And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 5:40-42)

The prestigious council of important men hoped they could intimidate the apostles into no longer preaching about Jesus. After a strong warning, they called for the apostles and then beat them.

When we read those words in verse 40, we wonder: “Just how badly were the apostles beaten?” According to some scholars, the word beaten in verse 40 can also be translated skinned; the beating they received stripped the skin off their backs. Another commentator wrote, “It was no soft option; people were known to die from it…. It was meant to be a serious lesson to offenders.”

Yet, even after such a severe beating, the apostles were not intimidated and they were not discouraged. Instead, they left rejoicing. They were not rejoicing that they suffered, but that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. It was a privilege to be associated with Jesus in any circumstance, even to suffer shame.

Because of this joyful association with Jesus, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Whatever beating or shameful treatment the Sanhedrin gave them, it did absolutely no good. The disciples didn’t stop preaching for a moment.

This challenges each of us as followers of Jesus. They continued where we may have stopped. We often find the threat of social rejection is enough to make us keep quiet about who Jesus is and what He did for us. We need to have the apostles’ courage and determination to stand firm for Jesus Christ. We think that suffering shame for Jesus’ name is like a deadly poison that will kill us. Under the work of God’s Spirit, that shame heaped upon us for the sake of Jesus can instead be like a vitamin boost that makes us stronger.

The great preacher of Victorian England, Charles Spurgeon, spoke of this kind of bold heart: “Now, I charge every Christian here to be speaking boldly in Christ’s name, according as he has opportunity, and especially to take care of this tendency of our flesh to be afraid; which leads practically to endeavours to get off easily and to save ourselves from trouble. Fear not; be brave for Christ. Live bravely for him who died lovingly for you.”

I love that last phrase of Spurgeon’s: “Live bravely for him who died lovingly for you.” In the Western World, it is mostly only shame that we suffer for Jesus’ name. Let’s bravely endure what we must bear, standing with and praying for our brothers and sisters across the world who must bear much worse.

Click Here for David’s Written Commentary on Acts 5

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

This was the second time that Peter stood before this council and gave such a bold answer. The previous time was recorded in Acts 4:19-20 when Peter and John said, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Here, the apostles said the same thing in different words when they said, we ought to obey God rather than men.

Those words were a bold declaration. The boldness of Peter and the apostles was a contrast to the Sanhedrin. The men of that council were far more concerned about the opinions of men than obedience to God. Earlier in Acts 5 we read that many common people in Jerusalem had a positive opinion about the disciples of Jesus (Acts 5:13). We also read that the church was growing – many people wanted to become Christians (Acts 5:14). Because of this, the men of the council (who seemed so important and influential) were afraid to punish the apostles. They cared about pleasing the crowd more than pleasing God.

Because of this, what Peter and the apostles said was probably a shock to the men of the council: We ought to obey God rather than men. Those were remarkable words.

The apostles’ response to the council was not a defense, and it was not a plea for mercy. Instead, the apostles simply explained why they did what they did.

In general, the New Testament teaches that we should submit to those in authority over us. Yet submission on the human level is never absolute, and never is more important than the submission we owe to God.

We should obey rulers, but not when they contradict God. The Lord has established structures of authority and submission for the man and woman of God. But, as someone such as John Calvin explained, if a person in a position in authority becomes very disobedient and wicked, they give up the honor of being obeyed.

Every Christian should agree with Peter and the disciples: We ought to obey God rather than men. As Christians, we do submit to rightful authority, and we recognize that this kind of submission goes beyond only doing things that we would otherwise agree with. Yet, when normally rightful authority goes beyond their God-appointed place, our response is we ought to obey God rather than men.

The council that intimidated the apostles and told them to stop preaching was not master over the church – Jesus Christ is Lord. While we respect the work and authority of councils and mayors and governors and other leaders, we understand that Jesus Christ is Lord over the church and when God tells us one thing and human authority tells us something else, we ought to obey God rather than men.

Click Here for David’s Written Commentary on Acts 5

But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” (Acts 5:19-20)

God was working in a powerful way through the apostles, and the religious leaders in Jerusalem didn’t like it. Acts 5:17-18 says the high priest arrested the apostles and put them all in prison.

They didn’t stay in prison long. We read: an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors. This was easy for God to arrange. Angels are all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). God sent forth this angel to minister for the apostles. Locked doors are nothing for God or for those who He uses.

To do the work, God sent an angel. Possibly, they only understood this was an angel as they looked back. Angels often come in human appearance, and it may not always be easy to recognize an angel (as in Luke 24:3-7 and Hebrews 13:2).

The angel didn’t just open doors, he also had a message: Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. The angel freed them from prison, but he wasn’t going to do the work of preaching. That was up to the apostles, and it is also up to us.

Their rescue from prison was wonderful, but for a purpose – so they could continue their work. God didn’t set them free primarily for their safety or comfort. They were set free for a reason. In the future, they were not always delivered.

The later history of these apostles – and others associated with them in the early church – shows that sometimes God delivers by a miracle, sometimes He does not. According to fairly reliable church history and tradition, miraculous angels did not always deliver them.

– Matthew was beheaded with a sword.
– Mark died in Alexandria after being dragged through the streets of the city.
– Luke was hanged on an olive tree in Greece.
– John died a natural death, but they unsuccessfully tried to boil him in oil.
– Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome.
– James was beheaded in Jerusalem.
– James the Less was thrown from a height then beaten with clubs.
– Philip was hanged.
– Bartholomew was whipped and beaten until death.
– Andrew was crucified and preached at the top of his voice to his persecutors until he died.
– Thomas was run through with a spear.
– Jude was killed with the arrows of an executioner.
– Matthias was stoned and then beheaded – as was Barnabas.
– Paul was beheaded in Rome.

This reminds us that we should trust God for miraculous things and wish to see them more and more; but we do this knowing that God also has a purpose when He does not deliver with a miraculous hand. We also see that we, like the apostles, are set free for a purpose – not merely to live for ourselves.

Click Here for David’s Written Commentary on Acts 5

Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. (Acts 5:13-14)

Sometimes we think that when the church lives as it should, the church will be a magnet that draws all those who do not yet believe on Jesus. They will see the purity and power and holiness of God among His people and say, “I want to join with such people.”

I suppose it works like that sometimes, and in some places. But certainly not always. Here, in Acts 5:13-14 we see that when the holiness and purity of the church was evident to the world, none of the rest dared join them.

When everyone learned of how God dealt with Ananias and Sapphira, and how jealously God guarded the purity of His people, they thought twice before joining the community of God’s people. They had such a marvelous reputation for integrity that everybody knew it was a serious thing to be a follower of Jesus.

When God cleanses the church this radically, it feels painful – even traumatic. Yet, one of the good things that flows from it is that there is much less of a casual commitment among believers. People then are more likely to count the cost as Jesus said they should (Luke 14:25-33).

Despite the hesitancy of some, the church kept growing. We read, believers were increasingly added to the Lord. Though people knew it was a serious thing to be a Christian, the Spirit of God kept moving with power. More and more people joined the community of the disciples of Jesus.

In fact, they were added in multitudes. We read that they joined the disciples in multitudes of both men and women. This was Luke’s way of reminding us that the cleansing of the church connected with Ananias and Sapphira did no lasting damage. God’s work continued forward.

Notice the phrasing that the Holy Spirit chose to describe this. They were increasingly added to the Lord. This means that new believers were added, but they were added to the Lord, not primarily to a “church” or to a person or even to a movement. They were added to the Lord Jesus Himself.

Christian, please understand: your fundamental identity is who you are as someone added to the Lord Jesus.

– You have a race and an ethnicity; those are not your fundamental identity.
– You live in a nation and perhaps belong to a political party; those are not your fundamental identity.
– You have an education and some kind of economic class; those are not your fundamental identity.
– You belong to a certain church or denomination; those are not your fundamental identity.

You have been added to the Lord Jesus; you are “in Christ.” This is the greatest and most glorious identity. Rejoice in it, rest in it – and remember it is a serious thing to be among those who are added to the Lord Jesus.

 

Click Here for David’s Written Commentary on Acts 5

Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. (Acts 5:5-6)

A man named Ananias, along with his wife, lied to God and cheated the church. They did it to appear more generous and spiritual than they really were.

Shockingly, God brought swift judgment: Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. Peter did not pronounce a death sentence on Ananias. It isn’t the business of the church to pronounce a death sentence on anyone. Peter simply confronted him with his sin and Ananias fell down dead, and he was probably more surprised than anyone else when Ananias fell down dead.

This was a harsh penalty for a sin that seems common today. Some wonder if God was too harsh against, but maybe the greater wonder is that God delays His righteous judgment in almost all other cases. Ananias received exactly what he deserved; he simply could not live in the atmosphere of purity that marked the church at that time.

This judgment on Ananias must be seen in the context of its time. This was a critical stage for the early church and such impurity, sin, scandal, and satanic infiltration could have corrupted the entire church at its root. Then, the church was all “root” – the branches had not yet developed. We can guess that one reason we don’t see God’s judgment just like this today is because God’s church has so many branches. Even if the entire body of Christ in the United States was to become corrupt through scandal or sin, there is plenty of strength in other parts of the tree around the world.

What God did here in Acts 5 shows it is wrong to assume that there is always more time to repent, more time to get right with God, more time to get honest with Him. Any such time given by God is an undeserved gift that He owes no one; we should never assume it will always be there.

There was an immediate result: So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. God’s purpose was accomplished in the church as a whole. This was evidence of a great work of God among His people.

When God begins to move in a mighty way among His people, it often starts with the exposure of sin, leading to radical repentance. God wouldn’t allow for a cover-up; this was going to be exposed so God’s people would take sin seriously.

We often think revival is something triumphant, moving from glory to glory. True revival from God is glorious, but often begins as judgment day for the church. But after the judgment, and after things are settled, real blessing flows.

If God is “cleaning house” in your church or life, don’t despise it. It could be the start of the revival you’ve been praying for.

View or listen to the late Dr. J. Edwin Orr’s  wonderful message, “Revival Is Like Judgement Day”