Spirit empowered obedience
Embrace rather than reject
Run to, not away from, the Spirit!
To Obey Or Not
Following God‘s Spirit’s leading
Act 4:13 (ESV) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
Contact with eternal perfection transforms us!
2Co 5:17 (ESV)
Eph 4:22-24 (ESV)
Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom - in Him and thru my interaction with Him, I am transformed and able to discern beyond my human capacity.
———————————————————
Act 4:14 (ESV) But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
Sin likes to be hidden. They recognized that their agenda of silencing the Gospel was contradicted by the evidence standing before them. Rather than admit it and change their thinking, they chose to be silent and then go behind closed doors to continue to pursue their illegitimate agenda.
Personally, it is a HUGE red flag if I ever feel that what I am doing cannot be done in the public eye before others.
God’s Spirit convicts and that conviction comes in the form of shame – we are ashamed of our sin. So our natural reaction is to hide it or cover it up.
Don’t go there! Listen to the Spirit’s conviction! ———————————————————
Act 4:15 (ESV) But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another,
Act 4:16 (ESV) saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
They stated out right the truth yet their self-centered lust for power and control overrode the conviction of the Spirit to do the right thing.
———————————————————
Act 4:17 (ESV) But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”
While what these men were doing was condemnable, God continued to give them grace to move forward in their error. His grace has purpose. Remember, Saul who would later be called Paul and write a majority of the New Testament, was in this group. God‘s grace left the door open for him to turn around later.
———————————————————
Act 4:18 (ESV) So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
Act 4:19 (ESV) 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,
They know what is right because they are being led by God’s Spirit. He is convicting them - energizing them to speak the truth with boldness
2Ti 1:7 (ESV)
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Peter and John stay on target and do not get distracted by the threats or even the danger to themselves. Obedience to the Spirit’s conviction is their focus. The power of the Spirit acting thru them enables them to accomplish far more than was humanly possible.
Act 4:20 (ESV) for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Controlled by the Spirit
2Co 5:13-15 (ESV)
When we submit fully to His leading, then we are operating from an eternal perspective which may make no sense to the world. But operating from an eternal perspective WILL enable us to make an eternal difference!
———————————————————
Act 4:21 (ESV) And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.
Act 4:22 (ESV) For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
============================
Do you want to be transformed? Do you want to act with wisdom? Do you want to be confident that what you were doing is the right thing? Follow the spirit leading, the spirit conviction!
Do NOT deny him, quench him, or hide from him!
Embrace God‘s conviction and allow him to transform your life!
