The Faithful Few

Scripture:

Acts 23:20 He answered, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more thoroughly into his case.
Acts 23:21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they kill him. They are ready now and are waiting for your consent.”
Acts 23:22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, ordering him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of this.”

Observation:

While the city of Jerusalem is in an uproar a handful of faithful believers refuse to be drawn into the fray.  They remain strong in their support of Jesus and Paul.  Becoming aware of the plot against Paul, his nephew who is now a member of “The Way” goes out on a limb to report what he has heard to the officials guarding his uncle.  The result is that Paul is saved from the awaiting ambush and he is eventually able to go to Rome to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Application:

We never hear about this nephew ever again.  He just appears for this one moment in the story of the life of Paul and yet his faithful act makes a real difference. 

Not everyone will be the central figure in the story but everyone is called to be faithful.  Each and every single one of us has a part to fulfill in God’s kingdom and if that one piece is not completed, who knows what will happen?!  This young man knew that the city was in an uproar over his uncle and he knew that it was dangerous to report what he had overheard, and yet, he chose to be faithful to the truth.  He knew that he had to take action and so, while there were forty men ready to ambush Paul, he alone was willing to go to the officials and speak out. 

God is looking for the faithful few these days.  He needs followers who are willing to speak out, to go against the crowd, literally putting themselves in danger for the kingdom.  Too often I’m afraid that we don’t want to reach out beyond our comfort zones and so we allow the enemy to gain victories.  It may begin with little things here and there but ultimately our lack of action can become disastrous.

What happens when Christians witness injustices in the world?  Are we motivated to take action or do we sit back quietly and watch what is happening?  The faithful few are needed to speak up!

When God asks us to speak up, whether it simply be for one moment, we must be willing to take action.  He needs his faithful few to go against the crowd and stand up for his Truth!

Prayer:

Lord, help me to be a member of the faithful.  Amen.