The Apostles Meet Opposition

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 29, 2021

The Apostles Meet Opposition

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”

Acts 5:19-20

Read: Acts 5:17-26

As I read today’s passage, I remembered Paul asking for prayer for boldness to proclaim the Gospel while he was in prison. (Colossians 4) Paul didn’t ask his friends to go his bail, or break him out of jail. He asked for power to preach in his present circumstance. In today’s passage, an angel of the Lord broke the apostles out of jail. Then the angel directed them to go back to the place where they had been arrested “and tell the people all about this new life.”

I laughed a bit at that statement. This new life got the apostles thrown in jail! And as they continued to teach in the Temple, they would be arrested again! But in their old life, they didn’t have an angel of the Lord attending to them. In their old life, they didn’t perform many signs and wonders among the people, the sick, and those tormented by impure spirits were not healed.

My Takeaway: Not long before the events in today’s passage, Peter had thrice denied evening knowing Jesus. Then, filled with the Holy Spirit, after being twice ordered to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, after being arrested, Peter again places himself in harm’s way. This is the power of the Holy Spirit I ask God to manifest in my life. This is the love for Jesus that I ask God to form in my life.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.