Lesson Thirty Four
A NIGHT VISITOR
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Memory Verse: Acts 5:29
Further Study: Acts 5:12-42; Acts of the Apostles, pp. 77-86; The Bible Story, vol. 10, pp. 23-25
I have a son-in-law who enjoys risk and adventure. With the advance of technology and social media there is no end of video clips of people taking huge risks. They are sliding out of airplanes, jumping off cliffs, leaping into endless caverns, or living in tents suspended between mountain ranges. He sends me these videos with emojis of great joy knowing that my stomach does flip flops just at the suggestion of such feats. I, in turn, send some to him, asking; “Would you do this?” Only once, have I not received a resounding “YES!”
When we think of angels, we often equate them with protection.
When we think of angels, we often equate them with protection. Certainly, anyone taking the risk the people in these videos do would need more than one angel to keep them alive! But the lesson this week isn’t really about angel protection, although on the surface it appears to be.
Peter and John were thrown into prison for preaching in the temple courts. During the night an angel released them. This certainly sounds like protection, doesn’t it? But this angel wasn’t there for security reasons. He had a message. As the angel unlocked the prison gate, he told them to return to the temple and continue preaching. This angel was sent, not for protection, but mission. The disciples complied and were back at the temple by dawn. By the end of the day, they were beaten for preaching.
Being called for mission isn’t for the faint of heart.
Being called for mission isn’t for the faint of heart. But neither is living for Christ. We, like Peter and John, are afforded protection by angels, but we are also asked to go out and serve Jesus. When we do, we may discover challenges, danger, even risk. Yet we go forth, because He has called and because He has promised to see us through even if that might involve death. We also have a responsibility to teach our children about risking all for Jesus. Walking with Jesus is fun and the greatest journey they will take, but it isn’t without its peril.
I remember a story of a young Christian mission helicopter pilot and nurse who had flown countless operations to help patients to health. One day they and their patient simply disappeared. Only the nurse’s shoes were recovered. No one knows to this day what happened or where they are. Like Peter and John, they answered the call despite the risk.
A woman sat down one day next to a young man on an airplane. She inquired as to his occupation and discovered he was in the United States Marines. He was flying home from his deployment where he’d been stationed for a year and a half in Operation Desert Storm. “My family will be at the airport,” he told her. The woman commented that he must have imagined this scenario many times while serving. “Oh, no, Ma’am,” he replied. “We were taught never to think of what might never be, but to be fully available right where we were.” *
Fully available is what Jesus asks of us.
Fully available is what Jesus asks of us. We don’t know where He will lead us, but we know He will. We don’t know what danger will await, but we know His angels are near and available. We don’t know if we will live to see Jesus come again or awake at the trumpet call. But because we love Him, we give all of ourselves as well as our children to the mission, knowing that when we do, we’ll be renewed.
*Focus on the Family, July 1993, p. 5
Digging Deeper
While Peter and John are highlighted in the story, the passage makes several references to “apostles,” indicating that it could have been all 12 who were placed in prison as well as beaten.
Note that after they were flogged—it is believed this would have been 39 lashes—the apostles rejoiced in their suffering. While this seems to be an unusual reaction, they believed that they were being rewarded for doing exactly as the angel told them to do. By preaching and teaching Jesus, they were dishonored by the Jewish leadership. But the dishonor was considered just the opposite—honored for their beliefs.
After this there were many Christians martyred for the cause of Christ. The very process of imprisonment, torture, burning at the stake, beheading and all manner of evils did not, in fact, silence the gospel, but instead caused it to flourish and grow. As Gamaliel said that day to the leadership, “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God” (Acts 5:38, 39).
Making it Real
What risks have you taken for Jesus? Give some time to think about that this week. Then analyze if it was worth the risk or not. Not encountered any risk as yet? Pray about a call for a mission assignment. It doesn’t need to be in a far off field but could be in your neighborhood or local church.
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Merle Poirier writes from Silver Spring, Maryland, where she works as the operation manager for Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines as well as the designer for KidsView, a magazine for 8-12-year-olds. She enjoys spending time with her family including being a grandmother to two active little boys, who greatly enjoy Starting With Jesus, and a granddaughter, who’s delighting everyone with her smiles. She is blessed to have all three living close by, continually bringing joy and delight.
