Chronicles of the Apostles
Signs of the Kingdom

During this series we are looking at the book of Acts. 

_________________________________________________________________

 

  1. The Apostles Ministry (Acts 5:12 – 16)
    1. Great fear gripped the church (Vs 11)
      1. First time the word “church” had been used for the group of people meeting
      2. “Ekklesia” used here = assembly
        1. Luke used it for the people who are followers of Jesus
        2. Probably because the first separation would happen between the Jewish synagogue and the believers of Jesus
    2. Apostles move in ministry gifts
      1. Those who were healed returned to their homes and shared what happened
    3. Miracles are not:
      1. For public display or curiosity
      2. Bringing personal status to a “faith healer”
      3. Christian magic
    4. Miracles are:
      1. Signs of the presence of God
      2. Signs of God’s compassion to set people free
      3. Signs to point people to the cross and repentance in Jesus’s name
    5. “All” may not have meant “everybody”
      1. We use the term today for a huge group
        1. i.e. “Everybody was there”
    6. How long did these people stay healed?
      1. We do not know
      2. We do know that they all died
    7. Wasn’t it just the apostles who were healing?
      1. Jesus sent 70 to heal the sick
      2. Phillip one of the seven who healed the sick in Samaria
      3. Gifts of healing are spiritual gifts to the church (1 Corinthians 12:9)
      4. Jesus stated that those who believe will lay hands on the sick and they will recover (Mark 16:18)
    8. Others did not mingle with the Apostles
      1. Some believe that there was fear because of Ananias and Sapphira

  2. The Apostles Arrested Again (Vs 17, 18)
    1. The Sadducees arrest the apostles
    2. Notice that the Pharisees were not against the believers yet
      1. They were still excited about the growth of their synagogues
      2. Jesus teaching was not that far from theirs
      3. The divide would come when they realized that belief would replace all their traditions
    3. The Sadducees were against them because of the teaching of the resurrection —which they did not believe
      1. The group of Pharisees were also growing by the believers
      2. They were causing them of the death of the man they believed was risen
    4. The twelve apostles where arrested
      1. A godly fear of the church was on them, but the secular world did not fear them at all

  3. The Trial (Vs 19 – 42)
    1. An angel came at night and set them free (Vs 19 – 21)
      1. The angel freed them and then relooked the jail after (Vs 23)
      2. They were told to go out and preach again about the testimony of Jesus
        1. I would probably leave the area where I was just arrested
        2. They stayed because God wanted them to
          1. They were fearless when terror came upon the church — last people who disobeyed died
    2. The Sadducees bring in the Pharisees for a trial  (Vs 22 – 26)
      1. Popular opinion for belief, so the Pharisees were needed?
      2. Fear of a riot because of the belief
      3. They found out that the Apostles were gone and wondered when would all end (Vs 24)
        1. Strange things were happening in the temple, too
        2. Couldn’t just get back to meeting as normal
    3. They asked the Apostles to come back in to stop a riot
    4. “What are you doing making us guilty of the murder of this man” (Vs 27, 28)
      1. Contempt of court could merit the death penalty (Deuteronomy 17:12)
      2. The high priest asked that his blood would be upon them and their children (Matthew 27:25)
    5. No fear or awe of these people
      1. Many wilted in the presence of political parties and power — not these disciples
    6. Peter’s response to the accusation (Vs 29 – 32)
      1. He responded the same way he did at the first trial (Acts 4:19)
      2. Peter accused the high priest of killing Jesus
      3. Peter said that God exalted him to His right hand as a place of honor
        1. This is in direct response to him being accused of being a blasphemer (Matthew 26:64)
      4. Pharisees did not like this accusation either
    7. Decided to kill them all
      1. Josephus wrote that the Sadducees were killers and imposed the death penalty quite frequently
      2. The Pharisees were not this way — someone who ordered the death penalty once every seven years was known as blood thirsty
        1. They were desperate when they brought the woman caught in the act of adultery
    8. The Pharisee, Gamaliel, steps up (Vs 33 – 40)
      1. Teacher who worked with Rome
        1. Taught 500 scholars Greek and Roman culture so they could work with the Romans
          1. Paul may have been one of those students — he claimed he was taught under Gamaliel
    9. Failed messiahs
    10. Restrain so we don’t find ourselves fighting against God
      1. Either he was a believer
      2. Probably more worried about revolt
    11. The Apostles were released but flogged for disobeying (Vs 40 – 42)
      1. Jesus warned them they would be flogged (Mark 13:9)
      2. Was not the Roman flogging of Jesus
      3. Given according to Deuteronomy 25:3 where they were allowed to whip someone 40 times but no more because that would be an embarrassment
      4. They whipped people 40 minus one to make sure they were under the law in case someone miscounted
      5. This happened to Paul five different times (2 Corinthians 11:24)
    12. They rejoiced over the persecution that had happened