The apostles endured brutal persecution because they were “preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42; 2:30-38; 4:10-12). The Jewish council arrested the apostles (4:1-4; 5:17-18, 26), put them on trial (4:5-22; 5:27-40), “severely threatened…further threatened them” (4:17-21), and “beat” them (5:40). Through all of this, the council “commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (4:17-18; 5:28, 40). But the apostles “did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (5:42). They did not stop!
Brethren, our society, some of our governing officials and people all around us are trying to get us to stop talking about Jesus, stop living for Jesus, stop quoting the Bible, stop teaching the Bible, stop following the moral and Biblical code of the Bible. Brethren, we cannot stop!
We cannot stop speaking about and living for Jesus! That is our very purpose for living (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29)! That is the very thing the world needs (Rom. 1:15-18)! May God help us to have their “boldness” (Acts 4:13, 29; 5:41-42) and not stop!