Check out all the previous Acts readings here.
Acts Reading Plan | Week 5 | Day 2
Prayer
In John 9, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Take a moment to calm your mind and body. As you come to His word and to spend time with Him, ask Him to be your light, to show the way in the darkness.
Bible Reading: Acts 5:17-24
Read these verses three times slowly.
Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
Reflection & Questions
As the religious leaders see what is going on in the church, they feel insecure and jealous. But they don’t consider that something to reflect on or repent of. Instead, they act out of it and arrest the apostles – trying to squash their message. The religious leaders wanted to regain control. When we, whether in leadership, parenting, work or any other context, act out of insecurity and jealousy, we will more often than not do exactly the wrong thing. Feelings of insecurity and jealousy are bound to come at times in our humanity, but these feelings are warnings to pause, pray and reflect, not ones to act upon.
As much as the leaders try to stop the spread of the gospel, they can’t. This time, an angel comes and lets the apostles out of jail and gives clear instructions: “Go stand in the temple courts and tell the people all about this new life.” People around us may try to stop the spread of the gospel. The devil may try to stop us from reaching our ONE by throwing distractions and obstacles in our way. But as we seek God, God will make sure His good news will spread. We just need to follow His lead, and pray for boldness to follow his instructions.
- Is there a situation where you feel jealous or insecure right now? Are you acting upon those feelings? Talk to God about it and ask Him for guidance on how to see the situation the way He does.
- Have you faced obstacles in sharing about Jesus with your ONE? Talk to God about that. Ask him to clear the way.
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
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Questions?
Ed Applegate
