Zambia Hunt

Two families were picnicking near the cliffs of Dover, England, when their young boys began playing football. As the ball rolled toward the grassy edge of the cliff, two mothers called out to their sons. One mother yelled, “Brian, stop!” and Brian immediately froze. The other mother cried, “Joey, stop, stop, STOP!” but Joey continued chasing the ball and fell to his death.

This tragic story illustrates a profound truth: instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is. As Thomas à Kempis observed, “Delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience withdraws from Grace.” At the root of all disobedience lies a subtle suspicion that God is not good, that perhaps His commands don’t have our best interests at heart.

The Source of True Authority

The early apostles faced this challenge of obedience when confronted by religious authorities demanding their silence. Their response reveals three crucial principles about authentic spiritual authority.

First, it comes from time spent with Jesus. The religious leaders were amazed by these “uneducated and untrained men” (Acts 4:13). Their boldness and power couldn’t be explained by formal education or environmental factors. Instead, as Luke 6:40 notes, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.”

This time with Jesus happens primarily through His Word. As Colossians 2:6 instructs, “Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him.” In God’s Word, we come to know both His person and His will.

When Authorities Conflict

The apostles faced a direct conflict between human and divine authority. While Scripture generally commands obedience to government (1 Peter 2:13-17, Romans 13:1-10), there’s a clear limit: we obey authorities only as long as we can do so without disobeying God.

We see this principle throughout Scripture:

• The Hebrew midwives defied Pharaoh’s orders to kill babies (Exodus 1:15-17)
• Daniel continued praying despite the king’s decree (Daniel 6:4-10)
• The apostles couldn’t stop preaching despite threats (Acts 4:19)

When faced with such conflicts, the consequences don’t matter. As the three Hebrew children declared before Nebuchadnezzar, they wouldn’t bow to his idol regardless of the outcome (Daniel 3:16-18). This willingness to suffer is, surprisingly, a privilege. As Philippians 1:28-29 explains, we’re “given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.”

The Unstoppable Witness

Perhaps most remarkably, the apostles declared, “We cannot but speak” of what they had seen and heard. Like Jeremiah who said God’s word was “like a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9), they found the message impossible to contain.

This compulsion came from two sources:

• “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11)
• “The love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14)

They had witnessed Christ’s life, majesty, and resurrection firsthand (1 John 1:1,3), and couldn’t keep silent about it. As Peter would later write, we should “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

The Impact of Authentic Obedience

When people truly obey God regardless of cost, two things happen. First, others glorify God. As Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Second, lives are transformed. The religious leaders couldn’t deny the change in the man who had been healed – his transformed life stood as undeniable evidence of God’s power. The same remains true today: when someone is truly transformed by Christ, the world cannot deny it.

The challenge before us is clear: will we, like Brian at the cliffs of Dover, respond with immediate obedience when God speaks? Will we, like the apostles, remain faithful when that obedience comes at great cost? The answer to these questions often marks the difference between life and death – both physically and spiritually.

For as the apostles discovered, true obedience isn’t about following rules – it’s about responding to the voice of the One who loves us enough to tell us to stop before we go over the cliff.