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Introduction
As we continue to deal with the problems that burden the disciples to preach, we come to The Problem Of Arrest And Imprisonment 5:12-42.
That is the section that we will tackle this morning.
PRAY
As we continue to deal with the problems that burden the disciples to preach, we come to The Problem Of Arrest And Imprisonment 5:12-42.
That is the section that we will tackle this morning.
PRAY
In his book Good News Is For Sharing Lieghton Ford writes that “From boyhood, one of my favorite stories has been the forty martyrs of Sabaste.
These forty soldiers, all Christians, were members of the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome's imperial army.
One day their captain told them Emperor Licinius had sent out an edict that all soldiers were to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods.
These Christians replied, ‘You can have our armor and even our bodies, but our hearts' allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ.’
The Problem Of Arrest And Imprisonment 5:12-42
It was midwinter of A.D. 320, and the captain had them marched onto a nearby frozen lake.
He stripped them of their clothes and said they would either die or renounce Christ.
Throughout the night these men huddled together singing their song, "Forty martyrs for Christ."
One by one the temperature took its toll and they fell to the ice.
At last there was only one man left.
He lost courage and stumbled to the shore, where he renounced Christ.
The officer of the guards had been watching all this.
Unknown to the others, he had secretly come to believe in Christ.
When he saw this last man break rank, he walked out onto the ice, threw off his clothes, and confessed that he also was a Christian.
When the sun rose the next morning, there were forty bodies of soldiers who had fought to the death for Christ.”
Lieghton Ford, Good News is for Sharing, 1977, David C. Cook Publishing Co., p. 16.
This story reveals that there are some who are worthy to suffer for Christ, and there are some who are not worthy.
As I studied this section I repeatedly asked myself a question.
What is it that makes them worthy to suffer?
Their obedience.
God says preach they preach.
They are arrested.
An angel releases them and says preach, they preach.
They are re-arrested.
They are commanded not to preach but they must obey God and not men.
They are beaten, commanded not to preach, and released.
They continue preaching.
“What made these men worthy to suffer?”
I have concluded that
There are four attitudes revealed by the apostles that make a believer worthy to suffer for Christ.
Our challenge today is to understand and apply these attitudes.
When our attitudes mirror these, we too will be worthy to suffer.
This passage first reveals…
1.
The Reason For Arrest And Imprisonment vv.
12-16
As background to this story we must remember that the disciples have already been commanded not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus.
They have steadfastly refused to bow to the threats of men.
Instead, they have continued preaching and ministering to people.
This is important as we examine…
a.
The popularity of the apostles vv.
12-13
God uses the apostles to do many miracles among the people.
This is what drove thier popularity.
The wording in the end of v. 12 has led many to believe that Solomon’s porch is where the early church believer’s met.
Luke’s usage of “with one accord” supports this theory.
This Greek word appears in 1:14 when they are praying, 2:46 in the description of the growth and activity of the early church, and in 4:24 when they are praying about the persecution.
In each instance the context is that of the gathering of the church.
What I love about this is that The early church is meeting in the temple and preaching Christ there!
The Holy Spirit is doing miracles through the apostles and people are being saved!
God uses the apostles to do many miracles among the people.
This is what drove thier popularity.
The wording in the end of v. 12 has led many to believe that Solomon’s porch is where the early church believer’s met.
Luke’s usage of “with one accord” gives credence to this theory.
This Greek word appears in 1:14 when they are praying, 2:46 in the description of the growth and activity of the early church, and in 4:24 when they are praying about the persecution.
In each instance the context is that of the gathering of the church.
What I love about this is that the early church is meeting in the temple and preaching Christ there!
The Holy Spirit is doing miracles through the apostles and people are being saved!
However, The miracles of the apostles didn’t automatically lead to record breaking conversions.
Verse 13 reveals that there were those who dared not join them.
The Greek word translated “rest” here is normally used to describe unbelievers.
The key here is the word “join”.
This is the Greek word κολλάομαι (kollaomai) meaning join; unite.
To attach oneself, or to establish a relationship with someone.
Join – κολλάομαι (kollaomai)
Though the apostles were “highly esteemed” there were many who still didn’t believe.
Many commentators trace this reluctance back to what happened to Ananias and Sapphira.
Whatever the reason, there is a contrast here.
While refusing to join the apostles, these people still esteemed them highly.
As with Jesus, it is the popularity of the apostles that leads to persecution.
This is highlighted as we consider…
It is their popularity that leads to persecution.
ii.
Popularity through esteem v. 13
b.
The healing of the apostles vv.
14-16
i. Healing of multitudes spiritually v. 14
Though there were some who didn’t believe, v. 14 reveals that “multitudes of both men and women” did.
The early church definitely practiced a ministry of multiplication.
Again we are reminded that the disciples had been forbidden to preach in Jesus name.
What they are doing is dangerous!
Yet this is what Christ has commanded.
As these people were spiritually healed through the gospel of Jesus Christ, they brought those who were physically sick seeking miraculous healing for them.
Verse 15 records them placing people on the street in an attempt to have Peter’s shadow fall on them.
It is not clear whether this resulted in their healing or not.
Regardless, the disciples were popular, the gospel was going forward, and people were being healed.
This is made clear in v. 16.
People from the surrounding cities bring sick people and those demon possessed and all of them were healed.
This is one vast difference between what passes for healing today and what the Biblical gift of healing was.
Everyone who came to the apostles was healed!
Everyone!
There is spiritual healing going on as well as miraculous physical healing.
The popularity of the disciples coupled with their preaching and teaching ministry is what leads to their arrest and imprisonment.
What attitude is revealed in this section that demonstrates how they are worthy to suffer?
The apostles preach, heal, and minister with faithfulness.
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