Daily Scripture Reading Acts 4:32 - 5:15
In recent decades many churches have adopted a seeker sensitive philosophy in which they try to make church services comfortable for non-Christians. Everything about their services, including the music and so-called message, are designed to attract those who do not consider themselves believers in Jesus. The basis for this philosophy is the belief that making church comfortable will win more converts to Christianity.
We are going to see in today’s passage that the original church that formed in Jerusalem after Jesus went back to heaven did not follow that mentality. They achieved the exact opposite. This should cause us to re-examine our outlook on how to do church and gain converts in the 21st century.
Yesterday, we read that the Jewish leaders commanded Peter and John to stop teaching in the name of Jesus, but Peter and John replied they could not stop speaking about what they had seen and heard. After the apostles were released, they gathered with their companions and prayed, asking that they would speak with confidence.
Acts 4:32 ¶ And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own, but, for them, everything was common.
The Bible talks about the necessity of believers having fellowship with one another. “Fellowship” is the English translation of the Greek word “koinonia”. Koinonia is a variation of a word that means partnership, as in a business partnership. The idea is that Christians are partners.
The Christians in Jerusalem were demonstrating fellowship and partnership by treating all their possessions as belonging to all their fellow believers.
Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles were bearing witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
Out of all the things to which the apostles could have borne witness, the author of Acts wants us to know they were bearing witness to the resurrection of Jesus. The crucifixion of Jesus is important because He paid the price for our sins. However, the fact that He was killed is not miraculous because all men die and many have been killed over the centuries.
On the other hand, men do not normally rise from the dead. That is why believing in the resurrection of Jesus is so essential to salvation. By rising from the dead, Jesus proved He is more than just a mere man.
Acts 4:34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales
Acts 4:35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.
Acts 4:36 ¶ Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement),
Acts 4:37 and who owned a field, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 5:1 ¶ But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
Acts 5:2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge. And bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
Notice the word “lie”. The sin committed by Ananias was lying.
Acts 5:4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why is it that you laid this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
Peter used the word “lie” again. This verse tells us the problem was not that Ananias kept back some of the money. Peter acknowledged that the property belonged to Ananias and he had the right to do whatever he wanted with it.
Instead, the problem was Ananias lied. It was not okay for him to pretend he was bringing all the money when he was not.
Acts 5:5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard.
Don’t miss the word “fear”.
Many Christians today reject the idea that believers should be afraid of God. However, we see in this event that God killed Ananias with the result that the believers were afraid. They were afraid because they knew if they sinned, they might also be struck dead. Christians do not need to be afraid of going to hell. However, we should be afraid of sinning.
Acts 5:6 And the young men rose up and wrapped him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
Acts 5:7 ¶ Now there was an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
Acts 5:8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you were paid this much for the land?” And she said, “Yes, that much.”
Peter did not ask her if they had donated all they wanted to donate. Instead, he asked her how much they had received for the land. He wanted to see if she would also lie.
Acts 5:9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.”
Acts 5:10 And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
Acts 5:11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard these things.
Once again we see the word fear. Christians do not need to be afraid of hell, Satan, or the world, but we do need to be afraid of sinning against God.
Acts 5:12 ¶ Now at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were happening among the people, and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Portico.
Acts 5:13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people were holding them in high esteem.
The word “rest” refers to the non-believers. The pronoun “them” refers to the believers. We see in this verse that the non-believers did not dare associate with the believers.
We also see the word high esteem. Even though the non-believers were hesitant to associate with the believers, they held them in high esteem.
Over the past several decades, the seeker sensitive movement has sought to make church gatherings comfortable for non-Christians. They believe that is the best way to grow the church. However that was not the method used by the early church in Jerusalem. The Christians were not trying to grow their numbers by making people comfortable.
It is instructive that even though the non-believers felt a barrier between them and the Christians, the people had high regard for the believers.
Acts 5:14 And more than ever believers in the Lord were added to their number, multitudes of men and women,
Despite the fact the non-believers did not dare associate with the Christians, the number of believers kept growing by multitudes. Perhaps instead of being seeker sensitive, churches today should seek to be exclusive.
Acts 5:15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.
The early church did not try to make non-believers comfortable. Nor did they attempt to act in ways that would break down all barriers between them and non-believers. Instead, those who did not believe in Jesus knew there was something different and exclusive about the believers. That exclusivity actually helped grow the numerical size of the church.
To what extent would the non-believers who live near your church be afraid to associate with your congregation?
What does your church do, perhaps wrongly, to make itself palatable to non-Christians?
Why would exclusivity and refusing to be palatable to our culture actually help churches grow numerically?
What should your church be doing to gain the same reputation enjoyed by the early church in Jerusalem?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”