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Acts

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Unexplained Power

Acts 5:21b-24

Jealous religious leaders had a problem.  The apostles continued preaching about Jesus, and many people believed in Him.  This new church was gathering momentum and, wherever the apostles went, crowds gathered to be healed of illnesses and demonic torment (Acts 5:12-16).  It was impossible to ignore this explosion of commitment to Jesus.  So, what were the religious leaders to do?  Their anger burned hot and they threw the apostles into the public jail overnight while they plotted how to eliminate this serious threat to their authority (Acts 5:17-19). 

Uncomfortable Power

Acts 5:25-28

Although the jealous High Priests had imprisoned the apostles overnight, God sent an angel to open the jail doors and let them out in the middle of the night (Acts 5:17-19).  But instead of hiding away for their own safety, the next morning they were back in the temple, teaching about Jesus (Acts 5:20-21).  Their joyful liberty mocked their forcible arrest the previous evening and, when this was reported to the court, temple guards did not want to be stoned by the admiring crowds around the apostles ... so politely asked them to walk to the court.

Unashamed Power

Acts 5:29-33

Peter's boldness before the Court of the Sanhedrin did not come from arrogance or assertiveness, but from a confident assurance that Jesus Christ is Lord.  The religious court accused the apostles of disobeying their ruling 'not to speak about Jesus'.  But their reply was the same as the last time they were arrested - "We must obey God rather than human beings!" (Acts 4:19-20).

Unashamed Wisdom

Acts 5:34-39

It is difficult to admit that we may be wrong.  Until the time of this Council, meeting as a court to stop the apostles speaking about Jesus, dissenters had been silent.  We know that two members, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, personally buried Christ's body (John 19:38-42).  Now Gamaliel also voiced his concerns. Interestingly, this distinguished rabbi also tutored the Apostle Paul (Acts 22:3).

Unashamed Witness

Acts 5:40-42

Gamaliel, the wise old rabbi, had spoken (Acts 5:34-39).  He was not sure that Peter and the apostles deserved to be put to death.  The important question was, were they authorised by God or not?  Until that question was answered there was no point in punishing them; because if God had sent them, the Council would be fighting against God.  Although they accepted Gamaliel's argument about capital punishment, they could not resist some punishment.  But they were angry at being made to feel guilty for condemning Jesus to death (Acts 5:28), and so they flogged the apostles and again forbade the

Growing Pains

Acts 6:1-4

Growth in organisations always brings challenges.  It is not just about increased activity but the need to deploy people differently.  Everybody's capacity to take on more work is limited, so it is usually more efficient for skilled workers to focus on work which they will do best, and for managers to coordinate different numbers of people or projects according to their ability.  Moses was advised about this by his father-in-law (Exodus 18:13-26).

Practical Wisdom

Acts 6:5-7

Wisdom discerns the right conclusion, and the best way to achieve it.  The apostles were faced with many human needs, and the believers wanted to help one another; but it was a massive task to coordinate it all.  The Greek-speaking widows had been neglected in the daily distribution of food, compared to the Jewish widows, which added to the problem (Acts 6:1).  So, the apostles appointed seven men with Greek names; all believers in Jesus, with a reputation for being wisely practical.

Godliness Meets Opposition From Friends

Acts 6:8-11

Stephen was a godly and wise man.  He had been selected to oversee the daily practical work of distributing food to widows (Acts 6:1-5).  But he was not only a practical man.  After the apostles laid their hands on him (Acts 6:6), God used him to perform miracles in the Name of Jesus.  We do not know what Stephen did, but people were excited by God's powerful intervention in their lives, drawing more attention to Jesus and stirring up opposition.

Confidently Facing Lies

Acts 6:12-15

Stephen, a Greek-speaking believer, had upset Greek-speaking Jews by preaching about Jesus and doing miracles in His Name.  They were furious, and arranged for some people to lie about what Stephen said in order for him to be charged with blasphemy (Acts 6:8-11).  It was just the same for Jesus, even using the same lies that false witnesses used to slander Him (Mark 14:58; Mark 15:29).

God's Character Is Our Defence

Acts 7:1-5

Stephen had been accused of saying that Jesus would destroy the temple, and change the customs handed down from Moses.  In fact, Jesus was speaking of the temple of His own body which would die (John 2:19-21).  Jesus also said that He had not come to abolish the Law and the prophets, but to fulfil them (Matthew 5:17).  The charges against Stephen, put by the false witnesses, were clever lies.  However, those lies, had enough twisted truth to make them believable.

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