The Active Church
Acts 5:12-28
A little over thirteen years ago, the Elder Board of Living Faith Fellowship asked me to write an essay on my ideal Church.
Part of what I wrote said, “The vision of the church is: We exist to bring Praise and Glory to our King, Jesus Christ.
We do this by surrendering to His will and becoming His witnesses (Acts 1:8) in a lost, hurting, and dark world.
By allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through us, we can fulfill the Great Commission to go therefore and make disciples.
I envision a body of imperfect people growing more and more in the faith and learning to live a life of freedom empowered by the Spirit of God.
I believe the church should be a hospital for the hurting and a training (sending) center for the saved.”
Please open your Bibles to Acts 5
Last time, in the Book of Acts, we studied how Ananias and Sapphira, the husband-and-wife team that died for lying to God.
We learned that Hypocrisy kills our witness, joy, and peace, and it is an imitation. The LORD wants us to be real and transparent with Him and His people.
Today, we are going to learn that one of the primary goals of the Church, after glorifying Christ, is to reproduce and be fruitful!
The Church's main mission is to glorify the Lord Jesus and then to show people how to have a true relationship with Him!
The Church is to be an active, living thing, and with any living thing, there must be some sort of growth, otherwise, it is dead!
If the body of Christ does not grow and change, it becomes stagnant, and we all know what stagnation smells like; it is not a sweet-smelling aroma before the LORD.
We are God’s children, and like in the lifespan of any child, changes happen as part of their maturation process.
I. Power in the Church.
Read Acts 5:12-14
Back in Acts 4, after Peter and John were released from the religious leaders, the Church prayed for boldness…
Acts 4:29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,
Acts 4:30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." NKJV
The miracles happened as an answer to their prayers, and also because the Church was keeping the main thing, the main thing.
We again see the Church acting in one accord in these verses, as they were all together in Solomon’s porch. What a great move of the power of the Holy Spirit, displayed through their unity.
In verse 13, there is a little confusion as we read, “Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.”
There are different interpretations of this passage.
Some say, the people who were on the fence about following Jesus, would not join the Church after Ananias and Sapphira, but vs. 14 refutes that, because many were added to the Church.
Some say it means the other believers did not do what Ananias and Sapphira did by lying to the Holy Spirit, as they did.
Some say, it seems that the correction and death of Ananias and Sapphira prevented consumer Christianity at least for a time, and those who came to Christ were sold-out believers.
The folks who believe that say the Ananias and Sapphira incident reduced the level of casual commitment in the Church.
Matthew Henry says the passage is speaking about other Christians not wanting to become an Apostles because the other believers had a deep respect for their apostolic leadership.
After the death of Ananias and Sapphira for hypocrisy, the Christians gained a reputation for integrity, as the community realized how serious it was to become a follower of Jesus.
Notice, “And believers were increasingly added to the Lord.”
Even though some people were apprehensive about following Christ after those deaths, the church kept growing.
Being a Christian is costly, but the Holy Spirit was still drawing people to Christ.
The saying, “A body in motion stays in motion; a body at rest stays at rest,” describes Sir Isaac Newton's first law of Motion.
Newton’s law of motion is the law of inertia, which states that an object continues moving in a straight line at a constant speed, unless acted upon by an external force.
A force is a push or pull, such as friction or gravity, applied to an object. While driving, my car will keep moving forward until I apply the brakes, because of inertia.
The Church has many things it should do according to scripture, but again, the Church's main mission is to glorify the Lord Jesus.
Once the Church is focused on glorifying Christ, we should show people how to have a true relationship with Him, reproduce authentic believers, and be fruitful!
Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
Ephesians 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, NKJV
One of the reasons Jesus gave us His Holy Spirit, after being born again, is to share the Good News of the Gospel.
There are still many souls that need to come to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Do you realize that once we get to heaven, we can no longer witness to people for Christ and see them saved?
That happens on this side of heaven. The LORD designed His body to be a living, breathing, and growing organism.
But remember from Acts 2:46, So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
Acts 2:47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. NKJV
An article by Karl Vaters in Outreach magazine asked, “Is God challenging you to change your approach, mission, or vision?”
“Maybe the community and their needs are changing, and you missed it. Maybe there’s been an ethnic shift in the community.
Maybe there’s been a socioeconomic shift in the community.
Maybe there’s been a shift in family relationships in the community.
We have to constantly be aware of changes happening and be ready to adapt.
If we get too committed to a single method, to a single type of system, or to a particular way of doing things,
…it will not be long before that system, method, or way of doing things will no longer apply.
Most dying churches aren’t dying because of a lack of passion, lack of experience, or even lack of people.
“They’re dying (the church) because things have changed, and they haven’t caught the wind of the change. They haven’t been able to adapt quickly enough.” (Outreach magazine)
The church has to be a place of change and relevance. The message of the Gospel can never change, but the delivery method has to change and meet the needs of the Lost around us.
We have Good News to share with a world that is lost and dying. We should not want to be entertained, but we must be relevant, or we will die from lethargy.
Why was the early church growing?
Because they followed the vision the LORD gave them to reach more people, and they didn’t shrink back from following Him.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish KJV
II. The LORD’s plan implemented.
Read Acts 5:15-21
The religious leaders were very angry that the Church was growing and demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit.
The early Christians were persecuted because the LORD was moving in their midst, even though He was silent to the religious leaders.
The religion of that day left the people worse off and did not help people find the LORD.
At this time in history, the early Church was experiencing the Holy Spirit moving in their midst, like no other time in history.
A big area of contention within the modern Church is the argument over whether the sign gifts are still in operation or not.
Hebrews 13 tells us that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, and forever, but the LORD was moving during this time of history with such visual power, and the people were amazed.
At this time in Church history, the Apostles were given certain powers, signs, and wonders to demonstrate their authority from Christ and to establish the early Church.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:12, Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. NKJV
Before the New Testament was written, miracles were used to establish the truth of the Gospel.
Hebrews 2:4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? NKJV
Some who say the sign gifts ended after we received the New Testament say, “We now have the truth of Jesus and the writings of the apostles recorded in Scripture, so the gifts have ended.”
“Miracles are no longer necessary, since the message of Jesus and the Apostles has already been accurately recorded.”
Others say, “Everything found in the Book of Acts during the early Church is still available for us today.”
I believe both extremes can be wrong. The LORD can perform miracles, in His time, and in His way, so I tend to land in the middle of the discussion on spiritual gifts.
But as we study what was happening here in Acts 5, it would have been easy to shrink back while facing opposition, but it is during opposition that the LORD matures His children.
Oftentimes, leadership within a person is not necessarily recognized during times of rest and peace. True leadership is often revealed during hardships and trials.
As a student of Church History, you will soon discover that the church has never grown through times of peace.
Throughout its history, the Church has fallen into sin and diminished during times of peace.
I believe the reason for the sin and drop in growth within the body of Christ is because when we get complacent, and our prayer life and focus on Christ shrink back as well.
In our passage, we are told that the Sadducees came after the followers of Christ again and arrested them. Remember, the Sadducees did not believe in angels or anything supernatural.
So, when the Sadducees heard of all the healings and miracles taking place, they got mad and wanted the Christians to stop it.
Re-read Acts 5:19-20
It is kind of humorous how the LORD sent an angel to free these followers, kind of like showing these Sadducees that He is still in charge, no matter if they believed in the supernatural or not!
It does not matter what our opponents believe, the LORD is concerned with His message of life being proclaimed.
Notice they were told to “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life”.
There is a good lesson for us. We should stop fighting people on insignificant issues and preach the Words of eternal life to the lost and dying!
Exodus 14:14 “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." NKJV
Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. NKJV
The LORD was saying, “I will take care of these men trying to stop you, you preach life to these people who have no hope!”
According to Luke 19:10, Jesus came to earth, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." NKJV
If we get bogged down trying to fight our own battles against those trying to stop the message, Satan wins by distraction.
We won’t have time to complete the Father’s business if we get bogged down with the little fires the enemy throws at us.
These followers were busy implementing the LORD’s plan, and the LORD added to their number as He grew His Church.
III. The Apostles on trial again!
Read Acts 5:22-28
The Sadducees were slow to learn, and they were so hard-hearted that they did not recognize the LORD’s hand at work.
Peter told them he was given a job to do by Jesus, and he was not going to let their threats stop him from following the plan.
Why were these Sadducees so blind?
Do you remember the verse I shared with you from Proverbs about vision?
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: KJV
Listen to that verse in the NLV
Proverbs 29:18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. NLT
The religious leaders would not follow Jesus, and so they had no vision from the LORD.
When the LORD gives a vision or directive to His children, what causes spiritual vision deficiency or impairment?
The LORD has made it very clear that Christians are to be examples here on earth, so what is the issue?
Cataracts has been characterized as murkiness or dullness of the lens in the eye. When it comes to following the LORD’s directives, some get cataracts of their spiritual eyes.
Let’s discuss different forms of Spiritual cataracts that muddy up our spiritual vision:
1. Spiritual cataracts of mistaken priorities.
This happens when we do not, Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
Sometimes we feel called to serve the LORD, but we place someone or something else ahead of the Lord in our lives!
• A spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend
• Our children
• Our fleshly desires
• Or anything else that has first place before the Lord
By the way, when we follow anything or anyone before the LORD in our lives, it is called idolatry.
2. Spiritual cataracts of worldly pleasures.
Paul told his protégé Timothy about the dangers of loving the world ahead of the LORD…
2 Timothy 4:10 Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed, NKJV
When we lose eternal perspective and try to find fulfillment in the temporary, worldly things, we get spiritual cataracts.
True fulfillment only comes from knowing and serving the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we look at the suicide and drug overdose rates of the rich and famous, we can see that it happens because they bought the lie that fulfillment can come from something other than Jesus.
We will find nothing but discontentment when looking to anything other than Jesus for true fulfillment.
Paul told his protégé Timothy 1 Timothy 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
3. Spiritual cataracts of worldly recognition.
Like Ananias and Sapphira from last time in Acts, they were seeking the world’s recognition.
Worldly recognition fades, but what I want to hear is…
Matthew 25:23 “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” NKJV
When we are seeking the approval of man rather than God, our vision gets murky!
4. Spiritual cataracts of worldly gain.
Matthew 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? NKJV
IV. Practical Application.
Back to my essay on an ideal Church. Part of what I wrote said, “The vision of the church is: We exist to bring Praise and Glory to our King, Jesus Christ.
We do this by surrendering to His will and becoming His witnesses (Acts 1:8) in a lost, hurting, and dark world.
By allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through us, we can fulfill the Great Commission to go therefore and make disciples.
I envision a body of imperfect people growing more and more in the faith and learning to live a life of freedom empowered by the Spirit of God.”
The Church has to be a place of change and relevance. The message of the Gospel can never change, but the delivery method has to change and meet the needs of the Lost around us.
We have Good News to share with a world that is lost and dying. We should not want to be entertained, but we must be relevant, or we will die from lethargy.
Why was the early church growing? Because they followed the vision the LORD gave them to reach more people, and they didn’t shrink back from following Him.
The LORD uses the Church to bring out the best in His children as we grow and minister with each other. In Christ’s body, every member is a minister, and He has given every member a gift.
The Church is a participation activity, not a spectator event.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. NKJV
The LORD specifically made you for a pre-assigned task. Our conversion is not the end of the story; it is the beginning.
We are a part of God’s “new creation”.
• We are victorious when we surrender to the Holy Spirit.
• We all need to keep the Cross as the main focus.
• We need to be in constant communication with the LORD.
• The body of Christ needs to be on guard against attacks.
Like any family or organization, there are always potential dangers and predators lurking. Good leaders need to always be aware of potential threats to the family or organization.
We can only live godly lives by surrendering and allowing the Holy Spirit to have control of our lives.
Those who truly know the LORD love the LORD. And His love compels us to serve Him.
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
2 Corinthians 5:15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. NKJV
The Church is to be an active, living thing, and with any living thing, there must be some sort of growth, otherwise, it is dead!
If the body of Christ does not grow and change, it becomes stagnant, and we all know what stagnation smells like; it is not a sweet-smelling aroma before the LORD.
We are God’s children, and like in the lifespan of any child, changes happen as part of their maturation process.
Serve the LORD where and while He has you here.
