SUFFER DISGRACE FOR THE NAME

Jesus Has Promised Prosperity and Persecution

By Mrs. Gifty A. Ofei Badu (BNWC Pastor’s Wife)

Main Texts: Acts 5:40-42, Mark 10:29, 30

Passage for Study Acts 1 - 5

The series of events that led the apostles to rejoice in being whipped and threatened for the sake of the gospel are remarkable:

• Jesus commands the disciples to stay at Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit
• Peter addresses the onlookers after the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, and baptizes 3000 men, because they received Power. They spoke boldly and did many signs and wonders.
• Peter heals the cripple at the temple gate and this raises a lot of controversies.
• Peter addresses the crowd about Jesus, who was sent down to us as our savior, but they through the influence of their leaders. He tells them it was not too late for them to repent of their sins and be forgiven
• The Sanhedrin is worried because the apostles are preaching about the resurrected Christ and many people are believing and repenting.
• Peter and John are arrested, put in jail, and questioned about whose name they are performing the signs and wonders.
• Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit speaks boldly that they were doing those things in Jesus’ name.
• When they notice how boldly Peter speaks, they realize that Peter had walked with Jesus.
• The man who was healed is there, so they cannot say anything. They confer among themselves and agree that a truly, a great thing had been done.
• In order not to have the good news spread and to prevent them form speaking to anyone in the name, Peter and John are warned and threatened.
• Peter and John ask the leaders of the people to judge, whether it was right to obey men rather than God.
• Peter and John go back to their people and praise God.
• More miracles are performed by the apostles to the extent that people bring their sick to the street for Peter’s shadow to fall on them to be healed.
• The High Priest and the Sadducees are filled with jealousy, so they arrest Peter and John, and put them in jail again.
• An angel releases them and commands them to go and stand at public places to tell the good news.
• The apostles enter the temple the following day to teach the people.
• The High Priest and his associates discover to their bewilderment that their prisoners are not only gone, but are doing again exactly what they had earlier been arrested for.
• They arrest the apostles again, but this time without force.
• When questioned, the apostles preach Jesus to the leaders.
• The leaders get so angry that they want to kill the apostles too.
• They eventually settle on flogging, warning and releasing them.

The lessons for our lives as disciples of Jesus, commissioned to reach the world are numerous. The story has been outlined to help us meditate on this and our own calling. The daily challenges that come with being a Christian were long made clear to the apostles in Mark 10:29, 30

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

The purpose of today’s sermon is to encourage us to prepare in prayer, etc. to have our story end as that of the apostles ended:

And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach