Daily Devotional | Stopping the Message

Parents know that telling your child not to touch something will probably have the opposite effect, making them instinctively want to do the thing you’ve forbidden. Reverse psychology works on adults as well. Telling us not to do something can make it somehow more desirable. In today’s reading, the religious leaders thought that instructing the disciples to quit spreading the gospel would put an end to it. We know that the exact opposite happened.

The temple guard and the Sadducees, upset by the teaching of the disciples, seized Peter and John and brought them to the religious leaders. The Sadducees were especially disturbed because Peter’s message emphasized the resurrection of Christ. The Sadducees were a religious party whose members came from many of the priestly families. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. When the rulers and elders demanded an explanation, Peter replied: “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed” (v. 10). He told them that Jesus was Israel’s rejected Messiah and that salvation was “found in no one else” (v. 12).

Such boldness in the face of opposition surprised them because Peter and John were “ordinary men” who had not been trained by the rabbis (v. 13). At a loss over what to do next because an undeniable miracle had taken place, they ordered Peter and John to stop teaching in Jesus’ name (v. 17). They refused, appealing to common sense. “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!” they answered (v. 19).

>> Verse 13 describes Peter and John as “unschooled, ordinary men.” Do you ever feel unqualified to share your faith with others? Ask God to give you confidence not based on your own expertise or authority, but relying on Him alone!

Pray with Us

Father, in the name of Jesus, help us to listen to you, and not to the world. Help us also by the power of your Spirit to live today in light of Christ’s victory on the cross.

BY Dr. John Koessler

John Koessler is Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Church Ministries at Moody Bible Institute. John authors the “Practical Theology” column for Today in the Word of which he is also a contributing writer and theological editor. An award-winning author, John’s newest title is When God is Silent: Let the Bible Teach You to Pray (Kirkdale). Prior to joining the Moody faculty, he served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He and his wife, Jane, now enjoy living in a lakeside town in Michigan.