After Pentecost: The Disciples DeployedSample

 Encouraged Rather Than Discouraged

The Pharisees did not like what the apostles had to say. In fact, they wanted to commit murder, something that went directly against the law they claimed to uphold. The light the apostles shone had revealed darkness in the Pharisees’ hearts, but the Pharisees still did not perceive the need to repent of their sin or receive forgiveness for it. They only released the apostles because they believed their Gospel message false, Jesus an imposter, and the apostles’ devotion temporary. They assumed the Church would disperse and the Gospel would be forgotten. They were wrong. 

Just before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus had spent time preparing the apostles for His betrayal, the horrors He would suffer, and the difficulties they would face in His physical absence. Having no frame of reference for the things Jesus was telling them, they listened, but did not fully comprehend what He was trying to say. Failing to grasp the gravity of the moment, they argued over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom (Luke 22:24), but Jesus pulled them back to the present by telling them they would be hated for their faith, not admired.  When it actually happened, they were not surprised.

The apostles, remembering all that Jesus had told them, counted it an honor, not an embarrassment to suffer for His name. The abuse the Pharisees heaped on them only served to confirm the Holy Spirit is activity in their lives and fueled their passion. Encouraged rather than discouraged, the apostles continued to advance truth, God continued to move, and the Pharisees could do nothing stop it. 

In his letters to the early Church, Peter would later tell believers to rejoice when they suffered for the name of Jesus. Having experienced persecution himself, Peter understood that being chosen to suffer for Jesus was a compliment, not an insult. 

What about you? Does your commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ prove it true or cause people to question its validity?  Do you consider it an embarrassment or an honor to be identified with Jesus and/or suffer for your faith in Him?