A Consistent And Convincing Witness
To the ends of the earth - acts 5:12-42 (esv) - Pastor Tim Kroeker
Matthew 5:11-12a:
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad…”
What is the public’s perception of the church? Recent research shows that overall favorability and trust has fallen compared with past decades. That could be due to the moral failure of high profile pastors. Some suggest it’s because of alignment with one political party, whether real or perceived. Media narratives might have something to do with it. People rate local pastors and congregations more favorably than national institutions or prominent leaders.
So perhaps the more relevant question is, “What is the public’s perception of our church?”
In his summary statement at the end of Acts 2, Luke wrote that the first church in Jerusalem was having favor with all the people. As we continue reading now in chapter 5, he specifies with whom and why.
We see that even those who didn’t associate with the church held them in high esteem because of their moral purity and the spiritual power that was emanating from the apostles.
However, while the people respected the church, those in power reviled them. They were jealous of the apostles’ popularity and had them arrested. On trial, Peter once again boldly proclaimed the gospel, which the religious leaders violently rejected. They brutally beat the apostles before letting them go. Despite persecution, they rejoiced and their effective evangelistic activity continued.
Regardless of the response, the apostles would not cease. You can’t control public perception, but you can keep on being a consistent witness.
