Prevailing Truth

The Christian Community Comes Alive
Seeds of New Growth

Witnessing to the Truth

Acts 4:5-12  The Message

^5-7 The next day a meeting was called in Jerusalem. The rulers, religious leaders, religion scholars, Annas the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander—everybody who was anybody was there. They stood Peter and John in the middle of the room and grilled them: “Who put you in charge here? What business do you have doing this?”

^8-12 With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: “Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.”

 

For Reflection 

Who accuses you for preforming righteous deeds?  By what authority do you speak for justice, forgiveness and peace?    Who feeds the poor?  Who comforts the downtrodden?  Who heals the sick?  Who creates a loving community.  Who? 

 

Where government fails can the Spirit succeed?  Can you join the angel armies and render to God the life God gives to you?  Can you act by the authority of Jesus Christ?  You have the authority, but do you have the will to exercise Christian hospitality in an increasingly inhospitable world?

Pray

that Christians everywhere use the authority of God to do unto others as they would have others do unto them.  Pray that Christians will find in a radical trust in God and Jesus Christ to abandon common convention to make this world more just.  Pray that those who today are fleeing unjust, tyrannical, selfish, evil societies will find hospitable places of sanctuary.