Freedom is a foundational value of the American people. “Give me liberty, or give me death” was the cry of the revolution. Many people argue that people should be free to do whatever they like, whether it is having an abortion or hording their money. No one, especially the government, should infringe upon my freedom!
In the Bible, there is a different kind of freedom. A freedom that is in spite of the government, not a result of good government. In Acts 5, the rulers of the day are persecuting the apostles for preaching the good news of the gospel. The apostles were thrown in prison and beaten, yet their spirits were not broken. They continued to press on, but why?
They were free! Sure, they were thrown into prison and chased around by the government, even eventually killed for their faith. But they were the most free people on the face of the earth. They had died to themselves, and now they were living exclusively for the cause of Christ, even to their own detriment. They weren’t concerned about their own comfort, their own respect, their own rights or their own possessions. All they cared about was Jesus, and bringing glory to his name. In that, they found freedom.
“And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” (Acts 5:27-29)
They were no longer enslaved to their flesh. No longer enslaved to their comfort. No longer enslaved to their reputation. Now they were living for Jesus and they were free! Their whole perspectives on life had been changed, and now they spoke the good news about Jesus Christ with boldness, because he had set them free. It didn’t matter what the governing authorities said and it didn’t matter what happened to them… they were going to preach the gospel!
I pray that we would be a people set free by the good news of Christ. That we would be free to proclaim the gospel, without concern for the results. I pray that we would learn to follow Christ, even if it is uncomfortable, unpopular and difficult. Perhaps then we would be able to identify with the apostles when they, “left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41).
Can you imagine them rejoicing after being flogged for Christ? They truly found joy in suffering for his name. That must have been frustrating for the Sanhedrin.