God's co:mission requires courage to live in a way that reveals and reflects Christ...

This week, we are looking at a story in the book of Acts where Peter and John are in a room surrounded by the most powerful and prominent men in the Jewish nation as they begin to question and interrogate them regarding how they were able to heal a man who had been crippled and unable to walk his entire life?” After revealing the ridiculous nature of the situation they were in, Luke records Peter’s answer for us in Acts 4:10:

"let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead-- by this name this man stands here before you in good health. "He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

In other words, Peter states “I want you all to be sure to understand that the reason that we were able to physically heal and save this person from a lifetime of physical suffering was so that you would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is God-in-a-bod; that Jesus was the promised Messiah and you killed Him. You know Caiaphas, you were there. Annas, you were there. You arrested Him, you tried Him, you condemned Him, and you handed Him over to be killed and made an example of. But Jesus is not dead, He is alive because He was raised from the dead. And this man stands before you saved and rescued from physical suffering is a witness and a sign that Jesus was who He said He was”.

Peter then quotes a section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles, called the book of Psalms, to prove his point. In Psalm 118:22, the psalmist predicted and proclaimed that the Messiah would come and be rejected. Peter is explaining that this prediction by the Psalmist had been fulfilled by the very people in the room who were questioning them. Caiaphas, Annas, and others in the room: the very people who had the power to arrest and punish him: the very people who held his and John’s fate in their hands.

And if that was not enough, Peter then concludes his response by explaining the exclusive nature of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved”. Peter reinforces the reality that this miraculous healing was to serve as a sign to the Jewish people. This miraculous healing was to serve as a sign to confirm that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel was from God and not simply made up by man.

Just as Jesus was the only one who could save and rescue this crippled man physically, it is Jesus and the message of the gospel alone that provides salvation and rescue from the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from a right relationship with God. Can you imagine the scene in that room? Can you imagine the tension, the emotion that must have filled that room? Luke records for us the response of the political, religious, and judicial leaders to Peter’s defense in the very next verse:

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

As the political, religious, and judicial leaders of the Jewish people listened to Peter’s response, they began to perceive something about Peter and John. The most powerful people in the Jewish nation began to recognize something about Peter and John. And what they came to recognize was the confidence of Peter and John. Now this word confidence, in the language that this letter was written in, literally means to display a state of boldness and courage. Peter and John had the courage to speak openly and frankly. In front of the most powerful people in the nation, Peter and John did not cower; instead they displayed the courage to stand face to face with them and speak the truth to them.

What caught these leaders so off guard however, was who they were talking to. These were not two political leaders from the ruling class; these were not two religious leaders who had studied under a rabbi. These were not two men who went to Bible College and seminary. They were uneducated and untrained fisherman. And these powerful religious leaders were amazed at the courage that they were displaying in their presence. Now this word amazed literally means to be extraordinarily impressed or disturbed by something. Now I believe that these religious leaders were both extraordinarily impressed and extraordinarily disturbed at the same time. The reason why I believe that was the case is because of what appears next in this verse: they began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

In other words, these powerful religious, political, and judicial leaders began to connect the dots that that Peter and John had been with Jesus. They had heard things like this said before and they knew who said those things before-Jesus. They connected the dots that Peter and John sounded and acted like Jesus. They connected the dots that Peter and John revealed and reflected Jesus in their attitude and actions.

And as these religious, political, and judicial leaders began to connect the dots; and as these powerful leaders looked and the man who had been healed by Peter and John, Luke states that they had nothing to say in reply. In other words, they had no response, they had nothing. Nothing to contradict what they had said, no answer, no explanation. And it is here that we see revealed for us another timeless principle that is necessary to embrace in order to fully engage in the co-mission that we have been given by God to partner with God in a way that advances God’s kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. And that timeless principle is this: God’s co-mission requires courage to live in a way that reveals and reflects Christ.

You see, while we may never have to face a trial in front of the congress and the supreme court of the United States for being a follower of Jesus; while we may never experience a situation where our lives are in danger because we are a follower of Jesus, engaging in God’s co-mission requires courage. It requires courage to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ by investing and inviting those around you who are far from God to explore faith. It requires courage to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ by doing the right thing, even when it is not the easy or popular thing to do.

It requires courage when living a life that reveals and reflects Christ requires you to stand firm in your faith when your faith is ridiculed or questioned. It requires courage when living a life that reveals and reflects Christ results in the loss of friendships or relationships. It requires courage when living a life that reveals and reflects Christ results in a loss of a promotion at work. It requires courage when living a life that reveals and reflects Christ results in a loss of a position of popularity at school.

But it is in the times of great risk to our position or our popularity; it is in the times when our faith is questioned; it is in the times where we are challenged when it comes to our faith that provide us the greatest opportunity to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ.

Tomorrow, we see this reality revealed for us as the story continues...