Acts 4:1-22

Peter an John were arrested while teaching in the temple. They were taken before the high priests and questioned about healing the lame man: By whose power and in what name did they perform this miracle? Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered that they had done so in the name of Jesus, who the Jewish leaders had rejected. The high priests couldn't refute that a great miracle had taken place for all to see and were afraid that the people would start following the teachings of the apostles, so they forbade them to teach in the name of Jesus. Peter and John told them that was not possible; they had to testify to what they had seen and heard regarding Jesus. They were going to do what was right in the sight of God no matter what anyone else tried to tell them to do.

In America today, people are trying to tell us what we can and can't say - what we can and can't believe. If the liberal atheistic movement succeeds, the church will no longer be able to preach on social issues without facing criminal charges like hate crime violations. On a more personal level, we face people in our everyday lives who don't want to let us talk about Jesus. It could be an employer, school administration, friends, or family. Don't let anyone make you stay silent. God did not call us to be silent; he called us to be witnesses for Him. No matter what threat (physical, emotional, or social) is used against you, draw strength from the Holy Spirit to be strong and speak out in love and gentleness to glorify the name of Jesus.