Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)
Before ascending back into heaven, Jesus promised the apostles that the Holy Spirit will give them power to be his witnesses wherever they go (Acts 1:8). Did this include places where there was clear hostility towards the Gospel?
As shown in today’s reading, the answer is clearly, “yes.” The Sanhedrin, who were questioning Peter and John, were amazed at their boldness about preaching the Gospel. Even after threatening the two apostles, Peter and John claimed that they were “unable to stop speaking about what [they] have seen and heard” (4:20). If the same Spirit who was with Peter and John at this moment dwells with us today, what is keeping us from proclaiming the Gospel boldly?
We shouldn’t allow fear of ridicule, rejection, or some form of persecution from keeping us from sharing the Gospel. God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7). Too often as Christians, we forget that Jesus commanded us to make disciples from all nations (Mt. 28:19). Ultimately, it is God Himself who draws unbelievers to him (Jn. 6:44). It is comforting to know that God is not reliant on how convincing we were in presenting the Gospel in order to open hearts. Let us remember that becoming “fishers of men” should not be about bringing glory to ourselves, but to God alone.