Wednesday, April 13 – Acts 5:42

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and preaching the good news of Jesus as the Christ.

Have you ever witnessed something so amazing you just had to tell someone about it? Maybe you called a friend or loved one or walked over to your neighbor’s house to share. In this passage, the apostles had just been beaten and released and told not to share the gospel with others, but they continued with the same fervor as before. Even in opposition, their zeal for what God had done in their lives had not faded. Committed to their calling and confident in their Savior, they continued in obedience to the task He had given them. The apostles knew the answer to the question asked in Romans 8:35, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” Does it mean He no longer loves us if we face trouble, calamity, persecution, hunger, danger, or the threat of death? As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep” (Romans 8:36). No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us (vv. 35-37).

When we face a moment of discouragement, we often lose our zeal. But we have a gift much greater than our feelings to direct us and motivate us in times of discouragement. We have an eternal victory through Jesus Christ! We may not know the particulars of how a situation will work out, but we can stand confident in the victory that is ahead of us. When we keep our eyes on Jesus and His mission and ultimate victory, it changes how we live today. Jesus has already won for us. While others who do not know Jesus are worried and anxious about the day-to-day, we have eternal hope and a firm foundation. And this is worth sharing with others.

• When have you had the zeal to share your faith with others? What was that like? When have you been deterred from sharing your faith? Why?
• What is striking to you about how the apostles responded after being beaten? How does that inspire or encourage you?
• Pray and ask God for passion to share the gospel regardless of the circumstances.