The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common. The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ with great power, [ A power that showed itself by miracles. Cf. 2:22; 3:12; 4:7; 6:8; 8:13; 10:38; 1 Thes. 1:5; 1 Cor. 2:4-5.] and they were all given great respect. [ By the populace: cf. 2:47; 4:21; 5:13.]
None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from them, to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any members who might be in need. - Acts 4:32-35 -
The generosity of Barnabas
There was a Levite of Cypriot origin called Joseph whom the apostles surname Barnabas (which means 'son of encouragement'.) [ The Greek word means both 'consolation' and 'encouragement'. Cf. 11:23. 'son of,' a semitic expression here meaning 'with an aptitude for'. On Barnabas, see 9:27; 11:22-30; 12:25; chapter 13 to 15; 1 Cor. 9:6; Gal. 2; Col. 4:10.] He owned a piece of land and he sold it and brought the money, and presented it to the apostles. - Acts 4:36-37 -
The fraud of Ananias and Sapphira
There was another man, however, called Ananias. He and his wife, Sapphira, agreed to sell a property; but with his wife's connivance he kept back part of the proceeds, and brought the rest and presented it to the apostles. 'Ananias,' Peter said 'how can Satan have so possessed you that you should lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the money from the land? While you still owned the land, wasn't it yours to keep, and after you had sold it wasn't the money yours to do with as you liked? What put this scheme into your mind? It is not to men that you have lied, but to God.' When he heard this Ananias fell down dead. This made a profound impression on everyone present. The younger men got up, wrapped the body in a sheet, carried it out and buried it.
About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had taken place. Peter challenged her, 'Tell me, was this the price you sold the land for?' 'Yes', she said 'that was the price.' Peter then said, 'So you and your husband have agreed to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test! What made you do it? You hear those footsteps? They have just been to bury your husband; they will carry you out, too.'
Instantly, she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in they found she was dead, and they carried her out and buried her by the side of her husband. [ Prompted by love of money, Ananias and Sapphira tried to deceive the apostles and the Holy Spirit which was leading and directing them; this was their sin.] This made a profound impression on the whole Church,
[ The meaning of this term, adopted from the O.T., cf. Acts 7:38, to signify the messianic community, Matt. 16:18+, expanded as Christianity developed. It originally indicated the mother church in Jerusalem, Acts 8:1; 11:22, etc; later the individual churches throughout Judaea, Gal. 1:22; 1 Thes. 2;14; cf. Acts 9:31, and among the pagans, Acts 13:1;14:23; 15:41; 16:5; Rom. 16:1,4; 1 Cor. 1:2+, etc; James 5:14; 3 John 9; Rev. 1:4; 2:1, etc., cf. Acts 19:32; Philemon 2, or to their religions, Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15. Lastly, it stands for the Church united under God, Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 10:32; 12:28, etc, for the Church as Body and Bride of Christ, Col. 1:18+; Eph. 5:23-32, and for the Church as including the whole cosmos Eph. 1:23+.] and on all who heard it. - Acts 5:1-11 -
The general situation [This third 'summary' stresses the miraculous power of the apostles, cf. 2:43; 4:33. Vv. 12b-14 interrupt the development of this theme.]
They all [ Here, it seems, not the apostles but all the faithful.] used to meet by common consent in the Portico of Solomon. No one else ever dared to join them, but the people were loud in their praise and the numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ increased steadily. [ Rather than 'More and more joined (the community) as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ'. Cf. 11:24.] So many signs and wonders were worked among the people at the hands of the apostles that the sick were even taken out into the streets and laid on beds and sleeping-mats in the hope that at least the shadow of Peter might fall across some of them as he went past. People even came crowding in from the towns round about Jerusalem, bringing with them their sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were cured. - Acts 5:12-16 -
The apostles' arrest and miraculous deliverance
Then the high priest [ Var. 'Annas the high priest', cf. 4:6.] intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them put in the common gaol.
But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, 'Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.' [ Lit. 'all the words (cf. v.32; 10:37) of this Life'. This means the same thing as 'the message of salvation', 13:26. The purpose of Christian preaching is the 'salvation', cf. 4:12; 11:14; 15:11; 16:17,30-31, and 'life', cf. 3:15; 11;18; 13:46,48, promised to those 'who invoke the name of the Lord', 2:21,40,47; 4:12.] They did as they were told; they went into the Temple at dawn and began to preach. - Acts 5:17-21 -
A summons to appear before the Sanhedrin
"IT IS TRUE, GOD SENT HIS WORD TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, AND IT WAS TO THEM THAT THE GOOD NEWS OF PEACE WAS BROUGHT BY JESUS CHRIST - BUT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD OF ALL MEN.
YOU MUST HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE RECENT HAPPENINGS IN JUDAEA; ABOUT JESUS OF NAZARETH AND HOW HE BEGAN IN GALILEE, AFTER JOHN THE BAPTIST HAD BEEN PREACHING BAPTISM. GOD HAD ANOINTED HIM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH POWER, AND BECAUSE GOD WAS WITH HIM, JESUS WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD AND CURING ALL WHO HAD FALLEN INTO THE POWER OF THE DEVIL.
NOW I, ( SIMON PETER / PETER ) AND THOSE WITH ME, CAN WITNESS TO EVERYTHING JESUS DID THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRYSIDE OF JUDAEA AND IN JERUSALEM ITSELF; AND ALSO TO THE FACT THAT THEY KILLED HIM BY HANGING HIM ON A TREE, YET THREE DAYS AFTERWARDS GOD RAISED HIM TO LIFE AND ALLOWED HIM TO BE SEEN, NOT BY THE WHOLE PEOPLE BUT ONLY BY CERTAIN WITNESSES GOD HAD CHOSEN BEFOREHAND.
NOW WE ARE THOSE WITNESSES - WE HAVE EATEN AND DRUNK WITH HIM AFTER HIS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD - AND JESUS CHRIST HAS ORDERED US TO PROCLAIM THIS TO HIS PEOPLE AND TO TELL THEM THAT GOD HAS APPOINTED HIM TO JUDGE EVERYONE, ALIVE AND DEAD.
IT IS TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT ALL THE PROPHETS BEAR THIS WITNESS: THAT ALL WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS WILL HAVE THEIR SINS FORGIVEN THROUGH HIS NAME." - ACTS 10:36-43 -
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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless.
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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
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Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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