Rev. Allen read from Acts, Chapter 5, beginning at v. 12 and going through about v. 33 or so. It was about the Apostles preaching the Gospel and being told not to by the authorities, and about how the Apostles continued to proclaim the truth of God and then being arrested for it. But, the prison doors opened, and they went right back to preaching the Gospel. The Apostles say:"We must obey God, not human beings." And, at the end, the Jewish elder, Gamaliel gives some wise advice: "If what they are doing is nothing, it will perish; if it is of God, you will not be able to stop it no matter what you do."
Turns out, it was from God.
And, so here we are almost 2,000 years later looking to this Gospel for hope and truth amidst times of despair and falsehood.
What Rev. Allen focused on today was the part of the passage where the Apostles explain their disobedience to the local authorities - they simply said: "We must obey God, not human authority."
And, what she said in her sermon showed that she was really trying to bring that word into our lives; into the lives of those who want change so badly, but can't seem to find it. She spoke a word to reach those who are held back from needing acceptance from human beings, when God's acceptance is what brings redemption and freedom - both in this life and the next.
It left us with something to think about. For those who really care a lot about how others view them - which is the overwhelming majority of us - it may have really hit a nerve. It may have raised a question that ought to be repeated in the soul: "Why can't I forget them and serve the Lord?!"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment