Shout It From the Rooftops!

“But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”  Acts 5:19-20

I am afraid most of us Christians are such wimps.  I am glad that Jesus’ apostles had some backbone, otherwise the gospel would have likely stayed in a small circle of friends who dared not spread it but had kept it to themselves.  Unfortunately that is what a lot of believers do–they keep the good news to themselves.  Peter and some of the other apostles had been arrested and locked up for healing the sick by the power of Christ and for preaching the gospel.  They were attracting quite a following of the common people, and the religious leaders began to worry that their positions of authority could be in jeopardy.  This was the same fear that drove them to have Jesus executed.

However, the apostles’ message of Christ and the forgiveness of sin was too important to be silenced.  The Lord sent an angel to free them from their prison cell and told them to get right back to what they were doing, preaching the gospel that got them locked up in the first place.  The angel said to “go, stand in the temple,” that is, right under the noses of the self-righteous religious leaders, “and speak to the people,” the common, everyday people who were willing and eager to hear their message.  When I think of these ordinary folks, I think of what Rush Limbaugh says about the hardworking and patriotic folks in our country–“the ones who make this country work”.  This could describe the people of Peter’s day who went about life, working, serving, and trying to do the right thing.  They were the ones who were eager to hear the words of life, the living, satisfying words of Christ that give meaning and fulfillment to one’s life.

What about us?  In Peter’s day, there were plenty of people who rejected the gospel, so this rejection in our day is nothing new, but it surely seems a lot more prevalent and more vile.  However, as far as I know, no one in the U.S. has been locked up for spreading the gospel, at least, not yet.  One day, when the majority of folks are anti-God, there may be some harsh consequences for telling others about Jesus and the gospel.  In some other countries, it is against the law for preachers to speak out against sin, and it is getting close to that here in America.  But for now, the worst thing that can happen to someone willing to step out and witness for Christ and spread the gospel is ridicule, being called “backward”, or just being ignored.  What are we willing to risk to go stand and speak the words of life in Christ?  We must be warned, though, our walk better back up our talk if we want to make an impact.