By: Gen. Jim – 6/14/26
We live in an age & time when what is “Right” is considered “Wrong”.
Acts 4:1-22
This chapter is very interesting. My text for today is found in vs.19:
“But Peter & John answered and said unto them, ‘whether it is RIGHT in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge’” – NKJV
The word “right”, Greek “dikaios”, from “dike”, means equitable (in character or act), innocent, holy, just, righteous, a decision, or its execution.
“Whether it is RIGHT, in God’s eyes, to listen to you rather than to Him – you must decide” – TCNT;
“Decide for yourselves whether it is RIGHT before God to obey you rather than God…” Mof.;
“But Peter & John replied to them, ‘whether it is RIGHT in the sight of God to listen to you & obey you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves]’” – Amp.
We’ve looked at the text, now we’re gonna look at the context: The clash with Judaism (4: 1-22). The disciples Peter & John were arrested for preaching “Jesus”, His resurrection from the dead. It is rightly said, new ideas always make enemies! Men habitually FEAR the thing that FREES them. In this case, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead set in motion FREEDOM from mere religion, e.g. Judaism, whose time had ended. Jesus set in motion the “New World Order”; repentance, forgiveness, receive eternal life.
Desperate generations had come & gone. The Jews were waiting for their Messiah who would free them form the Romans – at least this is what they believed. But Jesus had in mind FREEDOM from the slavery of SIN! Jesus was to liberate His people from the old terms of death & the law, to the new terms of life & love in Christ – the very Christ Peter & John preached.
The Jews did not want to give up their national religion/prerogatives. Aren’t we in a time & season – NOW! – where the Spirit is calling God’s professing people OUT of dead religion – churchianity – & into confrontational Christianity, aka Aggressive Christianity. Yet the church as a whore is fighting this tooth & toenail. You will be called a “dangerous cult!”, “a crazed people!” If one dares challenge the religion status quo get ready for persecution, even prison!!!
One police officer (who investigated us) said “we talk a good talk”. He meant, I guess, we didn’t walk the walk. But because we DID!, he was there to prove us to be a “Dangerous Paramilitary Religious Cult”. (see our PX3-5 Files).
The very fact that “Christians” now get into so little trouble on account of their “dead religion” makes us wonder how much of it is TALK & TALK alone.
In Peter & John’s case, a lame man was healed (vs.14) Ah, miracles do stir up the devils! The “religious”, i.e. priests/sadducees, rulers, elders, & scribes, even the high priest, Caiaphas, was in the MOB! They “called them (Peter/John) & commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus”, vs.18. I had a NM prison official tell me that I could not go back (to our people) once I was released from my 5 year & 9 month term. I told him basically I would not obey his command/demand. I did my time (on false charges!).
Q. “Is it wrong to be RIGHT!?” According to Christ/Christian haters we are WRONG to be RIGHT!!! How did Peter & John respond? “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen & heard”, vs.20.
We’ve met so so so many religious ministers over the years. Some were pure COWARDS! Others were like robots, church duties being fastidiously performed (no Spirit). Others were wine-bibbers, some homosexuals, still others were of the Rock-N-Roll mentality. Few were zealous in the true sense of the word.
Destruct or Construct?
Does this mean that all churches ought to be destroyed? No! It means that we pray that God’s Holy Spirit brings in the “Sword that Cuts & the Fire that Burns”!!! It means that God’s Spirit will cut/burn – divorcing Himself from the ones who want the world & not the Living Word. Let Aggressive Christianity demonstrate itself in “Action-to-Revolution!” Let the world SEE a New Constructed Church – full of dedicated, consecrated, separated soldiers of & for Christ. Enough of this luke/pukewarm religion. Vomit! People are being SMOTHERED to DEATH in Churchianity. God’s Spirit is saying to the “religious” ministers “Let My people GO!!!” While I love theology, theology alone will smother. Some ministers are happy & wealthy. But are there things the end of things? No! Righteous living is. Official religion – the dead-letter type – has prerogatives & privileges to guard, huge endowments to protect. Real estate has become tombs for the dead, not the living. The living will be OUT & ABOUT, taking Jesus to all the world! Just where do we find in N.T. Scripture to build churches? (See our articles on “Ekklesia vs Church”).
How FAR we DARE?
Do you think most of today’s churches have limits as to how far a member can go without being called into the office for a lecture or paddling? If a minister thinks he or she is about to lose a tithes payer, he/she will go into RED ALERT mode!!! How far dare the hungry, the hurting trespass into the SACRED PRECINCTS of established “Starvation Camps”, before the Church police steps in? Jesus went above & beyond the religion of Judaism. So much so He was called a devil! Yep!, a devil. True Biblical Christianity will trespass into the dark & hidden areas of personal life, its desires, its motivations.
Action of Officialdom
Oh, yeah, the religious authorities got BIG MAD! We’ve encountered these kind of officials – Church & State. Doing a miracle was considered an unofficial deed according to the Jews. How insulting it is to question those who do/say things in Jesus name only! The disciples went so far as to say, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” vs.12. Consider all the gods & goddesses that were before Christ – their names could not SAVE nor give Eternal Life. Not a single one!
Christianity = for ALL!
Biblical Christianity is a global belief system, for both Jews & Gentiles. Peter & John makes their plea in vs.19, “Whether it be RIGHT in the sight of God to hearken unto you (religious men) more than unto God, judge ye.”
Socrates, in Plato Apology 29 D, states, “I shall obey God rather than you.”
Can it be RIGHT?
We, as Jesus’s disciples/soldiers will face hostile men/women in the church & in the state. Can it be right to obey men contrary to the command & will of God? Have we received our commission for mission from God or man? If we hearken unto men, religious or secular, we commit treason.
Acts 5:29
“Peter & the other apostles replied: ‘we must obey God rather than human beings’”, NIV. While there will be times when it is permissible to obey men (Rom. 13: 1-7, study this out), the exception is when human commands directly contradict God’s commands/laws. Vss. 28,29 (Acts 5), one trans reads: “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teachings & you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us”. “WE STRICTLY CHARGED”: i.e., referring to 4:18, as WE MUST OBEY GOD repeats 4:19. (See Antigone 253-55; tr. E.H. plumptre): “Nor did I deem thy edicts strong enough, that thou, a mortal man, should’st over-pass the unwritten laws of God that know no change. vv.30-32 (ch.5) = the gist of Peter’s speech in exactly the same as in the parallel in 4:8 ff.: the Jews are responsible for the crime of MURDERING ONE whom God vindicated by raising Him from the dead!
So?
When we’re faced with obeying God or man, make the right choice – choose God!