“When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour, so that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’” (Acts 5:27-32)  In this season after Easter, we are going to look at the passages from the Book of Acts.  One of the immediate results of Christ’s resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit is that the apostles find themselves in trouble for preaching what God has been doing.  We pick up the story in the middle here.  They have just been miraculously saved from prison.  But rather than getting out of there, they go right back to the temple square and begin preaching again!  Strange how different people can become when the Holy Spirit get hold of them, isn’t it?  I am struck here by both the apostles’ activity and their passivity.  They do preach, but then they are forced to go before the council.  It is not their choice.  But they have come to believe that God is at work even behind the actions of sinful folks.  After all, that is what happened to Jesus.  The leaders had crucified him but God raised and exalted him.  In spite of (and even through!) sinful activity, God accomplishes his purposes.  That puts the apostles in the company of Jesus.  How about you, how about me?  Are we willing to go into difficult situations in order for our loving Lord to accomplish his purposes?  Are we willing to speak life into our culture of death?  Are we willing to tell the old, old story that continues to give hope?  Our faithfulness we not be without cost, but in the midst of it, we will find God’s grace to be sufficient.