Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were astonished, and recognized them, that they had been with Jesus. And because they saw the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in return.” (Acts 4:13-14)

Chapter three begins with Peter and John going to the Temple to worship, pray, and probably teach. As they got to the gate named Beautiful, they passed a man who had been born a cripple. His friends brought him to the Temple every day to beg for money at the gate. This had been happening for YEARS. Which means he had seen Peter and John before. And Jesus. When he saw them this day, he looked at them expecting to receive something. Which means he had received from them in the past. This time, Peter noticed him looking at them. REALLY looking and Peter noticed something about him (Acts 14:9). Prompted by Holy Spirit, Peter told the man that he had no money, but that he did have something he could give the man. Then Peter commanded healing in the name of Jesus and took the man’s hand to help him up. The man didn’t have to agree. He didn’t have to move. But he DID agree and he DID believe and he DID act trusting in the word Peter had spoken. Immediately his legs received strength and he stood up. The man was overjoyed and the three of them entered the Temple walking and praising God.

The people in the Temple, all of whom would be familiar with the now healed man, were amazed. Peter saw it and spoke to them. Wondering WHY they were amazed. He pointed to the scriptures and the many acts that God had done for His people. He pointed to Jesus and all that Jesus had done. And yes, they had in ignorance rejected Jesus, but Jesus was still Jesus. He was resurrected, alive, and Lord. The prophets had spoken of Him and told them He was coming. Now He was come and they were all able to walk in the manifest love Jesus had for them. They were all able to participate in the signs and wonders and miracles possible through and by the love of Jesus. They could all be saved and be in the kingdom of God. He could cleanse them of their iniquities.

This was quite a scene. By chapter four the captain of the temple had noticed. So had the priests. And the Sadducees. The Sadducees were particularly upset because Peter and John were preaching Jesus’ resurrection and they rejected the very idea of a resurrection from the dead (which is why they also hated Lazarus so much – John 12:9-11). So they seized the two of them and put them into custody overnight. But the people had listened and many believed. The number of believers in Jesus was now about five thousand.

The next day, Peter and John are dragged before the rulers, the elders, and the scribes. The high priest was there along with his whole family. They demanded to know by what power or name the apostles were acting. Peter stood up, and given words by Holy Spirit (Luke 12:12), spoke to them about Jesus. About what they had done and what it really meant (Jesus’ sacrifice through the cross). Peter’s firm message: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among people by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Needless to say, the religious elite were NOT happy with this, but it was hard to refute. They could clearly see that Peter was speaking beyond his abilities. And the man was obviously healed and walking around. Unable to do anything else, they commanded them to not speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John both answered that they could not help but declare what they had seen and heard. [Which is the same for us all. When Jesus does a work in us, we cannot help but to tell other people about it. It is new too good to keep to ourselves.]

Once released, they went back to their fellow believers and reported about everything that had happened and what they had been told. Then they all prayed together in unison, thanking God for the opportunities He had given them to share His love. They asked for boldness to continue – no matter what the cost – and that God would continue to move through them that many signs and wonders could be performed in the name of Jesus. The building shook and they were again touched by Holy Spirit, gaining the boldness that they had prayed for. They all acted together as a group. Selling property or homes as needed and distributing the money among themselves. A Levite named Joseph from Cyprus sold a field he owned and gave the money to the apostles. He was so generous and encouraging that they renamed him Barnabas – an early church tradition some held was that this was the rich young ruler from Matthew 19:16-26, but the scriptures do not say one way or the other.

Chapter five starts with jealousy. A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira craved the same recognition of generosity. They had property – that they could do what they wanted with. They sold it – as was their right. And they presented some of the money to Peter – which was also their right. They did NOT have to give all of it. It was theirs to do with whatever they wanted. They had not been given a commandment from God in any of this. They allowed the devil to fill their hearts (John 10:10). Instead of just giving a gift, Ananias (his wife wasn’t there with him) made a show of giving ALL (when it was not all), lying to the people and lying before God, trying to claim a blessing that was the OPPOSITE of what was in his heart. Holy Spirit revealed this to Peter who charged the man with the lie. Peter berated him for doing dishonestly what he could have done honestly – again, he was under NO obligation to sell anything or give all of anything. When Peter stopped talking, Ananias full on the ground and gave up his spirit – the wages of sin are death (Romans 6:23). God didn’t strike him dead, Ananias reaped what he sowed when he filled his heart with the devil. Some young men there wrapped the body and carried it away. Later, Sapphira arrived, not knowing what had happened. Peter confronted her, asking how it was that two believers would believe the lies of the devil and conspire to lie to God about their money. But she was adamant in the lie, refusing to back down. She was also reaped her harvest of sin. It was harsh, but God could not have stopped it without violating His Word. They hindered Him (Psalm 78:41). They spoke death and reaped death (Proverbs 18:21). They knowingly let the devil fill their heart (Acts 5:3) and they paid the price of sin (Romans 6:23).

Many signs and wonders were performed by the believers (not just the Twelve). They frequently gathered for worship in the Temple. In the Temple, no one dared to join them, but believers were constantly being added to their ranks. People were being healed left and right. There was a LOT of belief being given toward Jesus. Which made the high priest and the Sadducees jealous. So they arrested the apostles (not just the Twelve, but as many as they could get their hands on – presumably men and women). They held them in prison. That night, an angel showed up. He opened the doors and told them to continue their work. So in the morning when the guards came to take them out and bring them to the Sanhedrin, the prison was empty. The officers reported that the prison was empty, but the apostles had been found teaching in the Temple (presumably in the male and the female courts). The disciples were collected again and brought before the Sanhedrin. They were asked why they were doing what they had been forbidden to do? Peter told them they had to obey God. And that God had resurrected Jesus and that Jesus was their Saviour, the only one who could forgive sins, and that all the scriptures pointed to this AND that this was the word they were commanded to preach and teach. They decided there was nothing to do but kill them all. But one of their great teachers, Gamaliel (teacher of Saul), stood and told them not to. He said that if they were acting of themselves, nothing would come of it – just like others before them who tried to make Messiah cults. But if they WERE acting from God, the Sanhedrin would find themselves standing against God and who could do that? They saw his wisdom and again commanded the apostles not to preach or teach Jesus’ name and let them go. But the apostles rejoiced that they were found worthy to suffer on Jesus’ behalf and stopped NONE of their actions.

Chapter six brings some bureaucratic issues. There were a LOT of believers. And they were sharing everything and distributing to those who needed it. There were those who were missing out. The Greek Jews were talking trash about the Hebraic Jews because some Greek widows weren’t being cared for as they should. The Twelve heard about it and prayed about it. They gathered everyone together and told them that they were focused on study of the scripture and teaching. They couldn’t handle overseeing the logistics of caring for everyone. They suggested that seven men be appointed to look after it. They had to be men full of Holy Spirit and wise men. Everyone agreed. They chose Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. They laid hands on them and prayed for them.

Everything was going fine. Believers were being added daily. The church was being taken care of. Particularly, Stephen was a man full of trust in Jesus and did great signs and wonders among the people [notice he was just a believer, not of the Twelve, and Holy Spirit worked miracles through him. EVERYONE can be used of Holy Spirit for signs and wonders. It is NOT exclusive to the Twelve OR the early church.]. There were those who were jealous of Stephen. So they instigated men to charge him with blasphemy so that the elders and the scribes would arrest him. And they did. Stephen was charged with blasphemy and brought before the Sanhedrin – although all those present could see the power of God shining from his face as if he was an angel.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Apostles, Stephen, Sanhedrin, Jews

Key Verse(s): Acts 3:12-26; 4:23-31; 5:12-16; 6:8-15