Series: The Mvmnt 
Message: Persecution and Growth
Preacher: Alex Bryan
Reflection: Japhet De Oliveira
Live Wonder: Zan Long 
Live Adventure: Zan Long 
Live Purpose: Jessyka Albert 
Editor: Becky De Oliveira

Refresh: Begin today in prayer. Ask God for understanding through the Holy Spirit and for God’s character to be revealed.

Read: Acts 5:17-42 in the New International Version (NIV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.  

Reflect: He stopped me in the corridor of the office and asked who gave me permission. I was a little bit surprised as the question was not in the usual friendly tone that I was used to from this leader. I tried to gather my thoughts, and calmly asked, “Permission for what?" He replied, “To pull all these people from around the world to your conference, the One thing.” “Oh,” I replied, “You mean the One project gatherings. Anyone can come. They are simply spaces to talk about Jesus. I did not know we needed permission to talk about Jesus.”

Here is my hunch about the Sadducees at the time of the early Church. They were at one point responsible for sharing faith with the people from the seat of authority— the Temple. They did not believe in angels. They had become comfortable in their positions. They were not willing to engage in learning. They were not open to the discovery that God had been trying to show them for a long time. The Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, who did not have the “permission” to speak and lead. The apostles couldn’t contain the experience and knowledge of Jesus. The Gospel simply flowed out of them. As Luke described it earlier:

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. —Acts 4:13

God called on the angels that these leaders didn’t believe were real to release the apostles from prison. He called the apostles they didn’t want to listen to and asked them to preach the Gospel to the people. Good things are too hard to keep to yourself. God does not need permission to share the Gospel. He will move whatever it takes to create space so that everyone has the chance to hear the Gospel and make a choice for Him. If we are arguing about permission, we are not focused on the mission. If we are worried about who gets the credit, we have not heard God’s calling. It is not about us. It is about Him. 

Recalibrate: How do we keep our eyes focused on Jesus and not get distracted by external pressure?

Respond: Pray for a continued healthy community.

Research: What story in the Bible best captures a moment with God? How would you share it with a friend?

Recharge: Wonder/Adventure/Purpose.

Does your child have a favorite blanky or teddy? Something that is so loved that nothing, not even a new version of the same thing, can replace it? Love does that; it becomes so much a part of us that we cannot dream of life without it. Talk about this kind of love with your child today.

Have you ever felt like you weren’t smart enough, not tall enough, or not old enough to do something? Peter and John must have felt something like that, too. When they lived only special people could teach about the Bible, but God called them to talk about Jesus so they did! Do you think you are ever too young to talk about Jesus?

When was the last time you compared yourself to someone? Do you think Peter and John ever compared themselves to the Sadducees, or do you think they were confident in the message they had to share about Jesus? How can you find more confidence in Jesus today?