Influencers of the Gospel of Christ punished by governing authorities.

Acts 4:13-22

• Power of Jesus Christ is noted as command is given to shut the Gospel down.
• Following the will of God above the will of human beings.

Power of Jesus Christ is noted as command is given to shut the Gospel down.
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

Peter and John spoke of Jesus Christ from what they saw and experienced within their own life, not from things written down to be learned. They were uneducated and untrained, but they were witnesses to His life on earth, to His death on the Cross, to His resurrection from the grave, to His ascension into Heaven, and to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit within their own life. The governors of the Jewish people marveled at the boldness and wisdom in the Spirit of Peter and John. The Jewish leaders knew that Peter and John had definitely been with Jesus. This was not a compliment but a condemnation.

As followers of Jesus Christ, our born-again experience is His Gospel written on our heart. This is not something we have learned in books or were trained to say but is something living within us by the Spirit. We know how our life was before being with Jesus Christ and how it is while walking with Him. We know the work of the Holy Spirit is in us to root out ugly attitudes to separate us from the ways of this world as Holiness is being processed within our heart and soul. People of today’s culture know we are different from them, we don’t bond with their atheistic views, and they can recognize that we are with Jesus.

“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

 “And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What will we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” Acts 4:14-17

Those who live and govern for today’s culture realize that the power in the name of Jesus is able to change lives, to restore belief in God, and to move people to embrace the Holy Spirit. For that reason, there is an unspoken or secret conspiracy to silence we who share our born-again experience [the Gospel of Jesus written on our heart]. That’s because being born-again moves people away from the atheistic beast that gives people what to speak, think, feel, and do. That beast opposes belief in God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. The beastly entity gives life to the image of the beast to speak and live through people, but Christians desire the image of Christ to speak and live through us. Today’s culture, which is global, is groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do.

The intent of today’s culture is the same as what the Jewish people intended to do to Peter and John: To punish them to stop the spread of the testimony of Jesus. Today, that is done through the process of behavioral modification. Social approval is shown and respect given when living by the beast that gives people what to speak, do, think, and feel. Negative feedback, social scrutiny, and disrespect are given to those who lift up the name of Jesus Christ.

Following the will of God above the will of human beings.
“So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.” Acts 4:18

Peter and John were called by the Jewish leaders to be warned about speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus Christ. This is happening in today’s culture, within the United States, where people are warned against speaking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. Employers reprimand employees for sharing Jesus Christ with co-workers, managers of apartment complexes reprimand tenants for evangelizing in the name of Jesus, school authorities reprimand teachers and students for sharing Jesus Christ on school property, public officials do not allow evangelism in public places, etc.

“But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20

As followers of Jesus Christ, we respond like Peter and John responded, that we must do what is right in the sight of God and not to follow the doctrines of people. Those of today’s culture are atheists who listen to the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel. Their intent is to abolish belief in God, to silence the forgiveness of unbelief through Jesus Christ, and to oppose the presence of the Holy Spirit. We only speak about what we have seen and heard which are summed up in our born-again experience [the Gospel of Christ written on our heart]. We know the power of the message of the Cross, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we believe to eternal life.

We have also seen the prophecies of the Bible being fulfilled in front of our eyes in these modern times since 1945. Click here for a list of some of those prophecies.

“So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.” Acts 4:21-22

Today’s culture will always use intimidation and forms of threats to discourage people from speaking in the name of Jesus Christ. In this hostile environment we must embrace these words of the Holy Spirit, “…be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Titus 3:1-2 Even then, we will face hostilities simply for our belief in God, speaking in the name of Jesus, and embracing the presence of the Holy Spirit. The world follows the entity giving them what to speak, do, think, and feel. Jesus says, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” John 15:18-20

The cripple man that Peter healed was 40 years of age, and cripple from birth, as described in the posts on Acts 3:1-12. For 40 years, everyone knew the man as the cripple who begged for contributions at the temple gate, then he began to walk. It was undeniable. Likewise, when a person is born-again it is undeniable, and those of today’s culture do not want to mar their Godly image by publicly persecuting Christianity. They want to quietly silence the testimony of Jesus Christ. It’s something that is not placed on voting ballots, not discussed at townhall meetings, nor heard about through news sources.

There are countries such as those in Africa, China, Russia, North Korea, far east countries etc. that publicly imprison and persecute Christians. Nowadays, there are more countries than not who are publicly hostile to Jesus Christ, and they are the majority of nations within the United Nations. When the United Nations becomes the undisputable one world government, the global persecution of Christians will be the norm. The global culture will be directly involved in their vigilance against anyone living for Christ, as Jesus says, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles…“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:16-18, 21-22

The return of our Lord Jesus Christ is nearer than at any time ever before, and we see Him standing at the door in today’s times. We have a home in the New Jerusalem of the new heaven and earth. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11