Written by: Emma Ineson
Acts 5 v 7-11
About three hours later his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened. Peter said to her, “Tell me, was the money you got for your field this much?”
Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was the price.”
Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with fear.
Notes
Poor old Sapphira – now she goes the same way as her husband for lying about what she’s done with her money. Peter makes it clear; Ananias and Sapphira were punished not for holding back money but for lying about it. They tried to appear generous, but whilst keeping money back for themselves. It’s the gap between what they pretend to be and what they are that angers God.
Hey! Guess what? The church isn’t perfect! And never has been. Even in the earliest church there were imperfect Christians. Even in its greatest days the church was a mixture of good and bad. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is the first sign of trouble in the brand shiny new church (the word ‘church’ first appears in Acts in chapter 5 verse 11). And ever since, the church hasn’t been perfect either. That’s because it’s made up of ordinary people like you and me. I once heard someone say, “If you find the perfect church, leave it quick – you’ll only spoil it!” The fact is that God uses ordinary, damaged, less-than-perfect people to be his hands and feet and voice here on earth. That’s quite humbling. OK, so we may not be struck down for not putting our pocket money in the collection plate each Sunday, but the story of the unfortunate Ananias and Sapphira does remind us that God needs absolute integrity in all matters from his people on earth - the church.
Acts 5 v 12-16
The apostles did many signs and miracles among the people. And they would all meet together on Solomon’s Porch. None of the others dared to join them, but all the people respected them. More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the group of believers. The people placed their sick on beds and mats in the streets, hoping that when Peter passed by at least his shadow might fall on them. Crowds came from all the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those who were bothered by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.
Notes
Here’s a nice picture of what went on day by day in the early church. They met together (‘Solomon’s Porch’ wasn’t the bit outside his front door, but a kind of corridor at the edge of the Temple!). They met in a public place, everyone could see them, which was really courageous. They knew they were in danger from the authorities, yet they didn’t hide their faith.
I wonder whether you and I would be quite so brave to meet publicly and proclaim our faith – even if our lives were in danger. I get nervous when my church does something public. Every year at about this time we have an open-air service in the middle of our village. Even though I’m the minister I sometimes wonder: “What will people think of us?” But here were the early Christians standing up for Jesus in the public Temple courts – and people respected them for it.
God’s power was really moving in the lives of the early disciples: people knew and wanted a part of it. More and more became Christians and great healings took place in Jesus’ name. People crowded in to get a piece of the action, even wanting Peter’s shadow to fall on them. There was nothing particularly ‘magical’ about Peter’s shadow but it helped people feel like they were getting access to something special and holy.
Does this picture sound like the church today? Umm, not always! It’s a great challenge to us to read about what the early church was like and see how far we’ve drifted. God does new things with his church in each age, but wouldn’t it be great to see just a little bit more of this intense power and growth and excitement today? In public places too! Let’s pray it for our churches.
Acts 5 v 17-24
The high priest and all his friends (a group called the Sadducees) became very jealous. They took the apostles and put them in jail. But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and led the apostles outside. The angel said, “Go stand in the Temple and tell the people everything about this new life.” When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple early in the morning and continued teaching.
When the high priest and his friends arrived, they called a meeting of the Jewish leaders and all the important older Jewish men. They sent some men to the jail to bring the apostles to them. But, upon arriving, the officers could not find the apostles. So they went back and reported to the Jewish leaders. They said, “The jail was closed and locked, and the guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, the jail was empty!” Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the leading priests were confused and wondered what was happening.
Notes
It’s another jailbreak! There are quite a few of them in Acts. The Jewish religious leaders – the Sanhedrin – wanted a quiet life. All this preaching about Jesus Christ was likely to cause a rumpus! It had to be stopped! The early church had been told to stop preaching about Jesus, but they’d ignored that and carried on regardless - and they’d been arrested for it. Once the angel comes and gets them out of jail, what do they do? Take a day off? Go home and have an easy life? Hide away and try to forget about preaching? No! They’re right back out there again in the public places; doing what they’ve been told to do - preaching the good news of Christ. For these early disciples, obedience to God comes first, before safety, before political sense, before caution. They were a bit crazy weren’t they? But they were crazy for the Lord. No wonder the jealous Sadducees wondered what was happening.
I’m not very good at being mad, reckless and crazy for the Gospel. I like my world safe, thank you very much. But these early Christians really challenge me to go for it for God; to forget being well regarded or respectable or cool – and to preach the gospel of Christ with all my heart wherever I am. How about you?
Acts 5 v 25-32
Then someone came and told them, “Listen! The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple teaching the people.” Then the captain and his men went out and brought the apostles back. But the soldiers did not use force, because they were afraid the people would stone them to death.
The soldiers brought the apostles to the meeting and made them stand before the Jewish leaders. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in that name. But look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are trying to make us responsible for this man’s death.”
Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not human authority! You killed Jesus by hanging him on a cross. But God, the God of our ancestors, raised Jesus up from the dead! Jesus is the One whom God raised to be on his right side, as Leader and Savior. Through him, all Jewish people could change their hearts and lives and have their sins forgiven. We saw all these things happen. The Holy Spirit, whom God has given to all who obey him, also proves these things are true.”
Notes
The apostles are back in the hands of the Sadducees, who by now are getting very nervous about this group of people who preach publicly and manage to get themselves out of jail miraculously. The priests are nervous, because they know they had a hand in Jesus’ death – and now his disciples are making a noise about it.
I think Peter is great. When he hung around with Jesus, Peter was the one who was always putting his foot in it, always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Once, he even denied that he ever knew Jesus. But he was Jesus’ best mate and Jesus loved him. Now, after Peter has seen Jesus risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, he is a new man. He’s confident and courageous and not afraid to preach the Gospel of his Leader and Saviour. Here, Peter gives a wonderful testimony about Jesus to the Jewish Leaders. He’s the One who is risen from the dead! He can forgive sins! He’s the One who is in heaven beside God! And how does Peter know all this? Because He’s also the One who is Peter’s best mate.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could talk to people about Jesus like this; like Peter did? If Jesus is your best mate – tell others what he’s done in your life. It’s not always easy, especially if you’re at school. Telling your school friends about God is one of the hardest things we are called to do, I reckon. But the Holy Spirit is with you, as he was with Peter. Trust him to give you the right words to say.
Acts 5 v 33-39
When the Jewish leaders heard this, they became angry and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in the meeting. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He ordered the apostles to leave the meeting for a little while. Then he said, “People of Israel, be careful what you are planning to do to these men. Remember when Theudas appeared? He said he was a great man, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, and all his followers were scattered; they were able to do nothing. Later, a man named Judas came from Galilee at the time of the registration. He also led a group of followers and was killed, and all his followers were scattered. And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men, and leave them alone. If their plan comes from human authority, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even be fighting against God himself!”
The Jewish leaders agreed with what Gamaliel said.
Notes
The apostles stand before the Jewish authorities yet again and have to answer for preaching the Gospel of Jesus. Again their lives are in danger – the Jewish leaders want to kill them. But the apostles find an unexpected helper in this guy Gamaliel. He was a wise and respected Jewish leader – a rabbi. Gamaliel points out that there have been several of these enthusiastic uprisings (that’s how he sees all this ‘Jesus stuff’) before – and they all came to nothing when their leaders were killed. What Gamaliel forgets, however, is that those leaders – Theudas and Judas – didn’t rise from the dead after three days! There’s the difference. That’s why this group of followers will never be silenced. God is the one backing this uprising. Little did he know how true his words were: ”…if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them!” And here, two thousand years later, he’s right. It is from God, the church is still going strong and many still believe and trust in this ‘revolutionary’ – Jesus Christ.
I find it interesting that Gamaliel wasn’t a Christian. He wasn’t a follower of Jesus – but God uses him anyway to protect the apostles and to do God’s will. Perhaps God sometimes uses people in our lives in the same way. Even people who don’t know Jesus (yet) can, indirectly, help us to find God’s will. I like to believe that Gamaliel actually saw the truth of what the apostles were preaching. Perhaps he became a follower too later on. With God, all things are possible.
Acts 5 v 40-42
They called the apostles in, beat them, and told them not to speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they let them go free. The apostles left the meeting full of joy because they were given the honor of suffering disgrace for Jesus. Every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued teaching the people and telling the Good News—that Jesus is the Christ.
Notes
OK, this is a tough one. The apostles were full of joy because they had suffered for Jesus sake. They had been beaten up big time and they went away “full of joy”. I don’t know about you, but suffering doesn’t often make me want to rejoice. For these early disciples, being persecuted for Jesus’ sake was a chance for them to show their loyalty to him. It was also a chance to share in the experience of Jesus, who had suffered too – on the Cross.
I wonder if we see persecution about faith as a joy? If we follow the example of the early Christians, we could do. So next time someone gives you a hard time about faith in Jesus, try thinking, “The fact that they know I’m a Christian is a good thing; it shows I am being loyal to Jesus”. And remember that Jesus knows what you’re going through.
The early church didn’t have ‘Church’ buildings to hold their worship in. They met in the courts of the Jewish Temple and in their own homes. By meeting at home, they could reach everyone – men, women (who weren’t allowed in the central Temple courts at that time) and children. So, all people had access to this new faith in Jesus. There were no age or gender barriers. No wonder what they preached was called ‘Good News’. It still is!
Acts 6 v 1-4
The number of followers was growing. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking followers had an argument with the other Jewish followers. The Greek-speaking widows were not getting their share of the food that was given out every day. The twelve apostles called the whole group of followers together and said, “It is not right for us to stop our work of teaching God’s word in order to serve tables. So, brothers and sisters, choose seven of your own men who are good, full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. We will put them in charge of this work. Then we can continue to pray and to teach the word of God.”
Notes
As the early church grew, it began to come up against all the problems that tend to affect organisations. In the Christian church there were two main groups of people – the Jews and the Greek speakers. The two groups didn’t always get on and the problems began affecting the people who needed the help of the church the most – the widows. So, the apostles called everyone together, outlined the problem and appointed seven from among the people to sort it out. They were the earliest Church Administrators!
The way the apostles deal with this situation gives us a good model for sorting out disputes in the church today. The same principles seem to be good ones for any situation where reconciliation is needed. Firstly, they called everyone together – discussing the matter with everyone. In that way, little whispering groups of factions are discouraged. Secondly, they clearly outline what is needed – so that everyone is clearly in the picture. Thirdly, they get the people to choose the seven men (the apostles don’t just pick their favourites) – so that the decision is owned and respected by everyone.
It’s interesting that the first people chosen to hold office in the earliest church are not chosen to talk, or preach, or lead worship, or teach – they are chosen for practical service. In today’s terms, they might be the ones in the church making the tea, or organising the meal rota. God needs practical servers in his church - as well as the preachers and teachers.
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