Every Tuesday, we have been enjoying The Chosen Season five. Each episode has planted deep nuggets of Truth within me. Last week, I was touched by the diverse conversation made between the disciples about Jesus. We have read about this happening in Scripture, but it is acted out in such a real way. Because Jesus brought a holy perspective—the will of the Father—the human minds and attitudes of the disciples were irritatedly at odds. The high priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, disciples, and the crowds gathered all professed a belief in God, but individually they were not seeing the Messiah do what they expected him to do. It is the same in our world, today. Why is it that human minds wrestle with God and his thoughts and ways?
I believe the answer is because every human mind MUST be renewed by the Spirit of Truth or the ways of the world will turn our thoughts toward what we WANT to believe (Ro 12:2). No one has absolute Truth except God. However, sometimes we will verbally fight with every bit of our energy over one passage from Scripture that we do not like or with which we refuse to agree. And, we stand there saying THIS is how God sees things. Sadly, I believe we are in for a huge revelation when Christ returns, because he alone knows individual hearts and whether or not a person has allowed Jesus to be Lord. Jesus must be Lord of the heart—we must die to self and the world in order to live for Christ. This is the sanctifying work of the Spirit; genuine faith in God’s salvation.
In our passage today, the Sadducees become irritated once again with Peter and John because these men are teaching about the resurrection of Christ—the Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection of the body. Not only did they heal a lame beggar, they are teaching heresy (Acts 3:1-7). Even though many of the people seeing the miracle and listening to the disciples’ teaching believe the message, the Sadducees see the disciples’ teaching as an offense against priestly authority. So the disciples are brought in for questioning; they continue to proclaim their authority comes from the name of Jesus—the One these leaders rejected as their Messiah.
Life is racing by and we have many decisions to make each day. However, the most important decision any of us may make is to choose to connect to Jesus the Christ who died for the sins of the world. Don’t let your individual interpretation of God’s Word cause you to get detoured. Allow Jesus to be Lord of your life. Invite the Spirit to bring Truth to your heart and renewed thoughts for your mind. We serve a supernatural God and nothing is impossible for him.
Acts 4:1-12 NLT Peter and John before the Council
1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. 2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. 3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. 4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.
5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. 7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, 9 are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. 11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’[quoting OT Ps 118:22]]
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the assurance of salvation we can have in Jesus the Christ. Holy Spirit, please put a watch over our minds and help us guard our hearts, because the enemy is busy trying to lie to us all the time. Help us examine every thought—taking captive each one that tries to pridefully exalt itself above the knowledge of God—and making those thoughts obey Christ. Love must rule; yet, the Word teaches your love comes with boundaries. Help us stay focused on what is eternal and keep moving forward. Lead us by the Spirit and revelation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.