Acts 12

Acts 12 (New International Version)


Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

Herod’s Death
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off
25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.




Commentary/Significant points of discussion:

• [See v.1] 'King Herod arrested some...intending to persecute them'- Herod Agrippa I, descended from a line of kings under the Roman Empire known as the Herods, began to persecute the church
  
• The Herods were infamous for their persecution of Christians: (1) it was Herod the Great who had killed the children of Bethlehem in a effort to kill Jesus, (2) his son, Herod Antipas, killed John the Baptist and 'ridiculed and mocked' [Luke 23:11] Christ and (3) his grandson, Herod Agrippa I, now kills James the Apostle
  
• 'James, the brother of John' [v.2] becomes the first of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ to be martyred, beheaded by 'the sword' [v.2]; he had been very intimate with Jesus, often mentioned along with Peter and John who were close to Jesus
  
• This fulfilled what Jesus had spoken to James and John concerning 'the cup' that they would have to drink if they wanted to be his closest followers, which, at the time they had no idea of what that would actually mean, and to which they had plainly responded that they could drink 'the cup', not realizing that it would mean facing intense persecution and possibly losing their lives for Jesus Christ. Jesus' promise of 'the cup' to the two are recounted in Mark 10:35-40:
  35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
  36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
  
  37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
  
  38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
  
  39 “We can,” they answered.
  
  Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
  
  
• James became the first to drink this 'cup' of suffering and death; James and John had been seeking the special status of being the Lord's closest followers and instead Jesus grants them suffering which was true glory
  
• How many Christian leaders or pastors out there today have built a special status for themselves but have not even experienced an inkling of suffering ? Is there real glory in big paychecks and big ministries and putting your own face on the cover of books ?
  
• [See v.3] 'he saw that this met with approval among the Jews'- there was clearly a political motivation behind this persecution of Christians; Herod was seeking to gain political power by doing what pleased the people- persecuting the Christians who the Jews disliked and opposed
  
• Q: Why are the Jews suddenly against the church which was highly regarded in the beginning of Acts ?
  
• A: The apostles were no longer as visible and present in Jerusalem as they once were and as a result the lack of signs and wonders might have caused the masses of Jews to lose their fear of God or respect for the apostles. And on top of it, now this message had been preached to the Gentiles which offended most Jews, and which most Jews saw as both a threat to, and a separation from, their native Judaism. In their eyes, this Christian church had to go!
  
• 'proceeded to seize Peter also'- Herod has Peter arrested, hoping this will further increase his political ratings
  
• [See v.4] 'put him in prison...intended to bring him out...after the Passover'- Peter was put in prison but Herod decided that it would be more politically advantageous for him to not bring Peter out in the public during the Passover when pilgrims would flood Jerusalem because: (1) there would be the risk of a possible riot, (2) Herod wanted to show how seriously he observed the Passover to gain the approval of the Jews and (3) Herod wanted to wait until he could have the undivided attention of the people
  
• 'guarded by four squads of four soldiers each'- knowing that Peter had miraculously escaped prison before (Acts 5), Herod assigns a whole team of guards to watch Peter; he couldn't afford to be embarrased politically by having Peter escape
  
• How foolish that Herod believes that by his own powers he could somehow outwit God and prevent the Lord from delivering Peter out of prison
  
• [See v.5] 'Peter was kept in prison...the church was earnestly praying to God for him'- there is a clear contrast here between Herod having his soldiers and prisons and the church having the power of prayer; which do you think would prevail ?
  
• Q: What does it mean to pray 'earnestly' ?
  
• A: To pray passionately with a heart that genuinely cares about the things that we pray for and with words that come out of sincerity and firm belief that indicate how serious we are about what we are praying
  
• There is power in earnest prayer and especially when our prayers are in line with the things God cares about; Jesus said in John 15:7, "7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
  
• [See v.6] 'Peter was sleeping'- apparently Peter isn't too worried or anxious about the upcoming trial and the possible consequences he could face including being executed; God gave Peter rest and comfort despite the fact that he was sandwiched 'between two soldiers', for Psalm 127:2 says, "...for he grants sleep to those he loves."
  
• [See v.9] 'had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening...thought he was seeing a vision'- as Peter is suddenly awakened by an angel sent by the Lord who instructs Peter to get dressed and to follow him, Peter didn't believe that this was really happening but obeyed anyway; obeying the Lord is not about understanding everything that is happening or about to happen, yet how many of us plan our entire lives beforehand making sure everything is weighed carefully and evaluated before taking the next step ? Isn't that type of mentality not trusting God but rather trusting our own measures of what we should do and not do ?
  
• [See v.10] 'passed the first and second guards'- how is it possible that these two guards are standing right there and are not aware of Peter passing them by ? God supernaturally deadened their senses and consciousness; these men aren't even allowed to see the mighty hand of God as before in previous chapters of Acts- because God's judgment has come and their time for repentance has passed- they were already shown great signs, wonders and miracles and given a chance to repent and believe but they turned away to serve Satan who is now trying to attack the church's leaders in an attempt to destroy the church
  
• 'came to the iron gate...opened for them by itself'- how miraculous that the gate is not just unlocked but literally open; all Peter has to do is to go through it
  
• No obstacle is too great for the Lord to overcome and when we obey the Lord He opens doors in a way that is so plain to see and hard to miss like the towering 'iron gate' that opened in front of Peter
  
• Yet how many of us worry that we will never get through the 'iron gate' as if it was bigger than God when God has made it clear to us that He is with us and behind us and that He will take care of the 'iron gate' and make a way for us ?
  
• [See v.11] 'rescued me from Herod's clutches'- it is only when Peter has escaped the prison and has walked outside on the streets that he realizes that this wasn't just a vision but that it was really happening- God had delivered him from death with His mighty hand
  
• This was not a sneaky escape but outright bold and daring; when 'the chains fell off Peter's wrists' [v.7] it must have been very loud, and instead of bypassing or avoiding the guards somehow, Peter and the angel went by them like they were walking through the main doors
  
• Sneakiness characterizes ones who do wrong but the righteous are characterized by boldness as stated in Proverbs 28:1, " 1 The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion" ;
  
• And the best that the ones who do wrong and evil can do is to pretend to be bold as Proverbs 21:29 says, "29 The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways"
  
• [See v.18] 'there was no small commotion among the soldiers'- there is widespread panic among the prison guards who know that they are doomed if Herod finds out that Peter has escaped, and to make it worse, they have no explanation because God has kept it from their memories and consciences
  
• [See v.19] 'he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed'- finding no explanation, Herod concludes that this was an "inside job" secretly plotted by the guards and he has them all executed; how ironic that the ones who were supposed to execute Peter have now become the executed and Peter who was condemned has been set free- talk about God turning the tide !
  
• Herod chooses to take many lives for one man but God took one life for billions of people; how preciously God values each life
  
• [See v.22] ' "This is the voice of a god, not of a man" '- the people of Tyre and Sidon praise Herod excessively with false words of kindness hoping that it would please him and calm his fury from the prison incident so that they could gain his favor
  
• [See v.23] 'because Herod did not give praise to God...he was eaten by worms and died'- Herod received this false adoration and worship from the people, which was equal to not giving the glory to God; adoration and worship belong to God only and not men
  
• Herod had dressed in 'his royal robes' [v.21] in order to appear like he was God but he ends up dying the least honorable death of being 'eaten by worms'; his deceitfully divine appearance was masked by his corrupt heart on the inside
  
• God's judgment came down on Herod because he refused to glorify God; thus there was no glory in his death whereas there was great glory in James' death
  
• The church's prayers were answered by God far beyond what they had expected as they thought saving Peter's life was enough to ask for but God removed the opposition completely by killing Herod; even a little faith can go a long way because God is that much greater
  
• [See v.24] 'the word of God continued to spread and flourish'- politics and the ways of man is no match for the power of God as the church is blessed and continues to grow; James' death has only made the church more alive and the opposition has been weakened
  
  

Acts 11

Acts 11 (New International Version)


Peter Explains His Actions
1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch
19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

27 During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29 The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.





Commentary/Significant points of discussion:

• [See v.3] ' "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them" '- upon returning to Jerusalem, Peter is criticized by the many Christian Jews who are offended that a "fellow Jew" would associate with Gentiles
  
• Jews looked down on Gentiles and believed that they were superior to them because they were God's chosen people and had all the privileges that no one else had; it's plain to see that their hearts have not yet been changed like Peter's and they still consider Gentiles to be 'uncircumcised men' who have no right to be God's people
  
• [See v.4] 'Peter told them the whole story'- Peter repeats his account of how God had led him to bring the gospel to the Gentiles and how also the Gentile to whose home he had been sent had also been prepared by God to receive the message from Peter that would bring them salvation through Jesus Christ
  
• Telling the story of your experience as a witness is often more powerful than stating the facts or knowledge about God or Jesus which can seem vague and confusing to the layperson who may not know anything about Christianity
  
• [See v.15] ' "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them" '- God had approved of Peter's ministry in preaching to the Gentiles; the Jews had criticized Peter for doing this without their approval but who were they to 'stand in God's way' [v.17] ?
  
• It's important to sense and recognize where God is working and in what direction He is heading just as Peter had so that we may stay on the path God has for us and not become lost in our own ways
  
• [See v.18] 'they had no further objections and praised God'- a change in the hearts of the Jewish believers is evident as they allow God's work to overcome their prejudices and traditions; how glorious!
  
• [See v.19] 'Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews'- initially, the gospel had only been preached to Jews by the Christians scattered over the Roman Empire, but now, for the first time, it was being brought to the Gentiles in the Roman city of 'Antioch'
  
• [See v.21] 'The Lord's hand was with them...great number...believed and turned to the Lord'- because God's hand was with this ministry in Antioch, God blessed and multiplied their efforts; clearly, you cannot turn people to the Lord without the hand of the Lord, i.e. you can turn people to church, to counselors, to friends, etc., but only the Lord can turn a person to Him
  
• Q: What does 'The Lord's hand was with them' mean to you ?
  
• A: The human hand does most of our work, so in that respect, God was doing a lot.
  
• A: God's anointing was with them, evidenced by His signs and wonders.
  
• A: God's hand reached down and directly intervened to save them.
  
• [See v.23] 'saw what the grace of God had done'- Barnabas becomes a witness to God's amazing grace in Antioch; grace is something we don't deserve but receive, what was it about Antioch that made them so undeserving of that grace ?
  
• Antioch was the third largest Roman city only behind Rome and Alexander and was highly sophisticated for its times and culturally rich, but it was also morally depraved
  
• 'encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord'- as a leader of the early church, Barnabas took great care of all the believers growing in the Lord so that they were strengthened and equipped to serve, causing 'a great number of people' [v.24] to turn to the Lord and continuing the growth of the church
  
• It is important not only to show hospitality to outsiders coming into the house of God but also to continue to encourage them and help them to grow spiritually
  
• The race only begins when people start their walk with God and as leaders we are called to pick them up when they fall down or to give them a hand if they are struggling because if no one does, then they may be just left alone, with no one to help them and then they see all those people far ahead of them and say, "I give up"; the church is called a "body" and in a body all the different parts need to work together and be on the same page in order for the body to properly function
  
• [See v.26] 'Barnabas and Saul...taught great numbers of people'- after 12 years in quiet ministry and preparation in Tarsus where Saul had fled to escape persecution, Barnabas finds him and upon reuniting they work together to continue to grow the church in Antioch
  
• 'disciples were called Christians first at Antioch'- here the historical origin of the name "Christian" as a follower of Jesus is revealed; soldiers in the Roman army would add -ian after their general's name to identify themselves, and in the same way, people who followed Christ came to be called "Christians"
  
• [See v.28] 'predicted that a severe famine would spread'- a prophet by the name of Agabus predicts through the Holy Spirit that there will soon be bad harvests and food shortages throughout the Roman Empire
  
• [See v.29] 'as each one was able, decided to provide help'- in preparation for this difficult time the people of the church gave what they could to those that would need the surplus to survive when the famine would come; God blesses anything we can give as long as it's done out of true generosity to help those that need it
  
  
  
  

Acts 10

Acts 10 (New International Version)


Cornelius Calls for Peter
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Peter at Cornelius’s House
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.




Commentary/Significant points of discussion:

• [See v.1] 'At Caesarea'- Caesarea was one of the cities governed by the Roman empire for which Cornelius served as a soldier
  
• [See v.2] 'devout and God-fearing'- Cornelius was a Gentile who lived in the ways of the Lord, giving 'generously to those in need' and sought to know the Lord and have relationship with Him, praying 'regularly'
  
• How humble of a man Cornelius was to believe in the religious system of the Israelites who were supposed to be his subordinates under the authority of the Roman empire
  
• [See v.3] 'he had a vision...saw an angel of God'- while praying at the customary Jewish hour of prayer at 'three in the afternoon', God sends an angel who tells Cornelius that the Lord has heard his prayers and remembered what he has done for the poor; how encouraging it must have been for Cornelius to receive this blessing from God
  
• The poor have a special place in God's heart and God blesses those who make sacrifices on their behalf; along with prayer, serving the church is about doing what the word of God says and when we do, it honors God as a 'memorial offering' [v.4] to Him and God blesses us
  
• [See v.5] 'Now send men to Joppa'- God commands Cornelius to send for Peter who is staying with Simon the tanner and Cornelius obeys immediately, sending three men to Joppa; Peter was to preach the gospel to Cornelius who would become the first Gentile to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
  
• [See v.9] 'About noon the following day'- just prior to the arrival of three men sent by Cornelius, Peter also receives a vision while he is praying; how perfect God's timing is as He prepares Peter for the arrival of these three men
  
• [See v.11-12] 'He saw...something like a large sheet...by its four corners...contained all kinds of...animals'- a sheet is lowered from heaven and on it are all sorts of animals
  
• Peter had been distracted by his hunger while praying and so he must have really paid attention when he saw all these animals he could eat; God uses even our distractions to speak to us
  
• [See v.13] ' "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." '- God commands Peter to eat the animals
  
• [See v.14] ' "Surely not, Lord!" '- instead of obeying God's command, Peter protests and tries to defend himself, saying that he has 'never eaten anything impure or unclean' in his entire life; Peter's Jewish customs prohibited him from killing or eating any "unclean" animals, and there were sure to be both clean and unclean animals on the sheet from heaven
  
• Peter had spent his whole life making sure he didn't go near or make any contact with the Gentiles because the Jews, as "God's chosen people" in the Old Testament, believed that it would defile them or make them "unclean" to associate themselves with Gentiles who didn't belong to their holy, inner circle
  
• How many Christians today believe that they belong to an exclusive, members-only club and the first thing they think of when stepping into a church is "how can I join the inner circle of holiness" ?
  
• Jesus prayed for the disciples in John 17:13-15, "13 I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."
  
• To be "God's chosen people" we must be "in the world" like Jesus was, being the hands and feet of the body of Christ reaching out to the world, but not "of the world" thinking and acting like the world; put shortly, we are called to be distinct from the world but not removed or distant from the world
  
• How surprising that Peter would still think this way after having been with Jesus who spent most of his time on Earth with sinners; Jesus was not defiled because he was around sinners and what made him "clean" and not defiled in God's eyes was that he remained sinless , in thoughts and actions
  
• The root of sin begins inside our hearts; if our hearts are not clean then we cannot be "clean"
  
• [See v.15] ' "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." '- Peter's longheld notion of being "clean" is turned upside down as the Lord shows him that He will extend His offer of salvation to the Gentiles who like the Jews will be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and made "clean"
  
• In the Old Testament, the Israelites failed to live up to God's standard of being "clean" and pure and thus were defiled in His eyes; they had to keep ceremonial rituals of cleansing by making atonement through animal sacrifices
  
• But God was talking to Peter about the ultimate cleansing, once and for all, that had made him "clean" through the blood shed on the cross by Jesus Christ
  
• Furthermore, God was the one who was going to make them "clean", purifying the very roots of their hearts and making them holy whereas before it was the task of the Jews to perform cleansing rituals
  
• Jesus came so that we might be freed from being attached to our ideas of what is proper or not as if those are the very ideals that keep us "clean" and holy when in truth those walls of segregation- both in our thoughts and actions, is our sinful nature of trying to squeeze God into a box of our own limitations and shortcomings
  
• God had to shake up Peter's thinking and change his heart in order that the gospel be preached to the Gentiles; God was breaking down the barrier that would keep the church from growing
  
• Despite the fact that God spoke to Peter 'three times' [v.16] in the vision, Peter didn't understand, 'wondering about the meaning of the vision' [v.17]
  
• [See v.19] 'While Peter was still thinking...the Spirit said to him'- Peter is about to receive revelation knowledge through the Holy Spirit regarding the meaning of the vision as he is instructed to 'go downstairs' [v.20] and meet the three men sent by Cornelius
  
• [See v.22] ' "have you come...so that he could hear what you have to say" '- Peter has been invited to go to the house of a Gentile, worse yet an officer of the Roman army which had oppressed the Jews, to preach the gospel ? How is Peter going to respond ?
  
• [See v.23] 'Peter invited the men...to be his guests'- Peter's dramatical change in heart is evident as he goes against his Jewish customs and not only lets the Gentiles into his house but treats them as 'guests' to be entertained
  
• [See v.24] 'Cornelius was expecting them'- Cornelius was waiting for Peter, having faith in God to bring Peter to speak to him even when he wasn't sure of the chances that a Jew would come to the house of a Gentile
  
• [See v.25] 'Cornelius met him and fell at his feet'- Cornelius literally worships Peter, thinking him to be some angel or "special" man in God
  
• But Peter quickly refuses to be treated like God to whom only worship is appropriate and not to men or angels, informing Cornelius that he is 'only a man' [v.26] and thus an equal
  
• From Peter's treatment of a Gentile as an equal amd entering the house of a Gentile which was strictly prohibited by Jewish law, we can see how much his heart has amazingly changed in just a few days
  
• The Holy Spirit gave Peter revelation knowledge regarding the vision he received from God a few days earlier; this happened when it occurred to Peter that the vision wasn't about clean and unclean foods but that it was about people and his arrogant mind considering the Gentiles to be "unclean" people, leading to the revelation that no one was underneath God's love
  
• [See v.34-35] ' "God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation" '- Peter speaks out the revelation that he has received in his heart from God; the gospel went beyond Jews and Gentiles, transcending cultures, nations and races
  
• God does not see what we look like and judge us but by what is in our hearts- whether we 'fear him and do what is right' [v.35]
  
• [See v.36-43] Peter proclaims the gospel to Cornelius and other Gentiles just as he has preached to the Jews, presenting the same message
  
• This fulfilled what was foretold in the Old Testament of a day when a light would shine in the darkness of the Gentile world as stated in Isaiah 60:1-3,
  1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
  and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
  2 See, darkness covers the earth
  and thick darkness is over the peoples,
  but the LORD rises upon you
  and his glory appears over you.
  3 Nations will come to your light,
  and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Acts 9

Acts 9 (New International Version)


Saul’s Conversion
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Aeneas and Dorcas
32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.




Commentary/Significant points of discussion:

• [See v.2] 'if he found any there who belonged to the Way...he might take them as prisoners to Jersusalem'- Saul continued to go all out to persecute the Christians, going all the way to Damascus which was 150 miles away from Jerusalem
  
• The name used for this early Christian movement was 'The Way', implying that being a Christian was not just about having a set of beliefs or principles but living in such a way that would reflect those beliefs; Jesus himself said that he was 'The Way' to salvation in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
  
• In today's modern world the name Christianity is tossed around with all the other different religions and classified as just another belief; it's almost as if humans have forgotten that in their early history Christianity was known as "the way, the truth and the life"
  
• [See v.3-4] 'a light from heaven flashed around him...fell to the ground'- just as Saul is about to reach Damascus, a light so bright that it terrifies him appears and Saul literally collapses to the ground in fear
  
• '"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me"'- Saul had thought the whole time that he was serving God and doing the Lord a favor by persecuting Christians when he was actually persecuting God Himself
  
• The fact that God repeats Saul's name twice shows His great emotion rather than anger; how many people do you know that would be sentimental towards you instead of angry and enraged if you killed their brothers or sisters ?
  
• [See v.5] '"I am Jesus"'- Saul knew who Jesus was because he was a member of the Pharisees who sat in judgement of Jesus before he was crucified; we can just imagine at this moment how convicted Saul must be of his guilt having thought that Jesus was a false prophet and that he was no longer alive
  
• '"Who are you, Lord"'- this is a question Paul would spend the rest of his life trying to figure out and Jesus would be the one to show him who God was
  
• '"Now get up and go into the city"'- Instead of telling Saul what to expect and to do in the city, Jesus gives him only one command at a time without revealing the whole plan that will eventually unfold
  
• God guides us step by step and moment by moment even though we might not understand or know exactly what to expect
  
• [See v.8] 'Saul got up...but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing'- the entire time Saul had shut his eyes against the light of the Lord, too terrified to even look, but when he does open his eyes again, he cannot see the light; God took away his sight
  
• [See v.9] 'For three days he was blind'- Saul's physical blindness now becomes a representation of his spiritual blindness and of the Israelites' as well
  
• 'did not eat or drink'- how humbling this must have been for Saul, unable to have even the basic necessities of life to satisfy his hunger; yet God had done this so that Saul might grow deeper spiritually and hunger for the truth in the silence of his thoughts which was the only thing he had during those three days
  
• We can guess the thoughts that Saul must have come to face in those dark hours; he must have begun to realize how his persecution against the Christians was not favorable to God and to question his misconceptions about who Jesus was
  
• In his blindness Saul must have felt the pain of what it feels like to not know where you are going; Saul must have hungered for God's guidance and searched for a future desitination- one he could not see- eternity
  
• In these three days Saul died to himself so that he would be raised to new life afterwards just as Jesus was resurrected three days after his death; how radical of a change that Saul goes from being this dogged persecutor of Jesus to getting a taste of what it's like to be in Jesus' shoes
  
• [See v.10] 'The Lord called to him in a vision'- a disciple by the name of Ananias receives a vision from God where he is told that he will be the one to place his hands on Saul and restore his sight; by Ananias' response "Yes, Lord" he shows his willingness to be God's servant
  
• God uses ordinary people like Ananias to do His work; all we have to be is willing
  
• [See v.11] 'for he is praying'- God tells Ananias that Saul was praying; for the first time Paul was really praying to God with Jesus as the mediator and not merely repeating formal prayers as he had done before
  
• [See v.13] '"Lord...I have heard many reports about this man"'- as logical and justified Ananias' comments seem in regards to Saul's persecution of the church, God does not need to be told by man anything He does not already know; God knows everything
  
• [See v.15] '"This man is my chosen instrument"'- if Ananias wasn't already reluctant enough to support Saul, he must have went from feeling bad to bitter and resentful when God told him that Saul was the one He had chosen to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Messiah to the Gentiles and his fellow Israelites
  
• How differently does God see our potential from the way the world sees our potential ? God sees what we can become without looking at our past records as the world often judges our character according to the good or bad things we have done
  
• [See v.16] '"how much he must suffer for my name"'- Saul's higher calling from God comes at a price- he will have to endure much suffering; we like to think of suffering as the lowest of human conditions but God eventually takes us to higher places
  
• [See v.17] 'Then Ananias went to the house'- despite having to swallow the bitter pill, Ananias obeys the Lord's command and goes to the house of Judas where Saul is
  
• '"Brother Saul"'- Ananias addresses Saul as a 'Brother' and thus as a fellow believer in Christ and lays his hands on him to bestow the blessing of the Holy Spirit upon Saul in an act of love; how much faith in God it must have taken for Ananias to accept Saul as God's appointed one after all the horrible things that Saul had done to his brothers and sisters in Christ
  
• '"you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit"'- Saul is physically healed of his blindness as well as of his spiritual blindness as he receives the Holy Spirit
  
• Afterwards, Saul was baptized and 'regained his strength' [v.19] by breaking the fast with food; he was now a new man in God, strengthened both physically and spiritually
  
• [See v.19-20] 'spent several days with the disciples...began to preach in the synagogues'- Saul's radical conversion is apparent as he now desires to fellowship with the same saints he wanted to kill before and boldly proclaims Jesus to be the 'Son of God' [v.20], a term that was understood to refer to Israel's awaited Messiah
  
• In the context of today's world, people seem to understand 'The Son of God' to mean that Jesus is not God; in Jesus' times, to be called a "son of" someone meant that you were wholly identified with that person and that their identity was your identity- in Jesus' case everyone knew what he meant when he called himself the "Son of God", i.e. he was God
  
• [See v.21] 'All those who heard him were astonished'- Saul's conversion is amazing and a testimony to the power of Jesus in changing a life; Paul himself would later write in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
  
• The promptness with which Saul serves the Lord reminds us that we can serve the Lord even if we are new in faith; when we are willing to serve, God gives us strength just as He did with Saul who 'grew more and more powerful' [v.22]
  
• [See v.22] 'baffled the Jews...proving that Jesus is the Christ'- the Israelites could not refute any of the claims or arguments that Saul was making; his expert knowledge of the Old Testament made it easy to see that Jesus was the Messiah as promised in the Scriptures
  
• [See v.23] 'Jews conspired to kill him'- after three years had passed, the Jews had grown desperate in their attempts to silence Saul and prove him wrong, and now realize the only viable way is to get rid of him; what the Lord had told Ananias about how much Saul would have to suffer for His name has now become reality and Saul will find out what it's like to be on the other side as the persecuted having once been the persecutor himself
  
• [See v.25] 'lowered him in a basket'- Saul wouldn't only find out what it was like to be persecuted but would also come to know the might deliverance of God; here he escapes the city at night by hiding in a basket
  
• [See v.26] 'he came to Jerusalem...but they were all afraid of him'- Saul returns to Jerusalem converted in Jesus Christ and seeks to fellowship with the disciples but they aren't convinced that he still isn't the Christian murderer that he was a few years ago
  
• [See v.27] 'Barnabas...brought him to the apostles'- yet thanks to Barnabas who welcomes Saul into the family of God, Saul is able to join the apostles
  
• Just as Barnabas reached out to Saul with the love of Jesus, our hospitality as Christians welcoming others into the church community regardless of their background or record is an extension of the love of Jesus; Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:8, "love believes all things"
  
• [See v.28] 'in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord'- Saul continued to proclaim Jesus as the promised Messiah in Jerusalem; he was essentially taking Stephen's place and consequently the same Jews who'd persecuted Stephen now 'tried to kill him' [v.29]
  
• [See v.30] 'sent him off to Tarsus'- Saul's Christian brothers in Jerusalem send him off to Tarsus by way of Caesarea for his own protection in the midst of threats and assassination plots; how humbling it must have been for Saul to know that the very people he tried to kill before are now saving his life
  
• [See v.31] 'the church...enjoyed a time of peace'- persecution was no longer needed to spread the gospel and for the church to grow in great numbers 'throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria'; this time of peace corresponded with Saul's exit from the Holy Land (Jerusalem) to return to his native land (Tarsus)
  
• 'encouraged by the Holy Spirit...living in the fear of the Lord'- many were comforted by the presence of the Lord but also lived with an awareness of their actions according to the word of God; fearing God is a way of 'living', a way of making choices that train us against our natural instincts to fear all other things besides God
  
• What does it mean to fear God ?
  
• It says in Proverbs 8:13, "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech"; 'evil behavior' and 'perverse speech' are outward evidence of the inward attitudes of the heart- a God-fearing heart loves to do what is right, good and pleasing to God
  
• [See v.32] 'Peter traveled about the country'- whereas before people were coming from afar to Jerusalem to receive the ministry of the apostles, now the roles are beginning to shift with Peter travelling 25 miles outside of Jerusalem to Lydda
  
• Peter heals a paralytic and raises a dead woman to life by the power of Jesus; we can see the transformation of Peter in how he now follows Jesus and the Holy Spirit as opposed to before when he was the one trying to get Jesus to follow his ways, e.g. in Matthew 16:22, Peter was the one who tried to convince Jesus from going to the cross
  
• [See v.43] 'Peter stayed in Joppa...with a tanner named Simon'- it was forbidden by Jewish law to even go near anyone who worked with dead animals because it was considered unclean; Peter had made contact with the dead woman's body earlier which was also unclean
  
• God is breaking traditions and rituals that Peter has held onto for his entire life as a Jew, esp. the notion of being clean
  
  

Acts 8

Acts 8 (New International Version)


1 And Saul approved of their killing him.
The Church Persecuted and Scattered
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
Philip in Samaria
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
Simon the Sorcerer
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Philip and the Ethiopian
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.




Commentary/Significant points of discussion:

• [See v.1] 'giving approval to his death'- Saul, who we later come to know as Paul, had no hesitation in persecuting Stephen or any other Christian
  
• 'a great persecution broke out'- Stephen's death as a martyr was just the beginning of the persecution of the early Christians; a much greater persecution was coming now
  
• 'all...were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria'- except for the apostles who stay behind, all the Christians in Jerusalem are forced to flee
  
• [See v.2] 'Godly men...mourned deeply for him'- not all the Israelites had been opposed to Stephen and because of his death some of them are repenting now
  
• [See v.3] 'Saul began to destroy the church'- Saul was the ringleader in the persecution of the church, mercilessly attacking Christians
  
• [See v.4] 'Those who had been scattered preached the word'- remember that Jesus had told his followers earlier to spread the word not just in Jerusalem but 'in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth' [Acts 1:8]; they are following his command now but not without a wake-up call from God
  
• As Christians do we often get too comfortable in our situations that God has to literally wake us up by turning up the heat of the situation (persecution) and making us aware of what needs to be done?
  
• One could look at Stephen's act of martyrdom and see that it had little effect but to increase opposition against the church; yet it was his very act of courageousness and bravery that woke up the church to spread the gospel
  
• God is a Sovereign God who does not need the obedience of man to accomplish His purposes; He can use both those who oppose Him and the faithful, to His glory
  
• [See v.5] 'Philip went down to a city in Samaria'- Philip had been one of the seven men appointed to serve the church and its widows back in Acts 6; he was one of those forced to flee Jerusalem in the face of persecution
  
• [See v.6] 'the crowds...paid close attention to what he said'- the hand of God was clearly evident in Philip's preaching of the gospel as 'miraculous signs' such as the casting out of demons and healing of paralytics were performed by God's power
  
• After the Israelites had rejected God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, God was now extending this offer to the Samaritans; ironically, the Samaritans were despised by the Israelites who considered them to be half-breeds (intermarriage of pagans and lower class Israelites) who stained the pure worship of God
  
• It was Jesus who had broken down this wall of hostility by speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well; Jesus had sown a seed in Samaria- his offer of "living water" to the woman was a foreshadowing of Philip's nurturing of that seed through preaching of the word which would lead to a great revival of the Samaritans
  
• [See v.8] 'there was great joy'- the fruit of Philip's preaching of the word was evident in the joy of the Samaritans; Philip was now reaping the harvest of what Jesus had planted
  
• [See v.9] 'a man named Simon had practiced sorcery'- before this great revival in Samaria, a magician named Simon had deceived many people into thinking that he was literally a god to be worshipped, i.e. 'the divine power known as the Great Power' [v.10]
  
• But Simon's magic powers had nothing to do with God or being Godly; the power of magic doesn't come from God but from Satan, e.g. recall in the Old Testament when the Pharaoh's magicians performed the same miracles as those done by God until God did something they did not have the power to do
  
• Magic is an occult sin because it seeks power from somewhere else other than God
  
• [See v.12] 'But when they believed Philip as he preached...they were baptized'- the power of Simon's magic was nothing compared to the real power of God manifested through Philip in miraculous healings and exorcisms throughout Samaria
  
• Even 'Simon himself believed and was baptized' [v.13] and became a follower of Philip and his ministry
  
• [See v.14] 'Samaria had accepted the word of God'- before when the people had witnessed Simon's magic, they had focused on man; now, as they witnessed the miracles which God performed through Philip, they became focused on the message , i.e. 'the word of God'
  
• 'they sent Peter and John to them'- this fulfilled what Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:19, '19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven'; Peter and John are now welcoming the Samaritans, who had previously been excluded from being part of God's people, into the kingdom of Heaven
  
• [See v.17] 'placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit'- the laying on of hands by Peter and John as they pray for the Samaritans seems to be of particular importance as if the actual act of touching the person who is receiving symbolizes the transfer of God's gift being the Holy Spirit (in the Old Testament the laying on of hands on the sacrificial animal symbolized the transfer of the Israelites' sins and thus was a punishment, not a gift)
  
• The empowerment and filling of the Holy Spirit is received through the laying on of hands as prayer is offered, in accordance with 2 Timothy 1:6, '6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.'
  
• [See v.18] 'When Simon saw that the Spirit was given...he offered them money'- Simon wants to buy the power of God and thus have authority over the Holy Spirit; he wants to play God!
  
• This makes us wonder if Simon believed and followed Philip and his ministry with a genuine heart of faith or if he simply was trying to appear to the people as doing the "right" thing; no matter how much a person appears outwardly to be faithful, deep down in the secret place of their heart they may still not have submitted to Jesus Christ
  
• Simon clearly had not repented of his old ways of practicing magic which got him hooked on possessing powers that would give him much fame and acclaim; his entire focus was on having power for personal gain and not on serving others which would cost him
  
• A Christ-centered life is reflected by complete submission to the power of the Holy Spirit which in turn builds up gifts that benefit others
  
• Simon had followed Philip and his ministry because he was 'astonished by the great signs and miracles' [v.13]; do we as Christians follow certain ministries because we are taken back more by their power than the message they are presenting ?
  
• [See v.20] 'May your money perish with you'- Peter discerns that Simon is 'full of bitterness and captive to sin' [v.22] and tells him the equivalent of "to Hell with you and your money", implying that Simon was on his way to hell
  
• 'you thought you could buy the gift of God with money'- Peter doesn't rebuke Simon for his craving of power and prestige but rather for his faulty assumption behind it all which was that one could buy the grace of God; no man is worthy nor deserving of God's grace which is given unconditionally- it is God's gift
  
• Simon's sin is turning away from the grace of God and seeking instead to manipulate God (to give him his desires), who is sovereign; it amounted to disobedience towards God's new covenant of grace (on the scale of seriousness for sins, think of how the Israelites in the old Testament disobeyed God's commands and were cursed as a result)
  
• The purpose of Peter's rebuke was to turn Simon towards repentance, prayer and righteousness so that he may be saved
  
• [See v.24] 'Pray to the Lord for me'- instead of humbling his own heart before God, Simon asks Peter to humble his heart for him; Simon seems unwilling to go directly to God for forgiveness
  
• 'nothing you have said may happen to me'- Simon is more concerned with the consequences of his sin than the sin he has committed; apparently he thinks he didn't do much wrong!
  
• How many Christians consider themselves sinners but do not recognize their sins ? If we can't identify our sins against God then how can we repent from our sins ?
  
• [See v.26] 'an angel of the Lord said to Philip'- just as Philip and his ministry is flourishing and prospering in Samaria, God commands him to go to 'the desert road'
  
• It seems like a foolish thing to do to leave a successful ministry and to go out in the desert in the middle of nowhere but Philip obeys God's command and goes; how willing are we to obey God when it doesn't seem to make any sense ? How often do we rationalize our disobedience according to our fears ? (e.g. "I'm not sure it's right for me")
  
• [See v.27] 'he met an Ethiopian eunuch'- this Ethiopian man was accomplished and respected yet he seemed to be seeking spiritual answers and he was obviously hungry for God's word, 'reading the book of Isaiah the prophet' [v.28] for which he must have shelled out quite a bit of money
  
• 'This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship'- how strange that this man had not been saved in Jerusalem; God's timing is mysterious but there is a purpose to it all!
  
• [See v.29] 'The Spirit told Philip'- the Holy Spirit speaks to Philip and gives him specific directions to go up to the chariot
  
• [See v.30] 'heard the man reading'- at this moment Philip knows that God had arranged this meeting; God had prepared this man's heart to be open to the preaching of the gospel
  
• After reading the prophecies of Isaiah concerning the Messiah, the eunuch asks Philip 'who is the prophet talking about' [v.34] and Philip 'told him the good news about Jesus' [v.35]
  
• [See v.38] 'Philip baptized him'- the emphasis here is on baptism being an important part of being a believer
  
• [See v.39] 'Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away'- through the Holy Spirit Philip is supernaturally transported to Azotus which was about 20 miles or so away
  
• 'went on his way rejoicing'- the eunuch's great joy is evidence of his salvation; his faith was firmly rooted in God despite Philip's departure
  
  
  

Acts 7

Acts 7 (New International Version)


Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin
1Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"

2To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 3'Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.'

4"So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. 5He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6God spoke to him in this way: 'Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 7But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, 'and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.' 8Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

9"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

11"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our fathers could not find food. 12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. 13On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family. 14After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. 15Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. 16Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.

17"As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased. 18Then another king, who knew nothing about Joseph, became ruler of Egypt. 19He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our forefathers by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.

20"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.For three months he was cared for in his father's house. 21When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 22Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

23"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. 24He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, 'Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?'

27"But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' 29When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.

30"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord's voice: 32'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

33"Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.'

35"This is the same Moses whom they had rejected with the words, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36He led them out of Egypt and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert.

37"This is that Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.' 38He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us.

39"But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 40They told Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don't know what has happened to him!' 41That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and held a celebration in honor of what their hands had made. 42But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:
" 'Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?
43You have lifted up the shrine of Molech
and the star of your god Rephan,
the idols you made to worship.
Therefore I will send you into exile' beyond Babylon.

44"Our forefathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the desert. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 45Having received the tabernacle, our fathers under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, 46who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47But it was Solomon who built the house for him.

48"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says:
49" 'Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
50Has not my hand made all these things?'

51"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."
The Stoning of Stephen
54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.




Commentary/Significant points of discussion:

• [See v.1] '"Are these charges true?"'- back in Acts 6, Stephen was charged with speaking blasphemous words against Moses and against God (the temple where they thought was the only place God dwelt)
  
• Instead of answering the question by trying to defend himself or prove himself innocent, Stephen goes on the offensive and proclaims the truth about Jesus
  
• [See v.3] "'Leave your country and your people,'God said"- Stephen begins his sermon going all the way back to the beginnings in the Old Testament when God had commanded Abraham to leave his hometown and family
  
• [See v.4] 'settled in Haran'- Abraham did not completely obey God's command to go to the land that God had in mind for him and to leave his family behind, going to Haran instead of Canaan with his father and his nephew Lot
  
• [See v.5] 'God promised him...even though at that time Abraham had no child'- when Abraham does finally obey God's command God's promise for his descendants to possess the land of Canaan is reinstated; God's promises for us are kept on hold when we do not obey His commands
  
• [See v.2] 'The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham'- from the start of Abraham's journey God had been with him, guiding him and blessing him; Abraham didn't need a temple like the high priests to be with God
  
• [See v.9] 'God was with him'- again the emphasis here is on God's intimacy with Joseph, who did not have a temple to go to be with God
  
• Stephen mentions Joseph for good reason; in Joseph, we are able to see his likeness to Jesus because he was rejected by the sons of Israel ('twelve patriarchs' [see v.8]), sold as a slave into Egypt and became their savior later on when God made him 'ruler over Egypt' [see v.10] and helped them when 'a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering' [see v.11]
  
• Although he does not say it outright, Stephen is clearly trying to get across the point that the leaders of the temple need to stop rejecting the saviors God has sent, beginning with Joseph, and now, Jesus
  
• [See v.16] 'the tomb that Abraham had bought'- this happened to be the only piece of land in Canaan that Abraham had paid for with his own money; the rest was given to him by God as a result of his faith in God
  
• Stephen's next story is about Moses who was born into a time when the Israelites were being oppressed in Egypt
  
• Moses, much like Joseph but unique in his own ways, resembled Jesus in that he was favored by God from birth being 'no ordinary child' [see v.20], was miraculously kept from harm when he was thrown away into the river as a baby and 'Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son' [see v.21] and was 'powerful in speech and action' [see v.22]
  
• [See v.25] 'God was using him to rescue them'- when Moses avenged his people, the Israelites, 'by killing the Egyptian' [see v.24], God was using Moses as their savior to deliver them from the Egyptians; but the Israelites did not realize this and rejected Moses, denying that he had any right to be 'ruler and judge over us' [see v.27]
  
• Stephen uses Moses' rejection as another case of where the Israelites throughout their history rejected God's appointed saviors; and even worse now they reject Jesus, who is greater than Moses or Joseph and is literally the ruler and judge over the Israelites
  
• Despite Israel's rejection of Moses, God's divine appointment was revealed to Moses when 'an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush' [see v.30]; this is another case where Stephen emphasizes that you don't need a temple to be in the presence of God just as Moses encountered God in the desert, of all places (one might figure there isn't much out in the desert)
  
• [See v.37] 'God will send you a prophet like me'- Moses spoke of the prophet that was to come next, Jesus, who was like him in a lot of ways, leading God's congregation, being close to God and bringing forth the revelation of God
  
• [See v.39] 'they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt'- the Israelites continued to reject Moses, even after God had clearly shown signs and wonders that Moses was the appointed leader
  
• [See v.41] 'made an idol in the form of a calf...held a celebration in honor of what their hands had made'- while with Moses the Israelites had rejoiced in worshipping the works of their own hands; in the same way Stephen is using this analogy to show how the leaders of the temple are worshipping the temple and not God
  
• [See v.42] 'But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies'- God detested any kind of idolatry and his judgement was to let the Israelites continue to worship their idols- the sun, moon Gods, etc.
  
• Stephen is saying, "If you reject Jesus do you know what you will be given up to ?"
  
• [See v.44] 'Our forefathers had the tabernacle'- when Moses was with the Israelites in the desert they still had the tabernacle which they supposedly thought represented their intimacy with God; yet they rejected God's messengers and thus God Himself
  
• How many Christians today believe that they can only meet God at church and that God is absent once they go home and back to their lives ?
  
• As Stephen was stressing to the worshippers of the temple, we cannot confine God to one place because 'the Most High does not live in houses made by men' [see v.48]; Heaven is God's throne and the earth is His footstool- His hand has 'made all these things' [see v.50]
  
• [See v.51] 'uncircumcised hearts and ears'- Stephen rebukes the people of the temple who have rejected Jesus; what good is circumcision as a sign of God's people if their hearts are hardened and they won't listen to God ? In a way they are no different from the Gentiles (non-Jews) who have rejected the Lord
  
• 'You always resist the Holy Spirit'- Stephen lets them know that they are not only rejecting Jesus but the Holy Spirit, another messenger sent by God
  
• Instructed by the Holy Spirit, Stephen conveyed one of Jesus' teachings from Matthew 9:17, '17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins'; just as old wineskins cannot hold new wine, the old traditions of the Israelites cannot hold this new offer of salvation- the blood of Jesus Christ
  
• Stephen's absolute fearlessness despite his impending conviction and martyrdom is the kind of courage it takes to spread the gospel
  
• [See v.53] 'you who have received the law...but have not obeyed it'- Israel received the law of God and were appointed to protect it but they failed to keep it; Stephen's remarks are equal to "you are all betrayers and murderers"
  
• [See v.54] 'When they heard this, they were furious'- after Stephen delivers his history lesson of the Israelites, the crowd's bells have been rung and they are convicted by the Holy Spirit; but instead of responding by submitting to the Holy Spirit they become filled with rage
  
• 'gnashed their teeth at him'- these men who have the outward appearance and reputation of being prominent, successful and highly religious in their society suddenly reveal themselves as citizens of Hell who have rejected God
  
• [See v.55] 'Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to Heaven'- as his sermon comes to an end, it is clear where his boldness, wisdom and power to preach the truth about Jesus has come from- being filled with the Holy Spirit
  
• 'Jesus standing at the right hand of God'- usually the description of Jesus is "sitting" at the right hand of God but here Stephen sees him "standing"; Jesus stands up for Stephen, not leaving him to be alone at a time of crisis and Stephen, who confessed Christ to the men, is confessed as Jesus' servant before God
  
• [See v.57] 'covered their ears...yelling at the top of their voices'- for Stephen to say that Jesus stood in a position of authority next to God was blasphemy to the crowd; they mistakenly believed that a crucified man was cursed by God
  
• This fulfilled what was said in John 16:2-3, '2They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me'; those who reject God become so lost in their spirituality that they cannot even control themselves any longer
  
• [See v.58] 'young man named Saul'- Saul was the supervisor of the execution, one of the Sanhedrin who approved the stoning of Stephen
  
• [See v.59] '"Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit"'- Stephen shows absolute trust in God even as he is about to die, ending his life the same way he lived it- trusting that Jesus would take care of him
  
• [See v.60] '"Lord, do not hold this sin against them"'- Stephen prays to God that He would touch the hearts of the very people who killed him- Saul, one of them, would receive God's blessing as a result of Stephen's prayer and become Paul who we know well as the author of several books in the Bible
  
• It's hard to imagine forgiving someone for taking your life but here Stephen does it, sharing in the suffering of Jesus at the same time
  
• [See v.60] 'he fell asleep'- this implies that Stephen did not "die", but actually woke up to a much better, new world- Heaven!
  
• It is amazing to see how when one walks in the power of the Holy Spirit, they can be used by God to do great things
  
  
  
  
  
  

Acts 5

Acts 5 (New International Version)


Ananias and Sapphira
1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
3Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."

5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?"
"Yes," she said, "that is the price."

9Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."

10At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

The Apostles Heal Many
12The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.
The Apostles Persecuted
17Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20"Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life."
21At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23"We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." 24On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.

25Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." 26At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

27Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."

29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

33When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

40His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.





Interesting points of Discussion:

• [See v.1] 'a man named Ananias, together with this wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property'- recall that at the end of Acts 4 a man named Barnabas sold a field and brought the money to the apostles; Ananias and Sapphira saw how respected Barnabas was for his generosity and wanted the same respect for themselves
  
• [See v.2] 'kept back part of the money for himself'- Ananias, with his wife right by his side watching and aware of what he was doing, stores away part of the sale proceeds and gives back the rest to the apostles; this wasn't just Ananias acting alone, both him and his wife had clearly conceived this plan together
  
• In an attempt to deceive the apostles that he and his wife were real generous people who were sharing their wealth for the good of the people, they lie to the apostles that the money that they laid at their feet was the full amount from the sale of the land
  
• Their sin was rooted in pride desiring a good reputation in the community and also coveting wealth- the love of money
  
• [See v.4] 'Didn't it belong to you...wasn't the money at your disposal?'- the apostles didn't care about how much Ananias had kept for himself, he could have kept even all the proceeds for himself if he wanted to because he was the owner and was free to do whatever he wanted with the money
  
• But what the apostles did care about was that Ananias deliberately 'lied to the Holy Spirit' [v.3] and consequently he had 'not lied to men but to God' [v.4] since the Holy Spirit is God; the implication here is that when you lie to God's people, the church, you are lying to God because God and the church are intertwined with the Holy Spirit dwelling in the church
  
• [See v.3] 'Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied'- Through the Holy Spirit Peter receives supernatural knowledge of what Ananias has done; surely Ananias was fully expecting to be praised and instead he is rebuked by God through Peter
  
• Instead of trusting God and receiving the gift of faith through the Holy Spirit, Ananias and Sapphira believed that they could serve both God and man- and in so doing fell victim to Satan's lies
  
• What began as a "little white lie" conspired between the two of them end up being much bigger than that- matters concerning Satan and the Holy Spirit of God in the holy order of God's church
  
• Rejecting the Holy Spirit and closing your eyes and ears to God's commands leads to a complete breakdown of the armor of God and the belt of truth suddenly comes apart, allowing the enemy to slip in uninvited like a thief in the night looking to steal, kill and destroy- in this case trying to hinder the progress of the church with greed and corruption
  
• [See v.5] 'he fell down and died'- God strikes Ananias dead for his sin
  
• Ananias' death could have possibly been caused by a heart attack; living in a time and among people who really believed that there was a God to answer to, having his sin exposed and having to be accountable in front of the Lord probably frightened him so much that he died of fear
  
• 'great fear seized all who heard'- this sign and wonder performed by God has the crowd terrified rather than amazed and awed; we must fear God and acknowledge his supremacy
  
• If we believe in man's supremacy and have no fear of God, we take the attitude of "How dare God not employ His powers on behalf of man" when it really should be "How dare I steal his air"; the truth is He could strike us down at any moment just as He did to Ananias and his wife
  
• [See v.8] 'is this the price you and Ananias got'- Peter asks Ananias' wife to see if she will tell the truth but she gives the same answer that Ananias gave earlier concerning the final sale amount of the land
  
• [See v.9] 'How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord'- Peter exposes their sin which is two-fold in that first they didn't trust God's promises to provide for them and second they did not obey God's commandments by lying
  
• God tests us to see if we will obey Him- disobedience is equal to testing the Lord; do we trust God that He will provide for us and wait for His timing?
  
• [See v.10] 'she fell down at his feet and died'- God strikes Ananias' wife dead for her sin; she had clearly conspired with Ananias and had known everything that was going to happen and just went along with it pretending to be an innocent bystander
  
• Ananias and Sapphira looked to provide security for themselves on their own and acted according to their own interests- to the flesh- which was used by Satan to influence them to sin which ultimately led to their deaths
  
• The physical death was important in seeing how God sees certain sins as worse than others and accomplishing His purpose of causing man to fear Him; yet just as important was the outcome of the sins- death- for when we sin it leads to death, as much spiritual as it was physical here in this context
  
• Is God's punishment of death too harsh?
  
• It is a greater wonder when you consider why God hasn't struck any of us down for our sins as He delays His righteous judgment in most other cases
  
• God takes the sin of lying serious enough to pronounce a death sentence upon it; the sins of greed and pride was actually the lesser of the sins that Ananias and his wife committed
  
• Today, people get really serious about sins involving money but when it comes to a "little white lie" here and there, it's almost expected; it's important to see how God's values are different from ours if we want to live up to His standards
  
• Why would God take the sin of lying so seriously?
  
• Because the church was founded upon the truth, grows because of the truth and maintains its unity through the truth; the art of deception is an attack employed by the enemy, Satan, the liar and deceiver, against the truth which would destroy the very heart of the church and its foundations
  
• And with the church at its very early roots, there couldn't be any impurity or sin to corrupt the very means by which the church grew; the church could not be pure if there were members of the body of Christ serving Satan and not God
  
• This is a serious reminder of why we must follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit at all times; the moment Satan steps in and we act according to the desires of the flesh, something that was supposed to be a good deed and pure in motive is turned into a heinous sin-- a generosity out of love for others corrupted by self-interests, the very opposite of being 'one in heart and mind' [v.32, Acts 4]
  
• [See v.12] 'all the believers used to meet together'- as much as the 'miraculous signs and wonders' [v.11] performed by the apostles display the power of the Holy Spirit, even greater is the power of the Holy Spirit in bringing God's people together
  
• 'Solomon's Colonnade'- this was a large area in the temple complex that was open to everyone
  
• [See v.13] 'No one else dare joined them...were highly regarded by the people'- the people begin to see that it is no casual commitment to follow Jesus and the unity and honesty of these early Christians earned them a glowing reputation as if God had put them on a pedestal
  
• [See v.14] 'more and more men and women believed'- despite the initial reaction of the people that following Jesus is serious and probably too much so for their current lifestyle which is far from the ways of this early Christian community, the power of the Holy Spirit sweeps through the whole community adding to the numbers of the rapidly growing church
  
• [See v.15] 'Peter's shadow might fall on some of them'- the people were so convinced of the realness and power of what the Christians believed that they thought they could be healed by the mere touch of Peter's shadow-- this is in reference to the belief in ancient times that shadows had magical powers
  
• Yet it wasn't Peter's shadow that had any power; there was power when a person believed in Jesus to heal
  
• Jesus was working through the apostles as a healer, in this case using Peter as a vessel through which people would release their faith in Jesus as the healer
  
• As the church grows out of its purity and unity, God blesses them with great power through the Holy Spirit, healing the sick and casting out demons by the work of Jesus Christ
  
• As their good works and growing reputation clearly and powerfully become evident in the community, persecution comes, again
  
• [See v.17] 'high priest and all his associates...were filled with jealousy'- the Jewish leaders envy the power and influence of the apostles, focused only on their own reputations which may be threatened at the moment
  
• [See v.18] 'arrested the apostles'- these high ranking officials exercise their power thinking they are the supreme authority of the land when in fact what they are doing amounts to declaring "How dare God not give us His powers" and not "How dare we try to hide God's glory" in humbleness to the almighty King
  
• [See v.19] 'an angel of the Lord opened the doors'- God intervenes as He sends angels forth to free the apostles from prison; no wall is great enough to keep God's purposes from being fulfilled as they are set free, not to celebrate, but to continue teaching and spreading the Gospel
  
• [See v.21] 'At daybreak they entered the temple courts'- the apostles promptly obey God's command to go and teach the people, going to the most public area, the temple, at the crack of dawn; we might like to think that the apostles would try to flee for their lives or hide out for their safety after having been locked up but what supernatural boldness they show in going back to doing the same thing that got them arrested!
  
• [See v.22] 'officers did not find them there'- we can picture the high priest and his associates waiting pompously for the apostles to be brought in to face the highest court of the land, 'the Sanhedrin' [v.21], hoping that their plan to intimidate the apostles overnight in jail and "soften them up" would work in their favor and the apostles' courage would dwindle away
  
• Even though they didn't want to admit it, in the silence of the court these proud people must have realized they were no longer in control but that something greater was happening that wasn't in their hands
  
• [See v.24] 'wondering what would come of this'- the Jewish leaders still are wondering what the outcome will be; the apostles know that God's work will continue
  
• [See v.26] 'They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them'- when the apostles are arrested again, the crowd is obviously on the side of the apostles; the apostles could have appealed to the crowd and asked for help in resisting to be arrested, but they trusted in God alone, bowing not even to popular opinion that might benefit them and cause them less harm
  
• On the other side of it, the temple guard and his officers who arrest the apostles are fearful of losing their lives because the crowd might stone them; what a contrast between the apostles fearing God and the Jewish council fearing men
  
• [See v.28] 'you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching'- how ironic that the high priest's accusation is a testimony to the effectiveness of the apostles' teaching and spreading of the Gospel
  
• 'determined to make us guilty of this man's blood'- the high priest continues his accusations, saying that the apostles are trying to hold the Jewish leaders accountable for Jesus' death; but this very guilt the Jewish leaders are trying to deny and avoid is the very thing that will bring them to faith in Jesus Christ- covered, and cleansed, by His blood- another testimony to God's work through the apostles in saving men by the power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ
  
• [See v.29] 'We must obey God rather than men'- the apostles explain to the Sanhedrin why they have taught and preached in the name of Jesus in a straightforward manner that challenges the core of what the Sanhedrin believe- man's opinion
  
• [See v.32] 'Whom God has given to those who obey Him'- The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God; no matter how powerful or influential rulers of the world may be, we should not obey those who try to diminish the honor and authority of God
  
• [See v.30-31] The apostles give testimony to the foundation of Christian faith, speaking of man's guilt ('whom you had killed' [v.30]), Jesus' death ('hanging him on a tree' [v.30]), Jesus' resurrection ('raised Jesus from the dead' [v.30]) and man's responsibility to respond ('he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel' [v.31])
  
• [See v.32] 'We are witnesses...so is the Holy Spirit'- not only were human eyes witnesses of this, God was
  
• [See v.33] 'they were furious and wanted to put them to death'- not only had the apostles disregarded the Sanhedrin's orders, they were now declaring that the Sanhedrin had murdered Jesus; what was supposed to be a trial indicting the apostles now was an indictment of the persecution council
  
• God, through the apostles, passes judgment on the court that sentenced Jesus to death on the cross and now the court and its council were the criminals; God can turn the tables quickly and bring His justice to pass
  
• All rationale and law were thrown out the window as the Sanhedrin seethed with anger, out of control and unable to think clearly, calling for the unlawful deaths of the apostles
  
• [See v.33] 'a Pharisee named Gamaliel...stood up...ordered that the men be put outside'- all the sudden in the middle of this chaos, Gamaliel, a well-known and highly regarded teacher who happened to be a Pharisee, gets up and quiets the crowd down but has the apostles leave because he doesn't want them to hear this; he pleads with members of the Sanhedrin to calm down, regain their composure and come to a more reasonable conclusion
  
• [See v.38] 'if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail'- Gamaliel proposes to the members of the Sanhedrin to wait a little while to see if this movement of the apostles will fail just as many other movements led by men in the past have failed; his premise was based on history and stated that movements led by men will die with the death of the leader but that a movement led by God would last beyond the death of the leader
  
• He may have appeared to be speaking for God but he was not; he was defining God's truth by the success and duration of a movement (how many manmade movements are successful and have nothing to do with God) and speaking from his own intellect
  
• Gamaliel took the "wait and see" attitude, "sitting on the fence" even after all the apostles had testified to the resurrection of Jesus Christ; how often do people see God speaking through others yet they themselves won't accept Jesus, repent and trust God, instead seeing God behind the church as being a "hypothetical" possibility
  
• [See v.40] 'had them flogged'- the Sanhedrin figured a beating might intimidate and discourage the apostles from preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus Christ
  
• [See v.41] 'left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing'- the apostles instead rejoice, not because they suffered, but because they were 'counted worthy of suffering disgrace' for Jesus Christ; it was a privilege to be associated with Jesus, even to suffer, if it brought glory to God
  
• [See v.42] 'Day after day...house to house...never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ'- the apostles show a relentless courage and determination to stand firm for Jesus Christ despite the severe beatings and growing opposition from the leaders of the land