The Impact of a Faithful Church – Acts 5:12-26
Main Idea: Our level of faithfulness and purity will determine the relevance of TCC in Kingsville.
I. Powerful Preaching | Acts 5:12-16
We learn several important lessons from the story of Ananias and Sapphira. First, the holiness and power of God are put on display by the exposure of sin within the body of Christ. Second, the early church models the appropriate response to God’s holiness by submitting to God’s desire for the church to be pure and faithful to Him. Too often, contemporary Christians have no understanding of the holiness of God and His limitless moral purity. As a result, many believers fail to comprehend the gravity of their sin. Our sin is not some minor mistake but rather an act that grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). The story of Ananias and Sapphira shows us how little man regards God’s holiness in comparison to his own sinfulness. God’s holiness was highly regarded by the early church: “Great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things” (v.11) because of what God did to Ananias and Sapphira. The fear that took over the church resulted not in timidity or uncertainty, but in reverence and awe of the holiness of God.
After the sin of Ananias and Sapphira had been dealt with, the church moved on and was again in one accord, “And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico” (v.12b). The apostles were back at the place where, a few days earlier, the Sanhedrin had charged them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:16-22). Luke then presents the paradoxical truth that “None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem” (v.13). The hesitating crowd was formed mainly by unbelievers, but it included believers. Unbelievers certainly feared being around the faithful believers, but we can also be sure that hypocritical believers did not dare join them either, especially after what happened to Ananias and Sapphira. The fear was caused not because the church would be a threat to people but because of the way sin was dealt with under the authority of God and His Word amongst believers. The swift judgment of Ananias and Sapphira kept the half-hearted and uncommitted from joining those who took their faith seriously. People do not naturally rush to join a church that exposes their sin through the faithful teaching of Scripture and the practice of church discipline. Many pastors fear that the teaching of the so-called “controversial passages” and the practice of church discipline will drive people away and ruin their churches. However, faithfulness to God in teaching and learning will drive away those who love their sin but draw near those who hate it and seek to abandon their worldly lifestyle. Uncompromising commitment to holiness characterized the early believers. A worldly church cannot be an effective witness to the Gospel.
By not allowing lying and hypocrisy to grow within the body of Christ, God caused the church to grow even more, “And more than ever, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (v.14). There were so many now that they lost count of their number, and the primary means for their growth was not only their unity but their purity. Before seeing the church’s unity, the world saw its purity. That stands in sharp contrast to the masses of uncommitted, hypocritical, self-centered mentality present in many churches today. It is the failure of churches to preach sound doctrine, practice holy living, and church discipline that hypocrites remain present in the church. Building a church around tolerance of sin is not God’s way but men’s. Christ demands high commitment from those who follow Him (Luke 9:57-62; Matthew 10:32-39). Only those willing to submit to the Lord’s standards for their lives can be a powerful testimony to the world.
To Ponder:
1. How do we know that God’s Truth has been compromised in the church?
2. In what areas in your life are you tempted to compromise God’s standards of holiness?
II. Evangelistic Passion | Acts 5:17-21
A pure and faithful church will inevitably face opposition from the unbelieving world. In writing to Timothy, Paul said that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). It is no surprise that the early church’s impact resulted in strong opposition. Alarmed by the persistent and rapid spread of the Gospel and its prevailing influence, “the high priest rose, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees) (v.17). The Sanhedrin was controlled primarily by the Sadducees (the most influential religious/political group in all Israel). The Sadducees opposed almost everything Jesus taught during His ministry. They only held the Pentateuch (GenesisDeuteronomy) as inspired by God; they did not believe in the resurrection, supernatural gifts, heaven, hell, or angels. The Sadducees were also the most politically influential group in Israel, being the closest in relationship to the Roman governors of the time. Luke lets us know that the high priest, followed by the Sadducees, “filled with jealousy, they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison” (v.18). So great was their influence that the apostles were put in the public prison, where thieves and murderers were kept waiting for trial. This jail belonged to the state, not the temple courts.
God, however, in all His power, used an angel to open the cell where the apostles were held and freed them (v.19). The irony is evident: the Sadducees, who did not believe in angels, now must deal with the fact that an angel of the Lord came and freed the apostles from imprisonment. Not only did the angel free the apostles but also gave them specific instructions to “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life” (v.20). Upon their liberation, the apostles are instructed to go right back to the task of preaching the Gospel. God is commanding them to continue the very activity that caused their arrest, which is to preach “all the words of this Life” in reference to the Gospel (John 1:4; 6:67-68; Phil. 2:16; 1 John 1:1-4). The early church understood the urgency of sharing the Gospel with the lost to the point of risking their lives for the sake of evangelism. A faithful church is a church marked by an evangelistic passion.
To Ponder:
1. Can you think of a difficult time in your life in which you saw the sovereignty of God at work? How does what happened encourage you to remain faithful to Him?
2. What is the greatest challenge you face in sharing the Gospel with others?
III. Provisional Deliverance | Acts 5:22-26
What a shock there would have been when the prison guards went to the cell and found everything in order but without the apostles in their cell. Not surprisingly, “when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed, wondering what this would come to” (v.24). The apostles were openly disregarding their authority. By now, the Sanhedrin was ready to resort to the most drastic measures in dealing with the apostles, but “they were afraid of being stoned by the people” (v.26). The truthfulness of the apostolic ministry and the provisional deliverance that God kept granting them forced the authorities to proceed with uneasy caution. The entire situation is full of irony. The apostles are released by an angel whom the Sadducees denied their existence. The political party, which liked to be known for its wisdom and knowledge, has no idea what has happened to the apostles. The most powerful men in the nation of Israel now fear being stoned by the people who could not help but marvel at the ministry of the apostles. All of this shows evidence of God’s sovereign hand at work in the life of the early church. Acts 5:12-26 shows us that nothing can befall God’s people unless God ordains it. God’s plans cannot be stopped, nor can the advance of His kingdom be thwarted. The world only opposes faithful churches. Therefore, our level of faithfulness and purity will determine how relevant TCC will be in Kingsville, TX. May we continue to share Christ to a world that hates Christ but desperately needs Him.
To Ponder:
1. Do you fear being a Christian today? If yes or no, why?
2. How can faithful churches make a difference in the world today?