Stephen is Accused - 6:8-15

Stephen is accused
Acts 6:8-15

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

So far, the rumor that is being spread is that Stephen is blaspheming against Moses and God. From that rumor a false accusation is made about him to the Sanhedrin, "This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law..."

What we need to understand is that this is a serious accusation against a Jew. There was absolutely nothing more precious to the Jews than their temple and their law. To them, the Temple was the Holy Place in which the presence of God lived, and the law was THE revelation of God's mind and will, therefore to speak against either was to speak against God himself, and deserved nothing less than death...Let us remember it is this same accusation that put our Savior on the Cross.

As a jury, let us hear the evidence of the blasphemous message of Stephen, "...this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us..." What we must understand is that Peter was NOT making this up, he was not trying to cause a riot, rather Stephen was simply echoing the words of Jesus. Jesus did say, that he would destroy the temple. Jesus did say that he would fulfill the law. Jesus taught that the both the temple and the law would be superseded, NOT meaning that they were never a valid gift and tool from God, but rather that they would find their fulfillment in him - if they (the pharisees) had really understood this, this would have rather magnified their importance rather than denigrate it.

Back to Stephen. Now that we see that Stephen was doing no more or less than echoing Christ, we better understand what was happening, and even better understand their hatred for this Stephen. So at this point they were "gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel." I think this section is overlooked a lot. This (face of an angel) probably maddened the pharisees and the council even more. Remember EVERYTHING went back to the Father and the Law. What happened to Moses when he came down from the mountain with the Law, as a proof that he was with God hearing from God about the law? His face was shining as well! Now, we have Stephen's face shining not so different from Moses, but Stephen was saying that Jesus was this law. So, what is the issue here, it is not so much that the Council so prized the Law that they couldn't stand blasphemy, rather it was they loved the power they gained from the Law that they were willing to murder anyone to shut them up whose truth may take away their power. God's signs were with Stephen - in verse 8, we see that God had approved Stephen's ministry with grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. In verse 10, we see that a supernatural anointing was on him to the point that, they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then in verse 13, we see the shining face that surely brought Moses' to memory. Yet the pharisees neglected the evidence that was given them, for the sake of their power, their name's sake, and tradition.

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Stephen gets killed! - Acts 6:8-7:60

For today's post, just read the text, then we will delve into it!

Acts 6:8-15

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Acts 7:1-60

1 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. 5 Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. 6 And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. 7 ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

9 “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. 13 And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. 14 And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. 15 And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, 16 and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

17 “But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt 18 until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph. 19 He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive. 20 At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God's sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house, 21 and when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.

23 “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ 27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

30 “Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

35 “This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ 38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. 39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

“‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You took up the tent of Moloch
and the star of your god Rephan,
the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

44 “Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. 45 Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’

51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts 6:2-6: The Solution

Acts 6:2-7

2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

The Twelve did not force a solution on the church, rather they summoned the full number of the disciples in order to share the dilemma with them. They said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables." before we go any further, let it be noted that there is no hint, no clue, no thought that the disciples apostles regarded social work as inferior to their work or beneath their position. This was not a question of position, as much as it was a question of calling. They had no 'freedom' to be taken away from the task Jesus had given them. So they proposed a remedy: pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

The delegation of social welfare to the Seven is commonly thought to have been the origin of the diaconate. It may be so, for the language of diakonia is used in verse 1 and 2, as we shall see later. Nevertheless, the Seven are not actually called diakonia. The church saw the point of the apostles remedy: And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. The next move was to commission them, so, these they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

Key Take Away Principles: What does this have to do with us? Short answer: God calls ALL of his people to ministry, and he calls different people to different ministries.

We must realize that it is not accidental that the work of the apostles who were to devote their time to studying, prayer, and preaching and those Seven who were to devote themselves to social needs, were both called 'diakonia.' Meaning, that neither ministry is superior to the other, and they BOTH REQUIRE people who are 'full of the Spirit' to execute them. So the difference is not in importance, rather in calling and gifting.

All disciples, without exception, are to mimic the one who came to serve, not to be served. What we often find though, is that the standards of preaching and teaching decline since the pastor(s) has little time to study or pray. The congregants do not exercise their God-given (mandated) calling, since the pastor(s) does everything himself. When this happens, we have a church that is hindered from growing into the full maturity that Christ has destined it to.

So, what happens when we do this? Well, lets look at the text: Acts 6:7, "...the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith." The word cannot spread when the ministry of the word is neglected.

So, far, we have seen three tactics which the enemy uses to destroy his church:

1. He tried kill it by force
2. He tried to kill it by hypocrisy
3. He tried to kill it from within through grumbling and complaining.

However, the apostles were intuitive when it came to satan's plans. So today, we need to use the same type of spiritual discernment to spot out the enemy's plans. We also need the faith the disciples used to make the enemy's attacks impotent.

The Problem - 6:1

Acts 6:1
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

We have two opposing factors going on at the same time here in the same body, I guess it is true, for every action there is an opposite reaction. On one hand the disciples were increasing in number but on the other hand, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews. The word used here for 'complaint' is the Greek word, 'goggysmos' and is used to mirror the same action of 'complaining' by the Israelites against Moses. In fact, this whole birth of the church is a bit of a mirror of God's chosen people being called out of Egypt - opposition, complaining, messyness, etc, etc. The chosen people have been expanded from the Israelites to the church, and much like the Israelites, there is a 'complaining' at a root level - rather than having the 'chosen' people complain to Moses because he took them out of Egypt, but wasn't handling the rescue mission the way they wanted him to; we have the 'chosen' complaining at the Apostles who had received the 'relief money' and was not distrubting it the way the people saw fit. Their complaining was around the care of the widows, which we must note, that God had promised to take care of and defend in the Old Testament. So, the church had continued in and accepted this responsibility and a daily distribution of food was made to them. But there were two groups in the Jerusalem church: (1) the Hellenistais and the (2) Hebraioi. The Hellenistais were complaining against the Hebraioi because their widows were being overlooked in the daily giving of food. We are not told that the oversight was deliberate, but rather we are left to assume it was poor administration and management.

Many seperate the difference of the Helenists and the Hebrews by orgin and language, however, what we are dealing with here, is the difference of culture. In this case the Hellenists not only spoke Greek but thought and behaved like Greeks. Where the Hebrews not only spoke Aramaic but were deeply immersed in Hebrew culture. Richard Longenecker says, "What is needed here is some such translation as 'Grecian Jews' and 'Hebraic Jews'." There had always been rivalry between these groups in Jewish culture; the tragedy is that it was perpetuated within the new community of Jesus, who had obliterated the distinctions.

So what are we to make of this? So far we see a mirroring of the Old Covenant people, but we also see a mirroring of the Modern-Day Covenant people. How often are we ready to complain without having a solution to offer when our 'culture' is overlooked, confronted, do put on the back burner, due to new leadership, we have to remember that the apostles were new to this, their heart was to be like Jesus and lead like Jesus, their mistakes were not intentional. But, how ready are we to willingly to believe and take offense at our leaders because we assume they must be putting our culture behind theirs. The problem I see here is not so much that the problem was brought to the Apostles attention, but in the way it was done. The text specifically tells us they were complaining and does so in a way in which it mirrors the OT People's complaining that God hated so much. But also that they didn't come with was a solution. In today's world we know this, when people are willing to flag the problem without giving their idea for a solution, they really don't care about a solution, they don't care about the other party, they care about self, which is satan's number one scheme - the focus of self.

What we have is Satan trying to destroy the new community from with in. The last couple of chapters we see Satan trying to destroy this new community from without, but the result was a strengthend church, so he tries a new tactic, "Kill them from within..."

The apostles discerned that the unity of this young church was being threatened by Satan attempting to draw them (the apostles) away from their time in prayer and the word, which Christ had specifcially entrusted them with for the preaching and teaching of his word!

The Bible assures us that Satan is out to kill, still, and destroy us, and at a larger level, he is out to kill, still, and destroy the church from doing what she was meant to do, fill the world with the glory of God. Let us also be as wise as the apostles, and not be quick to blame, or to seperate ourselves, but let's realize that just as Christ wanted unity in his Body, Satan's goal is to defeat us with dis-unity. And if we are not knowledgable of his attacks, we will focus our fight, our selfishness, and our rights on other humans, rather than waring against the serpent.

Seven are Chosen and Commissioned - 6:1-7

Acts 6:1-7

6:1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Today we are going to just focus on the text, read it, and then the next several days we will unpack verses 1-7

The Conclusion - 5:40-42

Acts 5:40-42

40 ...and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

What we see here is the complete opposition of the prosperity gospel. They obeyed God, then shouldn't they walk away safe and secure. I guess not, rather they walked away with their backs ripped open, bleeding, and probably very weak, yet they were rejoicing that they had the opportunity to suffer not just a beating, but also dishonor for the name. And this dishonor and physical beating didn't lead them into a prayer to 'make a deal' with God, ya' know the, "look if you protect me, then I will obey you...if you bless me, then I will obey you..." Rather with no promise of life, no promise of security, and their immediate reward being dishonor and physical torture they continued every day, in the temple and from house to house...teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Here we see a manifestation of the Sermon on the Mount. With verse 42, Luke concludes his account of the first two waves of persecution. In the first Council a simple prohibition and a warning led the apostles to pray to God for boldness to continue in their preaching, and in the second the courage they received which led to continue preaching resulted in dishonor and physical torture, which led them to even lift up God more.

Satan has never given up the attempt to destroy the church. History calls us to simply view those like Nero who imprisoned and executed Christians, more than likely including Paul and Peter; Domitian oppressed Christians who refused to pay him the honor of a God and was probably the one who exiled John to Patmos. Marcus Aurelius believed that Christians were dangerous and immoral, so passively turned a deaf ear to those who 'just happened' to war against them with violence. Decius murdered thousands of Christians including Fabian, Bishop of Rome, for refusing to sacrifice to the him as deity. Diocletian issued four edicts which were intended to stamp out Christianity altogether by burning churches, confiscating scriptures, torturing church leaders, and revoking citizenship from Christians, and executing many others. We see Satan's work today or in recent history with the Marxists, Hindu's, extreme Islamic movements, etc.

However, we need not fear for the church. Tertullian screamed out while being tortured to death, "The more you mow us down, the more we grow; the seed is the blood of Christians." Bishop Festo Kivengere said in February of 1979 on the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Archbishop Janani Luwum of Uganda, "Without bleeding the church fails to bless..." Persecution will refine the church, but not destory it. If it leads to prayer and praise, to an acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God and of solidarity with Christ in his suffering, then - however painful - it may even be welcome.

So, how does this very historical log speak to us today, especially those of us who have never been persecuted? I believe the practicality of this, is that God is in all things. God is always on the move sanctifying us to be more in the image of his Son, Jesus. If we are to look at hardships, loss, pain, or loneliness as God's sovereignty sanctifying us rather than a fatalistic perspective, I believe that we too can be built up and changed for the good of humanity and the glory of God!

The Trial: 5:26-39

Acts 5:26-39

26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice...

Once again the apostles are re-arrested and are then made to stand before the Jewish authorities a 2nd time for questioning. What we are witnessing is the limits or powerlessness for the earthly authority that sets itself against the glory of God.

There are two authorities: (1) The World, who commanded the apostles not to teach of Jesus (2) Jesus who commanded the apostles to preach his gospel. RESULT: They had filled Jerusalem with their teaching, and on top of that were determined to to bring this man's blood upon them. Which apparently they didn't seem to remember that is exactly what they had requested.

The Apostles had no plan on obeying the world in opposition to the Christ, and on top of that, they had no plan on defending themselves but to simply lift of the Christ at all cost. Let me point out, just as we did in the last post, that it is generally our responsibility to obey all civil authority, until they cross the line of calling us to disobey God. Which is exactly what we see being played out in the lives of the apostles. So, as the apostles show that there is no true power in the authority of the state, they emphasize two elements about God.

1. First, they contrast the lasting ability of different authorities: The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree - in other words, your authority has limits.
2. Second, God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins, once again, overriding their authority, even if they merely choose to condemn the flesh, God overrides it and grants salvation to those he chooses, not matter the earthly verdict.

Let us be quick to notice that this short sermon begins and ends with obedience to God, this is our mandate. Okay, so now that the Religious authority has been proven to be no stronger than straw when compared to God's authority, they are angry, and ready to go nuts on the Apostles. However, a man by the name of Gamaliel steps in and stops the Pharisees from putting the Apostles to death. Gamaliel was a Pharisee and the grandson and follower of the liberal Rabbi Hillel, and was given the title Rabban or 'our teacher.' Gamaliel had a reputation for his scholarship, wisdom, and moderation and was respected by all the people. On this occasion he stood up and gave instructions for the apostles to put the men outside for a little while. so that the council could meet in a private session.

From there he gave two examples of two men, one was Theudas and the other was Judas the Galilean. Gamaliel, simply reminded his fellow pharisees of their histories. Both men fought Judaism, both men gathered a following, and both men ended up killed, and the result was that their followers scattered and the movement faded. He then compared their two mini-movements to that of the apostles, and basically called his brothers to 'relax' because, if this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”

This is a good lesson for us. The truth is, when we are following God, and obeying God in the midst of a culture that continually seems to win and opporess the truth; we know the truth is that sooner or later all that is from and of God will last, and everything else will disolve and fail!

The Imprisonment - 5:18-25

Acts 5:18-25

17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.

Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council and all the senate of the people of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

This time it wasn't just Peter and John who were booked, but rather it says, the apostles in general, and they were quickly put in a public prison. However, during the night they were rescued by an angel of the Lord. Luke, allows us to see that this rescue mission from the angel of the Lord was not about the safety and security of the apostles, but rather the glory of God, as the angel commanded them to go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life. Verse 21 tells us they obeyed the angel of the Lord, but in doing so we must note that they publicly disobeyed the Sanhedrin, who had told them not to speak in the name of Jesus.

This is NOT a section of scripture teaching us that we have the right to disobey the authorities that God has placed us under, for ALL Authority is from God. However, because God is sovereign and will even use the sin of humanity to ultimately bring glroy to His name we must trust that as he sets up unjust leaders, it is because he will ultimately bring glory to his own name, by showing their authority to be impotent.

However, because God sets up all authority, we are to respectfully obey them UNLESS, they command us to do that which God, through His word commands us not to do or they command us to stop doing what God has made clear to us. This is not a call for rebellion, but a call to submission to God! We live in a world of anti-authority, and in the church we have learned well to hide our rebellion behind 'God.' The truth is, we can't find anywhere in scripture where it is ever okay to disobey our leaders no matter how unfair they are unless they ask us to cross the line and disobey God. Which the truth is, most of us don't struggle with this. We are willing to disobey our authorities when it fits our selfish needs, but in a land where spreading the gospel is legal, for the glory of God we halt at this...may we switch our perspectives...

The Sanhedrin Intensifies its Opposition: 5:17-42

Acts 5:17-42

17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.

Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council and all the senate of the people of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Once again, today's devotional is about reading the text and meditating on it, then for the next few days we will break it down and look deeper into it. What we basically have here is the story of the second persecution provoked by the apostolic healings and preaching. This was persecution that was brought on by the jealousy for the power, popularity and influence of the apostle, by the religious elite. the religious elite. For me the point to focus on is the power of jealousy.

It literally destroys. Today so often we don't just see jealousy of the church, but rather jealousy within the church. Leaders jealous over other leaders church size. Leaders jealous over other leaders speaking ability. Some people jealous of others families, spouses, gifts, finances, etc, etc...Satan has always used jealousy to seek to destroy God's people, is there any area in your life that is guided by, influenced from, or hampered from jealousy.

The Apostles heal many people - 5:12-16

Acts 5:12-16

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

As yesterday we saw that God is willing to judge the hypocrites, today we will see that he is willing to heal those who are broken, poor, and lost. Much of Acts is looked at as a book to learn and apply to how we 'be' the church, yet passages like this are looked at as historical and irrelevant to us today. My feeling and belief, is that there is nothing in the text that would lead us to apply verses of obedience, preaching, and truth over verses like this...I personally have seen God manifest himself this way, and believe that as he did then so he desires to do today!

In this passage Luke describes the amazing signs that followed and authenticated their message. These miracles seemed to have two opposite results:

1. It Hardened Some: The text tells us, none of the rest dared join them...even though the people at Solomon's porch held them in high esteem. The context allows us a peak into the hearts of the other people at the Porch. Even though they heard the gospel, they saw the affects of the gospel, and saw the miracles that substantiated the gospel, the gospel did not melt their hearts, but rather caused htem not to join them.
2. It Softened Some:The very same gospel that caused some to not 'join them' also caused multitudes of both men and women to be added to the Lord. Not only did it soften some, it softened many, the text tells us that it softened more than ever

These are the two effects we can expect from our speaking, preaching, teaching, and living the gospel - the one result we should never expect, is indifference, for it is a sign, that our gospel guided life is not clear!

As we have seen thus far throughout Acts, the Gospel ALWAYS demands a response, there is no middile ground: (1) It either demands you to ignore and deny it, or it (2) demands that you follow Christ and join his mission. Not only were many added to the Lord, but those who were saved, instantly became missional: they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats...the people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits...

However, this text is not primarily about those who are bineg saved, nor is it about the Apostles, it is about God's saving power through his children. So we are not left with what what the people did as a result of their salvation, but what God did, "...they were all healed." It is important to realize that Paul uses the word, episkiazo, in reference to Peter's shadow falling on people, this was not to ellude that Peter's shadow had special powers, but rather, that through Peter, God's Presence overshadowed all that Peter was around. Luke uses this word two other times to ellude to the same thing.

Here is my point, it is clear that when we read the Bible healings happen and sometimes they don't. Salvation happens and sometimes it doesn't. The point is never to try and figure out who will accept what and who will get what, the point is to be as addicted to Jesus, the Gospel, and the Covenant Community as someone like Peter, and allow God to be God through your life!

Hypocrisy in the Camp - 5:1-11

Acts 5:1-11

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Today's reading is in sharp contrast with yesterday's reading. Yesterday we read what a community looked like who was led by the spirit, today we see how God looks at a community who is led by self. Just a casual look at this passage reminds us of 'law'; they were killed for not giving everything they had...but that is not at all what we have, what we have is God judging a husband and wife who are full of hypocrisy and desire praise, which is in sharp contrast to what God wants: men and women who are full of integrity and give him praise! Let's look deeper:

There are a couple reasons this story is important: (1) It deepens our insight of the inner life of a spirit-filled community (2) It is an example of Satan's strategy in disarming the church. We are told that a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, first, sold a piece of property and then with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. Let's compare this (briefly) with the opposing example: Joseph also had a field, sold it, and laid the proceeds at the apostles feet. They both (Ananias and Joseph) owned land; they both sold it; and both gave money to the church - Joseph gave it all; Ananias, appeared to give it all. What made Ananias and Joseph different was not in the percentage they gave, but rather the motivation of the heart. The text says that Ananias, with his wife's knowledge...kept back for himself some of the proceeds the word 'knowledge' here can be translated to mean connived. and the phrase 'kept back' is to insinuate 'to hide or hidden or misappropriate' this is the same word used in the account of Achan's theft, and it is used only one other time in the New Testament. So, based off of all this, we can assume that Ananias and his wife had already agreed to give all the proceeds to the church for the good of the needy.

We could probably come up with a list of sins committed here, but the ONE that Peter concentrates on is that of hypocrisy or the lack of integrity. Here is what we have to see and be very aware and willing to look for in our life is that Ananias and his wife wanted the praise and credit for generosity without the inconvenience of it. Their motive was not to fight poverty in the name of Jesus, but to bring fame to their own name! So what was the result? First Peter compares the Holy Spirit to God, thus giving us a thread of Trinitarian theology, "lie to the Holy Spirit...You have not lied to men but to God" On top of that Peter tells Ananias that their sin was not just a simple lie to man or the church, but rather a mock and lie to God the Holy Spirit. I wonder if this is why we take our lies and sin so lightly, do we missapproriate the direction of our sin, Peter seemed to know what King David knew. Then Peter seems to give them a chance to repent and reveals to us that the selling and giving of all their property was not a demand which allows us to realize that their issues was hipocrisy, "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart?" Then the judgement of God fell on both him and his wife: he fell down and breathed his last and then an interval of about three hours had passed and Peter said to Sapphire the same thing and the judgment of God fell on her as she too, Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. The result in the Christian community was not accusation against God but rather great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. This is not a fear that causes one to stay away from God, but one that causes the utmost honor and respect. In fact the word fear hear is the Greek word, phobos and denotes an outward manifestation rather than the sensation of fear. That which we fear we respect, for example, if I fear hights, I respect it and act accordingly when I am on a high ledge, I will not move beyond the control of heights, but when I fear God, I respect it, and my outward actions will not go contrary to that.

So, what can we learn from this:

1. The Gravity of Sin: Specifically it is obvious that God HATES hypocrisy. Luke records Jesus denouncing it several times. So, first we have to realize specifically that the sin of hypocrisy is hated by God, but on a larger view is that our sin is not first against people, but first against God, "You have not lied to men but to God." Second, they sinned against the church. For the first time Luke uses the word, ekklesia, which on a minor liver confirms the church as the continuation of God's covenant people from the OT. But on a much more major plain, Luke is emphasizing the great evil of sinning against God's people - Where in yesterdays reading we see what makes-up true community, today we see how the gravity of sin ruins true community.
2. The Importance of our Conscience: I think we learn the importance and sacredness of the human conscience. Later on Paul says in front of Felix that he always goes to great pain to keep his conscience clear before God. When I talk about a clear conscience, I am not just talking about a casual emotion, but the importance of being or living a life transparent before God and his people, so that our community isn't split by hypocrisy and our ears don't deafen to the voice of God. We need to strive to live in such a way that NOTHING comes between our community of Faith and God or other people. It was this openness which Ananias and Sapphira failed to maintain.
3. The Necessity of Church Discipline: The necessity of church discipline is the third and final thing we can learn here. One if you are a church member, it is important to realize it is important, biblical, and willing to submit to; and if you are a church leader it is important to NOT take this lightly or as a power trip, but let it set on you very heavily and bend you to your knees in humility. Although physical death may have continued in some situations as a penalty for those sins which despise the church of God, it came to be associated with excommuniction.

Believers Enjoy the Common Life - 4:32-37

Acts 4:32-37

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

I don't think that it's random that Luke placed verses 32-37, the way the Church lived, right after he talked about how the church prayed, it is almost as if Luke was saying, when the church is truly Theocentric in mission and prayer, the result will be true community. Then immediately after this, Luke shows us the exact opposite of the 'Common Life' but that's for tomorrow. Why is it that Luke sees it necessary within a matter of two chapters to vividly describe what true community is? I believe it is very important to realize that Luke is setting a foundation for an environment of sentness, survival, and sanctity. (1) As for 'sentness', it seems Luke is bent on stressing this foundation before the church begins to multiply as if to say, you are best equipped to be sent in, from and into this type of community. (2) As for survival, it is as if Luke is saying, the way we handle persecution, weakness, witness, etc, is in the life of true community (3) As for sanctity, Luke is saying it is in the committment to true community that sanctity (holiness of life and character) is being produced in our lives, because it is here where selflessness is produced, idolatry is conronted, life is sustained.

Now, lets point out an attitude that was a result of being part of a Spirit-filled church that resulted in a radical action that is consistent with 2:42-47:

1. Hate for Materialism (attitude): The text tells us, "...no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common..." In a society, like ours that finds their identity on Coach Bags, 7-Jeans, and the cool factor, we don't even comprehend this. In a society like our in which our 'success' is measured by what we gain, rather than by what we give away, this first element of the first church is easily overlooked, because these same western Idols have worked their way into the church, and fall under the heading of 'blessed.' Both 2:44 and 4:33 contain two key words, 'hapanta' 'koina' = 'everything in common.' This does NOT means that they did not have their own possessions. This does not mean that this was a new 'rule' for the church, we know this based on the opening line, "no one said..." his possessions were his own. A spirit filled church realizes that God is the owner of all things, and that all things belong to God. Therefore in light of God's character it is better to eleviate poverty than to accumulate stuff, this seems to be a fruit of a Spirit-filled Church. Their attitude was as if the rest of the Body of Christ, was TRULY their body, meaning that their needy brothers and sisters had the same availability to their possessions as they did. So, the death of materialism resulted in their HATE of poverty and need amongst their people.
2. Radical Selflessness (action): The text reads, "as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need..." In both this passage and 2:45 we see again that this was not 'law-ed' on them, it was not a rule, it was a change of heart that flowed from the Holy Spirit. We must see that this was not done as a law, nor as a membership rite-of-passage, but out of an attitude created by the Holy Spirit, that resulted in selfless action, and done as needs were revealed.
3. Wisdom as Guidance: There three extremes that come from these verses: (1) This is cultural and societal, we live in a different time and place, therefore this is just a basic historic verse that gives us warm-fuzzies, and but doesn't really apply to our lives (2) This is a demand laid upon church members (3) There is no wisdom we just need to sell all our stuff and give it away without discretion. How do we know this? In 2:45 and this same passage we have the exact same Greek wording, "kathoti an tis chreian eixen" which literally means "according as anyone has need." Then we see the result of this, "There was not a needy person among them..." Meaning they did not give without wisdom. The point was to kill poverty, not help people become more careless. So, in the giving within the community of faith there was wisdom and guidance, that was facilitated by the leaders, "...laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed..."

I'll close this out with a quote from John Calvin on this specific passage:

We must have hearts that are harder than iron if we are not moved by the reading of this narrative. In those days, the believers gave abundantly of what was their own; we in our day are content not just jealously to retain what we possess, but callously to rob others...They sold their own possessions in those days; in our days it is the lust to purchase that reigns supreme. At that time love made each man's possessions common property for those in need; in our day such is the inhumanity of many, that they begrudge to the poor a common dwelling upon earth, the common use of water, air, and sky.

In today's society, it is the 'cool' thing to fight poverty, yet our own personal lust for 'stuff' still wins, it still oppressess, it still takes priority - the hope for the spiritually, emotionally, and financially poor is not our own ability, but in our church living in the Spirit which leads to a vision of God's kingdom here on earth. In fact, Jesus actually teaches that the gospel of the Kingdom is GOOD NEWS for the poor. This statement would be a lie if the if the gospel offered salvation without justice - this IS what a community controlled by the spirit does!

This passage ends with an example of an individually, but for the sake of time, you can read that yourself, and we will look at the effect of a community ruled by self over the spirit tomorrow!