Scripture
Acts 5:38-39 “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!”
Observation
The new church was growing rapidly, each time that Peter preached there were thousands more joining. The success of Peter and the rest of the apostles was really grateing on the High Priest and the Sadducees (verse 17, 24) they had started something that they did not know how to finish. They thought that it was all over when they sealed the tomb, and why not, He wasn't the first prophet that the church leaders had put to death.
With Jesus death something was different though, this time death had no lasting effect on this prophet, all the other prophets died and that was the end of it, but this time he was only gone for three days and then he came back for forty days and proved that he was not a ghost but that He had returned just as He said He would.
Peter and the apostles gave their testimony and God's plan to forgive us of our sins. Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins, he is our risen Savior to all who believe.
Are you in need of more proof? Listen to the logic of the Pharisee named Gamaliel, he said that if all this stuff about Jesus rising from the dead were a man made fairy tale then it would not last for very long. Do you think that everyone of the apostles would be willing to die for a fairy tale? Do you think that they would endure the beatings for a man made story that was a cover-up because they had to get Jesus out of the tomb in three days?
What are you willing to take a beating for, how many beating would you endure? What are you willing to die for? Probably not for a lie, probably not to falsely attempt to authenticate Jesus story. It is only logical to conclude that Jesus proved every one of His predictions, that He proved Himself and all His teaching through His death and resurrection. How else could they find joy in their suffering (verse 41)?
As the apostle Paul states in Romans 8 "what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later", the apostles had real hope despite all the suffering that they endured and we can have that same hope that "nothing shall seperate us from the love of God"
Application
I will help others to come to the same conclusion about who Jesus is.
Prayer
Lord I pray that the strongholds of Satan will be broken down in my workplace. I pray that I can show You to my coworkers and that their opinion of religion will not stand in their way.
