Sunday, January 30, 2011

The defense of the Gospel

Acts 5+

I know we are reading Acts 6, 7 today but I felt as if I needed to discuss the end of Acts 5 today. Please bear with me. We also begin two hours each day with the Lord for the final ten days of our fast. I know for some this has been a struggle and spending two hours/day is going to be even harder, if you must, divide the to hours into two-one hour segments.

Please continue doing your best. We are finding how so many other things control our time and many are finding a deeper relationship with the Lord and a richer knowledge of the Word. Some have even seen miracles already. God is good!

There are many people who are far deeper theologically than me who know how to argue the case for Christ in a very strong intellectual way. Some of the greatest defenders of the faith I know were not even Christians at the time. I was going to be persecuted in one way or another for my faith and they stood up to champion my cause for me in a way I never could. That is the story of Gamaliel

The disciples had been in prison, released by an angel of the Lord, and then went to share the Gospel in the temple. I guess if an angel gets you out of prison you no longer fear being thrown into prison. Brought before the Sanhedrin again, the leaders don’t know what to do with them. Gamaliel (the apostle Paul’s teacher) speaks to the crowd and in a backdoor-way defends them. After being beaten the apostles are released.

When we are doing what the Lord has called us to do many will not like it or will be confused by it, but the Lord will always defend us. Part of the peace we need to have as Christians is that God sees everything. One of the names of God in the Hebrew is “the God who sees”

When we go through hard times, we need to know that God sees and he will be our defense. In fact the Bible tells us that He is our shield, our defender, our High tower, and a very present help in time of need. The defense may not come from the places we would expect but it will come. God will always protect and defend us. He never fails. If he needs to use a donkey as he did with Balaam in the book of numbers or a Gamaliel as he does here in Acts, it doesn’t matter, He will come to our defense.

You may be hurting or struggling today, whatever you are going through God will come to your defense. He may also challenge you today to share your faith with someone, don’t worry, do it with the right heart and He will come to your defense. Our God really loves us and like a good Father, protects and defends His children.

Tomorrow Acts 8,9

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