カテゴリー: Acts

In verse 1 we are told that Stephen’s death triggered violent persecution upon the church.  As a result the members of the church were scattered through out Judea and Samaria.  Amazingly the Christians wherever they were scattered preached the Gospel of Christ and the Gospel spread throughout all the regions.  Their faith and evangelism became real.  The promise of Acts 1:8 was being fulfilled.  God brought this verse into fulfillment by His own plans and leading.  Today let’s look at the people who were scattered.

I.                The people that were scattered (vs.1-4)

“That day” refers to the day that Stephen was martyred.  That day violent persecution fell upon the Jerusalem church. Except for the apostles, the members of the church were scattered through out Judea and Samaria. In God’s plan this was so that the Word of God would be preached. 

When we look at this passage we can see that the bitter things that happen in life are just one step in the fulfillment of God’s plan in our lives.  We sometimes wonder why things happen to us and why God doesn’t seem to care about us, but God wants to use the situation that we are in so that the Gospel can be spread. We need to believe that that is the reason that we are in the situation that we are in now and think about how we can use the situation to share the Gospel.

Except for the apostles, the members of the church were scattered.  The people who were scattered weren’t special people, but everyday laymen.  Even so they preached the Gospel.

In verse 14 we are told that the 12 apostles heard that the Samaritans had believed in God so they sent Peter and John to them.  A similar event takes place in Acts 11:19-22.  Those who were scattered brought the Gospel to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and to Antioch.  In Antioch the Gospel was preached to the Gentiles too and many people turned to Christ. Therefore, the apostles sent Barnabas there.

Often the church takes an attitude of the Samaritans would never believe in Christ anyway.  It’s not necessary to evangelize the Greeks, etc., but the early believers didn’t think that way.  Wherever they went they found new people to share the Gospel with and opened the door to a new evangelism. The growth of the church is based upon the energy of each believer.  God used each believer to share the Gospel and widen the evangelistic fields.

II.              The evangelism of Philip in Samaria (vs. 5-11)

An example of evangelism by laymen is Philip who evangelized in Samaria.  Philip appeared earlier in Acts 6.  There had been complaints that the Greek speaking Jewish widows were not getting their portion of the daily distributions.  Therefore Philip was one of the seven men chosen to help with the distributions.   That was his main responsibility, but he also like Stephen preached the Gospel.  When the believers were dispersed, Philip went to Samaria.  Samaria was conquered by Assyria in 722 B.C. The Jews that were living there at that time intermarried with non-Jews. Jews valued pure Jews so they couldn’t accept the Samaritans.  Also the Jews thought that Jerusalem is the Holy City.  However, the Samaritans built their own temple and worshipped there.  Therefore, the Jews could not accept the Samaritans at all.  

Philip preached the Gospel in Samaria telling the people that Jesus was the Messiah that they were waiting for.  However Philip didn’t just preach the Gospel, but also cast out evil spirits, and healed the sick. They did the same type of work that Jesus did and showed that people that God’s kingdom had come.  This caused the town to be full of joy. 

Philip was able to do such a great work because he preached Christ.  He didn’t talk about his own thinking, or use some kind special technique.  He just preached about Christ. This Christ saved people, changed people, and made them stand up.  Christ’s Gospel has that strength.  This is the big difference between the Sorcerer Simeon who appears in verse 9.  He performed sorcery and surprised the Samaritans and spoke like he was a great person.  However, Philip didn’t perform magic, but only preached the real Savior, Christ.  Through Christ a person can have a new live and become a new person.

III.            Trust in Christ (vs.12-13)

Until Philip came everyone was interested in the Sorcerer Simeon. However, when Philip came and they heard about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, and next they believed in Christ.  Both men and women were baptized. Not only that but Simeon himself accepted Christ and was baptized and followed Philip. This is because the joyful news that Jesus is Christ, the Savior changed people’s lives and is the strength of God.

I Cor. 1:18

Simeon heard Philip’s Gospel message, saw his ministry of healing, and saw many miracles and Simeon realized that this was the real thing.  The Gospel has this much power.  If the Gospel has this much power, then it is important that we live by this Gospel.  We need to just believe in Christ.

Philip preached this Christ. This Christ changed people, healed people, and made people stand up, and brought joy to the whole town.  The Word of God has power to save people, build them up, help them, and encourage them.  If that’s the case then we need to trust in the Word of God and Christ.

Acts 20:32

Faith in the Gospel gives us strength not to live for ourselves, but for Jesus Christ.  This faith in the Gospel gives power for people to be saved from sorcery.  No matter where we are scattered to it gives us power to share the Gospel there.

              In verse 37 the prophet like Moses is Jesus Christ.  Stephen is on trial for “speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” Ｉn his defense　Stephen is saying that that is not true。 First Stephen is explaining who the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph is. In other words, He is the “God of glory”. (2)  The “God of glory” doesn’t just live in the Jerusalem temple, but while Abraham was still in Mesopotamia, He showed His glory.  Also even when the possibility that the promised land would be given seemed very small, God was at work.  God controlled history and Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt and became the ruler of Egypt. Next Stephen is responding to their accusation that he had turned his back on Moses.  Stephen is saying that he did not turn his back on Moses, but the opposite.  He is following Jesus Christ whom Moses had pointed out. In verse 37 Stephen is quoting Moses’ words written in Deut. Today let’s look at 3 things we can learn from the relationship of Moses and Christ.

I.                Moses is a small model of Christ. (vs.17-22)

Stephen is saying that He is not turning his back on Moses. He is explaining that Moses was pointing to Jesus and that he is following this Jesus Christ whom Moses had pointed out.  He is saying that Moses was a shadow of Jesus Christ. Moses’ birth was related to the time that God had promised to Abraham.  That promise is in verse 5 that this land would be given to his descendants.  As it became near to the fulfillment of this promise, the Israelites increased in number in Egypt.  The Pharaoh became concerned and made life even more bitterly for the Israelites and killed all male babies who were born by throwing them into the Nile River.

It was at this time that Moses was born.  Moses should have been killed too, but his mother hid him for 3 months.  Then she could hide him no longer so she put him in a papyrus basket and put it in the grasses of the Nile.  The daughter of the Pharaoh just happened to come to take a bath and found the basket.  She felt sorry for the baby and decided to raise him as her child.  Moses was raised as the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter.  Therefore, he was given an Egyptian education. As a result he had exceptional skills.

Stephen is giving us a detailed story of Moses’ life because he wants to show us the similarities between Moses and Christ.  He is saying that Moses’ birth and education was like Jesus.  According to Matt. 2:16, when Jesus was born too, the king, Herod, was having all boys 2 years old and younger living abound Jerusalem killed. This was because Herod was afraid that his kingship was being threatened.  It was like when the Pharaoh was afraid because the Israelites were increasing in Egypt and had all the male babies killed.  In Luke 2:52; 24:19 Jesus is said to be exceptional which is similar to Moses who had a royal education and gained exceptional skills. 

We can see this in verse 23 too. When Moses was 40 years old he saw an Israelite being beaten by an Egyptian, Moses killed the Egyptian.  He thought he would be understood by his fellow Israelites, but instead they asked “Who made you our ruler and lord over us?”  He was asked if he was going to kill him too.  He was not accepted and fled to Median. 

Jesus was the same.  In John 1:11 we are told that Jesus was not accepted by his own people.  He was put on a cross and killed. 

However, God didn’t forget Moses who was in Median.  40 years later God appeared to Moses in the Sinai desert and spoke to Moses the words given in verses 32-34.

God is sending out Moses to rule and liberate.  “This Moses” (35) and “This person” (36) are being emphasized.  Moses is pointing to Jesus. 

Acts 2:23, 24

Moses who was asked “Who made you our ruler and lord?” is now being sent out to be a ruler and liberator.  Jesus who the Israelites hated and put on the cross, God has raised to set us free from the slavery of sin and death.  Moses led the people, and worked many miracles and wonders in Egypt, at the Red sea, and during the 40 years in the wilderness. Also God through Christ is working many wonders and miracles among them to testify to Christ.

Vs. 37, 38

Jesus is the prophet like Moses that Moses prophesized about.  Just as Moses received the Word of God and gave it to the people at the meeting place in the desert, Jesus gave himself as the bread from heaven, and gave the Word of God to the church in the desert.  Jesus was who Moses was pointing to and who the Israelites really need to follow. Jesus said this too in John 5:45, 46

Therefore, Stephen is not blaspheming against Moses.  In fact, the Jesus that he believes in and road of Jesus that he is following is in reality what Moses was pointing to. This is the correct road. However, they aren’t able to understand this.  And they are killing Stephen who is really following Moses and the Prophets.  We all experience times like this.  We are doing what we know is right, but others don’t understand what we are doing.  Sometimes we experience hard times from the hands of our family and friends. We need to explain our thinking in love until we our understood.

II.              Israel who turned their backs on God.  (39-41)

In verse 23 we can see that the Israelites thrusted Moses away.  As a result they had to wander in the desert.  However more than that they revolted against Moses and made the golden calf and worshiped it.

Vs. 39, 41

This event occurred in the Sinai desert after Moses had saved the Israelites from the cruel Egypt.  While Moses was receiving the Law at the top of Mt. Sinai, the people got tired of waiting for Moses and they gathered around Aaron. They discussed making a God to go before them. Then they made a golden calf and worshiped it. (Exodus 32:4)  “In their hearts (they) turned back to Egypt.” (39) Even though God had set them free, they soon forgot the grace of God and looked at the problems they faced and complained to the point that they began to think Egypt was better.  We need to be careful not to make the same mistake.

The beginning of worries is the end of faith.  When things don’t go the way we want them to go, we often make golden calves, ask “Why did you lead me to this place?”, etc., but that is not trusting in God.  We need to stand on the promises of the Bible that God gives us and walk by faith.

III.            God who turned his back on Israel  (42,43)

God’s punishment upon the Israelites for turning their backs on Moses was

1.    “God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies.”  (42)  “the shrine of Molech” in verse 43 was actually the god of the Ammonites. It had the head of a cow with both arms spread out wide.  “The star of your god Rephan” also in verse 43 is a star idol that the Egyptians, Assyrians, and the Phoenicians worshiped. God’s judgment upon those who don’t follow God is to turn away from them, and let them do as they want.  In other words, He has no interest in them.  Proverbs 3:12

2.    God sends Israel into exile beyond Babylon. (43) Stephen quotes Amos 5:25-27 as translated in the Septuagint, except that he replaces Damascus with Babylon in view of the fact that the final exile of Israel from the Promised Land was carried out by the Babylonians. Amos was speaking first of the Assyrian exile of the northern kingdom.  Stephan is saying that the sin that the Israelites committed at Sinai, the sin that caused Israel to be exiled to Assyria in 721 B.C.,  and the sin that caused Israel to be exiled to Babylon in 721 were all the same sin of blaspheming  Moses and putting their own thinking first.  This is the sin of verse 51 “stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears” Stephen is saying that this is the sin of the Sanhedrin. 

This isn’t just a problem of the Israelites in Jesus’ day, but in every era and place.  Those whose hearts become hard and they blaspheme the Holy Spirit are the same as these Jews.  We need to stop having hard hearts, listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, and open our hearts.  This is the only way to avoid God’s wrath.

Romans 5:9

The only way we can be saved is by the blood of Jesus. Let’s give testimony to this fact. This is what Stephan is saying..

              Today’s passage is about Stephen.  He was one of the 7 who were chosen to distribute the food to the widows.  Here he is described as having a countenance like an angel in verse 15.  Today let’s look at 3 things that we can learn from his countenance.

I.                A person full of grace and strength (vs.8)

The signs and wonders that Stephen performed among the people were so amazing that those who witnessed them were surprised and realized that they were from God.  He performed the signs so that the people would know that Jesus was the savior that God had sent. The apostles had performed many signs and miracles (2:43; 5:12), but the miracles that Stephen performed were even more amazing.  He was able to do so because he was filled with grace and strength.

He was full of grace so he was willing to distribute the food to the widows. Also when he saw sick people, he had compassion and prayed for them.  We too need to be filled with grace.

Ephesians 2:8

Grace is a gift from God that we receive by being touched by the grace of God ourselves.  Therefore, we ourselves need to experience the grace of God.

            Stephen was also filled with strength.  This strength is the strength of the Holy Spirit. 

Acts 1:8

Stephan was filled with the Holy Spirit so he was full of strength.  He was a strong witness to the Lord whether he was performing miracles or distributing food to the widows or preaching the Gospel.  We can see in verse 10 that when he spoke no one could speak against him. Stephan was that strong.  The church needs to pray to be filled with strength so that the pastor, the church leaders, and everyone who is serving in the church can work powerfully.

II.              A person full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit  (vs. 9)

Stephen performed many miracles and signs by being filled in God’s grace and strength and as a result there were people who were opposed to him. These were the people who were in the Synagogue of the Freedmen. In 61 B.C. many Jewish slaves were brought to Rome.  They were soon set free and they and their descendants returned to Jerusalem where they began to worship in another temple than the temple that the Jews worshipped in in Jerusalem.  Their temple became known as the temple of the Freedmen.  These people had been from all parts of the world so there were Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia. Each area formed their own group within the synagogue.  They were seen as not being as religious as the Jews who had always lived in Jerusalem.  They used a Greek Bible instead of the original Hebrew one.  They didn’t worship at the official temple. Therefore, they were seen as liberal.  However, they were people who returned to Jerusalem、the center of Jewish worship and so in reality there were a lot of really religious people in this group.  For example, Paul who later became a Christian and spread Christianity through out the world, was from the Freedman temple. If you look at 21:39 you will see that he was from Tarsus, Cilicia. He was very zealous, in fact, zealous to the point that he was responsible for Stephan’s stoning. (7:58) So there were very, very zealous Jews in the Freedmen synagogue.  It was probably these zealous men that began to argue with Stephan. They were probably objecting to points about the law.  The Apostles call Jesus, Christ, the savior.  The Jews from the Freedmen synagogue could not accept that and considered the Apostles to be blaspheming God.  However, Stephen was full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit so no one was able to oppose him.  Therefore, they “secretly persuaded some men to” speak to the elders and the teachers of the law against Stephen saying that he had blasphemed against God. (11)  They managed to get the elders and teachers of the law stirred up to the point where they “seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.” (12)  Up until now it has been the elders and the teachers of the law that have persecuted the church.  Now it is the Freedmen that are the leaders in the persecution.

Proverbs 18:17

The first person to give his case is at the advantage.  The court that Stephen is standing in is the court the persecuted the apostles.  Therefore, he is facing a very difficult situation.

Next according to verses 13 and 14, they found false witnesses to testify against Stephen.  To go against the temple or law was according to the Jewish court was a death penalty.  Therefore, since they weren’t able to oppose Stephen, they are trying to kill him.  However, we can see that their witness was untrue.

1.               vs. 11. This was originally something they planned.

2.               vs. 13 The word that is used for “This fellow” is a very degrading word.  It is used again in verse in verse 14 for “this” Jesus.  Stephen would never use this word for Jesus.  Therefore, they are not using Stephen’s words, but adding their jealousy and hostility to his words.  They are using Stephen’s words for their own purposes.  This in itself shows that they were false witnesses.

3.               However, the greatest lie was that they testified that they heard that “Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” (14) This is a lie.  Jesus never said this. He said that he was going to build this holy temple.

John 2:19

              Jesus said this in reference to His house of prayer being used for a den of robbers.  In other words they were destroying the temple      Therefore, Jesus says that he is going to build the temple.        

4.           Another mistake was the temple that Jesus was talking about was his body, but they failed to understand that and considered it to be the Jerusalem temple.  Even if they were spiritually blind and didn’t understand what Jesus was saying, in reality their inability to understand came from their evil hearts and lies.  If they were responsive to Jesus they would have asked Jesus what he meant. The fact that they didn’t asked Jesus and made their own interpretation shows that they thought their thinking was correct and wanted to use Stephen to make it so.

The disciples too at first didn’t understand the meaning of what Jesus was saying.  When Jesus rose, they remembered what Jesus had said and they were able for the first time to believe in the Bible and what Jesus had said.  Also Stephen in 7:48 in his message tells us that the real temple is the body of the resurrected Lord, not the temple made by man.  Therefore, what they are testifying is not true but a result of hostility and bitterness.  They just wanted to get rid of him.  How scary this is!  We need to be careful that such thinking doesn’t grow up within us. 

Romans 12:1.2

               If we look at verse 10, we can see how Stephen reacted to the Freedmen.  He spoke to them in wisdom and by the Spirit.  

Acts 7:48

               Here Stephen is saying that God doesn’t live in a house made by hands.  This refers to the temple.  In other words, God doesn’t live in the Jewish temple, but in Christ’s body, the church.  When Jesus said that in 3 days he would build it up, he is referring to building his body, the church.  In other words, the Christian church is the replacement of the Jerusalem temple, the real house of God, the place where God lives.  This is the wisdom that he had.

Colossians 2:3

I Cor. 1:24

               This is the deep secret to how Stephen was able to perform unbelievable signs and miracles among the people.  It was because he trusted in Christ. He believed that  in Christ was God’s strength, and God’s wisdom. This gave him power.

               It doesn’t matter what problem the church has because through the resurrected Jesus Christ the life of God is running through it.  God is with us so we have nothing to fear.  The problem is that we don’t realize this and try to do things by our own power and emotions.  We can overcome any problem by following God’s will and His Word. This was Stephen’s faith.  He was full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit, grace and power.  Therefore, even if we are facing opposition like the freedmen opposed Stephen, we can have deep peace.  That is what Stephen’s countenance was like.   

III.            A countenance like an angel  (vs.15)    

This is an unbelievable record because we all when we face a situation when we are being condemned for something that we did not do, we get very upset.  However Stephen didn’t.  He had no bitterness.  His heart was not stirred up, and his countenance was like an angel. His countenance was like Jesus’ at his transfiguration. It was glowing. This was because he was speaking on God’s behalf and because he was filled with the Holy Spirit.  He trusted in his heart in the Lord and was filled with the Holy Spirit so he was able to have a countenance like an angel even in the midst of opposition.

We too need to experience life through the church of Christ that Christ promised to build up in 3 days.  And then by walking by the Word of God, be filled in the Holy Spirit.  Then no matter what circumstances we are in, we need to have a countenance like an angel.

              In verse 33 it says, “When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.”  “Heard this” refers to hearing the defense of the apostles.  The apostle’s teaching, in other words, the teaching of salvation only through the name of Jesus Christ, had spread throughout Jerusalem.  The High priest and all his associates out of jealousy arrested and put the apostles in prison. (vs.28)  However, the Word of God needed to be preached so God sent an angel that set them free and had them preach the Word of life. Therefore, the temple officers arrested them again and brought them before the Sanhedrin saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name… Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” (28)

              In response to this the apostles answer is given in verse 29. “We must obey God rather than men!” (29) Even if you command us not to do it, God has told us to do so. He has commanded us to do so.  Therefore, we are going to follow His command.  Also our God raised Jesus, whom you have put on the cross and killed, and has made him the Savior and exalted him to his own right hand. This wasn’t just to show Israel that they were wrong.  This was to make Jesus “Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.” (31)  It was so that the Jewish leaders would realize their responsibility, repent, and ask God for forgiveness. When they heard this defense, “they were furious and wanted to put them to death.” (33)  However, in the midst of this there was someone who was calm, Gamaliel. Also the apostles themselves in the midst of this continued their responsibility to share the Gospel.  In this passage 3 different attitudes towards the apostle’s defense can be seen.  These 3 attitudes are seen in all ages and in this country too. Today let’s look at these three attitudes and what kind of attitude God wants us to have.

The first attitude can be seen in verse 33, the attitude of the High Priest and all his associates.  The second is in verses 34-40 in the proposal of Gamaliel.  The third is the attitude of the apostles themselves in verses 41 and 42.

I.                The furious people (33)

“They” in verse 33 are the High Priest and all of his associates. (21, 27)  “Furious” is extreme anger that controls both our heart and mind.  Why were they so furious?

1.                                  They had wrong preconceived doctrine.  The apostles are saying that Jesus who is supporting them is the true Messiah.  The reason for their belief is the cross and resurrection.  Therefore, in verse 30 they say, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead-whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.”  The fact that Jesus who died on the cross and rose 3 days later proves that Jesus is the Savior. However, this proof made no sense to them. It made no sense to them because they didn’t believe in miracles.  The Sadducees which made up the Sanhedrin rejected the idea of a spiritual world and only believed in natural things that they could perceive in their brains, but other than God and Moses, they wouldn’t accept anything that they couldn’t understand logically.  Therefore, they not only couldn’t accept Jesus’ resurrection, but they saw it as disobeying God and thus such people should be killed. Their preconceived idea that a dead person could never be resurrected caused them to be against Jesus’ resurrection and made the argument that following Christ was actually following God meaningless.

2.                                  The second reason was pride.  They were the highest authority in the temple.  The apostles criticized them saying, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead-whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.” Therefore, becoming furious was natural.  When their pride is hurt, sinful man’s attitude is anger.  The other day on T.V. Tamori and Atsushi were talking about what kind of attitude you should take when you have a fight with your spouse. Atsushi said, “I never say, ‘I’m sorry’.”  Until the other person comes and apologizes, he doesn’t make any contact at all.  When the other person apologizes, he says, “O.K. I’ll forgive you.”  He says that this works well.  Tamori commented that that was really immature. A person that is good at marriage relationships does not take that kind of attitude. That type of person throws away his pride.  A husband throws away his pride and from his end apologizes.  That’s how a mature person that is good at marriage relationships thinks.  I thought Tamori knows what he is saying. An immature person is set in his thinking and position.  A really mature person can throw them away.  Christ was God, but he was able to throw his position away and become a person that served others.  He became human.  Not only did he become human, but he humbled himself to the cross.  (Phil. 2:6-8)

The High priest and his associates were the opposite of that.  They weren’t able to throw away their authority and positions. They couldn’t accept the criticism of the apostles. Instead, they tried to get rid of them. They weren’t able to change their thinking or opinion. They had an illusion that they would be able to show that they were right.  Because they couldn’t change, they became hysteric and furious.  We need to realize what God is doing, and not decide truth according to our own strength or authority. We need to interpret what events mean spiritually, accept the message that God is giving us, and follow the Lord’s will.  Then our heart will really be peaceful.  To be stuck in our own thinking, to have to have our own way is like a radio that isn’t tuned to a station.  You can’t hear the program that you want to hear.  Under such conditions you will never have peace.  You need to be tuned to channel of Gods will. Only by following God’s will you be able to find peace.

When do you get angry?  When you aren’t recognized by others?  When you are the center of gossip? When someone uses your things?  When someone didn’t keep their promise?  When someone betrays you? When others receive more respect than you?  No matter when it is, when you need to throw away yourself, give it all to the Lord, and accept the fact, and you will be freed from the anger.  If like the High priest and his associates, you try to protect your position, then it shows that you are still immature.  When you try to stick to you own thinking, then you can’t grow.  No matter what situation you are in, you need to find spiritual meaning in it, catch the message that the Lord is giving through it, follow the Lord’s will, and take the attitude that it will help you mature.

II.              Gamaliel’s proposal (vs.34-39)

Here “a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people” appears. He was a teacher of the law and a Pharisee, but he was different from other teachers of the law.  He was honored by all the people.  According to Acts 22:3, he was the great apostle Paul’s teacher so he was a high ranking teacher.  At that time in the Jewish world he was from the most popular Hillel school.  The man who started the Hillel school was possibly his grandfather. Usually the teachers of the law out of respect were called Rabbi, but those Rabbi who were really high level were called Rabban. Within the Jewish history there aren’t many teachers who were called Rabban.  The first person to be called Rabban was Gamaliel.  Jewish traditions expressed his importance by saying, “When Rabban Gamaliel, the Elder died, the glory of the Law ceased and purity and abstinence died.”

This Gamaliel stood up in the middle of the Sanhedrin and “ordered that the men (apostles) be put outside for a little while.” (34)  Then he addressed the Sanhedrin encouraging them to think carefully as to how they were going to handle the apostles.  There was a Jewish revolutionist who said he would the divide the Jordan River and people rallied to him.  He was killed by the Romans and “all his followers were dispersed.” (36)  Also there was Judas the Galilean who led a revolt, but “He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.” (37) Therefore, he suggested that they leave the apostles alone too. “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.” (38, 39)                

Gamaliel was certainly a teacher to be respected .  He made a perfect proposal.

1.                                  We can see a deep trust in God.  He didn’t try to do things in his own strength, but left everything in the hands of God’s providence.  He had a deep trust in God and obeyed him.

2.                                  For him the apostles were a completely different type of people. Even towards people with different opinions and principles, he never lost a kind spirit.

3.                                  By sending the apostles who were hated out of the room for a while, he tried to bring calmness back to the room. He can be given credit for trying to control his emotions.

In other words, His attitude was a deep trust in God and obedience; kindness towards people with different opinions; controlled his emotions; in every aspect he used great care and properness. Indeed, he was a Rabban, a great teacher.

Shuraierumahar (spelling ?) said, “The Lord wanted to tell him more than any one else, ‘you are not far from the kingdom of God.”  Also in the old church legends there was stories that Gamaliel quietly became a Christian, and then with his son and Rabbi Nicodemus were baptized by Peter and John.

He is a perfect example of when you are among overwhelming different opposing views, to say what is right, and when you don’t know what God’s will is, to be patient. This passage has a lot of things to teach me I think.  Over and over again I make mistakes because I start to do something before I check to see if it is the Lord’s will or not. Also his words had power to influence everyone not because his opinion was just logical and outstanding, but because his life was one that he was respected by all people.  That means that we too should strive to listen to and follow the Word of God. Then we will be filled by the Holy Spirit, and by receiving the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and power, we will be a good witness to those around us. 

However, is Gamaliel’s attitude really to be praised? If his opinion was really accepted, then why do we see in verse 40 that the apostles were whipped, charged not to speak in the name of Jesus before they were freed? This is not leaving the men alone. That is not something that people who are persuaded by Gamaliel’s proposal would do. What does this mean?

Yasuo Sakibara in the commentary that he wrote he said that if Gamaliel was really a person with understanding and if his words were really persuasive, then the apostles would not have been treated like that.  They would have left everything in God’s hands and quietly waited for the Lord’s leading. The fact that they treated the apostles like that shows that Gamaliel’s plan to do nothing, tells us in reality it was not the kind plan like we are thinking of.  His attitude of kindness, looked like he had understanding, but in reality there was no will to follow it If the apostles work from men or if it was God, even if it was just from one of them, they couldn’t just “”Leave these men alone!” (38) If it was from God, could they say “Oh, so. It’s from God. Then what shall we do. Wait a minute.  I’m busy right now.  I’ll believe a little later.” They couldn’t say that. If there was any possibility, they would have enthusiastically looked into it.  However, we can’t see any attitude like that. This shows that they had no intention to follow it.

Therefore, Gamaliel’s attitude looks at a glance as being fair. It looks like there’s understanding, but in reality there is a problem in their respect for the living God. “Leave these men alone”, is not a real concern about whether it is from God or not.  What is needed is like what the apostles said, “We must obey God rather than men!” (29) This can be seen in us today too I think.  Even though the truth is clear, in order to avoid it, we always stand looking on.  We don’t jump into it.  This is the Japanese way.  At a glance it looks good. However, if it is truth, either you follow it or you are against it.  There is no way you can be a outside person looking in.

Rev. 3:15-20

The Lord is knocking at the door of our heart. Don’t be satisfied in yourself. You say you are rich. You have acquired wealth. You say that you lack nothing.  To become a really rich person we need to put salve on our eyes so that we can see clearly and see that we are satisfied with a lukewarm faith. We need to realize that we are really poor, and then earnestly depend on the Lord.  The Lord wants us to become that king of our heart.  For that reason he is standing and knocking at the door to our heart.  The Lord  knocks at the door so that the Christians in the Laodicea church would not be content in their condition and that there would be no lukewarm Christians there. It was also discipline from the Lord.

Every morning when I get up, the first thing I do is drink coffee. After sitting in the sofa and drinking hot coffee, I begin my work of the day.  It’s not after I pray.  It’s after I drink my coffee.  However, the coffee must be hot.  I can’t drink lukewarm coffee.  God is the same.  God wants us to be either hot or cold.  He doesn’t want us just looking on.  He wants us to have a faith where we respond enthusiastically to the challenges of the Lord. This means that Gamaliel’s attitude was at a glance one of trusting the Lord and being kind to others and he had an amazing ability to keep himself calm. However that wasn’t the response that God wanted.  Then what kind of attitude does God want us to have.  Next let’s look at this.

III.            Rejoicing that you have been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Jesus. (41,42)

The Sanhedrin influenced by Gamaliel, called the apostles back in, whipped them, told them they were not to preach in the name of Christ and then set them free.  When they left, they rejoiced that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Jesus. Then “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 Christ.” (42) It’s unbelievable.  When they suffered disgrace for the name of Jesus, they weren’t sad, but rejoiced.  It was thought that to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus meant having a very difficult and important experience.  Jesus taught this too.

Luke 6:22,23

I Peter 4:14,16

To suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus is something for Christians to rejoice about. This is because it is the Lord’s will.  The joy we have is from the Lord.  It comes from having our hearts satisfied by the Lord.  In general we think of joy being selfish, coming from something we gained or from being praised. That kind of joy we have when we are content, but other times it disappears.  However the joy that Jesus gives is different.  It does not depend upon circumstances. 

Phil. 4:11

Paul was able to say this because the joy that Paul had was different from  selfish joy because it was from God. He tells us this secret in Phil. 4:12,13

The key to his victory was Jesus Christ.  Joy is having your heart satisfied by Christ.  The Sanhedrin thought that joy was produced by having their claims accepted and having their authority recognized. Also, not like Gamaliel, they didn’t find their joy by trying to take a position in the middle of the road so that they would be like by others, but instead found joy in living to proclaim Jesus’ name.

This is the characteristic of Christians. It’s wonderful. Even if we are not accepted by many people and we have been left out history and have suffered disgrace, for the sake of Jesus Christ it becomes the source of our joy in Christ.  Christians have had victory in this world by having this kind of stable joy.

Nobumichi Murakami from the Japanese Holiness Church whose father was also a Pastor too during the middle of the war was put in prison.  The church was disbanded, and they were not allowed to meet. At that time Rev. Murakami was in Aomori and his mother supported the rest of the family by putting little bags on the apples. Rev. Murakami said that when he grew up his mother was experiencing many troubles.  As a child it seemed unbelievable that even though his father had been arrested and put in prison, his mother was always singing praises. Her face was always smiling. It wasn’t because she hated the father.  It was because the suffering was for the Lord, Jesus Christ. His mother often said, “Dad is suffering for Jesus, so he must be happy.”  Because of the era he lived in, Rev. Murakami was often called “a child of the spy” at school and other children would throw stones at him.  Then his mother would encourage him by saying, “Today you suffered for Jesus so your prizes in heaven increased.” Because his father was sick he was able to be released from prison after several months.  However there were many pastor who died in the prisons. In present day Japan where there is peace and freedom, it is hard to believe that such things happened before during the war.

We can’t say for sure that this will not happen again in the future.  Even if this doesn’t happen, we may be disgraced in other ways.  We need to be like the apostles and rejoice that we are worthy to share in it.  We need to be prepared for it.  This is the attitude that Jesus wants us to have in every age and every place.

Last week we saw how the church continued to grow. We saw that the church met the needs of the society by doing many signs and wonders.  As a result the church grew even more and more.  According to verse 28 the church spread to Jerusalem and was so forceful that it caused a negative reaction among some people.

              This caused persecution to arise. This is the second time that the church faced persecution.  Only Peter and John were arrested in the first persecution.  This time all the apostles were arrested.  Therefore, it was a dangerous persecution.

              However, God sent an angel and the apostles were miraculously set free.  The angel told them in verse 20, “Go, stand in the temple courts, and tell the people the full message of this new life.”  Today let’s look at 3 aspects of what the angel said.

I.                Tell the full message of new life

This is a command from God.

This is the second time for the High priest and all his associates to arrest the apostles.  The first time was when Peter and John used Christ as an example of resurrection of the dead.  The High priest and all his associates didn’t know what to do so they arrested the apostles and put them in prison. (4:2, 3)  This time many people came to the disciples and arrested them and put them in prison.  They did this out of jealousy. The apostles performed many signs and miracles and the church continued to grow.  Therefore, there were many other religious leaders who were jealous.  Jealously rarely takes place for a proper reason.  It usually takes place because things are not going well for the person who becomes jealous.  It is a sign of self center ness. We are all prone to this emotion.  We compare ourselves with others.  We are happy when we are something to be proud of and depressed and jealous when others rate better than us.  When jealousy becomes strong then it hurts others.  This is what was happening here. There was nothing wrong with the work of the apostles.  In fact, in reality it was a very positive thing they were doing.  People were being set free from their worries and sufferings, they were being saved.  What they were doing was wonderful.  The problem was that the High priests and Sadducees were afraid of their positions.

            However, God sent an angel and set them free.  Before when Peter and John were is prison, God sent an angel to set them free too.  However, God did not send an angel every time they were imprisoned. The reason that God did this time is given in verse 20.  They were to “go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.” 

              What is this new life?

I Thess. 2:13

              It is the Word of God that is alive and continuing to work in our lives.  Also it gives life to those who believe.  The Bible is the Word of God and gives life to those who believe.  The apostles were not to preach only parts of the Word of God, but the whole message.  At this point the apostles hadn’t taught the whole Word of God.  Therefore, if the Apostles stayed in prison, evangelism and education would stop.  Therefore, God sent an angel and miraculously set them free.

              Therefore, the Apostles who were sent free by the angel, “At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.” (21) They went to the temple courts because that was where the believers were meeting.  They needed to be fed by hearing “the whole message”.  Also the temple courts were the place where the citizens of the city came to and thus was a place for evangelism.  By preaching the message of life, it was a good opportunity for people to receive salvation.

          However, they went to the temple courts at daybreak.  At daybreak it seems like there wouldn’t be anyone there.  In verse 21 it says they “began to teach the people.” Therefore, we know that there were people there. We can sense the zealousness of the early church.　

There are some people that think that since they were set free, it seems ridiculous to do something that might cause them to be put in prison again.　However, that is not so. Even if we are in a situation where we might be imprisoned, it is necessary to preach the Word of life because by it evangelism and education will take place.

II Timothy 4:2

At all times we need to use every opportunity to evangelize.  Then God will work a mighty work.

              In II Kings 5 Naman is healed of a skin disease because of a little girl who told him that if he went to Elijah’s place that he would probably be healed.  Something that we say may influence someone we know to receive the words of life.  “If you go to that persons place…” “If you came to church,…” etc.  Even though we may be imprisoned, we need to use every minute, every opportunity to preach the Words of life.  This is what the angel came to tell us.

II.              We must obey God rather than men

It is the will of God that we preach the Words of life.  The Sanhedrin assembled planning to try the apostles.  “They sent to the jail for the apostles.”(21)  However, the officers could not find them and not only that but the jail was “securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors”; but no one was inside.(23) Everyone was puzzled.  Then someone came and reported to them that the apostles “are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” (25) Therefore, “the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles.  They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.” (26)

At the Sanhedrin the High Priest had two complaints against the apostles.  One was “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name… Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching.” (28)  In other words they have committed the crime of disobeying the command that was given them at the first persecution.   The second complaint was that the apostles were “determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” (28) “This man’s” refers to Jesus Christ. When the people were trying to get Pilate to order Jesus to be crucified, they said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:25)  Now the apostles are trying to get the people to realize their sin.

In reply to the first complaint, Peter and the other apostles says, “We must obey God rather than men!” ((29) They are saying that they are right in doing what they were doing.  All authority is from God who is the ultimate authority. If any authority asks us to do something that is against the will of God, the ultimate authority, then we need to obey God.  Not to preach the Gospel is against the will of God. Therefore, the apostles need to obey God, not them.

Mark 16:15

Matt. 28:19,20

II Timothy 4:2

I Peter 2:4

The Word of God tells us that God wants us to preach “this name”. It is the will of God.  To stop doing so is not the will of God. When we share our faith we need to have the same confidence that what we are doing is the will of God.

We need to always choose to follow God’s will.  Then God will guide us.  To tell the people the full message of new life is to follow God and that is what he wants us to do.

III.            The Holy Spirit will witness (30-33)

In reply to their second complaint that the apostles were “determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood” (28) Peter and the apostles said, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead-whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.” (30,31) “hanging him on a tree” means to put him on the cross. In the Old Testament “hanging on a tree” was used as a death penalty for those who were cursed.  Therefore, the apostles are saying that the Jewish Sanhedrin hung Jesus on the tree as a cursed person.  However, God’s judgment was different than their judgment.  God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to his own right hand. God blessed Him double over. 

The fact that God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to his own right hand wasn’t just to show Israel that they were wrong.  This was to make Jesus “Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.” (31)  It was so that the Jewish leaders would realize their responsibility, repent, and ask God for forgiveness.

This isn’t just them, but us too.  We too didn’t know who Christ was, and followed others and our own selves rather God.  We realized that and repented and were forgiven.  However, we did not do this on our own.  It was by the work of the Holy Spirit.  Evangelism isn’t just talking about the historical fact of Jesus’ cross and resurrection.  It isn’t an intellectual debate.  The essence of evangelism is in verse 32

We are witnesses to the repentance and forgiveness of sins of Jesus who has been exalted and raised to the right hand of God. The Holy Spirit who is given to all who believe in Christ is also a witness. Evangelism is the work of the Holy Spirit who gives new life to those who believe.  The Holy Spirit brings us salvation, purifies us, and uses us as His instrument to spread the words of life.

Therefore, we should look forward expectantly to how the Holy Spirit is going to use us.  God is alive and working today.  Let’s believe this and be a faithful witness to the Lord.  The command that we have received is to “tell the people the full message of new life.” (20) That’s the will of God.  When we follow the Lord’s will, then the Holy Spirit will witness.

According to verse 16 the church continued to grow. One reason was because of the incident with Ananias and Sapphira, the church was fearing God and walking with Him.  In other words, the church was purified.  Today’s passage continues to teach us why the early church continued to grow.  Let’s look at this.

I.                The rapid progress of the church (vs.13,14)

Here the words that describe the progress of the early church are “highly regarded in verse13 and “added to their numbers” in verse 14. “No one else” in verse 13 refers to non Christians.  Non Christians didn’t dare to come into the early church’s fellowship. However, they respected Christians. In other words, the people who heard about Ananias and Sapphira were fearful and didn’t want a deep relationship with the church.  However, they respected the Christians.  Present Japan is the same.  According to a recent poll, 36% of the people interviewed said if they had to choose a religion, they would choose Christianity.  However, only 1% of Japan is Christian.  Like the early church there were many who respected Christians, but they had no desire of actually believing in Christ.  However, in the early church, even so, people continued to come into the Church.

In verse 14 we are told that the church added to its numbers. Even though the people did not want to come into the fellowship of the church, the numbers increased. The people did not want to come into the fellowship of the church.  However, as they saw people healed they too began to fear God.  “Nevertheless” in verse 14 means that even though the people did not want to come into the fellowship of the church, not only did they respect the Christians, but also the church continued to grow.  And the sick and those who had evil spirits were healed.  Next let’s look at why the early church so strongly progressed.

II.              Lot’s of signs and amazing works (vs.12)

John 14:12

What is more important than doing a lot of signs and wonders is understanding what the signs and wonders are showing us.  These are the principles upon which we need to base our ministry.

1.                                  The signs and wonders were an answer to their prayers.  In Acts 4:30 they prayed that the Lord would “stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” What they prayed for is happening here.  They would never have been able to perform such signs and amazing works without prayer.  This means that whether the apostles are in the church or not, the church can do nothing without prayer.  In order for the church to do such amazing works that unbelievers will respect the church, the church must pray.

2.                                  For the wonders that the church performs to cause people to respect Christians and accept the faith, the wonders must meet the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of the people.  The early church’s evangelism wasn’t separated from the concerns and problems of daily life.  At the same time the evangelism wasn’t concerned only with the concerns and problems of daily life.  Their evangelism was concerned with both their daily life and their spiritual life.  By solving the problems of daily life, they were able to lead people to real spiritual salvation.  This is the real wonder of salvation.  The church performed such wonders so they were respected by so many non Christians.

We need to pray and go out into the world where people have worries and concerns and pray for answers to their problems.  We need to bring light.  Then we will be respected by non Christians, and people will come to the faith.  This was the early Church’s works of love.

III.            Being one in heart (vs. 12)

One other reason the church progressed was because they were one in heart. The church used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. (vs.12)  The church had grown too big to meet in a home so they met in the temple at Solomon’s Colonnade.  Such a meeting surprised the world. The energy and bigness of such a meeting amazed everyone. 

No matter how much the church talks about the kingdom of God, if they don’t meet together in one heart and show themselves to the world, those of the world, non Christians will not think that the kingdom of God has come.  Nor will they even realize that there are Christians around them.  When Christians meet in one heart together, they show the world that they are really God’s people. 

Hebrews 10:25

The first church was respected by non Christians, and people continued to increase because the early church prayed for signs and wonders.  They performed wonders of love.  They met together in one heart. We want to be this kind of church.

This is not just on the church level.  We need to individually reach out to other people.  We need to become someone respected by other people.  We need to pray.  We need to think about how we can reach out to those who are facing problems and worries.  That will speak to other people’s hearts.  Both as individuals and as a church we need to pray, love from our heart and be one in heart.  This is why the early church grew.  This is the type of person that we want to be and the kind of church that we want to be. Then we will see the church progressing like the early church. 

              Today’s passage begins with the word, “now”.  This means this passage has to do with what is said previously.  Just before this we are told about the deep fellowship of the early church.  They were “one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” (4:32) Then we are given the wonderful example of Barnabas who “sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.” (4:37) This shows how much the love of God moved everyone to do what they could do to help.  Then the next verse starts with, “now”.  In the midst of this beautiful fellowship of love, something happened to destroy it.  That was the incident of Ananias and Sapphira. They sold their property and brought part of the money and put it at the apostle’s feet.  They kept part of the money for themselves.  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?” (3) 

              This is a difficult passage to understand because God is full of love and grace.  We all sin, but God forgives those that believe in him.  There is no judgment for those who believe. Therefore, it is difficult to understand why Ananias and Sapphira were judged.  Today let’s try to make sense out of this passage as we think about how we should live.

I.                The problem with Ananias and Sapphira (vs.1-4)

Barnabas and many of the people in the early church sold their possessions and land and gave it to the church.  As a new church not only were the poor in the church helped, but probably money was needed for starting the church and evangelism.  Therefore, it was wonderful how everyone was willing to do what they could to help.  Ananias and Sapphira also sold land and gave part of the money to the church.  Even though it was part of the money that was still a great thing for them to do.  However, Peter said that they were lying to God and they died. Let’s look at what their problem was.

1.           They stole from God so they were lying to God.  It was their land, but when they decided to give the money to God, it became God’s.  They took part of the money out like as if it was their own.   

           Acts. 4:34, 35

              Usually when the early church members sold their possessions, they brought all the money and put it at the disciple’s feet.  Ananias and Sapphira did the same except they kept part for themselves.  The problem was when they decided to sell the land, they had already decided to give the money to the church so the money was God’s. 

              This can be seen in　verses 2 and 3.  “kept back”.  This word is used only one other time in the New Testament.  That is in Titus 2:10.  There it is translated as “steal”.    They took out some of the money that they had planned to give to God and gave the rest like they were really giving their all to God. It made them look really spiritual, when in fact they weren’t giving their all. Therefore, Peter is saying that they aren’t lying to men, but to God. The land was theirs so there was no problem with them selling the land and using the money for themselves.  However, it became a problem because they promised to give the money to God so it was God’s, but they didn’t give it all so they were stealing from God. This is why in verse 9 it says that they tested the Holy Spirit.

              2.           Also they were lying to the community of love, the church. This is the opposite of 4:32-37.  Ananias and Sapphira did not have the same heart and mind as everyone else.  Instead as a couple they put their hearts together. (2, 9) They didn’t live within the fellowship of the church, but instead lived by their own thinking.  They closed their hearts to the needs of other Christians.  In other words, they weren’t living by the new life of Christians.  They were destroying the almost perfect fellowship of the church by their self centerness, slyness, and lying.

II.              The judgment of God (vs.5,6)

Galatians 6:1

Throughout the Bible especially the New Testament we are taught that God forgives all our sins when we repent. Therefore, it is hard to understand why God punished Ananias and Sapphira so severely. The hint is in verse 5 and 11.  It brought holy fear.  It made the church realize that God is alive.  The church needs this kind of holy fear.  When the church is progressing well, it tends to forget this holy fear.  They forget that God is God.  Then sin starts to grow within the church and the church is destroyed.  It is only when the church really fears God that it moves forward.  The incidence of Ananias and Sapphira made the church aware of the great effect of sin and the need to eliminate it from the church.

III.            Fearing God (vs.13,14)

As a result of this incidence, there were no nonChristians who wanted to join the Christian fellowship. However, the non Christians respected the Christians. The numbers of people that accepted Christ increased.  This doesn’t seem to make sense. What this passage is saying is that nonChristians too became fearful by the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira so no one wanted to join the Christian fellowship.  However, at the same time the non Christians respected the non Christians and many people were saved.  By accepting Christ they were brought into the fellowship of the church. 

Eccles. 12:13

Fearing God is everything. 

Let’s fear God and put our hearts and minds together.

              At Pentecost after Peter preached 3,000 people were saved.  Then after the lame man was healed and Peter preached 5,000 men were added to the church. The church was persecuted, but it continued to preach the gospel and the church grew.

              In today’s passage we can see how the church was internally.  The church didn’t just grow numerically, but was a fellowship of love.  Actually, it was because of the fellowship of love, the church grew.  Today let’s look at this fellowship of love.

I.                The church is a community of love (vs. 32)

The church was one in heart and mind and they shared what they had with each other. They sold their possessions and land and divided it up among everyone. However, we can see that this is not communal living.

1.               “his possessions”  Each person had his own possessions.

2.               In chapter 5 Annaias and Sapphira’s sin was not that they didn’t sell part of the land and saved it for themselves, but that they took out money from the money that they received when they sold the land for themselves, and lied saying that that was all the money.  That wasn’t necessary because according the verse 4 that was their land.  The money that they received from selling it was theirs to use as they wanted. 

3.               “There was no needy person among them.” (vs. 34)  This does not mean  that everyone was the same.  There were some poor, some rich, but no one was needy. 

Therefore this passage is not suggesting communal living.  What it is suggesting is a way of thinking.  They were one in heart and mind so as a result no one thought that their possessions were their own.  As it was necessary they shared their possessions with others.  They were able to naturally share their possessions because they had that way of thinking.  In order for us to have that kind of action we have to have that kind of thinking.

Matt. 12:34

What is important is not what we say, but what we are thinking.  What we are thinking is what we will say.  In order to share our possessions, we have to have that kind of thinking.  The first church was like this.  Their heart and mind were one.

Romans 12:15

Their fellowship was a fellowship of sharing joy and sadness.  Therefore, their fellowship was a fellowship of love.  Therefore, “No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” (32) They did not share because they had to, but out of love.  They thought of others before themselves.  As a result, “much grace was upon them all.” (vs. 33)

II.              Their fellowship of love was power for evangelism. (33)

When the believers were one in heart and shared their possessions, then they were able to in great power witness to Christ. The source of “great power” was their deep fellowship. 

John 17:21

Matt. 5:38-44

When the church is a community that loves each other, then it will be able to witness in great power.  Also they will be blessed.

III.            As a member of the community of love (vs. 34- 37)

The members of the early church tried to live by love.  In verse 36 and 37 Barnabas who is called Joseph is introduced. Later Barnabas will be responsible for introducing Paul to the church and pulled Paul into the lime light.  To convince the church who had been persecuted by Paul and was fearful of him to accept him was a very difficult thing to do.  Therefore he was accepted not into the Jerusalem church, but into the Antioch church. When the Antioch Church sent out missionaries, they chose Paul. As a result the Gospel was spread throughout the world. It was Barnabas that led Paul to that work.  He was truly the “Son of encouragement.”  Why does Luke mention Barnabas here.

1.               In Acts Barnabas will appear many times so Luke decides to introduce him here.

2.               vs.34 and 35’s wonderful fellowship of love is an explanation to how Barnabas was able to show love.  Barnabas was a Levite. Levites couldn’t own their own land.  They were to serve the Lord and their inheritance was God Himself.  However, the other tribes gave 1/10^th of their land to the Levites so they began to have land.

Jeremiah 32:9

Therefore, there were Levites who owned land like Barnabas.  Barnabas sold his land and gave the money to the church.  This was because he saw the poor and felt pity on them.  He was living by the love of God.  It was because in one heart and mind he was praying in the early church.  It doesn’t matter how much property a person has.  What is important is how much he is living in the Love of God, how much he is praying in one heart and mind.  This is what Luke wanted to tell us. Barnabas means encouragement.  However, Barnabas wasn’t so naturally.  He became so by the love of God. 

              Let’s live like Barnabas.  We need to realize that the church is a community of love, and live in the love of God that flows through the church. To do that we need to have the same heart and thinking as Jesus.  Also we need to remember that we are a member of this community of love and pray in one heart and mind.

Peter and John were arrested after healing the lame man, were brought before the Sanhedrin, and then finally were released.  Then Peter and John went to the Christians and told them everything that had happened.  In verse 24 we are told that the Christians who heard the report prayed.  They didn’t speak comforting words to Peter and John or talk about what they should do, they just began praying.  Today let’s look at their prayer.  We have already seen the early church praying many times, but this is the first time that their prayer is clearly written so today let’s look at how they prayed. 

I.                A prayer that recognizes the sovereignty of God. (vs. 24)

First, they prayed to God, “Sovereign Lord”.  After calling God the “Sovereign Lord” they prayed, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” They are affirming in prayer that the God we believe in made heaven and earth and all that is in it, controls and directs human history, and in the same way today He continues to control all things.

In verse 29 they prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats”.  They were threatened. They had been threatened by the Sanhedrin so the most important thing that they needed to do was not to look at the threats, but to look at the “Sovereign Lord” who controls all things.  In the midst of the threats they needed to believe that the Lord who controls them has complete control over all things and is even in control of the things that have just happened.  By having that faith the early church was able to preach boldly the word of God.

Matt. 10:28-31

When we look at our circumstances, we have many fears and concerns.  Thus we can’t preach the Gospel boldly. Therefore, it is important that we don’t look at our circumstances, but look at God and who He is. We shouldn’t look at our problems, but at how great God is. The God that we believe in is the creator of all heaven and earth. We need to remember that He controls all and we will be able to overcome all circumstances.

Phil. 4:13 We need to believe this verse.  Like the early church when we have problems we need to keep our eyes focused on God who made heaven and earth and who controls all things, and pray.

II.              A prayer that has assurance of the Lord’s will  (vs. 25-28)

Secondly they believed that even this situation was in the Lord’s hand. In these verses the church is praying Psalms 2. They are praying this Psalm because through this Psalm they were able to see the purpose of the persecution that were facing.  In other words, they realized that the persecution that they were facing was not just by coincidence, but had been prophesized from the time of the Old Testament.  That prophecy was this Psalm. This prophecy was fulfilled explicitly in the cross. (vs. 27)  The cross was decided by God from the beginning of time. 

Thus persecution is natural for those who follow Christ and preach Christ’s cross.

John 15:18-20

Therefore, the early church did not pray for the Lord to stop the persecution or to not allow the persecution.  Instead they prayed, “consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your work with great boldness.” (vs. 29) They prayed like this because through the Bible they had received assurance that the persecution that they were experiencing was in the plans of God.

This is important not just in persecution, by throughout our lives.  In our life unexpectantly many things happen that make us feel like our life is falling apart: sickness, accidents, our company goes bankrupt, lost a job, death, etc.  There are 3 main ways to face such problems.

1.               Look at the problem and suffer the rest of your life. 

2.               Try to avoid looking at the problem.  Don’t think about the problem. This is called “running away from the problem.

3.               Look at the problem and through the problem see a new world that you would never have seen if there had never been a problem.  This is the way of those who realize that God’s hands are in all things.

In our life many things happen.  However in each problem we need to see God’s hand in it and find the meaning of it. This is how the early church was.  They saw the meaning of their persecution and threats through the Bible.  Then their persecution wasn’t just something that causes them to suffer, but something that was the will of God who promised from the Old Testament times that those who love Him will have. Therefore, they were able proclaim the Word of God boldly.

III.            A prayer of the assurance of commission (vs. 29-30)

Here they are praying for 2 things. 

1.               For God to look upon their threats.  In their persecution and threats they want God who has a plan and who knows the meaning of what is happening to look upon their persecution.  If God looks upon their persecution then they are satisfied. That is all they need.

2.               “enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (vs. 29) This persecution started because Peter and John healed the lame man.  Even so the early church prayed that God will “perform miraculous signs and wonders” and heal even though that might cause them to continue to be persecuted. 

They were able to pray this way because they realized what their commission was.  Rather than a safe and peaceful life, they wanted to fulfill their commission.  Their only hope was to witness to God’s Word. Jesus was the same.  No matter how much he was persecuted, he continued to preach the Word God.  This is because Jesus felt it was for this reason that he was sent.

Luke 4:43

Jesus knew why he came to this world.  It was to spread the news of God’s kingdom. Jesus wants us to do the same.

Matt. 28:19-20

This is the Lord’s will so they prayed that they would be able to boldly proclaim the Gospel.

When they prayed, the place where they were praying was shaken and everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit.  They proclaimed the Word of God boldly.  This showed the presence of Christ.  They were able to proclaim the Word of God boldly in the face of persecution because they had prayed, and were filled with the Holy Spirit.  In order to boldly proclaim the Gospel we need to pray and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The early church prayed recognizing the sovereignty of God who controls all things, and works through History.  Not only that, but they realized that the persecution and threats that they were experiencing was within the deep plans of God.  They believed that all things were happening within the will of God. Therefore, all we need to do is proclaim boldly the word of God.  This is the will of God.  We are commissioned to do so.  If we pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit, God will be with us and fill us with His Spirit.  This is the kind of prayer we need to pray. Even if we are under persecution, we need to pray that we can boldly proclaim the Word of God and that God’s glory will be shown.

II Cor. 3:8-10

              Peter and John healed the lame man, and thus were seized and brought before the Jewish supreme court, the Sanhedrin.  The Sanhedrin wanted to know by what authority they healed the man.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter explained that it was by the name of Jesus Christ whom they had crucified and whom God had raised from the dead.  It is only through Him that a person can be saved.  There is no other name by which we can be saved.  They boldly shared the Gospel. The leaders were really surprised.  Peter and John were unlearned, common people, but they were boldly speaking.  Preaching the Word of God boldly was one of the characteristics of the first church.  In 4:29,30 they prayed to be able to speak the Word of God boldly.  Then they did just that. (13:46;14:3;18:26;19:8;26:26;28:31) Today let’s look at why they were able to speak so boldly.

I.                They were with Jesus (vs.13)

The Jewish leaders were surprised at Peter and John’s boldness because they were unlearned. The word, “unlearned” means “they can’t read and write”. Therefore, they had never officially studied the law (Bible). Therefore, to the rabbis and leaders it seemed surprising that Peter and John could speak so boldly and freely.  The reason that they could speak so boldly is given in verse 13, “they took note that these men had been with Jesus”. “To take note” means “to realize”.  Therefore the Sanhedrin realized, they understood, that the reason Peter and John could speak so boldly was because they had been with Jesus.  In other words, they realized that Peter and John’s boldness was from Jesus.  They probably remembered that Jesus was the same. (John 7:15)  If you are with some for a long time, you begin to be like that person.  The disciples had been with Jesus so they were able to be bold.  However, that boldness was not from themselves, but as a result of a deep relationship with Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are the same.  We may be weak, but Jesus is strong. We may be unlearned and just an ordinary person, but God will give us the power to speak boldly.  If we are with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit Jesus will give us strength and we will be able to boldly share the Word of God.

II.              The healed person is standing (vs. 14)

Another reason that Peter and John were able to preach boldly is they had proof.  There was the reality of salvation. There was the reality of change.  If the discussion in the Sanhedrin was just a debate, then Peter and John may have not been so bold, but they could speak boldly because the man who was healed was standing there with them.  The man was proof of what they were saying so there was nothing that the Sanhedrin could say. (vs.14)  In verse 21 we are told, “all the people were praising God for what had happened.”  People were changed because of what they saw. 

No matter how much the church claims that there is salvation in no other than Christ, if there are no saved Christians that are filled with joy, then evangelism will be very weak.  However, if there are Christians who saved, they are filled with joy and are worshipping God, then the evangelism will have more power than just the words. Powerful evangelism takes place when a person is saved and the Gospel works within his heart and his life is changed to a life of praise.  In other words, evangelism does not take place just because there is a preacher.  It takes place when those who are saved live a faithful church life and pure life and stand beside the preacher. Therefore we need to live the Gospel, and experience grace and power.  We need to know that the Gospel changes people and gives them life, and then we can boldly proclaim the Gospel. Those who hear our preaching will not be able to say anything against us.

III.            What is right before God (vs.19,20)

Thirdly Peter and John were bold because they had confidence that what they were doing was right before God.  The Sanhedrin couldn’t say anything because they could see the man who was healed standing there.  Therefore, they ordered Peter and John “to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.” (15)  They could not deny the reality of the miracle, but it was dangerous for the Sanhedrin if Peter and John continued their preaching so they decided to warn them “to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” (17)  Therefore, “they called them in again and commanded them no to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” (18)  However, “Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.  For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” (19,20) The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of the Jews so it was understood to be God’s voice.  To follow the Sanhedrin meant to follow God.  However, Peter and John are saying, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.” (19) 

Romans 13:1

We are to follow those in authority because their authority is given to them by God.  However, if what they are requesting is different than God’s will then we are to follow God because He is the Ultimate authority.  This is such a case.  The Sanhedrin was made to be the voice of God, but they were requesting something that went against God’s will.  Therefore, they must follow God. They have been commissioned to be a witness to the risen Lord. Therefore they cannot help speaking about what they have seen and heard.  (20)  They disobeyed the Sanhedrin’s command and continued speaking in the name of Jesus.

For the first church and for Peter and John this was a first time experience.  They were ordered not to evangelize by the top authorities of the country.  Japan guarantees religious freedom in its constitution, but before the constitution was established Christians ran into the same problems. Also in China and other communist countries even today evangelism is not allowed.  To preach the name of Jesus is a very difficult work.  Under such conditions the most important thing is to know that in God’s eyes that it the right thing to do; that this is the Lord’s will.  They know that there is salvation in no one else, but by the name of Christ. God gave the name of Jesus so no matter what any one says they have decided that they are going to preach that name. Peter and John had such a faith and assurance. This wasn’t just something they thought, but it was based upon the Word of God.  They had already heard about it from the lips of Jesus.

Acts 1:8

Matt. 28:19,20

They had such words which gave them confidence.  We too, no matter what circumstances we are in, even if we are persecuted, in order to proclaim the Word of God, we need to know that that is God’s will. Evangelizing is right in God’s eyes.  It is what God desires.  We need to believe that it’s our job.  Then we can preach the Word of God boldly.

I Cor. 9:16

Paul said this because he had a commission.  He had assurance that God had called him to preach the Gospel.  He knew he had to do so.

We have been commissioned too.  It is the Lord’s will. Therefore, no matter what others say, we have to share what we have seen and heard. This is God’s will.  This is His desire.