Acts 5:1-11
Today's Passage: Acts 5:1-11
This passage starts off with an ominous “but” which requires us to look at the previous chapter. The brand new church of Christ was just born and those believers “were of one heart and soul and…had everything in common” (Acts 4:32). They were unified! “But” even within that holy community, there were hypocrites that sought to glorify themselves rather than Christ Jesus.
The story of Ananias and Sapphira reminds us that, on this side of Heaven, there will always be wolves that try to hide among the sheep. This couple, even though they heard the real gospel and witnessed the power of the resurrection, decided to seek self-glorification. They leveraged their spirituality for man’s praise, and unfortunately, people do the same thing today. Let that not be true of us! Instead, let us look for ways to humbly exalt Jesus and serve others.
Why did Jesus give the Apostles this sort of power/authority? First, to help the newly formed church love and fear God. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The church must recognize Jesus as its LORD and God.
Second, God gives this authority to protect the church. The Holy Spirit has just empowered and unified the church and these hypocrites were seeking to take advantage of this community. So to protect the church and advance the Kingdom of God, Jesus empowered the Apostles with the authority to judge. Although we don’t have Apostles today, God has given authority to the local church to protect its believers from falling away.
With this text in mind, we should seek to do two things. First, we should seek to be of one mind and of one Spirit with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our unity and love for one another should bear witness to the God we serve!
Second, we should rest in the protective care of the Lord. God has empowered us with His Spirit and promises to never leave or forsake us. Additionally, He has empowered his Church to protect us and our souls from the evil one. Submit yourself to the accountability and community of a local church. We need you to help us and you need us to help you. Together we will spur one another along to faith and godliness.
Written By: Joe Weaver
This passage starts off with an ominous “but” which requires us to look at the previous chapter. The brand new church of Christ was just born and those believers “were of one heart and soul and…had everything in common” (Acts 4:32). They were unified! “But” even within that holy community, there were hypocrites that sought to glorify themselves rather than Christ Jesus.
The story of Ananias and Sapphira reminds us that, on this side of Heaven, there will always be wolves that try to hide among the sheep. This couple, even though they heard the real gospel and witnessed the power of the resurrection, decided to seek self-glorification. They leveraged their spirituality for man’s praise, and unfortunately, people do the same thing today. Let that not be true of us! Instead, let us look for ways to humbly exalt Jesus and serve others.
Why did Jesus give the Apostles this sort of power/authority? First, to help the newly formed church love and fear God. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The church must recognize Jesus as its LORD and God.
Second, God gives this authority to protect the church. The Holy Spirit has just empowered and unified the church and these hypocrites were seeking to take advantage of this community. So to protect the church and advance the Kingdom of God, Jesus empowered the Apostles with the authority to judge. Although we don’t have Apostles today, God has given authority to the local church to protect its believers from falling away.
With this text in mind, we should seek to do two things. First, we should seek to be of one mind and of one Spirit with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our unity and love for one another should bear witness to the God we serve!
Second, we should rest in the protective care of the Lord. God has empowered us with His Spirit and promises to never leave or forsake us. Additionally, He has empowered his Church to protect us and our souls from the evil one. Submit yourself to the accountability and community of a local church. We need you to help us and you need us to help you. Together we will spur one another along to faith and godliness.
Written By: Joe Weaver
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