I Cannot But Speak

"We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

The apostles did not back down from proclaiming what they had seen and heard.  Peter and John tell us in Acts chapter 4 that they couldn't help but speak about what they had experienced.   What they saw, so radically changed their lives that they took those very lives and dedicated them back to what they saw - Jesus Christ risen from the dead!  They just couldn't help it!

Their dedication to the proclamation of the gospel brought about suffering and imprisonment, but it didn't stop them.   The book of Acts follows the work of the apostles and the expansion of the early church.  The pattern we see the apostles fall into is preaching, being arrested, preaching, being arrested.  They continued to preach even when everyone was against them.  It's as if they just couldn't help it!

In a way, I would suggest that the backlash they received fueled them.  Persecution often fuels a fire.  Their passion for gospel-sharing inspires me and at the same time almost embarrasses me.  It embarrasses me because I'm ashamed that I don't also have this same passion for the miracle that happened on the cross.  It's not just that a Man came back to life; it's the fact that His death bore the wrath of God for me.  I no longer stand guilty before the Father!

The early Christians literally couldn't help themselves.  They shared the gospel even when it meant torture, shame, arrest, and imprisonment!  Today if we feel the slightest embarrassment, we stop talking.  Or if we even have a thought that we might be embarrassed, we stop talking.  For some it isn't embarrassment but sheer laziness.  I'm afraid that Peter and John would be disappointed at how we have lost the awe and wonder of the precious gospel message.  I pray this is not the case in my life.

The good news is that the same Spirit that indwelt those early Christians also indwells us!  We have the same Spirit! My prayer is that I won't be able to help myself!   I won't be able to do anything but speak of the awesome truth that Jesus is alive and my sin is dealt with!  Let's share Jesus with the world!

I'm reminded of the song Mercy by Matt Redman - "may we never loose the wonder of Your mercy!"