Acts 5:17-32
But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
I am ever more impressed with how corporate our Christian faith really is. It’s not that you cannot believe alone. Nor is it impossible to worship God in the mountains or at the seashore. What you cannot easily do in isolation, however, is encourage others in their walk of faith. You cannot see the expressions of joy or pain, distress, or peace on the faces of other when you are isolated from them. Even Zoom doesn’t cut it when it comes to really connecting with others.
A perfect example: During the Covid pandemic, we enjoyed connecting with our far-flung family through Zoom and Skype. We even discovered a way to play games through several online resources. It was at least something. But give me face to face, flesh to flesh, arms to arms hugs! We’re actually experiencing that this summer with our farthest-away family who lives in Germany. Because of their love to travel and our travel schedule this spring and summer, we have seen them face-to-face, in person three times. It is wonderful. Soul-filling. My place of happiness.
In the realm of God’s mission, the presence of others is even more important. In other words, it’s one (good) thing to enjoy one another’s company. But there is a greater blessing to be had in the courage we gain from the band of brothers and sisters who join us in the mission of God. For in that fellowship we gain the courage to press on toward the call of God to make disciples of all nations. In that fellowship we are bolstered in our resolve to “Go and … speak to the people all the words of this Life.”
That calls for a Holy Spirit inspired commitment to God’s mission, and a commitment on our part to, “spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
David Bahn - Reflections 
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