never gonna stop

And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

Acts 5:25

God will not let the gospel stop. That much is clear from this account. All the apostles are taken captive and imprisoned for teaching about Jesus in the temple. In the night God sends an angel to release them from prison. The Jewish authorities arrive at the jail the next morning. The guards are posted. The doors are locked. The cell is an echo chamber! And where are Peter and the apostles? Right back at the temple obeying their Lord’s command for them to care for the people and preach the good news (Acts 5:20).

There are many people who are opposed to the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Religious people oppose it because it frees people from legalism and the oppressive control of stale religious authority that demands more than God does of us. Hardcore sinners will oppose the gospel because it sheds light on the darkness, calls people to genuine repentance and change, and promises a new life that is drastically different that what sinful hearts crave. Autocratic governments will oppose the gospel because it leads to the ultimate in intimate, personal liberty, where a person is freed from sin to serve a God much greater, much more personal, much deeper in love than any human institution.

In the first waves of persecution found in the book of Acts, all three of these forces combined in trying to silence the preaching about Jesus. These priests, council members, and the senate of the people of Israel, all conspired together to wipe out the Christian message. But they could not succeed. Their prisons could not hold the gospel captive. Their commands could not convince the apostles to stop. Their punishments could not shame or disgrace the church. Instead, the people rejoiced to find the same sufferings as their Savior (Acts 5:41-42). And that example should encourage Christians today to never shrink away from loving Jesus and telling His good news in our world!