Acts 4

I really like this part of the story. Maybe because it’s how I hope that I would respond in a situation to what Peter and John faced. These two apostles healed a man just before entering the temple, and that generated a buzz around the two of them that the religious establishment could not handle. So they were arrested.

Boiling down Peter’s response to the charges, he basically says, “Seriously, guys, are you arresting us for healing a man?” To which the leaders had no response except to tell the apostles to stop speaking of Jesus. Peter responds again, “So you want us to listen to your rules rather than God?” I know that’s a very loose paraphrase, but I think it gets the meat of the point across.

Peter had no fear of the religious. He had a fear of God. He had little respect for those that had bound the people to rules and regulations. He had respect for the one that had shown the truth of the Gospel. Which do you fear and respect? Your rules and religions? Or your God and Savior?