So, they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Acts 4:18-20
Do you remember when you obeyed the gospel? How awesome was the sense of relief and renewal after being raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4)? How comforting was it to experience God’s promise saying, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12; Jeremiah 31:34)?
No wonder we often sing Oh Happy Day after one is baptized into Christ. Ponder the opening lines of this great song and how it encapsulates the post-conversion state of mind:
O happy day, that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Savior and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad!
Do you recall how eager you were to share this precious gift of redemption through His blood (Ephesians 1:7)? What else could you do but go share it with anyone who would give you an audience? No doubt you were in the same state as Jeremiah when he said, “His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 20:9).
On the flipside, do you recall when you first faced backlash for trying to share this precious gift with someone? Do you recall the reaction of your worldly acquaintances when you no longer laughed at their dirty jokes or joined them for those happy hour cocktails or watched those inappropriate movies/shows, or joined in that Sunday morning round of golf or fishing trip, etc. as you had before? I remember such reactions as vividly as if they were yesterday. I still have friends and family members who are vehemently opposed to the faith.
None of us wants to engage in confrontation over the choice to do God’s bidding, but we must be prepared for this inevitable reality. Jesus said His teachings would bring division and hatred on His people (Matthew 10:34-39; John 15:18-21). From a Roman prison cell from which he would not escape alive, Paul told Timothy that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Peter described to his readers the negative reaction those of the world often have towards those who no longer run with them in sinful ways (1 Peter 4:1-4).
The phrase in the title of this article captures the dedication required of the disciple of Christ. We can neither allow fear of backlash nor the desire to remain in the favor of others to thwart our service to the Lord. In Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested for preaching Jesus and the resurrection after healing a man lame from birth. The leaders of the temple threatened them with harm if they continued to preach in His name (Acts 4:17-18). They later made good on these threats by having them beaten (Acts 5:40). Nonetheless, Peter and John chose to obey God rather than men (Acts 4:19-23; 5:12-32). They served without fear.
Paul, in addition to serving without fear (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:22-33), would not be swayed by favor either. In Philippians 3:2-11, Paul detailed the wide range of privileges he relinquished to serve the Lord. How often would it profit a Christian in the worldly sense to fudge on this Christian principle or that? Business profits or political gains or popularity among the “in crowd” represent just a few ways one may benefit from loosening up on commitment to the Christ. Like Paul, we must consider all the world’s advantages as loss, indeed rubbish as compared to gaining Christ (Philippians 3:7-11). Like these and so many more examples in Scripture, we must neither allow fear nor favor to thwart our faithful service to Christ. After all, what will we give in exchange for our souls? (Matthew 16:24-26)