The Church the World Cannot Ignore

As the apostles continue to proclaim Christ, God confirms their witness with signs and wonders that draw many to faith. The Church grows not through spectacle, but through faithful presence and visible power. This passage shows us how God uses ordinary obedience to display extraordinary grace, drawing the broken and the needy into His healing presence.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

My name is Jared, and I'm one of the pastors here, and we're excited that you're here. So let's jump in this morning. This morning we're asking a simple but not always easy to answer question. It's this. What does a spirit-filled, God-fearing church look like to the watching world? What does a spirit-filled, God-fearing church look like to the watching world? Now, if we were to go out and poll people, ask people this question, what do you think some of the answers might be? If you were just asking the general public, people around, maybe people you work with in your neighborhood, I wonder if some of the answers we believe might be great programs, strong leadership, great music, buildings that are full. And the reality is none of these things are bad in and of themselves, right? But none of these are what Luke, who pinned the letter, this book that we're in this morning, Acts, who God used, that's not what he draws out in this text this morning. He doesn't leave us guessing or makes us wonder what is it about a God-fearing church that the watching world uh notices and sees and wants to be a part of. Because as we move from verse 11, which Pastor Tim preached on last week, into verse 12 of Acts 5, Luke tells us that great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard these things. Now, these these things is not vague when Luke says this. Luke is pointing us directly back to the preceding passage that came right before this, with first the death of Ananias in verse 5, and then the death of Sapphira in verse 11. In both cases, we see the same response: fear. Great fear. Why? Because Ananias and Sapphira did not lie merely to people, they opposed God himself. But when we arrive at verses 12 through 16 this morning, Luke shows us a striking contrast that we're going to get into. In the previous passage, two people opposed God and they died. They fell down dead. In this passage, those who come to God are healed. Diseases are removed, unclean spirits are cast out, lives are restored. The same Holy Spirit who brought judgment in the midst of the gathered believers now brings healing in life as the gospel spreads. And that's why Acts 5, 12 through 16 is so important for us this morning to grasp as it shows us the spirit at work and the growth that inevitably follows as a result. So here's our main idea we're gonna look at and we're gonna work our way down through the passage this morning, and it's this A spirit-filled, God-fearing church displays God's power in a way the world cannot ignore. A spirit-filled, God-fearing church displays God's power in a way the world cannot ignore. Here's our summary of verse 12 this morning. The power of the Spirit is visible. The power of the Spirit is visible. Listen to what Luke tells us in verse 12. Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles, and they were all together in Solomon's portico. Now here's what we need to grasp right at the outset of this whole passage. It's this a spirit-filled church depends on God's power. A spirit-filled church depends on God's power. Now many signs and wonders were regularly done. What we see is this is an answer to a previous prayer that happened in Acts 4, specifically in verses 29 through 30. Listen to what Luke tells us back in chapter 4. He says this in verses 29 through 30. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. Now here in the prayer of the apostles, they're calling out to God for what? For boldness. We've heard this the past couple weeks. They're not praying against those who are persecuting them. They are praying that they would remain faithful as they proclaim the gospel. And then within that prayer, they are praying that God would work miracles through signs and wonders as they proclaim the gospel. Now, why would the apostles pray for signs and wonders? Well, it was not so people would just be in awe of what God could do. No, it was so that God would work in such a way that immediately the proclaimed gospel of Jesus Christ would be authenticated. So signs and wonders are not the end-all-be-all in and of themselves. They are a means to the end. They authenticate the message of the gospel. But this should not catch us off guard in Acts 5 as if this is the first time God has worked in this type of way. Where signs and wonders authenticate a message from God. Where the gospel rescues us from slavery to sin and death. If we go back to Exodus, the second book of the Bible, the same thing happens years and years before we ever arrive at this moment in time in Acts. In the beginning of Exodus, God tells Moses to go and rescue his people Israel out of slavery in Egypt. He needs to go to Pharaoh and rescue God's people. And this is where you get the famous line, let my people go. Where Moses is communicating on behalf of God to Pharaoh. But before Moses ever gets to the point of facing Pharaoh, he tells God that they will not believe him or listen to his voice. Basically, they won't believe the message I'm going to proclaim. So what does God do? God gives Moses signs to perform to authenticate the message he declares. The message that God is going to rescue his people out of physical slavery in Egypt. Psalm 135. Listen to what the psalmist says here. Who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants? Now, if we come back, why is this important to grasp that signs and wonders authenticate the message here in Acts 5, 12? Well, because if we are not careful, we can get caught up in the awe and wonder of signs and wonders and never get to the point or get to the one who gives the signs and wonders. We can begin to worship the signs and wonders and fail to ever worship God Himself. Now don't miss what I'm saying here. Are signs and wonders incredible? Yes, absolutely. Should we have an expectancy that God still performs signs and wonders today? Yes, absolutely. But if signs and wonders never lead us back to God Himself, then we miss the mark. We miss the whole point of it. Signs and wonders do not compete with Scripture, nor do they replace the power of the gospel. They authenticate the message of the gospel. Signs and wonders are like a uh road signs on a highway. Think about it like this: no one ever pulls over, no one ever gets out of their car, no one ever goes up and hugs the sign.

unknown 7:43

Right?

SPEAKER_00 7:44

They're like, oh, 50 miles until we're to our destination. Let's pull over. Family, let's take a picture. Unless you go to Florida and you get to the Florida, welcome to the state sign. Okay, we're not talking about that. But that's still not your destination. You're excited to see that sign, but you're not all the way there. The sign isn't the destination, it tells you where to go. In the same way, signs and wonders don't save anyone, they point us to the Savior who does. If we stop at the sign and never arrive at Jesus, we've missed the point. Now, does this mean that signs and wonders don't matter or aren't important? Like I said before, not at all. Because when a follower of Christ experiences a sign or a wonder, something like healing, it is more than a moment of relief. It's a kingdom announcement. It reminds us that God's kingdom is here, that the kingdom has been inaugurated, but it's not fully consummated yet. This is the tension we live in as followers of Christ, the already, but not yet. So what do we do? We pray for healing while acknowledging that not everyone is healed in this age during this time period. We prophesy knowing that our knowledge remains partial. We work and seek for miracles, even as we groan for the redemption of our bodies. The gifts of the Spirit continually remind us of this truth: the kingdom is here, but the king is still coming. And this is why, even today, signs and wonders can still occur from God through us. The same way that they came through the apostles' hands here in Acts 5, or the way that they came through Moses in Exodus. It wasn't about Moses, it wasn't about the apostles, and it's not about us. Signs and wonders always point beyond the instrument to the God who rescues his people. They ultimately point us to Jesus, the true healer, the greater prophet, and the king of the kingdom. That's why Luke tells us that they were all gathered in Solomon's portico. This wasn't a hidden corner or a private room. It was a public place of witness. The same place where Peter and John previously, in Acts 3, had preached the gospel after the healing that took place at the gate called Beautiful. Think about a house that you drive past regularly or frequently. Maybe it's your neighbor's house, maybe it's the exit of your neighborhood, maybe it's on your way to work. You have the house, and you have the front porch. You may not know what goes on inside of the house, but you know exactly what happens on that front porch. Why? Because it's completely visible to the watching world. Solomon's portico was the front porch. It wasn't hidden, it wasn't private, it was where people passed by regularly. And God chose to work there, where faith was visible and unavoidable. See, God was not only displaying his power, he was doing it in full view of the watching world. But what's striking is how the world responds in this moment. When we move into verses 13 through 14, Luke tells us that great fear remained, and yet believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers. Which brings us to this truth. The fear of the Lord does not hinder the growth of the church, it actually fuels it. The fear of the Lord does not hinder the growth of the church, it fuels it. Look at verses 13 through 14, where we see the following The fear of the Lord brings growth. Listen to what Luke tells us in verses 13 and 14. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. So fear did not stop the growth, it actually increased it. Now, here in verse 13, when it talks about none of the rest dare join them, we're left asking the question, who is none of the rest? Now, my understanding and what I believe here is that the rest is actual followers of Jesus Christ. But why? Why would followers of Jesus avoid Solomon's portico where the gospel is being preached, where signs and wonders are taking place? This is where the context around this passage is helpful. If we go back to Acts 3, an event takes place. When Peter and John were at Solomon's Portico, which is the same place in chapter 5 they are now, Peter begins to preach the gospel. And what ends up happening? Peter and John are arrested. They have to stand before the council in chapter 4. What else happened in chapter 4? These men, the apostles, pray for boldness, Acts 4.29. And now look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness. So now imagine you are in Acts 5. The followers of Jesus Christ are now gathering at Solomon's portico. The same thing is taking place as it did in Acts 3. What would you expect to happen in this moment? The authorities are going to step in, they're going to arrest people, which caused some to hold back. Now, at this moment, we're either thinking in one of two ways. Right now, in our minds, we're either saying to ourselves, Well, these idiots, don't they have enough faith? God rescued them. Look at what God did for them before. I can't believe they would not join in. Or we're on the other side. And, you know, maybe I would have done the same thing. It's always easy to look back in history and make the right decision once the whole story is laid out and all the facts are there. Adam and Eve, those idiots. Like, right? Like, how easy do we do that all the time? We're like, oh, Israel, they just complain. Don't they know they're going to a better place? Yeah, 40 years later. I'm 42, and I'm like, man, the majority of my life I would have been in the wilderness. Like, that's crazy. It's always easier to make the right decision after we have all the facts and the story has played out. But in the moment, before you know how it turns out, what would you do? See, fear is an interesting concept. Fear can drive us to avoid something, or fear can drive us to step into something. A few weeks ago, a guy by the name of Alex Hunnold scaled a 101-story building in Taiwan. No ropes, no harness, nothing to stop him from falling. And it was live on Netflix. It was wild. At times I was reluctantly watching. He started out, and I mean he was like 30 feet in the air, and I got up and I left the room for a little bit. I was like, this is crazy. I don't like heights anyways. But I'm watching this and I've come back in, the family's watching it. I planned on once the kids went to bed, like turning something else on. But Chelsea was like, we gotta keep watching. I was like, dang it, I don't want to watch this. And so he's he's doing this, and at one point he's near the top. I mean, he's like, it's crazy, like 80 or 90 stories up, something crazy. And he needs more chalk on his hands. And so a normal person would like hug as tight as they can, like slowly reach back. He he positions his legs in such a way to brace himself and just leans back. I'm like, this guy is an idiot. Like, what is he doing? Like, stop doing that. He gets the chalk, gets it, and he keeps going. One story after another. And and I literally, at times, I could not stop watching. And if you ask my wife, my palms were sweaty. Like, I'm like, I'm just sitting here on my couch. Like, there is no risk to me, and I'm nervous for this guy. Then he gets to the very top, and it's like this round circle, and he's gotta get all the way to the top. So he gets up there and he stands up like it's nothing, like nothing, like not holding anything. And he takes out his phone, he starts taking something. I'm like, well, it makes sense. Like, that's the only selfie that anyone will ever have ever at this place or whatever. Like, and he's doing this like it's nothing. I kept thinking to myself, that's incredible, but but like go ahead and start getting down now, like so you live. Like he's just looking out. But for this individual, it looked like there was no fear at all in his eyes. The dude was confident, just scaling up this building like he was nothing, waving to people along the way inside, like leaning over when you get to a certain point and just checking out the view. For me, 30 feet off the ground, and I'm like, I don't know if he should do this. Like, this is crazy. And what I realized as I was watching this in this moment was that the same moment can produce very different responses for people, depending on what you believe is at stake. And what you believe is holding you. And when we come to verses 13 through 14, this is exactly what we see. Some saw what had happened arrest, threats, even judgment, and they held back. They respected the apostles, but they didn't dare join them. Others saw the same things and they stepped forward. They stepped towards them in faith. And Luke tells us that more than ever believers were added to the Lord. Fear didn't stop the church. Fear revealed who was willing to follow Jesus, knowing the cost. And I love how we all would sit here today and be like, I would have followed Jesus too. There were people who shouted, crucify him, who just a few days earlier were following him. Peter denied him three times. Because the fear of the Lord does not produce reckless faith, it produces a faith that stands firm. Not in our own strength, but in the strength of Jesus Christ. And that kind of fear is exactly how God grows his church. Listen again to what Luke says in verse 14. And more than ever, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. That phrase, more than ever, is intentional here. Luke wants us to notice the contrast. Some stayed back, some kept their distance, some avoided the risk altogether, but others could not be held back. They had seen the cost, they understood the danger, and they followed Jesus anyway. This is not shallow enthusiasm, this is settled allegiance. John Stott, who was a pastor, author, and theologian who lived primarily in the 1900s, captures this tension well in his commentary on Acts, saying this. The paradoxical situation has often recurred since then. The presence of the living God, whether manifest through preaching or miracles or both, is alarming to some and appealing to others. Some are frightened away, while others are drawn to faith. That's exactly what Luke is showing us here in this passage. The same holy presence that caused some to step back, drew others all the way in, because when God is truly present, he doesn't leave people neutral. And the church grows, not by lowering the cost of discipleship, but by lifting up the greatness of Jesus. Philip Schaaf, who was a theologian and historian from the 19th century, had this to say about Jesus. It's a little bit longer quote, but he says this. Without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined. Without the eloquence of school, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet. Without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times. It's about the greatness of Jesus Christ. Philip Schaft reminds us that Jesus did not conquer the world the way the world conquers. No army, no political office, no wealth, no platform, and yet his influence has outlasted every empire and eclipsed every ruler that's ever existed. Who is in power at the time of Jesus? Rome. At the time, the greatest army in the world, and today they're a tourist trap. That's because Christ does not compel by force. He conquers by glory. He doesn't recruit followers to comfort. He calls disciples by revealing who he truly is. And that's exactly what we see in Acts 5. The apostles, they're not out there marketing a safer message. They're not softening the claims of Christ. They are lifting him high publicly, boldly, and without apology. Some step back, but others are drawn in. Because when Jesus is clearly seen for who he is, neutrality disappears. And that is how the church grows. Not through lowered standards, but through a lifted Savior. Not through ease, but through exaltation, not through human strength, but through the power and glory of Jesus Christ. And that forces us to answer a question, not about the first century church, but about our own hearts. Because every time Jesus is lifted high, people still respond the same way. Some step back and some step forward. Some of us step back because we want a Jesus without risk. A Savior who fits neatly into our schedules. A Savior who fits neatly into our reputations, or sadly, our comforts. We like the idea of forgiveness, but not the cost of following. We admire Jesus. We think he's great, he's pretty good, but admiration is safer than allegiance. And here's what's so astonishing even as some step back in fear, God didn't pull his mercy away. He didn't shut the doors, he didn't retreat. Instead, his mercy overflowed. Which brings us to verses 15 and 16, where we see the following The mercy of God overflows. Listen to what Luke tells us in verses 15 through 16. So that even so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Now we need to remember, a spirit-filled church reveals how great God is. And what does mercy mean? Talked about that. The mercy of God overflows. Mercy means not getting what we deserve. Not getting what we deserve. We're just a few verses earlier, Ananias and Sapphira were shown judgment by God. Now we see the opposite where God shows mercy. Listen to the last part of verse 16. And they were all healed. Where judgment brings death, mercy brings life. How powerful was God's mercy in Acts 5? So much so that people are literally carrying out their sick into the streets. They were laying them on cots and mats. This wasn't a prayer request. This wasn't a quiet moment of hope. This was public and risky. See, at this time, sick people were hidden away. You didn't want people to know that you were sick. You didn't want people to know you had family members who were sick. At this time, illness was associated with uncleanness. People believed that sickness was connected with sin and God's judgment. So bringing the sick outside was not neutral at all. Imagine this moment as if it was today, outside of hospitals, people dragging hospital beds out, coming down the elevators, out the front doors, into the streets, Ivy poles rattling across the street, parents carrying their children who haven't stood for months, neighbors laying down mats in doorways, not knowing that if anything will happen. No guarantees, no appointment times, no explanation, just hope. This was a whole city saying if healing is happening, we need to be as close as possible. If even Peter's shadow can come across us, then maybe, then maybe we can be healed. Now from the outside, this looked absolutely crazy, embarrassing, maybe even foolish for these families. But here's a reality for us to grasp this morning. Mercy pulls people into the open. God's mercy was so real that people were willing to risk disappointment, exposure, and even mockery just to be close to it. This wasn't superstition. This was trust in the very nature of God. These people had heard the stories about this man named Jesus of Nazareth, how he healed the sick and made the lame walk and cast out evil spirits. And now and now they're watching the church carry on Jesus' ministry. I don't know, I don't know why. That's choking me up this morning. I get to baptize my son in the next service, which did want to mention we have two baptisms in the next service. And I'm all right here, I was like, don't, don't, don't choke up, don't do anything like that. This amazing ministry that the church gets to carry, we get to carry on what Jesus started. Jesus didn't leave and abandon us, and we just are waiting for him to come back. Yes, we are, but we get to carry on what he started today, right now. That's why we don't want to get caught up in Peter's shadow as if there was something inherently powerful about Peter apart from God. This wasn't about Peter. This power was in the presence of God moving among his people. Luke isn't trying in this moment to elevate Peter, he's trying to draw our attention to God's presence. The word, and this is why we know this. The word here that Luke uses for shadow in Acts 5 can also be translated as overshadow. And that's significant because Luke uses this same word two other times. And they both happen to be in the Gospel of Luke, which is what Luke also pinned. So Luke pinned Luke and Acts from God. Only two other times he uses. The first time was in Luke 1.35, when the angel comes to Mary, the one who birthed Jesus. And he said this The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. That word describes the presence and power of God bringing about the conception of Jesus. Then again in Luke 9, 34 through 35, at the transfiguration. And as he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them. And they were afraid as they entered the cloud, and a voice came out of the cloud saying, This is my son, my chosen one, listen to him. In both moments, overshadowing signals that God Himself is near and active. So why does Luke use the same word here in Acts 5? Because it would be easy to read this and say, Wow, look how powerful and incredible Peter is. Even as his shadow heals people. But that's not what Luke is telling us. Luke is telling us that God's presence was moving among his people, and God was using the apostles as instruments of his power. How do we know this? Well, later on, we'll get to this down the road as we continue our series in Acts, but in Acts 19, 11 through 12, Luke makes things even clearer. He says this, and God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. In the same way, all the way back in Acts 5.12, we're told, now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. Same thing he said about Paul, by the hands of Paul. The emphasis is consistent. The apostles were not great in and of themselves. God is great. Whether it was Peter's shadow or these handkerchiefs and aprons that touched Paul, the healing was never about the object. It was never about the person. It was always about God's power and his presence. These signs and wonders didn't exist to make the apostles famous. Did that probably happen? Yeah, of course, because you want to be around God's presence. So, yeah, you're gonna go to these people, these individuals that God is using, but they existed to confirm the message they were proclaiming, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Every miracle pointed back to God. And Acts 5 reminds us of this truth. The church does not grow because God is made smaller or safer, but because he is seen as holy, powerful, and alive. Remember our main idea this morning. It was this a spirit-filled, God-fearing church displays God's power in a way the world cannot ignore. And here's the good news: that power didn't begin in Acts 5, it began at the cross. It began when God showed his mercy to each and every one of us through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Judgment was placed on Christ so we could be shown mercy. We are sinful and we need a savior. That savior is Jesus who lived a perfect life that you and I can't live but desperately strive to. It was Jesus who died on the cross for our sins and three days later rose again. That's the gospel. This is what the apostles were revealing. They weren't out there performing signs so that people were amazed by them. They were declaring the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as they did, they were helping people see that the kingdom of God had arrived. How? God was using them to heal people, to grow the church, to make his presence unmistakable. They weren't relying upon themselves, they were living in dependence on God Himself, expecting Him to move. So what about us? It begins with how we see God as holy, alive, and near. Do you believe God is near? When we see Him rightly, when we understand how great God really is, we stop building our lives on talent, on strategy, or in our own strength. And instead we learn to live daily dependence on the Spirit. So here's the real question. Are we asking God to bless what we're already doing? Or are we willing to rearrange our lives to be where his mercy is already moving? Because the hope of Acts 5 isn't that we would become great, it's that we would belong to a great God. At the beginning of this morning, I asked the question: what does a spirit-filled, God-fearing church look like to the watching world? And Acts 5 gives us this answer. It looks like ordinary people who trust in an extraordinary God. A church not trying to impress the world, but living in reverent dependence on Him, expecting God to move every single day, and where God's mercy is real, where the Holy Spirit is welcomed, where God's holiness is honored, God's power will be seen by the watching world. So this morning, how would you answer this question? Am I living every day dependent on the Holy Spirit? Do I trust where he's leading me? Am I willing to follow? When he prompts me to ask that coworker a question, am I gonna do it or am I gonna cower in fear? What would they think of me? When my neighbor needs help, am I gonna jump in and help and just be kind? Or am I gonna think I'm too busy or I just I want to be comfortable? Do I trust where God is leading me this morning? Am I listening to the Spirit? Am I asking the Spirit every morning to guide me, strengthen me, help me to hear where you want me to go? And guys, sometimes that's pray with your kid. Pray with your spouse. Serve your family well. It doesn't have to be these extravagant miracles. It doesn't have to be something crazy. It can literally be the daily thing that God has called you to do, which seems so basic or so normal. That's where God has you. What is He's trying to do in you and through you? Am I willing to follow? May this be our prayer this morning. Lord, make us the kind of people who depend on you completely, follow you faithfully, and trust you to work powerfully.