Dear brothers and sisters, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
“We must obey God rather than men” was the answer Peter and the apostles gave when they stood before the Sanhedrin. They were in defiance of the Sanhedrin’s strict orders not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus Christ. We should recall that the apostles were met with persecution and great opposition due to preaching or performing miracles in the name of Jesus Christ. When the crippled beggar was healed at the beautiful gate (Acts 3:1ff), the Sanhedrin summoned the apostles to explain by whose power they healed the crippled person. Peter testified that the healing was in the power and name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified and now raised from the dead (Acts 4:5-10). Thereafter, the Sanhedrin sternly warned them to never again speak to anyone in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:17). In defiance, they continued to preach and teach in the name of Jesus Christ, which was, for them, an act of witnessing. It showed their conviction to the resurrection message and their commitment to upholding the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is no doubt that preachers of the word of God today face a lot of persecutions, especially when they stand firm to the core Christian traditional values and teachings. In our world today, so many Christian core values and teachings have been challenged. Erroneous teachings and doctrines rear their ugly heads everywhere. The relativism of truth is the order of the day. Some traditional institutions, such as marriage, family life, and sexuality have been redefined. Every attempt is made to remove the divine origin and meaning of these institutions and accord a secular meaning. The Church is expected to fall in line and join the bandwagon or risk media’s relentless criticism and blackmail. A lot of preachers are cowed into compromising the faith and watering down the gospel message in a bit to be relevant and score cheap popularity.
The dilemma in situations and instances of this nature is enormous. Giving in to watering down the Gospel message is a betrayal of Christ and His Church. As Christians, we are called to be witnesses to Christ’s teaching, His death, and resurrection, just like the apostles did. We are called to stand firm on the truth of the Gospel despite the difficulty that may come with it. It is essential to remind ourselves that our forebears (the apostles) found themselves in similar situations and endured persecutions, sufferings, trials, and tribulations to preserve and transmit the faith to us. It is crucial to continuously remind ourselves of this mantra, “We must obey God rather than men.”
We must obey God rather than men in the face of blatant undermining of the faith through secularism, relativism, and persecution. We must obey God rather than men when confronted with draconian laws and policies meant to either erode or compromise religious freedom. We must obey God rather than men in the face of bad and ungodly leaders who labor to suppress the Church and what she stands for. We should make obedience to divine instructions our guiding principle and work toward living it out in our daily Christian lives and ministries.
Always remember that Jesus loves you!
Great reflection focused on modern thinking. Thank you for your courageous contribution.
Thank you for reading. May God continue to bless and nourish you.