Living the Resurrection: In Authenticity and In The Place We Are Called
Acts 4:32–5:42
Last week we saw how the early church responded to crisis and hardship: they went to prayer, were filled with the Holy Spirit, and boldly preached who Jesus is. When we face trials, go to the Holy Spirit and see that God is greater than our problems. This passage builds on that foundation by expanding on how to apply those learnings through three episodes in Acts 4 and 5: the story of Ananias and Sapphira, the apostles' release from prison and return to the temple, and the rebuttal of Gamaliel.
First, Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property, kept back a portion of the proceeds for themselves, and brought the rest to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. They had tried to deceive the Holy Spirit. As a result, both died on the same day. What was their sin? Was it that they didn't give enough? Peter's words in Acts 5:3–4 make clear that the property and the money were genuinely theirs to keep or give as they chose. The amount was never the issue. Reading the passage itself, their sin was that they lied, and in lying, they tested the Holy Spirit. They wanted to look holier and more devoted than they actually were. That temptation is not unique to them. We all know the pull toward small lies that make us look better than we are, whether it's adding an inch to our height or polishing an image for others to see. The death of Ananias and Sapphira is a wake up call of how seriously God takes hypocrisy. We are capable of deceiving people, but we cannot deceive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows the true motivation behind our words and actions. God calls us to be truthful and authentic, not perfect. If we're being honest, none of us has fully lived up to complete truthfulness, yet we are not struck down. This is not because our dishonesty is less serious than theirs but because God is patient and extends grace and time for us to repent.
Second, in Acts 5:17–21, the apostles are arrested and imprisoned, then miraculously freed by an angel of the Lord. The angel tells them to go back to the temple where they had just been arrested and to keep teaching. On the surface this seems backwards. Common sense says to flee to safety, not return to danger. But God's instruction raises a deeper question about what faith actually looks like. Faith is not recklessly running toward danger, and it is not always fleeing from hardship either. Faith is remaining in the place where God has called us. God didn't send the apostles back to the temple to make them suffer more, but because that was the place of their calling. In marriage, in parenting, in church life, in work, there are moments we want to give up. This passage reminds us that God calls us to remain faithfully in the place He has placed us, even in the midst of trials.
Lastly, after the apostle’s release, they boldly preached the resurrection again, enraging the religious leaders who wanted to kill them. Gamaliel, a respected teacher, spoke up against the Pharisees who wanted the apostles dead. He pointed to two other movements, led by Theudas and Judas the Galilean, that both fell apart once their leaders were killed. Gamaliel emphasized that If this movement was just a human thing, it would fizzle out the same way. If it was actually from God, there was no stopping it anyway. Instead, just leave them alone. He was right about the logic, but he missed the real difference. Jesus had actually risen from the dead. That's why the apostles didn't scatter, why they kept going back to the temple, and why their lives were so radically changed. Acts 5:41 shows it clearly, they left the council rejoicing that they'd been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus' name. That kind of joy in humiliation is itself evidence of the resurrection.
Discussion Questions
Where in your life are you tempted toward "small lies" to appear more devoted, capable, or put-together than you really are? What would it look like to bring God your truthful self instead?
Is there a place (a relationship, a role, a season) where God has called you to remain even though it's hard? What would faithfully "staying" look like there, versus either fleeing or recklessly pushing in?
If someone asked you for evidence that Jesus is alive, what change in your own life could you point to?
