Hey y’all, let’s jump into Acts 5. We see a warning to the early church regarding regarding the transparency of our hearts and our motives. Ananias and Sapphira seemingly donate proceeds from a sold property to the apostles, but they lied about the amount. Peter confronted them both, and in keeping with their lie, God struck both of them dead. What can look good on surface level, God can see to the heart of. His church is not to be a vessel for our own self-promotion and profit.
Believers continued to meet as the apostles were performing signs and wonders in God’s name. So many people were converting to Christ! All of this success drew criticism from the high priest, who jailed the apostles. But God sent and angel to release them with instruction to continue preaching. How did that go over? Well, as you can imagine the high priest was definitely shocked. The apostles were then brought in for questioning. Peter boldly laid out facts for the council, confirming that they rejected and crucified Jesus – but in return, the Almighty God had used the crucifixion to exalt Jesus and recognize exactly Who He was. They wouldn’t stop preaching the Word of God. Upset at the response, the council beat the apostles before letting them go. So then what did they do? Go on sharing the word of God, just as they were divinely instructed to do – rejoicing as they walked away. Can you imagine rejoicing after a beating? When we suffer for the word of God, we can trust that opposition is coming. Remember, in chapter 4, the apostles were asking for boldness for where their missions would take them. I challenge you to do the same.