May 4, 2023 – Acts 4:23-5:42
The early church begins to boom! In the latter part of Acts 4, we read about the unity of the believers. They pray together for strength and courage, they go and tell others, and they share everything they have. We see a design for how the body of Christ should function – as one people united in Christ. And, there are many people united against the church “For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus…” There’s an interesting worldly tension happening here. Unity and disunity.
When the apostles are confronted by the high priest for their ministry after being told not to teach in Jesus’ name, they respond, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” (Acts 5:29) Their lives were on the line, and they still stood united in Christ. I don’t know what it is like to be persecuted for my faith. I don’t live in a place where Christianity is illegal. But, I’ve certainly known earthly incidents where my ethics were challenged. Do we obey God or man? It seems the forces of the world are often in tension with God’s higher calling. As we continue to read about the early church and the apostles, take note of how they are always focused on that higher calling. (Ananias and Sapphira are good examples of what happens when we prefer the way of the world – yikes!)
Questions for reflection:
- Does the church feel united today? In comparison to the Acts 4 church, what do you think the church is good at? What could they improve on?
- What does it look like to obey God over human authority? What are some instances in your life where you’ve needed to live this out? Was it easy or difficult?
- Is there anything shocking or surprising about the apostles and the early church? Why is it surprising?