Obeying God not people tests our faith and our need for the Lord. We want to please others, but sometimes, people are not on the same page as God. As the Apostles ministered to the people, the Lord enabled them to perform many signs, wonders, and miracles. Through their ministry, many people placed their faith in Jesus, transforming their lives.
Unfortunately, the religious leaders’ hearts were hard toward the good news of Jesus, resulting in jealousy. Acts 5:18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life![1] Obeying the angel, the Apostles returned to the Temple and began teaching the good news of Jesus.
Obedience to God Does Not Please Everyone
The religious leaders were puzzled that the Apostles escaped a securely locked jail. As they were thinking about this, someone told them that the Apostles were back in the Temple teaching about Jesus. Wanting to stop the message of Jesus, they arrested the Apostles a second time.
Acts 5:28 “We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!” 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.[2]
The Apostles clarified their priorities by stating they would obey God rather than the authorities. As believers, we should try to live in peace with everyone, but conflict with the world and its authorities is inevitable. At times, we must choose to obey God rather than people.
Because of fear of man, many people have put God in the back seat of their lives even when they know what they should do. We sometimes focus on what people will say, how they will react, or what we could lose if we seek God’s approval instead of people’s. The fear of man is an entanglement that has stopped many people from following the Lord. Although we may have many excuses, not obeying the Lord displeases Him.
When Our Culture Opposes God
We live in a culture today that is often opposed to God, and we must decide if we are on the path of obeying people or God. Obeying God can cost us a job, a grade in a class, a friendship, or something else important to us. Only with God’s strength can we say no to the world and walk the narrow path the Lord has laid for us.
Paul knew this. Philippians 3:14I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. [3] It is not easy to obey God instead of people, but when we look to the Lord for direction, He will guide our paths no matter the obstacles.
To learn more about obeying God not people, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/apostles-persecuted
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.