Worthy of Suffering...

this morning i read out of Acts 5. the chapter starts out with the story of Ananias and Sapphira and how they lied about how much money they had received for selling their field, which is a absolutely crazy story (for another day perhaps).

the second section of the chapter writes about how the apostles healed many and how people would actually bring the sick onto the streets at this time, hoping "that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. - what the heck?!?! talk about a man filled with the power of God!

the third and final section writes about how the apostles began to be persecuted for speaking at the temple courts in the name of Jesus. So...the Sanhedrin gets frustrated so much with them that they throw them in jail. an angel of the Lord appears and releases them (of course) and then they go back into the temple courts and continue to teach (not preach). so, for obvious reasons, the Sanhedrin is upset at this...so they bring them back in.

the apostles respond to the accusations by saying together, "We must obey GOd rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead--whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

Whoa! powerful stuff!...

the Sanhedrin is furious! but a man named Gamaliel speak up and says, "in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.

the Sanhedrin was persuaded to let the apostles go

...first they flogged them...

....then they released them...

AND THEN..."The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."

this is the few verses that really blew my mind... not only do the apostles, after being persecuted and spending a night in a dirty jail cell, continue teaching in the temple courts, exactly what they were ordered not to, but they actually rejoiced "because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."

they rejoiced in their persecution...because they had been counted worthy...

for me, when i face hardship for my faith, the idea that i have been counted worthy is the last thing that comes to mind.

how do we celebrate our persecution? i know persecution looks much different today (in america at least) than it did in the apostles day, but do well worthy because of our persecution?

anyway...crazy stuff... in concludence, a very wise man once said.... "awesome"

thoughts?