Keep Right on Preaching

The opponents of the Gospel are legion. In fact, were it not for God’s personal involvement in the mission of the church, we would have been erased from history long ago. The ravages of internal treachery and external persecutions, both fueled by the influence of the devil, demand our careful consideration of the grace that sustains the body of Christ.

The persecution of the early church began in Jerusalem with the arrest of Peter and John (Acts 4). Next, the arrest of all the apostles ended with their being released following a flogging (Acts 5). Jewish historians and the apostle Paul give us a view to the severity of this thrashing. A hard leather strap with three extensions was used on the back and chest, first to soften then splice the flesh. 40 lashes minus one was the standard, and it left weaker vessels on the brink of death because of the loss of blood.

The prohibition of the ministry of the Word went repeatedly unheeded by the apostles, who led the Jerusalem church into direct conflict with the Sanhedrin. As resistance to the Gospel increased, the severity of the punishments worsened.

In Acts 5:33–42, the Sadducee-led Sanhedrin responded to the charges presented in the apostle Peter’s defense of their Gospel preaching. His words of truth, charging them with the murder of the Messiah, infuriated the Jewish religious leaders to the point of intending to slay the apostles. What of grace?

First, there was the grace of boldness, in obedience to God, for preaching the Gospel. Second, the grace of God entered one opponent via a moderating spirit. Such was Gamaliel, a prominent rabbi in the party of the Pharisees. His speech to the Council likely preserved the lives of the apostles on this occasion. His reasoning was that if God was not in the apostles’ work, it would come to nothing. The previous prohibition was repeated and the apostles were flogged. A moral choice now had physical consequences, and what would come next?

The third grace came as joy in the midst of trial and tribulation. It was an honor to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ. The final grace in Luke’s account was the option chosen by the apostles — they kept right on preaching and teaching about Jesus and the resurrection.

Gospel preachers are on the road marked with suffering. Each encounter with resistance produces the test question, “What to do now?” For the apostles, the answer to this question remained the same with every warning and punishment.

Much of the church in the world is persecuted, today, and we must pray for their boldness. In the West, we must not forget the suffering of the Hussites, Waldensians, Reformers, Lollards, Anabaptists, Puritans, Covenanters, Pilgrims, and the multitude of individuals who continue to say to the face of our adversary, “We must obey God rather than men.”

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

June 3, 2021