When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ‘What are we going to do with these men?’ they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.’
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” (Acts 4:12-20 NIV)
For my Bachelor of Social Work degree, I was required to do a practicum, or internship, during my final semester. When I met with my supervising professor, she asked a very direct question: Can you promise you will not share your faith during the practicum? I told her I could not, and she replied that she might refuse to allow me to finish my degree.
What she was afraid of was I would be proselytizing—attempting to convert people to the Christian faith. It is a loaded word that in our culture conjures up images of telling people they are going to hell, cornering someone and reciting Scripture to them, or brainwashing them. Proselytizing is illegal in many countries and often cited as unacceptable in the codes of conduct of businesses and educational institutions, as well as the U.S. military.
It is what the religious authorities were accusing Peter and John of doing. And what they commanded of them is increasingly what our culture is telling those of us who believe: Don’t speak any longer to anyone in this name. We don’t want to hear it!
While there are examples of those following Christ being rude, judgmental, and coercive to unbelievers, this isn’t the norm nor is it what most are against. They just don’t want to hear about Jesus, their need for Him as Savior, and the fact that He is Lord of their lives whether they acknowledge Him or not. That was my professor. She disliked Christians and what they represented (though pressure from the department chairman forced her to allow me to do my practicum). Those with similar views are increasing and are gaining influential positions in our society.
As the hostility towards followers of Jesus increases, Peter and John offer the perfect example of responding to it. They were not angry or rude, just matter of fact: “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” They were not cowered by the hostility they encountered. They knew what they had seen, heard, and experienced with Jesus. No amount of pressure, harassment, or suffering was going to deter or silence them. They were going to tell others about their Lord.
Today, recognize the increasingly hostile environment growing around you as a follower of Jesus. More and more, you are going to hear voices that tell you not speak to anyone about Jesus. But take courage from the example of Peter and John. They could not help but tell others about Jesus because of the transformative impact He had on their lives. It should be the same with you.
© Jim Musser 2018
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