Chronicles of the Apostles
Signs of the Kingdom

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  1. The Picture Changes (Acts 4:32 – 37)
    1. Luke changes the view
      1. Luke will often go from reporting events to giving an overview of what is happening in the church in general
      2. This is one of the changes
    2. Luke shared about how John and Peter were threatened for proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus
    3. They came back to the rest of the disciples and share what happened
    4. They prayed together and they were filled with the Holy Spirit
    5. The building that they are in is shakes as they prayed
    6. Luke gave a view of what was happening in the church as a whole — broader picture

  2. Two Part DNA (Vs 32, 33)
    1. The followers of Jesus built two things into their lifestyle
      1. They were generous with their material goods
      2. They witnessed with power of Jesus’s resurrection
    2. Luke spent the rest of chapter four and all of chapter five showing how these things were implemented
    3. They were probably selling their goods to move the disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem
      1. Stretched them — small town people were moving to the big city
      2. Stretched even more, they are called upon to minister to Samaritans and Gentiles
    4. There are four levels of sharing with others
      1. “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours” = This type of person is not bad, but this person lived in Sodom and did not care for the others (Ezekiel 16:49, 50)
      2. “What’s mine is mine and what yours is mine” = Wicked
      3. “What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine” = Ignoramus
      4. “What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is yours”  = Disciple
        1. Not new, the Essenes lived like this and the new believers took on this lifestyle
        2. God not against ownership of things
      5. Twelve years later, the disciples gathered in Mary the mother of Mark’s house and have a prayer meeting — she did not give away her house
      6. The Bible states that we are to give the corners of our fields to the poor but there had to be an owner of the field to do this
    5. Idea is not to give away everything, but live life with an open hand

  3. Signs of the Kingdom
    1. The disciples kept asking Jesus what is the sign of his kingdom coming
      1. We are to pray your kingdom come, your will be done. (Matthew 6:10)
      2. How do we know if this is happening?
    2. More than just a nation turning to God
      1. Passionate for our nation to have a third great awakening
      2. Pray for godly leaders to bless a nation
      3. Want something beyond just our own nation
    3. Luke is passionate about stopping and giving a world view of what is happening — he is one who is consumed with the end times and the coming kingdom
      1. Luke 4:16,19
        1. Preaching the gospel to the poor
        2. Healing the broken hearted
        3. Preaching deliverance to captives
        4. Restoring sight to the blind
        5. Liberating the oppressed
        6. Instituting the acceptable year of the Lord
      2. They signs show the kingdom of God is at hand
      3. John the Baptist asks if the kingdom of God is coming or should he be looking for another person (Luke 7:20 – 23)
        1. Jesus answers
            1. Healing the sick
            2. Casting out evil spirits
            3. Making lame people walk
            4. Cleansing lepers
            5. Restoring hearing to the deaf
            6. Raising the dead
      4. Jesus tells his disciples to do a few other things to show the kingdom of God is here (Mark 16:15 – 18)
        1. Speaking in new tongues
        2. Safely picking up serpents
        3. Immunity to poison

  4. Sharing and Repenting (Vs 4:34 – 5:11)
    1. Luke mentions that they are sharing material goods with each other in (Acts 2:44- 45)
    2. The people are putting the kingdom of God into practice and laying their goods at the feet of the disciples
    3. No needy people among them as God blessed some people with abundance so other needs could be met (Vs 34)
      1. Wording here is this was as natural as a mother providing food for her baby
      2. Giving in churches is about 3% imagine if we obeyed and gave the full tithe of 10%
    4. The Good Example of Barnabas (Vs 36, 37)
      1. He was a Hellenistic Jew because he was from Cyprus
      2. Paul calls him an apostle (1 Corinthians 9:6) — he saw the resurrected Jesus
      3. Mark is his cousin (Colossians 4:10)
      4. Barnabas is a Levite
        1. He was not suppose to own land in Israel (Numbers 18:24, 35:1 – 8)
        2. Barnabas had to repent to sell the land to line up scripturally
        3. He saw the resurrected Jesus, but it still took time for the Holy Spirit to do this work in his life
      5. The Bad Example (Acts 5:1 – 11)
        1. Ananias name means “The Lord has favored”
        2. Sapphira means “beautiful”
        3. They sold land and kept part of it.
          1. This was their option
          2. God does not kill people for being stingy
          3. He will not put up with pride fueled hypocrisy
        4. Ananias like to God not to others (Vs 4)
        5. Devil inspired Ananias to do this (Vs 3)
          1. Peter was rebuked for allowing Satan to speak through him (Matthew 16:23)
          2. Ananias could have resisted Satan and he would have had to flee from Ananias (James 4:7)
          3. There is always a way to escape temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
          4. Job took every attack that Satan threw at him, but did not fall
          5. Ananias allowed Satan to get a foothold in his life
        6. Peter heard from God to know Ananias was lying
          1. Gift of revelation or prophecy
        7. Instead of praise, he receives a rebuke
        8. Maybe Peter was shocked that he died, but he knew what was going to happen to Sapphira
          1. You are going to die, too (Vs 9)
        9. God is the same in the Old Testament as in the New Testament
          1. Example of when we are not truthful before God and try to use the kingdom of God to advance our own personal agenda
          2. Thankful God does not strike down everyone who lives like this today
        10. Great fear fell upon all the church
          1. Sense of holy awe in the presence of a living God