March 8, 2009: “The First Martyr” from Acts 6:8 – 7:60

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Stephen was not an apostle; rather, he was one of the men appointed to oversee the care of the widows. Yet he was performing great wonders and signs and using his ministry as an opportunity to preach the gospel. Stephen knew scripture and was filled with the Spirit–we also have access to these very things.

Stephen’s answer to the high priest recounts much of Israel’s history to show that God’s miraculous, active working was never restricted by land or temple and that their rejection of Christ was simply a continuation of what the Israelites had done throughout their history. He zeroes in on the self-righteousness of the religious leaders, noting that they had emphasized the temple and the prophets to the point of missing the Savior. They had whittled the living God down to an idol, behind which stood the demon of their own self-righteousness.

A sobering warning: don’t miss the message of Jesus Christ because of religion. God not only calls sinners to repent of their unrighteousness, but he calls religious people to repent of their righteousness.

February 22, 2009: “The Joy of Suffering Dishonor for the Name” from Acts 5:12-42

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Any church that will be a part of the unstoppable advance of the gospel must obey in the face of opposition and rejoice in the suffering that opposition will inevitably bring.

Gospel obedience is gospel proclamation in the face of gospel opposition. Peter proclaimed Christ even as he and the apostles faced trial for teaching the name of Jesus. “We must obey God rather than men” – these words are not the crux of a moralistic lesson to obey God even if your friends try to convince you otherwise, but a call to speak truth with objectivity and clarity, no matter the cost.

The apostles were flogged, much like Jesus was beaten prior to his crucifixion. Their suffering like and for Jesus gave them an intensity of fellowship with him that could not be gained in any other manner. They rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer for the name of Christ.

When, through regeneration, we come to know Jesus as a person, we will desire to obey in the face of opposition and will rejoice in the suffering that results. When Jesus is only a set of theological truths that we must affirm to gain entrance to heaven, we will not be burdened to proclaim him or find joy in suffering for his name.

February 15, 2009: “The Severity of Christ’s Love for the Church” from Acts 4:32 – 5:11

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Though forward progress always meets some kind of resistance, it is God’s design for the Church to move forward. How much does Christ love the church? So much that he died for her. But there is more: he also killed for her. In this text, we see the severity of that love in God’s radical action against Ananias and Sapphira—an action that preserved the advance of the gospel in the early church.

The unity of the early church is displayed in the latter part of Acts 4. The believers “were of one heart and soul” despite the fact that their differences in dialect, language, culture, politics, diet, and other areas would have been significant. This unity in diversity was a powerful and attractive force in their witness.

The dishonesty and hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira might potentially have disrupted the church’s unity. But the greater peril was the potential withdrawal of the vital, life-giving, empowering presence of the Spirit of God in the church. God’s murder of Ananias and Sapphira is a shocking testimony of his gracious and special love for the church and his desire to use them in the unstoppable advance of the gospel.