So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:18-20

Cease and Desist. That’s the command Peter and John faced as the high priest and the council “strictly charged” the disciples to stop teaching in the name of Jesus after the healing of a crippled man.

Should I obey men or God?

The question Peter and John faced was essentially the same as what the three Hebrew men who stood before Nebuchadnezzar faced. We have the benefit of knowing the outcome in their lives, but at the time they made a decision that was dependent on God.

Peter and John could have stepped back and returned to their fishing business, but their convictions caused them to stand firm. With boldness, they told all who could hear –

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4: 12