Worship

“Plan For Me” by Zach Williams

Scripture

“Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ‘Go, stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people all about this new life.’

“At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, ‘We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.’ On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.

“Then someone came and said, ‘Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.’ At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.” -Acts 5:17-26

The Growing Opposition to the Early Church

The gospel is gaining more ground, and the opposition against the Church is increasing. The enemy has filled the Sadducees with jealousy, anger, and fear. To fully understand the scope of the position of the Sadducees, you need to understand their theological position that stood in opposition to the teachings of the apostles. There was a spiritual war rapidly brewing against God’s people and the advancement of the gospel.

“At this point, it is important to remember that the Sadducees represented the liberal sect of Judaism. They accepted only the Torah (the law) as Scripture, and they did not believe in angels, supernatural gifts, the resurrection, eternal life, heaven, or hell. But not only were the Sadducees theologically compromised; they were also politically corrupt as they collaborated with pagan Rome. They secretly agreed with Rome that the temple and the rest of the Jewish territory was really under Roman control, but went along with the charade that the Jewish authorities maintained control. When the Sadducees saw the apostles gathering such a large following, particularly one that was centered on the temple, the Sadducees knew that this threatened their political commitments. Furthermore, the attention garnered by the apostles was diverting the attention they felt should be given to them. This, then, explains the source and their envy.” -R. Albert Mohler, Jr., “Acts 1-12 For You”

God’s Sovereign Response

Here is where we see the humor of God in a series of great ironies!

• The Sadducees did not believe in angels, so the Lord sent an angel to the prison to release the apostles they had imprisoned.
• The Sadducees commanded the apostles not to preach about Jesus. So, the angel of the Lord specifically told the Apostles to “‘Go, stand in the temple courts … and tell the people all about this new life (Acts 5:20).’”
• They didn’t believe that Jesus was the resurrected Messiah. The angel commanded the apostles to continue to speak about this new life. They were to go and preach Jesus, the resurrected life that came for them to save them from their sin and set them free.
• The wisest of their day couldn’t seem to find the apostles. In fact, they had no idea what happened to them.
• Jealousy led to fear for their own lives. If they even laid hands on the apostles, they feared they could be stoned if they injured them in any way.

The Lord demonstrated His sovereignty through several remarkable events. While the Sadducees denied the existence of angels, God sent an angel to free the apostles. When they commanded silence about Jesus, the angel instructed continued preaching. Though they rejected the resurrection, the apostles were commanded to proclaim this new life. Despite their worldly wisdom, they couldn’t explain the apostles’ escape, and their fear of the people prevented them from using force against God’s servants.

The apostles were freed before daybreak, so immediately they went back to preaching. They did not value their safety over their obedience. And who steps onto the scene but the Sanhedrin—the ruling body over Israel. So now the apostles are not just seen as a religious threat, but now they are considered a threat to national security! There is much stacked against the apostles, but they don’t seem to back down. They knew something deep unto deep that compelled and propelled them to keep going. This was greater than resolve or conviction. I believe these ordinary followers of Jesus were living in the fullness of the Spirit who lived in them. Holy Spirit was all they had and all they needed.

We can take heart that the sovereign hand of God is always at work! He has the final word!

• He will defend, protect, free, and relentlessly love His people and the gospel for which He sent them to proclaim.
• There is nothing that can be set against God’s people if He does not permit it.
• Those who are considered the wisest and most powerful melt in fear when God steps in.
• God will send angels to open prison doors in order to keep the gospel on the move.
• His plans will not fail, and the advancement of His Kingdom will not stop.
• His people will not be silenced!

A Call for Unity in the Face of Opposition

As I pondered and studied this passage of Scripture, there was one word that jumped out that was a deep root in the persecution the apostles faced. Jealousy. This very feeling and belief became an open door to afflict God’s people with imprisonment. Interesting. The spiritual weight of jealousy goes hand in hand with pride and offense, and when it operates between people in the body of Christ, it does great harm, division, and destruction. Here is where I want to turn our hearts and attention.

“Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.” -Romans 13:13

“You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?” -1 Corinthians 3:3

“For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.” -2 Corinthians 12:20

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” -Galatians 5:19-21

I don’t personally believe in a hierarchy of sins, that some are worse than others. Sin is sin. But look how much God detests jealousy from the Scriptures above. Why? Because it puts us into bondage and imprisonment, taking us to the very baseline nature of the enemy himself. Where was Satan’s origination point to his fall? It was pride and jealousy.

“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [unrest, rebellion] and every evil thing and morally degrading practice.” -James 3:16, AMP

God has made us and filled us, as followers of Jesus, to be free from jealousy so that we don’t injure and afflict the purposes of the enemy on one another. This spiritual root needs to be obliterated in our view of one another. We cannot permit comparison and jealousy because it is fruitless and even gives an open door to wound and imprison. I have recently pulled out an old book, “The Bait of Satan” by John Bevere. Offense and division, rooted in jealousy, are tearing the Body of Christ apart right now. I don’t want a tinge of those things in my life or my heart. It’s time to have understanding as to the schemes of the devil so we can move in an opposite spirit, in humility, and full awareness of the plans of the evil one.

Moving Forward in Faith

In closing, I want to remind you that we will face opposition if we are walking in obedience to the call of God upon our lives. People will rise up against us. The enemy will rise up against us. Will God have the final word? Yes. He shapes our character, sanctifies us, strengthens our conviction in belief of who He is and what He has promised, and deepens our resolve for our calling through persecution. We can expect pushback from the religious of our day. We can expect to be forsaken, rejected, and disowned. But if we are doing that as followers of Jesus one to another, I pray a repentance and a turning of God’s people in this hour. The friendly fire has to cease because it erects barriers to the gospel that are causing deep pain and suffering that is unnecessary and evil. I beseech the Church, as I do my own heart, to allow the Spirit of God to do open heart surgery and remove all roots of jealousy, pride, and offense so we can walk in unity and humility, being willing to lay down our lives for one another as Jesus did for us. Let’s be known that we fight for one another more than we fight against one another, as the days grow darker.

A Few Key Notes

• Join us for three cross-cultural dinners this summer on June 13, July 11, and August 15. We will enjoy a meal while learning about the Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim cultures and faith. You will experience an evening of sisterhood, education, and conversation as we discuss what God is doing among these three major world religions. Registration is free; you will only have to pay for the cost of your dinner.
• If you have a heart for intercession and want to be a part of a team that petitions the throne for God to move, join the Arise Prayer Team! Discover a rich community and grow your prayer life. We meet weekly over Zoom.