Bible Study - Church: Transforming - Do Life Together - Acts 4, 5 and 6 - November 11, 2012

Bible Study – Church: Transforming – Do Life Together – November 11, 2012

This is lesson two (2) in our series entitled “The Church: Transforming Lives in a Changing Culture.”

Our scripture is Acts 4:32-35; 5:1-6; 6:1-7.

We continue our study of the activity of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the followers of CHRIST. GOD’S desire is for HIS children to worship HIM in Spirit and truth. HE wants us to be honest with HIM. HE already knows our hearts and HE knows whether or not we are playing games with HIM. We need to keep in mind how much GOD loves us as captured in John 3:16-18:

16 “For God loved the world •in this way: He gave His •One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.

This is GOD reaching out to all of humanity in love. Our part is to accept the wonderful gift of HIS love by accepting HIS only Son, JESUS, as our Savior. Humanity cannot ever reach high enough or be good enough to reach GOD but whereas we cannot reach HIM, HE has reached down to us. Our part is to accept or reject CHRIST as our Savior.

In our lesson, this large group of people had accepted CHRIST as their Savior. They were drawn together in unity because they were bonded by the Holy Spirit which not only bonded them Spiritually but physically and economically. If there was an economic need, it was a true need and not someone taking advantage of being a follower of CHRIST in name only.

Let’s read Acts 2:41-47: (Background – The setting was Jerusalem shortly after the coming of the Holy Spirit after Pentecost. The followers of CHRIST were meeting together in the temple and being taught by the apostles. They celebrated the Lord’s Supper in the homes of fellow believers. These were Jewish believers who saw CHRIST as the promised Messiah. There was unity among the followers of CHRIST because they were united as one, through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The followers of CHRIST met in the Jewish synagogues until about the turn of the first century.) 

A Generous and Growing Church

41 So those who accepted his (Peter) message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching,y Ac 5:28; 13:12; 17:19; 1Co 14:6 to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.z Ac 1:14; Heb 10:25
43 Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.a Mk 16:17,20; Ac 5:12
44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.b Mt 19:21; Ac 4:32
45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.c Or to all, according to one’s needs
46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the •temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude,d Lk 24:53; Ac 5:42; 20:7
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to theme Other mss read to the church those who were being saved.f Ac 5:14; 11:24; 16:5; Rm 14:18

 The followers of CHRIST were eager to learn all they could about CHRIST. They were joined together by the indwelling Holy Spirit for them to be taught, to fellowship and to grow Spiritually. It was important that a solid foundation be laid in their lives because GOD knew the future for the followers of CHRIST. Sometime later, the followers of CHRIST would come under attack, which would result in them being dispersed far and wide. That seems like a tragedy but it was GOD’S plan to spread the Good News more broadly. When it happened the followers of CHRIST did not abandon the gospel of CHRIST but they were witnesses where ever they went.

Christians are complacent in America. We think that nothing will ever prevent us from the freedom of worship. If we remain silent, we could awaken one day to discover that our freedom to worship CHRIST has been lost.

These early followers of CHRIST had the desire to learn all they could from the Apostles who had walked with JESUS. Since the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in their lives, the followers of CHRIST comprehended and understood the ministry of CHRIST. Such an awakening began with CHRIST’S disciples. What CHRIST had been teaching them came together. They finally understood the meaning of salvation through CHRIST as it related to life upon earth and eternally. The indwelling Holy Spirit revealed truth to them. They were all growing Spiritually.

Even at this point, the Apostle Peter did not recognize that he had things in his life that he would have to deal with in order for him to better serve CHRIST. Later in his ministry, GOD allowed him to have a vision of unclean things that a Jew would never eat in order to prepare him for ministry to the Gentiles and to expand his territory of ministry.

Let’s read Acts 10:9-16:

Peter’s Vision

 9 The next day, as they (the group going to ask Peter to come to speak to them) were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the housetop about noon. 10 Then he became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he went into a visionary state. 11 He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12 In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!” 14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything common and ritually •unclean!” 15 Again, a second time, a voice said to him, “What God has made •clean, you must not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into heaven.

GOD told him these ceremonially unclean things were okay for him to eat because HE had declared them clean. This prepared Peter to minister to the Gentiles.

Once we receive CHRIST as our Savior and the indwelling Holy Spirit, it is only the beginning of our Spiritual journey. As we obediently serve HIM, we grow.   

Let’s read Acts 4:32-35:

Believers Sharing 

32 Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. 33 And the apostles were giving testimony with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed for each person’s basic needs.

Some people have pointed to this scripture as Christians being the first communists. Nothing could be further from the truth because under the communist system:

-         The people, under communist rule, do not have a choice whether or not to share the things they have. The state takes what they have. Whereas, the followers of CHRIST chose whether or not to share. Some did but others chose not to share.

-         The people, under communist rule, cannot have private ownership, whereas the only way the followers of CHRIST could give was if they had private ownership of things they could sell in order to give the money to the apostles for common usage. The followers of JESUS could still retain ownership of things of value.

-         The people, under communist rule, have no choice but to give up ownership, whereas the followers of CHRIST gave voluntarily while retaining what they wished to retain. They could give it all but it was their choice.

The key point was that they were of one heart and one mind. They were in unity with each other through the Holy Spirit. They saw that every material thing they had belonged to GOD and was a gift for them to use to meet their or the needs of others.

Many of you know that our eldest son, Ted, died August 1, 2012 after falling down some steps. We went to his home and began the process of tending to matters. It was clear that he left every material possession behind. Much of what he had accumulated was given away. JESUS tells us in Matthew 19:21 - “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

Where is our treasure? Is it on earth or in heaven? It is a matter of maintaining the proper perspective; do our possessions control us or does GOD? How much is enough? This is something I struggle with as we are getting older.

These followers of CHRIST were in unity with each other through the bond of love and the indwelling Holy Spirit. They were of the family of GOD. They were brothers and sisters in CHRIST. There were needs and those who had material means shared them to meet the needs of their brothers and sisters in CHRIST so they could grow and serve together Spiritually.

Sometimes it is difficult to share with those outside our immediate family but it is a “no brainer” to share with those who are family. This group of followers was bonded through the love of CHRIST through the indwelling Holy Spirit and they were brothers and sisters in CHRIST.

There was unity but Doctor Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, revealed an incident where one couple attempted to deceive. It was a costly attempt because GOD knows the intent of our hearts.

One of the apostles called Barnabas, which means encourager, sold a field and gave all of the money he received from the sale of the field to the apostles to use as needed. He was praised for doing such a good thing. Our next scripture introduces us to a married couple who also had property that they sold and received money, let’s see what they did.

Let’s read Acts 5:1-6:

Lying to the Holy Spirit 

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds from the field? 4 Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God!” 5 When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him.

There was a couple named Ananias and Sapphira, who also sold a piece of property and gave the proceeds to the apostles with one exception. They agreed to hold back some of the proceeds for themselves. The Greek word used to “hold back” means to pilfer or embezzle. A person does not embezzle their own money but the money that belongs to someone else. In essence, the money they obtained from the sale of their property was the property of the common fund. They agreed to appear to be giving the entire proceeds from the sale of the property to share in the needs of the group but withheld a portion. As Peter put, it was their field to do with as they chose. They could sell it and keep all or any portion of the money they received. Instead they chose to give the appearance of giving it all, when in fact they held a portion back for themselves. It was a deception and revealed the attitude of their hearts.

How they planned to use the proceeds they kept, we do not know. What we do know is that GOD knows our hearts and he used this as an example to the early followers of CHRIST not to try to deceive the Holy Spirit. GOD desires for HIS children to be honest. When we deceive our brothers and sisters in CHRIST, we deceive GOD. GOD wants us to tell it like it is.

Did Ananias and Sapphira want to squirrel away some extra money so they could have just a little more than the rest of their group? Did they not trust those who distributed the goods? Did they not trust GOD to provide? They had a heart problem.

We know from our scripture that Ananias dropped dead when their deception was revealed. It is interesting that he was buried before the news of what had happened to Ananias was made known to his wife. We do know that in that region and day, those who died were buried quickly. We have to speculate why they buried Ananias so quickly. Was Sapphira away and they did not know when she might return? Any way they buried Ananias quickly.

As we read in Acts 5:7-11 - There was an interval of about three hours; then his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the field for this price?”“Yes,” she said, “for that price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!” 10 Instantly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband. 11 Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things.

The same fate that came to Ananias came to Sapphira. She dropped dead because they had conspired to “test” the Holy Spirit. This revealed the attitude of their hearts. Was CHRIST real? Was the Holy Spirit real? They would test what was happening among their body of believers to determine whether or not the indwelling Holy Spirit was from GOD. They found out the hard way but it confirmed to the body of believers that they were being led by the Holy Spirit sent by GOD.

Satan can counterfeit the workings of the Holy Spirit. CHRIST teaches us to look at the fruit that is produced. Is it fruit that lasts? HE also gives HIS children the gift of discernment. The death of Ananias and Sapphira got the attention of this body of followers and also sends a powerful message to us today. We must be honest with GOD. It does not mean we are not to question or probe the matters of the Spirit but GOD equips HIS children with the ability to discern the validity of the workings of the Spirit. When we attempt to deceive GOD, we deceive ourselves and it reveals a Spiritual need in our lives that only GOD can meet. HIS desire is for us to come to HIM with all our cares and needs.

You would think that all would run smoothly in this Holy Spirit led body of believers. Let’s see in our next scripture.

Let’s read Acts 6:1-7:

Seven Chosen to Serve 

1 In those days, as the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. 2 Then the Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching about God to handle financial matters. 3 Therefore, •brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the preaching ministry.” 5 The proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a •proselyte from Antioch. 6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the preaching about God flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

Some Bible scholars believe this took place about five years after Pentecost. We would think that in this Spirit led body of believers that everything would be hunky-dory. No, there were two groups of widows. There was a dispute between the Hellenistic Jews and the Hebraic Jews. The Hellenistic Jews thought that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food or money. The Hellenistic Jews were Jews that grew up outside the holy land where the Greek language was spoken and the Greek culture was embraced. The Hebraic Jews were those who had grown up in the holy land and spoke Aramaic.

Both groups were Jews. The differences were the language they spoke, where they were raised and the cultural background. Apparently, there was a problem because “the twelve” agreed that something had to be done. So they called the group together for a congregational meeting and they needed a solution to the problem. The “twelve” stated that they had been called to study the scripture and preach the gospel of CHRIST. So they asked the congregation to select seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom that only GOD can give to distribute the food or money fairly.

The congregation selected seven men. They chose those listed below. This was beginning of their call to ministry. We know something about some but others we do not. But here is what we know:

-         Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He was the first Christian martyr.

-         Philip preached to the Samaritans and witnessed to the Ethiopian.

-         Prochorus (PRAHRK-uh-ruhs) – Early tradition has it that he was the Apostle John’s writer or scribe of Third John and that he became bishop of Nicodemia in Bithynia. It is believed that he was martyred in Antioch. Tradition means it may be accurate or not.

-         Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a •proselyte from Antioch. We do not know anything else about these men.

The important thing is that they were men trusted by the congregation to meet a need. This is where the concept of deacons or elders serving in our churches today. They take a burden off those called to focus on the Spiritual health of the body of believers and to lead as the Holy Spirit leads them for the purpose of making disciples.

Those who serve are to be men and women of honest report (includes good reputation, trusted and trustworthy), full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Spiritual insight that can only come from the indwelling Holy Spirit). I know some will cringe at the thoughts of women serving but they are called to serve the same as men. I personally like the blend of men and women because each brings certain perspectives to issues at hand.

The bottom line was that when the twelve were free to focus on praying, studying and preaching, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

They made disciples. Is the leadership of our churches focused on making disciples or getting larger numbers, larger physical structures, larger budgets or upon making disciples? Are we focused upon the Holy Spirit working through us to transform the community around us?

The beginning point is, “Are we filled with the Holy Spirit?” We are accountable to GOD. Blessings!!!