INTRO>When the Iraq conflict began 5 years ago, a term got tossed around alot: “Shock and Awe.”
--Technically, it’s known as rapid dominance, a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power, dominant maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force, designed to paralyze an adversary’s perception of the battlefield and destroy his will to fight.
--But the first century Christians experienced it backwards...awe and shock:
--There was great awe for God, then came a shocking event that caught the believers off-guard as Ananias and Sapphira fell dead after an incident of dishonesty.
<>There are some very important lessons for us to learn from how this event came about, how the early church handled it, and what the results were.
I invite you to open a Bible once again and turn to Acts, chapter 4.
--One of the best ways to understand the “flow” of the book of Acts is to notice the repeating pattern within the book:
---The Holy Spirit is unleashed, set free to work within the disciples
---The church flourishes
---Then a problem develops
---The church deals with the problem, usually with repentance involved
---The fervent dependency upon God returns, problem solved.
---Then the Holy Spirit is unleashed once again, set free to work within the disciples
---The church flourishes...
<>This is one of those “problem events” where we can see the cycle unfold, and we need to learn from their actions.
<>AS THEY DID, WE NEED TO...
1) COMMUNE TOGETHER WITH GOD’S PEOPLE.
--Ac.4:32 -- “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them.”
<>As they did, WE SHOULD ENJOY THE COMPANY AND FELLOWSHIP OF OTHER BELIEVERS.
---Ac.2:46 -- “Day by day continuing with one mind...they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”
-->There are reasons why we choose to get together a lot around a meal:
----It’s fun.
----We like each other.
----There’s an “energy” we gain as we spend time with one another, encouraging one another, experiencing life together.
----But we do so primarily because it’s part of God’s plan for each of us as individuals to grow and mature, and it is a crucial element in our effectively carrying out His mission.
-->Understand, Christianity is not a spectator sport, but it is a team adventure.
-->God has placed these individual believers in this room in your life in order for you to be helped, and in order for you to help them.
<>As they did, WE ARE TO BE UNITED IN PURPOSE AND IN OUR MISSION (which is God’s mission).
---Ac.4:32 -- “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul;”
-->God has entrusted His mission to the whole church, not just one believer by himself / herself.
-->Consequently, we, as God’s church united, need to be “on the same page” with each other and moving forward in accomplishing God’s purpose through us.
---That’s what Luke meant when he wrote that these believers were of one heart and soul.
<>As they did, WE ARE TO BE UNSELFISH WITH OUR POSSESSIONS.
---Ac.4:32 -- “...not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them.”
---Ac.4:34-35 -- “for there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need.”
--->This is how the word “share” is supposed to be used...how it is an appropriate word.
--->A correct understanding of stewardship brings us to the realization that we really don’t own anything!
----Instead, what we have at our disposal is what god has allowed to come into our hands for a temporary time.
<>Therefore, WE ARE TO BE GOOD STEWARDS / CARETAKERS OF WHAT GOD GIVES US:
--a) Giving back to God at least a tithe (a tenth of what we receive), because of our gratitude to God for what He has given us.
-----ILL>I’m reminded of the fictional, but poignant story that has been told about a man who said, “If I had some extra money, I’d give it to God, but I just have enough to support myself and my family.” The same man also said, “If I had some extra time, I’d give it to God, but every minute is taken up with my job, my family, my clubs, and what have you, every single minute.” And he said, “If I had a talent I’d give it to God, but I have no lovely voice; I have no special skill; I’ve never been able to lead a group; I can’t think cleverly or quickly.” So, as the story goes, God decided to change things up a bit, and He gave the man money, time, and a glorious talent. And then He waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, after awhile, God shrugged His shoulders and took all those things back from the man...the money, time, and talent. Then, after awhile, the man sighed, and said, “If I only I had some of that money back, I’d give it to God. If I only had the time back, I’d give it to God. If I could only rediscover that talent, I’d give it to God.” And God said, “Oh, shut up.”
--b) Giving to others to help them through tough times.
----Part of why God gives us what He gives us is so we can help and feed those who are hungry, help to clothe the naked, visit those who are in prison, and take care of widows and orphans, etc.
--c) Sharing our possessions as part of true fellowship.
-----ILL>Remember when you were in kindergarten or the early grades in school? I don’t know about you, but my mom seemed more interested in what the teacher wrote on the report card than what the grades were. She looked for the comment that said, “He plays well with others.” If that was there, the rest of it seemed not so bad. You know, things are still that way for us in adulthood.
2) COMMUNICATE THE TRUTH TO THE WORLD.
--Ac.4:33 -- “And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.”
<>As they did, WE SHOULD COMMUNICATE VERBALLY THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION.
---Ac.4:33 -- “And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus...”
-->Note: The word “apostle” actually refers to all those who saw Jesus alive after Jesus’ resurrection.
----So, those who were truly apostles naturally told others of what they had seen...that Jesus is indeed alive.
-->But you and I know Jesus is alive too...because we also have met Him, experienced Him.
-->Consequently, we too need to talk of His resurrection.
-----LYR>We sing it a lot around here, especially at Easter time: “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!”
-->You see, what makes Christianity unique and powerful and what proves it to be the only true faith is the resurrection of Jesus.
---If you just want to learn what kinds of things are good things to do, and what things are bad things to do, then it really won’t matter much which faith system you adopt.
-----ILL>That kind of “good vs. bad” idea of faith reminds me of the old Saturday Night Live skits with Frankenstein. He’d stumble around, and say things like, “Killing...bad. Stealing...bad. Hitting...bad.”
-->But no other faith system holds the keys to heaven.
----Christianity is the only one that advocates and teaches about the resurrection from the dead.
-->Consequently, not only should we not “shy away” from talking about Jesus’ resurrection, it is essential that we talk about it.
---We’re quick to quote Romans 10:13, part of the Romans Road to salvation: “For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
---But the verses right after verse 13 tell us why it’s so important that we talk about Jesus’ resurrection to others: “How shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
-----QUOTE: Howard Hendricks has rightly noted: “In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering.”
<>As they did, WE SHOULD COMMUNICATE BY OUR ACTIONS THE REALITY OF THE ABUNDANT LIFE IN JESUS.
---Ac.4:33 -- “---and abundant grace was upon them all.”
-->What “abundant grace” being upon them means is that the power and presence of God was clearly evident in their every-day lives.
--QUESTION: Is that true of your life?...Can people, after examining your life, say it is clear that God is present and working through you?
---It was clear in the lives of these early church folk...evident even to nonbelievers.
-----ILL>One Sunday morning in 1865 (Civil War times), a black man entered a fashionable church in Richmond, Virginia. When communion was served, he walked down the aisle and knelt at the altar. A rustle of resentment swept the congregation. How dare he! After all, believers in that church used a common cup. But suddenly a very distinguished-looking layman stood up, stepped forward to the altar, and knelt beside the black man. With this layman’s example, the rest of the congregation soon followed his lead. The layman? Robert E. Lee.
<>Yes, the early church was thriving. However, as is the case so many times, in the middle of God doing great things, spiritual warfare and personal selfishness raised their ugly heads.
-->And, as a result, the believers found themselves in the uncomfortable, but necessary position of having to...
3) CONFRONT HYPOCRISY AND IMPURITY.
--Ac.5:5 -- “And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came upon all who heard it.”
--(READ v.5:10)
-->We need to understand the setting for this event:
---Barnabas and others were bringing proceeds of selling property, and donating it by laying it down at the feet of the apostles.
---The apostles were the agreed-upon means for distributing the gifts...they were trusted by the congregation to do so.
---The congregation obviously appreciated the generosity and encouragement of Barnabas, they even stopped calling him by his real name of Joseph, and called him by the nickname they chose for him...Barnabas: the Son of Encouragement.
-->But Ananias’ and Sapphira’s gift was not acceptable to God, not appreciated by Peter and the early church, because:
--a) MOTIVES MATTER.
----Ac.5:4 -- “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control?”
-->You see, Ananias and Sapphira weren’t obligated to give the whole proceed of the sale, but they misrepresented their gift as being the whole price they received.
-->Peter asked Ananias, and later Sapphira, a simple question: WHY? What motivated you to do what you just did?
---Ac.5:4 -- “...Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart?”
---Ac.5:9 -- “Then Peter said to her, ‘Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?’”
--APP>An impure motive spoils even the nicest of actions.
----In other words, the ends do NOT justify the means.
-----ILL>A little boy told the sales clerk he was shopping for a birthday gift for his mother, and asked to see some cookie jars. The clerk though to himself, what a wonderful little boy, and he led the boy to the counter displaying a large selection of cookie jars. The youngster carefully lifted and replaced each lid. As he finished with the last one, his face fell. The clerk asked him, “Is something wrong?” The boy replied, “I was hoping to find one whose cover didn’t make any noise!”
--b) DISHONESTY IS NEVER CONDONED BY GOD.
---Ac.5:4 -- “...you have not lied to men, but to God.”
-->Certainly they had lied to men, but Peter was making the point that the real problem with lying is that our lies are an offense against the God we say we worship.
-->You see, God is holy...and smart.
----He knows, and we should understand, that half truths are whole lies.
-->Even lawyers are aware of the damaging effect of lies.
-----It’s why anyone testifying in court must swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
-->You might fool men, but you’ll never fool God.
-->And, as a result, God will see to it that dishonesty is exposed.
--c) NOTHING IS EVER HIDDEN FROM GOD.
---Ac.5:9 -- “Then Peter said to her, ‘Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out as well.’”
-----ILL>When I was a little kid, I was taught in Sunday School the lyrics of a special song. If you know it, sing along with me: “Oh, be careful, little mouth, what you say...be careful, little mouth, what you say, for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful, little mouth, what you say.” -- It then goes on and talks about your little feet, your little hands, your little eyes, etc., all with the full understanding that God is looking down at what we do...He sees and knows all the ways we have trod.
4) CONNECT WITH GOD’S POWER.
--Ac.4:33 -- “And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus...”
-->There was clearly great power being shown in the lives of the believers.
<>How it came about:
--a) It began with fear and reverence for God.
----Ac.5:11 -- “And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things.”
---->This is actually the beginning of every good work, always the beginning of our being in the middle of God’s will.
--b) It continued through prayer and answers to prayer.
----Ac.5:12 -- “and at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people.”
--c) It was spurred on by being together with other believers.
----Ac.5:12 -- “...and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico.”
<>What the results were:
--a) Unexplained blessings / miracles were happening.
----Ac.5:15-16 -- “...and they even carried the sick out into the streets...bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits; and they were all being healed.”
--->Unexplained events were occurring, so that the only explanation would be that God did it.
-----In this case, that included bodies being healed.
--b) Their number was growing.
----Ac.5:14 -- “...believers in the lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number;”
--->Understand, growing numbers aren’t the only identifying factor of a God-pleasing church.
-----In fact, sometimes the numbers of followers of Jesus experienced a decrease, a “thinning out,” such as when Judas killed himself, and when many of Jesus’ followers left when Jesus called for them to be ready to lay down their lives for the cause.
-->But growing numbers certainly should be a long-term characteristic of when we’re connected with God’s power.
-----And when the people God brings across our path sense His presence and power within us, they’re going to be attracted to what makes us different, and how they too can meet Jesus.
BRINGING IT HOME...
<>Today, ask yourself these questions:
--a) Am I giving evidence in how I live that God is present and working within me?
-----Or would the only shock and awe in my life be that others would be shocked to hear I’m a believer and say, “Ahhh, come on?!”
--b) Am I allowing God to work through other believers in helping to shape me, to encourage me, and to help in carrying out God’s mission?
--c) Am I actively sharing my possessions with others as they have a need?
--d) Am I verbally speaking of Jesus and His resurrection to those I come into contact with on a regular basis?
--e) Am I connecting with God’s power...fearing and reverencing Him...and being regular in my prayer life?
--f) Are there “unexplained blessings” happening in my life, giving evidence that God is at work within me?
<>You see, when we’re “connected” with God, stand in awe of Him, no “shock” that comes along will ever upend us.
