SERMON: THE GOSPEL GOES (ACTS 8:1-40)

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 8:1b-8

 

Acts 8:1b On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

 

4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

 

            -- in 1968, after two decades of oppressive Communist rule under the heavy hand of the Soviet regime, the people of Czechoslovakia longed for freedom – it seemed like opportunity was at hand when Alexander Dubcek was elected as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia – immediately, Dubcek initiated democratic reforms and a period of liberalization, known as the Prague Spring, began

– citizen civil rights and liberties were expanded – partial allowances for political democratization occurred – and the country began to decentralize the economy, making real changes in the ability of citizens to have economic freedom and progress

– restrictions on freedom of the press – on travel – and on free-speech were also loosened -- it appeared that Czechoslovakia was taking the first steps in changing from Communism to a liberal democracy

-- but the Soviet Union could not stand by and watch all of this happening to a country within the Iron Curtain – after negotiations with Dubcek failed to reverse the freedoms that were being instituted, the Soviets invaded to restore Soviet rule and Communist order to the state

-- on August 21, 1968, forces from five of the countries grouped in the Warsaw Pact invaded, and tanks flooded Prague’s streets – the people resisted where they could, but with the streets filled with Soviet soldiers, there was little they could do – and the roads leading west out of Czechoslovakia were filled with hundreds of cars fleeing the invasion

-- but on the road west of Czechoslovakia, there was a little blue Volkswagen Bug heading – not out of Czechoslovakia – but towards it – inside was a little-known Dutch evangelist – Brother Andrew – who had loaded down his car with Bibles and was making his way towards Prague

-- people stopped him and warned him not to go – “Don’t you know what’s going on in our country?” they asked – “Yes,” he said. “And that’s why I’m going” – he made it to the border, and the guards just ushered him in, not believing that anyone was willingly driving into a combat zone

-- Andrew made his way to Prague and located some church members there he knew from previous visits – they looked at him in amazement when they saw him – “Why are you here?” they asked. – “Because of the opportunity.” – “What opportunity? Our streets are filled with Russian soldiers” – “That is your opportunity”

-- “You don’t realize what is happening – because you refused to carry the gospel to your neighbors and those in the country next to you, God has sent them here for you to evangelize”

-- Andrew went out and began passing out Bibles to the Russian soldiers sitting in their tanks, telling them of the good news of Christ – over the course of the next few months, many of the Russians came to become believers – and the Russian army had to keep swapping soldiers out because of this

-- this true story demonstrates a great biblical truth that we are going to examine today – God allows persecution into our lives as a way to mature us in our faith and to spread the gospel message

-- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series through the Book of Acts – last week, we finished the first part of this series – “A New Hope: The Beginning of the Church of Christ on Earth” – as we looked at the coming of the Holy Spirit and the empowerment of believers with a bold message, bold prayers, and bold hearts

-- today, we are starting the next section in our series – Unexpected Gospel Growth – which covers Acts 8 to Acts 12 – so, let’s look now at the start of Acts 8 and see what we can learn from this passage

 

II.  The Beginning of Persecution (Acts 8:1b-8)

            -- Acts 8:1b-3

 

Acts 8:1b On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

 

            -- last week, we ended our study in Acts with the death of Stephen, who is known as the first martyr in the Christian church

            -- Stephen had been arrested and brought to stand before the high priest and the Sanhedrin because he was accused of speaking blasphemy against the Temple and the religious traditions and practices of the Jews

            -- I didn’t point this out last week, but I found it highly interesting that these were the charges against Stephen – he wasn’t accused of blaspheming God – he wasn’t accused of being a heretic or introducing teachings that went against God’s word – the charges against him were that he spoke out about the Temple building and criticized the traditions and rituals that occurred there

            -- this concern by the High Priest and the Sanhedrin demonstrates that they had made an idol of the Temple and of their own rules and commands and practices – that it was more important to them to protect the Temple and their religious practices rather than standing up for God – for Whom the Temple was built in the first place

            -- and after Stephen pointed out in his long summary of God’s interactions with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the people of Israel that the whole point of God’s covenant with Israel – the whole point of the Temple and the religious practices – were to lead people to the Messiah

– he told them that the priests and the Jewish leaders had rejected the prophets and the message of God over and over again – and now, this current High Priest and this very Sanhedrin had rejected the promised Messiah – submitting Jesus to crucifixion at the hands of the Romans – and rejecting the very Word of God in the flesh

-- when they heard this, the members of the Sanhedrin closed their ears and rushed at Stephen and grabbed him up and took him outside the walls of the city, at which point they began to stone him to death

 

-- immediately following the death of Stephen, we read that a great persecution broke out against the church

– the High Priest and the Sanhedrin were so mad – so incensed – at what Stephen said – at his proclamation that Jesus was the Messiah and that the Jewish leaders had rejected Him just as their forefathers had rejected the prophets – that they began hunting down the members of the church of Christ in Jerusalem – which had been growing in number and influence since the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

-- men like Saul -- who we read about in verses 3 and 4—began to go from house to house seeking Christians – dragging them out and putting them in prison because of their belief in Jesus as the Messiah

-- the persecution was so intense, that the church scattered – and we read here in verse 1 that all of them – except for the apostles – fled Jerusalem and were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria

-- this brings up a couple of questions about the apostles – why didn’t the High Priest and the Sanhedrin seek them out and persecute them like they were doing everyone else in the church?

– I think they were left alone by the High Priest and the Sanhedrin because they were scared of them – they had brought Peter and John before them several times and commanded them not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus – and each time, Peter and John boldly stood up in front of them and said, “No – we are going to do what God tells us and not what man tells us” – and I think this defiance to their bullying kept the High Priest and the Sanhedrin from pursuing them further

-- but when the persecution broke out against the church, why didn’t the apostles leave on their own? – I think they knew they were where God wanted them to be – they didn’t have any great fear of the Sanhedrin – and Jerusalem was the center of Jewish worship – if they were to be the leaders of this new movement in Judaism and lead the people to faith in Jesus as the Messiah, then they needed to be in the place where people were coming to worship God

-- also, remember that Jesus had told the apostles that He was going to come back to Jerusalem at the last days to establish His kingdom forever – and the apostles, as the leaders of the church, were going to wait faithfully there in Jerusalem for His return, regardless of the cost

 

-- verse 4

 

Acts 8:4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

 

-- why does God allow persecution against His church? – we see the answer right here – the people who were scattered because of persecution preached the word wherever they went

 

-- do you remember what Jesus said in our foundational verses for this study?

– in Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”

-- and in Matthew 28:18-20, we read, “18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

            -- just like the people in Czechoslovakia, the Christians had not been moving and sharing the gospel as God intended – rather than going forth into all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth, they had been content to just stay in Jerusalem and form a counter-cultural community of faith there

            -- but that wasn’t the mission – that wasn’t the command – that wasn’t the calling from Christ – He told them to stay in Jerusalem until the power of the Holy Spirit came on them, and then they would go forth to carry His word to other regions as His witnesses – making disciples and baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything He had commanded

            -- when we won’t move from our comfort zone – when we won’t get up off the pews and start doing what God has called us to do – God will sometimes make things very uncomfortable for us so that we’ll get up and go and do what He wants us to do

            -- sometimes, this takes the form of persecution – for the Bible and history demonstrate that persecution always leads to growth in the church – both in maturing the saints and in spreading the gospel

            -- notice where the persecuted believers from Jerusalem went as Saul and the others hunted them from house to house – they went to Judea and Samaria – just like Jesus had told them to do

            -- when they wouldn’t go on their own, He made them go by using persecution as a catalyst for their missionary journeys

            -- and, as they went, they were faithful witnesses, and preached the word wherever they were

            -- what about you? – do you preach the word wherever you go? – do you share God’s word with others as you work and go from place to place in your daily lives?

 

            -- verse 5-8

 

Acts 8:5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

 

            -- one of the people who fled out of Jerusalem in response to the persecution was Philip – this was not Philip the Apostle, but Philip the evangelist – this Philip was one of the seven men whom the apostles appointed to help distribute food equally among the widows and the people in need – we read about that in Acts 6:1-7

            -- Philip was originally from Caesarea, a town along the Mediterranean coast of Israel in the region of Judea – now, if you look at a map and draw a straight line between Jerusalem and Caesarea, you’ll see the region of Samaria

            -- the Jews had a love-hate relationship with Samaria – as you probably remember from our study of the parable of the good Samaritan, the Samaritans were a mixed race – part Jew and part Gentile – and the people who lived there were the descendants of those that the Assyrians had brought back into the land after the northern ten tribes of Israel were exiled

            -- the Jews hated them because they were not pure Jews and because their religion was as mixed up as their genealogy and genetics – good Jews did not go into Samaria, and would go around Samaria just to keep from polluting themselves – we see that come into play in the parable of the good Samaritan and in Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4

            -- we read here in these verses that Philip went down to a city in Samaria as he fled Jerusalem, preaching the coming of the Messiah to the people there – and Philip was not alone, for many of the Christians also fled into Samaria – which makes sense in the face of the persecution – because the Jews who were hunting them would avoid going into Samaria to chase them down – and so, Samaria became a safe place for them to stay

            -- so, it seems like Philip is there partially because of safety – it’s a way to hide from the Jews who are hunting down the church – but Philip is mostly there because it’s where God wanted him to be

            -- Jesus said that good news was going to be preached – not only in Judea – but also in Samaria – and I bet that none of the Jewish Christians wanted to go there – so, God moved them out of their comfort zone by allowing the persecution to come against them – and He led them right into the place where He wanted them to be – Samaria

            -- Philip was a godly man – and Philip was a faithful witness – and we see Philip preaching to the people of Samaria about Jesus – the Spirit was with him – and as Philip testified about Jesus and preached the good news of salvation and the forgiveness of sins through Christ – the Holy Spirit moved in him and through him with great signs and wonders

            -- demons fled at the word of God – impure spirits came out of many – and lots of people in that place were healed under the power of the Spirit made manifest through Philip

            -- so there was great joy in the city because salvation had come to them because of the persecution that the church faced in Jerusalem

            -- God sometimes allows persecution and hardships and trials into our lives to grow us as Christians – to mature us in our faith – and to lead us to the place where He wants us to be

            -- so, as the people were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, the word of God went with them – and people’s lives were changed forever

 

III.  The Gospel Goes Further (Acts 8:26-40)

            -- skip down to verse 26-29

 

Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

            -- after allowing persecution to come against the church, leading the Christians to scatter and spread the gospel as they went, God continued to lead the church to spread His word to others outside the city of Jerusalem

            -- Philip had enjoyed great evangelistic success in a town in Samaria, but God did not want Philip to settle down there and stay – His word needed to be shared with others, so He spoke to Philip through an angel and told him to go south to the desert road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza

            -- Philip has been moving and operating based on faith since he fled the persecution in Jerusalem – and when God’s word came to him to go to this desert road – with no more instruction than that – Philip went

            -- what do we do when God tells us to move or to do something? – this entire year, we have been focused on hearing and doing the work of God through His Holy Spirit – on being attuned to His voice and moving when He speaks

            -- if we hear Him tell us to do something – if we hear the word, “Go” – our response should be like that of Philip – to just get up and go – not to wait for more instructions – not to wait for more information – but simply to get up in faith and go, trusting that what God is wanting will be made clear in the future

 

            -- when Philip started down the desert road with no direction or guidance about what he was to do, he happened to meet an Ethiopian eunuch who served in the court of the queen of the Ethiopians – the Spirit spoke to him and told him to go to that chariot and stay near it – and Philip did what the Lord said to do

            -- as we seek to do what God calls us to do – as we seek to discern His will and His direction in our lives and in this church – we must pay attention to those who we meet along the way – for it could be those people have been put in our path or brought into our lives for a specific purpose – it could be God put these people before us so that we might share the good news of Christ with them and lead them into a saving relationship with Him

            -- that is exactly what Philip does here

 

            -- verse 30-35

 

Acts 8:30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

 

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

 

32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

 

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

    and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

    so he did not open his mouth.

33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.

    Who can speak of his descendants?

    For his life was taken from the earth.”

 

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

 

            -- even though we live in an age where there is more access to the Bible and biblical material than ever before, that doesn’t mean that people have a greater understanding of Scripture

            -- 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

            -- Romans 10:14-16 says, “14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”

 

            -- the natural man – those who do not know the Lord – cannot understand spiritual things – the Bible tells us that their eyes have been blinded by Satan – and even though they may hear the word – even though they may read the word – the meaning is kept from them until it is revealed by the Spirit

            -- that is why the passage from Romans says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” – for it is through us – the church – that the Spirit speaks to those who are seeking

            -- it is through us that the world comes to hear and understand the truth of the gospel, as the Spirit moves their hearts and opens their ears to hear and understand

 

            -- that is what we are seeing here with Philip and the Ethiopian – the Ethiopian had a passing knowledge of the religion of the Jews – he had gone up to Jerusalem to worship in the temple – but he did not meet God in that place

            -- rather, he met God as the Spirit led Philip down a desert road and moved Philip to share the good news of Jesus with him – and the Spirit opened the ears of the eunuch and he was able to hear and understand the truth of God’s word and how the passage from Isaiah spoke of Jesus and His atoning death for all mankind

 

            -- when God leads us to someone in a divine appointment such as this, He will give us the spiritual insights and the words to speak to the other person – all we have to do is be faithful to what God is calling us to do – to trust in Him and the Spirit to speak through us, even if we aren’t sure of our ability to speak – and then to share our testimony and give witness to the truth of Jesus and His saving grace in our lives

            -- every day we should witness to others – if not with words, then with our lives – for people are watching to see what you do as much as they are to hear what you say

            -- speak truth and trust in the Spirit to use you as He did Philip here

 

            -- verse 36-40

 

Acts 8:36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37 Some manuscripts include here Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

 

            -- as the Ethiopian heard and received the good news of Jesus, his heart was transformed and he desired to put his faith and trust in Jesus – in the Great Commission from Matthew 28, we are told to baptize those who we disciple – to baptize them means to bring them into the community of faith – baptism is a sign of their repentance from sins, their death to self, and their new birth in Christ into the Kingdom of Heaven

            -- hearing the good news, the Ethiopian wanted to fully immerse himself in his new faith – seeing water alongside the chariot, he ordered the chariot to stop and Philip baptized him – raising the Ethiopian eunuch from the water a new brother in faith and the newest member of the church

            -- beyond just the immediate personal salvation of the Ethiopian, this divine encounter with Philip served to further the spread of the gospel – as a member of Candice’s court in Ethiopia, the eunuch returned, rejoicing in his newly found faith in Jesus – and carried with him the word of God and the testimony of his faith

            -- we know this to be true because Irenaeus, an early church father, recorded in his writings that the eunuch was the first missionary to the Ethiopian people – and the historical record confirms that Ethiopia was one of the first areas outside the Holy Land that was reached with the gospel message – and Ethiopia has continued to be a major Christian country ever since the time of the apostles

– in fact, there are many who believe that the Ark of the Covenant was smuggled out of Israel and taken to the Ethiopian churches for safekeeping before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD

 

            -- when Philip had fulfilled his purpose with the Ethiopian eunuch, the Spirit took him away in some miraculous movement – Philip found himself in Azotus, a town along the Gaza Strip near the Mediterranean Sea – Azotus is called Ashdod in the Old Testament, and it was a major town of the Philistines during their battles with Israel back then

            -- as I said, Philip was from Caesarea, which was about 60 miles north of Azotus along the coast – so Philip left Azotus and continued on his way home – preaching and teaching in all the towns he passed through – sharing the good news with all – until he finally reached his home

 

IV.  Closing

            -- the Book of James is well known for it’s opening passage, where we read in James 1:2-4 that we should consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds because we know that the testing of our faith produces perseverance – and that perseverance is given so that we might become mature and complete, not lacking in anything

            -- this is a hard passage for a lot of people, because none of us welcome trials and troubles in our lives – none of us wake up and pray, “Let persecution and trouble come”

            -- but as James points out here, trials and troubles of many kinds do come – but that doesn’t mean we have been forgotten by God – God allows these times into our lives to help us grow in grace and become mature and complete Christians – and He allows these times of persecution to come against the church to compel us to share the good news with others

 

            -- I opened this message with the story of Brother Andrew smuggling Bibles into Czechoslovakia during the Russian invasion of 1968 – this was not the only place he carried Bibles to during the height of the Soviet Union – he was constantly carrying Bibles in and trying to find Christians in those places to share the word with – he did the same thing in communist China

            -- but we had no idea whether he was making a difference or if this was just a drop of water in a land thirsting for the word of God

            -- when the Soviet Union broke up after Gorbachav, the opportunity for western missionaries and evangelists to enter the former Soviet Union with Bibles and with the word of God through their witness and testimony was made possible

            -- many missionaries went into that land where religion had been outlawed and Christians had been persecuted for decades – and no one knew what they would find

            -- Brother Andrew had successfully found pockets of Christians here and there – but we did not know if there were Christians in any number or not or just these small groups of believers scattered across the countries

 

            -- everyone was surprised to find a thriving and unified church in the remains of the Soviet Union and in China and in all the lands where Christianity had been persecuted

            -- the persecution and the trials and troubles the Christians had faced in these regions from the very beginning of Communism and Islam had not crushed the church – it had caused the church to grow – in numbers and in maturity

            -- the first missionaries into the former Soviet bloc found a strong church standing in these places, finally able to come out from their underground locations where they had met for decades – and even though they may not have had physical copies of the Bible or other religious materials – their faith was strong and their knowledge of the word of God was impressive

            -- this proves the truth of what the Bible and history have always taught -- persecution always causes the church to grow and to go and to do what God wants it to do

 

            -- do you know where the fastest growing church in the world is right now? – the church that is growing more in numbers and seeing more people come to Christ than any other? – Iran

            -- the persecution by the Iranian government has failed to crush Christianity, and more people are becoming Christians over there every day than any other country in the world

 

            -- so, what is our take-home message from today? – what is it that we should glean from the Scriptures today?

            -- I think there’s several lessons for us to take to heart

 

– first, God doesn’t want us to be passive – He didn’t call us to just come to church and sit here – He called us to go and make disciples and carry His word to the ends of the earth

 

-- second, if we are not doing what God has called us to do – if we are not using our spiritual gifts for the good of others as His word says – then God will allow troubles and tribulations into our lives to compel us to get up and go and do what He has commanded – just like He did with the church in Jerusalem

 

-- third, God will put the people in our paths that He wants us to minister to and share the gospel with – this is true for both us as individual Christians and as a community of faith in this place – whenever someone new crosses our path, we need to pray and ask God if this is someone He has placed there for us to share the gospel with – and we need to speak as the Spirit leads

-- look for these divine appointments – look for the people who need a touch from God – and minister to them as God leads you

 

-- finally, when I used to do a lot of one-on-one discipleship with people, there were three questions we asked of every disciple – first, are you saved? – second, what are you saved from? – and third, what are you saved for?

-- these are questions that all of us need to answer daily – especially that last one – what are we saved for – and are we doing that? – are we being obedient to the commands of Christ – and are we witnessing to others in His name through the power of the Spirit within us?

 

-- as I close now in prayer, I want us to take a moment to consider where we are in our walk with Christ

– if we are too comfortable, let us pray that God may shake us out of our comfort zone so that He might move through us

– if we are going through trials and troubles, let us pray to God for wisdom and insight that we might know how He is moving us and growing us during this time

– whatever it is that you need to do with God’s word, do it now as we close in prayer and end this service

 

SERMON: Fighting for God or Against God (acts 4:32-5:42)

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 4:32-35

 

Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

 

            -- several years ago, Kim and I watched a show that quickly became one of our favorites of all times -- when it comes to TV and movies, we gravitate towards spies and mysteries and similar dramas -- this show was called, "The Americans" -- hopefully, you had the opportunity to see it yourself

-- to sum up the plot, “The Americans” is the story about a typical suburban family in Falls Church, Virginia in the early 1980's -- but this typical suburban family has a very non-typical secret -- you see, the husband and wife in this family are not what they seem -- they are actually Russian spies

            -- as the story unfolds over the six seasons it ran, we learn that the husband and wife in this family are not really Americans -- they were recruited in Russia to give up their lives and to come to America to live a secret life -- to be married and to have children and to appear to be, for all intents and purposes, normal suburban Americans

            -- they look like Americans -- they talk like Americans -- they go to work like Americans -- they socialize like Americans -- they take their kids to soccer practice and dance recitals and drop them off at the mall -- just by looking at them, no one can tell that they are actually undercover Russian sleeper agents

 

            -- every time I open the news and read a story of a church scandal or when I see people I know acting in very non-Christian ways, I think about this show – it is a poignant reminder that our churches are made up of people – and not everyone who comes to church or attends church is truly a Christian

            -- surveys by the Barna Research Group and other pollsters reveal that only about 20-30% of people in any given congregation are considered committed, highly-engaged, believers – these would be the people that are born-again – that have a personal relationship with Jesus – those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus for eternal life and the forgiveness of sins and who have committed to living sanctified lives of obedience to Christ’s commands

            -- between 40 and 60% of attendees are considered nominal or cultural believers – these would be the people who might call themselves Christians, but who have not fully put their faith and trust in Jesus

-- this group would also include the cultural believers – those who think they are Christian because they are Americans or because their parents or grandparents were Christian

-- these are the people we associate with in our daily lives who look like Christians and talk like Christians and do all the normal things that Christians do -- they may go to our churches on a fairly regular basis -- they may even put Jesus fish on the back of their cars and tell everybody on Facebook that they are Christians -- but in reality, they are not true, committed believers in Christ

-- in a very real sense, they’re only pretending to be believers -- and it could be they've lived this lie so long they have started to think it’s true -- if you were to ask them if they were Christians, they would tell you, "yes," even though they don't have a personal relationship with Jesus

-- the rest of the people in a congregation – about 10-20% of the attendees – are the non-believers and visitors – these include the seekers – people who are curious about Christianity and are coming to learn more about our faith – this category also includes those people who come only because they are closely associated with someone in the church or in a community, but who have no real interest in religion – for instance, family members who may come with their families to services from time-to-time but who have no true spiritual faith in anything

 

-- now, keep in mind that these are generalized statistics, and you may see different percentages based on what poll you look at – Rick Warren always said that in his experience, 30% of the church were committed Christians, 30% were nominal Christians, and the rest were what he called, “the crowd” – unbelievers and seekers – but he pastored in California, which certainly has a different demographic than we do here in the Bible Belt

– also, I expect that the percentages in each category vary based on the size of the church – more than likely, you have a greater percentage of non-believers and nominal Christians in larger congregations – where it is easier to get lost in the crowd – than in a small church, where the fruits of the Spirit and the evidences of faith are more easily discerned by the other members

 -- the point that I am trying to get you to see, though – the truth that I want you to grasp -- is that in any congregation, there is a mosaic of belief – there is a gradient of faith in a church that runs from unbelievers or cultural Christians to the fully committed, born-again believers

– that means that in any church, there are some people who truly believe and some people that are either in the beginning stages of belief or who are unbelievers, even though they may be members of that church and may call themselves Christians

 

            -- the passage we opened up with -- Acts 4:32-35 -- points to the ideal state for the church – it gives us the picture of a community of believers who were one in heart and mind – they were all committed to their new faith in Jesus as the Messiah – and they put into practice His teachings and the commands that He passed on to the apostles

-- they did life together in a way that we do not see in the world today – sharing all things with each other – taking care of each person as if they were their own family, such that there were no needy persons among them – and sharing their resources communally so that everyone in the community was provided for

-- this is what we should be striving for – both personally and corporately – ideally, this is who we should be in our personal spiritual lives – and this is what our churches should look like – not just on the surface, but in our heart of hearts

-- believers who live in koinonia – true biblical fellowship – being one with each other in heart and mind – and sharing our lives with each other as we follow Christ in all our ways

 

-- but even in this idyllic New Testament Church – which certainly had a higher percentage of true, born-again believers within it – there were those who were not what they seemed – even in the first church, there were sleeper agents among them who were not true believers and who continued to live for themselves while calling themselves believers

-- as we move on in our series in the Book of Acts, we find ourselves in a section here from Acts 4:32 through the end of Chapter 5 where we see these differences in the church come to the forefront

– in this section, battle lines are drawn and people have to decide whether they are truly going to place their faith and trust in Jesus and unify around the testimony of Jesus’ death and resurrection and live in the power of the Spirit or if they are going to hold onto their worldly religious practices and materialistic lifestyles while claiming to be believers

-- in other words, the people have to decide -- do they stand for God or do they stand for themselves in their lives and in their practices?

-- in this section, we see three clear examples of people who made that choice – two groups chose to live for themselves – to hold onto their religious traditions and practices and their materialism – while one group chose to stand up for God and live for Him instead

 

II.  Ananias and Saphira (Acts 4:36-5:11)

            -- let’s look at the first example here – look at Acts 4:36-5:6

 

Acts 4:36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

 

Acts 5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

 

3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

 

5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

 

            -- this section opens with the story of Barnabas – the same Barnabas that we recognize from the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul

            -- Barnabas was a truly faithful and committed member of the early church – and he was moved by the Spirit to sell a field that he owned and to give the proceeds from that sale to the church

            -- here’s a case where we can read between-the-lines and know what is going on, even though we are not told in black-and-white – while the Scriptures do not tell us how the church and the apostles reacted to Barnabas’ sacrificial act of giving the proceeds from the sale of his land to the church, we can assume that he was praised by the apostles for this act

            -- there was obviously some type of public recognition that called attention to what Barnabas did – and when Ananias and Saphira saw the recognition that Barnabas received, they wanted it, too -- the desire for similar laud and praise drove them to act in a way that brought about their ultimate downfall

            -- just like Barnabas, Ananias and Saphira had a piece of property, too – and after seeing him sell his property and give the money to the church, they decided to do the same – however, instead of giving all the money from the sale of the land to the church, they held some back – which was not wrong – it was their right – no one would have faulted them for that

            -- but here’s where they got into trouble – they lied through omission – and when Ananias brought the money and gave it to the apostles, he let them believe that he was giving them the entire amount that he received from the sale of the land, even though he was keeping some of the money back for himself

            -- he wanted the recognition and the applause for doing just like Barnabas, but in his heart he was lying to the church and to God

            -- Ananias, in collusion with his wife Saphira, chose to take a stand for himself – to pretend to be wholly sold out as believers while living a lifestyle of his own choosing

            -- and for this lie – and to make clear the distinction between true faith and nominal belief in an idea – God struck Ananias down and killed him in the presence of the entire congregation

 

            -- verse 7

 

Acts 5:7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

 

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

 

9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

 

10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

 

            -- just a few hours later, Sapphira came to the place where the church was meeting and was confronted by Peter about the money she and Ananias had offered to the church -- he asked her point blank, "Is this all the money you got for the land?"

            -- Sapphira looked Peter in the eye and said, "Yes, it is" -- and the same judgment that fell on her husband fell on her -- Sapphira dropped dead on the spot and was carried out and buried next to her husband

            -- battlelines were drawn – decisions were made – rather than committing themselves to faith in Christ and following His commands, Ananias and Sapphira decided to live for themselves and to allow their desire for praise and recognition, along with their material greed, to color their relationship with God

 

            -- the other two examples of decisions to either follow Christ or follow self occur in an event very similar to the passage from last week

            -- look at verse 12-17

 

Acts 5:12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.  17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.

 

            -- now, skip down to verse 27-29

 

Acts 5:27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

 

            -- and let’s finish up at verse 41-42

 

Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

 

            -- in the first example, we see Ananias and Sapphira holding on to the desire for material things – in this case, money – and the desire for praise and recognition instead of giving themselves fully over to faith in Jesus

            -- in the second example, we see the high priest and his associates, the Sadducees, and the Sanhedrin – choosing to hold onto their religious practices and traditions instead of turning to Jesus as the promised Messiah

 

            -- when Peter and John and the other apostles continued to preach and teach the good news of salvation and the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ – and when God affirmed their teaching with signs and wonders through the power of the Holy Spirit – we read in verse 17 that the high priest and his associates were filled with jealousy

            -- as the leaders of the Jewish community and as those in charge of worship in the Temple, the high priests, the elders, and the Sanhedrin were accustomed to being recognized and lauded for their holiness and righteous way of life

            -- because of this, the worship of Yahweh, the Lord God Almighty, had become more about practicing religious traditions and rituals than worship of the Father in spirit and truth – and as the leaders who mediated the presence of God to the people, the high priest and his associates basked in the praise of the people of Israel

            -- when Jesus appeared in Judea and began preaching and teaching the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven, proclaiming Himself the long-awaited Messiah – this did not set well with the high priest and his associates – their desire for praise and recognition were being usurped – and their religious practices and traditions were being threatened – and so they had Jesus put to death on the cross by Pontius Pilate

            -- when they cried out before Pilate to let Jesus’ blood be upon them, they made the decision to stand for themselves and their positions in the community against the Messiah – they put their religious practices and traditions above all else so that they would continue to enjoy the praise of the people

 

            -- and now, even after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the obvious power that the church enjoyed through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the desire of the high priest and his associates continues to be praise and recognition from the people – and when the people begin to turn to Peter and the other apostles in response to their teaching – when the people start paying attention to someone other than the high priest and his associates and the religious order of the day – they became jealous

            -- just like we read in last week’s passage, they tried to quench the move of God in their midst by arresting the apostles and having them appear before the Sanhedrin

            -- once again, they demand that Peter and John and the other apostles stop preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus

            -- just like Ananias and Sapphira, a choice has been made – a battleline has been drawn – and the Jewish religious leaders, from the high priest to the Sanhedrin – choose themselves and religious tradition above the plain truth that the Messiah has come

 

            -- but we see in this passage another way – another choice – in the example of Peter and the other apostles – just like last week, Peter stands before the religious right of his day and states in verse 27, “We must obey God rather than human beings”

            -- and then in verses 41 and 42, we read that he and the apostles walked out of the court proceedings with the Sanhedrin and never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah

            -- another choice was made – another battleline was drawn – but in this case, Peter and the apostles chose to stand for God

 

III.  Closing

-- in 1836, a pivotal event occurred in the Texas Revolution against Mexico – about 100 Texans under the command of Colonel William B. Travis and James Bowie were garrisoned at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio

-- on February 23, about 1500 Mexicans marched into San Antonio as the first step in Mexico’s campaign to retake Texas – Travis and Bowie and his men retreated into the Alamo, where they faced an onslaught of battle from the determined Mexican army, led by General Santa Anna

-- fighting claimed the majority of the Texans – and after several days of the siege, it became obvious that the remaining men would not be able to hold off the Mexicans much longer – they knew it would only be a matter of time before the wall was breached and all of them put to the sword – it was an impossible situation

-- on what became the final day of the siege, Colonel Travis took his sword and drew a line on the ground, and he issued a call -- he said everyone who is willing to fight for Texas, come and stand with me behind this line, knowing that it may cost you your very life -- the rest could leave and surrender to the Mexicans and save their lives

-- there was a moment of silence as each man pondered the decision in their hearts -- and then, as one, every single man remaining in the Alamo took a step and crossed that line and made their choice

-- they chose to do what was right, despite the personal cost -- they chose to stand up for what they believed in, despite the fact it could cost them their life -- and, in the end, every Texan in the Alamo that day was killed

 

-- throughout the Bible, we are faced with a similar call – a choice that we all have to make – battlelines are drawn – and we have to decide which side we will stand on

-- on one side is the cross – on the other is the world

-- on one side is the choice to live our lives based on faith in Christ for salvation and eternal life – on the other is the choice to live for ourselves and our own personal desires

-- in this section from the Book of Acts, we see three separate groups facing that choice – Ananias and Sapphira, the high priest and his associates, and Peter and the apostles

-- two groups chose the world – they chose self – they chose to live into their desire for praise and recognition – for material wealth and religious practices and tradition – over Christ and His kingdom

-- one group – Peter and the apostles – chose the way of Christ

 

-- this same choice is before us today, for the Bible tells us that we must make the choice every single day to get up, pick up our cross, and follow Christ

-- every morning when we rise, we face a line in the sand – and every morning, we have to choose how we will live that day – which side of the line we will stand on

-- that choice is before us now

 

-- as we close in prayer, we need to make a decision as to who we are going to be – how we are going to live – and what we are going to choose to believe

-- this same decision has to be made every single day

-- I pray that you will choose the path of Christ, and that you will stand for Him in this world above all else

-- so, let us close now in prayer and consider the examples that are before us in Scripture – and let us choose the path that we will take

            -- let’s pray