2 Chronicles 34-36 | John 19:1-22

“‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,’ he said….Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!’” Acts 5:28-29
 

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus gave His disciples a calling to share the good news of salvation with everyone. True to Jesus’s words, the Holy Spirit descended a few days later on the Day of Pentecost and they were filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to boldly proclaim the gospel.

Peter stood before a crowd and told his listeners: “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is….for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39). At this, three thousand not only made a profession of faith to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour but were also baptized.

 
Some of us may think that it is easy to carry out Jesus’s command with the power of the Holy Spirit, but the reality of living into a calling is not easy. Trials and testing are almost guaranteed when one chooses to be obedient to Jesus and live into His calling. In fact, it was not long after Peter preached his first sermon that he and John were seized and put into jail. Despite this, Peter and John were not deterred and kept declaring the truth that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). This caused a stir in the Sanhedrin “when they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

The rulers and the elders of the people commanded Peter and John to stop teaching in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to Him? You be the judges!” (Acts 4:19). We could reinterpret Peter and John as saying, “There’s a calling on our lives. Jesus told us to bear witness of His salvation and we will not stop.”

As we lean into the call from Jesus to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, there will be trials and testings but there is the assurance that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry out the call.

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, it is only by Your Spirit in me that I am able to live out the calling You have given me. I ask for boldness and courage to proclaim Your message of salvation to the world. Thank You, Lord.