When Our Witness Brings Healing and Persecution

On the evening of my husband’s death, one pastor helping me inquired about what I wanted him to tell my coworkers the next day.

After a brief pause of utter silence, I looked him in the eye with intensity and said, “The truth. There’s nothing to hide here. And I did not see this coming.”

The next morning, this same pastor called to check on me and to tell me he was about to email all the staff to gather in the youth space to inform them what had happened. He wanted to make sure the email did not surprise me in the event I was checking my work email.

I thanked him and then told him I wanted him to stress to the staff that if any of them were struggling, to please seek help because that is what my husband failed to do. And he was wrong to not seek help.

Later that same day, I shared Psalm 77 on my blog and also posted on my social media that I desired to bring God Glory out of this situation.

• How was I able to respond in this manner within less than twenty-four hours of learning what my husband had done?
• And how does it connect with the title of this post?

Let me prepare my answer to these two questions with a brief study from Acts 4:1-13.

And as [Peter and John] were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, ² greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴ But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. ^[1]

Why are the priests, captain of the temple, and the Sadducees upset with Peter and John?

How did they persecute Peter and John?

Unlike the leaders at the temple, how did those mentioned in verse four respond to what Peter and John had been telling them?

⁵ On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, ⁶ with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. ⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”^[2]

Explain the significance of Caiaphas’ presence at this assembly. (See Matthew 26:1-4 and John 11:45-53.)

What was the intent behind their questioning of Peter and John with this larger assembly of people present?

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹ if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. ¹¹ This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ^[3]

The healing of the crippled man Peter refers to had occurred at the gate called Beautiful when they were heading to the temple to pray at 3:00pm. Their conversation with this man involved offering the man healing through the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  (See Acts 3:1-8)

The people nearby saw this man who had been crippled since birth walking, jumping, and praising God. This stirred their amazement, and they ran to get closer to Peter, John, and the beggar. (See Acts 3:9-11)

Compare Acts 3:12-28 with Acts 4:8-12 above. What is the same? Different?

How was Peter able to speak so boldly to the temple leaders? (See verse 8.)

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.^[4]

According to the verse above, how were Peter and John able to be so bold without having been trained as priests or scribes?

How could I respond to the sudden loss of my husband in such a bold and transparent way so quickly?

I know that my responses to my pastor friend came from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit amidst my heartbreak.

I also recognize that my consistent practice of spending time with the Lord via my daily scripture reading and journaling process fuels my relationship with the Lord so that the Holy Spirit can speak through me, especially when I am in a state of shock.

So, just like Peter and John, I am filled with the Holy Spirit and have a personal relationship with Jesus.

And how does this connect with the title of this post?

Peter and John’s witness of their faith in Jesus’ resurrection and power to the crippled man and the crowds brought both physical and spiritual healing that also brought glory to God.

But the temple leaders saw this situation as a threat to their authority, so chose to imprison Peter and John and attempt to intimidate them from any further witnessing about Jesus. (See Acts 4:13-18)

Thus, Peter and John’s witness about Jesus also resulted in them suffering persecution.

As for my personal situation, my coworkers, closest friends, and family have expressed gratitude for my transparency because it helped them know how to pray and care for me. If I had hidden the situation, these healing bonds of fellowship would have been at best delayed if not extremely hindered.

The persecution I have experienced at this point has been only in the spiritual realm of battling the “what if” and “why” questions that are a natural part of a situation like mine. But I also fully expect now that I am returning to my writing pursuits, I may encounter additional persecution as I write and speak more boldly about how my faith in Christ Jesus is the key to my ultimate healing, both now and in eternity.  

How do you fuel your relationship with Jesus to keep it strong and vibrant so that your witness brings healing to those around you?

If you’ve experienced persecution because of your relationship with Jesus, were you able to be bold like Peter and John? Why or why not?

Warmly,

Barbara Lynn

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 4:1–4.

^[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 4:5–7.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 4:8–12.

^[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 4:13.