Through the Bible

Amen. Acts chapter 5. As we go through the Bible study, we're in the book of Acts and we are up to chapter 5. Community. Big, big, big emphasis on community. As a result of Pentecost, thousands of Jews come to Christ. And Peter and John brought before the council. And more come to Christ and now they are taking care of one another in the midst of this huge influx of believers. And people are selling their possessions, bringing them and laying

them at the apostles' feet so that they can be distributed to those who have need. Because quickly this particular sect is becoming anathema to the ruling Jews. And they're going to try and put the quash on it here in just a chapter or so. But a man named Ananias, chapter 5, verse 1, with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property. And now Ananias, the name Ananias

means Jehovah is gracious and Sapphira means beautiful. So obviously the way they were named, excuse me, they were probably a gracious and a beautiful couple. I don't think they were outside, you know, I don't, just because of this one little action that happens here, I don't think we could label them as evil people. I think they were probably upstanding in the community. And they had come to Christ and they sold a piece of property because

they had seen what had happened with Barnabas back in the end of chapter 4, verse 36. Chapter 4, verse 36. Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles, which translated means son of encouragement, who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. And evidently he was admired and spoken of highly and the acclaim is what intrigued, I think, not only Ananias and Sapphira. I

mean, that's all we're told here. But when you see things happening, when you see, I mean, just look at today, when you see the power of God moving, when you see God's spirit move in a certain way, what everybody wants to do is try and duplicate it. And so you have different movements that are created. And people are trying to replicate, duplicate what's happening here or there. Calvary Chapel, the emphasis has been on the teaching of the

Word of God. And that emphasis is duplicated because we've seen what happened, how God used Pastor Chuck at Costa Mesa and the teaching of the Word of God produced healthy sheep that beget other sheep. And that's moved across the country and around the world now. The gifts of the Spirit. A lot of the Calvaries were wanting to move back in the 80s more in the gifts of the Spirit during the services than was the norm. And so they began to do

finding in those different places the same philosophy of ministry and style of ministry that they see at Costa Mesa. So if you want to do that, go ahead and change your name. One leading that movement at that particular time, that move into the gifts, was John Wimber. He was a Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda pastor. And at that time, several of the Calvaries moved away from the Calvary Chapel name stead and became the Vineyard. The Vineyard movement

was birthed out of the Calvary Chapel movement. And people wanted to replicate what was going on in the Vineyard movement. And then you have other things that have happened that way. Whenever God's spirit moves and people see the power of God moving, rather than seeking the Lord in it, people want to, they look at it like a program. What do we need to do to duplicate what's going on so we can, you know, basically so we can see God move and

we can be a part of that, feel that wonderful power. Now at times, people want the acclaim that goes with it. When they see God move, Barnabas received obviously high acclaim. People admired him for what he did. And so I think there was more than Ananias and Zephira that were wanting that as well. I think God's just going to use Ananias and Zephira as an example to keep that from happening wide scale. So they sell a piece of property. And they

kept back, verse 2, some of the price, he kept back some of the price for himself, Ananias did, with his wife's full knowledge. And bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? Why has Satan exercised control over you? How have you let him exercise control over your heart? To lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land. So Peter exposes Ananias's

ill intention. That he wasn't seeking to be generous, he was wanting the acclaim. And while it remained unsold, Peter said, verse 4, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have not, why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God. Now, if you have a pen and you haven't done so, you might mark this particular text because here

is a text that affirms the deity of the Holy Spirit and the emphasis on the Trinity. He lied to the Holy Spirit, verse 3, and then in verse 4 he says, you've not lied to men but to God. So Peter's affirming that the Holy Spirit is God. He's not just some essence or some force, some oozing in the ozone. He is God, as well as God the Father. Because that's the term that's applied here. Verse 5, and as he heard these words, Ananias fell

down and breathed his last. Some of your other translations, that he died. He breathed his last. He died. And great fear came over all who heard of it. Well, I would imagine. Because I really believe there were others who were wanting that same acclaim and who were about to do the same thing. And the young men got up and covered Ananias up and after carrying

him out, they buried him. They took him outside the city and they buried him. Now, there elapsed an interval of about three hours and his wife came in, Sapphira came in, not knowing what had happened. We don't know where she was or whatever, but she came in. I'm thinking that, well, this is just conjecture, but I'm thinking that she was waiting, you know, Ananias,

I think they probably worked it out. You go in and you present this and you, you know, you receive the acclaim. And then when I come in, it'll be like a double emphasis. I'll come in and people will go, oh, Sapphira, you know, we just heard what Ananias did and that wonderful. And so she comes in and she's not receiving the acclaim. She didn't know what had happened though. And verse 8, Peter responded to her and in verse 8, Peter responded

to her. She didn't say anything that's recorded, but her actions indicated there was something on her countenance that was questioning what was going on. It wasn't, whatever was going on, I mean, you know, there was the awe or the fact that Ananias had just dropped dead at the words of Peter because he lied to the Holy Spirit. And so there's this wonder going on. When Sapphira comes in, there's not high acclaim. There's still this wonder

going on as to what's going to happen to her. And so Peter responded. He could see the question on her face. And so he responded to her, tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price? And she said, yes, that was the price. And then Peter said to her, why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out

as well. And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Now you wonder if this is becoming a new ministry, the burial brigade. Come back and see you also dropped over. And great fear came over the whole church and over all who heard of these things. And at the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were taking place among

the people, and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico, or at Solomon's port. Now why did God do this that way and then anybody else who lies doesn't just drop over dead? Mercy. God's extending mercy. Thank God. But God's establishing His church, and

He's showing the purity of the church that He's establishing. Filled with the Holy Spirit, we have the choice. We can choose to be obedient to our flesh or to be obedient to the Spirit before Jesus died on the cross and rose again and sent His Holy Spirit to live within us. We could not choose that. We could try with all of our willpower, all of our might to

not do this or to do what was good, but we battled the flesh, the sin that was in us, and there was no way that we could of our own will and strength overcome that. But now that the Holy Spirit had been given, we have that choice. We have that option. We can do that. And to willingly choose not to do that in the face of obvious sin, God is saying,

not in my kingdom. It's not going to be in my kingdom. And so you can bet that those, you know, again, I can see people walking, in my own mind, that's just me. I can see people walking in, and they've got their money, and it's like there's a line that's formed, you know. Okay, Ananias came in, and he's presenting his, and as soon as he's done, we'll come up. Well, he drops dead. And they carry him out. Nobody's, a space of three

hours goes by, and nobody moves. The line doesn't move. But then here comes Sapphira walking in, and she's looking around like, what's going on? And she goes up, and same thing, boom, she drops dead. I can see the line just kind of dispersing. And nobody's going to do that again. Nobody's going to follow suit, because God is judging. When 9-11 happened, you saw the country, you saw the nation, for an instant, repent, and come

seeking righteousness, because the hand of the judgment of God was upon us. And that's what's happening here. Great fear, but the apostles, at the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders taking place among the people, and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico. Verse 13, but none of the rest dared to associate with him. However, the people

held them in high esteem. Wow. May God so do it.

Thank you again to his church, as he did at the first. And as that happened, though, in verse 13, none of the rest dared to associate with him, but in verse 14, all the more, believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women were constantly added to their number. So people were hesitant. They were hesitant because it was now no longer, do I want to just get involved in what's going on, because it's exciting. Again, the people last night, just

watching the crowds in Grant's Park there in Chicago, in downtown Times Square, they were caught up in the emotion of the moment. It didn't matter, at that time, whoever they voted for. I mean, at the beginning, you see the McCain posters and the Obama posters out there together, and I'm thinking, somebody's going to be slapping somebody around here in a minute. No, finally, they were just all together and weeping, and everybody's just, they're caught up in the emotion. They forgot what they were doing, and now they're caught

up in the emotion of the moment. And sadly, that happens too often in the functioning of the church, to be caught up in the emotion of the moment, and you can be carried off into falsehood, into deception that way, rather than sticking with the truth of the Word of God. And so, God put a damper on the emotion of the moment, but people could still see the truth of the Word, and there were still people that were coming to Christ. Multitudes, verse 14, men and women. Now, there's the first time since Acts chapter 2, and 3,000

were added to the church, men, and then 5,000 men. This is the first time women are mentioned, that are added to the church. Now, we believe women were mentioned, or women were added in the thousands before, but this is the first time in the book of Acts that women are actually mentioned. This is the first place it's listed that women were added constantly, also to their number. To such an extent, that they even carried the sick out into the streets

and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. And also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed. And you can circle the word, all. They were all being healed. Now, one of the things I want you to realize, and notice between, or comparing

Peter of Acts chapter 5 with Peter in the Gospels. Peter in the Gospels would have been all into this. You know, if this kind of power would have happened, you know, when Jesus sent the disciples out. And it did to a certain extent, because they did cast out demons, and they did heal all kinds of diseases and stuff. But I can, when the disciples got back together with Jesus, remember what they talked about? So how did it go? Oh, and they just

went on and on about all the people that were healed, and all the demons that were subject to our authority. And Jesus said, don't be amazed, or don't be rejoicing in the fact that the demons are subject to your authority, but that your names are written in the Lamb's book of life. That's the thing to be excited about. Peter in the Gospels was all caught

your shadows as you walk by will heal. I mean, I can see Peter playing with that.

And here, that's not the important part to Peter. The important part to Peter is the Word of God, that people hear the Word, and that their hearts are changed by the Word, not the emotion of the moment, not the mystical healing and all that's happening, but the Word of God transforming the lives of the believers. Verse 17, But the high priest rose up along with all of his associates, that is, the sect of the Sadducees, and they were filled with jealousy. New American Standard. They were jealous.

They'd just gotten rid of Jesus. I mean, they were jealous over Him. He was taking all their profits and all that stuff, overturning the tables of the money changers, and just really wrecking business, and they got rid of Him. And now the disciples are out there, and they're doing the same thing. And they are jealous of the power, the authority, and the people

that are acclaiming them as being great. And so, verse 18, They laid hands on the apostles, on all of them, and they put them in a public jail. So all the apostles, the twelve at least, that are there, are now arrested and put in jail. Thank you, Steve. I don't know if you've thought about that before, because we've seen Peter and John arrested in chapter 4, and it's easy to think that just a couple of them

are arrested, but they're all arrested. They arrested them all. Let's get them all. Let's have a sting here, a big sweep, a crime sweep, and let's get the apostles off the streets and put them in jail. But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out, He said, Go stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this life. Of this life. This wonderful life that you've experienced.

This wonderful life that you've experienced. That's what we're telling people about. We're not telling them about a religion. We're not telling them about a church. We're not saying, you know, you need to come to this church, because, you know, we have contemporary worship or whatever, and they're really starting to get things fixed up around there, and pretty

soon it's actually going to look decent. No, we need to tell you about this life. You're walking around in death, and you're looking for someone to bring about life, bring about change that will give us life, when there's only life that can be found in one, and that's in Jesus Christ, in Him alone. He is the way, the truth, and the life. So tell people about

this life. And upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak, and began to teach, responding to the command of the angel. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. But the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported back, saying, we found the prison house locked quite securely, and the guards standing at the doors, but when we'd opened up, we found no one inside.

Now that's, that's bad enough if it's one or two. But you've got the dirty dozen in there. And they're all gone. And the guards are still there, and the doors are still locked, and we don't know how they got out. And when the captain of the temple guard, and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, as to what would come of this. Well you know why? Because the

guards are responsible for the prisoners, and if the prisoner escapes, the guard serves their punishment, their penalty. And so the guard, the captain of the guard, they're wondering what's going to happen? What are they going to do? What's going to happen to us? But in the midst of that, verse 25, someone came and reported to them, that the men whom you put in prison, are standing in the temple

and teaching the people. And then the captain went along with the officers, and proceeded to bring them back without violence. And I like the way that's written in the American Standard. Bring them back without, I mean he had to coax them back. Please, please come back. Please come back. Because, and Luke gives us the commentary, for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned.

And when they brought them, they stood and before the council the high priest question them saying we gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us I pray that in the time we have left we can fill our city with this teaching I mean we're already on radio we have CDs going out not only well all over the world but all we have several going out over the city people are using our website and downloading the studies that are on the website locally so the words getting out but you guys are living epistles you guys are the Word of God written on on the hearts of men and God wants to use you wants to use us in these last days

and I pray especially with this opening that's happening now as a result of the elections that we can fill our city Winfield Cali County with the teaching of God with the Word of God but Peter and the Apostles answered verse 29 we must obey God rather than men the God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you had put to death by hanging him on a cross he is the one whom God exalted to his right hand as Prince and Savior to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins that's the gospel that's the gospel right there in a couple of verses Jesus was crucified dead and buried now he's been exalted to the right hand of God the Father the authority of God is upon him he's a prince and a Savior to grant

repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins and we are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him and the Holy

the gospel presented in that particular situation just just briefly but it was presented and fully and completely and I think we should be prepared to do that as well you can you can talk about very quickly that we're seeing when what do you think of what's going to happen you know well I think you're seeing what was written in the Bible and it and it's it's a last opportunity before the rapture of the church for people to receive Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness for their sins and receive the power of the Holy Spirit in their life that will bring about real change before the church is caught out of here because we are about to be caught out we're about to be raptured and just in a

few seconds you can share the gospel that way and that's it they've heard it you don't have to belabor anything if they want to question you fine if they just want to go on and order coffee that's great you know just take the opportunity and boldly share it's time to be bold time is short well verse 33 when they'd heard this the council had heard this they were cut to the quick and they intended to kill these guys but a Pharisee now you have the whole council together initially the the high priest who was sad to see got his cronies together all the Sadducees now you have the whole council and now a Pharisee named Gamaliel now he was a he was a rabbi who was a he was a respected

rabbi you had Gamaliel and Shimei who were two of the main rabbis in Israel and they were Gamaliel was the conservative Shimei was the liberal and those were the ones that were debating when in Matthew 18 when the people well in the different places not just Matthew 18 but when they were talking to Jesus about you know so-and-so teaches that a man can divorce his wife for any reason so-and-so else says that only for fornication can she can he divorce his wife what do you say these were the two rabbis Gamaliel and Shimei there was a Pharisee named Gamaliel a teacher of the law respected by all the people he stood up in the council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time and he

said to them men of Israel take care of what you propose to do with these men for some time ago Thutis rose up claiming to be somebody and a group of about 400 men joined up with him but he was killed and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing and after this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census now you can easily read over that and not realize that Judas of Galilee rose up Jude Judas his name is Jude not the same Jude that's in here that's Jesus brother but this Judas rose up in the days of the census when was that the time that Jesus was born when they went to Bethlehem so at the time that they were going to Bethlehem there was this guy that had an uprising

this Judas of Galilee also from Galilee so when they find out Jesus is from Galilee some 30 years later I mean they have they have recent memories of this Judas of Galilee there's another Galilee and coming to stir things up he was at the time of the census and he drew away some people after him and he too perished and all those who followed him were scattered so in the present case I say to you stay away from these men let them alone for if this plan or action is of men it will be overthrown but if it is of God you will not be able to overthrow them or else you may be even found fighting against God there were those in the Calvary Chapel movement who when these pastors that eventually

became vineyard began pulling away breaking away and there was you know this happened back in 81 and there was like 80 Calvary's that pulled away at that time just boom and that was a pretty gargantuan loss considering we didn't have you know a whole lot of Calvary's in the states at that time we were branch we were getting there but it was it was a sizable lot and there was a lot of a lot of pastors that said to Chuck you need to rebuke these guys you know you need to you need to publicly admonish him and just really really rebuke him and and Chuck at the time says this just pray for him if it's a if it's something of their flesh it'll die if it's of God God will bless it

alright we don't need to fret you know Christ is being preached if you guys are getting cold you might you can turn that thermostat off or up and those jackets going on go ahead it's just it's wherever it was today when I came in so yeah that's right we'll freeze you out here I can't read the verse my head's shaking too much we see these different things that seem to you know explode and and or come in and and you know there's no no need for us to just get all upset it just we just pray if it's of God it's God's gonna bless it we watch these different movement even the emerging thing is on its way out already it's one of those things where this stuff happens it it it comes and goes if it's of the

things are the Lord it's going to stick if not it will it will fall away so Gamaliel gives good counsel so that you don't want to be fighting against God so verse 40 they took his advice and after calling the Apostles in they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and then they released them so they went on their way from the presence of the council rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name now they got flogged they got 39 lashes 40 lashes save one that's the same flogging Jesus God so you know I mean the they got flogged and Paul talks about the different times and in second Corinthians chapter 11 he talks about the different times he was flogged and beaten with rods and stoned and left for

dead and and he attributes that as as to signs marks of his apostleship that he indeed was an apostle so far in our nation we're not prone to suffering matter of fact the church is very bent against it and and condemns it as a lack of faith and I think the longer the Lord tarries now the more you're going to see suffering begin in this country to a greater extent on the believers on those who are willing to be bold and take a stand and as it happens we need to we need to continue to rejoice that we are considered worthy that's what we've been gifted to us Paul writes in one of the prison officials Galatians I believe to not wrote while he writes about it in Romans but he also talks about in

Galatians that we've been granted the opportunity to suffer for Christ so they rejoice that they that they were able to do that then verse 42 and every day in the temple and from house to house they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ so rather than taking heed to the council's warning they went ahead even more boldly even after being beaten 39 lashes and the kind of the Shadrach Meshach and Abednego you know if we perish we perish that's fine now at this time at the same time chapter 6 while the disciples were increasing in number anytime you have great growth you have great problems anytime you have ministry you have problems so they're seeing this wonderful growth people getting saved all over we're going to see in this

chapter that the even priests were getting saved even the Pharisees and all were coming to Christ but there was complaining that arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews now New American Standard gives you I think a little bit better idea of the conflict and the source of the conflict in that translation Hellenistic Jews against the and native is italicized but it helps understand that there were the Jews who were from Israel that were there they were natives they were born there they had stayed there the Hellenistic Jews were the Greek Jews they were the Jews who were either they left Israel of their own accord or their parents did and they were born

outside of Israel in other parts of the Roman Empire they were actually they spoke Greek the which was the language of the Roman Empire so in most cases it would have been probably a little more educated because they were Hellenistic Jews and probably even thought of themselves as a little more up the ladder because they would have had more culture they would have had more understanding of the Roman culture and all then the then the native Hebrews so there was a conflict between them now they would they all came because they were Jewish of Jewish ancestry they would come to Jerusalem on the pilgrimages for the three major feasts Passover Pentecost and tabernacles this is Pentecost this is right after Pentecost this is the residue of

Pentecost still all these things are happening right after the feast of Pentecost people are still there so the Hellenistic Jews are those that have the pilgrims that have come in and they're staying because they know they'll probably be booted out of the family when they go home as a result of what's happening so they're there there's a number of them thousands of them now that need to be minister to because they don't have any means of support and so there's a complaint now going on on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food in the daily ministry of food some of your translations will say it's the

word diakonos is where we get our word for deacon in the serving of the food as foods being served and distributed among all of the people obviously the widows were there and they got a certain portion of the food because they didn't have providers they didn't have any more you know husband to provide so they were given a distribution and but the Hellenistic Jews were saying we're either getting missed or we're getting very little and so the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples they brought them all together umpteen thousand of them twenty thousand let's say and they said it's not desirable for us to neglect the Word of God in order to serve tables now new international I

think maybe even King James it says it's it's not desirable for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to serve tables now the word for ministry and the word for serve there is the same it's a word diakon nail again where we get our word diakonos for or diakonia for a deacon so they are ministering or serving the Word of God the Apostles are and they say it's it's not desirable it's it's going to hurt if we have to give up our ministry of serving the word to serve tables therefore brethren select from among you seven men of good reputation full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom whom we may put in charge of this task you might wonder where they got the seven why not thirty I mean you

know if there's twenty thousand let's put some in charge of you know thousands and some in charge of hundreds and some in charge of tens I mean that's what Moses did why seven I don't have a clue good number I don't know maybe there were different you know maybe they set themselves up in different portions positions where like when Jesus had the 5,000 sit down in groups of 50 maybe there were the groups of the widows that sat down and there were seven groups of widows I don't know but they they ended up on saying there's pick out seven men pick out choose out from among you now he's talking to the to the mass so the whole group not just the Hellenistic Jews but all that are Christians now but

the whole group called all the disciples in and said you guys choose out from among you seven men seven brothers and it's this is their qualifications they need to be of good reputation they are they need to have a good report they need to be honest among the people they need to be honest people need to know them and know them enough that they know that they're honest people full of the spirit full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom whom we may put in charge of this task so how you gonna know that how you gonna know okay we have a room here if you all you know okay we're all sitting here I want you to pick out of here seven people just out of this group that are have a have a good report and

that are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom how you do that what's not gonna be it's not just gonna be a popularity cuz not well there's my friend Joe and and my cousin Ralph over there and and you know I know them I don't know these guys or whatever to know if somebody is of good report you'd have they'd have to be known you'd have to have some idea of them if they're full of the Holy Spirit well that would manifest itself by fruit are they loving and peaceful and joyful and kind and good and you know long-suffering those hatch and and full of wisdom that means they would have had to been making decisions so that you can watch and make decisions and understand that they knew how to make

right decisions there's really some wisdom there this wasn't a popularity contest it would take some it would take some thought and it would have to be people that were already proven doing something and I believe these guys were already in the product I mean when they were bringing the food in to distribute it I mean they're already taking time that somebody had to hand it out well who did they get to hand it out well they hadn't appointed anybody to hand it out I mean they were just bringing it laying there and they were assuming it was going to get distributed well who was distributing it well I believe it's these seven guys I mean they're already they are already active in ministry

they've already been watched the people have been watching them and they've evidently been selfless taking and making sure other people are fed and taken care of before themselves if there have there have obviously been disputes and maybe these guys were good at negotiating in the dispute so there there's wisdom there there's long-suffering I mean they're getting ragged on because there's not you know we're not getting enough stuff and obviously they weren't complaining they weren't saying it's not my fault I'm just handing it out they were probably trying to minister and pray for him and all that so they picked seven out of twenty to thirty thousand people because these seven were already doing the job now that's how we pick out deacons here

not a popularity contest we look for men that are already involved ministering they're already involved serving somehow they're serving in the ministry they're wanting to help out with the function of the ministry here they're always here they're always available doing whatever and so we look and we as elders we get together we go okay who do you see that might be good a good candidate to for the Lord to raise up and we'll talk about it and we'll see you know well one two three guys however many we'll say okay we'll all agree that it's time we need to you know we need some more help we need to have somebody else raised up so we'll come and we present it to you we need some more deacons so let us know

a couple of guys that you did something we turn the heat on and we turn the heat off I'm roasting up here I turn the air off that's fine but whoo my little buttons gonna pop out a minute I'm done thank you I'm cooking yeah oh my goodness I'm cooking I'll turn over let me let me get the backside golden brown here I'll

drop them in the box, and it's amazing. We'll get those sheets, and we'll write down the names, and the number, who suggested this person, this person, this person. And when it's all done over that couple-week period, it's amazing that the ones that the Lord's been showing us, the Lord's been showing you. And that's because they're already serving. That's what we look for too. They're already serving. They're involved in the ministry.

They're giving to the ministry. They're a part of it. They're functioning. They're seeking to minister. And so that's the only way that these guys could have been picked out. Now notice the statement met with approval, verse 5, of the whole congregation. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith in the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch. Those are all Greek names.

Those are all Hellenistic names. They would have been Jews from the Hellenists. Now who chose them? Not just the Hellenists. The whole congregation. Again, because I believe they saw these guys already taking it upon themselves to try and minister, try and take care of these widows, and try and take care of those who were from outside of Israel, those who were from outside of Jerusalem, at least, in that area. And so these they brought

before the apostles, and after praying, they laid their hands on them. Just affirming, they prayed, and they laid their hands bestowing that authority. The people witnessed that. They could see that the apostles were saying, these are the men who are in charge of that. We do that with the deacons. We bring them before the congregation. We lay hands on them,

and affirm that authority that God has called them to as deacons. And the word of God kept on spreading, and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. Now, according to Josephus and others, there were about 8,000 priests who were assigned. Remember, David laid it out for Solomon, for his son, for the building of the temple.

He not only had all the material there ready for Solomon to use to build the temple, but he put together the priesthood and the courses of priests. By now, the Levites had, there are lots of Levite priests. Well, how are you going to figure out who's going to minister where in the temple? Well, David had already figured out. He had courses. He had 24 courses

of priests, and he assigned the priests to the different courses so that this course would come and minister for anywhere from two to four weeks, and then this course would come in and minister, and then this course would come in and minister. And he had that all laid out for Solomon so that when the temple was built, Solomon instituted the function of the ministry of the priests. Now, by the time Jesus was there, they were there for two weeks. They came in, and they were in the course for two weeks. So when Zacharias is there, remember,

he's just, he happened to be in that course, Zacharias who's the father of John the Baptist. It was his course. It was his group of Levites that were there ministering, and it was his turn for that two-week period to go into the temple and take care of the incense altar, the altar of incense that represented the prayers going up to God. And he was finishing that up at the end of his week, at the end of his course. He was done. He was ready to be done, and he would rotate out,

and he wouldn't be back. That might have been it for him. He might have been done. But it was at that time that he saw the angel Gabriel standing next to the altar, and Gabriel told him that God was going to bless them with a son, and they were going to call him John. He was going to herald the coming of the Messiah. So the priests were divided out into courses. There were

8,000 in Jerusalem at any given time, and a goodly number of them, evidently, it says that a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. So hundreds, obviously, maybe even into the thousands were becoming obedient to the faith. Now that would really tend to disrupt the function of the temple. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. Now, unfortunately, I read that and I still chuckle because I can see,

you know, it's easy to picture him on a unicycle with a little red nose and doing tricks, you know, riding among the people, and that's not the idea. He's not entertaining. As he's serving, he's ministering, and he's praying, and people are getting healed, obviously, and relationships are coming together that were set apart. God is using Stephen Miley not just to serve tables, not just to bring the food, but to touch the lives of the people that he's ministering to greatly. This should be an emphasis to encourage all of us in whatever area

of ministry we're involved in. Those that mow the lawn are just a godsend to me, because that is one of, it's like the cleaning ministry. It's one of those that nobody sees, usually you're doing it, but they'll notice if you didn't. And these are people, both those ministries, that they come and they give up their time to clean up stuff that nobody else wants to, you know, and they're not recognized that much for it, and it seems like a lowly ministry. You know, I'd rather be in the

praise band, or I'd rather be, you know, doing something up front if I'm going to be ministering. I want to get recognition like Ananias and Sapphira. And here God shows us that Stephen was behind the scenes just ministering, just serving tables, and in the midst of serving tables he had compassion on the people, and God was moving through him and touching the lives of the people that he was ministering to. And great wonders and great signs among the people, but some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Now, the freedmen were simply slaves

that had purchased their freedom or had been freed by their masters. And the idea of the Synagogue of the Freedmen is like, our church is exclusive because we are freed men, you know. We have this we have not only, rather than going, God thank you for setting us free, now they have this exclusive group that meets the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Status. They were looking for status and acclaim

because they had this, they had their freedom now. They were no longer slaves in the in the Roman Empire. And so they had this recognition and including people that were involved in the Synagogue of the Freedmen were Cyrenians and Alexandrians and some from Cilicia. Now Tarsus, the city of Tarsus was in the regions of Cilicia. So it's very possible that Saul was one of this

group. So Alexandrians, Cyrenians, those from Cilicia and Asia rose up and they debated or they argued with Stephen. Now obviously they weren't arguing with what he was doing as far as the signs and wonders that he was doing, but Stephen was also teaching. So rather than, you know, being up front with the Apostles when the Apostles are teaching these great things, he just takes advantage of that. He's ministering to a group and he just, he's teaching

them. He's just blessing them. They have questions about, well what do you think is happening now? Where are we going now? And Stephen was able to teach. He was able to encourage them, obviously from the Word. Because this group of from the Synagogue of the Freedmen rises up and they argue with him about what he's saying about Jesus, about who Jesus is and what's happening as a result of

the giving of the Holy Spirit, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Verse 10, but they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. And then they secretly induced men to say, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. So when you can't rebuff the truth, you just yell lies louder. We've just recently seen that.

And that's what they did. They were unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. So they induced men to say blasphemous, you know, lies, falsehoods. We've heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before

the council. Now, there are times in our lives when God will move us

in a way that's not what we'd like to have happen. In a way that we, you know, we, I don't know about you, but the idea of me moving, I see God really impressing it upon my heart that I'm to go over here and teach those over here if I'm ever to move. But when you see God moving people around, it's usually he's moving them as a result of difficulty. When he moved the church out of Jerusalem into the rest of Judea, Samaria, and the outermost parts of the earth, he used Saul coming after him to whack him.

So usually it's in times of distress that God will move people. And he'll move them. He moved Paul to take him to Caesar's court to be able to present the gospel to Caesar's household. Many in Caesar's household got saved. And also then to present it to Caesar. He got to present it to Felix. And he got to present it to Agrippa. And he got to present it to those in authority there,

not the way he would have wanted. He would like to have had an invitation. But he went as a prisoner. And so God, and I think we're going to see a lot of that happening in the time that we have left. God's going to be moving us in different ways. Maybe it's loss of a job. And we have to move. We've got to move to a different area because we've got to take a job over here. Or it's going to be health issues. You know, we've got to go help take care

of grandma. Or we've got to go do this or do that. And rather than looking at it as defeat because you're being moved out of your comfort zone, it's God moving you to have opportunity to share the gospel in that particular situation that you would not have done any other way. You would have not been able to do. Stephen is now before the council. He's before the whole ruling council of the Jews.

And they put forward false witnesses who said this man incessantly speaks against this holy place in the law. For we have heard him say that this Nazarene Jesus will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us. Now, of course, that's a spin. He was talking about the fact that Jesus fulfilled the law. He fulfilled the rituals and the customs

of Moses. I'm sure he was teaching them about Pentecost and the birth of the church. This is the time that the Feast of Pentecost portrayed because this is what Passover portrayed. And Jesus fulfilled that. And so the laws have been fulfilled in Christ. Christ has put an end to the law because of his righteousness. And so they're taking that and they're spinning that around and

saying that, you know, he's going to put an end to all of this. And he's doing away with all of this. He's, you know, causing unrest among us. And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the council saw his face like the face of an angel. And I anticipate Stephen just going, all right, you know. Here we go. Okay, Lord. Full of the Holy Spirit. Chapter seven is going to be

his testimony. The testimony of the opportunity as a Hellenistic Jew. As a Jew from outside of the areas of Israel. To teach the leaders in Israel about their heritage from the beginning all the way up to Christ. What an opportunity. Saul's going to hear it. Saul's probably one of the debaters that debated with him back in verse nine. And he's going to, he's watching

Stephen's countenance now as Stephen presents this. And he sees him as having the face of an angel. And he will be holding the coats of those that are going to stone him in the end of chapter seven. But it's going to make such an impression on him that he is drawn to the point by God of being the major apostle of the New Testament era. Now Stephen didn't know that while he was still alive

on this earth. The moment he died, I think he knew it. The moment he was in the presence of God, I think he knew that God was using him mightily. There will be times that we don't have a clue. As a matter of fact, most of the time we don't have a clue as to how God's using us in the lives of others. And more often than not, it will be in the midst of difficult circumstances

that we're going through. And our standing on the Lord, trusting God in the midst of this, not complaining, but praising God, thanking him, taking advantage to share with others

in the midst of what's going on about the power of God and the love of God and how that is available to others. And you won't know until you get the glory, you know, what God has done through you in the midst of your difficulty to touch the lives of others that he's going to use mightily for his namesake. So Father, we thank you for your plans. We thank you that although we know we have a picture of the overview of what's going on, we have an idea in our times in which we live. We know that this is the seasons, the times and the seasons

that you tell us about in your word. We're anticipating the coming of your son shortly. We know things are going from bad to worse. But we don't know all the details. We don't know in the midst of that how you're going to use us. But we know that you desire that none should perish. And so you're using us in this area, in areas where we might reach the unlovable.

We might reach those that are the hard-pressed, the difficult, the ones that nobody likes. But you've placed us in an area and an opportunity to touch and to tell them about the love of God and the soon coming of your son. Father, may we be so ready for those opportunities. That we not get caught up in the midst of our difficulties, but see the difficulties as great opportunities for the advancement of the gospel that others might be saved. Use us mightily this way, Lord, I pray in the days we have left.

For your glory, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.