These Christians, most or all of them Jewish, do not mention the Jews, even though it was the Sanhedrin who had handed Jesus over and although Peter and John have just been released from a Jewish prison. As they pray, these new Christians only point to threats "they" are leveling against the new community. So what does the new community ask for? Not safety from their foes but for the ability to continue God's work in them "in cures and signs and wonders to be worked in the name of Jesus." We ourselves feel threatened in our faith by all the pleasures and false values of our own pagan culture; does that cause us to be quiet about our faith either in the workplace or just with others anywhere? Or do we beg God to let His work continue in us? Do we dare to try to heal others by our words and acts and not just in the privacy and safety of our prayer? Can we trust the Lord enough to deny and reject pagan values and deeds out loud, where others can hear us? |