Acts 5:27-33
April 24, 2022
Sermon preached at the Cantonese-Worship Service at First Chinese Baptist Church, San Francisco, CA
Most people today don’t necessarily like obedience. We send dogs to obedience school to learn to sit. Wives obeying their husbands today immediately triggers a boo. I was taught to obey my parents, my elders, my teachers and anyone else who is older. Now I only want my grandkids to listen to me; forget obeying!
In the Scriptures for this morning, obedience is not to someone whom we may know, but it’s obedience to God.
Acts 5
Our short passage is a part of a larger account of what happened to Peter and the apostles after Easter. Beginning with Acts 5, verse 12, Peter and the apostles were doing many signs and wonders of healing and great numbers of believers were added. When the Sadducees felt threatened by these signs, the apostles were arrested and thrown into prison. But during the night, an angel freed them even when the jailer found that the jail door was still locked and in place.
The apostles went back to the temple and started teaching the people again. Then the temple police arrested them again and standing in front of the council of the high priest, the priest told them that they gave strict orders not to teach in the name of Jesus Christ. The priest said, “You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” This man is Jesus Christ who was crucified. But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
Peter continues, “The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Be mindful that when Peter said, “whom you had killed” is not blaming the crucifixion on the Jews or Israel but Peter was talking about those in power including the Roman occupiers and many who were unbelievers.
The rest of this account is about a wise Pharisee named Gamaliel. When the high priest council heard of Peter’s and the apostles’ testimony that “We must obey God rather than any human authority,” in verse 33, it says, “When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.”
But Gamaliel stepped up and mentioned two previous trouble-makers that while there were disturbances, eventually in time, they faded away. Gamaliel said if Peter and the apostles were just like the others, in time they would fade away too. But if they don’t then they may very well be doing God’s work and the Pharisees wouldn’t be able to overthrow them anyway because they would literally be found fighting against God.
The high priest council was convinced by Gamaliel but they still ended up flogging Peter and the apostles. They were told to be silent in the name of Jesus and when they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer for Christ.
In verse 42, it says, “And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.”
Obey God
What does it mean to “obey God rather than any human authority” in today’s world?
One example for us to look at is Christianity in China. In Communist China, the government does not allow missionaries into its territories. But when economic or teaching English opportunities are available, Christian businesspeople and volunteers, involved with a Chinese business or school would use their professional visas as a way to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the Chinese people.
In the past, Christians smuggled in Bibles. Today, it is still dangerous to hand out tracts or talk about Jesus Christ. We know of people from our church who have gone to China as English teachers but secretly and quietly talk to colleagues and students about Christ. Despite the fact that these activities are considered illegal in China, many Christian businesspeople and English teachers claim that, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” They believe they are being faithful to a higher order, to a higher law.
But sometimes when people believe to follow this higher order, there are severe consequences to those whom we wish to help. Many Chinese Christians and people who interact with missionaries have experienced harassment, persecution and even imprisonment. What is usually missing by “obeying God rather than any human authority” ends up putting at risk the lives of people who might honestly be seeking God.
In this example of China, what is faithfulness to God? By the late half of the 1990s, the China Christian Council or the Amity Foundation approved by the Chinese government was given the responsibility to recognize Christian organizations leading to the protection of people who want to know Christ. While some people may question the convictions of the China Christian Council, the council has seen tremendous growth of Christians in China today.
The challenge for us is that when “we obey God rather than any human authority,” it requires discernment, wisdom and risk. Learning how to obey God rather than any human authority may demand a hard look of ourselves as witnesses of Christ with those we put in danger rather than our own assumptions of always following a higher law.
Last month, 27 of us traveled to Eastern Europe to visit Poland, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic. In this part of the world, both World Wars were ignited and millions of people were killed. In Krakow, Poland, we visited Auschwitz where one of the camps that exterminated 11 million Jews and others deemed undesirable by the Nazis. We studied what it means to be a peacemaker when we follow Jesus as the Prince of Peace.
When we researched what the Baptists did during World War II, we were disappointed. They were silent because they saw Hitler as a supporter who granted the German Baptists more benefits and recognition. The Baptists in the US were not any more courageous to oppose Hitler. In the end, the Baptists in World War II did not obey God but rather they obeyed human authority.
The Apostles Obeyed God
On this Sunday after Easter, we are called like Peter and the apostles to preach the good news of the resurrection. The apostles were insistent and persistent. They performed healing miracles and wonders and were arrested. They were directed to stop preaching but they resisted and said, “We must obey God.” They continued so the Pharisees were enraged and wanted to kill them. And after they were flogged, whipped, they rejoiced in suffering for Christ and went back to the temple and to their homes and preached and taught Jesus as the Messiah.
There are three things that we can learn from this passage recalling what Peter and the apostles did after Christ rose from the grave.
First, as the Body of Christ, the church, our faithful witness in the world will always evoke a reaction that brought Jesus to the Cross. When we live out our faithfulness of proclaiming Christ as our Lord and Savior who came to save the world with God’s love, we will always be met with cynicism, doubt, unbelief and ridicule. People may tell us that Christianity is no longer relevant. And how can we continue to love the worst people in the society or to forgive in the face of personal attacks or being cheerful and hopeful when the world is in crisis. In light of all these worldly problems, we believe that God is sovereign and that the “gates of hell can never prevail over the church!”
We must obey God rather than any human authority.
Secondly, like Peter and the apostles, we must be persistent in our faith. After they were arrested and thrown into prison, they went back to preaching and teaching. After they were arrested again, they miraculously were freed by an angel but went back to the temple to preach again. And then they were brought to the high priest council, they were told to stop preaching but after being flogged, they just went back to preach and teach.
For us today, we must be as faithful on Monday through Saturday as we are faithful on Sunday. We must not just talk about Christ in Sunday school or in worship but also in our workplaces, in our neighborhood and wherever we might be. Can you and I be as persistent as Peter and the apostles were?
We must obey God rather than any human authority.
The third takeaway from this passage is that in our suffering in Christ, we can also rejoice. This does not mean that we are self-victimizing but when we preach God and Christ’s love and in Christ’s account, we may suffer and when that happens, we rejoice.
There’s an ancient saying that the “church is most beautiful to God when she is bloody.” This means that when the church is persecuted for righteousness’ sake as Jesus said, it can get bloody.
After the apostles have been flogged, forbidden to speak of Jesus, and released, they rejoice. “As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name (Jesus)” (5:41).
This passage is not calling for martyrdom or becoming victims thinking that this is what God wants. But what it does mean is that when we choose to obey God and the Holy Spirit chooses us to become the Body of Christ in the world who believe in the resurrection, that we may suffer on the account of the name Jesus. And when that happens, we are to rejoice because God has chosen us to do God’s work in the world.
We must obey God rather than any human authority.
We Obey God
When our group visited Eastern Europe last month, we gained a better understanding on what may be our Christian witness in the face of war. Being so physically close to Ukraine when we were in Poland and Hungary, we wonder what we might say about war and peace. Each of us prayed, studied Scriptures, read Christian statements about peacemaking and reflected on our role as peacemakers when the world is at war. Some of us are still troubled but are now working to bring peace in the world.
When we read what Peter and the apostles did in this passage, they were persistent, defiant and bold. Their boldness against the high priests, the Pharisees and authorities, the Romans led to their testimony, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
Are you bold in your faith? As a church in San Francisco, do we have the boldness to obey God and to bear witness of Christ’s resurrection to save the world and bring love to everyone? It’s not only what we preach but how we are preaching—is it with boldness?
We each have 2 ears but being as old as I am now, my hearing is not as good anymore! But we have 2 ears and 2 eyes and my eyes are not as clear as they were before. But God created us with 2 ears and 2 eyes to listen to the pains in the world and to see God in our world because Jesus Christ is present with us in the Holy Spirit. When we can hear and see, we have one mouth to speak boldly, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
First Chinese Baptist as far back as anyone can remember has always ministered to both Cantonese-speaking and English-speaking people. We are the two sides of the same coin. We need one another to be effective in our ministries in Chinatown and beyond. Like having two ears and two eyes, we need each other to have one ministry in Christ to proclaim Good News in the world. One without the other is incomplete. When we are together, we are a closer reflection of the Body of Christ in the world!
When we go out today, we will obey traffic signs like “No turn on Red!” We will obey any more coronavirus mandates and restrictions like wearing a mask on the plane. We will obey our parents and elders and strive to have a happy family.
But when it comes to our faith, we believe in Jesus Christ who was crucified and in three days rose from the grave in the resurrection. Christ came to save us from our sins by taking upon himself all of our sins so that we may again be reconciled with God. As forgiven sinners and now faithful believers, we say, “We must obey God rather than any human authority!”
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, forgive us when we are afraid to speak your name when it could bring joy and hope to those who are seeking for your love and peace. Equip us with boldness and courage to obey your calling of us to be your apostles today. Grant us the wisdom and discernment that when we testify in your name that we are also not causing danger to those we are hoping to serve. Help us to obey you, O God and in so doing, we are enabling your kingdom to come on earth as it is already in heaven. In the name of Christ, our Savior, we pray. Amen.