And they departed from the presence of
the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his
name. Acts 5:41
The story
of the earliest Christians is a story of faith under fire. The opposition was
real. To continue “steadfastly” as Luke records was to continue against serious
opposition. Steadfastness is required only when we are under attack, mental or
physical.
Those
first believers turned to Christ with the full understanding that they were
espousing an unpopular cause that could cost them everything. Shortly after
Pentecost some were jailed, many lost all their earthly goods, a few were slain
outright and hundreds were “scattered abroad.”
They
could have escaped all this by the simple expedient of denying their faith and
turning back to the world; but this they steadfastly refused to do.
Here
again is seen the glaring discrepancy between biblical Christianity and that of
present-day evangelicals, particularly in the United States. To make converts
we are forced to play down the difficulties and play up the peace of mind and
worldly success enjoyed by those who accept Christ!
We will
never be completely honest with our hearers until we tell them the blunt truth
that as members of a race of moral rebels they are in a serious jam, and one
they will not get out of easily. If they refuse to repent and believe on Christ
they will most surely perish; if they do turn to Him, the same enemies that
crucified Him will try to crucify them.
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