“You Will Not Be Able to Overthrow Them” (Acts 5:34-42) 12 Gamaliel, “a Law teacher esteemed by all the people,” spoke up. This jurist must have been highly respected by his colleagues, for he took charge, even giving “the command to put the [apostles] outside for a little while.” (Acts 5:34) By citing past examples of uprisings that quickly fizzled after the leaders were dead, Gamaliel urged the court to be patient and tolerant in dealing with the apostles, whose Leader, Jesus, had only recently died. Gamaliel’s reasoning was persuasive: “Do not meddle with these men, but let them alone; (because, if this scheme or this work is from men, it will be overthrown; but if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them;) otherwise, you may perhaps be found fighters actually against God.” (Acts 5:38, 39) The judges heeded his advice. Still, they had the apostles flogged and ordered them “to stop speaking upon the basis of Jesus’ name.”—Acts 5:40. 13 Now, as then, Jehovah may raise up prominent men like Gamaliel to intervene in behalf of His people. (Prov. 21:1) Jehovah can use his spirit to move powerful rulers, judges, or lawmakers to act in harmony with his will. (Neh. 2:4-8) But if he should permit us to “suffer for the sake of righteousness,” we can be sure of two things. (1 Pet. 3:14) First, God can give us the strength to endure. (1 Cor. 10:13) Second, opposers “will not be able to overthrow” God’s work.—Isa. 54:17. 14 Did the flogging dampen the spirits of the apostles or weaken their resolve? By no means! They “went their way from before the Sanhedrin, rejoicing.” (Acts 5:41) “Rejoicing”—why? Surely not because of the physical pain caused by the flogging. They rejoiced because they knew that they had been persecuted for keeping their integrity to Jehovah and for following in the footsteps of their Exemplar, Jesus.—Matt. 5:11, 12. 15 Like our first-century brothers, we endure with joy when we suffer for the sake of the good news. (1 Pet. 4:12-14) No, we do not enjoy being subjected to threats, persecution, or imprisonment. But we find deep satisfaction in keeping our integrity. Consider, for example, Henryk Dornik, who endured years of harsh treatment under totalitarian regimes. He recalls that in August 1944, the authorities decided to send him and his brother to a concentration camp. The opposers said: “It is impossible to persuade them to do anything. Their martyrdom brings them joy.” Brother Dornik explains: “Although I had no desire to be a martyr, suffering with courage and dignity for my loyalty to Jehovah did bring me joy.”—Jas. 1:2-4. 16 The apostles wasted no time in resuming their witnessing work. Undaunted, they continued “every day in the temple and from house to house” the work of “declaring the good news about the Christ.” (Acts 5:42) These zealous preachers were determined to bear thorough witness. Notice that they took their message to the homes of people, as Jesus Christ had directed them. (Matt. 10:7, 11-14) No doubt, that is how they had managed to fill Jerusalem with their teaching. Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for following that apostolic method of preaching. By calling at each house in our territory, we clearly demonstrate that we too want to be thorough, giving everyone an opportunity to hear the good news. Has Jehovah blessed our house-to-house ministry? Yes, he has! Millions have responded to the Kingdom message in this time of the end, and many first heard the good news when a Witness knocked on their door.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:29:47 +0000
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