Service, Conflict, and Sharing the Work

 Questions:  What do we do when conflict arises?  What did the apostles do?  How God took the conflict, solved it, and brought in more ministry.

Acts 6:1 - Conflict arises - Hellenistic Jews vs. Hebraic Jews.  Hellenistic (raised Greek) Jews born outside of Holy Land.  Hebraic Jews = those born in Palestine.
Conflict = Hellenistic widows being slighted when distributions were made.

Acts 6:2-4  Huge gathering of the church.  What appears to be first deacons were selected.  

4 Points to consider.

#1)  Be Humble and Care
Phil. 2:1-5 - Peter and John cared for the people and we, as Christians, should, too. 

#2)   You can't do everything!  Set priorities, delegate, share the blessing (by sharing the ministry) - deacons and pastors both important.  When you attempt to do everything, you do nothing well.

Acts 6:3-4  Apostles let some the responsibility go for the glory of God and the good of the church.  Then could focus on their specific calling.  We need to be the same way.

#3)  Get a ministry and be great at it! 
If you have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ, Then God has placed his Holy Spirit in you and has gifted you in a way that you can serve the body of Christ.  If part of the body is not doing anything, the body is not functioning as well as it should.

1 Cor. 12:12-20
Find a place to serve and serve with all your heart.  God didn't give everyone the same calling, but wherever God places you to serve, do it and do it well.  There are no small jobs in the Kingdom of God.
Col. 3:23

Acts 6:5
Godly men really important.  This was a hug moment and responsibility.  Spotlight will be on them, and Stephen, especially, will be used for something mighty in the next chapter.

Acts 6:6
They blessed them, laid hands on them, and prayed for them, and commissioned them.  What an awesome deal!

Acts 6:7
Bod's word is powerful and effective, even the priests of the temple were coming to Christ.  Those that would offer sacrifices would believe in Christ and his ultimate sacrifice.  An amazing work is happening.

#4)  We should desire to be reconciled and work together.
This took a lot for the apostles to hand off this great work to men that were Hellenist of Grecian Jews.  Took a lot for the Hellenistic Jews to forgive and move past the overlooking of their widows, but they did.  It's one thing to tell someone you love them and forgive them.  That;s hard enough, but it's another thing altogether to really mean it in your heart and put that into action.
It is tough to forgive people and love them and more on, but we must!

Matt. 6:14-15
Don't like that one sometimes.

Col. 3:13
Don't like that one either.
Mat. 7:2
These are really tough!! However, know that when God measures me I want him to use as merciful a measuring tape as he can find, and since that's what I want, I, too, need to show mercy.

John 13:34-35 - Coming days

Acts 5:11-42

Acts 5:11-16
 Apostles did many sings and wonders;  ALL were healed  (could mean vast majority - could be 'all'.)
(implication - healings even by Peter's shadow)
In other words, God clearly was validating the Message and the MESSENGERS!! 

The bulk of Acts is narrative = telling the story.  But = narrative with a point!

However, though many indisputable miracles, and many turning to Christ ..
nevertheless, some became more hostile, calloused, hardened!!

Acts 5:17-18
Sadducees = social and political elite - yet = losing control to a dead Galilean Carpenter!!
(temple police - kept order in temple area with Rome's permission)

Acts 5:19-21
Sanhedrin = ruling body of Israel;  70 elders/judges patterned after Moses' helpers.  (Num. 11)

Acts 5:22-32 - Verse 29 - very important
Implication of verse 32b?  

Acts 5:33-40
Gamaliel = grandson of Hillel.  Was tutor of Saul (Paul)
So.... Apostles - (1) released
             But        (2)  punished
            and        (3) ordered NOT to speak in Jesus' name! 
at issue was not the miracles, teaching the people. 
At issue = doing this IN JESUS' NAME!!!
ie:  A)  promoting the One the Sanhedrin had worked to eliminate
     B)  having people follow them (in huge numbers)

Apostles' Response = "Rejoicing" and "proclaiming" - went back to same place, preached same message

AS we continue through Acts ... will see on one hand, many turning to Christ.
However, persecutions increasing!!

Some Truths; Applications; Lessons for us:

#1.  "We must obey God rather than men"  Acts 5:29
(This = primary point of the text!)
Doesn't mean Christians are free to defy all civil authorities/statutes - Rom. 13:1
Rather - when civil authorities in Clear contradiction to God's will ... Allegiance and Obedience to be with God!!!

#2.  Living for Christ will (sometimes) put you at odds with the world.  2 Tim. 3:12 - mindset, thinking
Why?  The difference is more than cultural, personal preference, etc. 
It = Spiritual   Eph. 6:12

Therefore, we should, on one hand, Count the cost of following Christ (Luke 14)
However, should also Consider the benefits  (compensation)
Rom. 8:18    2 Cor. 4:17

#3.  God doesn't always deliver His messengers from persecution!  (as here)
(10 of 11 Apostles were martyred!!

He will deliver you!!  BUT ... not necessarily from physical harm in this life!!
And He promises to be with you whatever the situation.  We don't always see the blessings.

#4.  The immediate, powerful and active Presence of the Holy Spirit does NOT guarantee repentance or conversion!
(those who recognize and submit => mercy, grace, salvation
(those who continually resist can expect...
    (1)  Strong delusion  2 Thess. 2:9-12  God gives what asked for
    (2)  Spiritual callousness - Rom. 1:21, 32  (God gave them up)
                                            Rev. 16:10-11
Be careful what you seek in life;  God might just let you have it!!

#5. What was 'Good News' THEN is still 'Good News' today!
The offer of grace/salvation still stands.. AND "whosoever will may come!!"

You may NOT experience miracles (of that generation)
But the gentle wooing/still small voice is sufficient for you!!
You don't' need a miracle to convince you of what you already KNOW is true!!

So... IF He's been calling... THEN you should respond!
This = true not only of salvation.  Also true of call to repent; greater commitment; a call to serve; a call to grow, etc.

So, IF you know.... don't wait for a SIGN before you do what you Know is Right!!

Closing Scripture:  Isa. 41:10

                   

The Heart of Giving

 Today's subject:  the heart and the focus of our giving and our good deeds.

We live in a very self-centered, self-glorifying, self-seeking, and self-promoting world.  We Christians need to stand out and be different.

One way we can be truly different is by not being so desperate for the applause of men. That will be noticed.

Let's take a look at how seriously God takes this.

To set stage:   Christian church still very young, but growing and growing fast.
On day of Pentecost, 3000 added to their number.  Sometime later after the healing of the lame beggar, 5,000 men believed the gospel and were genuinely converted.

Acts 2:47 - "....the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.."

Christian group = growing into something.  At this time, still concentrated around Jerusalem.  Was an amazing time in history.  Church having a wonderful time of success very quickly.

Acts 4:32-37
1)  The church was unified.
      Vs. 32 - they were of "one heart and soul".  Was pure.  Was innocent.  Was filled with love.  All on same page.  Cared for each other.  Pressures from the outside only seemed to strengthen their love for the Lord and each other.  Great goal for a church to have.  This pleases God. = Psm. 133:1

What causes quarrels and fights among us?  James 4:1-2

But, early church was unified.  Also, the early church was generous!

2)  The people were generous.

We, too, should be generous - in tithes and offerings, but also just to one another.  Generosity is the mark of a true believer and God has a way of blessing our generosity.
Prob.  11:25    2 Cor. 9:7

3)  The people were selfless. 
"There was not a needy person among them." - Acts 4:34
Was distributed by Apostles as people had need.  Many sold lands and houses to do so.  Weren't under any compulsion to do so.  (2 Cor. 9:7) but were more concerned with caring for each other than their own earthly possessions. 
Our love for one another is also a mark of a true Christian.  Jesus = John 13:34-35

Shining example = Barnabas.  Acts 4:36-37 - Sold a field and brought the money from that sale and put it at the apostles' feet.  Was a great thing according to scripture.

Acts 5:1-2 - "also" = comparing this to Barnabas' gift.  Also says 'with his wife's full knowledge, so you know they are up to something.

Acts 5:3-6
Question:  How did Peter know? 
Answer:  God clearly worked in him ans spoke to him in a very special way.  Could have been the man who bought the property, but what follows is CLEARLY and act of God.
Examples of other instances where God dealt severely with people who tried to deceive God.
Achan, Nadab and Abihu, Saul, Cain. 
In some cases the actions were wrong, but in all these cases their hearts were wrong.  

Peter points this out - Acts 5:4 - 'no one forced you to sell';  no one forced you to give the money; But somewhere in there they lied to God. 
Did Ananias TELL God he was giving all of it?  Did he tell the church he was giving all of it? 
Probably 'yes' to both questions.
Peter says tho Ananias that Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit.  THAT IS SERIOUS!!!!

Acts 5:7.  Sapphira shows up 3 hours later.  Why???  Concensus of opinion seems to be that she was getting herself fixed up as everyone would know she and her husband had given a huge gift to the church.

Acts 5:8 - she had a chance to come clean.  Could have confessed.  Her fate would probably have been different.  Again we see that the grave sin - not with the gift, but with the heart!  Was the deception, not the percentage of money.

Acts 5:9-10
Put the Spirit of the Lord to the test.  Testing God. 
Warned in Old Testament and Jesus quoted scripture telling Satan we should not put God to the test. 
Matt. 6:1-4 - Jesus criticized the pharisees for their hypocrisy and for their doing their righteous deeds to be seen by men.  Ne cannot then allow his church especially in this early and most pivotal time to be guilty of the same, so he purifies it.  

Acts 5:11-14 - People respected them.  They saw that they meant business, and people genuinely came to Christ and joined the church. 
We are all hypocrites to a degree, but let's check our hearts.  Let's be people that are genuine.   That we might do right things, and also do them with the right intentions. 
That we might have clean hands and a clean heart.