Young Adults' Group

Staying True To God

by Pastor Mark
March 02, 2017

The spirit of being true to God                             

The third letter for Bethany stands for being true. As a church, we have sought to be true to God. No matter what kind of challenges that we have to go through, we would remain true as we must to the Lord.

When the Apostles began their ministry, they were faced with differing responses. On one hand, there were many who embraced the gospel and sought to follow Christ.

On the other hand, there were those who sought to oppose them for speaking the gospel. They did everything they could to stop them.

But the Apostles were undeterred. They remain true to the Lord. How were they able to do this?

The challenge of being true in the midst of difficulties

When Peter and John bore witness for the Lord, there came opposition. The high priest and the religious leaders commanded them not to speak or to teach in the name of the Lord. (Acts 4:18) But this was the answer of Peter and John, “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 4:19,20)

The apostles were not daunted by the opposition of the religious leaders. They persisted in staying true to the Lord and to their calling to be witnesses for Him. There were a number of reasons for them to remain true.

1. They listened to God more than man

The Apostles sought to obey God. They had been given a calling to be witnesses for the Lord. (Acts 1:8) For them, it was right to listen to God rather than man.

2. They had tremendous zeal within them

There is a double negative in the Greek text which is translated “For we are not able…not to speak”. This is to emphasise that they had to speak. There was tremendous zeal within them to speak about the Lord.

3. They could not remain silent concerning the things that they had heard and seen

Peter and John had seen and heard many wonderful things about the Lord. These things were too wonderful for them to keep quiet about. They had to share them with others.

The Apostles were true to the Lord and to their calling to be witnesses. Let us be challenged to follow their example to be true.

The spirit of being true in Bethany

Over the years, Bethany has experienced its own fair share of opposition and detractors. Were we deterred in anyway by them? The answer is a definite “No”. We have always sought to follow the Lord and His calling for us to serve Him and to be His witnesses. Not everyone is willing to understand what we are doing as a church. But we will stay true to the Lord and to fulfil what He has called us to do. Let us be challenged to cultivate this spirit of being true to the Lord and to stand as one in fulfilling His work here in Bethany.

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