Choices

Acts 5:27-32

“27 When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The authorities on the council, Sadducees and Pharisees, thought they knew every aspect of God and viewed the Disciples as heretics, but the Disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit of the God the Sadducees and Pharisees supposedly knew and worshiped. The authorities who thought they had God figured out, refused to acknowledge that God was moving in a new direction.

The Disciples were confronted with a choice; stop preaching the gospel in Jesus’ name or face imprisonment or worse. They chose to obey God rather than an oppressive human authority who chose not to understand the gospel of Christ even though the Disciples offered it freely.

Each day Christians are confronted with similar choices.  Do we choose to believe the gospel of Christ or the gospel of materialism, anger and hate?  Do we choose to obey the God of love or the god of the world?

The choice is ours.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)