Missional Living — Moving On (Acts 5:12-16)
Moving On
Acts 5:12-16
12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. 14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
Introduction
What does a congregation do after events like the discipline displayed with Ananias and Sapphira? You could stop everything and get a consultant / counselor to come in and help everyone deal with the grief and fear that comes with lying to the Spirit and the Spirit’s removal of the wrongdoers. You could lose momentum and eventually have to shut things down. That would involve contacting the district because the assets of the church actually belong to the denomination. If you were in the Ananias camp you could convene a clandestine committee to replace Peter. (But, in light of most recent events, Peter is going to know. And may the Lord have mercy on you when you come to church.)
Acknowledge the anointing and authority of the apostles. Their position and power in God’s work makes lying to them tantamount to lying to the Holy Spirit.
But what does a fellowship do after events like those recorded in Acts 5:1-11. In the writing of Luke we see that some things continue without change and one thing does not remain the same.
Continuity of Miraculous Power (Acts 5:12a)
With the conjunction and of and through the apostles hands (δὲ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων) of Acts 5:12 the material following the tragedy of Ananias and Sapphira is tied to the account that follows. In effect, using the coordinating conjunction, Luke tells the reader to look at Acts 5:12-16 in light of what has just happened.
The power of the apostle’s anointing continued to be at work with many signs and wonders being done among the people. Do not miss the significance of their continued ability to do miracles. Their credentials as approved men of God and authorities to whom the people must listen were in the many signs and wonders (John 14:11). If you were struggling with what had happened your confidence in the apostles would be restored daily by their godly character and their great ongoing power to help others. Through the continuity of miracles through the apostles, Christ was telling the church that He continued to be at work both in and through the apostles and that He approved of the outcome with Ananias and Sapphira.
Continuity of Unified Fellowship (Acts 5:12b)
The people continued to be unified as a fellowship. It says that they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. In light of verse 13 the all is certainly a reference to the known congregation prior to the event of Ananias and Sapphira. That same group of people, minus two, is still meeting in Solomon’s Porch. Unity remained and the custom of coming together in the temple to hear the word continued.
Ending of the Local Church Membership Drive and Continued Church Growth (Acts 5:13)
The growth of the formal fellowship that met in Solomon’s Porch (Acts 2:47) stopped. Seeing that the church involved both a dazzling display of kingdom power to reverse the curse and a deadly display of kingdom discipline, some people chose to not join the church fellowship. A godly fear has come out of the events recorded earlier (Acts 5:5, 11).
Some do not want to join the local church yet. And that is okay. They are not yet ready to bring their living under the authority of apostolic leadership. They believe in Jesus but know that if they join their fellowship they would have to continuously ask themselves and if their contemplations, their conversations, and their conduct were honest. Some commentaries seem to say that this is an issue:
One may wonder how the statement that “none of the others dared to join” the disciples can be squared with the report of “more and more” being added to their fellowship; the point seems to be that the death of Ananias and Sapphira scared off all but the totally committed (Bruce, 1988, p. 109).
However, there is no real difficulty here. It seems to me that some were able to bring themselves to put their faith in Jesus. However, in light of the recent events showing the seriousness of not acknowledging the anointing on the apostles, they were not ready to put themselves immediately under the leadership of the apostles. Knowing very little about the new cult of believers they must have wondered how easily one could bring capital punishment upon oneself. This is not altogether unlike the life-changing faith of “god-fearing” Gentiles who found a stumbling block in circumcision (Acts 10:1-4). I believe they are similar to a highly respected rabbi that visited Jesus at night (John 3:1-2); he believed in Jesus’ name (John 2:23-25) and verbally acknowledged Jesus as a teacher come from God. However he was not yet ready to be submitted to Jesus’ teaching and commands (John 2:10-11). Later this same man will show a measure of sincere concern for the Lord by anointing and burying his body (John 19:39). What must not be ignored is the fact that the believers were added to the Lord.
Some do not want to join the local church yet. And that is okay. They are not yet ready to bring their living under the authority of apostolic leadership. They believe in Jesus but know that if they joined they might bring judgement themselves.
The power of the miracles attracts. The awesome power of the Spirit that judges also demands commitment and responsibility. Before that power the crowd kept its distance with healthy respect, unless they were willing to fully submit to that power and make a commitment. Many did, Luke said, making it clear this time that men and women became disciples and were added to the growing community of believers (v. 14). (Polhill, 1992)
Church membership is not mandatory. It is automatic. Becoming a member of the Church is a consequence of committing oneself to Christ. This is why the apostles, following in the footsteps of their Rabbi, do not bother people with overly formal processes for becoming Jesus followers. Absent from the appeals of Peter are calls to sign a pledge, take a class, or be registered with a local fellowship. The sufficient outward signs of surrender to the Lord were seen in the believer’s baptism and changed life.
The Church is joined when the believer places their faith in Christ. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. What often remains is the finding of a local fellowship (church with a little “c”) in which to carry out the call to live for the Lord. This is sometimes said to be optional. However, Scripture makes it clear that only in disobedience and a disposition of defiance can a Jesus follower avoid regular fellowship (Hebrews 10:25; Proverbs 18:1).
What does all of this mean? When you are told that you are only a real Christian when you have joined a particular fellowship… run! This is not what Scripture teaches and is the precursor to being manipulated. Still, if you have made a decision to follow Christ do not let the following become a self-absorbed lonely walk. To follow Jesus is to follow Him into community and serve others. This will mean finding a fellowship where you can attend services (worship in community) AND help with the work of caring for its membership (work in the church) while bringing the good news to those who have not heard (witness to the world).
Questions for Consideration
- Do I have a healthy respect for the anointing (abiding presence of the Holy Spirit) in church leadership? This should be expressed in a care about how I interact with them.
- Am I committed to my local church fellowship? Beyond attendance, do I support my local church in the care of its members, worship, and witness to the surrounding community?
References
Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.