Faithful Service

“Persevering through worldly trials”

Acts 5:27 (ESV)

27And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,

Acts 5:28 (ESV)

28saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Acts 5:29 (ESV)

29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

We are living in difficult times now, and there are challenging days ahead of us. What we must do is continue to be faithful to God. Remember, God’s will is done through the faithfulness of the church. That is why we are regarded as the body of Christ. The lack of God in the culture is indicative of a lack of faithfulness of the church.

The culture has made it an uncomfortable thing to be a follower of Jesus. But this is nothing new.

Kingdom culture and carnal culture are not the same.

Being a part of kingdom culture begins at faith in Jesus Christ. You remain in the kingdom as you remain faithful. In the kingdom there is a sense of purpose, driven by a knowledge of self which is only given by God. With that said the Kingdom of God has built in boundaries that keep the citizens safe. If I go too far to the right or too far to the left, I’m off the path and no longer pursuing purpose. This purpose is so specific and so intentional.

God is specific in assigning purpose, and God is intentional in guiding us to and through our purpose.

Be faithful, but be quiet.

Acts 5:28 (ESV)

28saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

At this point, the church is relatively new and growing. It is seen as a radical faith deviating from the Jewish tradition. The Jewish leaders had a problem with the teaching. The apostles are teaching salvation is obtained through faith in Jesus Christ. Suddenly you can be reconciled to God and you don’t need a high priest to help you with this.

You can imagine this is a huge shock to the religious membrane. The cultural status quo has just been drastically challenged. Jesus was a big enough issue, now there are hundreds, and thousands of people turning to this Jesus that the Jewish leaders crucified.

The holiness of God is offensive to the carnal listener because the holiness of God confronts the sinfulness of man. If it had not been for the Word of God we simply would not know how sinful we truly are.

If someone is drowning, we throw a life ring to save them. It would seem silly for that person to be offended by an implication of their inability to swim. Grab the ring and be saved from your desperate situation. Jesus is the life ring for us now and into eternity.

My burden is to throw the ring, not to respect the person as they drown.

Jesus Christ gave His followers a holy requirement upon receiving the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth. Therefore, the requirement I obey is not what man produced, It’s what God commanded. With that said...

I will be faithful, but I won’t be quiet.

Acts 5:29 (ESV)

29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

This is where the boldness coming from God comes into play. Not to be confused with the boldness that comes from us.

There is a major difference between the two. One form of boldness comes from God, and is righteous. The other comes from ourselves which is prideful.

The boldness that we preach and proclaim the gospel of Christ with comes from the Spirit of God.

Prior to being filled with the Spirit of God the disciples weren’t out preaching. They were in the upper room praying, eating, planning. They did not know what being filled with the Spirit looked like, or what that was. They simply trust what Jesus told them prior to His departure.

As they are filled with the spirt which Christ promised to them, what follows is a bold obedience to fulfill what Christ commanded them to do. God empowers us as He empowered them to do His will. So that we can faithfully serve Him.

He gives us the right word for the right time. He gives us wisdom to handle the circumstances we come against. Through His anointing we bear the fruit of the spirit.

If I attempt to do the work of the ministry using what I possess, it becomes a trap for pride to grow. Suddenly, it becomes my ministry, not God’s ministry. Many church ministries fall victim to this trap. We see them get stagnant and then decline.

What we must remember is in verse 29.

Acts 5:29 (ESV)

29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

The chapter closes with Gamaliel, a highly regarded pharisee who advises the rest of the council about how to handle this new following.

Acts 5:38 ESV

So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;

Acts 5:39 ESV

but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,

We are still here to this day. People are still being saved from sin. The gospel has not lost any power. The holy spirit is still filling the saints and taking care of His people.

Do not get persuaded by the world that there is something wrong with the church.

There is nothing wrong with the church. There is something wrong with man.

Thats the bad news. The good news is Jesus Christ can fix what is wrong and make it all right.

If you heard the message today and desire a new life in Christ then please pray with me at this time.

Dear Lord, I am a sinner and I am in need of forgiveness., I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins.

I accept him as my personal savior and Lord, I commit myself to Jesus and ask that you send your precious Holy Spirit to fill me and take control.

Help me be the person you created me to be. Thank you for loving me and preparing a place for me in Heaven. In Jesus Name. Amen.