Casting Shadows

I have always found Acts 5:12-16 to be absolutely fascinating. It is the story of when people were bringing there sick friends and laid them on the street in hopes that Peter’s shadow would pass over them and provide healing. It really is a pretty cool story! However, when I was reading it I was asking myself “Will, what kind of shadow are you casting? Is it a shadow that has a positive effect or a negative effect on people? When you take a look at Peter’s life you quickly discover some traits about him that I believe made him a person who cast a positive shadow.

First, Peter lived a distinct life. In other words he lived a life that reflected Christ and not the world. Just prior to this story in Acts is the story of Annanias and Sapphira. If you recall there story they misrepresented a profit they made on the sale of land and Peter confronted them about holding back a portion from their giving. If you remember after Peter confronted them Annanias dropped dead. Pretty amazing! However, I think the principle we learn from this is that God expects His people to live pure and holy lives. The truth is that today we don’t like to talk about purity. But purity is still required. People may think we are peculiar but at least they will respect us. And at least God will be able to use us to cast a shadow that makes a difference.

Second, Peter lived a devoted life. In this chapter Peter is thrown into jail for preaching. While in prison he learned just how faithful God is. An angel had come and set them free and the Angel tells them to go back out and preach again. If that were me…I would be stumbling around for a way to explain that I wanted to enjoy my freedom and not do the very thing that got my freedom taken away. But Peter got right back up on the horse and went out to preach again. Peter did this because of his devotion to God. God was the authority in his life and that was the voice that mattered. The church certainly needs that type of devotion today. To remember that we not only march to the beat of a different drummer but that we also answer to a higher authority. Obedience to God is not an option. And a devoted life enables us to cast shadows that make a difference.

America needs the church to begin casting shadows that will make a positive difference in the lives of people. We need to remember that purity and holiness are not just words to be used flippantly but they are requirements for the believer. And we need to remember that devotion is not only to be practiced when things are going well, but real devotion is demonstrated even during very difficult times. Perhaps then Christians will stop being the fodder for punch lines and perhaps we will begin casting shadows that will make a difference.