Acts- Part Four
This new entity called the church was growing; there were now thousands of Jewish believers yet only a few had walked with Christ. Their testimony of the resurrection was powerful and His favor covered them.
Alongside growth came not only opposition from the religious leaders but also from the enemy: Satan. He never misses an opportunity to oppose God.
The infilling of the Holy Spirit brought such joy in believing that generosity became a hallmark, therefore, Satan manipulated a scheme infiltrating believers: enter Ananias and Sapphira.
Running parallel to Satan’s strategy the Holy Spirit filled Peter with the gift of discernment; God never leaves His body defenseless. He recognized Satan’s method as he called out Ananias,
“Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit …?” Acts 5:3a
True believers have hearts that are filled with the Spirit; there’s no room for Satan. You know the story; the unity of Ananias and Sapphira testing the Spirit brought physical death. God was serious. Jesus taught a parable warning His followers that weeds would grow among the wheat and this story is a foretaste of that truth (Matt. 13:24-30 and the explanation in vs. 36-43).
After God cleaned house, which was a sign of His power, He poured out many more supernatural evidences. Signs and wonders are recurring themes throughout the book of Acts, therefore, we should define them. Typically miraculous, signs authenticate God’s eternal purposes and man can’t replicate them. Wonders are also miraculous but always elicit a reaction from the onlookers; whether in the Old Testament or the New you’ll easily recognize them.
As you read through Acts 5-7 watch for these signs and wonders because they authenticate God’s plan for the Church and strengthen the believers as opposition continues: an angelic prison break, a vision of Christ experienced by the first martyr, and the entrance of Saul who became Paul, the apostle.
How should these chapters from Acts affect our churches today? The first thing that comes to mind is the importance of organized, corporate prayer. It’s a powerful gift that’s often neglected but the signs and wonders occurred after prayer.
But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Acts 6:4
Churches desire signs and wonders but are they devoted to prayer along with preaching and teaching? Acts shows us they work together.
Chapter 8 shows us that great persecution came against the Jerusalem Church and, therefore, the seeds of God were scattered to the surrounding areas. Saul was ravaging the church and imprisoning believers but it was all part of the plan. Philip went to Samaria, proclaimed Christ, and performed signs among them; demonic spirits left, people were healed, and great joy filled the city.
Arise Church and pray, expecting signs and wonders as evidence of His power.
Growth and opposition: these seem to be two characteristics of a healthy church. Sometimes we forget that those two attributes also work alongside each other.
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