I am reading Acts 4:1-31
The apostles were instrumental in the healing of people in the name of Jesus, and they were sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people. But many of the Jewish rulers did not like what they were doing. So, they arrested them, and eventually they decided to warn them to no longer speak in the name of Jesus, for they were against Jesus Christ, which is why many of them participated in plotting and in carrying out his death on that cross.
“But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard’” (Acts 4:19-20 ESV). Amen!
So, the Jewish authorities released them, and then the apostles went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
“And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed”—
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:24-31)
Why Do They Rage?
So, why do the ungodly of this world rage against the Lord and the peoples plot in vain against him? For they are still doing this, in case you didn’t know. Only now they just alter the character of Jesus Christ to make him more acceptable, and so they also alter the gospel message to make it more acceptable, so it doesn’t appear that they are against Christ and his gospel, but that they are against those who they say are teaching “works salvation.” For they have twisted and turned everything inside out.
But, in truth, because they have altered the character of Christ and they have altered and twisted his gospel to make it more acceptable to the people of the world and to human flesh, it shows that they are still raging against the Lord. And they are still plotting against our Lord in order to put biblical Jesus and his gospel to death, and so that they could raise up a false Jesus and a false gospel to take their place, in order to deceive the masses into following the false Christ and the false gospel.
Have you noticed how many TV shows (series) and movies and documentaries (perhaps) of late have been about Jesus Christ, where they are painting him as someone everyone loved, pretty much? I believe this is purposeful, and the intent is to move everyone from following the true Jesus to now following this false (altered) Jesus and his false (altered) gospel. So, this is of Satan, and he is still trying to put Jesus and his message to death.
And preachers and teachers of the Scriptures are doing this, too, but not all of them, but the majority of them in America, perhaps. And many of them are twisting the Scriptures, and they are teaching them out of their context in order to deceive the masses into believing and following after their lies, and in order to demonize the truth so that they will reject the truth of who Jesus is and of what he taught and of the truth of his gospel of our salvation.
And many people in America are flocking to these preachers, and they are flocking to these movies and TV series about Jesus, and they are adopting these dramatized and altered versions of who Jesus is and was, and of his gospel message, too, and they are being convinced that the lies are the truth and the truth is the lie. And so we who are bringing the truth of the gospel to the people are being demonized, too.
Now, in America, we are not being told that we can’t speak in the name of Jesus, for they have made the name of Jesus a household word, and they have altered his character to make him more acceptable to the ungodly. And we are not being prevented, so far, from speaking the gospel, unless what we are teaching is not the altered gospel. For so much of what is called “church” in America has adopted the altered Jesus and the altered gospel, and so they are largely rejecting us who are teaching the true Jesus and the true gospel. And in many cases we are being silenced.
But thank the Lord, the internet in America, so far, is still a place where we can share the true Jesus and the truth of the gospel, although not in every location, not even on all “Christian” sites. For wherever they have adopted the altered Jesus image and the altered and diluted gospel, it appears they are mostly discouraging the teaching of what is truth. I know I have found that to be true in most institutional churches (businesses) I have been part of over the years of my life and on some websites.
Now the point here is that Satan and his messengers are still trying to put Jesus and his message to death, and they are still opposing those who are still speaking the truth of the gospel. And the truth is that by God-given faith in Jesus Christ we must die with Christ to sin and live to him and to his righteousness in walks of obedience and humility and submission to Christ Jesus, our Lord. And this is to be our daily practice, not in absolute sinless perfection, but in walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, by the Spirit.
And it is that there are many people who are now following after the lies and who are professing faith in Jesus Christ, convinced that heaven is their destiny, while they continue living in sin, for the flesh, with no fear of God. They refuse to believe our Lord’s teachings and his warnings, and so they go on in their sin convincing themselves that they are in fellowship with God. But the Bible is clear. If we make sin our practice, and if righteousness, holiness, and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, then we will NOT inherit eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Full Release
An Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father; precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and my Lord.
Gently leads me; follow Him.
I’ve invited Him within.
Now abiding in His presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety Jesus brings
When I daily bow before Him;
Obey freely; do His will.
Follow Him where’er He leads.
Listen to Him; His words heed.
Now obeying his words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from above.
Loving Father; precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by His Spirit,
I will endure to the end.
Share the gospel, tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His will do.
Tell the world of how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He suffered
So that we might be alive.
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