Great Grace!

Acts 4:33, 34
What a description is used by the Holy Spirit to describe the grace of God upon the early church, “great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). The Greek word for “great” is ‘megas’, from which we derive the English word “mega”. It denotes a largeness of volume and size. It is first used in the New Testament in Matthew 2:10 to describe how the Magi felt when they saw the shining star leading them to the home of the young child Jesus, “they rejoiced with exceeding great joy”.

Think of the excitement that must have been in the heart of the wise men as they found the young Jesus and the “great joy” that they must have known. Now, take that same excitement and “greatness” and apply it to the grace of God that is found on the church. In that perspective we can catch a glimpse of how wonderful the church viewed God’s grace in relation to the religious experiences that they had been raised to seek after.

This great grace follows a description of the power that was found in the church as well. We know that great and mighty miracles followed the disciples and the apostles of the early church, with many people being healed and even raised from the dead. What was the purpose of this great power that they had? The text tells us that the great power “gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (verse 33). Every miracle that was performed was further proof that Jesus was alive! His resurrection was the single most disputed thing about Christianity, for the Pharisees had fought from the very beginning to convince the populace that Jesus’ body was merely stolen, not that He had miraculously risen from the dead. When God used His church to perform mighty miracles, credence was being placed upon the fact that Jesus was alive and not dead. If Christ were dead then His church would be dead also, but if He is alive, then His power would still be felt.

This power is still available for the church today, and it is evident at different places around the world and at different times. I am not insinuating that someone will have such healing power that they will walk down the street and people will be healed just by being in their shadow, as was the case with the Apostle Peter (Acts 5:15), but I do believe that the presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring “signs and wonders”. When the apostles preached the “word of his grace”, He “granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands” (Acts 14:3).

Great grace will bring another great bi-product: “Neither was there any among them that lacked” (Acts 4:34). God’s abundant grace provides for all of the needs of His children. Because the Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want (Psalms 23:1). Resting in His finished work and partaking in His abundant grace brings a fullness of all that we need in Christ, and in Him, we never lack.

Don’t be ashamed to call the grace of God, “great”! His grace is greater even than many of us have been led to believe. Accept it as a free gift and then watch how wonderful His grace is as it works in every area of your life.

Forget Who You Used to Be

Acts 3:14

The old adage, “Forgive and forget” is easier to say than it is to do. It is even more difficult when the person that we need to forgive is ourselves, and the deed that we need to forget is of our own doing. We are truly our harshest critic. This is probably because we think of ourselves almost constantly, while the others who are criticizing us think of us no longer than it takes to cut us down.

The Apostle Peter must have spent some sleepless nights over his failure during Jesus’ final night prior to the cross. Peter had claimed that he would never deny the Lord, only to have Christ tell him that he would do that very thing 3 times in one night. Peter probably felt that Jesus did not know quite how much that he loved the Lord, and that surely, he would prove the Master wrong. Sure enough, at the crowing of the morning rooster, Peter had said that he did not even know Christ and the darkness of denial set into his conscience.

Not long after the resurrection of Jesus, Peter decides to forget the whole ministry thing and go back into the fishing business. It was his occupation before Jesus came along and convinced him that he could fish for men, but his failure and his cowardice caused him to feel completely inadequate for such a commission, so fishing became his lifestyle once again. Then, as always, came Jesus, blessing Peter with a miracle of fishes and feeding him breakfast in the natural and in the spiritual. “Feed my sheep” was Jesus’ command to Peter, and not one word was uttered about his denial or his excursion into the fishing profession.

This forgiveness washes the condemnation away from Peter, and equips him to receive the wonderful empowerment of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, leading him to preach a sermon that day that wins 3000 people into the new church. With that fire still fresh in his heart, he preaches again in Acts 3, this time to the Jews of Jerusalem, saying, “Ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you” (Acts 3:14).

Look closely at his accusation towards the Jews. “Ye denied” could be considered a dangerous way to start a sermon, considering that Peter is known as the disciple that denied the Lord. Some might say, “How dare he preach to someone else about denying the Lord when he did the same thing!” Others would cry, “Hypocrite!” upon hearing such a sermon. Yet Peter shows no hesitation in his accusation, going so far as to tell them that they “killed the Prince of life” (verse 15).

Jesus’ feeding of Peter on the beach in John 21 was His washing away the guilt and condemnation from Peter’s heart. It is necessary that these be removed by the blood of Jesus, for there are many situations and settings that the believer will enter into that he or she needs a clean conscience in order to be a true light for Christ. Guilt will cause us to close our mouths when we should open them, and to open them when they should remain closed. Peter could preach the truth because Peter was living the truth, and he had forgotten who he used to be.

He says it so well in his little epistle, when talking about believers who lack the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, “He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9). The sun has come up in your life, shining into the dark areas of your past and liberating you from guilt and condemnation. The rooster crows to signify that it is the start of a brand new day; just as he did to remind Peter that the night of denial is over. With the sound of the rooster in his ears, Peter forgot who he used to be, and by that same Spirit, so can you.

The Rest and the Refreshing

Acts 2:4, 11

Many things have been said against the biblical practice of speaking in tongues. It is often chided as having passed with the apostles, linked with cultic activities or even as being from the devil himself. Religion often links things that it does not want or understand, as being from the devil. John the Baptist was said to have a devil in him (Matthew 11:18), and Jesus’ miracles were attributed, by the church of that day, as being from the devil as well (Matthew 12:24).

Isaiah first prophesied that God would use tongues as a means of speaking to His people (Isaiah 28:11), and that they would deem speaking with other tongues as a “rest” and a “refreshing” (Isaiah 28:12). On the Day of Pentecost, when the church was empowered by the Holy Spirit, all 120 that were present, “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). This is not to insinuate that one must speak in tongues to call themselves a Christian, but it does show us that this wonderful gift is available to believers because of the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

A frequently used criticism of speaking in tongues is the argument that tongues were only necessary to minister the gospel to the many people who spoke various languages. I have even heard it argued that tongues should only be used when the Holy Spirit overtakes the tongue of a missionary in a foreign land, who has no interpreter, so that he can preach the gospel in the native tongue of the land. This attack against the biblical gift of tongues is from no other source but Satan! He does not want God’s people experiencing the rest and the refreshing.

In Acts 2:11, the Bible records that all of the nationalities represented on the Day of Pentecost could hear their own tongue being spoken by the 120. They do not say that they hear the gospel, only the “wonderful works of God”. It is not until verse 14 that Peter stands up and preaches to them of Jesus Christ and His finished work, and there is no indication that he preaches this message in tongues. To argue that tongues are for the presentation of the gospel in any form is outside of the Word of God. This gift is not for gospel preaching, but for saint edification!

Paul wrote that when you speak in tongues you are not speaking to men, but to God (1 Corinthians 14:2). He further wrote that when you speak in tongues you edify, or build up, or repair yourself (14:4). He said that it is your choice, as a Spirit-filled believer, to pray in tongues or not. It is also your choice to sing in tongues, or not (14:15). He told young Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him (1 Timothy 1:6), and Jude told the church to build themselves up on their most holy faith. How? By, “praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 20).

Ask God today for a fresh revelation of this truth. He will freely give His children all things (Romans 8:32), and, as a good Father, He wishes to give you liberally of His Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). A beautiful part of God’s abundant grace is how the Holy Spirit ministers in you and through you, helping your sicknesses of body and soul, and interceding for you in areas that you have no direction (Romans 8:26).

Live free in His love today!

The Unsettled Soul

Acts 15:24

This verse is from the opening sentence of a letter that was written and approved by the early church fathers in the first Council in Jerusalem. The apostles had gathered together to settle the issue as to whether or not the Gentile believers were to be told to keep the Law of Moses after they were saved. The final verdict from the host pastor (Apostle James) was, “We trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God” (Acts 15:19).

The letter contains four things that the apostles felt should be preached to the Gentile believers: that they abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication (Acts 15:29). Three of these four things pertain to dietary laws that the Jews observed; where they ate nothing that had been previously sacrificed to another god and that they never eat an animal that had not been properly bled out. The final restriction, fornication, is the only moral message delivered, which Paul mentions in detail in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20.

When the apostles agreed on this four-point message to the newly converted Gentiles, they decided that this needed to be done because “Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day” (Acts 15:21). They knew that the Law of Moses was being read and preached as the standard for living in every village in the Jewish world. This repetition of the Law of Moses was placing a burden on the backs of the Christians as they were being told that grace will save them but that works will perfect them. Paul comes against that particular mode of preaching in Galatians 3:1-5.

Let’s take a closer look at this opening sentence of the apostolic letter to the Gentile Christians:
“Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, ‘Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law’: to whom we gave no such commandment” (Acts 15:24).

The word ‘subverting’ in the King James is a bit hard to understand in our modern tongue. In Greek it means ‘to unsettle’. The troubling words that were being preached by so many were unsettling the souls of the Gentile Christians. Would it not be unsettling to learn that you are saved by grace through no works of your own but then after you are saved you must do a laundry list of things to stay saved? It was unsettling then and it is unsettling now!

The letter clearly states, “We gave no such commandment” emphasizing that the apostles were against the preaching of the law to Christians. What is so dangerous about a believer hearing the Law? Isn’t the Law just and holy and good? Yes! In fact, Romans 7:12 tells us that, but man has no ability to squeeze one drop of that just, holy and good out of the law. When the law enters, sin goes crazy due to the fact that the law was designed by God to show man that he is a sinner (Romans 5:20; 7:9; 1 Corinthians 15:56). It is the “ministry of death, written and engraven in stones” (2 Corinthians 3:6). When a believer hears the law, he becomes condemned at his inability to live it perfectly and that condemnation always leads to more failure. The very law that demands our holiness lends us no help in becoming holy!

Grace must be the message proclaimed from the housetops! Grace is a person and His name is Jesus (John 1:17). Proclaim Jesus and His loveliness and right living will always follow. The Holy Spirit has seen fit to lay upon us all “no greater burden than these necessary things” (Acts 15:28). Even those things mentioned by the apostles were given to the Gentiles simply so that they would not offend the Jews that they were around (1 Corinthians 8). You are free in Jesus!

Grace, Then Signs and Wonders

Acts 14:1-4

Paul and his traveling brother Barnabas found themselves in Iconium, preaching the gospel in a Jewish synagogue. His message brought great multitudes of Jews and Gentiles to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but it also brought anger out in many. Unbelieving, but devout Jews began to stir up the Gentiles in the city, turning them against Paul and Barnabas. Week after week, Paul preached “boldly in the Lord”; “the word of His grace” (Acts 14:3). Notice the perseverance and the message. Paul kept right on preaching the message of grace, no matter how much opposition that He faced.

What were these Jews opposed to? Were they opposed to God? Of course not; they loved God fervently. Were they opposed to Gentiles being converted? Apparently not, as they let them into their synagogue. It was the word of God’s grace that Paul continued to preach that caused him so much trouble. They felt that salvation had much to do with keeping the Law, and Paul simply would not give in to this way of thinking.

No matter how much opposition they presented, Paul continued to be bold in his preaching of grace. God give us preachers who will use their boldness not to beat the sheep or expose people’s sins, but to boldly proclaim the finished work of Jesus and the free favors of God! The more that Paul preached grace, the more the Jewish adherents to Mosaic Law became infuriated.

God stepped in and “granted signs and wonders to be done at their hands” (Acts 14:3). The more that Paul proclaimed God’s grace and favor, the more that God responded by bringing forth mighty miracles. These miracles were to place God’s seal of approval on the message that was being presented. Jesus never performed a single miracle until the Father first said of Him at Jordan, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). With the “well-pleased” came the power to perform. The more that God’s grace is preached boldly, without reservation and fear, the more that God will respond in the church with signs and wonders.

There is no need to fear that we can preach “too much grace”. Since grace is Jesus (John 1:17), saying that one can preach “too much grace” is like saying that one could preach “too much Jesus”. There is simply no such thing! Ask a sinner how to get to heaven and most of them will reply with some form of works or the other. In fact, many of them will quote directly from the Law of Moses, citing the keeping of the 10 Commandments. How can we fear that they are going to get too much grace? They are full to the brim with Law and they are still going to hell!

The multitude of the city was divided over Paul’s preaching of grace (Acts 14:4) and this percentage remains until this day. Not everyone will turn to the preaching of God’s grace and favor, but many will. Those who respond with faith will see great things done in their lives as God changes them from the inside out. As grace becomes the chief message of the church there will be mighty miracles done which no one will be able to attribute to man. God will get all of the glory, for His Son Jesus is being proclaimed in all of His loveliness. Only grace destroys man’s self-dependency and exalts Jesus’ finished work. Let us be guilty of one thing and that is of preaching “too much grace”!

Preach it Again!

Acts 13:37-43

The Apostle Paul went into a synagogue to minister on a Saturday at Antioch. The transcript of his sermon is recorded for us in Acts 13, and it gives us remarkable insight into the preaching style and content of the great Apostle. We have no audio recordings of this great man of course, so we must rely on this nugget of gold from his ministry to see how he preached and what he emphasized.

His sermon opens with God choosing Abraham and exalting the nation of Israel; the Exodus from Egypt; the conquering of Canaan and ministries of Samuel, Saul and David, leading right into the arrival of Jesus. He then ignores the life of Christ and jumps straight to the cross and the resurrection; tying both events to the salvation of mankind and the forgiveness of sins. This is where our little devotion picks up the sermon, for it is here that he leads into his invitation.

His final thrust in the sermon is found in 13:38, 39, where he preaches “forgiveness of sins” and that all who believe “are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses”. He then concludes with a warning that appears in the prophets about men rejecting the work that God will do. Rejection of the message of grace is the final straw in a man’s rejection of God and His love.

When the Jews moved out of the synagogue, the Gentiles that were there clamored to meet Paul and “besought” or “begged” him to come back and preach the same message the next Saturday (Acts 13:42). When the next week arrived, almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God (Acts 13:44) and the Jews turned out to contradict the message that Paul preached. Not much has changed from those who cling to works and religion, for they still contradict the message of grace, always quick to try to add “balance” by pouring in law and personal responsibility. Religion is scared of relationship, for if relationship with God is possible, religion is unnecessary.

The Jews of Antioch saw that it was impossible to stop the Gentiles from believing on Jesus, so they pulled out the big guns so to speak in order to convince the townsfolk that Paul’s message of grace was wrong. To do their bidding, they call on the “devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city” (Acts 13:50). Again, not much has changed. When the church wants to come against the preaching of radical grace, they find the most shining example of the law and works that they can and they send it in a tirade against the Apostles of God’s grace and favor. Ishmael has always persecuted Isaac with his words; don’t feel that it is unusual now.

Let’s return to this type of ministry, where we tell the sinners in our lives that Jesus has died for the forgiveness of their sins. Only when the church becomes the place of refuge and hope for the unbeliever will it be appealing enough to bring them back. May we never brag when our churches seem hostile towards the unsaved, and they feel condemned and guilty when they enter our midst. Set them free by shining the light of Christ into their lives and showing them the way out. If they reject the brightness of Jesus then there is no hope for them, but are we even trying?

The Holy Spirit's Cue

Acts 10:43, 44

Peter’s sermon to the house of Cornelius was not one born of excitement on Peter’s part. He had refused to take the gospel to the Gentiles, for fear that they were unclean and thus unworthy to receive the good news. When God finally got through to the Apostle, he was eager to share the faith with whoever would listen, and the great 10th chapter of Acts bears out this highly anticipated sermon.

The Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles in this chapter, just as He had fallen upon the 120 on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Peter knew that they had received the same revelation of the Holy Spirit because he heard them speaking with other tongues and he knew that they must have received of the same Spirit (Acts 10:46). What brought this great revelation of the Spirit to the house? Of course it followed the message that was delivered by Peter, but at what point in the sermon did the Spirit enter? The answer to that question is key in understanding the role of Christ’s finished work in everything that the Holy Spirit does.

Peter’s sermon begins in Acts 10:34, and continues through verse 43; a relatively short span of scripture. In my Pentecostal background, of which I am very proud to claim, we would take portions of this sermon and hold them up as great ways to describe the Holy Spirit. For instance, I remember hearing verse 38 quoted many times as an example of the power of God. It reads:

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

That is a power verse, pointing us to the awesome works of Jesus; how He did good things and healed people because of the Holy Ghost and power that rested on Him. However, if you will notice, there is no response on the part of the Holy Spirit when Peter says this. Instead, the sermon continues. Now notice that the scripture gives you the exact moment when the Spirit arrives in the room, “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell…” (Acts 10:44). What words was Peter speaking when the Holy Ghost fell? Perhaps we should read verse 43:

“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).

The moment that faith in Jesus and His finished work is mentioned, and the fact that this faith brings complete remission of sins, the Holy Spirit shows up. It is as if the Spirit has been waiting in the wings of the stage, listening for His cue so that He can rush in and save the day. His cue then, as well as now, is the finished work of Jesus being glorified. When Jesus is lifted up as the sacrifice for sins, the Spirit arrives with power to change lives. Jesus said that the role of the Spirit would be to glorify Him (John 16:14). As Jesus is lifted up, the Spirit manifests Himself to do the work. Peter learned that lesson in that moment; let’s not forget it now.

Mess With the Saint, You Mess With the Savior!

Acts 9:1-5

Saul was “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1). His mission was to stop this new religion known as “The Way” by taking anyone captive who claimed Jesus as their Savior. This form of intimidation was sponsored by the church but was spawned by Satan to stop the spread of the good news of Jesus Christ.

In choosing Saul to do the dirty work, Satan had went after the most learned of the law teachers in all of Judaism. A Pharisee of Pharisees, Saul was everything that a law-abiding Jew strived through their efforts to be. It is of no little significance that God would choose to bring His message of grace and New Covenant through this one who had trusted in his efforts at keeping the Old Covenant his entire life. By choosing a vessel that was “spotless” in the eyes of the church, God brings credibility to the choice of Paul to be the one to preach pure, radical grace. If the first minister of God’s grace had been one who had sin issues and questionable lifestyle practices, then people would accuse him of preaching grace to cover his failures. This should be noted by us today as we minister and walk in the glorious grace of God.

As Saul (who would later begin to use his Greek name, “Paul”) travelled to Damascus to persecute the early church, he was met by a great light from heaven, which blinded him and stopped his journey. From the midst of the light, he heard the typical greeting of the Father when He speaks tenderly to someone close to His heart, “Saul, Saul” (verse 4). There is nothing as tender to us as the sound of our own name on someone’s lips that loves us. From the Father, it sounds so nice He says it twice! “Samuel, Samuel” (1 Samuel 3:10); “Martha, Martha” (Luke 10:41); “Simon, Simon” (Luke 22:31); “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” (Luke 13:34).

Jesus asks Saul, “Why do you persecute me?”, which must have seemed confusing to Saul, for he did not feel that he was persecuting anyone. Remember, Saul felt that he was doing God’s work in exterminating this new-found faith. Even if he felt that what he was doing was persecution, he surely would not have felt that it was against one individual but rather against the collection of individuals known as “The Way” (later to be referred to as Christians). To be asked, “why do you persecute me?” is to denote that one person is being attacked.

Shocked, Saul asks who is speaking to him, and the reply is, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest” (Acts 9:5). The persecution that Saul was breathing out was against the Christians, but Jesus claims that it was against Him personally. This humbles Paul and leads to his salvation, for he sees Jesus as the defender of the church and thus personally invested in the lives of His followers.

When Satan attacks a believer, he is essentially attacking Jesus Christ. This is a lost battle for Satan, for he was de-fanged at Calvary, but he continues to roar like a lion anyhow. You and I are no match for Satan on his terms, which will always be performance and works related, so we must rest in the finished work of Christ’s cross to find the victory that Jesus has already won. Allow all attacks by the enemy to lead you back to the resting place in Jesus, for if Satan is coming after you what he should find is Jesus. Praise God!

No Salvation by Association

Acts 8:9-24

Simon Magus was a sorcerer from Samaria who bewitched people and convinced many that he “was some great one” (Acts 8:9). Along came Philip the evangelist who preached Jesus Christ, and many people believed and were baptized, including Simon himself. His story provides us with a prime example of someone who goes through the motions of salvation, with no real heart change.

Following his baptism, Simon follows Philip around, wondering and beholding at the signs and miracles that are done at Philip’s hand. After hearing about the revival in Samaria, the apostles in Jerusalem send Peter and John to preach of the great and mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit, and Simon watches as people receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. Intrigued by this, Simon offers to pay Peter to give him the same power, thinking that this is some sort of trick that Peter has learned. Peter, of course, will have nothing to do with this and actually says, “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God” (Acts 8:21).

A true believer is always right in the sight of God, for as Jesus is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). Simon has problems that go beyond his silly request to buy the power of God. Peter perceived that Simon was “in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity” (Acts 8:23). “Bitter gall” is “extreme wickedness” and the “bond of iniquity” are chains of unrighteousness. Peter is describing someone who is unchanged and unsaved.

The final indicator that Simon does not know the Lord is found in verse 24, when he asks Peter to “Pray ye to the Lord for me”. Simon feels no kinship with the Lord, and his wickedness has so distanced him from God that he feels more comfortable having Peter pray to the Lord for him, than he does in going to the Lord on his own. The text gives us no indication that Peter honors this request, for you can pray for no man’s soul but your own.

Simon is not uncommon, for he is an example of the lifestyle of many people in and around the church today. They hear a moving sermon and see others committing themselves to the Lord and they are moved to make some sort of verbal commitment as well. They are intrigued by some of the machinery of the church and they even go so far as to get involved in church programs and ministry work, but somewhere along the way it becomes clear that they are in it for all the wrong reasons. Soon, their wicked and unrighteous intentions come out and they show themselves even unable to converse with the Father, for they do not know Him.

I am not speaking about someone who meets the Lord and then has struggles in their life. These need reinforced that they are God’s righteousness and the knowledge that they are forgiven and not condemned will set them free. I speak of the one who has religion but has no relationship. With this kind, Peter pulled no punches, being quick to expose the hypocrisy for what it was.

There is no salvation by association. Each one of us must come to the Lord for a relationship and surrender our hearts to Him to be washed in His blood. Knowing someone who knows the Lord, or being friends with a preacher just is not enough. True relationship with Jesus bridges the gap caused by sin and makes you feel comfortable talking to your Father, for you know that He loves you and you love Him.

Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 5:1-11

When the Lord began to reveal to me the revelation of His abundant grace and goodness, it was a marvelous journey. It was akin to being saved all over again, as I saw just how much that the finished work of Christ had truly been finished. I was thrilled to learn new things about His forgiveness and His mercy as I searched the scriptures afresh. In His grace, life is truly abundant.

One passage that troubled me as I grew in this knowledge is found in the fifth chapter of Acts and it concerns the deaths of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. This story is an obvious case of God killing someone post-Calvary and it seemed very reminiscent of God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament. It seemed as if every day God was opening up His covenant to me showing me that He is no longer mad at mankind and that He had been appeased by the death of His Son on the cross, so why was He so obviously killing two of His children in Acts 5?

After much prayer and study, and several journeys into every commentary that I owned, I had nearly concluded that I would not find the answer. Nearly every commentator mentioned God’s wrath against sin and how some sins were so grievous that God would kill you on the spot if you committed them. Others taught that this story is a warning to the church that there is only so far that you should push God before people begin to die as part of His swift hand of judgment. I could not in good conscience accept these answers and still see God as having been propitiated at Calvary. Propitiation is “satisfaction”, and if God was satisfied, how could He punish a believer for failure?

The answer is found in the question that Peter asks Ananias, after Ananias lies to Peter concerning the price of the land that he has sold. “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?” is a question that reveals who Ananias is. No believer can be filled with the Spirit of God and with Satan, for there is no room in the heart for two masters (Matthew 6:24). If Satan had filled their hearts then we know that Jesus did not live there.

The author of the book felt the same way apparently, as he refers to Ananias as “a certain man” in verse 1. Only non-believers were referred to in this generic way in the book of Acts (Acts 10:1; 16:16) with believers being “certain disciples” (Acts 9:36), or “certain prophets and teachers” (Acts 13:1).

When a sinner rejects Christ long enough, there is nothing left for them but certain death. Having said “no” to Jesus, they have truly rejected the calling of the Holy Spirit, and have actually blasphemed his conviction. There remains no more hope for them, and they place themselves back under God’s wrath (John 3:36). This is why the angel smites Peter in Acts 12 and it wakes him from his sleep. The angel then smites King Herod in verse 23 and it kills him. When God smites the believer it wakes them up to who they are in Christ, but when he smites the sinner, it is His final judgment on their soul.

Do not have a fearful expectation of fiery judgment from your heavenly Father. You are the righteousness of God in Christ, and your Daddy is looking out for your good. When you fail He is not waiting with lightning bolts to smite you down, but rather He is waiting with a nail scarred hand to pick you up.

Great Grace!

Acts 4:33, 34
What a description is used by the Holy Spirit to describe the grace of God upon the early church, “great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). The Greek word for “great” is ‘megas’, from which we derive the English word “mega”. It denotes a largeness of volume and size. It is first used in the New Testament in Matthew 2:10 to describe how the Magi felt when they saw the shining star leading them to the home of the young child Jesus, “they rejoiced with exceeding great joy”.

Think of the excitement that must have been in the heart of the wise men as they found the young Jesus and the “great joy” that they must have known. Now, take that same excitement and “greatness” and apply it to the grace of God that is found on the church. In that perspective we can catch a glimpse of how wonderful the church viewed God’s grace in relation to the religious experiences that they had been raised to seek after.

This great grace follows a description of the power that was found in the church as well. We know that great and mighty miracles followed the disciples and the apostles of the early church, with many people being healed and even raised from the dead. What was the purpose of this great power that they had? The text tells us that the great power “gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (verse 33). Every miracle that was performed was further proof that Jesus was alive! His resurrection was the single most disputed thing about Christianity, for the Pharisees had fought from the very beginning to convince the populace that Jesus’ body was merely stolen, not that He had miraculously risen from the dead. When God used His church to perform mighty miracles, credence was being placed upon the fact that Jesus was alive and not dead. If Christ were dead then His church would be dead also, but if He is alive, then His power would still be felt.

This power is still available for the church today, and it is evident at different places around the world and at different times. I am not insinuating that someone will have such healing power that they will walk down the street and people will be healed just by being in their shadow, as was the case with the Apostle Peter (Acts 5:15), but I do believe that the presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring “signs and wonders”. When the apostles preached the “word of his grace”, He “granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands” (Acts 14:3).

Great grace will bring another great bi-product: “Neither was there any among them that lacked” (Acts 4:34). God’s abundant grace provides for all of the needs of His children. Because the Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want (Psalms 23:1). Resting in His finished work and partaking in His abundant grace brings a fullness of all that we need in Christ, and in Him, we never lack.

Don’t be ashamed to call the grace of God, “great”! His grace is greater even than many of us have been led to believe. Accept it as a free gift and then watch how wonderful His grace is as it works in every area of your life.

Forget Who You Used to Be

Acts 3:14

The old adage, “Forgive and forget” is easier to say than it is to do. It is even more difficult when the person that we need to forgive is ourselves, and the deed that we need to forget is of our own doing. We are truly our harshest critic. This is probably because we think of ourselves almost constantly, while the others who are criticizing us think of us no longer than it takes to cut us down.

The Apostle Peter must have spent some sleepless nights over his failure during Jesus’ final night prior to the cross. Peter had claimed that he would never deny the Lord, only to have Christ tell him that he would do that very thing 3 times in one night. Peter probably felt that Jesus did not know quite how much that he loved the Lord, and that surely, he would prove the Master wrong. Sure enough, at the crowing of the morning rooster, Peter had said that he did not even know Christ and the darkness of denial set into his conscience.

Not long after the resurrection of Jesus, Peter decides to forget the whole ministry thing and go back into the fishing business. It was his occupation before Jesus came along and convinced him that he could fish for men, but his failure and his cowardice caused him to feel completely inadequate for such a commission, so fishing became his lifestyle once again. Then, as always, came Jesus, blessing Peter with a miracle of fishes and feeding him breakfast in the natural and in the spiritual. “Feed my sheep” was Jesus’ command to Peter, and not one word was uttered about his denial or his excursion into the fishing profession.

This forgiveness washes the condemnation away from Peter, and equips him to receive the wonderful empowerment of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, leading him to preach a sermon that day that wins 3000 people into the new church. With that fire still fresh in his heart, he preaches again in Acts 3, this time to the Jews of Jerusalem, saying, “Ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you” (Acts 3:14).

Look closely at his accusation towards the Jews. “Ye denied” could be considered a dangerous way to start a sermon, considering that Peter is known as the disciple that denied the Lord. Some might say, “How dare he preach to someone else about denying the Lord when he did the same thing!” Others would cry, “Hypocrite!” upon hearing such a sermon. Yet Peter shows no hesitation in his accusation, going so far as to tell them that they “killed the Prince of life” (verse 15).

Jesus’ feeding of Peter on the beach in John 21 was His washing away the guilt and condemnation from Peter’s heart. It is necessary that these be removed by the blood of Jesus, for there are many situations and settings that the believer will enter into that he or she needs a clean conscience in order to be a true light for Christ. Guilt will cause us to close our mouths when we should open them, and to open them when they should remain closed. Peter could preach the truth because Peter was living the truth, and he had forgotten who he used to be.

He says it so well in his little epistle, when talking about believers who lack the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, “He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9). The sun has come up in your life, shining into the dark areas of your past and liberating you from guilt and condemnation. The rooster crows to signify that it is the start of a brand new day; just as he did to remind Peter that the night of denial is over. With the sound of the rooster in his ears, Peter forgot who he used to be, and by that same Spirit, so can you.

The Rest and the Refreshing

Acts 2:4, 11

Many things have been said against the biblical practice of speaking in tongues. It is often chided as having passed with the apostles, linked with cultic activities or even as being from the devil himself. Religion often links things that it does not want or understand, as being from the devil. John the Baptist was said to have a devil in him (Matthew 11:18), and Jesus’ miracles were attributed, by the church of that day, as being from the devil as well (Matthew 12:24).

Isaiah first prophesied that God would use tongues as a means of speaking to His people (Isaiah 28:11), and that they would deem speaking with other tongues as a “rest” and a “refreshing” (Isaiah 28:12). On the Day of Pentecost, when the church was empowered by the Holy Spirit, all 120 that were present, “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). This is not to insinuate that one must speak in tongues to call themselves a Christian, but it does show us that this wonderful gift is available to believers because of the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

A frequently used criticism of speaking in tongues is the argument that tongues were only necessary to minister the gospel to the many people who spoke various languages. I have even heard it argued that tongues should only be used when the Holy Spirit overtakes the tongue of a missionary in a foreign land, who has no interpreter, so that he can preach the gospel in the native tongue of the land. This attack against the biblical gift of tongues is from no other source but Satan! He does not want God’s people experiencing the rest and the refreshing.

In Acts 2:11, the Bible records that all of the nationalities represented on the Day of Pentecost could hear their own tongue being spoken by the 120. They do not say that they hear the gospel, only the “wonderful works of God”. It is not until verse 14 that Peter stands up and preaches to them of Jesus Christ and His finished work, and there is no indication that he preaches this message in tongues. To argue that tongues are for the presentation of the gospel in any form is outside of the Word of God. This gift is not for gospel preaching, but for saint edification!

Paul wrote that when you speak in tongues you are not speaking to men, but to God (1 Corinthians 14:2). He further wrote that when you speak in tongues you edify, or build up, or repair yourself (14:4). He said that it is your choice, as a Spirit-filled believer, to pray in tongues or not. It is also your choice to sing in tongues, or not (14:15). He told young Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him (1 Timothy 1:6), and Jude told the church to build themselves up on their most holy faith. How? By, “praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 20).

Ask God today for a fresh revelation of this truth. He will freely give His children all things (Romans 8:32), and, as a good Father, He wishes to give you liberally of His Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). A beautiful part of God’s abundant grace is how the Holy Spirit ministers in you and through you, helping your sicknesses of body and soul, and interceding for you in areas that you have no direction (Romans 8:26).

Live free in His love today!

The Unsettled Soul

Acts 15:24

This verse is from the opening sentence of a letter that was written and approved by the early church fathers in the first Council in Jerusalem. The apostles had gathered together to settle the issue as to whether or not the Gentile believers were to be told to keep the Law of Moses after they were saved. The final verdict from the host pastor (Apostle James) was, “We trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God” (Acts 15:19).

The letter contains four things that the apostles felt should be preached to the Gentile believers: that they abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication (Acts 15:29). Three of these four things pertain to dietary laws that the Jews observed; where they ate nothing that had been previously sacrificed to another god and that they never eat an animal that had not been properly bled out. The final restriction, fornication, is the only moral message delivered, which Paul mentions in detail in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20.

When the apostles agreed on this four-point message to the newly converted Gentiles, they decided that this needed to be done because “Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day” (Acts 15:21). They knew that the Law of Moses was being read and preached as the standard for living in every village in the Jewish world. This repetition of the Law of Moses was placing a burden on the backs of the Christians as they were being told that grace will save them but that works will perfect them. Paul comes against that particular mode of preaching in Galatians 3:1-5.

Let’s take a closer look at this opening sentence of the apostolic letter to the Gentile Christians:
“Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, ‘Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law’: to whom we gave no such commandment” (Acts 15:24).

The word ‘subverting’ in the King James is a bit hard to understand in our modern tongue. In Greek it means ‘to unsettle’. The troubling words that were being preached by so many were unsettling the souls of the Gentile Christians. Would it not be unsettling to learn that you are saved by grace through no works of your own but then after you are saved you must do a laundry list of things to stay saved? It was unsettling then and it is unsettling now!

The letter clearly states, “We gave no such commandment” emphasizing that the apostles were against the preaching of the law to Christians. What is so dangerous about a believer hearing the Law? Isn’t the Law just and holy and good? Yes! In fact, Romans 7:12 tells us that, but man has no ability to squeeze one drop of that just, holy and good out of the law. When the law enters, sin goes crazy due to the fact that the law was designed by God to show man that he is a sinner (Romans 5:20; 7:9; 1 Corinthians 15:56). It is the “ministry of death, written and engraven in stones” (2 Corinthians 3:6). When a believer hears the law, he becomes condemned at his inability to live it perfectly and that condemnation always leads to more failure. The very law that demands our holiness lends us no help in becoming holy!

Grace must be the message proclaimed from the housetops! Grace is a person and His name is Jesus (John 1:17). Proclaim Jesus and His loveliness and right living will always follow. The Holy Spirit has seen fit to lay upon us all “no greater burden than these necessary things” (Acts 15:28). Even those things mentioned by the apostles were given to the Gentiles simply so that they would not offend the Jews that they were around (1 Corinthians 8). You are free in Jesus!

Grace, Then Signs and Wonders

Acts 14:1-4

Paul and his traveling brother Barnabas found themselves in Iconium, preaching the gospel in a Jewish synagogue. His message brought great multitudes of Jews and Gentiles to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but it also brought anger out in many. Unbelieving, but devout Jews began to stir up the Gentiles in the city, turning them against Paul and Barnabas. Week after week, Paul preached “boldly in the Lord”; “the word of His grace” (Acts 14:3). Notice the perseverance and the message. Paul kept right on preaching the message of grace, no matter how much opposition that He faced.

What were these Jews opposed to? Were they opposed to God? Of course not; they loved God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind. Were they opposed to Gentiles being converted? Apparently not, as they let them into their synagogue. It was the word of God’s grace that Paul continued to preach that caused him so much trouble. They felt that salvation had much to do with keeping the Law, and Paul simply would not give in to this way of thinking.

No matter how much opposition they presented, Paul continued to be bold in his preaching of grace. God give us preachers who will use their boldness not to beat the sheep or expose people’s sins, but to boldly proclaim the finished work of Jesus and the free favors of God! The more that Paul preached grace, the more the Jewish adherents to Mosaic Law became infuriated.

God stepped in and “granted signs and wonders to be done at their hands” (Acts 14:3). The more that Paul proclaimed God’s grace and favor, the more that God responded by bringing forth mighty miracles. These miracles were to place God’s seal of approval on the message that was being presented. Jesus never performed a single miracle until the Father first said of Him at Jordan, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). With the “well-pleased” came the power to perform. The more that God’s grace is preached boldly, without reservation and fear, the more that God will respond in the church with signs and wonders.

There is no need to fear that we can preach “too much grace”. Since grace is Jesus (John 1:17), saying that one can preach “too much grace” is like saying that one could preach “too much Jesus”. There is simply no such thing! Ask a sinner how to get to heaven and most of them will reply with some form of works or the other. In fact, many of them will quote directly from the Law of Moses, citing the keeping of the 10 Commandments. How can we fear that they are going to get too much grace? They are full to the brim with Law and they are still going to hell!

The multitude of the city was divided over Paul’s preaching of grace (Acts 14:4) and this percentage remains until this day. Not everyone will turn to the preaching of God’s grace and favor, but many will. Those who respond with faith will see great things done in their lives as God changes them from the inside out. As grace becomes the chief message of the church there will be mighty miracles done which no one will be able to attribute to man. God will get all of the glory, for His Son Jesus is being proclaimed in all of His loveliness. Only grace destroys man’s self-dependency and exalts Jesus’ finished work. Let us be guilty of one thing and that is of preaching “too much grace”!

Preach it Again!

Acts 13:37-43

The Apostle Paul went into a synagogue to minister on a Saturday at Antioch. The transcript of his sermon is recorded for us in Acts 13, and it gives us remarkable insight into the preaching style and content of the great Apostle. We have no audio recordings of this great man of course, so we must rely on this nugget of gold from his ministry to see how he preached and what he emphasized.

His sermon opens with God choosing Abraham and exalting the nation of Israel; the Exodus from Egypt; the conquering of Canaan and ministries of Samuel, Saul and David, leading right into the arrival of Jesus. He then ignores the life of Christ and jumps straight to the cross and the resurrection; tying both events to the salvation of mankind and the forgiveness of sins. This is where our little devotion picks up the sermon, for it is here that he leads into his invitation.

His final thrust in the sermon is found in 13:38, 39, where he preaches “forgiveness of sins” and that all who believe “are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses”. He then concludes with a warning that appears in the prophets about men rejecting the work that God will do. Rejection of the message of grace is the final straw in a man’s rejection of God and His love.

When the Jews moved out of the synagogue, the Gentiles that were there clamored to meet Paul and “besought” or “begged” him to come back and preach the same message the next Saturday (Acts 13:42). When the next week arrived, almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God (Acts 13:44) and the Jews turned out to contradict the message that Paul preached. Not much has changed from those who cling to works and religion, for they still contradict the message of grace, always quick to try to add “balance” by pouring in law and personal responsibility. Religion is scared of relationship, for if relationship with God is possible, religion is unnecessary.

The Jews of Antioch saw that it was impossible to stop the Gentiles from believing on Jesus, so they pulled out the big guns so to speak in order to convince the townsfolk that Paul’s message of grace was wrong. To do their bidding, they call on the “devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city” (Acts 13:50). Again, not much has changed. When the church wants to come against the preaching of radical grace, they find the most shining example of the law and works that they can and they send it in a tirade against the Apostles of God’s grace and favor. Ishmael has always persecuted Isaac with his words; don’t feel that it is unusual now.

Let’s return to this type of ministry, where we tell the sinners in our lives that Jesus has died for the forgiveness of their sins. Only when the church becomes the place of refuge and hope for the unbeliever will it be appealing enough to bring them back. May we never brag when our churches seem hostile towards the unsaved, and they feel condemned and guilty when they enter our midst. Set them free by shining the light of Christ into their lives and showing them the way out. If they reject the brightness of Jesus then there is no hope for them, but are we even trying?

The Holy Spirit's Cue

Acts 10:43, 44

Peter’s sermon to the house of Cornelius was not one born of excitement on Peter’s part. He had refused to take the gospel to the Gentiles, for fear that they were unclean and thus unworthy to receive the good news. When God finally got through to the Apostle, he was eager to share the faith with whoever would listen, and the great 10th chapter of Acts bears out this highly anticipated sermon.

The Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles in this chapter, just as He had fallen upon the 120 on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Peter knew that they had received the same revelation of the Holy Spirit because he heard them speaking with other tongues and he knew that they must have received of the same Spirit (Acts 10:46). What brought this great revelation of the Spirit to the house? Of course it followed the message that was delivered by Peter, but at what point in the sermon did the Spirit enter? The answer to that question is key in understanding the role of Christ’s finished work in everything that the Holy Spirit does.

Peter’s sermon begins in Acts 10:34, and continues through verse 43; a relatively short span of scripture. In my Pentecostal background, of which I am very proud to claim, we would take portions of this sermon and hold them up as great ways to describe the Holy Spirit. For instance, I remember hearing verse 38 quoted many times as an example of the power of God. It reads:

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

That is a power verse, pointing us to the awesome works of Jesus; how He did good things and healed people because of the Holy Ghost and power that rested on Him. However, if you will notice, there is no response on the part of the Holy Spirit when Peter says this. Instead, the sermon continues. Now notice that the scripture gives you the exact moment when the Spirit arrives in the room, “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell…” (Acts 10:44). What words was Peter speaking when the Holy Ghost fell? Perhaps we should read verse 43:

“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).

The moment that faith in Jesus and His finished work is mentioned, and the fact that this faith brings complete remission of sins, the Holy Spirit shows up. It is as if the Spirit has been waiting in the wings of the stage, listening for His cue so that He can rush in and save the day. His cue then, as well as now, is the finished work of Jesus being glorified. When Jesus is lifted up as the sacrifice for sins, the Spirit arrives with power to change lives. Jesus said that the role of the Spirit would be to glorify Him (John 16:14). As Jesus is lifted up, the Spirit manifests Himself to do the work. Peter learned that lesson in that moment; let’s not forget it now.

Mess With the Saint, You Mess With the Savior!

Acts 9:1-5

Saul was “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1). His mission was to stop this new religion known as “The Way” by taking anyone captive who claimed Jesus as their Savior. This form of intimidation was sponsored by the church but was spawned by Satan to stop the spread of the good news of Jesus Christ.

In choosing Saul to do the dirty work, Satan had went after the most learned of the law teachers in all of Judaism. A Pharisee of Pharisees, Saul was everything that a law-abiding Jew strived through their efforts to be. It is of no little significance that God would choose to bring His message of grace and New Covenant through this one who had trusted in his efforts at keeping the Old Covenant his entire life. By choosing a vessel that was “spotless” in the eyes of the church, God brings credibility to the choice of Paul to be the one to preach pure, radical grace. If the first minister of God’s grace had been one who had sin issues and questionable lifestyle practices, then people would accuse him of preaching grace to cover his failures. This should be noted by us today as we minister and walk in the glorious grace of God.

As Saul (who would later begin to use his Greek name, “Paul”) travelled to Damascus to persecute the early church, he was met by a great light from heaven, which blinded him and stopped his journey. From the midst of the light, he heard the typical greeting of the Father when He speaks tenderly to someone close to His heart, “Saul, Saul” (verse 4). There is nothing as tender to us as the sound of our own name on someone’s lips that loves us. From the Father, it sounds so nice He says it twice! “Samuel, Samuel” (1 Samuel 3:10); “Martha, Martha” (Luke 10:41); “Simon, Simon” (Luke 22:31); “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” (Luke 13:34).

Jesus asks Saul, “Why do you persecute me?”, which must have seemed confusing to Saul, for he did not feel that he was persecuting anyone. Remember, Saul felt that he was doing God’s work in exterminating this new-found faith. Even if he felt that what he was doing was persecution, he surely would not have felt that it was against one individual but rather against the collection of individuals known as “The Way” (later to be referred to as Christians). To be asked, “why do you persecute me?” is to denote that one person is being attacked.

Shocked, Saul asks who is speaking to him, and the reply is, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest” (Acts 9:5). The persecution that Saul was breathing out was against the Christians, but Jesus claims that it was against Him personally. This humbles Paul and leads to his salvation, for he sees Jesus as the defender of the church and thus personally invested in the lives of His followers.

When Satan attacks a believer, he is essentially attacking Jesus Christ. This is a lost battle for Satan, for he was de-fanged at Calvary, but he continues to roar like a lion anyhow. You and I are no match for Satan on his terms, which will always be performance and works related, so we must rest in the finished work of Christ’s cross to find the victory that Jesus has already won. Allow all attacks by the enemy to lead you back to the resting place in Jesus, for if Satan is coming after you what he should find is Jesus. Praise God!

No Salvation by Association

Acts 8:9-24

Simon Magus was a sorcerer from Samaria who bewitched people and convinced many that he “was some great one” (Acts 8:9). Along came Philip the evangelist who preached Jesus Christ, and many people believed and were baptized, including Simon himself. His story provides us with a prime example of someone who goes through the motions of salvation, with no real heart change.

Following his baptism, Simon follows Philip around, wondering and beholding at the signs and miracles that are done at Philip’s hand. After hearing about the revival in Samaria, the apostles in Jerusalem send Peter and John to preach of the great and mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit, and Simon watches as people receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. Intrigued by this, Simon offers to pay Peter to give him the same power, thinking that this is some sort of trick that Peter has learned. Peter, of course, will have nothing to do with this and actually says, “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God” (Acts 8:21).

A true believer is always right in the sight of God, for as Jesus is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). Simon has problems that go beyond his silly request to buy the power of God. Peter perceived that Simon was “in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity” (Acts 8:23). “Bitter gall” is “extreme wickedness” and the “bond of iniquity” are chains of unrighteousness. Peter is describing someone who is unchanged and unsaved.

The final indicator that Simon does not know the Lord is found in verse 24, when he asks Peter to “Pray ye to the Lord for me”. Simon feels no kinship with the Lord, and his wickedness has so distanced him from God that he feels more comfortable having Peter pray to the Lord for him, than he does in going to the Lord on his own. The text gives us no indication that Peter honors this request, for you can pray for no man’s soul but your own.

Simon is not uncommon, for he is an example of the lifestyle of many people in and around the church today. They hear a moving sermon and see others committing themselves to the Lord and they are moved to make some sort of verbal commitment as well. They are intrigued by some of the machinery of the church and they even go so far as to get involved in church programs and ministry work, but somewhere along the way it becomes clear that they are in it for all the wrong reasons. Soon, their wicked and unrighteous intentions come out and they show themselves even unable to converse with the Father, for they do not know Him.

I am not speaking about someone who meets the Lord and then has struggles in their life. These need reinforced that they are God’s righteousness and the knowledge that they are forgiven and not condemned will set them free. I speak of the one who has religion but has no relationship. With this kind, Peter pulled no punches, being quick to expose the hypocrisy for what it was.

There is no salvation by association. Each one of us must come to the Lord for a relationship and surrender our hearts to Him to be washed in His blood. Knowing someone who knows the Lord, or being friends with a preacher just is not enough. True relationship with Jesus bridges the gap caused by sin and makes you feel comfortable talking to your Father, for you know that He loves you and you love Him.

Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 5:1-11

When the Lord began to reveal to me His love and goodness, it was a marvelous journey for me. It was akin to being saved all over again, as I saw just how much that the finished work of Christ had truly finished. I was thrilled to learn new things about His forgiveness and His mercy as I searched the scriptures all over again. In His grace, life is truly abundant.

One passage that troubled me as I grew in this knowledge is found in the fifth chapter of Acts and it concerns the deaths of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. This story is an obvious case of God killing someone following the cross and it seemed very reminiscent of God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament. It seemed as if every day God was opening up His covenant to me showing me that He is no longer mad at mankind and that He had been appeased by the death of His Son on the cross, so why was He so obviously killing two of His children in Acts 5?

After much prayer and study, and several journeys into every commentary that I owned, I had nearly concluded that I would not find the answer. Nearly every commentator mentioned God’s wrath against sin and how some sins were so grievous that God would kill you on the spot if you committed them. Others taught that this story is a warning to the church that there is only so far that you should push God before people begin to die as part of His swift hand of judgment. I could not in good conscience accept these answers and still see God as having been propitiated at Calvary. Propitiation is “satisfaction”, and if God was satisfied, how could He punish a believer for failure?

The answer is found in the question that Peter asks Ananias, after Ananias lies to Peter concerning the price of the land that he has sold. “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?” is a question that reveals who Ananias is. No believer can be filled with the Spirit of God and with Satan, for there is no room in the heart for two masters (Matthew 6:24). If Satan had filled their hearts then we know that Jesus did not live there.

The author of the book felt the same way apparently, as he refers to Ananias as “a certain man” in verse 1. Only non-believers were referred to in this generic way in the book of Acts (Acts 10:1; 16:16) with believers being “certain disciples” (Acts 9:36), or “certain prophets and teachers” (Acts 13:1).

When a sinner rejects Christ long enough, there is nothing left for them but certain death. Having said no to Jesus, they have truly rejected the calling of the Holy Spirit, and have actually blasphemed his conviction. There remains no more hope for them, and they place themselves back under God’s wrath (John 3:36). This is why the angel smites Peter in Acts 12 and it wakes him from his sleep. The angel then smites King Herod in verse 23 and it kills him. When God smites the believer it wakes them up to who they are in Christ, but when he smites the sinner, it is His final judgment on their soul.

Do not have a fearful expectation of fiery judgment from your heavenly Father. You are the righteousness of God in Christ, and your Daddy is looking out for your good. When you fail He is not waiting with lightning bolts to smite you down, but rather He is waiting with a nail scarred hand to pick you up.