Scripture
And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”

Observation
The apostles are arrested for preaching about Jesus in the Temple. They are brought before the Sanhedrin where they are charged with teaching in Jesus' name.

Peter says, “We must obey God rather than human authority.” He goes on to testify that God raised Jesus from the dead in order to bring the people of Israel to repentance and forgiveness.

The Sanhedrin members are furious. Gamaliel says that if this movement is of God nothing will stop it, but if it is just another human invention then it will soon stop.

The Council has the apostles flogged and released. The apostles rejoice that God counts them worthy to suffer disgrace for Jesus.

Application
We often assume that following Jesus and ministering in His name brings some kind of divine protection. But here we see the apostles being severely persecuted for their work in preaching the gospel.

Not only did they accept this mistreatment they rejoiced in it, seeing it as a badge of honour that they could share in the sufferings of Christ,

Prayer
Father help me to stand firm in you even when obedience carries a heavy price. Amen.