Ep 391 – Acts 5:27-42

Nobody likes to suffer. No person in their right mind would seek it out. But in Acts 5:27-42, we are going to see Peter and his fellow apostles actually rejoice for having been given the opportunity to suffer on behalf of Christ. In fact, they would see it as a privilege, an undeserved right to suffer just like their Savior had. But even that sounds odd to us. It comes across as a less-than-normal way to view life. It's unrealistic and unnatural. But for the apostles, it was business as usual. They were convinced that suffering was going to be a normal, everyday part of their lives as followers of Christ. Jesus had told them it would happen, and they took Him at His word. They had watched Him suffer and even die on their behalf. So, they saw no reason to think that they would not endure the same treatment at the hands of men. And they were glad to do so. Suffering was the least they could do for all that Christ had done for them. They had been given eternal life and had been justified before God, their sins having been fully and completely forgiven. They had been filled with the Spirit of God and had already seen the kind of power that was at their disposal as a result. Their lives had been radically changed and they had seen thousands of others come to faith in Christ and experience the Spirit's filling. So, they were more than happy to speak up and stand up for the gospel, even if it meant they had to suffer for their efforts.