Devotional - June 7, 2004

Gamaliel stated it well. The others were ready to put the disciples of Jesus to death, but he stated a simple fact they couldn't deny. Namely, if God was not in this thing called Christianity, it would die naturally. But if it prospered, they'd find themselves in a conflict on the opposing side of God himself. Regardless of how you feel about Jesus, you don't want to mess with the God of Israel.

The test Gamaliel suggested worked. Anyone who actively worked to destroy the church or persecute Christians is in fact, picking a fight with God. But today, people inside or outside the church don't fear God so what difference does the church make anyway? Christianity has endured because God is in it, but for the first time since our Lord's resurrection, we, the church are in real danger of proving ourselves irrelevant.

The Jews in the days of the first church had a fear of God. However, the Jewish leaders proved they didn't know God because they rejected His Son. Unless a person knows Jesus, you can't possibly know what God accepts and what He rejects. But the Sanhedrin accepted Gamiel's persuasive argument and instead of killing the disciples they flogged and intimidated them.

Our generation without knowing it, has found a better way to diminish the work of the church than those first century persecutors. We've found that anyone can join the church today through simple profession of faith in Jesus. However, such a person can continue to live in sin, all the while calling themselves saved and getting an approving nod from fellow church members and their leaders. Like soldiers hiding in a giant horse embraced by the inhabitants of Troy, pretenders have found it much easier to unknowingly destroy something from within than purposefully from the outside.

Are you on the inside or the outside of a gift horse that was slipped into the church during the night? Are you a believer with a genuine fear of God or someone who has enjoyed the comfort of being called a Christian even though you have no evidence of it in your life? You may be deceived, but God is not. He knows His sheep and if you're not one of them, you may enjoy the approval of men, but that doesn't guarantee you have God's approval.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( 1 Ki. 2:1-3:3 Ac. 5:1-42 Ps. 125:1-5 Pr. 16:25 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society