Acts 4:19-20 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

This was the perfect response to a group of men who prided themselves on being religious. At the same time, it was something of a slap in the face, because it was saying, “We are hearing and obeying God better than you are in this instance.” In this case that was completely true, but religious pride never likes to be told that. As later events showed, this hardened some of the men more than ever against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The point is, we must speak the truth in love, whatever the response. As here, the response is not always going to be good. Another major point is that when we have had a personal experience of God’s saving grace, we aren’t going to be able to keep quiet about it. The reason many Christians gravitate to “the silent majority” is that they don’t have a good grasp of their own salvation. Those with dramatic conversions out of gross sin are generally irrepressible, but those with quieter experiences often feel they don’t have anything to share. That’s a major misconception! We are all equally lost without Christ, whether the world looks at us as bad or good. When we really understand that, we will understand the need of those around us for salvation, and we will be more willing to share our own experience.

As a pastor, getting this across to the believers is an ongoing struggle. People labor under multiple layers of deception, thinking they aren’t worthy to share the Gospel, they aren’t capable of sharing the Gospel, and that people would never be interested in hearing the Gospel from them anyway. Everyone is equally in need of the grace of God, so “worthy” shouldn’t enter into the picture at all. God has promised that the Holy Spirit will speak through us, (Mark 13:11) so the ability is His and not ours. And lastly, though some will indeed not be interested, and some will even be hostile, some are hungry to hear what we can share with them, and if we don’t open our mouths, they will never receive. I have tried over the years to get this through to people, but the reception rate has frankly been low. I am charged with equipping believers to do the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12), so I must not give up. Also, the work of communicating the Gospel to everyone will not be accomplished unless each believer understands that they are part of the work force.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You have given me words to express the situation very concisely. Help me use those words to communicate Your truth to people effectively. You are growing this church in every way, though outsiders might not see it so much yet. Help us grow in this area as well, so that every believer will understand that they are Your ambassador to those around them, and rejoice to accept and fulfill that commission, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!