Acts 5:17, 18, 32 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

It is very clear here that the apostles were trusting in God alone. The actions taken against them were motivated by jealousy, and the “movers and shakers” in the persecuting group were all Sadducees, who didn’t accept the idea of angels or spirits. In the face of that, Peter proclaimed, “we obey God and you don’t, and the proof is the Holy Spirit we’ve been given.” I would imagine that having just been released from prison by angels gave quite a boost to his faith at that point! At any rate, no statement could have been better calculated to stir up a reaction. The point, though, is that God was allowing this to happen to make it abundantly clear who was on His side and who wasn’t, and it certainly worked. Paul admonished us, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18) However, he wasn’t talking about standing up for the faith. For that, even he accepted martyrdom. “Peace at any cost” is not a recipe for happiness or even true peace, much less for pleasing God. We tend to look at the people around us and adjust our words and actions to create as little disturbance as possible. That is actually a distinctive, a major value, even, in Japanese society. Unfortunately, that doesn’t agree with the Bible. “Loving your neighbor as yourself” doesn’t mean abandoning the truth for fear of offending. We must speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), even when it generates the kind of response the apostles encountered here.

I have always tended strongly toward avoiding conflict, and that has gotten me into trouble more times than I could count. I’m still in training in that area! It is particularly damaging when I fail to present the necessity of repentance for salvation, not wanting to accuse someone of needing to repent. (How stupid is that?) I think I have grown a good bit in that area, but such growth makes me be, perhaps, less Japanese. Since I don’t look Japanese that’s not such a problem for me, but I can certainly empathize with the believers, who are being pushed by faith and commitment into fitting in less and less with their surroundings. I need to pray for them and encourage them, but not let them off the hook, excusing social patterns that are unbiblical. As Jesus said, we are in the world but not of it (John 17:15-16). I need to foster that understanding and world view, being gentle but uncompromising, not fearing rejection but speaking the truth in love.

Father, this is a big issue. Thank You for not giving up on me, or on any of us. Help us all grow in this and every area, so that we may be increasingly effective as Your agents, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!