The apostles did not draw back from spreading the gospel message

The apostles, those who had been with Jesus, got into strife by mentioning something the authorities did not want to hear … Jesus’ resurrection. They remained unapologetic. We too live in an age when the gospel is not well received. In this passage, John and Peter are an example of what followers of Jesus can say in the face of opposition. It is also important to refer to what is said elsewhere in Scripture that, if Christ is not risen we are still in our sins.

We need to remember that it was Jesus who healed the man who was crippled, not Peter and John. Getting this wrong is to misunderstand the gospel. There is no other way of salvation than Jesus death on the cross. Anything else is by our name and cannot save us from our sins. Courage and conviction in the stewardship of the gospel message comes about through faith in Jesus Christ, the One who died to save us and then rose again from the dead.