words of God,
in Love.
That’s it.
This is not based on feelings, or circumstances, emotions, rain
or shine, good times or, bad.
Just keep planting, and leave the results to God. He gives
the increase.
My sister Sherri is an example.
She recently broke her left humerus. After some time, the Xray showed the bone was not mending. The doctor referred her to an expert.
She texted a picture of the Xray and asked if we’d pray. I posted the picture as a prayer request on our Church facebook page.
The next day, she said something happened. “Like never before, I felt prayers surrounding me, a strong presence of support all around me.”
A week later she saw the expert. They took another Xray. Comparing
the two, one showed the broken bone with no healing, no growth. The next a week
later showed substantial healing. The expert said, considering the length of
time since the break, the bone healing appears to be about a week ahead of schedule!
Sherri, said, “This was something very, very, different, I
felt it, sensed it. New bone growth. God’s design of healing, at work. Not so
much for me, but for all of us in your pack of prayers. To build our faith that
will be needed for what’s to come.”
We plant, we pray, God gives the increase. Hallelujah!
Okay, back to our text. They planted Good Seed, the Lord
gave the increase; endorsing their work and confirming His Word, by stretching
out His hand to heal, with signs and wonders and miracles, and deliverance from
demons.
The Goodness of God led to repentance a LOT of repentance.
Multitudes turned from religiosity to Christianity.
And that, ticked off the worldly religious.
They were jealous because they were losing multitudes of
followers.
They were enraged because the Truth exposed them as liars
and murderers.
The Christians told them boldly:
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, raised up this
Jesus, endorsing Him, by undeniable signs and wonders and miracles. Him you
condemned and murdered by hanging on a tree. This Jesus, God highly exalted
to be Savior and Lord. We are His witnesses, with His Holy Spirit revealing Him
through signs and wonders and miracles.
Seeing the Good deeds, hearing the Good News, turned many to
Jesus for Salvation, and left others filled with indignation.
18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in
the common prison.
Not that they did anything wrong. They just made the wrong
people mad.
When the rattler starts rattling, you know you’re stepping
close to his head.
Only a week ago, we stepped close to the serpent's head, it was on Independence Day, and he struck at our independent freedom of speech. We spoke perfectly
peacefully, innocently, lovingly, about coming together in unity, in one
accord, and that struck a chord that got our message branded as hate
speech, and removed from our facebook pages.
When the rattler starts rattling, you know you’re stepping
close to his head.
The world has been wiser than the Church in regards to
worldly things. They’ve put all their heart, soul and mind into getting power
and authority in this life. And so, far too often those in authority have no
integrity, so they do things illegally, to promote their evil agenda, and
persecute their enemy.
So, back then, and nowadays too, you don’t have to do anything
against the law, to have the law come against you.
Just ask Jesus, perfectly innocent, given the death penalty, like a convicted felon.
Just ask our Christian brothers and sisters around the world, imprisoned, beaten, martyred, daily, in our day. Just today, I read a report that Hamas threatens Christians, "Convert to Islam or die."
Just ask our first Church family members thrown in prison simply for speaking
the Truth.
19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison
doors and brought them out,
This is the first jail break for
the Church.
Physical prison doors are no
match for God.
In Acts 12, Peter’s in prison,
sleeping, chained between two guards, with more guards at the door. An angel of
the Lord shows up, chains fall off, he wakes Peter, doors open, they walk out, without so much as stirring a mouse.
Acts 16; Paul and Silas having a
prison praise and worship session. Suddenly, a great earthquake, the prison
shakes, the doors open and all chains fall off.
Opening prison doors is a piece
of cake for God, except the ones made in the heart.
He knocks on those; but won’t
knock them down. He waits, and knocks, but it’s up to you to open up, let Him
in.
Your prison may not be steel bars
and block walls, but perhaps bars with neon signs, or perhaps your prison is what
you look at, when no one’s looking. God sees what you’re chained to, and He can set
you free from that, if you’ll let Him.
Maybe it’s an inner prison,
emotions that paralyze, thoughts that bind, fears that blind.
The Lord came especially for you,
to set you free from all of that.
Isaiah 61:1; “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is
upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (Luke 4:18).
Will you let Him do what He came for?
…and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the
people all the words of this life.”
Notice he didn’t say, “Hurry, run, hide!”
He said, Go and keep doing what got you arrested in the first place.
Speak all the words of this life.
This is so liberating.
Don’t get distracted by details. Just simply go and boldly
speak the Words of this Life.
Words in the original text is rhema; spoken
word. Same word used in Romans 10:17: Faith comes by hearing and hearing by
the Word (rhema) of Christ.
Life, in the original text is: zoe. The God
kind of Life. The Life that comes from God.
John 3:16; For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (zoe).
John 14:6; I am the way, the truth and the life (zoe) no one comes to the Father except through Me.
Speak the rhema of zoe.
Speak and keep on speaking the faith building, Life
giving Words of God, in Love. Never stop, to the end. Amen.
Don’t worry about the consequences. If something happens. If
things go sideways. If we get kicked off social media, thrown in facebook jail,
or real jail. If the doctor says there’s no cure, if the boss says, you’re
fired, if the spouse says, we’re through.
Just Speak and keep on speaking the faith building, Life
giving Words of God, in Love.
Never stop, to the end.
Leave the results to Him.
21 And when they heard that, they entered the temple
early in the morning and taught.
They didn’t hesitate, get a lawyer, take a break to pray, worry, consider consequences. They went. Opened their mouths and spoke the faith building, Life giving Words of God, in
Love.
But the high priest and those with him came and called
the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent
to the prison to have them brought.
22 But when the officers came and did not find them in
the prison, they returned and reported, 23 saying, “Indeed we found the prison
shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we
opened them, we found no one inside!” 24 Now when the high priest, the captain
of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the
outcome would be.
All the elders, officers, high priest, captain of the temple, chief priests. This was no small council; it was like gathering all of congress and the Captial police.
Notice, those who were supposed to be bound in prison, were running free and
speaking in the temple.
Those who were supposed to be running the temple, were bound
speechless, by an empty cell in prison.
The Christians weren’t hiding, a crowd was gathering and someone
saw them.
25 So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom
you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”
That had to feel like a gut punch.
You can’t lock us up. You can’t shut us up. We’re not running,
we’re not hiding, we’re not afraid of you.
When they heard that, I wonder if they made the sound of boiling water as their faces turned
red filled with indignation.
26 Then the captain went with the officers and brought
them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be
stoned.
See there it is again. The power of one accord. The
temple police feared the people, the Christians united in, one accord.
That message of coming together in one accord, is
what caused the serpent to rattle last week, hissing that our innocent post was,
“hate speech.”
I suppose from his perspective, it is, hate speech. It’s Speech,
he hates to hear.
When the rattler starts rattling, you’re stomping close
to his head.
Lord, we pray you’ll make us one, boldly speaking Your faith
building, Life giving Words of Truth in Love.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before
the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, “Did we not strictly
command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with
your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”
The Truth is, His blood is on you, and me, and all who’ve sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23.
Lord, we confess our sin, our part, in Your shed blood.
We’re grateful that You’re faithful to forgive when we repent of our sins.
Now, let it be said of us, as it was of them, that we’ve
filled our Jerusalem with Your doctrine, with Your Word of Truth.
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said:
“We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you
murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be
Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And
we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God
has given to those who obey Him.”
This is their second time in prison, but they haven’t
changed their tune.
You can throw us in prison, the fiery furnace, the lion’s
den, but all the king’s horses, all the king’s men, all the might of the roman
empire, or every demon of hell, cannot, will not, make us bow, ever. We will
go to our grave, boldly speaking His faith building, Life giving Words of
Truth in Love.
And with every breath, we pray that one day, you will listen them, and come to know Him.
33 When they heard this, they were furious and
plotted to kill them.
Really, actually, they are the ones in a miserable prison of
their own making.
They started being filled with indignation.
Then they feared the people. Now, they are furious.
They aren’t fighting the apostles, or the Christians; they are fighting against God.
Fighting against God, is a painful existence.
It’s like standing by a fire meant to keep you safe and warm,
but you try to grasp the flame to bring it under your control, all you do is
get burned.
34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel,
a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to
put the apostles outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them: “Men of
Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. 36
For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men,
about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were
scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in
the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished,
and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 And now I say to you, keep away from
these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will
come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even
be found to fight against God.”
Rabbi Gamaliel was a teacher of the apostle Paul. Acts 22:3.
He was well respected, and by his influence and wisdom, may
have saved the lives of the apostles, at least temporarily.
And perhaps, even kept one of those fighting against God,
from being burned beyond the point of no return. Make no mistake, our God is a
consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29.
40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for
the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak
in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
Okay, fine we’ll let them go. But only after we beat them,
and command them not to talk anymore, about Jesus.
Obviously, Gamaliel’s words didn’t cause them to fear God
enough to stop trying to control, the Fire.
41 So they
departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were
counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
If you were falsely arrested, thrown in prison, beaten, and
commanded to not to tell the Truth, anymore.
What would you do?
They rejoiced for being counted worthy to suffer shame for
His name.
Lord, help us to grow up, love You enough, to have a heart like that.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every
house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus
as the Christ.
Shutting up, wasn’t even an option.
When I asked Sherri, if it’d be okay to share her testimony;
she said:
Of course!! It is not mine to keep but to share and point to Jesus!!! Your pack of prayers are as much a part of this as I am. I only supplied the broken arm. Prayer-ers supplied all else!! We petitioned our Papa and He opened our eyes to see His healing and creative design.
Then she added, Psalms 105:1;
“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole
world know what he has done.”
So, that’s what we’ll do.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, help us to do what our first family did. To
daily, in every house, in every way, with every breath, and every step, boldly
speak Your faith building, Life giving, Words of Truth, in Love. And with every
breath, we pray for all those You’ve given us, that they will hear Your Words,
and listen.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
Prayer Requests:
Call or text: 612-554-2522
Email: pray4measap@aol.com
Facebook: Church at WPV
Books: amazon.com/author/dougspurling
Watch online:
Facebook: Jail Break!
Acts 5:17-42
You Tube: Jail Break! Acts
5:17-42
This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to
sow.
Thank you for sharing.
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