Acts 4:13-22

Acts 4:13-22
English Standard Version (ESV)

  This image always makes me laugh -- the leaders are telling Peter and John not to preach, but they don't grasp that they are standing opposite the will of God, and they are trying to put the lid back on a movement that simply cannot be opposed.  It's like a little boy in a rowboat in front of an aircraft carrier, shouting at it to stop because he doesn't want the waves to upset his little boat.
  The leaders are so out of touch here, and it's amazing to look back at the 2,000 year history of the church and think they had the audacity to think they could stop what the Holy Spirit was doing because it would change things for them.
  And yet, I'll freely admit that I often find myself opposing God's will, because it might cast me out of my comfort zone.  I often don't like to love selflessly, and it's hard to give sacrificially.  I don't like to reach out to those who are different than I am, and if I'm really honest, I sometimes grow tired of the cost of discipleship and wish that faithfulness were easier.  God's will is calling me in one direction, but my spiritual laziness often wins out and pulls me directly opposite.
  So it's important to look back over our days, over our weeks, and pay attention to where and how God is at work.  You are being called into the deeper waters of discipleship, and if we're not careful, we find ourselves choosing our own comfort as opposed to God's calling.