The church continues to grow.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:12-16
The apostles performed many miracles. A lame man had been healed very publicly and Ananias and Saphira had been struck dead by the Holy Spirit. News about these events spread. There were mixed feelings about all of this.
When the believers met regularly at the temple, people were fearful of being too close. Yet others heard about the miraculous healings and brought their sick to be healed. Many people became believers in Jesus.
Peter had become something of a celebrity. He was obviously the leader of the apostles. He was the spokesman when he and John had stood up to the Jewish leaders. He was the one who pronounced Judgment on Ananias and Saphira. People believed that if his shadow would touch them as he walked by then they would be healed.
Many people miss the message of the gospel. They only want healing. Others heal and accept the gospel and are saved.
We always need to be reminded of the big picture. We can get so busy with the work of the church that we too miss the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is not about church programs; it is about knowing and serving God.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Friday Acts 5:1-11
God strikes two dead for lying.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:1-11
We just saw the example of Barnabas selling a piece of property and giving the money to the church. Barnabas was a godly man. Now we see another example of people selling land. But in this case, there is a very different outcome.
Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land and donated some of the money to the church. They were not required to sell the land. Peter makes it clear that the land was theirs. He also makes it clear that the money from the sale was theirs. The problem was that they pretended to donate all of the money from the sale to the church. Their concern was appearances. They wanted to appear to be more generous than they really were. We can fool other people (not as much as we think), but we cannot fool God. The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter that they were lying.
Peter challenged Ananias about the deception. We don’t know what would have happened if Ananias had confessed to the lie and repented. I suspect that there would have been some kind of consequences but there would also have been reconciliation. Ananias continued the lie. Peter pronounced judgment and the Holy Spirit struck Ananias dead.
Later, Sapphira arrived. Peter confronted here about the deception. She maintained the lie and the Holy Spirit killed her too.
Is this too severe? Absolutely not. The judgment was from God and enacted by God. He is perfect so this response is perfect. The problem is not that God is too severe. The problem is that we too often have a soft view of sin. After all, all that Ananias and Saffhira did was to desire honor for themselves rather than honor for God. Woops, I guess maybe that is pretty serious.
But are we any better? Do we pretend to be more holy than we really are? How was your quiet time today? Oh, it was great (both minutes)… (last week). I’m just as bad as anybody.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:1-11
We just saw the example of Barnabas selling a piece of property and giving the money to the church. Barnabas was a godly man. Now we see another example of people selling land. But in this case, there is a very different outcome.
Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land and donated some of the money to the church. They were not required to sell the land. Peter makes it clear that the land was theirs. He also makes it clear that the money from the sale was theirs. The problem was that they pretended to donate all of the money from the sale to the church. Their concern was appearances. They wanted to appear to be more generous than they really were. We can fool other people (not as much as we think), but we cannot fool God. The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter that they were lying.
Peter challenged Ananias about the deception. We don’t know what would have happened if Ananias had confessed to the lie and repented. I suspect that there would have been some kind of consequences but there would also have been reconciliation. Ananias continued the lie. Peter pronounced judgment and the Holy Spirit struck Ananias dead.
Later, Sapphira arrived. Peter confronted here about the deception. She maintained the lie and the Holy Spirit killed her too.
Is this too severe? Absolutely not. The judgment was from God and enacted by God. He is perfect so this response is perfect. The problem is not that God is too severe. The problem is that we too often have a soft view of sin. After all, all that Ananias and Saffhira did was to desire honor for themselves rather than honor for God. Woops, I guess maybe that is pretty serious.
But are we any better? Do we pretend to be more holy than we really are? How was your quiet time today? Oh, it was great (both minutes)… (last week). I’m just as bad as anybody.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thursday Acts 4:32-37
The early church was a unique community.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:32-37
Here we get a picture of what the early church was like. There was mutual concern and care for each other. The basis for this community was that they were of one heart and one mind. They were all completely devoted to Christ and the mission of the church. Nobody considered their property as their own. They understood that God was the owner of all. They took care of each other.
Notice that Luke does not say that everybody liquidated all of their assets and gave everything to the church. He says that they took care of needs as they arose. People who had the means provided money for the common good. The selfless generosity was not limited to wealthy people. Everybody contributed. But he specifically notes that those who had property even donated the proceeds from the sale of their properties to the church.
An example of someone selling property was Barnabas. Luke introduces Barnabas here. We will see much more of Barnabas in the coming chapters. Here we get a picture of the character of Barnabas. He must have been an encourager since the apostles gave him the name “son of encouragement.” We also see his selfless generosity.
We can still take care of each other. Every now and then a person will give me an envelope full of cash and ask me to give it to someone that they know is in need. They give cash and use me as an intermediary because they know that this way the money can not be traced back to the source. It is nice to see the surprise and gratitude of the recipient. But a bigger joy for me is to see the selfless love and generosity from a brother or sister in Christ.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:32-37
Here we get a picture of what the early church was like. There was mutual concern and care for each other. The basis for this community was that they were of one heart and one mind. They were all completely devoted to Christ and the mission of the church. Nobody considered their property as their own. They understood that God was the owner of all. They took care of each other.
Notice that Luke does not say that everybody liquidated all of their assets and gave everything to the church. He says that they took care of needs as they arose. People who had the means provided money for the common good. The selfless generosity was not limited to wealthy people. Everybody contributed. But he specifically notes that those who had property even donated the proceeds from the sale of their properties to the church.
An example of someone selling property was Barnabas. Luke introduces Barnabas here. We will see much more of Barnabas in the coming chapters. Here we get a picture of the character of Barnabas. He must have been an encourager since the apostles gave him the name “son of encouragement.” We also see his selfless generosity.
We can still take care of each other. Every now and then a person will give me an envelope full of cash and ask me to give it to someone that they know is in need. They give cash and use me as an intermediary because they know that this way the money can not be traced back to the source. It is nice to see the surprise and gratitude of the recipient. But a bigger joy for me is to see the selfless love and generosity from a brother or sister in Christ.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday Acts 4:23-31
Peter and John return for prayer with the other believers.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:23-31
This is one of my favorite passages. Peter and John returned to the gathered Christians after their release. They reported everything that had happened. Luke specifically tells us that they reported all that the chief priests and elder had said. So what did they say? They said to quit preaching about Jesus. They made threats. The threat is to quit talking about Jesus or end up like Jesus.
The response of the people was to pray. They praised God and proclaimed His power and control. They acknowledged that everything that had happened was according to God’s plan.
Don’t miss verses 29 and 30. They made note of the threats that the chief priests had made. Then they prayed that God would enable them to speak boldly perform miracles and healings. Wait a minute! It was preaching and healing that got them into trouble. Now, they are praying that they can continue to do that which got them arrested and threatened with more.
Imagine if we were in that situation. We would be praying for God to protect us from the mean priests. We would pray for the chief priests to have a change of heart. We would pray for all future healings to occur well away from the chief priests. Their prayer was for boldness in the face of the threats.
Notice the result. They place where they were praying was shaken. Why don’t we see prayer meetings like that? Because we don’t pray like that. They valued the spread of the gospel more than their own lives.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:23-31
This is one of my favorite passages. Peter and John returned to the gathered Christians after their release. They reported everything that had happened. Luke specifically tells us that they reported all that the chief priests and elder had said. So what did they say? They said to quit preaching about Jesus. They made threats. The threat is to quit talking about Jesus or end up like Jesus.
The response of the people was to pray. They praised God and proclaimed His power and control. They acknowledged that everything that had happened was according to God’s plan.
Don’t miss verses 29 and 30. They made note of the threats that the chief priests had made. Then they prayed that God would enable them to speak boldly perform miracles and healings. Wait a minute! It was preaching and healing that got them into trouble. Now, they are praying that they can continue to do that which got them arrested and threatened with more.
Imagine if we were in that situation. We would be praying for God to protect us from the mean priests. We would pray for the chief priests to have a change of heart. We would pray for all future healings to occur well away from the chief priests. Their prayer was for boldness in the face of the threats.
Notice the result. They place where they were praying was shaken. Why don’t we see prayer meetings like that? Because we don’t pray like that. They valued the spread of the gospel more than their own lives.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Tuesday Acts 4:13-22
The religious leaders order Peter and John to stop preaching about Jesus.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:13-22
The boldness of Peter and John amazed the high priests. They noticed two things. Peter and John were unschooled fishermen and they had been with Jesus.
The high priests were in a quandary. They wanted to put a stop Peter and John preaching about Jesus, but they had a healed lame man standing before them. They sent Peter and John out of the room so they could confer with each other. Not only did they have a healed lame man, but everybody in Jerusalem knew about it.
They ordered Peter and John not to preach about Jesus any more. Peter told them that they had to obey God rather than men. The religious leaders made some more threats. It doesn’t say what kind of threats, but I wonder if they reminded Peter and John what happened to Jesus a few weeks earlier.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:13-22
The boldness of Peter and John amazed the high priests. They noticed two things. Peter and John were unschooled fishermen and they had been with Jesus.
The high priests were in a quandary. They wanted to put a stop Peter and John preaching about Jesus, but they had a healed lame man standing before them. They sent Peter and John out of the room so they could confer with each other. Not only did they have a healed lame man, but everybody in Jerusalem knew about it.
They ordered Peter and John not to preach about Jesus any more. Peter told them that they had to obey God rather than men. The religious leaders made some more threats. It doesn’t say what kind of threats, but I wonder if they reminded Peter and John what happened to Jesus a few weeks earlier.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Monday Acts 4:5-12
Peter and John appear before the leaders.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:5-12
The temple police held Peter and John in jail overnight. The next morning they brought Peter and John to the religious leaders. Notice the names of those assembled. Annas and Caiaphas were there. Remember the night of Jesus’ arrest. Review John 18. When Jesus was arrested, they took Him to the house of Annas. Peter and John followed Jesus. John went into the courtyard and watched Annas interrogate Jesus. Peter stayed outside and denied knowing Jesus. Annas sent Jesus on to be interrogated by Caiaphas.
Now Peter and John are standing before Annas and Caiaphas. These two high priests had just orchestrated the execution of Jesus two months earlier. Peter, who was afraid to admit to a slave girl that he knew Jesus, is now boldly proclaiming the gospel to the high priest.
Peter is beyond bold. He makes it clear that they are responsible for the death of Jesus. He quotes from Psalm 118 and applies it to them as having rejected the Messiah. Then just in case they missed it, he says that there is salvation in no one other than Jesus.
Why such a difference in Peter? The answer is in verse 8; he was filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who will also guide us in what to say when we speak up for Christ.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:5-12
The temple police held Peter and John in jail overnight. The next morning they brought Peter and John to the religious leaders. Notice the names of those assembled. Annas and Caiaphas were there. Remember the night of Jesus’ arrest. Review John 18. When Jesus was arrested, they took Him to the house of Annas. Peter and John followed Jesus. John went into the courtyard and watched Annas interrogate Jesus. Peter stayed outside and denied knowing Jesus. Annas sent Jesus on to be interrogated by Caiaphas.
Now Peter and John are standing before Annas and Caiaphas. These two high priests had just orchestrated the execution of Jesus two months earlier. Peter, who was afraid to admit to a slave girl that he knew Jesus, is now boldly proclaiming the gospel to the high priest.
Peter is beyond bold. He makes it clear that they are responsible for the death of Jesus. He quotes from Psalm 118 and applies it to them as having rejected the Messiah. Then just in case they missed it, he says that there is salvation in no one other than Jesus.
Why such a difference in Peter? The answer is in verse 8; he was filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who will also guide us in what to say when we speak up for Christ.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday Acts 4:1-4
The religious leaders investigate.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:1-4
There was quite the commotion over the healing of the lame man. The people were amazed. Peter presented the gospel. The head priests came to investigate. They brought the temple police with them.
There were two main groups of religious scholars amongst the Jews – the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Sadducees controlled the temple. The Sadducees disagreed with the Pharisees over the resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees believed that there would be a resurrection while the Sadducees did not. So Peter and John were double offenders in the eyes of the Sadducees. They were preaching about Jesus and talking about resurrection.
So to stop the preaching, they arrested Peter and John and held them in jail until the matter could be resolved the following day.
But many people believed what Peter was saying. They came to faith in Christ and became counted among the Christians.
Whenever God acts, some people will be opposed to what He is doing. The real opposition is Satan, but he prompts people to rise up in opposition. He can even use Christians by pushing our buttons to cause us to fight among ourselves over secondary issues.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:1-4
There was quite the commotion over the healing of the lame man. The people were amazed. Peter presented the gospel. The head priests came to investigate. They brought the temple police with them.
There were two main groups of religious scholars amongst the Jews – the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Sadducees controlled the temple. The Sadducees disagreed with the Pharisees over the resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees believed that there would be a resurrection while the Sadducees did not. So Peter and John were double offenders in the eyes of the Sadducees. They were preaching about Jesus and talking about resurrection.
So to stop the preaching, they arrested Peter and John and held them in jail until the matter could be resolved the following day.
But many people believed what Peter was saying. They came to faith in Christ and became counted among the Christians.
Whenever God acts, some people will be opposed to what He is doing. The real opposition is Satan, but he prompts people to rise up in opposition. He can even use Christians by pushing our buttons to cause us to fight among ourselves over secondary issues.
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