Part of the council wanted to kill the apostles (Acts 5:33), but Gamaliel’s speech tempered their violence. In a compromise move, the council decided to have the apostles beaten, so the men were given thirty-nine strokes (see Deut. 25:1–3; 2 Cor. 11:24). Then the apostles were commanded to stop speaking in the name of Jesus Christ lest something worse happen to them. (Review Acts 2:22; 3:6, 16; 4:10, 12, 17–18, 30.)
When people refuse to deal with disagreements on the basis of principle and truth, they often resort to verbal or physical violence, and sometimes both. The sad thing is that this violence often masquerades as patriotism or as religious zeal. When understanding fails, violence starts to take over, and people begin to destroy each other in the name of their nation or their God. It is tragic that even the history of religion is punctuated with accounts of persecutions and “holy wars.” William Temple said that Christians are “called to the hardest of all tasks: to fight without hatred, to resist without bitterness, and in the end, if God grant it so, to triumph without vindictiveness.”
How did the apostles respond to this illegal treatment from their nation’s religious leaders? They rejoiced! Jesus had told them to expect persecution and had instructed them to rejoice in it (Matt. 5:10–12). The opposition of men meant the approval of God, and it was actually a privilege to suffer for His name (Phil. 1:29).
To paraphrase Phillips Brooks, the purpose of life is to glorify God by the building of character through truth. The Sanhedrin thought that it had won a great victory, when actually the council had experienced a crushing defeat. No doubt they congratulated each other for doing such a good job of defending the faith! But it was the apostles who were the winners, because they grew in godliness as they yielded to God’s will and suffered for their Master. In later years, Peter would have much to say in his first epistle about the meaning of suffering in the life of the believer, but now he was learning the lessons.
Neither the threats nor the beatings stopped them from witnessing for Jesus Christ. If anything, this persecution only made them trust God more and seek greater power in their ministry. True believers are not “quitters.” The apostles had a commission to fulfill, and they intended to continue as long as their Lord enabled them. Acts 5: summarizes the apostolic pattern for evangelism, an excellent pattern for us to follow.
To begin with, they witnessed “daily.” This meant that they took advantage of witnessing opportunities no matter where they were (Eph. 5:15–16). Every Christian is a witness, either a good one or a bad one, and our witness either draws others to Christ or drives them away. It is a good practice to start each day asking the Lord for the wisdom and grace needed to be a loving witness for Christ that day. If we sincerely look for opportunities and expect God to give them to us, we will never lack for open doors.
D. L. Moody was fearless in his witness for Christ and sought to speak about spiritual matters to at least one soul each day. “How does your soul prosper today?” he would ask; or, “Do you love the Lord? Do you belong to Christ?” Some were offended by his blunt manner, but not a few were led to Christ then and there. “The more we use the means and opportunities we have,” he said, “the more will our ability and our opportunities be increased.” He also said, “I live for souls and for eternity; I want to win some soul to Christ.” He was not satisfied only to address great crowds; he also felt constrained to speak to people personally and urge them to trust Jesus Christ.
The believers witnessed “in the temple.” After all, that was where the “religious” people gathered, and it was easier to reach them there. For several years, the church was looked on as another “sect” of the Jewish faith, and both the temple and the many synagogues were open to believers. In his missionary journeys, Paul always went first to the local synagogue or Jewish place of prayer, and he witnessed there until he was thrown out.
My counsel to new Christians has usually been, “Go back to your home and church, be a loving witness for Christ, and stay until they ask you to leave” (see 1 Cor. 7:17–24). The apostles did not abandon the Jewish temple, though they knew the old dispensation was ended and that one day the temple would be destroyed. They were not compromising; they were “buying up the opportunity” to reach more people for Christ.
While I was ministering at the Moody Church in Chicago, it was my joy to lead a pastor to Christ, a gifted man who ministered to a wealthy congregation. He went back to his church and began to share Christ, and numbers of his people were saved. Then the denominational leaders stepped in and started to threaten him with dismissal.
“What do I do?” he asked, and I said, “Stay there until they throw you out. Be loving and kind, but don’t give in!” Eventually he was forced out of the church, but not before his witness had influenced many both in the church and in the community. Today, God is using him in a remarkable way to witness for Christ and to train others to witness. He is able to get into churches and groups that might never invite me!
The early Christians also witnessed “in every house.” Unlike congregations today, these people had no buildings that were set aside for worship and fellowship. Believers would meet in different homes, worshipping the Lord, listening to teaching, and seeking to win the lost (see Acts 2:46). Paul referred to a number of “house fellowships” when he greeted the saints in Rome (Rom. 16:5, 10–11, 14). The early church took the Word right into the homes, and we should follow their example. This does not mean that it is wrong to have special buildings set aside for church ministry, but only that we must not confine the ministry to the four walls of a church building.
Their ministry went on without ceasing. The authorities had told them to stop witnessing, but they only witnessed all the more! Their motive was not defiance to the law but rather obedience to the Lord. It was not something they turned on and off, depending on the situation. They were “always at it,” and they kept at it as long as God gave them opportunities.
The witness of the church included both teaching and preaching, and that is a good balance. The word translated “preach” gives us our English word evangelize, and this is the first of fifteen times it is used in Acts. It simply means “to preach the gospel, to share the good news of Jesus Christ.” (See 1 Cor. 15:1–8 for the official statement of the gospel message.)
However, proclamation must be balanced with instruction (see Acts 2:42) so that the sinners know what to believe and the new converts understand why they believed. The message cannot produce fruit unless the person understands it and can make an intelligent decision (Matt. 13:18–23). Believers cannot grow unless they are taught the Word of God (1 Peter 2:1–3).
Finally, it was Jesus Christ who was the center of their witness. That was the very name that the Sanhedrin had condemned! The early church did not go about arguing religion or condemning the establishment: they simply told people about Jesus Christ and urged them to trust in Him. “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (2 Cor. 4:5). “Ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8).
It was my privilege to speak at a service celebrating the fortieth anniversary of a pastor friend whose ministry has blessed many. A number of his friends shared in the service and quite candidly expressed their love for him and their appreciation for his ministry. My friend became more and more embarrassed as the meeting progressed, and when it came time for me to bring the message, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Warren, please tell them about Jesus!”
In his clever and convicting book The Gospel Blimp, the late Joe Bayly wrote: “Jesus Christ didn’t commit the gospel to an advertising agency; He commissioned disciples.”
That commission still stands.
In your life, is it commission—or omission?