The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 4:1-4, “As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.
4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

Have you ever encountered hatred when you were affirming something in which you
genuinely believed? I distinctly remember someone saying, “Why don’t you just shut
up?” My response was: “I cannot stop affirming what I sincerely believe.”

The disciples of our Scripture above, however, were facing a more delicate situation. The municipal authorities were commanding their silence! In fact, they implemented
physical force along with their verbal command. We’re moving rapidly toward that same
kind of authoritarianism. What are we to do if and when we encounter authorities telling
us to “Shut Up”?

To begin with we need to know our “rights” in such a situation. We need to be respectful
toward those who would silence us. We need to remember that they are doing what
they believe is their legally authorised responsibility. We need to demonstrate that we
are unshaken by their orders, inasmuch as our beliefs and orders are from the LORD.

Ultimately, the outspoken disciples were jailed; and on the next day, they were questioned by those who were ostensibly in authority. But, the disciples maintained
their rightful position – a position that won over the interrogators, who “began to
recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

Standing up for spiritual, biblical truth is not always easy. Municipal authorities are not
always Christians themselves. Often times, they are not. Still, the Authority who sends us forth to stand up for His Name abides within us. Ultimately, we will know and witness the power of His Name.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom