The Holy Spirit will not be mocked as the work of the Holy Spirit builds and refines the church.
Acts 5: Ananias and Sapphira
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.
3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." And she said, "Yes, for so much."
9 But Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."
10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
Many Signs and Wonders Done
12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico.
13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.
14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
The Apostles Arrested and Freed
17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy
18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,
20 "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life."
21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council and all the senate of the people of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought.
22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,
23 "We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside."
24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.
25 And someone came and told them, "Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people."
26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,
28 saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us."
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while.
35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.
36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;
39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" So they took his advice,
40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Acts 6: Seven Chosen to Serve
1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.
6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
Stephen Is Seized
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."
12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,
13 and they set up false witnesses who said, "This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law,
14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us."
15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Things to think about…
1. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is an interesting one, Acts 5:1-11. The issue was not that they didn’t give enough to the emerging Christian movement, it was that they lied about how much they gave. The love of money is certainly a root of all kinds of evil if not kept in subjection to Christ. Our tithes and offerings are also before the Lord. Let’s make sure that whatever we give for the Lord’s work that we maintain our integrity. Jesus said when the Spirit comes, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement, Jn 16:8. Judgement begins with the household of God, 1Pet 4:17. This is the judgement part.
2. Note that this was a special period in the history and establishment of the church. The Apostles were given an extraordinary ability to perform an abundance of signs and wonders, Acts 5:12ff. Others were also given this ability, including Stephen, Act 6:8. While the gifts have not ceased, let’s not presume that we can manufacture what the Apostles did and this particular season when the church was established. Remember the promise that Peter would be the rock on which the church would be built, and so Peter is given the charge and privilege to be used in this extraordinary way. But Christians should still hope, pray for and see the supernatural in their lives.
3. The Apostles were locked up and then released by an angel, Acts 5:18,19. They then went and preached the gospel just as they were told to do by the angel, vs 20. They were brought again before the council, vs 27 and were rebuked for disobeying them. Peter wisely replies “We must obey God rather than men”, vs 29. This is easy to say when God is so clearly in the picture with an angel letting them out of the jail and performing so many signs and wonders. What about us when there is not an abundance of signs and wonders? The charge is still the same –God’s word and calling over us has not changed, 2Tim 4:2.
4. It is interested in Acts 5:28 that the High Priest and the council speaking to Peter referring to Jesus’ words by saying, “you intend to bring this man's blood upon us”. They were worthy to have it so, having crucified the Author of Life. Peter simply responds, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree”, vs 30. While the Lord raised Jesus and it was part of His ultimate plan to do so, the High Priest, council and religious leaders were still culpable for spilling the blood of Christ. Indeed, the shout before His crucifixion was “His blood be upon us and our children”, Mt 27:25. A sad reality that was about to come true for these men, with the siege and destruction of Jerusalem from 67AD-70AD by the armies of Titus.
5. Consider Peter’s response in Acts 5:31 to the council that Jesus was “exalted at God’s right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins,And we are witnesses to these things.” This statement makes Jesus equal with God, as He is sitting at the right hand. More than that, He also has the power to forgive sins which only God can do. Hence the response of the council in vs 33, “When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.” This of course is the same spirit that killed Jesus. As we are about to read in Acts 7, the same spirit will see Stephen martyred.
6. Consider Gamaliel’s advice, Acts 5:34-39. It is wise. Man’s plans in the flesh will fail, but if we are in the Lord’s will whatever we do will stand. Keep praying that what you do in this life is because the Lord has called you to it and will succeed no matter the odds.
7. Men are called to lead the church, Acts 6:1-7. Here we have the first seven servants, a precursor to the role of Deacon. These men were called to distribute food to widows. Why didn’t the Lord call women to distribute food to women? Surely there were godly women, even godly widows that would have been available for this task. Mary the mother of our Lord was likely still alive – surely, she was qualified and many other women who served and followed Jesus along with the disciples. Not according to the Holy Spirit. May the church continue to reflect the Lord’s revealed will in how it is to be governed. In the same way, may the church honour and encourage women in their calling and gifting as did our Lord Jesus.
8. Stephen was acknowledged as one who was “full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people”, Acts 6:8. Stephen was not an Apostle but was used by the Holy Spirit to perform the miraculous. This flies in the face of some Cessationists that say only the Apostles alone were able to perform signs and wonders. While it has been noted this was a season where many signs and wonders done, the Holy Spirit continues within the church and is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Lord still performs the miraculous among His people. May we discern when we should pray for and expect them to occur in our lives.
9. It seems Stephen’s ministry after being separated as an early leader in the church is not going to last long. We see firsthand as to why he was chosen among the seven. He was wise and full of the Spirit, Acts 6:10 and yet the Lord would use him as the church’s first martyr for Christ. Godliness does not equate to a long ministry. Our Lord’s ministry also testifies to this fact.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer points
1. Pray for our Easter services and messages this week.
2. Pray for our Kids at Church ministry and the teachers over Easter
3. Pray for Iran and the overthrow of a wicked regime.
May the Iranian people see the prophesy of Jer 49:34-39 fulfilled over the coming weeks and months.
4. Pray for the Sacred Minds podcast – starting to come online.
5. Pray for One for Israel and their witness in this time of challenge and conflict.
6. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
7. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
8. Pray the influence of Russia and China is minimised militarily.
9. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
10. Conflict zones- Israel, Iran and Ukraine
11. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
12. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
13. Finances to cover our needs
14. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for the Lord’s blessing over our Palm Sunday service on Sunday
2. Praise God for ministries – Life Groups, Prayer meetings, Kids@Church
3. Café team every week. Thankyou to all those who serve and bring food. Especially Fiona, Maddie and Suzy and those who supply it every week Eg Ros - Milk.
4. Worship, Admin and Technical teams – Peter, Nita, Brendon, AJ, Suzy, Maddie, Mathys, Doug.
5. Kids Church teachers – Jacqueline, Maddie, Elise, Anastacia and Fiona
6. The Lord’s faithfulness this year to CBC and all who have served in ministries
7. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Easter services – Easter Friday 3rd Apr – 9:00am. Easter Sunday 5th Apr – 9:30am – Kids activities while the message is on.
2. Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church. Life group begins at 6:30pm. Going through the book of Romans.
3. All Life Groups - Wednesdays.
4. Kids@Church especially our Easter program.
5. Mothers Day High tea celebration – Saturday morning, May 9th at Church.
6. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
7. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 7. What is meant by the Atonement? A. Christ satisfying divine justice, by his sufferings and death, in the place of sinners.
