“Go to the Temple and give the people this message of Life!”
- Acts 5:20
The book of Acts is starting to kick off into full gear, and it's not about to slow down any time soon. What started with a group of devoted believers is starting to make waves in Jerusalem and the surrounding towns. At the center of it, all are the Apostles. In chapter 5, we are faced with two stories going on.
1) Ananias and Sapphira. These two are written about as a contrast to the kind of person Barnabas was at the end of chapter 4. While Barnabas is the son of encouragement, willing to generous giveaway everything for those in need and ready to share in the mission of the Gospel. Ananias and Sapphira are less inclined to do so. While they sell a property, they give only part of the proceeds while claiming to have given all of it to the church. Peter says this is not a lie and sin against the church or those in need, but rather a lie to God. This story doesn’t contribute much to our focus verse, but I know it’s a head-scratcher, so I wanted to touch on it a bit. The moral of the story, if you claim to give it all to Jesus, truly do give it all to Jesus!
2) The Apostles Arrested and set Free…
Signs and Wonders:
The Apostles started growing in recognition by the people. Yet, they were also the bane of the religious leaders. More and more people were turning to “The Way,” led by the Apostles, then they were looking to the Temple officials. The Apostles evangelized to thousands and thousands of people in Jerusalem in the beginning. They would go to the Temple to worship, but in the process, they would also share with others the good news of Jesus Christ and perform miracles in His name.
This rubbed the leaders of the Temple the wrong way, so one day when all that was happening, they arrested every Apostle.
Set Free:
These prisons weren’t nice places. They were just large holes in the streets with a gate to keep those walking above from falling in. Usually, that’s how Paul would later have people visit him in prison. But for now, the Apostles were in the hole, securely locked in, with guards stationed at the entrances. No doubt they sat in there, shackled to the wall or floor in the most uncomfortable positions imaginable.
But there was hope. That night an angel was sent by God to free the Apostles from prison so they may carry forward their mission, after all, they can’t get to the ends of the earth if they are shackled in Jerusalem. So the angel releases them, guides them out, and gives them this command, “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of Life.”
Message of Life:
Their task, even in the face of great oppression and hatred, is to share the message of Life. This message of Life is the New Life that Christ is offering to all. The New Life that Christ made available because of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father. It’s a life that is healed and free from the limits of our present because we know that it will continue eternally in God’s presence. It’s the message of the Gospel that intercedes into every facet of life we can think of.
Their task is also our task…
Granted, we don’t have to go to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to share the good news. Technically it's not even a temple anymore, but an Islamic holy site. Regardless of those fun facts, we are tasked with this message of Life. For we too are witnesses of the resurrection and life in Christ. We can know that it all has happened as the Bible records it and as Christians have shared with one another for 2000 years!
Oppression:
This task is central to our identity as believers no matter the season of life we are in, including in the face of oppression. However, many of us American Christians will never know what true oppression is like. And no, COVID and 2020 are not examples of oppression. No, Pride Month is not an example of oppression.
Oppression is when the world is telling us to stop talking and living in the name of Christ, which means your whole life needs to be encapsulated by Christ, to begin with which is fairly rare among believers. Oppression is experienced by the Missionaries who can never be acknowledged for their work online because the nation they are in is either closed or hostile to Christianity. Oppression is experienced by those forced to meet in their homes because the government controls their services otherwise. Oppression is when you can go to jail for preaching about Christ. An individual rejecting your preaching is not oppression.
But in the face of whatever happens, we have the message that brings Life! It’s a message that all those who come to believe will share in eternal life in God’s presence. It’s a message that brings life to dry bones and freshwater to the dead sea.
Final Blessing:
It might help take some time and simply reflect on the goodness and transformation that is both the source and result of the Word of Life being shared about Christ. Internalize it, make it personal, but catch a vision too for what it means to the whole world!
I hope that over time you are encouraged to share the Gospel with others in your life, that they might come to see Christ in a new light, and fall in love with God because of what God has done.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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