“Lord, we begin a new week by offering You all that we are.  We lay ourselves down that You may speak through us, love through us, and live through us.  Amen.”

23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. 

Peter and John had been imprisoned and warned not to speak the name Jesus by the highest body of Jewish authority.  They had to go back to the church to report what had happened.  How would the church respond to the Jewish leaders’ threats?  It turns out that they joined in prayer together.  

The church comes together to call on the Lord.  Their first instinct is to turn to their Heavenly Father for wisdom, strength, and guidance.  Knowing they as a church are now in a vulnerable position, they call on the Lord to move in power.  

By their practice of prayer, the church shows that they are dependent on the Lord.  Their ministry was something they could not do without Him.  They needed God to be God.  They knew there were things they could not control and things that they needed His help with.  They weren’t afraid to call on Him to be their help.  

I wonder if our first instinct is to pray.  It is common for us to act first and then pray, especially when things aren’t going the way we had hoped.  If we want to be a true praying church, we must join together in calling on the Lord to do amazing things.  We need to go to the throne of grace to ask the Lord to move in power.  

Jesus promised that He would be a partner in the ministry of the church.  Three times in a little over a chapter, Jesus told His disciples to ask for anything in His name and He would do it.  Jesus said this in the context of the Kingdom mission.  We are to pray boldly for Him to move to be our help and uphold the work to which He has called us.  

I wonder what it looks like for you to grow in this kind of prayer.  

“Jesus, we confess that sometimes we as a church are more prayerless than we are prayerful.  Forgive us.  The work to which You have called us is more than we can do on our own.  We need You.  Move through our church and through us as individual witnesses.  We invite You to do wonders that exceed our imaginations so that we may change lives for Your Kingdom.  Amen.”

 

 

“Father, I praise You for Your unending faithfulness.  You have blessed me beyond measure.  Be with me as I draw closer to You through Your Word.  Amen.” 

“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“‘Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.’ 

27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

The prayer of the church begins as a prayer of lament.  Lamentation is when we bring a source of grief to God.  We express to Him what we are feeling.  Lamenting is not the same as complaining.  Lamenting is bringing our complaint to the Lord.  We hold it out before Him, allowing Him to speak into it and minister to us.

Lamenting is a healthy practice and part of prayer we often don’t exercise enough.  The Book of Psalms is filled with prayers of lament.  They begin with an expression of fear or grievance.  It is as the one praying works through the problem brought before the Lord that he experiences a change.  He begins to move from fear to hope, from grievance to worship.  That is the beauty of lament.  By being vulnerable and honest with the Lord, we allow Him the freedom to work in us.  

The lament of the church here is that the Lord, the Creator and Sustainer of life, has been rejected by those whom He has made.  God, who put kings in their places, has been betrayed by them.  They have turned against the Lord and His will.  The church sees this as a tragedy.  They long for God’s creation to be united with the Lord, but creation’s stubbornness often keeps that from happening.  That is something worth lamenting.    

We can join that lament.  We can bring to the Lord our desire to see people turn to the Lord rather than against Him.  

We can also bring our own laments to the Lord.  I wonder if there is anything in your life right now that you need to bring to the Lord in prayer.  What grief or fear do you need to turn over to Him so that He might work in your heart?  

“Jesus, You know well what it is to be rejected by the very people You came to save.  It is Your heart to gather all unto Yourself, and yet many continue to oppose You.  We grieve that with You.  We call on You to do a new work in the hearts and lives of people in our communities.  Draw those far from You to Yourself.  Do a mighty work in them that their eyes might be opened.  We also ask You to minister to us in the midst of our own personal struggles.  May You pour out Your grace that we may experience Your healing and renewal.  Restore our hopes. Amen.”

 

 

“Jesus, like Mary, we choose to sit at Your feet this day.  We come to You for instruction and encouragement.  We invite You to lead us and direct us into Your will.  Amen.”  

29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

 

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

I want you to take note of what the church prayed for.  Facing the threat of persecution, they pray for boldness to speak and for God to do greater things.  

The church asked God to help them be bold.  They didn’t want the threat of persecution to hinder Jesus’ call to be witnesses to all that they had seen, heard, and experienced of Him.  They knew they needed Jesus’ help to continue His work in the face of these hardships.

They also asked God to do even greater things through their ministry.  They called on God to move in power, performing wonders so that those who witness His power will turn to Jesus in faith.  They asked for power to fulfill Jesus’ call.    

I think these are great things for our church to be praying for.  We need to ask for God to fill us with courage that we too may be bold in sharing the wonderful things Jesus has done.  We need to be asking the Lord to move in power in people’s lives.  We want to see those who are far from God come to life-changing faith in Jesus.  We need to call on God to transform lives and do even greater things than we have seen before.  

I believe God honors bold prayers.  He wants the church to pray more boldly.  He wants us to expect Him to do more than we had before.  

That is my challenge to our church.  I want us to up the ante on our praying.  Let us join together in praying for God to make us bold witnesses to what we have seen and experienced in Christ.  Let us call on God to do great things in our lives and the lives of people who do not yet know Him.  And let us be on the lookout for the ways in which He moves through these prayers.  

“Almighty God, we come before You, calling on Your name to make our church bold witnesses.  Give us courage to speak to others about what we have seen and experienced of Jesus.  Move in power, doing even greater things in and through us.  We can’t wait to see what You do. Amen.”

 

 

“Jesus, on this day, open our ears that we may hear You.  Open our hearts that we may believe You and follow You.  Amen.”  

 

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions were their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them.

Here is another glimpse into the life of the early church.  We see a unified church who has experienced the love of Christ and the power of the Spirit.  They have rallied around the transformative grace of God they share together.  This grace has bound them together.  

One of the fruits of God’s work in their lives was that they lived with open hands.  They didn’t feel the need to claim their possessions as their own.  Again, they didn’t sell everything.  Instead, those who had homes and extra food in the cupboard opened them to those in need.  The needy found a seat at their tables and enjoyed fellowship regardless of social status.  

Luke says that God’s grace abounded in their life together.  One expression of God’s grace was that there were no needs.  Neighbor took care of neighbor.  Brothers and sisters in Christ loved one another more than their own possessions and property.  They didn’t divide into social classes but broke such barriers.  This is a picture of the Kingdom.  

Revelation 7 helps us envision the Kingdom to come.  When John sees a vision of God’s Kingdom, he sees “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”  On that day, there will be no divisions based on social status, race, citizenship, etc.  We will not be defined by our differences but by the One we share in common.  

The life we share together as the church is to be a reflection of God’s Kingdom.  With God’s grace at work in us, may we see and love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.  May the One we share in common help us overcome the worldly urge to be divided by any differences.

Praying Together:

“Lord, we love the vision we have of Your Kingdom.  We want to experience the Kingdom in our life together as a church.  We need Your leadership and power at work in us to see this to fruition.  May Your love and grace abound in our life together.  Amen.”

 

 

 

“God, like young Samuel, I invite You to speak for I, Your servant, am listening.  May You speak into my life.  Shape me by Your Word so that I may reflect Christ in all I do.  Amen.”  

 

For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

 

36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

We have already seen how the “haves” within the church would sell extra land and possessions to meet the needs of the “have-nots”.  Here, we have one specific occurrence of such generosity.  Joseph, who would come to be known as Barnabus, sold a field and gave the proceeds to the community to meet needs.   

Barnabus is mentioned here both for his example and because he will continue to show up throughout the book of Acts.  Barnabus will minister to Paul after his conversion.  He will come alongside Paul when most of the church was skeptical of the authenticity of his conversion.  Barnabus will embark on missionary journeys, setting out into the unknown to reach new people for Christ.  We will see him seek to reconcile relationships that are broken.  

As we read through Acts, we will see how Barnabus lives up to his new name as the “son of encouragement”.  He is a light even among the Spirit-filled church.  

We need more people like Barnabus in the world today.  We need more people who will live to be a source of encouragement for others, who will come alongside those others may keep at arm’s length and seek reconciliation in relationships.

I wonder how you can be a source of encouragement for the people you encounter today.  Be intentional about going out of your way to encourage and take note of the impact it has.    

“Jesus, help us be more like Barnabus.  We want to be a source of encouragement in a world that can so easily get us down.  Help us to be a light by blessing others in Your name.  As always, may You receive the glory from the work You do through us.  Amen.”

“Father, You are good, and Your faithful love endures forever.  As I come to You, meet with me.  Open my eyes that I may see You and my ears that I may hear You speak.  Amen.”

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

 

3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

 

5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

 

I seriously doubt this is anyone’s favorite Bible story.  It seems harsh.  While we can see the sin, we can wonder what the big deal is.  

 

Ananias and Sapphira’s sin was that they tried to deceive the community and God.  They wanted the respect of the people by presenting their faithfulness while holding back.  They wanted to be perceived as righteous without having to be righteous.  

 

That spirit is destructive within a community and with one’s relationship with the Lord.  God shows us that He takes it seriously.  While we need not expect everyone to have to pay such consequences for deception, we ought to take it seriously.  

 

The faithful response to this story is to make an assessment of ourselves.  Am I being deceitful toward God or my church family in any way?  Why am I deceiving them or presenting a righteous front while not seeking to be righteous?  How might that be harmful to my relationship with God and others?  

These are fitting questions to consider if we want healthy relationships with God and others.   

Praying Together:

“Holy Spirit, search my heart.  See if there is any offensive way within me and make me whole.  I don’t want to feel the need to deceive.  Make me truly righteous that I may live with nothing to hide for that is the only true way to live.  Amen.”

 

 

“Lord, this is a day You have made.  We rejoice in You and draw into Your glorious presence.  Amen.”  

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

 

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

 

9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

 

10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

 

It’s Sapphira’s turn.  She is asked the same question as her husband Ananias about what they had chosen to give.  When she gave the same answer, Peter saw the same deceitful spirit at work in her.  

 

Peter accuses her of testing the Spirit of the Lord.  Testing the Lord comes up several times in the Bible.  One of those times is when Israel was in the wilderness.  Having been delivered by God from the Egyptians, they refuse to trust the Lord and His intentions.  They challenge His gracious leadership and provision.  They test God rather than trust Him.

 

When Jesus was in the wilderness, the devil tried to dupe Him into testing His Father by having Him leap off the top of the Temple.  Unlike Israel, Jesus was the faithful Son.  He rejected the temptation, pointing to His trust in His Father.  

 

Sometimes it is easier for us to test God than it is to trust Him.  Testing God comes out of being uncertain about His character.  In such times, we must ask ourselves if we trust that God is who He says He is.  If that is true, then we can trust that God will do and be faithful in the ways that He has promised.  

 

I wonder if there is a circumstance in your life where you are finding it difficult to trust God.  Reflect on your past and how the Lord was present in those times.  Look to the Word and what the Word tells us about who the Lord is.  Let these build your trust in the Lord.  

“God, You are good and faithful.  I have seen and experienced Your care and provision in my life.  Forgive me for the times I have tested You rather than trusted You.  I put my hope and confidence in You and Your care.  Amen.”