A Powerful Church

Westhill Community Church

11 Dec 2022

 

Reading: Acts 5: 12-32

The sequence of events described in our reading this morning commences at the end of Acts 4 and continues to the end of chapter 5. It starts with all the believers being of one heart and mind, sharing all that they possessed. It concludes with the apostles continuing daily to proclaim the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection for our salvation. The account contains a record of some of the most remarkable demonstrations of the power of God in local church life. Whether it was the power of God’s grace transforming their relationships with one another, God’s direct intervention to expose those who tried to deceive, unprecedented healings, a miraculous release from prison, boldness for evangelism, and many coming to faith – this passage is full of examples of God’s mighty power at work.

Right from the outset we need to ask one question. Is what is described in these verses intended by God to be a template for church life in general and for us in particular? Should we be seeing such miraculous events? Should we be experiencing remarkable healings as the shadow of one or other of our members passes over people? Should we be expecting people to collapse and die in our midst if they come to worship with false motives and hidden agendas? And the answer, of course, is that Luke, as he wrote these things, was not attempting to lay down a template for us to follow. Instead he was describing as honestly as he could what was actually happening in the lives of those early Christians. And as would be the case with us as well, he focused particularly on what was astonishing, what was unprecedented, what was unusual. You see there is no record that James’ or John’s shadow had any unusual effect on anyone. Apparently nobody brought sick people close to Nathaniel or Thaddeus or Bartholomew or Mary or Martha or Lazarus in the expectation that they would be healed. But Peter is mentioned because something highly unusual was happening to people when Peter walked down the street. And it was unusual for Peter, too. We don’t read that similar things occurred through him before these events or later on after the Christians had been scattered from Jerusalem, apart from one or two very specific cases.

The apostles were released miraculously from prison, and this reminds us of a similar event later on when Paul and Silas were released from the jail at Philippi. But some weeks or months after this miraculous deliverance another believer, Stephen, was arrested, and this time there was no dramatic release back to his loved ones. Instead he was stoned to death. And much later on the apostle Paul was imprisoned in Rome, and our understanding is that he eventually died a martyr’s death without being released. You see we should not fall into the trap of thinking that God’s power is only revealed in dramatic and sensational events that make us jump for joy. God’s power is revealed just as much when He takes us through tough and difficult experiences, indeed even through intense suffering and death. This why the writer of the letter to the Hebrews, in chapter 11: 32-39, says:

“I do not have time to tell about [those] who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and …. others were tortured, …. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawn in two; they were killed by the sword. … These were all commended for their faith.”

Faith gives us unwavering confidence and trust in God’s power to lead us through every situation life throws at us, whether it seems good or bad at the time, and that our task is to humbly follow where he leads us and do what he asks us to do.

At the end of Acts 5 is a remarkable verse. So often we read it and pass on without giving it much thought. Gamaliel had persuaded the other members of the Sanhedrin to let the apostles go. So we are told that they had the apostles flogged, gave them strict instructions to no longer preach about Jesus, and then released them. Then we read that

“The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5: 41).

Now we may quite well understand them dancing for joy in the early hours of the morning after being miraculously released from prison. But rejoicing after suffering the humiliation and intense pain of flogging is another matter altogether. What was going on here? Well Luke makes it quite clear. These apostles knew perfectly well that God could have saved them from being flogged, yet instead of bemoaning the fact that they had to suffer, here they are congratulating one another that God had chosen NOT to deliver them. How wonderful it is that God considers us worthy to suffer on account of Jesus, they said to one another.

Do you rejoice like this when God takes you through tough times? I must confess that so often my first response is, “Why Lord?” And there’s no harm in asking that question, provided we don’t ignore or dismiss the answer, as so often we are tempted to do. For God replies, because I love you, because I am refining you like silver or gold, because I am pruning away what is unfruitful, because I am making you more like Jesus. Time and again I return to these amazing words of Peter in his first letter, chapter 1.

“This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Pet 1: 4-7).

God’s power shields us, says Peter, and yet takes us through refining fire, so that when we see him face to face he will be able to say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.”

When you heard the topic for this morning – A Powerful Church – I wonder what went through your mind. Did you think of a strong church where miracles regularly take place, where those with severe illnesses are healed instantly, where problems and difficulties are easily overcome, where money flows in without fail to sustain many ministries? Maybe you didn’t immediately think of a weak church going through trials and tribulation. But you see the scripture is very clear about this. God says,

“My strength – my power – is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12: 9).

The Jerusalem church was not powerful in the sense that society around us understands power. They had no political clout, no ability humanly speaking to resist oppression or defend themselves against attack. In a few weeks or months they would be scattered far and wide by intense persecution. They were in fact weak vessels, but vessels in and through whom the power and glory of God was being revealed.

And so this brings me to one of the weaknesses that is spoken about in this passage we are considering this morning: a shortcoming on the part of at least two of the church members, and a consequence that caused the whole church to consider their ways very carefully. It’s a story that many of us perhaps would rather not think about, because it makes us feel quite uncomfortable. I speak of the account of Ananias and Sapphira at the beginning of Acts 5. The Christian believers in Jerusalem were caring for one another and providing for each other in a remarkable way by means of a common fund. Barnabas, we are told, contributed to the common fund by selling property. Ananias and Sapphira followed suit, but in their case there was a hidden agenda. We are not told why; perhaps they saw people praising and thanking Barnabas and felt they would like similar respect shown to them. Perhaps there were others who shared an interest in the value of their property. For whatever reason they decided to pretend that they had received a lower price for the property than was really the case. God gave Peter insight that they were not being truthful, and when challenged each of them died on the spot.

We sometimes sing the song, “Send your power, O Lord our God,” but I wonder whether we fully appreciate what things would be like were God to respond to that prayer by fully revealing his power in our midst.

What was going on here? Surely when Christians gather together it is to receive and celebrate God’s forgiveness, not experience his judgement? Often when we find scriptures hard to understand it is helpful to allow other scriptures to shed light on the passage, to give greater insight. And so it is in this case. For it was not just the Jerusalem church that experienced some of its members dying because of behaviour that dishonoured Christ. The church at Corinth also experienced something similar, and perhaps even more extensively. When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians he challenged them because they were behaving in ways that undermined their identity as members of the body of Christ, effectively denying the true love and care they should have been showing to one another. We don’t know all the details, but it seems that in the way they organised their fellowship gatherings they were deliberately separating the “haves” from the “have nots,” the affluent from the poor. Perhaps they had theological reasons – we don’t know, but other groups over the years definitely have. How often have religious people said, “Those people are in great need, so it must be because God is angry with them. We are well provided for, so it must be that God is pleased with us.” Whatever the reason for the Corinthian church’s attitude and behaviour Paul was quite clear: they were dishonouring Christ by dishonouring one another. And then he said these challenging words, quoted here from The Message version.

“If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences. That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave.” (1 Cor 11: 29-30 MSG)

So there it is, just as with the church at Jerusalem, the church at Corinth experienced God’s judgement when they were indifferent to or disdainful about coming into his presence whilst persisting in attitudes and actions that dishonoured him. In their case they experienced illnesses as well as untimely deaths. But Paul went on to explain a little more about what was going on, and what he says helps us immensely.

“Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.” (1 Cor 11: 32)

God’s judgement on his people is not some kind of arbitrary, vindictive punishment. It is a demonstration of a loving heavenly Father’s discipline of his children, and is part of that wonderful process of salvation that will one day present us all face to face before him without spot or wrinkle (ref Eph 5:27).

Concerning God’s discipline of his children the writer to the Hebrews says:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. … God is treating you as his children. … God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Heb 12: 5-11).

God can and does use sickness, and even the process of dying, as well as other trials and tribulations to discipline us as his children. But there are two big traps we must avoid. The first is to assume that any sickness or adversity of any kind must be because the individual concerned has messed up or grieved God in some way. In spite of all their wisdom Job’s advisers assumed that, and were severely rebuked by God as a consequence. The second trap is to assume that God will ignore the way we behave as his children, and never rebuke or discipline us. We who are parents would never allow our children to act defiantly and disobediently without correcting them; how much more will God our heavenly Father correct those who belong to him through Jesus who insist on going their own way. Think of some of those things that Jesus taught us so emphatically: be more concerned about the plank in your own eye than the speck in your brother or sister’s eye; if someone takes your coat give them your jacket as well; forgive completely, even if you need to do it seventy-seven times; love each other in exactly the same way that I, Jesus, have loved you.

You know, when I hear Christians bad-mouthing other Christians, or worse when I hear myself doing it, I feel a shiver of apprehension. When I encounter Christians refusing to forgive another brother or a sister, or harbouring resentment against them, or when I am tempted to do the same, I take a sharp intake of breath. And I think, “Do you not realise that this person is part of the Bride of Christ, for whom he died, whom he loves with an everlasting love, who he is devoted to making spotless and blameless, who is the very apple of his eye? Oh, be very, very careful, for you are treading on holy ground!”

This is why the apostle Paul said to the church at Corinth that we all should examine ourselves when we come together to share communion (1 Cor 11: 28). He wasn’t saying for us to check that we are truly trusting in Christ’s sacrifice for our salvation, although that of course is important. He was saying that we should check that our attitude to and our love and care for our brothers and sisters is truly as Christ would have it, truly honours him.

In closing, what is it that summarises what is going on in this scripture passage we are looking at this morning? And to me the answer lies not in something Luke commented on, or Peter preached, or in the actions of the church community. It is in something said not by any of the Christian believers at all, but by a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. I wonder whether it should be written large on every order of service, every vestry agenda, at the head of the page in each of our diaries. This is what wise old Gamaliel said, the very man who was tutor to Saul of Tarsus.

“If [this] purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop [it].” (Acts 5: 38-39)

This then is the key to our church being a powerful church – a church where the power of God to save and transform is clearly evident. If what we plan and carry out is merely based on human ideas and ambitions than it will accomplish nothing of any value. But if our plans and activities are inspired and moved by God himself than nothing will prevent his purposes being accomplished.

So let us encourage one another to present all we have and are to the one who loved us and gave himself for us, so that we might truly see his kingdom coming and his will being done here in this community, to the glory of his name.