Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” – Acts 5:29

In the early chapters of Acts, we see the disciples encounter Jesus’s ascension. Shortly afterwards, they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit which boldens them to preach the gospel of Christ, the account describes how by the power of the Holy Spirit, tongues of fire manifest and they speak in many different tongues. Peter moves to speak to the crowd that converged to witness this historic event, they were believed to be more than four thousand.

In the aftermath of the day of Pentecost, the disciples begun to preach the good news of Christ in all corners of Jerusalem, performing miracles and healing the sick in the process. This courted a great deal of envy and opposition from the Pharisee and the Jewish rulers of the time, as more people surrendered to Christ everyday. Our verse for today illustrates the disciples’ response to the authorities when they were told to stop preaching in the name of Jesus.

“We must obey God rather than human beings!”

With this response, they emphasized the importance of obeying God rather than human authorities when there is a conflict between the two. They make it known that no authority on earth could ever supplant the will of God, and if the will of God is for them to preach in the name of Christ, that is exactly what they will do.

This is a reminder for us to prioritize our allegiance to God above all else, especially in the face of opposition or challenges. For many of us who call on the name of the Lord, we have encountered situations where we have been opposed strongly for preaching or making reference to Christ. In buses, on the street, while conversing with friends and family – the usual response we hear is, “this has nothing to do with Christ.”

The world has it way of making our opinions about Christ unpopular, a bad cliche or archaic, but I want us all to take a cue from Peter and the other disciples; let us choose to obey God rather than conform to societal expectations. May we remember that we are called to stand firm in our faith and uphold our values even when it may not be popular or easy.

Today, I encourage everyone to draw inspiration from the disciples’ unwavering commitment to God’s truth and strive to emulate their courage and faithfulness in our own journey of faith. May the good Lord help us, Amen.