41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
What a statement! They rejoiced at suffering disgrace. They felt that the disgrace they were suffering meant they had done something right. God was smiling His favor on them by allowing them to suffer disgrace. That message is exactly the opposite of what so many ministries preach today. They say that if God is on your side then His favor will shine on you and there will be smooth sailing. If things are not going well in your life, then you must be outside of God’s will. “If your finances (this is one of their favorite lies) are dwindling up, give more (especially to their ministry) and God will bless. If people don’t like you, change so that they do. Jesus is just a big lover and doesn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” These are some of the many lies that get proclaimed as the Gospel, but there are few things that could be further from the Gospel than these. These early disciples knew that when you stand for the truth you become a target. That is because truth will stand out in a crowd. Others will notice the difference in your lifestyle. They will often interpret your confidence in the power of God as arrogance. The boldness of the Spirit working in you will scare them and they will attack because they feel threatened. They will see the humility, the unwillingness to take credit, as deceit covering up some hidden motive. Unless the Spirit is actively calling someone and they are responding to the call, every action we take in obedience to Jesus will be misinterpreted. Remember, the lens that unbelievers look at the world through is colored and distorting. No matter how much they try to get an accurate picture of something, that picture will always be distorted by sin and its consequences. They can’t help but see a partial picture. They are blind, dead and unaware of the reality of God’s presence in the here and now. So next time you obey, expect others to not see what you have done accurately, and rejoice that you were counted worthy of the misinterpretation of your actions.
The Arnold Journey 