Month: April 2013

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.
Acts 5:3-5

I remember some years back being asked by a man about the severity of God’s judgment in this account.  Sure, Ananias and Sapphira had lied, but there are other instances in the Scripture where men lied and were not judged so severely.  Why was this case so different?  I believe the answer lies in the verses just prior to this account and centers around what we considered last week in Ac 4:32: “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”

At the end of Acts 4, we find a people who are united.  We have the birth of the Christian church (though she won’t come to be known by the name “Christian” until Acts 11).  It is the church in her infancy.  She is pure and innocent.  We see a trust that is foreign in many churches today.  People were selling their possessions and giving the money to the apostles to be distributed according to the needs within the church. (v. 34-45) There was no doubt in the integrity of the apostles or fear of misuse of that which was given.  The people were joined together with a singular desire to glorify God and faithfully declare His word. (v. 29-30) Satan hated what he saw and was looking for a source of division.  He found it in Ananias and Sapphira.

Imagine what would have happened if news of this couple’s deception had been revealed in another manner.  What if member after member had gone to them and spoken of the great encouragement their abundant gift had been to the assembly?  Consider the tremendous grief it would have been to the church if in the midst of the church’s thanksgiving it was revealed that these two had lied to God and His people.  If Ananias and Sapphira had deceived them and kept some money for themselves, perhaps the apostles were doing the same!  The suspicion introduced into the minds of the people would have grown until the church disintegrated.

But here at the very establishing of His church, the Lord would teach those within and without the body of Christ that this message of the apostles was not just some new and exciting doctrine that would fizzle out after a few months.  God intended to turn the world upside down with their gospel! (Ac 17:6) Christianity is not simply another option to all the religions of the world.  It is the only pure and undefiled religion identified by the one, true God! (Jm 1:27) This God says, “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Is 45:22) And, Jesus Christ is not one of many ways to approach this God.  He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life.  No man comes to the Father except by Him! (Jn 14:6) “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Ac 4:12) This severe act of judgment made one thing clear–God’s wasn’t playing around.  I ask the modern church one simple question: “Are we?”

Jamie

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
Acts 4:32

What a testimony the above verse is to a world marked by strife and division!  Just this week, we were reminded by the tragic events in Boston of man’s tendency towards hatred and cruelty.  As a society, we may still be shocked by these increasing displays of violence, but they are merely outward expressions what many harbor in their hearts.  Remember, 1 Jn 3:15  tells us plainly that “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer…”  Paul describes the state of man outside of Christ as being “foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. (Tit 3:3) Brethren, the church should be distinctly different!

Our text today describes the early church as being “of one heart and one soul” and having “all things in common”.  Earlier in the same chapter, we find a similar description of the believers in Ac 4:24.  Here, we read that they raised their voice to God “with one accord”.  The Greek word translated “with one accord” is only found 12 times in our New Testament, almost exclusively in the book of Acts.  Interestingly, the word generally describes one of two things–the church’s oneness in heart and mind or the world’s unity in its hatred toward the saints!  The one instance of this word outside of Acts is found in Rom 15:5-6: “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  The church should be marked by unity!

Paul told the Philippians that what would really make him happy was if he found them “being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” (Ph 2:2) He longed to see the brethren united in Christ!  The next verse tells us the key to such harmony: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”  Unity comes naturally when people put everybody else ahead of themselves!  You can’t strive “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” unless you also “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love“! (Eph 4:1-3) A humble church will be a united church.

Oneness in the body of Christ is the responsibility of every member.  1 Cor 12:25-26 says that “there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”  Maintaining unity is not the job of only a handful within an assembly!  Individuals that are bent on separating the brethren should be dealt with firmly and swiftly.  We are admonished to “note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.”  These type of people can do great harm within the church for “those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Rom 16:17-18) In Tit 3:10-11, we find an even stronger word than “avoid” when speaking of how to deal with such a person: “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.”

In contrast, the blessed ones of Mt 5:9 are “peacemakers” not “strifemakers”; however, even though that peace is a fruit of the indwelling Spirit (Gal 5:22), it doesn’t mean that it will take no effort on our part to maintain it!  We must, “Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Ps 34:14) Strive for peace!  Temptation to divide is all around us.  I’ve heard of it creeping into more than one assembly in recent days.  Congregations are fracturing and on the verge of separation.  Let it not be on our watch, dear saint!  “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled…” (Heb 12:14-15)

Jamie

Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”
Acts 4:29-30

I wanted to revisit this text again this week because we never got to see God’s response to this prayer.  Last time we saw the amazing truth that, in spite of the threats by the Sadducees, the church never mentioned one word in their prayer regarding their personal safety.  In fact, they really weren’t surprised at all by this persecution.  Why not?  We find the answer in what they prayed in Ac 4:26-28:

“The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.  For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.”

The pattern of Christ was to suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake.  We have a group of people in this text that never agreed on anything!  Lk 23:12 tells us that prior to Christ’s crucifixion, Herod and Pilate were enemies.  As for the Jews and the Gentiles, we see the animosity between them in multiple texts.  When Paul defended himself before the Jews at Jerusalem, they kept silent until he said God had called him to preach to the Gentiles!  We read, “And they listened to him until this word [i.e. the word “Gentiles”], and then they raised their voices and said, ‘Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!’” (Ac 22:22) This prejudice ran in the other direction as well.  Listen to how the Roman Gentiles spoke of Israelites in Ac 16:20-21: “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”  Do you hear their “us” and “them” mentality?  Yet, in spite of all the hatred these groups had for one another, they agreed fully on one point–they despised the Son of God even more!

So, the early church wasn’t surprised by the Sadducees’ reaction to the gospel because the world has always hated the light because its deeds are evil! (Jn 3:19) Jesus taught clearly that the church should expect resistance and outright hatred.  “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (Jn 15:19) The comfort in this fact is found in what the church prays after identifying the ones that joined together against Christ.  Pilate, Herod, the Jews, and the Gentiles were successful in crucifying Jesus only because they “were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.”  God’s sovereign will and eternal plans cannot be undone by the sinful practices of wicked men!

Knowing then that the Sadducees could not touch them except within the boundaries of God’s determined purpose, the church’s prayer addressed their real need in this hour.  “Give us boldness to speak your word!”  They prayed for strength to not give in to worry, doubt, and fear so they could faithfully fulfill Christ’s command to go “into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mk 16:15) Was God pleased with their request?  There aren’t many places in Scripture that you find God answer a prayer so quickly!  “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Ac 4:31) God granted their request immediately!  May such a gracious response from the Lord encourage us to pray for the same boldness in our day.

Jamie

Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”
Acts 4:29-30

The prayer in our text today is an inspiring one.  It may seem simple enough on its own, but we must always consider the context in which Scripture is presented to us.  Let’s dig a little deeper and see what makes it such an amazing request by the early church to the Lord.

Peter and John had just been released from prison but not without first being threatened by the Jewish rulers that had taken them into custody.  The disciples were commanded to not speak nor teach in the name of Jesus again, and this threat was no empty one.  It had come from the high priest and the rest of the Sadducees, men that had been instrumental in the death of Christ.  At this point, it’s only been a couple of months since the crucifixion, and the scene at Calvary is still very fresh upon the saints’ minds.

When the apostles return to the church to report all the chief priests and elders had said to them, the church begins to pray “with one accord” (Ac 4:24), i.e. with one heart and mind.  What unity they display as they receive this news!  The first word out of their mouth appears to be a word we see over and over again in the New Testament: “Lord”.  However, the fact is that, in this instance, it is not the Greek word translated “Lord” over 600 times in our Bible.  The Greek word for “Lord” that they begin their prayer with is only used ten times, and it denotes an absolute ruler.  As they address God, they remember that He is in absolute control over all things, including these men that have just threatened their lives!

With that comforting thought in mind, they begin their request.  What stands out first of all to me is not what they say but rather what they don’t say.  Humanly speaking, these Jewish rulers can bring them before Pilate just like they did Jesus, but in this prayer that spans v. 24-30, you will not find one mention of their personal safety.  After they pray, “Now, Lord look on their threats,” we might expect their next words to be, “and don’t let them harm us!”  But, you won’t find that sentiment among these who are praying “with one accord.”   Their unanimous desire, per our text above, is that they will boldly preach the word of God and that the Lord Jesus would be glorified!

Dear soul, the gospel is being opposed in our day and age as well.  With so many who still claim the name of Christ, surprisingly few have an ear for sound doctrine.  Should we be surprised?  Paul wrote to Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Tim 4:3-4) The instruction to Timothy is the same to us in such a day: “Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” (v. 2) Will you pray with me that we will be faithful to declare the truth of the gospel regardless of the opposition of men?  It is that gospel which holds the hope for men’s souls!  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” (Rom 1:16) May the Lord show Himself mighty in our day as we boldly declare His word for His glory!

Jamie