“Souled Out” by Hezekiah Walker & LFC
Acts 4: 5-7
5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, 6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
Fear and intimidation cast a long shadow that dogged the feet of the Apostles and the members of the early church. Peter and John had by faith in Jesus healed a man who had been crippled for many years. The man was a beggar, and he expected to be given money by the Apostles. He was given more than money could buy: He was healed of his malady, and immediately began to run, jump and praise God. The Pharisees heard about what had happened, and decided to try and stop the Apostles from preaching and healing in the name of Jesus.
Religious leaders Annas and Caiaphas, were complicit in the crucifixion of Jesus, and they wanted to murder Lazarus as well. Kill the messenger and destroy the evidence was their modus operandi. Now 12 Apostles recruiting others by the thousands, were spreading the message of salvation offered by the resurrected Jesus, and the evidences of divine healing followed them throughout the land. There stood Peter speaking boldly of the resurrected Savior, pointing the finger at the wicked high priests and listing the inventory of their Antichrist conspiracy. The man who was healed of his crippled state stood erect in their presence. Everyone knew of the good that had been done, and marveled. The evidence was undeniable. Yet repression, oppression and attempts to silence the good news of Jesus Christ became the order of the day. The wicked pharisees conspired once again, saying:
Acts 4:16-19 (KJV)
17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
That Annas and Caiaphas were corrupt high priests makes it easy for us to be disgusted at their behavior. We who have inherited and been blessed by the knowledge afforded by the rich lessons of the holy scriptures can find it easy to judge them. It is not so easy, though, to judge ourselves. Do we, like Caiaphus, see the blessings of God only with our eyes but refuse to embrace or proclaim it for fear that we will lose authority and power when others whom we esteem highly disagree? Power that is derived from the good will and whims of fashionable thought is no power at all.
It is the order of the day in this post-humanist world, to believe that truth is relative, and that there are no moral absolutes with respect to right or wrong. Conditional ethics are easy, but unstable, and those who live by them will not be upheld by them forever.
Those who name the name of Christ and claim it as their own will in the course of a righteous lifetime be asked many times: “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” You decide to walk away from a dishonest or unjust business decision, and those you walk away from will challenge your authority to do so. Decide to live within your means and not run with others to keep up with worldly illusions and values, and those you fail to join will challenge by what authority you have determined that they are wrong. Denial of the truth of God leads to the moral tyranny and bondage of sin and false commitments that will not feed your soul and will demand that you feed it incessantly. Where there is no mercy there can be no justice and sin is merciless.
Many years ago, I was asked to sing at an event that was taking place in the city of Philadelphia. I told the coordinator on the phone that I sing gospel music. He replied that I could sing about God, but could not mention the name of Jesus. At this hypocrisy, I became exceedingly angry and delivered a verbal refusal that reflected my determination to acknowledge my Savior. Shortly thereafter the sky became dark and a tornado touched down on the street outside my office, twisting its way down the driveway to the apartment complex where I lived, circling the 14 story historic building before dissipating into thin air. Having left my windows open, the tornado’s wind blew objects from the bedroom into the kitchen and vice versa. Wet books and journals were everywhere. Friends came over to help me clean up, navigating the debris left behind in the streets and driveway. There was no doubt in my mind that the tornado was generated as a response to my refusal to deny the Lord. A neighbor told me that when her children saw the tornado winding down the driveway, they pointed and said, “Look Ma, Surrender Dorothy!” I said to myself, “They got that right.”
So who is telling you “Surrender Dorothy” today? What storm do you fear will break out and upset your life if you stand up for Jesus? Will you like Peter have the faith to say:
Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Acts 4:19-20 (KJV)
We do well to pray, as the Apostle prayed: Acts 4: 29 “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,”
Reflection: Knowing that I am a representative of the Kingdom of the living God here on Earth, and that opposition to righteousness is the order of this world, which means I will face resistance, what then is my prayer? My prayer is this: Most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, forgive me for the sin of fear which is rooted in unbelief. Help me Father to stand strong in Your faith. Make me fearless to do Your will in this world. Deliver me from evil men, O Lord. Guard my mind and heart, Lord from the fiery darts of the enemy. Keep my feet safe from all traps and snares, and free me from any desire to be in the company of those who are wicked. These things I ask in Jesus’ precious, matchless and mighty name. Amen, and Amen!
Until next time, “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might!”
Your friend in Christ,
Verneda
© 2011 Verneda Lights. All Rights Reserved.
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*The lead single from Hezekiah Walker’s latest album entitled “Souled Out”. Uploaded on Yoututbe.com by GospelMusicTV on Nov 20, 2008. Verneda Lights and E-graphX Omnimedia have no ownership of this video. It is used for educational purposes only.
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