Acts 5:41-6:7
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
6:1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews e among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. [1]
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What struck me in today’s passage was verse 41. The disciples rejoiced because they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace because of Jesus. Jesus had told them to do so in Luke 6:22-23.
This seems so counterintuitive. So opposite the way we normally think. If you regularly read these devotions, you know that I regularly encourage prayer for those being persecuted for their faith. This passage casts persecution in an entirely different light.
Jesus suggests that those who are persecuted should rejoice. And the apostles actually do so. Jesus points to the reward waiting in heaven, as well as the identification with the prophets who received similar treatment. The apostles looked at it as a sign that they were “doing it right,” and had been counted worthy to be identified with the name of Jesus.
Now I’m not suggesting that I’m going to run out today and seek out persecution. But what Jesus says here does address the reluctance that we often have about sharing our faith. On the one hand, we want to be wise and share our faith in a way that is not offensive or annoying. On the other hand, opposition and even persecution are normal results of faithful witnessing. How do we find that line between bold witnessing and being an obnoxious fanatic?
So my prayer today is for boldness in witness, for myself and for others. And I pray again for those experiencing persecution, that in light of Jesus’ words and the apostles example, that they would find joy in the middle of their suffering, as they carry their crosses.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Ac 5:41–6:7). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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