Experience - Day 31

17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”

Jealousy is a nasty thing, isn’t it?  We do awful things when we’re jealous.  

But what were the high priests and officials jealous of?  Well, more and more people were accepting Jesus as the Messiah and their Savior.  More and more people chose to believe that this Jesus had been resurrected.  More and more lives were being changed.  In all their years as leaders in the Jewish faith tradition, they had never experienced such excitement, such transformation, and they had nothing to do with it (except for killing Jesus, of course).

And again, I love that no matter how hard they tried to stop the Jesus movement, they couldn’t.  Throw them in jail?  Sure, until the middle of the night when an angel let’s them go.

Just imagine going to bed one night, having locked up all these people who were causing you so much trouble.  You can finally have some peace and quiet.  That is until morning comes, and some loud commotion in the marketplace outside your home rudely awakens you.  You look out the window to see the same people you put in jail that night, doing the same things that made you put them in jail in the first place.

The Jesus movement simply could not be stopped, and we’ll see why as we get close to the end of the chapter.  For now, let’s just look at the instructions the angel gave the people, “Go to the temple and give the people this message of life!”

You see, what’s so amazing about the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it’s not just an escape plan to get out of this horrible world, it’s a way of living life that adds to your life, now.  Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10), but not just in heaven; right here, and right now.

In the Jesus message, people were coming to realize that God actually loves them, and wants to be with them.  In the Jesus message, people were coming to recognize God’s redemptive work in their lives, seeking to make them whole, even new creations.  In the Jesus message, people were finding a hope that no person and no situation could steal away from them, and it was so contagious that no human or force of darkness could extinguish it.

But I don’t believe this was just something that happened in the early church and couldn’t possibly happen again.  I believe God wants us all to experience the new life He died to give us.  I believe God wants to restore us now, every day, and that He’ll continue that work in us until the day of completion (Philippians 1:6).

JOURNAL

1. As you look at your life, what has your faith told you about the gospel.  Is it simply about getting out of this world, or is it also about being a force for good in this world?  Explain.
2. Has your life changed because of the gospel of Jesus Christ?  If so, how? 
3. Do you believe that what happened in the early church could happen again today?  If so, how?  If not, why not?