New confirmation

NORSK
Acts 5 is a vivid example of the fact that a life with the Holy Spirit is both exciting and serious. In an amazing way the disciples are confirmed again and again in their ministry – even in the experience of persecution. With the support of the Sadducees, who certainly were keen to stop any preaching of resurrection and eternal life, the priests again had the apostles put in jail - it's possible that this included all twelve 

– “but an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors by night, brought them out and said, 'Go and line up in the temple, and let people hear all this message of life! '”
Acts 5:20

What are the confirming factors?

1) Persecution (see above, "... uneasy they prayed!")
2) An angel came and released them. That they are released by an angel is a confirmation on its own, but the angel also came with three further confirmations of their ministry:
3) They had chosen the right venue = temple, The Porch of Solomon
4) They had chosen the right method = preaching.
5) They had chosen the right message = the message of life.

I think that a lot of the discouragement we see among Christians today is the lack of confirmation. The disciples experienced confirmation because they lived just as radical as Jesus said. Can the choice of how we live as Christians influence the degree of confirmation?

I think the answer is a simple: "Yes!"

'Manna' for today:

Lord, give me courage to live a radical life!