Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Acts 5:41-42
The gospel thrives in persecution. We see it here. This was the response of the apostles after arrest, interrogation, threats, and illegal beating by the Sanhedrin, which was the Supreme Court of religious Jewish authority. The apostles were set loose with a warning to stop proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. And the apostles first rejoiced that they were so faithful to their Lord that they suffered for it, considering it a worthy honor, and then they stayed right at the task with the same fervor and seriousness as before, as if nothing had happened. They kept right at public and private gospel preaching and disciple-making.
Nothing changed despite the threat. They did not change their tactics. They did not alter their message, They did not back down. They stayed right at the privileged task of obeying their Lord, proclaiming good news of salvation in Jesus, and teaching disciples to follow Jesus. They made every part of their lives about gospel living and proclamation, and despite opposition, the Church kept maturing, growing, and expanding.
If we simply keep preaching the gospel and teaching disciples, the church will go on. No cultural, political, or religious opposition will stop what God has willed in Jesus. Christians may suffer and die, but the gospel never will.
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