Thursday, May 23 - Acts 5

RANDOM THOUGHTS

v. 1  Ananias and Sapphira show their love of praise for pretended generosity and love for money.  These are two great dangers that still face the Church today.  Generosity should not be about the accolades nor should we seek a name for ourselves through our acts of kindness.  Satan loves to play on our pride.  Likewise, love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, including selfishness, greed, and dishonesty.

Death of Ananias and Sapphira.  Did this death signify eternal death as well?  Did Ananias and Sapphira become so greedy that it eroded their faith to nothing?  Only God knows the answers to these questions, but let them serve as a reminder that the Spirit of God cannot be deceived even when every other eye can;  and God is not pleased when the actions of our life do not match the confession of our lips.

v. 15.  Peter's shadow brings healing.  Note how the disciples are fulfilling Jesus promise that they will do works just like He did.  These verses sound strikingly similar to those which describe Jesus' ministry in the Gospels.

v. 17 ff.   The Apostles' Release from prison.  We must obey the civil authorities until such time as their authority is not in harmony with the greater authority of God.  The disciples were ordered by the Sanhedrin to be silent, but God had told them to speak.  And so the disciples boldly declare:  (v. 29)  "We must obey God rather than men."  They say this at great risk to their lives.

v. 38   The Advice of Gamaliel.  "if it is from God, you will not be able to sto these men;  you will only find yourselves fighting against God."   The advice is prophetic of the rest of the book of Acts.  The authorities, hard as they tried, could not stop the explosion of the Gospel into the world through the ministry of the Apostles. 

v. 41.  The Apostles rejoice in their suffering.   They consider it an honor to be persecuted for the sake of Christ.