Although Jesus Himself departed, God became present in each one of them, making His activity in the world more widespread than ever before!!!
As the church grew, the disciples gradually began to understand what Jesus had meant when He said, "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you but if I go, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7).
Although Jesus Himself departed, God became present in each one of them, making His activity in the world more widespread than ever before!!!
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Acts 5: 1-11 Lessons about Holy Fear - Lying to the Holy Spirit
Many of the believers had been sharing their possession with all the believers so that no one went without (Acts 2: 44/45; Acts 4:36) Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property but held back part of the proceeds. They were not admonished for keeping any of the money but for misrepresenting their gift to the community of believers in order to make themselves look good. Sometimes the church becomes a place for people like Ananias and Sapphira to see the assembly as an opportunity to attract applause for their good deeds and benevolence. I thought it was fitting that Peter asked Ananias "how is it that Satan has so filled you heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit...." We are called to be "filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5) which we can only be through humbled submission to Him and through our obedience. If we are not obedient to the Holy Spirit that means we are not filled with Him but filled with self and the things of the flesh. God would not tolerate such opportunists in the fledgling early Church. Vs 11 "Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events". We should not be afraid of God but we should have reverential fear knowing that He IS God! We are to serve Him and the Church; not manipulate the Church to meet our needs. Acts 5:11 is the first time the word "church' appears. Acts 5:12-16 The Apostles Heal Many vs 12 "The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. - vs 14 more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number - vs 15-16 "as a result" people brought their sick so "at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by". Crowds gathered from the towns around Jerusalem bringing their sick and tormented and all of them were healed. These "miracles and signs" confirmed the truth of the apostles teaching and demonstrated that the power of the messiah who had been crucified and risen was now with his followers. Acts 5:17- Apostles released from jail - God's in control not man The apostles were jailed because of the jealousy of the Sadducees. During the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out and were instructed to "tell the people the full message of this new life." The authorities were shocked to find the jail securely locked with the guards standing at the doors and no one inside. The Apostles were called to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest and to give an account of why they ignored their "strict orders not to teach in this name". Here's the real accusation: "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." [The actions by the religious leaders were driven out of guilt and arrogance!] Their response: "We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." [The Holy Spirit is a witness to Christ and to His resurrection which is what He testifies and witnesses to our hearts!] The religious leaders were ready to put them to death but a Pharisee named Gammaliel came to their defense. After giving several examples of men who were killed in leading a revolt and their followers scattered and their cause came to nothing; he said this "Therefore, in the present case I advise you leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God. The apostles were flogged and let go and ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus. The apostles didn't leave discouraged or with their tails between their legs. We are told they left "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." As a result, they were infused with boldness and "day after day" they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. They met in the Temple courts and from house to house! [They were the first street preachers and door to door witnesses] Acts 6:1- 7 The Choosing of the Seven
vs 1: "In those days when the number of disciples was increasing....." The comments following are of interest because the account speaks of both Grecian Jews and Hebraic Jews. According to LAN, the Hebraic Jews were the native Jews living in Jerusalem who spoke Hebrew and/or Aramaic. The Grecian Jews were Greek speaking Christians who were probably Jews from other lands and who had been converted at Pentecost. It would make sense that they spoke Greek in order to communicate with the others as they all spoke different languages native to their own lands (Acts 2: 5,8). A need arose to take care of the widows from the other lands who were being overlooked in "the daily distribution of food". In order to allow the Apostles to remain focused on "prayer and the ministry of the word" (vs 4), they choose 7 men among them (meaning they were Greek Jews according to the notes) to handle this ministry. These men were required to be "known (witnesses) to be full of the Spirit and wisdom" (vs 3). This means to me that even though they either weren't all Baptized in the Holy Spirit or that they were all Baptized in the Holy Spirit but did not remain or seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit or operate out of the filling of the Holy Spirit. In my opinion it is the latter. I think we need to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit and continue to seek to live in obedience to His leading and promptings and to be filled with Him so that we are not filled with ourselves and our human nature. Notice some soon to be familiar names mentioned in vs 5 "....They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip,...... vs 7 "So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." LAN: Jesus had told the apostles that they were to witness first in Jerusalem (1:8). In a short time, their message had infiltrated the entire city and all levels of society. Even some priests were being converted, an obvious violation of the wishes of the council that would endanger their position. Stephen's Ministry and "Arrest" vs 8: "Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people." Note that "miraculous signs and wonders" were not limited to the Apostles, albeit Stephen had been given leadership responsibilities. Acts 6:5 "They presented these [speaking of the seven] men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them". The apostles had given charge to the Greek Jewish disciples to pick seven of their men for this duty. After they had chosen them, they presented these men to the Apostles who prayed over them. Laying on of hands specific to their culture and custom. LAN: In the early church, the chosen men were ordained or commissioned (set apart by prayer and laying on of hands) by the apostles. Laying hands on someone, an ancient Jewish practice, was a way to set a person apart for special service (see Numbers 27:23, Deuteronomy 34:9). Q. Is there any mention anywhere else where a disciple performed signs and wonders? What miraculous signs did Stephen do? The only thing noted (which does not mean it was necessarily inclusive/exclusive although it does not specifically say he performed healings) by the Scriptures is that "opposition arose; however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called) .....[LAN: these were a group of Jewish slaves who had been freed by Rome and had formed their own synagogue in Jerusalem. Q. When was this group established? Before Jesus' ministry? ][Their opposition to Stephens evangelism may have been self-serving in that they may have feared Roman opposition/retaliation. They like the Jewish leaders in Jesus ministry, raised false accusations against Stephen vss 11, 13]. "These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke'. The evidence of the Spirit in Stephen was his boldness and the wisdom in which he spoke. The false witnesses told the Sanhedrin vs 13 "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us." LAN: The group falsely accused Stephen of wanting to change Moses customs because they knew that the Sadducees who controlled the council believed only in Moses' laws. How did Stephen respond to these accusations? Before Stephen could respond to these charges it is noted vs 15 "All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." What does a face of an angel look like? I can only imagine peace and a sweetness that can only be explained as the witness of the Spirit in the countenance he displayed in the face of such opposition. Acts 4:8 "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ....
The word "filled" seems to be used as both and adjective describing that they were operating out of the filling of the Spirit and as a verb/action as in Acts 4:31 "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit....". It is also a command as in Ephesians 5:18 "Instead be filled with the Spirit". The lexicon for Eph 5:18 clearly shows that this is a verb (an action). The other two references do not indicate the part of speech but the definitions are very similar in nature. But even used as an adjective describing the condition of their person could also mean that Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit could only be filled with the Holy Spirit if he only had previously submitted to the filling of the Holy Spirit....meaning, he sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Consider also Acts 6 in the discussion of the choosing of the Seven. A need arose to take care of the widows from the other lands who were being overlooked in "the daily distribution of food". In order to allow the Apostles to remain focused on "prayer and the ministry of the word" (vs 4), they choose 7 men among them (meaning they were Greek Jews according to the notes) to handle this ministry. These men were required to be "known (witnesses) to be full of the Spirit and wisdom" (vs 3). This means to me that even though they either weren't all Baptized in the Holy Spirit or that they were all Baptized in the Holy Spirit but did not remain or seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit or operate out of the filling of the Holy Spirit. In my opinion it is the latter. I think we need to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit and continue to seek to live in obedience to His leading and promptings and to be filled with Him so that we are not filled with ourselves and our human nature. Acts 6:7 "So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith".
As you read through acts, a common development was the increase in the number of followers. This is the first occurrence noted in which members of the Jewish religious leadership became followers since the resurrection of Jesus as a result of the teachings of the early Church. LAN: The word of God spread like ripples on a pond where from a single center, each wave touches the next, spreading wider and farther. The gospel still spreads this way today. You don't have to change the world single-handedly - it is enough just to be part of the wave touching those around you, who in turn will touch others until all have felt the movement. Don't ever feel that your part is insignificant or unimportant. [This reminded me of something similar I felt compelled to share in the My Life Mission class. I compared our testimony to dropping a pebble in the water, it may seem small and insignificant but the ripples spread out, touching others.] Acts 7:1 - 53 Stephen before the Sanhedrin
vs 1 "Then the high priest [Caiphaus who sentenced Jesus] asked him, "Are these charges true?" Stephen didn't defend himself but took the opportunity to summarize his teaching about Jesus. Stephen was accusing these religious leaders of failing to obey God's laws - the laws they prided themselves in following meticulously. This was the same accusation that Jesus had leveled against them. LAN: Stephen launched into a long speech about Israel's relationship with God. From OT histroy he showed that the Jews had constantly rejected God's message and his prophets and that this council had rejected the Messiah, God's Son. He made three main points: (1) Israel's history is the history of God's acts in the world (2) people worshiped God long before there was a temple because God does not live in a temple (3) Jesus' death was just one more example of Israel's rebellion against and rejection of God. The Sanhedrin was known for exclusively following the writings of Moses. Stephen pointed out (vs 37) "this is that Moses who told the Israelites God will send you a prophet like me from your own people". He was pointing out that the Messiah (Jesus) would not necessarily be a descendant of Moses, but a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15) Although Moses was a descendant of Abraham, the Seed was not progeny to Moses. That is, Moses was not in the genealogical chain of progression. Nevertheless—in provision of a glimpse as to the nature of this ‘Seed’--God saw fit to make him privy to the fact that He should be (among other things), a Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Like Moses himself, He would be from among the Israelis, walking and working in a servant’s role, speaking only what He was told and taught by the Almighty (Jn. 1:1, 14, 10-14; Heb. 1:1-3; Jn. 4:34; 5:19; 7:16; 8:28). http://www.biblestudyhour.net/JesusGenealogy.html Stephen's accusation to them (vs 51-53) "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! {Q: How? A: Here, this is indicating that they ignored the Spirits promptings, persuading s and words spoken through the prophets.) Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predited the coming of the Righteous One. An now you have betrayed and murdered Him - you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it." Note that the Sanhedrin had the authority to stone Stephen which was the Jewish form of capital punishment. They could have stoned Jesus, as they had tried on various occasions. But prophecy indicated that Jesus would be crucified. Astonishing is the fact that (1) the crucifixion had not been invented yet by the Romans at the time the prophecy had been made (2) the Jewish capital punishment had always been stoning. The prophecy could have been more challenged if it was just said that the Messiah would be put to death without explanation of the method or put to death via stoning. But the sequence of events witnessed during Jesus' trial could only have been orchestrated by God as predicted by the prophets. Especially considering, as evidenced by the stoning of Stephen, the Jewish authorities could have stoned Jesus without question by the Romans. Why did they have Jesus crucified? The Stoning of Stephen (54-60) The Sanhedrin and the High Priest's Response to Stephen's Speech: "When they heard this they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him." Stephen's response:" "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." [Remember, Stephen is a man described as full of faith, grace and God's Spirit and power (6:5,8)] A man such as that would not have tried to address the people on his own or face his death in his own strength. He looked to heaven to acknowledge his need. Jesus responded, not by sitting but standing. Jesus is usually described as "sitting at the right hand of the Father". If I was standing at a distance while someone I loved was hurt, my reaction would be to stand up....ready to take action. This is how I have always read this Scripture and it has been very endearing to me. However, there is more to this verse. The only way to understand this is to seek the greater context in Scripture. The Jews were angry at Stephen’s words already, but the Bible says that they covered their ears once he said he saw Jesus Christ standing at God’s right hand. They knew that Jesus standing would affect them, not Stephen. Just as we would call to mind similar verses, so the Jewish religious leaders recalled the Old Testament prophecies. They knew what Jesus standing meant, and it was not a good thing. Isaiah 3:13-14 "The Lord take his place in court; he rises to judge the people. The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people.... Psalm 110:1 says: “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, untilI make thine enemies thy footstool.” Recall that when the Apostle Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary, the Holy Ghost said through him to the nation Israel: “[34] For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, [35] Until I make thy foes thy footstool. [36] Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:34-36). Peter, quoting Psalm 110:1, interpreted it for us. Jesus Christ was now glorified in heaven, and He was coming back to earth to judge unbelieving Jews. They were not merely God’s “enemies” (Psalm 110:1), but Peter said they were now His “foes” (Acts 2:35)—they had actively opposed and were still actively opposing God’s purpose and plan for them by rejecting Jesus Christ at Calvary’s cross and being ignorant of the message the Apostles were preaching to them in early Acts. The Bible says in Acts 2:37, “Now when they were heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter urged his convicted Jewish brethren, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). When Israel heard Stephen speak in Acts chapter 7, about a year after the events of Acts chapter 2, they were very mindful of what Peter had preached on Pentecost. Stephen affirmed Jesus Christ was preparing to come back to Earth, to pour out His wrath on unbelieving Israel and unleash His righteous fury on sinful mankind. And, Israel’s religious leaders were [not only] convicted [but angry because they did not respond to the Holy Spirit's leading and revelation. https://forwhatsaiththescriptures.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/jesus-christ-stand-acts-7-55-56/ Acts 7:57-58a continues...."At this they covered their ears and , yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him." Then we get our first introduction to a man named Saul who later became known as Paul after his conversion. Vs 58b "Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul." After Stephen fell asleep in death it is said Acts 8:1 "And Saul was there, giving approval to his death". Saul of Tarsus—leader of Israel’s opposition to Christ and His little flock, holder of the clothes of Stephen’s murderers in Acts chapter 7—personally met the Lord Jesus Christ in Acts chapter 9. As Saul was traveling to Damascus to persecute more Messianic Jews, the risen, ascended, and glorified Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saul from heaven. There, Saul experienced God’s love, mercy, and grace; he trusted Jesus Christ alone as his personal Saviour, and became the first member of the Church the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ commissioned him as the Apostle Paul; thereafter, Paul had another extreme ministry—Jesus Christ crucified for our sins, buried, and resurrected (Acts 20:24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Years later, Paul wrote of himself in 1 Timothy 1:13-16: “[13] Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. [14] And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. [15] This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief [first]. [16] Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting”(1 Timothy 1:13-16). In order to have mercy on Christ-rejecting Israel as well as on all of us unbelieving Gentiles (Romans 11:30-32), God had to suspend Israel’s prophetic program. To save Saul of Tarsus, God had to begin a new dispensation, a new set of instructions to mankind, a new program, one He had in mind from before creation but had kept secret—the mystery program, or “the Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Ephesians 3:1-11). God delayed His wrath yet again. Today, Jesus Christ once more “sits” at the Father’s right hand (Colossians 3:1). In Stephens' response to the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:9), he noted the summarized account of Joseph saying that his brother's had sold him into slavery. "But God was with him and rescued him from ALL his troubles." You would have thought this meant that God delivered Joseph from his troubles. But if you know the account of Joseph, he wasn't rescued from slavery. Bot God was assuredly with him and guided him through this long ordeal. Joseph didn't doubt or complain.....there is no citation of him even having a crises of faith. Joseph is a great role model for showing what trusting God really looks like. How did Stephen demonstrate that Joseph was "delivered from his troubles". Vs 10 "He gave Joseph wisdom an enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh King of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace." God made Joseph an overcomer IN his circumstances NOT FROM his circumstances.
"Wonders and Miraculous Signs" is a theme throughout the book of Acts.
In Stephen's response to the Sanhedrin, he spoke of Moses. Vs 36 "He led them out of Egypt and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert". We know this was to show authenticate the leadership of Moses and what he was saying to the Egyptians. It wasn't meant just for the amazement of the people. It was purposeful. [Q. vs 22 said that Moses was powerful in speech and action. Wasn't Moses noted for having a stutter? What does this mean?] The book of acts says that the apostles did wonders and miraculous signs. Like Moses, this was to authenticate their authority to continue in spreading the good news that Jesus began. In fact, the apostles asked for this to happen. Acts 4:29-31 "Now, Lord, consider their threats and 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. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." But this wasn't limited to the apostles. Both Stephen and Philip were among the seven selected to care for the Greek widows. These men had to be "known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom". Acts 6:6 "They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid their hands on them". Shortly after in vs 8 we read "Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people." Acts 8:6 "When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said". Obviously, these men were gifted for a specific purpose and it came with great responsibility and costs! Acts 7: 39- 43 Stephen, in his response to the Sanhedrin spoke of hoe the people had rejected the message of Moses. Vs 39 "But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They asked Aaron to make "gods who will go before us." In other words, gods that they can see....visible, easily grasped yet powerless to save.
God's response to their celebration....Vs 42 "But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies." Then Stephen quoted from the book of Amos 5:25-27 "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon." In other words....If we are choose to look to anything else for our security and strength, God will allow us to make this choice and we are left without His guidance and protection. Acts 7:37-38 "This is what Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will send you a prophet like me from your own people. He was in the assembly [ekklesia] in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers and he received living words to pass on to us"
LAN: Stephen used the word 'ekklesia' (translated assembly) to describe the congregation or people of God in the desert. This word means "called out ones" and was used by the first-century Christians to describe their own community or assembly. Stephen's point was that the giving of the law through Moses to the Jews was the sign of the covenant. By obedience, then would they continue to be God's covenant people. Strong's study notes: 1577 ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, "out from and to" and 2564/kaléō, "to call") – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom. [The English word "church" comes from the Greek word kyriakos, "belonging to the Lord"(kyrios). 1577 /ekklēsía("church") is the root of the terms "ecclesiology" and "ecclesiastical."] See additional reference |
LukeDoctor and Greek Gentile Christian; close companion of Paul. Categories
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