New Testament: Acts 4.1–4

To read the Bible in a year, read Acts 4.1–22 on June 19, In the year of our Lord Christ 2022

By Don Ruhl 

Some in the church think it is their duty to make preachers suffer. No, that is not your job. Satan does just fine with that! Do not join his forces. 

If preachers do their job, there shall be opposition from the world, such as when the apostles preached that in Jesus is the resurrection of the dead, and the Jewish leaders arrested the preachers: 

Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

– Acts 4.1–3 

Nevertheless, Luke showed that such actions did not stop the growth of the church, no, rather the church continued its rapid growth: 

However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

– Acts 4.4 

No one wants to suffer, but if it brings the growth of the church, perhaps we need some of it. Tertullian (160–225), one of the so-called church fathers, said: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” 

Questions: 

• How does persecution against the church affect you? 
• Have you tried to make a preacher suffer? 

To subscribe go to EmailDevotionals.com and click “Follow”