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  • Writer's pictureJoe Baran
    • Apr 2
    • 3 min read

Ups and Downs



On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,  let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.  This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4: 5-12 ESV)


We have gone from a day of rejoicing to a stone-cold awakening. Christians are and will continue to be persecuted by non-believers. But we cannot be neutral in the world.


In Acts 4, we find John and Peter before the council, the Sanhedrin, and the Sadducees because they had healed a man in Christ’s name. Peter, being in the Spirit and full of exultation after being forgiven by Christ for His denial of Jesus, could have simply said he had healed in the name of Jesus, but Peter was not neutral; Peter was not cautious, but being in the Spirit was overt. Peter pointed out to the council that he had healed in the name of Jesus, the one they crucified, and that was the cornerstone they had rejected. He was also so bold as to point out that one can only find salvation through faith in Christ. In this confrontation, Peter was beyond bold.


The reason for the stone-cold awakening this morning is that on Easter Sunday in Tennessee, a trailer full of Bibles was set on fire before a church. A security camera caught a man dropping off the trailer and setting it ablaze before anyone had arrived at the church. The church service went on without incident, but the sheer evil in this act must have had some impact. Satan prompts the burning of scripture.


My friends, we cannot be neutral in this evil world, or the world will overcome us. It is not enough in this society to be neutral. We are constantly being called to bend the knee to an evil worldview. Even in government or especially in government policies force, Christians to acknowledge things contrary to beliefs. We are labeled when we are steadfast in our faith.

We need to take Peter and John as our examples. We must be bold in faith, not neutral. We must listen to Paul and not conform to the world but be transformed by the gospel. So goes the highs and lows of being a Christian. One day, we are overjoyed with the resurrection of the living God, only to be reminded on the next that, like Christ, we too will be hated. I am okay with that; as a matter of fact, I find it a blessing. How about you? Where are you? Are you trying to remain in a non-existence demilitarized zone? Look around you and give thanks for what God has given you: a new life in Christ. Embrace it, and find love and peace in faith. In the words of John Piper, “You do not need to know a lot of things for your life to make a huge difference. But you do need to know a few great things that really matter and be willing to live for them with all your might and die for them if necessary.”


Jesus died for you. You can pick up your cross and carry it, being struck down repeatedly by the world, or you can try to hide while desperately trying to remain neutral. What will you do?

Peace and Grace


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