Acts 5:12-42 | First Loyalty (No Matter What)نموونە

Acts has an implied question: Where are you giving your loyalty?

Many things demand our allegiance. Or at least insinuate that if we give it, it will go better our way. In Jesus’s day, it may have been to the temple, the religious establishment, or to Caesar. Even the devil came to Jesus in the wilderness promising wealth and fame if only he would give him his loyalty.

The question of loyalty is a question of kingship. What we see throughout the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament is that Jesus has God-given authority. He is the rightful king, and creation as we know it, his kingdom. That demands loyalty. The Bible has a word for this: faith.

That loyalty (our faith) will be tested. People and powers will try to shake it and break it. They’ll threaten, coerce, persecute, and woo. But Jesus continues to demonstrate he is king.

Today, skim Acts 5:17-42. Count up instances of acts of loyalty to King Jesus, and ways it’s tested. Which strikes you most?