What if you found yourself standing before a governmental authority who had the power to throw you in jail, punish you severely, even put you to death, just for your religious beliefs? And what if they demanded you to vocalize what it is you believe, incriminating you and possibly resulting in a severe beating, if not death. What would you do? What would you say? Would you refuse to speak up or would you tell them what they wanted to hear, in an effort to save your own skin? For most of us, this scenario is pure conjecture. It will never happen. So, we have nothing to worry about. But for millions of Christians around the world, this kind of occurrence is not only possible, it's a part of their daily lives. They live with the constant threat of persecution and even execution for their belief in Jesus. And, as we are beginning to see, that was the case for the apostles as they began to speak up regarding their belief in Jesus. Obedience to His command to make disciples was going to cost them. Proclaiming the name of Jesus was going to result in converts, but also conflict. And in Acts 4:5-12, Luke gives us a glimpse into not-so-friendly encounter Peter and John had with the religious authorities of their day. They had been arrested and were now being forced to explain by what authority they spoke and acted. The answer they gave was vital and potentially life-threatening. But they knew they had no choice but to speak the truth, regardless of the danger.
