Rejoicing that they were counted worthy…they did not cease

“So 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 did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” - Acts 5v41-42

If you ever want to find some worthy heroes for your children you need look no further than the first few chapters of the book of Acts. The disciples, led primarily by Peter and John, set a pattern for true men of God that we rarely see today.

The council decided not to kill them, so they had them beaten and warned them not ot preach about Jesus any more. Pretty stern stuff since their beating was probably the standard 39 lashes which could easily kill a man. I wonder what I would have done if I were beaten like this and released. Held a pity party, crawled home and whinged about how hard it was to be a Christian, or maybe I would have just given up thinking it was hopeless.

Not these guys – they went home rejoicing that that had been counted worthy to suffer shame for the cause of Christ. If that were not enough they went out daily preaching and teaching Jesus every place they went! In the temple and in every home they visited they kept talking about Jesus!

I find this amazing, convicting, and shaming. We talk about sports, the weather, the hobbies we enjoy, our church, current events, trends and movements in Christianity, politics, and just about anything else that comes to mind. The sad thing is that no one is going to arrest and beat me if I do talk about Jesus. The worst that is going to happen to me is something like what happened yesterday when a few lads recognised me from Kid’s Klub or Teen Time and mocked me for my faith.

Mocking or a beating – which would I really prefer. Unfortunately it is not just me. It seems like if we are looking for examples of Peter and John like faith and commitment we need to go someplace where lives and fortunes are threatened for standing for Christ.

Why is it that it seems that only persecuted Christians have the courage to take a bold, unwavering stand? Perhaps it is because only they know the joy of being counted worthy to suffer shame for the cause of Christ. I hated being taunted yesterday – but if I had the character shown by these men perhaps I would have walked over and spoke to them of Chris instead of taking it and walking away.