Acts 5:23
During the night an angel released the disciples from prison.
No one saw or heard anything unusual.
The jail was locked, the guards on duty, but the jail was empty.
There was no explanation. They were GONE!
The council was perplexed and confused.
Even after all that was taking place—the death and resurrection of Jesus, the sudden outpouring of miracles and the excitement in the people.
It did not occur to the Pharisees and Sadducees that there was a power at work, over which they had no control.
In their confusion they did not seek an answer from the very one they were claiming to protect.
Believing they “Knew God,” they could not see beyond their firmly held theology, and as a result could not see God’s hand in what was happening.
When God is kept out of our deliberation, there is perplexity and confusion.
When there is no explanation in the natural, we must look to God foran answer; otherwise we may find ourselves working as an agent against the very thing God is doing.
In our “Righteous offense,” when we think, “We know what is and what is not of God,” we can easily become zealous in our attitude and behavior.
Saul (Paul’s) “righteous zealousness” for God led him to acts of persecution and murder.
Paul’s heart was to serve and “protect” the honor and integrity of the God he knew; he relied on his theological understanding of God.
But his understanding was wrong.
“…He a fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Acts 9:4
However well intentioned we may be, if we rely upon our understanding, we will always be perplexed by what God is doing.
By embracing the comfort of our theology, we may sadly end up opposing the very God we claim to serve and become hostile observers of a great event.
During the night an angel released the disciples from prison.
No one saw or heard anything unusual.
The jail was locked, the guards on duty, but the jail was empty.
There was no explanation. They were GONE!
The council was perplexed and confused.
Even after all that was taking place—the death and resurrection of Jesus, the sudden outpouring of miracles and the excitement in the people.
It did not occur to the Pharisees and Sadducees that there was a power at work, over which they had no control.
In their confusion they did not seek an answer from the very one they were claiming to protect.
Believing they “Knew God,” they could not see beyond their firmly held theology, and as a result could not see God’s hand in what was happening.
When God is kept out of our deliberation, there is perplexity and confusion.
When there is no explanation in the natural, we must look to God foran answer; otherwise we may find ourselves working as an agent against the very thing God is doing.
In our “Righteous offense,” when we think, “We know what is and what is not of God,” we can easily become zealous in our attitude and behavior.
Saul (Paul’s) “righteous zealousness” for God led him to acts of persecution and murder.
Paul’s heart was to serve and “protect” the honor and integrity of the God he knew; he relied on his theological understanding of God.
But his understanding was wrong.
“…He a fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Acts 9:4
However well intentioned we may be, if we rely upon our understanding, we will always be perplexed by what God is doing.
By embracing the comfort of our theology, we may sadly end up opposing the very God we claim to serve and become hostile observers of a great event.
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