Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.
The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
    which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.’
Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

• Acts 4:1-37

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

• Acts 5:1-42

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Acts 4:1 ‘priests’: “The office of priest in the OT began with Aaron and his sons (Lev. 8). They became the human intermediaries between holy God and sinful humanity. They were characterized by three qualities: (1) they were chosen and set apart for priestly service by God; (2) they were to be holy in character; and (3) they were the only ones allowed to come near to God on behalf of the people, with the high priest being the chief go-between on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). Cf. Numbers 16:5. the captain of the temple. Chief of the temple police force (composed of Levites) and second-ranking official to the high priest. The Romans had delegated the temple-policing responsibility to the Jews. Sadducees. See notes on 23:8; Matthew 3:7.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 4:2 ‘preached in Jesus the Resurrection’: “This part of the apostles’ message was the most objectionable to the Jewish leaders. They had executed Christ as a blasphemer, and now Peter and John were proclaiming His Resurrection.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

Acts 4:10-11 ‘The Rejection of the Messiah’: ” Even though the temple authorities and the Sadducees threw Peter and John in prison, some 5000 men believed their message about the resurrection of Christ (verses 1-4).  When Peter and John were brought from prison before the rulers and the scribes, Peter, ‘filled with the Holy Spirit,’ spoke to them with boldness (verse 8). Using the healing of the lame man as a firmly confirmed miracle (3:1-10), Peter pointed out that this happened ‘by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead’ (4:10). He then added that Jesus, by His crucifixion, ‘is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone’ (verse 11; Psalm 118:22; cf. Matthew 21:42). Hackett states, ‘The Jewish rulers, according to the proper idea of their office, were the builders of God’s spiritual house, and as such should have been the first to acknowledge the Messiah and exert themselves for the establishment and extension of his kingdom’ (Commentary on Acts, p. 68).
“Peter was direct with the Jewish rulers and elders about Jesus, saying, ‘There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Acts 4:12 ‘no salvation except through Christ’: “This text involves a negative truth—there is no salvation outside of Christ—and a positive truth—there is salvation in Jesus Christ by which we must be saved. Biblical faith is intolerant. Israel’s God put this as one of his first commandments, ‘Do not have other gods besides me’ (Ex 20:3). And he would not allow them to pay the slightest respect to the gods of any other nation: ‘You must tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, and chop down their Asherah poles’ (Ex 34: 1 3). All other nations were tolerant of one another’s gods, but the Lord’s people could not be so. The Christian faith is just as intolerant: ‘There is salvation in no one else.’ Other religions may admit that there is salvation in fifty religions besides their own, but we admit no such thing. There is no true salvation outside of Jesus Christ.
“This brings us to the positive fact: there is salvation in Jesus Christ. He who hung on the cross is the one without whom nothing was created that was created (Jn 1:3) and by whom all things hold together (Col 1:17)—he is Maker, Creator, Preserver, God of providence, and God of grace. He who died for us is God over all, praised forever (Rm 9:5). As such, ‘he is able to save completely those who come to God through him’ (Heb 7:25). For salvation, there is no one else, no other way, no other hope, no other ground of trust, no other refuge.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 4:12 ‘Christ stepped in to pay the price’: “God did for us what I did for one of my daughters in the shop at New York’s La Guardia Airport. The sign above the ceramic pieces read Do Not Touch. But the wanting was stronger than the warning, and she touched. And it fell. By the time I looked up, ten-year-old Sara was holding the two pieces of a New York City skyline. Next to her was an unhappy store manager. Over them both was the written rule. Between them hung a nervous silence. My daughter had no money. He had no mercy. So I stepped in. ‘How much do we owe you?’ I asked.
“How was it that I owed anything? Simple. She was my daughter. And since she could not pay, I did.
“Since you and I cannot pay, Christ did. We’ve broken so much more than souvenirs. We’ve … broken God’s heart.
“With the law on the wall and shattered commandments on the floor, Christ steps near (like a neighbor) and offers a gift (like a Savior).“

• Max Lucado, Next Door Savior

Acts 4:14 ‘after all, the man was healed’: “Converts shut the mouths of adversaries. The good done by the gospel will always be a dumbfounding argument to the ungodly.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 4:14 ‘Turning us into marvels’: “If a doctor saves a man who has only a runny nose, he wouldn’t write a book about it. He didn’t do much. The fellow would get well anyhow. But the doctor who takes a man with a brain tumor, puts him asleep and, with great care, prayer, and skill, brings that man back to life—he has done something.
He ‘saved a wretch like me.’ He ‘turned all our blame into endless worship.’ I believe the Bible teaches—our Lord hinted at it and Paul developed it further—that the day will come when they will gather around us from everywhere, and say, ‘Behold the marvels of God.’ You read in the book of Acts (4:14) of seeing the man that was healed standing among them, and they could say nothing. And seeing that wicked sinner standing there, we can only say, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain’ (Revelation 5:12). And worthy is the goodness of God that out of His infinite kindness, His unchanging, perfect lovingkindness, He made amends for us, ‘full, fair and many,’ turning all our sin into endless worship.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God I

Acts 4:18-28 ‘all part of God’s plan’: “The Jewish leaders then ordered Peter and John not to speak any more ‘or teach at all in the name of Jesus’ (verse 18). After they were threatened, the disciples were let go (verse 21). When the disciples reported back to other believers what the chief priests and the elders had said, they lifted their voices and praised God for His sovereignty, quoting Psalm 146:6: ‘O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them’ (Acts 4:24). They continued praising Him and, quoting prophecy, they said that the nations would turn against the Lord and against His Christ (verses 25-26; Psalm 2:1-2).
“Though the nations will rebel, God is in charge! In His mysterious providence Christ was crucified for the sins of humanity. This was all a part of God’s plan; it was not an accident. As Peter said, ‘Truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur’ (Acts 4:27-28).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Acts 4:19 ‘to listen to you more than to God.’: “Christians should obey governmental authority (Rom. 13:1—7; 1 Pet. 2:13-17), but when government decrees are clearly contrary to God’s Word, God must be obeyed (cf. Ex. 1:15—l7; Dan. 6:4—10).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 4:24 ‘Lord’: “The Greek word is an uncommon NT title for God that means ‘absolute master’” (Luke 2:29; 2 Tim. 2:21; 2 Pet. 2:1; Jude 4; Rev. 6: 10), which represented the disciples’ recognition of God’s sovereignty.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 4:27-28 ‘reject God? – become a pawn’: “They are singing of the wickedness of humanity and the triumph that God gets over it, and so this is the sum and substance of the song—that when wicked men think God’s decrees will be forever put away by the destruction of his Son, they themselves are then actually doing what God had ‘predestined to take place.’ The wildest discord makes harmony in the ear of God. A person may be in rebellion against the Most High, but he is still abjectly the slave of God’s predestination. And let people sin with tree will, even to the most extreme length of folly, yet even then God has a bit in their mouths and a bridle on their jaws and knows how to rule and govern them according to his own good pleasure. The ferocity of kings and priests does but fulfill the counsel of God.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 4:32-35 ‘all things in common’: “Believers understood that all they had belonged to God and, therefore, when a brother or sister had a need, those who could meet it were obligated to do so (cf. James 2:15, 16; 1 John 3:17). The method was to give the money to the apostles who would distribute it (vv. 35, 37).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 4:33 ‘from cringing to courageous’: “Remember [Christ’s] followers’ fear at the crucifixion? They ran. Scared as cats in a dog pound …
“But fast-forward forty days. Bankrupt traitors have become a force of life-challenging fury. Peter is preaching in the very precinct where Christ was arrested. Followers of Christ defy the enemies of Christ. Whip them and they’ll worship. Lock them up and they’ll launch a jailhouse ministry. As bold after the Resurrection as they were cowardly before it.
“Explanation:
“Greed? They made no money
“Power? They gave all the credit to Christ.
“Popularity? Most were killed for their beliefs.
“Only one explanation remains—a resurrected Christ and his Holy Spirit. The courage of these men and women was forged in the fire of the empty tomb. “

• Max Lucado, Next Door Savior

Acts 4:36 ‘Joses … Barnabas … a Levite’: “Luke introduces Barnabas as a role model from among those who donated property proceeds. Barnabas was a member of the priestly tribe of the Levites and a native of the island of Cyprus. He became an associate of Paul and a prominent figure later in the book (cf. 9:26, 27; 11:22—24, 30; chs. 13-15). Cyprus. The third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily and Sardinia, located some sixty miles west off the Syrian coast (see note on 13:4).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 5:1 ‘Ananias … Sapphira.’: “These are two classic examples of hypocrisy among Christians who faked their spirituality to impress others (cf. Matt. 6:1—6, 16-18; 15:7; 23:13-36). They were ‘in the congregation of those who believed’ (4:32) and were involved with the Holy Spirit (v- 3), but remained hypocrites.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

Acts 5:5 ‘great fear’: “See verse 11. They were afraid about the seriousness of hypocrisy and sin in the church. The people learned that death can be the consequence of sin (see 1 Cor. 11:30-32; 1 John 5:16). That fear extended beyond those present to all who heard about the divine judgment (v. 11)- Cf. 1 Peter 3:10; 4:17.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 5:15 ‘shadow of Peter’: “The people truly believed he had divine healing power and that it might even extend to them through his shadow (cf. 3:1—10). But Scripture does not say Peter’s shadow ever healed anyone; in fact, the healing power of God through him seemed to go far beyond his shadow (v. 16, ‘multitude … all were healed’). This outpouring of healing was an answer to the prayer in 4:29, 30.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 5:20 ‘a life’: “Our message, if we are true to Christ, will be not only about a doctrine but about a life. The high priest conceived that the apostles merely preached doctrine, for he said, ‘You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching’ (v. 28). But the Christian message is like Christ—’the way, the truth, and the life’ (Jn 14:6)—and we are to ‘tell the people all about this life.’
“This verse, and those that follow, tell us what we are to tell the people about this life. The first thing to tell about this life concerns ‘Jesus the Messiah.’ Verse 42 says, ‘They continued … proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.’ Next, we must proclaim the sacrificial death of the Son of God, the atonement. The apostles boldly spoke of our Lord’s death, for they said to the council, ‘Whom you had murdered by hanging him on a tree’ (v. 30). If we leave out the satisfaction made by Christ for sin, if we leave out the message of a real and effective substitution, we have left out the gospel. Another thing we are to tell about is the resurrection. This the apostles proclaimed clearly, saying, ‘The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus’(v. 30). A further item we are to tell about this life concerns the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—’the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him’ (v. 32). If holiness is not proclaimed as the effect of the indwelling Spirit of God, then we do not ‘tell the people all about this life.’ ”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 5:31 ‘God is within reach’: “The supreme force in salvation is God’s grace. Not our works. Not our talents. Not our feelings. Not our strength.
“Salvation is God’s sudden, calming presence during the stormy seas of our lives. We hear his voice; We take the step.
“We, like Paul, are aware of two things: We are great sinners and we need a great savior.
“We, like Peter, are aware of two facts: We are going down and God is standing up. So we … leave behind the Titanic of self-righteousness and stand on the solid path of God’s grace. And, surprisingly, we are able to walk on water. Death is disarmed. Failures are forgivable. Life has real purpose. And God is not only within sight, he is within reach.”

• Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm

Acts 5:31 ‘answering to a higher authority’: “This was part of the answer of Peter and the other apostles to the question and declaration of the high priest (5:28): ‘Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name?’ They asserted that their preaching and teaching had been done by divine command that could not be set aside by any human authority-imperial or ecclesiastical—and that the true Prince of Israel, the Son of David alone had the power and the right to issue commissions to those who owned allegiance to Jehovah. They declared that Jesus, whom the chief priests had crucified, was still alive and reigning in glory, enthroned at the right hand of God and that they were only fulfilling his royal commands when they were ‘standing in the temple and teaching the people’ (5:25).”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 5:34 ‘Gamaliel’: “Like his grandfather the prominent rabbi Hillel, Gamaliel—the most noted rabbi of his time—led the liberal faction of the Pharisees. His most famous student was the apostle Paul (22:3).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 5:37 ‘Judas of Galilee rose up’: “The founder of the Zealots who led another revolt in Palestine early in the first century.  Zealots, a party of Jews who were fanatical nationalists, believed that radical action was required to overthrow the Roman power in Palestine. They even sought to take up arms against Rome. days of the census. One ordered by Quirinius, governor of Syria, in 6-7 B.C. (cf. Luke 2:2).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

Acts 5:40 ‘beaten them’: “The apostles were unjustly flogged, probably with thirty—nine lashes, the standard number given to avoid exceeding the OT legal limit of forty (cf. Deut. 25:3).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 5 ‘Challenge’: “We are twentieth-century Christians. Some of us are Christians only because it is convenient and pleasant and because it is not costing us anything. But here is the truth, whether we like it or not: the average evangelical Christian who claims to be born again and have eternal life is not doing as much to propagate his or her faith as the busy adherents of the cults handing out their papers on the street corners and visiting from house to house.
“We are not willing to take the spit and the contempt and the abuses those cultists take as they knock on doors and try to persuade everyone to follow them in their mistaken beliefs. The cultists can teach us much about zeal and effort and sacrifice, but most of us do not want to get that serious about our faith—or our Savior.”

• A. W. Tozer, Jesus is Victor!

 

My Thoughts

These two chapters were linked in the Serendipity Bible due to Acts 4 ending with the people sharing what they had and the next chapter starting with Ananias and Sapphira holding money back.

Acts 4 is really the conclusion, or the next step of the healing of a forty-year-old lame man.  Peter and John were arrested near the end of the day.  They stayed in prison until the next day.  The Sanhedrin was worried that the apostles were preaching in the name of Jesus, especially Jesus and the Resurrection of the dead.  They asked by whose power the lame man was healed.  The Holy Spirit came upon Peter and he was bold.  He challenged the Sanhedrin in that he and John had been arrested for an act of kindness, but then he said the man had been healed in the name of Jesus whom the religious leaders themselves had crucified.  The Sanhedrin was perplexed.  Peter and John were speaking in an articulate manner, yet they were unschooled.  And they feared the healing of the lame man.  They could not resolve the uneducated issue with the power, especially since they had maneuvered the crucifixion of Jesus.  They ordered them to not use the name of Jesus, but Peter asked who was it better to obey, the church leaders or God?  They were again ordered to not say in the name of Jesus and then released.

Now this narration is interrupted by a prayer, one that rarely seems to be used in churches these days, but in many Bibles is called “The Believers’ Prayer.”

This is followed by the believers sharing everything, even selling property.  Barnabas is first introduced as donating the sales price of property.

Then Acts 5 starts with Ananias and Sapphira doing as Barnabas had done, but they lied to Peter as to what the sales price was.  First, Peter, through the Holy Spirit, knew Ananias was lying.  Then Ananias died, and some young men took him out to bury him.  In the meantime, Sapphira comes in and repeats her husband’s lie, not knowing he had died.  Then, Peter says that she will be carried out by the same men that had just buried her husband.  Peter knew they were lying and that Sapphira would die like her husband, but he did not say that Ananias would die, just how appalled he was that Ananias would perpetuate the lie.  Yet, this brought fear within the believers.

We are taught to fear God, but it should be a healthy fear, an awe in God’s presence and everywhere we are God is there.  But we think we can get away with a little white lie here or there or think evil thoughts, since we have not harmed anyone, and no one knows.  But God knows.  I think this was the fear that the believers had, not an unproductive irrational fear.

Now back to our narrative between the Sanhedrin and the apostles:  People were bringing the sick and lame to just sit near where Peter was walking, so that his shadow could pass over the ailing person and heal them.  Jesus said that the apostles would do greater things, and it was never written in that fashion about Jesus.  The woman with the issue of blood had to touch Jesus’ garment.  The Holy Spirit was working wonders in their midst.

Now it is fitting that it was the Sadducees among the Sanhedrin who arrested the apostles and threw them into prison.  The Sanhedrin was worried about the resurrection of the dead, especially Jesus whom they had crucified.  The Sadducees did not believe in the afterlife.  This resurrection thing rocked the foundation of their beliefs.

They gathered all the Sanhedrin, including retired priests.  They needed to stop the apostles who seemed to be determined to make the Sanhedrin guilty of the death of Jesus.  They wanted to put them to death.

Odd, someone who has murdered once is much more likely to murder again, even a mass murder of twelve men.  There is a hesitance in committing murder among rational human beings, but once that barrier is broken, it becomes easier each successive time.  Or at least, so I have read in my research.  The Sanhedrin might logically and rationally find it valid to kill the apostles to cover up for the fact that they killed Jesus.

Yet, Gamaliel, Paul’s teacher, argues that the disturbances of Theudas and Judas of Galilee both amounted to nothing.  Then he makes a profound statement.  If they did nothing, an uprising by man would die away as the earlier ones had, but if it were truly God, the Sanhedrin would fail, for they would be fighting against God.

The apostles were flogged and told not to mention Jesus, but they left, going to the temple and continued to proclaim the Gospel.

What should we take from these first four chapters.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is important.  Looking at Peter’s bold statements in his sermon at Pentecost, to the crowd after the lame man was healed, and then in two successive arguments with the Sanhedrin, we have the “perfect” sermon, a clear statement of the Good News.  All the apostles were bold.  The believers’ prayer seems forgotten, but it also speaks of the Holy Spirit and boldness.  And as the apostles were persecuted, they became even more bold.  Where is the church growing today?  While the churches in the US and Europe are largely empty, many of them, on Sunday, the growing churches are where the persecution is the greatest.  Some sources point to P. R. China and Iran.

As I discussed with my son a few days ago.  The giving of everything and sharing everything in common is not an idea that “communism” can work. It cannot for at least one reason in that those preaching communism or secular socialism wish to ignore God.  The equal sharing worked because they were led by the apostles.  The Holy Spirit was present in each transaction.  And they anticipated Jesus returning in their lifetime, so why hang onto your possessions.  While we might be a fanatic for a sports team, we are not fanatics for Jesus these days, thus the sharing of everything equally will not be equal.  Some will starve while others hoard.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Acts 4:1-22 Peter and John before the Sanhedrin 1. When, if ever, do you feel that Peter’s response to his political and religious leaders would be appropriate for a Christian today? How do you reconcile this passage with Romans 13:1-4?
“2. What is the most persecution you have experienced due to your faith? How did you take it?
“3. On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), how sure are you of Peter’s statement in verse 12? What has built your assurance the most? What doubts still linger?
“4. How has knowing Jesus shaped your character so that people will notice you have ‘been with Jesus’?
Acts 4:23-31 The Believers’ Prayer 1. How are your prayers in crises like and unlike this prayer? Why would it be beneficial to recall God’s character and actions in history?
“2. ln times of trouble, do you respond more like the Sanhedrin (trying to figure out for yourself what to do), or like the disciples (coming to God in earnest prayer)?
Acts 4:32-5:16 The Believers Share Their Possessions 1. If you were to describe your church, which of the phrases here would you use to do so? Which ones would not fit now? Why?
“2. How well does verse 32 describe your relationship with others in your church? What would have to change for such sharing to be possible?
“3. When have you tried to ‘fool’ God? What happened?
“4. How have you experienced the ‘fear of the Lord’? How has that changed your life?
Acts 5:17-42 The Apostles Persecuted 1. What is the ultimate authority in your life? When does this create problems for you? What can you do to overcome these problems?
“2. How do you think you would feel if you were sent to jail for what you believe? How would your family feel? What would this do for you? How does joy in suffering relate to your ultimate authority?
“3. in what way has God set you tree to honor him more fully?
“4. How do you explain why God sometimes delivers you out of hardships, but at other times he allows you to go through them?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Acts 4-5 are divided into four sets of questions as noted above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.