Saints,
We are now moving forward to chapters 3-6 of the book of Acts. This will be a little bit lengthier, but I hope worth it. Again, I urge you, let this bible study be a supplement to your reading of the bible, not a substitute. Nothing can replace what God has to say to you as an individual, nothing is more important than what he has to say to you. I ask you to reflect on what he has to say to you, and if I anything I say strikes you, please take the time and reflect on that as well.
Any verses that are cited within this post will again come from the Duoay-Rheims Bible, which can be found online here: http://www.drbo.org/index.htm . Let’s begin.
Chapter 3 opens with Peter and John going up to the temple, when they are stopped by a crippled begging for alms. What Peter says to him is critical and rather astounding.
6 But Peter said: Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise, and walk.
This says two things to me. First, that the word of God is powerful, real, effective, and needs to be spoken. The power of God’s word can only be unleashed when it is spoken. We see this throughout the entire bible. How did God create the heavens and the universe? He spoke!
Genesis 1:3 And God said: Be light made. And light was made.
God said this, and this was made, God said that, and that was made. He spoke and it was made. He wasn’t messing around in a heavenly lab mixing stuff up trying to create us. He just spoke.
Look at the Psalm that was from yesterdays mass
Psalm 33:6, 9
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood forth.
So what does this mean for us? Well we have been given the Word of God as a weapon to use. This power is right at our finger tips. When we speak things from the bible, aloud, over life, we embody these things. For example, Ephesians 6:13 says:
13 Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect.
I would pray and speak, “I have taken the armour of God and I am able to resist the evil today and I do stand perfect in all things!”.
This is a powerful form of prayer that I think we should all use. It’s power is only unleashed when it is spoken.
The second thing that struck me when I read what Peter said was that the only thing he could give the cripple was Jesus. He had no material thing to give him, but more importantly he had nothing else in his heart to give him either. We can’t give people Jesus if we are not allowing him to live more prevalently in our hearts. Peter, and all the apostles, are so filled with the holy Spirit, filled with it’s love, peace, joy, healing powers, etc. that there is no room in them for anything else.
So I am forced to ask myself, what is my heart filled with? What is it that I am capable of imparting to other people? If there is jealousy, bitterness, resentment, impurity, anger in my heart then how can Jesus live there? And if Jesus cannot live there how can I give him to other people and spread his Gospel? We cannot give away that of which we do not have.
In chapters 4 and the beginning of 5 we are given three examples of types of people. The first is the high priestly group, who tell the Apostles to stop preaching. They have come face to face with the power of the Gospel and reject it.
4:14 Seeing the man also who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
They see the healed cripple, they see the miracle, they know it to be true, but still cannot bring themselves to be converted and follow! Why? I think it is because they were to love in with their worldly comfort. . They are respected in the community, have wealth and prestige, etc. Possibly it is because they are to proud to admit that they were wrong in crucifying Jesus, and refuse to take the blame for that They cannot bring themselves to part with these things and accept what the Apostles are teaching.
The second example we are given is that of the married couple, Ananias and Saphira. They, unlike the high priests, accept what the Apostles are saying, but cannot give up everything they had. Their lust for money causes them to try and cheat the Apostles out, and hold back some of the money for themselves. Their own lies end up resulting in their immediate death.
And finally we come to Barnabas, who “Having land, sold it, and brought the price, and laid it at the feet of the apostles.” (4:37). He does not desire the things of this world, but only God. He sells it all and gives it to the apostles, who then distribute it to the people as they have need.
So again I am forced to ask myself, which of the three am I like? What am I so attached to that I want to hold back and not give to God. What part of my life, like Ananias and Saphira do I withhold, hidden from God, keeping it all to myself? And why is it that I am holding it back? Am I ashamed of it? Am I to proud to give it to God? You see, God doesn’t want just some of us, or most of us, or 99% of us. He wants us all. He wants our strengths, our weakness, the parts of us that are whole, and the parts that are broken. We cannot be like Ananias and Saphira and say “OK God you can be apart of my relationship with my family, but my relationship with my boyfriend/girlfriend, just stay out okay?” We will only be happy, like Barnabas, when we lay everything we have at the feet of Christ, at the foot of the cross and say, “Take it, it is yours, I am yours, do with me as you will, O Lord.”
In the middle of chapter 5 we come across a man named Gamaliel. He warns the council to leave the apostles alone, saying that they might “be found even to fight against God.” (5:39) He warns them that if the apostles mission is of God, there will be no overthrowing it, there is nothing that they can do to stop it. Amen to that! God’s will will not be thwarted by anything, no matter how hard we try! I think sometimes that we do try and thwart God’s will in our life. We run or hide or avoid what he has set before us to do, his will or plan in our life. And so we “kick against the goads” (Acts 9:5), and we end up hurting ourselves. But why do we hide from God’s plan for us? Look at the awesome examples we have been given in these first 6 chapters by the apostles. They are completely freed from this world and its desires. They are free. They are completely open to God, his Spirit, and his will, and they perform many great works and miracles! People come out into the street just so that Peter’s shadow may be cast over them and be healed! His shadow for crying out loud! (Could you imagine going to the doctors office and instead of him giving you medicine, he covered with you his shadow? This would be awesome, and probably a lot cheaper I think.) (5:15). Maybe it is not God’s will that we perform miracles (and maybe it is!), but it is his will that we be free like the first apostles. This freedom gives them a completely new outlook. Not long ago they were running from the Lord during his passion and now they are rejoicing that they may be counted worthy enough to suffer in his name! (5:41). What a transformation!
Chapter 6 sheds some light on the structure of the early church. The “Greeks”, so they called the Jews that were born and brought up in Greece, widow's are being neglected. Their ministry is growing and so the original 12 appoint 7 people to oversee this mission for the early church. Stephen is one of the 7 appointed and does “great wonders and signs among the people. “ (6:8). The people where Stephen is ministering cannot “resist the wisdom and the Spirit that spoke” (6:10) so they set up false witness against him. The chapter ends by telling us that while Stephen is before the council his face was “as if it had been the face of an angel”. (6:15). What a beautiful image. Even when we are in the bleakest of situations, God is with us, even more prevalently.
May the peace of the Risen Lord be with always,
Sean
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6 comments:
This is really good stuff.
The one thing that jumped out at me was in Acts 5:40-42, where the apostles got flogged for teaching and healing in the name of Jesus, and then "they left...REJOICING that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name..."
I dunno about you guys, but when I read that I thought they were crazy. They just got whipped, they are probably sore and in much physical pain, but they rejoice nonetheless. REJOICE! It also makes me feel like I'm not really much of a "saint;" I mean, I boo hoo at little crap that happens to me. These guys just seriously grin and bear it though. I think we should all pray to be more like them, that the Good Lord may take away our anger and resentment and whiney-ness towards pain (physical, mental, spiritual, whatever), and that He may instead fill us with His strength and courage to offer it up to Him and continue to bear witness to His glorious name, no matter what challenges and hardships we may face.
I was struck by the way Peter drew attention to the people's sin when he says in 3:13 "whom YOU handed over to Pilate." A couple days ago I learned that it is a Spiritual Work of Mercy to admonish sinners. We shouldn't CONDEMN sinners, but it is a work of mercy to gently point out their sinful tendencies. Maybe they weren't aware of it. In Acts, the footnotes in the American Translation state that the author is following the Lucan tradition of people sinning out of ignorance, especially in the handing over of Jesus due to their ignorance of his Messianic role. I struggle with how to do this gently and compassionately so that I don't condemn or seem to be condemning the sinner?
I liked what Sean said about how if we keep bitterness in our hearts, etc, how can Jesus who is perfect dwell alongside that? I also thought that we are like the beggar. Oftentimes, we only ask God for what we think is possible. The Beggar asked for gold and silver because it was so outside of his imagination that he could ask someone to heal him. We limit God and ask for what we think we need or what is possible in our human mind. Instead, in true Acts-of-the-Apostles fashion, God gives us the unimaginable. He heals us and gives us more than we even thought to ask for. Mother Teresa used a form of prayer called Prayerful Expectation where instead of saying, for example "God, help me" she would say "Lord, thank you for the help you will give." There is so much more faith in the second one. It just expects that no matter what, God is generous and will give. We need to stop thinking in terms of what's possible for us and start thinking expectantly about the impossibly good things God can give us.
I was also struck by their humilty. I feel like if I have any part of something important, I want as much credit as I can get. These guys HEALED a beggar and so much more, and instead of saying "Man, look how we were able to help that guy out; good for us!" They said "We had nothing to do with it. It was all God." Sometimes I feel like to give god credit for little things is demeaning to Him because He's so great, but I need to remember that no matter how small, God is behind everything, and nothing that is credited to God can be unworthy.
Finally, I just kept thinking again how overwhelming it might have been for the Apostles to have to cure so many and convert so many. They were so outnumbered. But then I think of our group. CSA doesn't really convert anyone or physically heal anyone, and yet when we do things like FoPs and Alternative Spring Break and things like that we're so invigorated. It must have been tiring, but between God's power and the intense fellowship, it was probably the happiest time of their life.
What awesome stuff going on here…praise God!
4:11
He is ‘the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.’
I have heard this analogy who-knows how many times in my life, but reading it here in this context today struck me deeply. I always thought of the stone rejected by the builders as being the person considered a loser and rejected by friends…like the most unpopular kid at school. The builders somehow in my mind were all the popular kids and then the lesson learned was that this loser kid would someday become something great. Wow that sounds so dumb now lol. Its ok if you want to laugh….haha. But hearing that JESUS is the stone rejected makes for a much better truth. Because He was rejected, we all know the story, and He has become the cornerstone in our lives.
I was also keen on the repeated use of the word “boldness” in chapter 4. The boldness of Peter and John before the Sanhedrin AMAZED them. I think there is a need for boldness in our lives as Christians. Jesus is thrown around all the time without much passion. I mean, we could have the passion deep down, but we hardly convey it. Boldness amazes people, it speaks your convictions for you by the power of the Holy Spirit. The community later prays to have the LORD “enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (4:29-30) As they pray, the place shakes, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit to continue to preach with boldness. Can you imagine STMUP shaking as we pray one night?? Personally, I’d be a little scared. A footnote in my Bible says that this earthquake is a sign of the Divine’s presence (also shown in Ex 19, 18; Is 6,4). It is a sign of God’s favorable response to the prayer. Gives a whole new meaning to ‘earthquake,’ huh? Of course back then, they didn’t know about plate tectonics and whatnot, but we might have a different outlook on (at least small-scale) earthquakes.
The part about Gamaliel and the apostles’ trial before the Sanhedrin immediately stuck out. First of all, the night before, an angel of the LORD opened the prison gates for them to go continue to preach as God willed. This angel also re-locked the gates—in my mind, in hopes to make the miracle more evident to the Sanhedrin/guards. This is another miracle put right in the faces of them which they cannot recognize and/or accept. But then wise little Gamaliel stands up and reminds us that God’s work is unstoppable. Things of man will wither away, but God never will. Trying to fight His work is the same as fighting Him. I don’t know about you….but who other than Satan thinks he can really take on God? And even Satan’s attempt has proven as an epic fail, sooo just go with God. ;)
I remember reading the story of Ananias and Sapphira a few weeks ago and wondering “ok…that was random.” Lol But now I think I get it… I think in one sense, it was God letting them know that His Commandments are still law (thou shall not bear false witness) even now that Jesus came and instituted the (most important) Laws of Love. Sean also interpreted this well, saying that we must be willing to allow Him into EVERY room of our homes…not just the pleasant ones we’d like to show Him. At the end of chapter six, there’s some more breaking-of-the-eighth-commandment going on, but not by the new Christians this time. That was certainly a work of the LORD being done when Stephen’s face looked like that of an angel’s to his judges.
The part Casey reflected on…about the apostle’s being flogged, then rejoicing for the opportunity of it…reminded me of one of my favorite songs: Lead Me Home by Matt Maher. These lyrics in particular: “Thank You for Your joy, thank You for the pain of longing for peace in my suffering. Thank You for my hunger, for my poverty, that I would fall into the arms of mercy…I praise You when I'm broken, I praise You when I'm lost that it would keep me honest and in need of You alone. I praise You for the past, for the mess of sin that I would never want to turn from You again.” When do we ever pray with thanksgiving for the mess of sin?! For our hunger, our poverty, our brokenness, our regrets?? Though they do not seem like so, they ARE things we should rejoice in, just like the apostles rejoiced after being flogged (anyone recall that scene in The Passion??). Becoming aware of things like these are one move in the holy direction of allowing Christ into every room of our homes.
What really hit me was in Acts 4:31-35 "And the multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul: neither did any one say that aught of the things which he possessed, was his own; but all things were common unto them." Whenever I read this I just reflected on how unfathomably creative and amazing God truly is. According to the census of the 2009 'Annuario Pontificio' (Pontifical Yearbook), the number of Roman Catholics of the world in 2007 was about 1.147 billion (sorry I couldn't find the statistics for 2009). That's over a billion individual people, individual souls that are a part of ONE body. Think about it, billions of people with so many different sets of skills, gifts, and abilities that trying think about it would make our heads spin and yet we are all a part of ONE body. How amazing is God that He can create so many different people with such diversity and yet we all serve Him though one Spirit. He is so amazing that even through all of our differences we can all serve Him in the same and yet such different ways. We serve in ONE spirit but through billions of different and unique ways and yet we are still ONE body. WOW!
I just wanted to add a little something that I stumbled upon on my footnotes in regards to Ananias and Sapphira. I'll just write word for word what it says.....
5, 1-11: The peculiarities latent in this narrative afford the basis of its proper interpretation. The harsh treatment meted out to Ananias (3f) does not accord with Luke's portrait of the love operative within the community; cf 2, 44-47. This harshness becomes more painfully evident when Sapphira is not informed of her husband's death, or of the fact that their deceit has been discovered (7f); neither of them is given that opportunity for repentance which lies at the heart of the teaching of the Christian community (2, 38).
Their sin did not consist in the withholding of part of the money, even deceitfully, but in their deception of the community. The true nature of this deceit is revealed in the light of the early Christian expectation of the parousia; cf Acts 3, 20; 1 Thes 4, 13-17. Their gift supposedly symbolized their complete confidence in the proximity of Christ's final coming, which rendered earthly possessions unimportant. (For a similar line of thought, cf 1 Cor 7, 29ff.) Their deaths are ascribed to a lie to the Holy Spirit (3-9), i.e., they accepted the honor accorded them by the community for their apparent faith in the proximate parousia, but in reality they were not deserving of it.
Hope that helped!
I think it is very poignant of you guys to be toucning upon the apostles rejoicing in their suffering. Funny how Luke doesn't mention that they rejoice after their healing miracles. I am sure that they gave much thanks and praise to God for this, but the author doesn't point it out to us, only when they were "were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus". Our Lord's life purpose was to suffer and die. Think about that. So wouldn't it make sense that if we are to be "Christ like" we will suffer? How many apostles were martyred? How many saints for that matter? How many saints experienced terrible spiritual sufferings and darkness? Mother Teresea experienced spiritual darkness for the majority of her adult life. St. Faustina, of the Divine Mercy, suffered similiar darkness and torments from devils. St. Padre Pio, a great saint of the 20th century, endured the stigmata of Christ. We are called to live crucified lives. CRUCIFIED lives. St. Paul's whole theology seems to be based around the crucifixion. We have all been given crosses, of different sizes and weights. Embrace yours. It is your only way, the only path to holiness, and ironically happiness, peace, and joy. Whatever sufferings you may be enduring, physical, spiritual, emotional, anything, make that your prayer. Unite yourself with our Savior and King on his cross and in his passion. Then rejoice that the Lord allowed these things to happen to you so that you may grow closer to you. I pray right now for courage upon all of you. To shoulder your cross and to not grow weary. You are all blessed and loved immensely. May the peace of the Risen Christ dwell more fervently in your hearts. Amen.
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