Gospel in a Minute
The Jewish leaders applied pressure on the apostles to shut down their bold preaching.
“What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. 17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” 18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:16-20 (NLT)
Principle: Preaching the gospel requires great courage.
Satan and his allies do everything in their power to keep us from believing the gospel, but once we see and believe that Jesus is the risen Messiah and Lord of Lords, their next attempt is to keep us from telling others the good news. Evil spiritual forces use cooperative people to accomplish their agenda, but our battle is never really with human beings. (Ephesians 6:12)
The gospel is God’s powerful means to liberate the captives held by the kingdom of darkness. (Isaiah 61:1 and Romans 1:16)
Satan cannot nullify the gospel’s power, but he does try to keep it from ever being spoken. He mocks, threatens, and persecutes those who proclaim the glorious good news. (2 Timothy 3:12) It is our responsibility to refuse to cower to this intimidation.
God wants us to be like Peter and John who feared God more than what might be done to them. Like Moses of old, they valued the reward for serving God more than the temporary tranquility that comes from making peace with the devil. (Hebrews 11:24-27) The Spirit of God filled them with boldness and courage.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NLT)
