Continuing the Works of Jesus: An Exposition of Acts 5:12-16
Jesus in John 14:12 states that the apostles would do even greater works than Jesus Himself did because He was returning to the Father. this brings up the question of how our works could possibly be greater than what Jesus did. He raised the dead, healed lepers, cast out demons, healed all manner of sickness, and fed thousands at one sitting with a totally insufficient amount of bread and fish. Besides this, His greatest work was dying on a cross for our sin? Even if we were to die for the faith, our martyrdom would save no one. How then can our works be greater?
I think it fair to say that our works can not be greater in the sense that we perform more stupendous miracles than Jesus did. But as Jesus’ works were limited in His humanity to the general area of Palestine. The church, on the other hand, is worldwide. In this sense, our works are greater in that they are greater in scope rather than greater in quality. We must also remember that when these works are done, they are not properly our works. Peter and John did not heal the lame man in their own authority and power but in the name of Jesus. So even these “greater works” are being done by God in the name of Jesus.
In Acts 1:1, Luke tells Theophilus that he wrote the former treatise to him of all that Jesus began to do and to teach. This implies that the Book of Acts is the continuation of the works and teaching of Jesus through the ministry of the Apostles. We continue in this Apostolic mission today when we evangelize and do works of healing. This is the true meaning of “Apostolic Succession.” Paul finished his course in Rome preaching the gospel to the end. But God raised up others to continue this mission. He raises people today to continue to do what Jesus began to do and teach, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
When we look at today’s text from Acts 5, we see a glimpse of the works of the Apostolic Church. We have already seen in the sermons of Peter at Pentecost and at Solomon’s porch that Peter continued the teaching of Jesus. Jesus pointed to the Scripture (Old Testament) and said that it prophesied about Him. (John 5:39) Scripture testifies that Christ must suffer and enter into His glory. (Luke 24:26-27) Jesus opened the eyes of the Apostles that they might understand how Scripture points to Him. (Luke 24:46-47. Central to this message was repentance. John the Baptist preached repentance because the Lord was coming. Jesus preached repentance as the one who came to teach, preach, suffer on the cross for our sin, rise again on the third day, and ascend to the right hand of the Father, from which vantage point He can oversee the mission of His Church. Peter and the Apostles centered their preaching upon the person of Christ and the implications thereof and called those who heard the message to repent. This preaching was not greater in content than the preaching and teaching of Jesus. It is good enough that our preaching be the same message Jesus taught. But Jesus could only preach one place at a time in the days of His sojourn here on earth. But today, The message of and about Jesus is being preached around the entire world. If the church as a whole would just follow the tradition of the apostolic preaching and not substitute another Gospel!
Satan tired as hard as he could to derail the mission of Jesus. We see this in the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. We ironically also see how Satan used Peter himself to attempt to alter the gospel. To these temptations, Jesus answered: “Get behind me Satan!” Matthew 16:23; Matthew 4:10) Satan also tried to derail the church. This was attempted first be outward persecution in the arrest of Peter and John after the healing of the lame man in the name of Jesus. But the persecution only further united the church and they preached with all the more boldness. (Acts 4:31) Satan also tried internal corruption when he tempted Ananias and Sapphira to lie about whether their donation to the church was the full amount of the land sale, which it was not. When God struck them dead, it is recorded that great fear fell over the church. God is holy! What could have been a great scandal for the church was avoided. The church emerged victorious from the event. If only the church today would stand up to the task and emerge from persecution and scandal united and stronger than ever!
This morning’s text begins with the apostles returning to Solomon’s Porch, a place where rabbis taught the people. This is where Peter had preached after the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful gate. It seems that Jesus had also taught the people there when He was in Jerusalem. A great crowd who had witnessed the healing had assembled there. The miracle was a sign which drew people to hear the Gospel. Now those who had heard about what had happened to Ananias and Sapphira rushed to the place. As Solomon’s Porch only was open to approved rabbis, the apostle’s presence there was bound again to stir up the indignation of the High Priest and the Sanhedrin. The people were in fear of God. but they also were in fear of the authorities. They came, but were reluctant to join the Christians.
What is different than in Acts four is that great signs and wonders were being performed. Instead of a solitary sign of the healing of the lame man, there was a great number of signs and wonders, typical of what happened when Jesus encountered the crowds in His earthly ministry. It says that the people were in one accord just like the Day of Pentecost. And just like the day of Pentecost in which the single sign of the descent of the Holy Spirit, probably in the upper room of Solomon’s Porch, the signs became the occasion for preaching. Numerous people were added to the church on this day as well. A sign is something which points to a greater reality. A road sign is real. A road sign, for example, might say “New York, 40 miles.” The importance of such a sign is to orient one to the greater reality. Surely New York City is greater than the road sign. So we must look at the pattern of how signs are used in the New Testament to realize that Peter and John were careful to explain these signs in relation to the greater reality of Jesus Chris If we do not understand this, we might think the power to bring people to christ is in the signs themselves. There are enough “miracle rallies” today as there was then. If God sends these signs of healing and other wonders according to His will, then it is for the purpose that they might believe in Jesus. They aren’t meant to be mere acts of compassion, although God is compassionate. But if one i s healed in body in this life and not in soul, what good is this at the final judgment?
There were many signs and wonders. Many believed in Jesus to whom the signs pointed. Others went home spiritually unchanged, just like those who had eaten of the bread in the feeding of the 5000 had only had followed Jesus because the fed them bread and not because of any desire to become His disciples. (John 6:26-27) The people brought the sick in their beds to the Apostles that the very shadow of Peter might heal them. Many others brought the sick as well as the possessed. And just like it is said of Jesus, they were all healed. Many were truly saved as well.
Signs and wonders accompanied the Apostolic ministry. We see another example in Acts 19:11-12. Through Paul, the Holy Spirit performed many miracles as well, even to the point that people brought handkerchiefs and apron from the sick that they might be healed. So signs and wonders were the handmaidens of the apostolic preaching. Even though the bringing of such items borders on superstition, the Lord healed them anyway. This time, the recipients of healing were mostly Gentiles, which shows that the Gospel and the accompanying signs were not limited to the Nation of Israel in that day.
This brings up, of course, whether these signs and wonders are for today or were just limited to the Apostolic age. Many seem to think that these signs ended with them and that what goes for signs and miracles today are the false works of hucksters. It is true that there is a lot of false miracle workers today just as there was in the days of Paul. Immediately after the genuine works through Paul in Acts 19 is the story of the seven sons of Sceva who used magical incantations to perform exorcisms. they even tried out the name of “Jesus, whom Paul preaches. The result is that these priests left wounded by the very devils they tried to exorcize. False signs and wonders do not nullify real ones, In fact, they testify of the real signs. There would be no need of imitations if there wasn’t a reality of signs and wonders as well. True signs are those who properly point to Jesus and not to the performers of them. They are not done for money either or someone’s fame.
To say that signs and wonders are not for today is to say that God no longer deals with people the way He used to. From Old Testament times through the New, there were signs and miracles. These did not happen all the time, but they happened whenever the Lord willed. one of the distortions of history is that events are compressed and mundane details usually discarded. Who has the time to read all the details of some famous person’s life. One would never have time to live one’s own life. So, it is necessary to reduce biography and history to its salient points. There were times in the history of Israel, sometimes long ones, where the voice of God seemed silent. But this does not negate that at times they did occur.
Some would say that signs and wonders are no longer needed because we now have the Bible to guide us. they would look at 1 Corinthians 13:10 to say that we have the full revelation of Jesus Christ in the Bible, so there is no reason for further revelation. when that which is perfect id come, that which is in part will pass away. So tongues have ceased, and prophesies will fail. But is the completed Bible what is truly in view here? It seems to me that this is referring to the return of Jesus when we will no longer be looking at Him through a glass darkly. Then there will be no need of prophecies or tongues or revelatory knowledge because we shall see Him clearly.
When Peter quotes the prophet Joel in his Pentecost sermon .he interprets these signs as being fulfilled. The promise of the Holy Spirit was for the hearers on that day. But it was also for those who are far off. Although some would see these far-off people as being Gentiles one would still have to get past where it says “as many as the Lord God shall call (Acts 2:39) the promise of the Holy Spirit was not some sort of imperceptible indwelling in the believer. It looks to me that the sign of speaking in tongues is meant. Has God stopped calling people? Does God only mediate the New Covenant through a book? It is said that as the result of the failure of the Children of Israel in the wilderness led to God administering the covenant through an angel. But at least this is more than a book. I am not in any way denigrating Holy Writ. It is divinely authored by the Holy Spirit in the smallest detail. What I am saying it that there has to be a personal aspect as well. We have the dual testimony of the Word and the Holy Spirit. The Word tests the spirits to see if they come from God. The Holy Spirit authenticates that the bible is God’s infallible Word to us, rightly divided.
It seems to me that a lot of Christians are afraid of the move of the Holy Spirit who along with he Father and the Son are One Sovereign God. We are afraid of being led astray by counterfeits. But people are led astray from counterfeit interpretations of the Scripture as well. Those who see the completed revelation of God hold to a closed canon. Whereas I would agree that nothing new can be revealed which would disagree or alter Scripture, this does not mean that God does not direct people directly today by the Holy Spirit. The Sovereign God can send signs and wonders at any time according to His will to achieve His purposes. God is free to send signs or not send signs, to fill with the Spirit or not to fill.
So why does it seem today that there are so few signs and wonders in most of our mainline churches? One reason is the lack of unity in the church itself. It can hardly be said that we are in one place and one accord. We have also watered down the gospel and limited what God can do through our interpretations. Many also have little faith as well. Jesus could do little at Nazareth because of their unbelief. Yet others want to be in control as though their free will was sovereign. Should we put God in a box and direct how He must run things according to our expectations? If so, how is this better than the Jews of Jesus’ day who through unbelief refused to believe what Jesus said about Himself. They thought that surely God must act according to our understanding. If Jesus were the Messiah, should not Jesus have overthrown the Romans and set up an earthly Jewish kingdom. Such thinking put Jesus on a cross rather than a throne. Even so, God achieved a great victory in the crucifixion of Christ for ours sins. Jesus was vindicated by the resurrection.
In some part of the world, signs and wonders are still happening, as blind as we might be to this. Thousands upon thousands are coming to know Jesus. There is great joy there. People are believing the Word of God. It was that way too once in america and Europe. One need only read of the fantastic spiritual experience that Jonathan Edwards, a staunch Calvinist had in the woods, a man who is arguably the greatest theologian America has ever produced. A Calvinist, Martyn Lloyd Jones, was a very spiritual person who wrote a book on revivals including the great one in Wales around the time of his birth. He showed that one could feel the personal involvement of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Some even considered him to be Pentecostal or Charismatic. This proves that one can hold to sound doctrine and still feel the active presence of God guiding His church. Do we dare open ourselves to the possibility that God is actively at work and not just passively behind the scenes? God is the same God that He was on the Day of Pentecost. o, to see revival come here again! May we feel the refreshment from the Spirit! May we return to powerful sermons centered upon the work of Jesus! May we hear the shouts of new birth in the Church! May signs and wonders confirm this biblical preaching! May there be great joy in our churches again! God is not dead. Neither should the church be.Let us celebrate Pentecost as a birthday party and not as a memorial service.
