Standing for the Truth!

INTRODUCTION

After Pentecost, the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ spread rapidly in Jerusalem as Spirit-empowered witnesses shared the Gospel with the lost. Signs and wonders accompanied the preaching of the Word, and no one could deny that God was at work in a new way among His ancient people.

But not everybody was happy with the success of the church. The “religious establishment” that had opposed the ministry of Jesus, and then called for His crucifixion, took the same hostile approach toward His followers.

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. John 15:18-20

It was the age-old conflict between living truth and THE LIE. The English martyr Hugh Latimer said, “Whenever you see persecution, there is more than a probability that truth is on the persecuted side.”

We see in this account four different responses to God’s truth, responses we still see today.

THE LIE Attacking the Truth

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, 18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.

The high priest and his associates had three reasons for arresting the Apostles (this time it was all of the Apostles) and bringing them to trial.

1. Peter and John had not obeyed the official orders to stop preaching in the name of Jesus Christ.

2. The witness of the church was refuting the doctrines held by the Sadducees, giving every evidence that Jesus Christ was alive.

3. The religious leaders were filled with envy (“indignation”) at the great success of these untrained and unauthorized men (see Matt. 27:18; Acts 13:45). It is amazing how much envy can be hidden under the disguise of “defending our position.”

The Apostles did not resist arrest or organize a public protest. They quietly went along with the temple guard and actually spent some time in the public jail.

19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” 21 And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught.

During the night, an angel set them free and told them to return to their witnessing in the temple. (The Sadducees, of course, did not believe in angels. Here is another of their lies that was busted by God’s activity in the life of the Apostles.)

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!”

Neither the guards nor the leaders knew that the prisoners had been liberated. You are tempted to smile as you imagine the surprised looks on the faces of the guards when they discovered that their most important prisoners were gone. And just imagine the astonishment of the envious members of the Sanhedrin when they heard the report! Here they were trying to stop the miracles, but their actions only multiplied the miracles!

What a contrast between the Apostles and the members of the council. The council was trying desperately to protect themselves and their position and power, while the Apostles were risking their lives to share the living Word of God.

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. 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!”

Can you imagine the rush of emotions in this section: envy (Acts 5:17), bewilderment (Acts 5:24), and fear (Acts 5:26; see 4:21 and Matt. 21:26). Yet, when the Apostles were brought in, the high priest boldly accused them of defying the law and causing trouble. He would not even use the name of Jesus Christ, but instead said “this name” and “this Man’s blood,” lest by speaking His name he would defile his lips.

26 Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. 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!”

But even the High Priest’s indictment was an admission that the church was increasing and getting the job done! The wrath of man was bringing praise to the Lord (Ps. 76:10). The high priest realized that if the Apostles were right, then the Jewish leaders had been wrong in condemning Jesus Christ. Indeed, if the Apostles were right, then the council was guilty of His blood. As this “trial” progressed, the Apostles became the judges and the council became the accused. The Apostles did not change their convictions. They obeyed God and trusted Him to take care of the consequences. They could not serve two masters, and they had already declared whose side they were on.

The Truth countering the lie

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.”

Had they been diplomats and politicians instead of Apostles of Jesus and Witnesses they would have tried to find words that would have pleased everybody and escaped a beating. But they stood firmly for the Lord, and He honored their courage and faith.

Neither did they change their message and boldly affirmed once again that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead. Not only was Jesus raised from the dead, but He was also exalted by God to heaven. The work of the Holy Spirit in recent days was evidence that Jesus had returned to heaven and sent His Spirit as He promised.

In his response, Peter called Jesus “the Prince and Savior.” The word translated, Prince here is the noun, archegos, meaning “the one who leads the way, an originator or founder.” The Sanhedrin was not interested in this new thing that God was doing! All they wanted to do was protect their vested interests and keep things exactly as they were. As the “Prince of life,” Jesus saves us and leads us into exciting experiences as we walk “in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). For the Believer in Jesus, there are always new trails to blaze for our salvation experience must never become static.

The Christian life is not a parking lot; it is a launching pad! It is not enough just to be born again; we must also grow spiritually (2 Peter 3:18) and make progress in our walk. In Hebrews 12:2, the author uses the same Greek word when he calls Jesus “the author and finisher of our faith,” which suggests that He leads us into new experiences that test our faith and help it to grow. One of the major themes of Hebrews is “let us press on to maturity” (Heb. 6:1, nasb), and we cannot mature unless we follow Christ, the Prince, into new areas of faith and ministry.

The title Savior was not new to the members of the council, for the word was used for physicians (who save people’s lives), philosophers (who solve people’s problems), and statesmen (who save people from danger and war). It was even applied to the Emperor. But only Jesus Christ is the true and living Savior who rescues from sin, death, and judgment all who will trust Him.

Peter again called the nation to repentance (Acts 2:36; 3:19–26; 4:10–12) and promised that the gift of the Spirit would be given to all who “obey Him.” This does not imply that the gift of the Spirit is a reward for obedience, for a gift can be received only by faith. The phrase “obey Him” is the same as “obedient to the faith” in Acts 6:7 and means “to obey God’s call and trust God’s Son.” God does not suggest that sinners repent and believe; He commands it (Acts 17:30).

AN unexpected ally of the Truth

33 When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them. 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.”

Gamaliel was a Pharisee who probably did not want to see the Sadducees win any victories. He was a scholar highly esteemed by the people, rather liberal in his applications of the Law of Moses, and apparently moderate in his approach to problems.

“When Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died,” said the Jews, “the glory of the Law ceased and purity and abstinence died.”

Saul of Tarsus was trained by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel’s “counsel” was used by God to save the Apostles from death. That the Sadducees would heed the words of a Pharisee shows how distinguished a man Gamaliel was.

In spite of the fact that Gamaliel landed on the right side because of his cool logic, his approach was still wrong. To begin with, he automatically classified Jesus with two rebels, which means he had already rejected the evidence. To him, this “Jesus of Nazareth” was just another zealous Jew rebel, trying to set the nation free from Rome. But did Theudas or Judas ever do the things that Jesus did? Were they raised from the dead? With a clever twist of bad logic, Gamaliel convinced the council that there was really nothing to worry about! Troublemakers come and go, so be patient.

Furthermore, Gamaliel assumed that “history repeats itself.” Theudas and Judas rebelled, were subdued, and their followers were scattered. Give these Galileans enough time and they too will disband, and you will never again hear about Jesus of Nazareth. While you can see “cycles” in history, and these “cycles” are many times predictive of human behavior we must not assume God and man work in the same way. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ had never happened before and would never happen again. God had broken into history and visited this earth!

Gamaliel also had the mistaken idea that, if something is not of God, it must fail. But this idea does not take into consideration the sinful nature of man and the presence of Satan in the world. Mark Twain said that a lie runs around the world while truth is still putting on her shoes. In the end, God’s truth will be victorious; but meanwhile, Satan can be very strong and influence multitudes of people…just look at the chaos since March 15th!

Success is no test of truth, in spite of what the pragmatists say. False cults often grow faster than God’s church. This world is a battlefield on which truth and error are in mortal combat, and often it looks as if truth is “on the scaffold” while wrong sits arrogantly on the throne. How long should the council wait to see if the new movement would survive? What tests would they use to determine whether or not it was successful? What is success? No matter how you look at it, Gamaliel’s “wisdom” was in essence the foolishness of man.

But the biggest weakness of his advice was his motive: he encouraged neutrality when the council was facing a life-and-death issue that demanded decision. “Wait and see!” is actually not neutrality; it is a definite decision. Gamaliel was voting “No!” but he was preaching “maybe someday.”

Jesus made it clear that it is impossible to be neutral about Him and His message.

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad (Matt. 12:30).

Quite often, being neutral means making a quiet (and perhaps cowardly) decision to neglect to stand up for God’s truth. It is significant that the first group named among those who go to hell is “the fearful” (Rev. 21:8), the people who knew the truth but were afraid to take their stand.

boldly Standing on the Truth

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. 41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Part of the council wanted to kill the Apostles (Acts 5:33), but Gamaliel’s speech tempered their violence. In a compromise move, the council decided to have the Apostles beaten; so the men were given thirty-nine strokes (see Deut. 25:1–3; 2 Cor. 11:24). Then the Apostles were commanded to stop speaking in the name of Jesus Christ lest something worse happen to them. (Review Acts 2:22; 3:6, 16; 4:10, 12, 17–18, 30.)

When people refuse to deal with disagreements on the basis of truth, they often resort to verbal or physical violence, and sometimes both as we have seen of late. The sad thing is that this violence often masquerades heroic zeal. When understanding fails, violence starts to take over; and people begin to destroy each other in the name of their nation or their God. It is tragic that even the history of religion is punctuated with accounts of persecutions and “holy wars.”

William Temple said that Christians are “called to the hardest of all tasks: to fight without hatred, to resist without bitterness, and in the end, if God grant it so, to triumph without vindictiveness.”

How did the Apostles respond to this illegal treatment from their nation’s religious leaders? They rejoiced! Jesus had told them to expect persecution and had instructed them to rejoice in it (Matt. 5:10–12). The opposition of men meant the approval of God, and it was actually a privilege to suffer for His name (Phil. 1:29).

The Sanhedrin thought that it had won a great victory, when actually the council had experienced a crushing defeat. No doubt they congratulated each other for doing such a good job of defending the faith! But it was the Apostles who were the winners, because they grew in godliness as they yielded to God’s will and suffered for their Master. In later years, Peter would have much to say in his first epistle about the meaning of suffering in the life of the believer; but now he was learning the lessons.

Neither the threats nor the beatings stopped them from witnessing for Jesus Christ. If anything, this persecution only made them trust God more and evidence greater obedience in their ministry. True believers are not “quitters.” The Apostles had a commission to fulfill, and they intended to continue as long as their Lord enabled them.

Acts 5:42 summarized the apostolic pattern for evangelism, an excellent pattern for us to follow. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

To begin with, they witnessed “daily in the temple, and in every house.” This meant that they took advantage of witnessing opportunities no matter where they were (Eph. 5:15–16). Every Christian is a witness, either a good one or a bad one; and our witness either draws others to Christ or drives them away. It is a good practice to start each day asking the Lord for the wisdom and grace needed to be a loving witness for Christ that day. If we sincerely look for opportunities and expect God to give them to us, we will never lack for open doors.

My counsel to new Christians has usually been, “Go back to your home and church, be a loving witness for Christ, and stay until they ask you to leave” (see 1 Cor. 7:17–24). The Apostles did not abandon the Jewish temple, though they knew the old dispensation was ended and that one day the temple would be destroyed. They were not compromising; they were “taking the opportunity” to reach more people for Christ.

The early Christians also witnessed “in every house.” Unlike congregations today, these people had no buildings that were set aside for worship and fellowship. Believers would meet in different homes, worshiping the Lord, listening to teaching, and seeking to win the lost (see Acts 2:46). Paul referred to a number of “house fellowships” when he greeted the saints in Rome (Rom. 16:5, 10–11, 14). The early church took the Word right into the homes, and we should follow their example. This does not mean that it is wrong to have special buildings set aside for church ministry, but only that we must not confine the ministry to the four walls of a church building.

Their ministry went on without ceasing. The authorities had told them to stop witnessing, but they only witnessed all the more! Their motive was not defiance to the law but rather obedience to the Lord. It was not something they turned on and off, depending on the situation. They were “always at it” and they kept at it as long as God gave them opportunities.

The witness of the church included both teaching and preaching, and that is a good balance. The word translated “preach” gives us our English word evangelize, and this is the first of fifteen times it is used in Acts. It simply means “to preach the Gospel, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.” (See 1 Cor. 15:1–8 for the official statement of the Gospel message.)

However, proclamation must be balanced with instruction (see Acts 2:42) so that the sinners know what to believe and the new converts understand why they believed. The message cannot produce fruit unless the person understands it and can make an intelligent decision (Matt. 13:18–23). Believers cannot grow unless they are taught the Word of God (1 Peter 2:1–3).

Finally, it was Jesus who was the center of their witness. That was the very name that the Sanhedrin had condemned! The early church did not go about arguing religion or condemning the establishment: they simply told people about Jesus Christ and urged them to trust in Him. “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (2 Cor. 4:5). “Ye shall be witnesses unto Me” (Acts 1:8).

In his clever and convicting book The Gospel Blimp, the late Joe Bayly wrote: “Jesus Christ didn’t commit the Gospel to an advertising agency; He commissioned disciples.” That commission still stands. In your life, is it commission—or omission?