Acts 11

Why do we do things that we know aren’t good for us?

I eat too much bread. I put too much sugar in my coffee. I don’t eat fruits and vegetables like I should. Those things I do but rarely feel conviction about them. But over the last few weeks I’ve noticed that I watch and read too much news. It’s not that the news is bad… it usually is.

The problem is that I get sucked in to their way of thinking as they tell the story.

Don’t get me wrong, we should be informed. We should take part in our government. But if you listen to them, it sounds like we are headed for real problems in our world.

Economically.... there has to be a major correction coming.

Politically… here in teh US we are a mess.

We seem to be getting overrun by people from other parts of the world trying to get here for a better life… but we all worry that we are going to wind up being more like the nations they escaped from.

Foriegn nations have a real dislike for us and our way of being involved in the world. THey want to replace us financially or militarily.

IF you watch the news or spend any time reading the articles on twitter or social media, you will very quickly realize that the clouds seem to be rising all around us.

That’s where we find ourselves in the Gospel of Acts.

Jesus rises from the dead

Holy Spirit shows up…

Peter and John preach and heal -

People are saved …

They preach and heal some more -

They are arrested/freed/threatened -

Pray for Boldness -

Extraordinary generosity breaks out

Barnabas sells land

A&S sell, lie, struck down -

Fear of God grips the people

But the Disciples didn’t stop.

Acts 5:12–13 NIV

12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.

Signs and Wonders - Healing and other miracles

Solomon’s Colonnade

Near the temple and Sanhedrin

Threats of loss of lifestyle

Then there is the threat of loss of life as seen in Ananias and Saphirra

But in the midst of this cloud of fear, there is great boldness

Boldness amidst a cloud of fear

Remember the disciples had prayed for boldness… knowing that the cloud was forming.

But the people hadn’t known and as a result, they were gripped with fear - threats - judgement of A&S

For Disciples it was a matter of staying focused on the one who gave their lives direction

Reading conspiracies on twitter - caught up in not believing what we see - but there is a conspiracy… satan our enemy

We should expect it to be like this - and stay faithful.

That’s exactly what the disciples were doing, and look what happened

Acts 5:14 NIV

14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.

Many wouldn’t come join the disciples… but some did… because God was on the move.

God is on the move

Disciples didn’t get caught up in the fact that some people were afraid, some people wouldn’t make the commitment to follow

But some did.

That applies today.

It seems like more and more people aren’t interested in making a commitment to follow Christ and be a part of His body the church.

Some are interested but struggle keeping their faith a priority.

Others are afraid to commit to being a part of the body because they fear their lifestyle will have to change

WE can’t get caught up in that… because some people are.

What we need to keep doing is exactly what the disciples did here.

We don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t know if we’ll all be okay or if those we love will make it through. We don’t know and that creates feelings of deep uncertainty and with uncertainty comes fear and anxiety.

Here’s what this says about our cloud. We can count on Jesus no matter what. If you believe in the Lord, which means if you believe Jesus is God, and place your whole trust in him, your whole life in his hands, you’ll be okay.

You’ll be okay not as the world defines it but as God defines it (John 16:33). God promises to never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5). God promises to use all things, even this, for our good (Rom 8:28). God promises that one day he’ll wipe away every tear and death will be no more (Rev 21:1-4). There is goodness and grace in the cloudiness.

The people put their faith in Jesus - despite the risk - and some still come.

God is on the move!

Look at this:

Because people were coming to faith, because the Disciples kept preaching and healing...

Acts 5:15–16 NIV

15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

When some dared to experience God’s goodness and grace in the cloud, and their faith drew others out.

It was like a ripple in a pond. Their faith in Christ brought others to faith in Christ. When others saw God’s power they stopped being afraid. They heard how these Christians were performing miracles and they dared to bring out their sick so that “at least Peter’s shadow might fall on them…”

There was a lot of superstition around shadows back then. A shadow falling on you could benefit you or harm you depending on whose shadow it was.

All of them were healed...

This may not have been the correct way to get healed; but still God healed them. “…all of them were healed…” This tells us we don’t have to have everything figured out. We don’t have to have perfect faith. We don’t need to be perfect. We need to believe Jesus is our Lord and Savior and he’ll take care of the rest. Do you think the people who were sick and tormented by evil spirits had it all figured out? No! They were probably really confused and delusional and maybe even spiritually hostile to Jesus, but still Jesus healed them. God takes broken people and mends them up. There is goodness and grace in the darkness of the cloud.

That goodness and grace can look like actual physical healing, if we ask it and the Lord wills it. That goodness and grace can look like demons fleeing—true spiritual healing. God’s goodness and grace will look different in each of our situations but it will also look the same because it will look like Jesus.

So how do we live this out? How do we apply this story to our lives? I read it as a call to minister to those who don’t know Christ.

Often we in the church want to build one another up, the call to fellowship is certainly a calling for the church.

But let’s not allow our love for one another push aside our love for our community, our call to reach the lost,