Holiness and Hypocrisy

Introduction:

Open your Bibles to the book of Acts this morning - Acts chapter 4 - verse 32

Acts 4:32 found on page 858 in the black church Bibles under the seat in front of you

When we left the young fledgling church in Jerusalem, they were just beginning to feel the pressure of persecution

The mission that was given to them by Jesus was to take the gospel to the ends of the earth - to start in Jerusalem and move to Judea, Samaria, and the utter most parts of the Earth

It is a mission that is Christ’s mission - to seek and save those who are lost - to call all the sheep that the Father has given Him

He has gone and prepared the way for us to enter the house of the Father by dying on the cross and rising from the dead - in His death, he absorbs the wrath of God in our place and rising from the dead he conqures death and secures a resurrection for all who believe in Him

The mission that He was given, has now been passed on to the church - and that Mission, is an unstoppable mission - because it is a work that is powered by an unstoppable God

But, that does not mean that it will be an easy mission - or a mission that goes the way we think or want it to go

The young church was seeing that there is opposition to the gospel, because there is opposition to God - those who oppose the gospel will oppose the church - those who hate Christ will hate the church - that is what Jesus said in John 15

John 15:18–20 (ESV)

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. … If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you…

Chapter 4 of the book of Acts opened with the arrest of Peter and John for preaching the gospel

You will remember, that the religious leaders held court and threatened the disciples - commanding them NOT to speak in the name of Jesus

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter and John informed the religious leaders that they were commanded by God to speak the Gospel, and they would not stop

Upon their release, the church gathered to consider the matter and then went straight to prayer - they did not pray to be released from the persecution, but that they would have the boldness to speak the gospel in spite of the persecution

They recognized that everything that occurs is by the divine plan of God - and that included the murder of Jesus

So, though we don’t understand the workings of God (for His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are higher than ours Is. 55) - what we do understand, what we do know, is that God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are the called

Their prayer expressed confidence in the Sovereignty of God - in response, the LORD shook the earth - both physically and metaphorically - for from that fledgling church the gospel would truly spread across the globe and change the world

When we left off two weeks ago, the church that prayed for boldness recieved boldness - and they continued to speak the Word of God

As we move forward this morning, we will find the church growing - and we will see the enemy try another tactic to destroy the mission of God

So, I invite you to stand with me, if you are able, for the reading of the Word of God

Read Acts 4:32–5:11 (ESV)

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 

5:1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

This is the Word of the Living God - He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Pray

The End of chapter 4 serves as a bridge passage between events

Some take this passage as a stand alone passage and then preach it as a stand alone sermon

But doing so, often leads to doctrinal errors and promotes godless ideas

It often leads to a promotion of communism or socialism - a christian utopia in which no one owns anything and everyone shares

I have been reading Frank Baum’s Wizard of OZ series (never read them as a kid, so I am reading them now) — there are 14 books in Baum’s OZ series

What is interesting, is that he promotes the wonderful land of OZ land as a utopia in which everyone shares everything and no one hoards anything - there is no money so no one steals and everyone is kind and shares what they have (until someone steals or seeks to conquer or destroy) because try as we might, we cannot create a utopia when sin reigns in the heart of men - we can’t even imagine one let alone create one

Communism never works - and it is never endorsed by Scripture

This bridge passage should be connected to either the previous text or the following text

It can be included with the previous text and the events of persecution from the religious leaders - serving as a semi conclusion - a resetting of the status

Setting

If you look at the way Luke writes, there is a story arc that goes back to the end of chapter 2 where the normative status of the gathered church was centered around devotion to the Word of God, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer

Tension

Then one day Peter and John heal a lame man and preach the gospel - thousands get saved - the religious leaders are annoyed - Tension is rising

Conflict/climax

Peter and John are arrested - they are threatened and commanded not to preach Jesus and then released

Resolution

The gathered church considers the warnings, prays and boldly does what God commands - since he is of higher authority than the religious leaders

New Setting

Acts 4:32-37 represent the new setting - how the church was functioning and what was occuring

So, it would be appropriate to include it with the previous passage - but, it is not the final new setting - it is not the end of the story - there is much more to come

It also serves as the introduction to what occurs in the opening of chapter 5 - a look into the work of God in the church and the danger of the enemy attacks from with in

In fact, we will see this often here in the book of Acts, because of the nature of the story - Luke is recording a historical narrative of the events that established the church

He is writing this account to inform Theophilus (and any others who would read it) as to how this gospel exploded onto the world scene - how it has transformed the lives of those who believe and is continuing to transform the world - turn it upside down - so to speak

The story does not end in chapter 4

So, I have chosen to use the bridge setting to introduce the conflict

Because I believe it bests shows the contrast of the Holiness and Hypocrisy that that Luke wants us to see

He is giving us a comparison - one that should cause us to look deep within out own hearts

The early church was not without it’s problems and it was not without it’s false converts - it was not without it’s sinning believers

And the devil, who hates Christ, hates the church of Christ - he will seek to destroy it any way he can

As we saw in the previous passages, he attacks the church from outside with persecution - now we will see him attack from within

As John Stott said…

“If the devil’s firs tactic was to destroy the church by force from without, his second was to destroy it by falsehood from within”

Our passage shows the contrast of what the church should be like - Holiness - and what it should not be like - Hypocrisy

Let us start with what it should be filled with…

1) Holiness

Holiness is the imitation of God - it is what we are commanded to be and do

When you consider the holiness of God, you must consider the wholeness of His character and being

For one, He is separate from Creation - He is truly “one of a kind”

Isaiah 46:9 (ESV)

... I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me

Secondly, the Holiness of God calls into mind the purity of God

He is a God who has no faults and has no sin - He does no wrong and always does all that is good

That means, that He does not DO wrong, and he does not fail to DO Good or Right

1 John 1:5 (ESV)

… God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Habakkuk 1:13 (ESV)

You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong…

Hebrews 6:18 (ESV)

... it is impossible for God to lie…

James 1:13 (ESV)

…God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

James 1:17 (ESV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Revelation 4:8 (ESV)

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

The Holiness of God is without blemish, spot, or wrinkle - and that is what thee people of God are called to be

As Peter noted in…

1 Peter 1:15–16 (ESV)

but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

The church of God is to be separated from the world and to be pure from evil

The Church is called to be Holy - and Christ is presenting His bride (the church) Holy, without spot or wrinkle and without blemish - Ephesians 5:27

As the young church begins, Luke records for us the Holiness of the church

He gives us this glimpse into the purity of the new bride

What the church should look like - three characteristics that marked this church

First, they were…

A) Unified

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

There was a unity in this church that far surpassed material things - they understood that this earthly life was a temporal life - these days would soon pass and they would enter eternity

They understood that they would be together forever - and that the possessions they had would rust, or be stolen, or destroyed by moths - that if someone else had a need of it, they would gladly share it

This would serve as a powerful testimony - that they were disciples of Christ

This is what Jesus said would happen in…

John 13:35 (ESV)

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The unity of the gathering church and the kindness to one another to share material things was a demonstration of Love

This was not a forced giving - this was love for one another over love for things

It was as though they were functioning as one body, not many individuals

Just as Jesus had prayed for in John 17 - “that they may all be one”

Here, they were demonstrating a Christ like humility that put the needs of others above thier own needs - and in that way, they were different from the world

They were “Holy” - separate - for they were not looking out for number one - they were not into “self-care”

They were focused on caring for others

Secondly, they were…

B) Bold

33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all

The prayer of the last passage was for boldness - here we see that the Apostles were continuing to preach the Word of God with great boldness and great power

They were specifically preaching the resurrection of Jesus - this was one of the key components that the Sanhedrin council was opposed to

In part because they did not believe in the resurrection and more specifically, because it was of the resurrection of the man whom they killed

But the early church did not shy away from the proclamation of the gospel - they were not afraid of teaching things that were counter cultural

Much of the visible church today hides from the divisive doctrines of Scripture - and the most divisive doctrine of the gospel is Jesus

This Jesus who was crucified, risen, and is coming again

The public culture of the day will accept preaching a culturally tame jesus who is a means of salvation - a jesus who is a good moral example - a jesus who is kind and accepting of us right were we are - a soft jesus

But they will not tolerate This Jesus - the Jesus who claims to be the only Truth and the only Life and the Only way to the Father in Heaven

They will not tolerate This Jesus who is LORD of all

On January 2, 2007 the Rev. Robert Certain (Colonel in the US Air Force), pastor in the Episcopal church conducted the funeral in the national cathedral for President Gerald Ford

During his message, he said several things that were of great controversy, but perhaps the greatest travesty was his reading of Scripture

Not for the Scripture selected, but for the portion that was cut off

He read that familiar passage of comfort from John 14 - a passage that is intended to bring comfort to the hearts of the disciples of Christ - to encourage them that Jesus has prepared the way for us to enter the Father’s house - to walk through the gates of heaven - and that He will return for us - to show us that Jesus is the Only way to the Father’s house

When Certain read the text, he cut off the latter part of John 14:6

He stopped after “I am the way the Truth and the Life”

He then closed the Bible and declared that this was “the gospel of the Lord”

But he left off the divisive part - the exclusive part

The full verse reads…

John 14:6 (ESV)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

There is no doubt that it was intentionally left out - because the world does not like an exclusive Jesus

The early church had no problem preaching with boldness

Third, They were…

C) Generous

34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 

This is the part of the passage that some want to use to justify communism or socialism - but to do so is to ignore the rest of the passage and to ignore the whole of Scripture

No where are Christians commanded to sell everything and give it away

The only command in Scripture that is anything like that was given to the rich young ruler (in Matt. 19) who believed himself to be a full keeper of the Law and looking to good deeds to earn his entrance into heaven - the command of Jesus to sell everything and give it to the poor was to expose the idols of his heart

For he was a man of gluttony and a man who loved money more than God

Our text in Acts is not commanding believers to sell everything and give it to the church - Peter confirms this in the next chapter

Acts 5:4 (ESV)

While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?

The things that God has blessed you with are yours - sort of - they are yours to use for His glory - they are yours to invest in eternity

The example here is not of a forced communistic socialism - but of a generous heart that comes from God

The true church is a generous church - giving above and beyond

The old testament pattern was to give a tithe - a tenth and then to give offerings that were above that - while there is debate among some as to whether this practice is still a commanded in the NT - my point is not to debate the commanded amount, but to remind you of the example of generosity

Paul told the corinthian church to give with a cheerful heart

2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV)

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

The example of the early church is cheerful giving - and it was probably a lot more than a tenth

I will say this, on a side note - a tenth is a good practice for regular giving - deciding in your heart to consistantly give a tenth of everything that comes in and then generously giving as there is need and as the Lord provides, above and beyond that tenth

Some of you may think that you cannot afford to give a tenth, but I assure you, you cannot afford not to give a tenth - God always supplies our need - and to withhold based upon your needs, is to say to God - I don’t believe that you can supply, so I must do it my self

In reality, there are many luxuries that we do not need that we could give up - so a tenth is probable not a hardship if we adjust our living standard

The point here that Luke is showing - is a generous church that gave sacrificially

even to a disciple named Joseph (whom the apostles would call Barnabas - son of encouragement) who sold a piece of land and gave the proceeds to the church

Now, this Barnabas (who is found throughout the book of Acts) was a levite and a resident of Cyprus - we are not told how he came to acquire this land, nor are we told where the land was - but what we do know, is that he was a Levite and Levites were not to own tracts of land

Perhaps this led to his decision to sell it and give it

What we do know, is that he is shown here as a man of submission to God, and a man of sacrifice - willing to give without reservation

The gift was meant to be an encouragement to the church and those in need - for some tury had to let goods and kindred go

Some were poor, outcasts, and slaves - they had nothing and the worldly culture cast a downward eye at them and passed them by

Those who had hearts changed by the Holy Spirit - who were now in Christ - demonstrated the mercy and kindness of Christ

Marked by generosity

This is the holiness of the church - living like Christ

The Fruit of the Spirit - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control

All markers of the genuine church - Holy before God

But the evil one does not like the holiness of the church - he desires to infiltrate and to destroy

Jesus warned that he would come and sow weeds among the wheat in Matthew 13

The parable was pointing to the fact that the devil would seek to infiltrate the church with unbelievers and thus pollute it

For the Holiness would be infiltrated by…

2) Hypocrisy

This is where we shift to chapter 5 and we find a married couple entering the church and seeking to look like something they were not

They were seeking to pretend

For that is what a Hypocrite is - a pretender who wears a mask - the word was initially used to refer to actors on the stage who would wear masks to pretend to be someone or something that they were not

We don’t know when this couple came into the church - some will suggest ath they were in the group that is referenced in chapter 4 verse 32 - meaning that they were part of the “full number of those who believed”

The implication is that they were Christians then

This may be true, but since the church was growing daily, they may not have been part then - and they may not have been believers

When there is something new, people want to join - they like the excitement, and some thing that they can get in on the ground floor and get some kind of special authority

When we first started Christina Bible church, we were infiltrated by a prarade of people that seemed to come with excitement at joining a brand new church - they walked int and imediatly poffered their services - almost like bringing a resume

Some would come once and then declare their intention to join the church - without even knowing who we were or what we believed

I am forever thankful to the Lord for sparing us from many of those false believers - for they would have sullied what God was starting - and perhaps destroyed it before it could begin

That seems to be what was happening with Ananias and Sepphira

I cannot say with certainty as to whether they were believers or not - for the Scriptures do not tell us - but for my part, I do not think they were

They certainly didn’t act like they were believers

They just wanted to look like believers and receive the perceived accolades of being big givers

I think Luke is showing us the contrast between Holy Christianity and Hypocritical Christianity

Some have noted the similarities between this account and the account of Achan in Joshua 7

In that passage, we are told of a man who disobeyed the command of God to refrain from taking any spoil form the enemy, but to devote it all to destruction - this man (also a greedy man) took and hid treasures of the pagan enemies in his tent - it cost him and his family, their lives

While they are not exactly the same, what we can notice, is that in the early days of God’s people living under a new covenant the enemy sought to penetrate the holiness and destroy

And both events were followed by a “remarkable expression of God’s wrath” - (Peterson Acts of the Apostles pg. 211)

I have other reasons for my conclusions, but I don’t think they are germane to the topic here, because regardless of their salvific state, the principle is true - they were acting like unbelievers and must be treated as such - the warning is true for all in the visible church - those who are born again and those who are just playing the part

God will purify His church - Christ will present His Bride spotless

Three quick consideration of the Hypocrite - first…

A) The Plan of the Hypocrite

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?

This was not an accident - this was not a moment of weakness - this was a planned fraud

The intention of this man (not a disciple, but a man) named Ananias conspired with his wife - they sat down and talked the whole thing through

We will sell the property - we will give some of it and keep some of it, but we will tell them that this is everything - that way we can look like Barnabas - maybe we will get a special name form the Apostles too!

The whole world will know of our generosity - and maybe we will get a seat at the table with the leaders

This is a window into the deceitfulness of the heart of man

Let us pretend to be something we are not

The false Christian, is always pretending - but they will eventually be exposed - unfortunately, there are many Christians who cannot leave their acting ways behind

We have a tendency to hide our faults and present ourselves as something we are not - take heed to the consequences - for there are sins that lead to death as Paul told the Corinthian church

This hypocrisy was planned and the second thing we note is…

B) The Exposure of the Hypocrite

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.”

Here we see another reason that I do not believe them to be true Christians - the heart was filled by satan

The heart of the believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit and filled by the Holy Spirit - it does not mean that we cannot be tempted or drawn away by the devil - but more often we are drawn away by our own lusts and enticed by our own desires

Here the language is similar to that which was used to describe Judas the night that he betrayed Jesus - when satan had entered his heart

What happens though when the matter is brought before Peter is Exposure of the sin - the mask of generosity ios pulled off to reveal a heart of greed

greed from money and greed for popularity

The lie was not a lie to men, but a lie to God - it was an act of rebellion to God

And it led to…

C) The Purging of the Hypocrite

5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 

9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

When the words of Exposure fell from the lips of Peter, the judgment of God fell upon the sinner - the heart of greed stopped beating and the man fell

Now, some have sought to suggest that this was a death from natural causes - the shock of the exposure caused a heart attack

But the words of Peter to Sapphira reveal that this was no a natural death from shock, but the judgment of God

9 …Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

It was then that she died - it was then that the Lord took her breath - the breath of life

It is no small thing to lie to the living God

Some things we out ton remember - God sees the hearts of men

Hebrews 4:13 (ESV)

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Psalm 44:21 (ESV)

… For he knows the secrets of the heart.

You cannot hide your heart from God - He knows your intentions even better than you

And he warns us in Proverbs

with that verse that parents often share with their children…

Proverbs 12:22 (ESV)

Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD…

That is, they are a thing that God hates

For He is Truth

the double down sin of Ananias and Sapphira was the lying

They not only conspired together to deceive the people of the church, they outright lied when asked again - proving that to lie to the church is to lie to the Holy Spirit who indwells the church

This reveals that they did not know the God they claimed to know

For He is a consuming fire - He is Holy, Holy, Holy

And His wrath is ever against sin and evil

Conclusion:

Result of this event…

Fear on All

11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

The fear fell on both those in the church and those outside the church

Those who were Christians and those who were not

And the fear was great

for those in the church, it reminds us that God is Holy and He does not triffle with sin - for it was sin that separated us from Him and sin that cost the blood of the Son

That eternal wrath was poured out on an eternal God who absorbed it in our place

And we are forever in Christ - shielded from the wrath of God and welcomed into the love of God

But Christ is our only hope - there is no other Truth and there is no other Way

The world still rebells agains this Jesus - they want their own jesus - one made in their image that exalts them and serves them as a genie from the bottle

And while the patience of God is great, so to the wrath of God is great - and it will not be held back forever

So, those who come to church and play about as Christians - wearing the mask of Christianity without the change of heart - be warned

Your Hypocrisy will be exposed - the mask will be removed - and the judgment will be eternal

For those of you who are in Christ - take comfort that the wrath has already been poured out on Jesus - so there is none left for you - if you are wearing a mask of hypocrisy - pretending to be more than you are, the call is the same - come to Jesus and remove the mask before He removes it

Pray

Benediction:

2 Peter 3:18 - (May you) grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

In fact, if you were to look through the chapters to come, you will often see Luke’s use of “Now” and “But” - the “Now” paragraphs are the bridge paragraphs and the “But”s bring in the conflict

I have chosen to include the but’s with the nows