The Spirit of Truth, Acts 5: 12-42

 As we have been studying the book of Acts, much has been said about the work of the Holy Spirit.  He was the One who the apostles were told to wait for, and His coming was what inaugurated the new church in Jerusalem in a baptism of divine power.  Jesus said in John 16:13-15 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” 

So as we have seen, the Holy Spirit did indeed come in great power and authority, attesting to the truth of God’s word with signs and wonders and miracles.  Immediately, the early church saw the result of the Holy Spirit’s power by the fact that thousands of people were saved.  The Spirit of Truth convicted men’s hearts upon hearing the truth of the gospel, so that they cried out, “what shall we do?”  Upon hearing the message of the apostles the men of Jerusalem’s hearts were cut to the quick with conviction of their sinful condition and they cried out in repentance and faith to be saved.  That happened as a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the proclamation of the truth concerning Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Now we know that the devil hates the truth.  Jesus said in John 8:44 concerning the devil that “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  So as the church is being built on the truth of the apostles through the power of the Spirit of Truth, the devil sought to sow lies among the church.  To plant tares among the wheat.  And we saw the evidence of that  in the beginning of chapter 5 with Ananias and Sapphira.  Peter accused them of a great sin, the sin of lying to the Holy Spirit.  They claimed to be giving all to God, when in fact it was a lie.  And Peter said it was not him they were lying to, but they were lying to the Holy Spirit.  So God’s judgment fell upon them right in the church and they fell down dead as a warning to everyone, as a warning to those who would subvert the truth of God, either by doctrine or by their life.  Because the truth is the foundation of the church.  If Satan can shake that, if he can twist that, then it will cause the whole building to tumble.

That is why God desires purity in the church.  Truth of doctrine, purity in worship, and purity in the lives of those that claim the name of Jesus.  As Paul said in 2Cor. 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”  God saved us to be holy, to be purified from the defilement of flesh and spirit, that we might complete holiness in the fear of the Lord as we walk in the world, so that we might be a testimony to the world of the power of God to transform sinners into saints.  That was the testimony that the early church had in Jerusalem.  And that was why the church was growing and people were being added to the church daily. 

So then as a result of the purifying power of the Holy Spirit, the church is strengthened in the truth and made even more effective in evangelizing the world.  But at the same time, the truth is at war with the devil’s lie.  And in the remainder of chapter 5, we see this battle between truth and the lie played out in the church, through the persecution of the church. We are going to see in this chapter five consequences of truth as it is employed by this young church in evangelism.

First of all, let’s look at the authentication of the truth.  Starting in vs. 12, “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico.  But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number,  to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.  Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.”

In order to authenticate the truth that the apostles were preaching, God granted special power to the apostles to do signs and wonders.  These were uneducated, unqualified men in the eyes of the people.  They were preaching a gospel that was foreign to the hearers who were steeped in Judaism.  And so God verified that the word that they were preaching was from God by signs and wonders.  This was particularly the distinction of an apostle.  Paul said in 2Cor. 12:12 “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.”  That was the distinction of the ministry of a true apostle.  They were sent by Christ to be His representatives, to speak His gospel, and so He gave them authenticating signs. 

That is what the writer of Hebrews says was the purpose of signs and wonders as well. Heb. 2:3-4 “After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,  God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”  So God testified that the word they were speaking was from Him by miraculous signs.

Throughout all of Bible history, God authenticated the message of His prophets and apostles by signs and wonders, to signify a new era, a new revelation of His word.  In Exodus, Moses was given signs and wonders to authenticate that he spoke from God.  In the same way, Elijah and Elisha were given the power of signs and wonders to inaugurate the new era of the prophets.  Jesus Christ went about healing and working miracles as validation of His ministry that He was sent from God and teaching the words of God.  And so in the beginning of a new era, the age of the church, God gave the apostles the same ministry, the same miracle working power so that people would recognize them as being of Christ and that He might validate their gospel as the truth of God. Because the doctrine of the apostles was to be the foundation of the church.  It would form the truth that would be written down as Scripture, which is the foundation  that the church would be built upon.  So God verified it, validated it, and authenticated it by miracles.

However, it was a limited dispensation.  As we go on to the latter parts of the book of Acts, there is a fading away of the ministry of miracles.  Here in chapter 5, multitudes are being healed.  All were being healed.  But by the end of Acts, physical healing is no longer the means by which the Holy Spirit authenticates the gospel.  The scriptures which have been written by that time are the means that the Spirit authenticates teachers.  We don’t always see everyone healed in the latter parts of Acts.  We don’t see everyone delivered from prison in the latter parts of Acts.  But rather we see apostles dying for the faith, imprisoned and left there to die by the hands of their persecutors.  We see people get sick and not always healed.  And so it is a special dispensation, a special gift that was given to the apostles and a few other select ministers of their ilk, for the purpose of authenticating the truth of their message for a limited time and a specific purpose. 

But even today, though we may not have the power given to the apostles to heal or do miracles, yet the greatest miracle of all is still in full effect as a means of authenticating the truth of our doctrine.  And that is the miracle of a transformed life.  The conversion of a lost sinner into a child of God is the greatest miracle of all, and one that mere physical healing could only allude to.  God is the same, yesterday, today and forever.  He still has the power to heal.  And God still heals.  But do not be deceived, there are no more apostles. We saw earlier that apostles had to be witnesses of the teaching of Christ and His resurrection. So do not be deceived by those false prophets that claim to have the gift of healing, or worse yet, that say  you can be healed of any disease if you just have enough faith.  Jesus and the apostles raised dead people to life, who had no faith whatsoever.  God does the healing, not men.  So today, we validate the truth of preachers by the scriptures, not by claims of signs and wonders.

Secondly, we see the attack on the truth.  As I said earlier, Satan hates the truth.  And in this case, he makes a frontal attack.  He works through the religious establishment, the high priest and the Council,  who are jealous of the apostle’s power and results and the fact that the entire city was galvanized by their message.  And their envy provokes their attack on the truth – they have the apostles arrested and put in jail. 

The religious establishment was offended at the truth.  The gospel is by design offensive, and so self righteous people will be offended when you tell them that they are sinners.  So they locked the Apostles up, to try to shut up the truth.  But the truth will not be silenced.  God sent an angel to let them out.  It’s ironic that God sent an angel to let the apostles out of the prison.  The high priests and the Council were comprised of Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, nor a spirit, nor an angel.  So God sent an angel, so that the apostles could continue preaching the resurrection.  It’s also ironic that the attack was meant to stop miracles from occurring, and in fact it caused another miracle.  Satan’s attack backfired.  It produced a miracle that could not be denied. 

In the morning, the gates were still locked, the guards were still at the door, but the apostles were not there.  When they could not find them, some one came and told them that the apostles were right back in the temple preaching again.  “Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).” Satan can attack the church, but as Christ said, the gates of hell will not prevail against it.  God can use even that which is hateful for His good, to further the truth.

Thirdly, we see the affirmation of the truth.  It’s very interesting to me that when the angel set them free he gave them a divine charge; “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.”   The apostles were a living demonstration of the principle that  Jesus taught in John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

It’s also interesting that when they received that charge, they did not hesitate.  They did not put it off for a more convenient day.  But they started preaching in the temple at daybreak.  Wow!  And here I was thinking that 8am was too early for Sunday mornings.  Perhaps we need to start earlier.  But seriously, the apostles recognized the urgency of the message.  What opportunities to witness are lost because we fail to realize the urgency of the gospel message to a dying world.

But when they are brought back to the court of the Council, this is where the apostles have a chance to change their message.  But they do not.  If anything, the power of God to rescue them from prison has emboldened them even more to affirm the message that they have been preaching is the truth, and they cannot change it, and they cannot stop doing it.  They say that they had to obey God rather than men. 

Whether it is accepted or not, whether it is even legal or not, will not impact their message. 

Peter had already indicted the leaders for killing Jesus in chapter 4:10. Now he even more boldly affirms that Jesus had been raised from the dead by God, and exalted into heaven.  This to men who did not believe in a resurrection. 

The words Peter uses to describe this exalted Jesus is a Prince and a Savior.  We should all be familiar with the meaning of Savior, but the word Prince bears further scrutiny.  It means “a pioneer, one who leads the way, an originator.”  Jesus is the pioneer of life.  He was the first born of the dead.  But He was also the pioneer who leads us in the walk of faith, walking in the Spirit, walking according to the Word of God.  Hebrews 2:10 calls Jesus the Pioneer, or the Author of our salvation.  Our salvation is not an ending point,  it is the birth point.  It is not a parking lot, but a launching pad as we follow in the footsteps of Christ.  In Heb. 12:2 Jesus is called the author, the Prince of our faith.  In other words, He leads us into paths which test our faith and cause it to grow, to lead us into righteousness for His name sake.  He leads us into maturity in our faith. 

Also notice that Peter’s affirmation of the truth speaks of the need of repentance which God has granted to those that submit to the Lordship of Christ.  And that repentance brings about the forgiveness of sins.  Faith and repentance, are the keystones of salvation.  But be sure of something, while faith is believing in the knowledge of the truth, repentance is acting on that knowledge in obedience by turning from sin.  Vs. 32, “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."   They are witnesses of the truth, the Holy Spirit is a witness to the truth, and He is given to those who are obedient to the truth that they might be a witness.  The witness is we once walked according to the lusts of the flesh, now we walk according to the truth of the Spirit. 

Eph 2:1 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,  in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” But then contrast that with the walk of faith in vs. 8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Faith is always yoked with obedience.

Fourthly, we see as the consequence of preaching the truth some avoiding the truth.  The temple and the Council was controlled by the Sadducees, but the Pharisees were respected and honored by the people.  And there is a Pharisee there present in the Council who is so widely respected that he is able to affect their decision and preserve the leaders position with the people.  Gamaliel was the foremost teacher of the Pharisee. And by the way, he was Paul’s teacher.

But though his counsel was accepted, it was not wise.  On the surface, his advice sounds good.  But when examined it reveals that he had rejected Jesus as the Messiah, but had lumped him along with the false Messiahs.  He also assumed that if something fails then it is not of God, or conversely, if something succeeds, then it is of God. That is man’s wisdom.  It is not the wisdom of God.  From their perspective, Jesus had failed because He had been crucified.  From their perspective, Christianity would fail, because it was dispersed in the coming persecution.  Mark Twain once said in a bit of wisdom, that a lie runs around the world while the truth is still putting on it’s shoes.   False religion does not lack for disciples and missionaries and evangelists.  False teachers often have successful enterprises called churches.  But worldly success is no indication of the truth of the gospel.

But the most foolish advice given by  Gamaliel  was to do nothing.  To take a wait and see attitude.  To try to remain neutral.  And this is exactly the devil’s strategy used to keep so many people on their way to hell.  Satan urges them to find a neutral position with God, neither too involved in Christianity, or too much against it.  Accept the likeable parts, but don’t adhere to the sticky parts, in effect, avoid making a real commitment.  And that is a damnable attitude.  Jesus said in Matt. 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” One day every man or woman will give an account of what they did with Jesus.  And they that will not bow the knee now, will bow their knee then, but it will be too late for their salvation.  They will mourn when they see Him who they had pierced.

Gamaliel was a very smart man.  He knew the Scriptures back and forth.  He was very well respected as a religious leader.  He had a great audience of admirers.  And yet his counsel was to avoid the truth, and so he condemned his soul and theirs to hell by his wisdom.  Beware of religious leaders who sound convincing, and yet their doctrine is not backed up by sound doctrine based on the whole counsel of God, or as the angel said, the whole message of this life. For whoever rejects the truth is dead even while he yet lives.

One final effect of the truth was the apostles continuing to announce the truth.  Rather than the persecution shutting the apostles up, it caused them to be even more bold in preaching the gospel.  Peter’s message so angered the Council that they were cut to the quick, and wanted to kill them.  But God used the foolishness of Gamaliel to cause the Council to let the apostles go free.  However, not without scourging them.  In vs. 40 we read that they flogged the apostles and told them not to preach any more in His name and they released them. 

But notice in vs. 41 the apostles response to that flogging. “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.”  Wow.  I wish that could be said of me when I am reviled for the message that I preach.  I must confess that it is often not rejoicing that comes out of my mouth when I am attacked.  I wonder how you would measure up?  I think the problem for most of us is that we might recognize the apostles’ flogging as persecution, but when trials come against us, we often fail to recognize it as such.  We respond as if it were only flesh and blood.  We fail to recognize that Satan is the instigator behind many attacks perpetrated through flesh and blood.  But instead of recognizing it as demonic, we see a coworker, or a relative, or a friend or a neighbor.  And we forget that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers that work through the flesh of fallen men and women. 

Someone once said, that the purpose of life is to glorify God as we go through trials which build character as we are obedient to the truth.  Therefore we should rejoice in persecution or in trials.  James said “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” 

I must confess that if I would have been there with the apostles I would have rejoiced when I was released from prison by the angel.  That would have been pretty cool and validated my sense of self worth.  But I would have had a hard time understanding why I had to undergo flogging.  And let me tell you, flogging is not like getting a spanking when you were a kid.  Flogging is being stripped of your clothes and being beaten with a bull whip until your back and legs are ripped to shreds.  And they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer in such a way for Christ.  That alone was a testimony to the world, to see these men who had been beaten to a pulp come out of there praising God for it.

 Persecution and threats and whippings did not make the Apostles quit, but it only served to make them even more bold.  They were witnessing daily, preaching daily in the temple and from house to house.  They used every opportunity to announce the good news of Jesus Christ.  DL Moody once said, “the more we use the means and opportunities that we have, the more will our ability and our opportunities be increased.”

Listen, when we come to know the truth, and learn obedience to the truth from the things we suffer, even as Christ did, then we will not be quitters.  The apostles weren’t quitters.  Everyone of these men save John would eventually die as a martyr for the truth.  Some of them would be burned alive.  Some would be hung on a cross upside down.  Some would be cast from the roof of the temple and stoned.  Some would be beheaded.  Almost all of them would be imprisoned and beaten many times.  But the truth would make them free indeed.  Paul spent a large part of his ministry in chains, and yet the word was unchained.  The written words of Paul have had more impact than he could ever have had by simply preaching from town to town.  God’s ways are not our ways.  God has chosen the weak things to confound the mighty.

It’s amazing to me that God did not use angels as the soul ministers of His gospel.  I mean why does He deign to use men?  Why not just give the ministry of the gospel to His tried and true angels?  They have immense power.  They are not weak in flesh as we are.  Certainly the world would pay attention to an angel speaking from a chariot of fire. But God in His wisdom has chosen man.  He chose man to be the way that Christ would come into the world, to be born as a man and suffer as a man.  He chose the lowliest of people, fishermen from Galilee, uneducated, rough men, to be His apostles, to carry the message of His gospel throughout the world.  Why?

Because men can support their message by their experience and angels cannot. We were depraved, lost sinners when God redeemed us and changed us.  We were weak in the flesh and now we have been made alive in the Spirit.  We had no interest in God, now we are children of God and do His will.  We have a living testimony that angels can never have.  Because angels are not redeemed, angels are not converted.  But we are.  And so we must begin to praise Jesus by our words and our life, while we still are in this life, that we might serve to bring others to Christ. 

God used men, not angels to spread the gospel.  He may have used angels to release the apostles, but he uses men to preach the gospel.  Jesus did not take the form of an angel to perform redemption, but He took the form of a man.  In order that redeemed, transformed man should be the utility by which God transforms the world. It is a ministry committed to committed men and women.  We too are sinners, but saved by grace and transformed into saints. God has chosen you to be His instrument for bringing the gospel to the world.  That God should use man to be such a sacred testament to His power to save must be a blow to satanic pride.  The use of feeble men brings glory to God in a way that angels could never do.

1Cor. 6:19 tells us, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”  This is the announcement of the truth of Christ’s gospel.  Your life glorifies God.  You are not your own, but you are bought with a price.  Your life is not your own. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth.  Now then, hear the charge of the angel of God to you today, “Go, stand boldly and speak to the people all the words of this life.”   The people of this world are perishing for a lack of knowledge.  We have the truth, and God has sent us to proclaim it to the world.  I urge you to not neglect this great commission that God has entrusted you with.  “Go, stand boldly and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

The Purity of the Church, Acts 5: 1-14

We looked last week at persecution against the church and how paradoxically persecution actually benefits the church.  We found that persecution produces identification with Christ, it produces proven faith,  persecution produces allegiance to God, not man, persecution produces effective praying, and so forth.  Basically, we showed that persecution tends to strengthen the church and increase fruitfulness in the church.  History reveals that persecuting the church  only causes the church to become purer and more powerful and more effective. 

Now, as we will see illustrated in this passage, Satan changes his strategy. If direct attacks do not destroy the church, he will change tactics. Not only is Satan a murderer, going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but he is also a liar, and a deceiver, and so he disguises himself as an angel of light.  In this strategy,  he attacks inside the church, even through the church, where he is more effective at achieving his aim. Satan attempts to prevail by subterfuge what cannot be won by frontal attack.  And so Satan tempts the members of the fellowship to sin, thus fostering rebellion against God from within the very ranks of the church, and using sin to corrupt the purity of the church, which is the secret of her effectiveness.

The fact that there is sin in the church should not come as a surprise to anyone.  It is after all completely evident to the people outside the church.  That is why non believer’s consistently say that the thing which turns them off more about the church is not old fashioned music, or even the preacher’s message, or the lack of young people activities, but anecdotal evidence suggests that what turns unbelievers off more than anything else in regards to the church is that it is filled with hypocrites. 

And to a certain extent they are correct. None of us are what we should be.  There’s sin in the church because there are sinners in the church. But sinners who mourn over their sinfulness and repent of it, trusting in the grace of God for their redemption do not make hypocrites.  But rather hypocrites are people who pretend they are righteous, while they continue to live in sin. The Greek word for hypocrite means an actor on a stage.  Therefore, hypocrites are people who put on an act in order to receive applause from men. And nothing is more damning to the church’s effectiveness, and it’s witness, and it’s fellowship than hypocrisy.  Our Lord was most incensed against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  He saved His most scathing attacks for those that talked the talk, but did not walk the walk.  And the devil knows that sowing hypocrisy in the church will destroy it from the inside.

Jesus said in Matthew 13, that the kingdom of God (which is the church) is like a mustard seed that grew into a great tree.  But people hearing that parable in those days understood that mustard seeds do not grow into great trees, but grow into mustard bushes.  So Jesus is saying first of all that the mustard seed, the church, grows abnormally large.  And then He says it grows so large that the birds of the air came and nested in it’s branches.  What does that mean?  Well, in another parable when Jesus taught about the various type of  soils, He identifies the birds of the air as the devil and his demons that swoop down upon the seed cast into the soil and eat it up.  So birds nesting in the branches of the tree indicates that demons will nest in the branches of the church.  They find refuge there, they find rest there, because the church does not deal with unrepented sin.

As I said, this is the strategy of the devil. He finds it more effective to attack the church from within than from without.  And he does that by tempting us to sin and harbor that sin, producing hypocrisy.  And hypocrisy is one sin that Jesus spoke most vehemently about.

Now up to this point, the new church in Jerusalem had been going famously.  It was growing, it was vibrant, it was powerful.  But suddenly our attention is drawn to this egregious example of pride and hypocrisy in the church, and the Holy Spirit acts swiftly to cut it out of the body.  Because unrepentant sin is like leaven, that is if it’s left in the dough it will leaven the whole lump.  Unrepentant sin is rebellion towards God, which 1Samuel 15 says is as the sin of witchcraft.  It destroys fellowship with God, it destroys unity in the body, it destroys your testimony, and ultimately it destroys lives.  And that is why God moves to deal with this sin of hypocrisy in a mighty way before it destroys this infant church.

Boy, if you want to put a damper on your church growth program, you would think that God striking people dead would do it, wouldn’t you?  I mean, from our point of view that is the wrong thing for God to do if you want to build a church.  But yet God does this for exactly that reason.  He knows that if it is to truly be His church, so the gates of hell will not prevail against it, then He must deal with flagrant sin, rebellious, unrepentant sin, and if it takes these two to make an example, to put the fear of God into this church, then that’s what it takes.  Because God said we are to be holy, even as He is holy.  It is His church.  His Holy Spirit indwells the church. The Son of God shed His precious blood to purchase the church.  And God knows that for it to be effective, for it to endure, for it to prevail, He must deal with the enemy within, the enemy of impurity which corrupts the church.

Let’s look then in detail as to what happened.  The story really starts in the latter part of chapter 4.  Barnabas has done what many others were doing in the church, they were selling property and bringing in the proceeds and laying it at the apostle’s feet.  No one had told them to do this.  This was just the result of their unfeigned love of God.  They loved God, so they loved His body.  They loved His people and so they wanted to participate in serving them, and they did it by sacrificial giving. 

And there had obviously been some recognition in the church of these people that did this.  The church was rejoicing in these people’s generosity.  People that were displaced from their homes or jobs or families due to their faith were being blessed by these folks sacrificial giving.  There must have been a certain amount of accolades and recognition due to these magnanimous gifts.  There surely would have been a certain amount of recognition that these people were spiritually mature, and in the case of Barnabas at least, some were elevated to a place of leadership in the church.  Barnabas would go on to be one of the great missionaries sent out by the church, responsible for nurturing no less person than the apostle Paul, and also John Mark. 

So this couple in the church named Ananias and his wife Sapphira want to get in on this.  Let me tell you, there is no righteousness so sweet as righteousness noticed.  The church is no stranger to this malady of self righteousness today, even as we see it illustrated in these two people in this infant stage of the church.  They wanted to be seen as spiritual, as dedicated, and committed.  But in fact, they had ulterior motives, planning to claim something that was a lie. 

Now we need to realize that these two people were believers.  The text in ch.4 makes it clear that all of the people in the fellowship were of one heart and soul.  But at some point the sin of envy, or jealousy, came into this couple’s hearts as they saw the accolades, or respect given to people like Barnabas.  And that little bit of envy gave birth to another sin which was pride.  They wanted to be seen as spiritual examples.  They wanted to be able to go around with people thinking they were especially spiritual. 

It’s interesting to note their names.  I think they give us a clue to their personalities. Ananias means “Grace with God.”  This guy even had a name which denoted his favor with God.  And perhaps he leaned a little too heavily on God’s favor, even presuming upon the grace of God to overlook his presumptuous sin.  And the wife’s name, Sapphira, is a take on a sapphire stone, which had come to mean beautiful.  That probably is not the best name you want to pick for your child.  It can’t exactly help a child have a healthy self image if everyone is calling them beautiful all day long.  I can’t help but think that both of these people had a pride problem.

And this is purely speculative on my part, but I would not be surprised if they did not see this move as a means to gain a position in the church.  You know, there were upwards of 15,000 to 20,000 members in this church at this point.  And so it’s not surprising that someone would attempt to gain leadership status through some sort of underhanded approach to win the people’s favor. The sin of hypocrisy often lends itself to a desire for preeminence found in leadership or teaching.

So, in vs. 1 Luke tells us that in response to what Barnabas and others had done, this couple conspired to sell some property that they owned but keep some of the proceeds and yet tell the church that they were in fact giving them the full amount. There was no compulsion to sell their property.  They were simply motivated by pride.  They wanted to be seen as something they were not.  They directly contradicted Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:1, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” 

Which sin would you have picked to be the first sin that the Lord disciplined in the church?  Maybe you would’ve picked immorality.  Maybe you would’ve picked stealing.  Maybe you would’ve picked some form of blasphemy.  Maybe you would’ve picked some relationship characterized by anger, hostility, lack of forgiveness.  Those are all part of life in the church.  But the sin that the Holy Spirit places here to teach how God deals with sin in the church is the sin of hypocrisy, pretending to be something you’re not. 

That’s why Peter said in 1 Peter 4:17 that it is time for judgment to begin with the house of God first. The church is to be a shining example to the world. God wants to clean out the old leaven which is always a used as a picture of sin in the Bible..  He doesn’t want sin corrupting this new church in it’s infancy.  Because as Paul said, a little leaven leavens the whole lump. He says in 1Cor. 5:6, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.”  In the Passover festival, the Jews were to clean out the leaven from their houses.  That was meant to be an illustration of searching your heart for sin and getting rid of it.  Not harboring it.  David said in Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

But Ananias comes to the church and lays the money at the apostles feet in brazen hypocrisy.  Premeditated hypocrisy.  Unrepentant hypocrisy.  You know there are all kinds of ways to sin.  But there are some sins that are more dangerous than others.  Spontaneous sin, or sin of the passion of the moment is one thing.  But deliberate, intentional sin that refuses to acknowledge it as sin is another thing altogether.  It’s like the difference between manslaughter and premeditated murder.  It’s the most dangerous sin in the life of a Christian, and it’s most dangerous to the church.

And so Peter is given discernment by the Holy Spirit to recognize this.  You know, I can’t claim to have Peter’s level of discernment.  But I will say that discernment is a characteristic of a godly leader.   And I do believe that God often gives me a measure of discernment or intuition that enables me to see things where otherwise I might be deceived or fall into a trap.  I think God given spiritual discernment is the only way a preacher can truly teach the truth of the gospel.  And I think you have to rely on that God given wisdom in order to lead the church.  But though I may often find myself thinking inwardly that what someone is saying to me is not right, or that it comes from wrong motives, I do not pronounce deadly judgment upon them.  I let God be the judge, and I let God deal with them, unless He clearly tells me to confront them.

Notice that Peter does not enact corporeal punishment himself here either.  But he does show discernment.  He rebukes Ananias publicly.  And I think he does that for the benefit of the church.  If Ananias just fell over dead from a heart attack without clarification from Peter, the church would likely have erected his statue in the front vestibule. He would have looked like a benefactor who died an untimely death. But Peter, acting on behalf of the Holy Spirit, wants this to be understood, to be an example, a lesson for the rest of the church, that they do not lie to the Holy Spirit.  And that is what Peter accuses Ananias of.  He says you lied to the Holy Spirit, you have not lied to men but to God.

So Ananias fell down dead at that moment, right there in the front of the church.  And Luke says great fear came over all that heard of it. Then three hours later, Sapphira came in.  I don’t know why she was late, I guess she was fixing her hair or something.  Had to look beautiful, you know.  But she confirms the same lie that her husband had given, not knowing that he had just died.  And so Peter rebuked her for testing the Holy Spirit and she also fell down dead in the midst of the congregation. Once again, in vs. 11, Luke tells us that the result was that great fear fell on all the church.  Twice Luke tells us that great fear fell on the church.  That was the goal.

Now fear is another thing that you would think would be bad for church growth.  But actually it serves the purpose of God.  That the church would have a holy fear of God.  You know, as a preacher, every time I talk about the fear of God I am usually encouraged to downplay the aspect of fear to that of just some sort of reverence or awe.  But here in this passage, you cannot escape from the holy dread of Godly fear. Heb. 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Listen, Romans 3:18 makes it clear that the primary characteristic of the unbeliever is that there is no fear of God before their eyes.  Then conversely does not that tell you that the characteristic of a Christian should be that they have a fear of God?  We should have a holy fear of God.  We cannot, nor should we want to live in sin, in flagrant rebellion against God.  If He is our heavenly Father, then He says that He chastens those He loves, and He scourges every son. 

I don’t know what your childhood may have been like, but I really loved my dad.  And I know that my dad loved me enough to lay down his life for me if necessary.  When I was a little boy and my dad would come home I would run and leap up into his arms and throw my arms around his neck.  I knew that he loved me.  But on those days when my brother and I drove my mother crazy, and wouldn’t obey, and deliberately rebelled against her, she would say, “just wait until your dad get’s home.”  And on those days when dad would come in the front door I wouldn’t run to him.  I was afraid because I knew that I was probably going to get a spanking.  It didn’t mean that my dad didn’t love me anymore.  It meant that I had a problem and I needed to get straightened out before I could have fellowship with my dad.  But afterwards, when all the crying was over, I would find my way back to my dad, and crawl up on his lap, and bury my head in his chest sobbing and he would tell me that he loved me and I would tell him that I loved him too.  Now to some people today that probably sounds like a form of child abuse.  But I would retort that that kind of attitude is what has produced the kind of society that we live in today.  There is no fear of God before their eyes, and as a result the world is in chaos, families are in chaos, because people do whatever they think is right in their own eyes. 

God’s family is not designed to be like that. God’s plan of discipline of His family, the church is found in Heb. 12:5-10 "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."  It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”

That’s what God’s discipline is designed to produce – holiness.  2Cor. 7:1 says, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”  See, if we were to examine ourselves, and put away filthiness, put away fleshly defilements,  put away sin, and desire holiness, then God will have no need of discipline.  But when we refuse to confess our sins, refuse to acknowledge it as sin, and continue in sin, then God will discipline us for our own good in order to produce holiness.  So rather than continuing in sin we are to be perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  To be striving to be holy, even as He is holy.  This is what we were given the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to do.  To do righteousness, to be holy in all our behavior, to be set apart, consecrated only unto the Lord.

Some of you undoubtedly are saying, “Well, I can’t believe a loving God could do something like that.”  But in saying that, are you not guilty of defining God?  Are you not guilty of making a god in your own image?  According to what you want God to be?  I would remind you that God is jealous of His church. James 4:5 "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us." The church is to be the spotless bride of Christ.  And so He is just in His vengeance against those that would bring sin and shame into His church. 

This is not an isolated example of God’s severe discipline against sin, but this an ever present reality of the early church. According to 1 Corinthians 11:30-32 there were true believers that God was putting to death because of the way they came to the Lord’s Table.  “Some of you are weak and some of you are sick, and some of you sleep.”  You’re dead because of how you desecrate the My table.  Some of you, Paul says.  That means some of you Christians pay the ultimate price for your rebellion. 

In 1 Cor. 5, Paul was writing to address an immorality issue that had continued in the church and everyone knew about it, and the person refused to confess it as sin. And so Paul writes in 1Cor. 5:5 “I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”  Do you understand what Paul is saying there?  He is saying, I’m going to remove him from the protection of the church, so that he might be destroyed by Satan.  This man is going to be destroyed physically, so that he might be saved in his spirit in the judgment day of Christ.  This man was saved, and so he was going to enter into heaven, but he would suffer the punishment of God here on this earth by allowing the devil to destroy him. 

So we see here in this passage another miracle of the Holy Spirit, empowering the church, but not one that gets all the attention like speaking in tongues, or healing.  But this is the power of the Holy Spirit nonetheless.  It is the power to discipline the church.  The Holy Spirit has that right, and that responsibility, so that the church may be the holy and spotless bride of Christ.  He has the right to purify the church.

So what was the result of this purification, this godly fear that fell upon the church?  Did it kill the church?  Did people stop coming to church for fear that they would be struck dead on the spot?  Did the church shrivel up and die because they were too legalistic, or too condemning?  No, actually the opposite happened.  The church increased in it’s effectiveness.  The purity and zeal for God in the church reached a new level and the whole city was aware of it.  There suddenly weren’t very many hypocrites that wanted to associate with them, that’s for sure.  Look at vs.12-13 “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico. But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.”

So here is the result in a nutshell.  As a result of purification the apostles were enabled to do even more miracles, the church was unified in doctrine and in fellowship, and unsaved people did not dare associate with them.  That means that there was no social benefit to being a church member.  And people were afraid to try to pretend that they were righteous when they were still unsaved.  But, and this is important, but the people held them in high esteem.  The unsaved community watching this church had nothing bad to say about them.  They weren’t cursing the church because they were a bunch of hypocrites.  No, they held them in high esteem because they could see them practicing what they preached.  They saw the purity and commitment and devotion of this early church and it was a testimony to the unsaved world as to the power of the Holy Spirit to transform men and women, to conform them to the image of Jesus Christ.

And then notice another result of the Holy Spirit’s purification of the church. Vs.14 “And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number.”  The church continued to grow by leaps and bounds.  The church’s effectiveness was not hindered, but helped as they continued in the fear of the Lord because it’s light burned ever more brighter. 

Listen, in closing I would just ask you today to examine yourselves today in light of this standard of purity and holiness that God expects from us.  Ananias and Sapphira were Christians.  And even though their motives were suspect, they were giving money to the church, weren’t they? They were involved in fellowship.  Wasn’t that a good thing?  No, the fact is that God is not concerned about outward signs of religion.  He is concerned about the heart.  And God sees our heart.  David said, a broken and contrite heart O Lord you will not despise. 

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was not just that they kept back some money.  It was that they lied to the Holy Spirit.  And I would ask you today, are you guilty of lying to the Holy Spirit?  Are you telling God that you are His, you have surrendered all, when in fact you are holding back a portion for yourself?  Are you holding on to some sin, holding onto some thing that is not honoring to God?  Have you come here today with your head held high, attempting to put one over on the church, and in effect you are guilty of not only sinning against God but lying to the Holy Spirit by in effect telling saying that you are good, you are righteous, when in fact you refuse to repent of sin that you are harboring in your life? 

If that is the case, then I would “urge you by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1,2) Don’t leave this place today in a spirit of rebellion.  Confess your sins one to another that you may be healed. (James 5:16) That the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint.

Come all the way to God.  Come all the way to salvation.  In Titus chapter 2 we have the full range of salvation delineated for us.  Not just one aspect of salvation, but the full range of salvation is given for us in Titus 2:11-14 which says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,  instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

That is salvation.  All of it. “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”  For our God is a consuming fire.  

The Purpose of Persecution Acts 4: 13-37

None of us would willingly invite persecution, would we?  Our instinct towards self preservation is so ingrained in us that our natural tendency is to avoid anything that might cause us pain or discomfort.  If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time praying that God would deliver you from whatever trial you might be encountering. But the fact is that God often uses persecution and trials for His plan.   What seems injurious to us, is often used by God to conform us in the image of Jesus Christ. 

That is why James says in chapter 1 vs. 2, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” 

It’s interesting to notice that at the very beginning of the church, when unparalleled growth was occurring, 10,000 to 20,000 people have possibly been saved and brought into the church, it’s ironic that this is also the time that God allowed persecution to come upon the church in order to complete what had been begun at Pentecost.  Though God never tempts us with evil, He allowed evil men to bring persecution upon this fledgling body of believers and used it to produce maturity and a greater degree of usefulness and fruitfulness.

Peter in His address to the Sanhedrin makes it clear that persecution of Christ was used by God to work out His plan.  Vs. 27, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.” 

In the same way, according to the sovereign plan of God, He uses trials and persecutions brought on by evil men to accomplish His purpose;  to produce endurance, to prove our faith and to bring us to completeness in the image of Christ.  So in this passage today we are going to look at 9 ways that persecution brings about God’s purposes.  Nine ways that God uses persecution to perform His purposes.  And as we look at these, it is my hope that it would cause us to look at persecution and trials differently, so that we might fulfill James command to endure these trials and consider it all joy, because we know that it will be used by God for His glory, and our good.

First, we should rejoice because persecution produces identification with Christ.  Vs.13, “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”  One of the benefits of persecution is that it draws the line doesn’t it?  When Christianity is on easy street and it’s considered popular to be a “Christian”, then many times the lines get blurred between true Christianity that is modeled after Christ’s example and those who just give lip service.  But when persecution comes, and suddenly it’s not popular to be a Christian, when professing Christ can get you fired from your job, or even fined or arrested for talking about Jesus, then the fair weather Christians fall away pretty quickly and those that are truly His disciples become evident. 

To the Sanhedrin who had arrested Peter and John, it was apparent that these men had been with Jesus.  They spoke with the boldness that He spoke. They acted in the power of the Holy Spirit even as Christ had. They showed discernment of the scriptures even as Christ had. And so it was apparent that they had been with Jesus.  Hey, is that something that might be said about you, by people you are working with?  Do your neighbors say that it’s apparent that you are someone who has Jesus?  That should be our goal, to live lives that mirror the life of Jesus, so that people see the resemblance by the way we act, and the way we talk.  And persecution has a way of drawing that out, or better yet, instilling Christ’s attributes in us.  As Paul says in Phil. 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”  That means that as we submit to suffering for the sake of Christ, and we die to ourselves, we come to know Him more fully, and we receive the power to live as He lived.

Secondly, persecution produces proof.  Vs.14-16 “And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.  But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another, saying, "What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.”  What kind of proof does persecution produce? Persecution produces the proof of your faith. 

Back in the reference we looked at in James 1:3, the word translated testing is from the Greek word “dokimion” which means proving.  That is what testing through trials is referring to.  God uses testing to prove your faith, so that you have a more sure faith that is able to endure even greater conflicts, do even greater deeds and win even greater battles in this spiritual warfare.  A good illustration of that word is found in the story of David when he was about to go to battle with Goliath, and King Saul wanted David to wear the King’s personal armor.  And remember, David tried it on and said, “I can’t wear this armor, for I haven’t proven it.”  He meant that he had not tested it out in battle.  He couldn’t rely on it.  But God uses persecution to produce trials which produce a proven faith.  Persecution provides evidence of our faith to an unbelieving world that is watching us and even more importantly, it produces a proven faith in us that enables us to live a more victorious life.

Thirdly, persecution produces allegiance to God not men.  Vs.18-20 “And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." 

There really is no such thing as popular Christianity.  The gospel by it’s nature offensive to man’s desire for self determination. Peter, in 1 Peter 2:8 says that Jesus as the cornerstone is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.  And Jesus said in Matt. 21:44 "And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust."  The gospel is designed to divide the sheep from the goats, light from darkness, truth from error.  It is designed to separate righteousness from sin.  And God uses persecution to produce that separation.

Today in an age of seeker friendly churches, preachers have tried to take out anything from Christianity that might be offensive in their efforts to woo people into church.  But in so doing, the have prostituted the gospel for the sake of gain.  And the real danger is that hell is richer for it, as people are lulled into a false security that they are in Christ, when all they have done is align themselves with manmade religion. 

But when persecution comes, it suddenly costs something to follow Christ.  And then we often find ourselves having to choose between pleasing men or pleasing God.  And there must be only one real choice for the child of God.  We must give heed to God rather than men, no matter what it cost us.

And that segues nicely into the next principle, persecution produces preaching, not pandering. At the end of vs.20 we read that Peter says, “we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”  John would say later in his epistle, 1John 1:1 “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life-- and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--  what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” 

Listen, there is no hope in preaching a half truth.  There is no hope in preaching a social gospel.  Jesus said in John 8:31, ““If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  The word of God is truth, and only in that truth are we made free.  When we water it down, when we deduct things that are onerous for fear of offending someone, then we risk leaving them still dead in their sins. If they are to have true fellowship with the Father, then they must accept  the Word of Christ as faithfully delivered by the apostles.  We dare not offer a dying world a nice tasting placebo which has no power to save.  They need to know the truth of the gospel in order to deliver them from death.

Fifth, persecution produces praise.  Vs.23-24 “When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM…”  It seems like an oxymoron to say that  persecution produces praise, doesn’t it?  How does persecution produce praise?  Well, for one it reminds us that God is sovereign over all.  He is the creator, and all things have their life and being in Him.  And so there is nothing that happens that is outside of His provenance.  God is sovereign.   He is able to cause all things to work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose.  (Rom. 8:28)

A good illustration of that was when Joseph praised God even when his brothers meant him harm.  He said, “You meant it for evil, but God used it for good.”  We can praise God that He counts us worthy to suffer for His name sake.  And in Act 16, after Paul and Silas were thrown in the stocks in jail they began to sing songs of praise and God caused an earthquake.  When we suffer for Christ, it produces praise to Christ that isn’t merely lip service.  Praise in the midst of suffering pleases the heart of God.

Sixthly, persecution produces prayer.  Peter’s prayer is continued in vs. 29-31, "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,  while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.  And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” 

In James 5:16, the KJV says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  Persecution produces fervent prayer and righteous men, which produces results.  God hears and answers that kind of prayer. 

Augustine said, “Pray as if everything depends upon God, and work as though everything depended on you.”  Sometimes the work that is demanded is just laboring in prayer.  Sometimes it is laborious to pray.  And yet perhaps that is when it is most effective.  R.A. Torrey said, “Pray for great things, expect great things, work for great things, but above all, pray.”   Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.  Pray when it hurts, and pray until it hurts.  Pray until you see results.

Number seven, persecution produces power from God.  Vs. 31,  “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”  I can’t help but wonder why the place started shaking when they prayed.  But I have to imagine that it was shaken because the forces of darkness were shaken. Eph. 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” God has given us two weapons to use against these spiritual strongholds;  the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and prayer.  When these righteous, persecuted Christians fervently prayed, I believe that God caused the walls of those strongholds to fall down, just as the walls of Jericho fell down.  And that produced a shaking that they could actually feel. 

Oh, Christians!  How I want us to pray like that.  I want to see us pray so that God cracks the sky and rumbles forth in power and might to put the enemies of the church to flight, to deliver loved ones from sin, and to bring a spirit of revival upon the church.  Notice that when they prayed, God answered with a shaking, but also with power.  That is what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, is it not?  It is the power to be what God has called us to be.  The Holy Spirit provides the power to do what God wants us to do.  And what God wanted them to do, and what He wants us to do, is to speak the Word of God with boldness.  Persecution produces power, the power to boldly proclaim Jesus Christ and His gospel in spite of opposition or what the culture considers politically correct.

Eighth, persecution produces unity.  It produces unity in the church.  Vs. 32 “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.”  Unity is so important in the life of a Christian. But please understand that unity doesn’t overrule truth of doctrine, but it is the result of truth of doctrine.  We never should sacrifice doctrinal purity for the sake of unity.  But God often uses persecution to bring differing factions together in unity, because persecution has a way of making the plain things the main things.  It has a way of making what is trivial, even more apparently so, to the extent that we forsake the trivial. In other words, some things are worth dying for, and some are not.  Some things are worth dividing over, and some are not. 

In Jesus’ great prayer in the upper room on the night He was betrayed, He prayed for unity.  And He prayed that that unity was founded in the truth.  Listen to part of that prayer from John 17:16-21. "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”   Our unity is founded first and foremost on unity in the truth, with the teaching of Christ.  As we are united in that, then we will be united together in the church. 

That is the secret to unity in marriage as well.  Marriage unity is not by finding points of compatibility with one another.  Marriage unity starts by each person becoming reconciled to God first, and when that is accomplished, then that will automatically result in unity to one another. 

Lastly, persecution produces charity. Vs.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  and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”  I deliberately use the old fashioned word King James word “charity” to describe Christian love.  Christian love is not just an emotional response.  It’s not just a feeling.  Those things might or might not be present, depending on the circumstances.  But true Christian charity is the hallmark of the true church and it is illustrated in sacrifice.  Jesus said, they will know you are my disciples because of the love you have for one another.

And how did Jesus define that love?  He said we are to love one another in the same way that He loved us.  And how did Jesus express His love for us?  He laid down His life for us.  Christian love is sacrificial love.  That is what Christian charity is; sacrificial love for one another.  And that is what this first church exemplified.  There was not a needy person among them.  That is an amazing statement.  There were upwards of 20,000 people in this church.  And yet there was not a needy person among them because of the selfless, sacrificial giving nature of this church.

Persecution had caused many people to not have homes to go back to once they were saved.  Many people did not have jobs anymore once they were saved.  But what is amazing is that in this dynamic, Holy Spirit filled church, there was such a sacrificial spirit among them that they were even selling off their property, land and houses and bringing in the proceeds  to the church.  This isn’t tithing folks.  This is cheerful, willing hearts that want to abundantly contribute to the kingdom of God and they understand that is to happen through the church.  They aren’t trying to see how little they can give, but they are selling stuff to be able to give even beyond their means. 

Listen, the Lord loves a cheerful giver.  He doesn’t hold us under the Old Testament law of tithing in the New Covenant.  But that doesn’t mean that we don’t give because we are under grace.  We should give more because we have been given more.  Your checkbook is a testament to your faith in Christ.  Did you know that?  I don’t care to know what your checkbook reveals.  But believe me, God knows. God sees the heart, and He sees the secret things.  And one day, the God who sees the secrets of men’s hearts will reward the secrets of men’s hearts. 

Well, it’s amazing isn’t it, how God uses persecution to bring about His purposes in His people.  I don’t know what kind of trials that you may be going through.  But I can assure you of this – if you are living godly, then there will be some form of persecution, some form of trial in your life.  Jesus said, In this world you will have tribulation.  But remember the words of Peter, who was no stranger to persecution, and who would one day be martyred for his faith. 1Peter 4:12-19 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;  but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.  Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;  but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”

I don’t know what kind of trials or persecution you may be going through, or what the future holds.  But let me close by reminding you of the words of the ancient hymn, “How Firm a Foundation,” so when persecutions come, we may know that it is all in the plan and purposes of God.  And He says to us;

"Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

"When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;

For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

"When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply.

The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.