“Lessons from Acts 5”

Monday, May 30, 2016

Acts 5 is a rich text that mainly tells of two different events that occurred near the beginning of the first century church. First, we see a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who were members of the church. They sold some property and gave some of the money to the church. However, they claimed it was all the money, because they sought the praise of men. They kept back some of the money for themselves. Peter confronted them about this lie and they were killed for their sin and used as an example of the consequences of sin. Then we see that the apostles are arrested (for being the apostles) and freed by an angel and began to preach in the temple. The Jewish council sent men to find them and bring them before the council, intending to kill them. However, a Pharisee named Gamaliel advised them to let it be for now and see what happens.  So they beat the apostles and let them go.

            That is a very brief summarization of this chapter.  I encourage you to read it on your own and study it while reading this post, so you can get the most out of it.

            Lying is wrong.  Yet sometimes we do it, try to normalize it, and justify when it might be okay to do it.  But the reality is that lying is never okay! It hurts our souls.  It can hurt other people and it hurts God. We’re not fooling Him when we lie. He knows the truth.  He’s not ignorant. We might be able to trick everyone else in the world into believing a lie, but never the Lord. He knew Ananias and Sapphira weren’t acting honorably.  He used their disobedience as an opportunity to discourage anyone from lying to Him. It wasn’t wrong for them to keep some of the money, but it was certainly wrong to deceive people about that. Don’t be an Ananias or Sapphira. Think before you act.

            What is interesting to me about this story is what happens after the deaths of this married couple. Acts 5:11-14 tells us that the church continued to grow more and more. The church is never hurt by the truth.  Always remember that. We should have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. We have the Lord on our side if we are faithful to Him!  God does not gain glory from deceit. We shouldn’t try to trick people into believing in Jesus.  We also shouldn’t try to trick people into thinking we are perfect when in fact we aren’t. Be honest. It will be helpful to you, to the kingdom of God, and to those you interact with.

            I am so intrigued by Gamaliel in v. 35-39. He points out to his peers that God is in control. Things that are of men will fail eventually. But things that are of God and supported by Him can never fail. Sometimes we spend too much time worrying about what is happening in the world, and we have doubts about whether or not we are headed in a good direction. God is in control. Perhaps the best thing to do in some cases is to observe for a while, to see if what is happening is supported by God or not. We do not control the world.  There are some things that we will just have to accept and do the best we can. Never forget that God has a plan.  He takes care of His people, those who love and serve Him with their whole heart. Trust Him.  Do not worry about what the politicians or celebrities are doing. Do what you can to glorify God wherever you are and know that He is in control. There are only two kinds of events that occur in the world: things God makes happen, and things God allows to happen. Both have a purpose, and even if we may not know what it is, we need to put our faith in Him.

            I’ll leave you with the closing thought in this chapter, from verse 42, “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease preaching and teaching that Jesus is the Christ.” I pray that we have that same attitude and drive to share the gospel.  I also pray that we accept that whatever happens, it can be used as an opportunity to further the good news. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.  I hope it has been helpful to you.

-Matt Arnold

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