The Church Begins Its Work

Acts 5:29-35, 38-40, 42

GOLDEN TEXT: “Ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”—Acts 1:8

THE work of the Gospel age has been the calling and preparation of Christ’s body members. This work has been accomplished through dissemination of the Word of God. In the Patriarchal age there was a direct calling of Abraham, and in turn God dealt with Abraham’s son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob. Then the twelve sons of Jacob were chosen as the nucleus of a nation with whom God dealt exclusively throughout the Jewish age. God’s Word—His instructions and promises—exercised a powerful influence in the lives of these directly chosen servants, but His choice of Abraham and his descendants was not based upon their hearing and acceptance of a message which had been publicly proclaimed.

It is this method of selecting His people which makes the work of God during the Gospel age differ so widely from that of preceding ages: Jesus, of course, was especially selected, and so were the apostles. Paul was chosen from his mother’s womb, but these were exceptions, and in each case the choice was based upon special qualifications. The vast majority of the church have been those who have responded to the general proclamation of the Gospel. The truth is proclaimed publicly and as widely as possible, and a few respond. These recognize in the message a call to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. They respond to that call by making a full consecration to God. Thus they put themselves in line for the blessings of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

At Pentecost, the apostles and other believers began to carry out the commission given to them by Jesus to herald the Gospel throughout all the world. At first their efforts were necessarily confined largely to the Jewish world. The Jews as a whole were no more favorable to the truth after they had crucified Jesus than they had been before, so those early Christian missionaries encountered a great deal of bitter opposition.

Gamaliel’s philosophy in his plea for the release of Peter and the other apostles represented far better judgment on his part than was generally characteristic of the Pharisees. He reasoned that if the work of the apostles did not have God’s approval and backing it would come to naught, hence the nation had nothing to fear. On the other hand, if their work was of God it would be very unwise to oppose it, for in so doing they would be working against God. Gamaliel reasoned, therefore, that in either case, it was best not to persecute the apostles.

Religious superstition and prejudice die hard! Those who were holding the apostles in custody agreed with Gamaliel that it was best to let the apostles alone in their work, but even so their vindictiveness induced them to flog these innocent prisoners before releasing them. And not only so, but in giving them their release they charged them not to continue preaching in the name of Jesus. But this did not daunt the courage nor quench the zeal of the intrepid apostles. They continued to preach the Gospel, and rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ. Our lesson tells us that “daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

The viewpoint of the apostles was, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” No true follower of the Master can take any other view than this. However, there is one point often overlooked by well-meaning Christians, which is that each individual must decide for himself under what circumstances the laws of man are in conflict with the laws of God. We should not try to regulate the consciences of others.

In the case of the apostles cited in our lesson, their course was clear. First they had been imprisoned, but were miraculously delivered by an angel, who gave them specific instructions to continue preaching the Gospel in the temple. And public sentiment was on their side—so much so that the officers who apprehended them after their miraculous release from prison did so with the least commotion possible for fear they would be stoned by the public.

At one time the Jewish religious leaders “sat in Moses’ seat” as God’s representatives, but now they were no longer recognized by God as speaking authoritatively for Him. The apostles knew this, hence it was clear to them that they should obey the instructions of God through the angel rather than those of the council. In continuing to preach the Gospel after being illegally forbidden, they were not only obeying God but using the favorable opportunity created by the circumstances to give a wider witness for the truth than otherwise might have been possible. May we be as faithful should we be confronted with equally trying circumstances!

QUESTIONS:

What is the difference between God’s work during the Gospel age and His work during the Patriarchal and Jewish ages?

What is the proper course of a Christian when he finds that the commands of men are in conflict with the will of God?

Was the authority of the Jewish Sanhedrin recognized by God following the rejection of Israel at the close of the Jewish age?

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