What is a church? Part 4

During the last week I read Acts 5, 6 and 7. In these chapters we read about Ananias and Sapphira who sold land to give to the believers. They lied about how much they got, claiming to have given all, when in fact they gave only a portion. God kills them for the lie (Acts 5:1-11). We then get a report on miracles being done by the Apostles in the temple. The leadership are again angered by this and arrest the Apostles. They are then freed from prison by an angel. They go back to the temple and continue to teach. The temple leadership engage in a debate with the apostles, by Gamaliel points out that all would be messiahs till then had come to nothing, and if God wished the apostles to continue, they wouldn’t be able to stop it. After a beating the Apostles are let free. The Apostles continue to teach (Acts 5:12-42).

Then we get the first dispute in the believers. The Greek speaking Jews feel that their widows are not being cared for properly, as compared to the Hebrew speaking widows. The Apostles want to keep their focus on preaching, prayer, and miracles, and therefore appoint 7 men to look after the situation (Acts 6:1-7). One of these men is Stephen, who is filled with the Holy Spirit, and full of wisdom. He starts doing miracles as well, and ends up in a dispute with former slaves, now freed. They accuse him of blasphemy, and he is arrested (Acts 6:8-15). He preaches to the council and rebukes them (Acts 7:1-53). This prompts them to stone him, under the watchful eyes of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 7:54-60)

While there is a lot happening, and Stephens preaching is very interesting, it falls out of the scope of this study. We are interested in the church, and the believers. Acts 5 and 6 give us some new information. Acts 7 is more a lesson in Apologetics. Here is what we learn:

  • Believers are giving to the church. It is a voluntary gift, as believers can keep some of what they own. However, lying is not tolerated by God. This is why Ananias and Sapphira are killed. Peter says in verse 4 “And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?”. This shows that they always had freedom in using it as they saw fit.
  • We also see that Peter sees the Holy Spirit as God. This fits into the trinitarian teaching of Father Son and Holy Spirit. In verse 3 Peter asks, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit” and in verse 4 he says, “You have not lied to man but to God”.
  • At this point it is noticeable that Peter has a leadership role. While we have not seen this specifically given to him, he has taken this upon himself. This is natural in any group setting. The larger a group, the more inclined they are to follow a leader. And a natural leader will rise. Since this is not condemned as with the lie of Ananias and Sapphira, it would appear that God is also ok with it.
  • The believers meet at Solomon’s Porch, also known as the outer court or the women’s court. This is so that all the believers, men and women could get together. Unlike Judaism, where women and men were separated, the believers met together. Considering that thousands had been saved, this is also wonderful place for them all to meet.
  • The Apostles continued to teach and preach, in the temple, but also from house to house. The temple was an area were all the believers could meet together, and house to house was a more intimate setting. This leads me to believe that whether you are a large body of believers meeting in a central location, or a small group meeting in a living room, both are acceptable ways to worship God and be discipled. Neither is incorrect. I am interested to see how the believers meet once out of Jerusalem and separated from the temple. I am also interested to see how the gentile believers meet. Will they adopt the same approach, or do things differently? I ask this because we do not have access to the temple, since it has been destroyed. Also, as Gentiles we are not Jewish, and not held to the Jewish law (more on this when we get to it).
  • Originally the believers were of one heart and soul. But a dispute arises. The Greek speaking Jews feel that their widows are not being cared for properly. The Apostles, wanting to keep their focus on prayer, teaching, preaching and so on, decide to appoint men to look after the situation. This is the first ministry (serving) that is not done by the Apostles. The criteria for this ministry are (1) men of good repute, (2) men full of the Spirit and (3) men of wisdom. This leads me to believe that if someone has a bad name, is not Spirit filled (baptised with the Spirit), or lacks wisdom, they should not be considered for ministry. The greater majority of these 7 were Greek speaking Jews. This would ensure that the Greek speaking widows were no longer treated less. This decision was only with those considered disciples (the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples). This means that not all believers were consulted in this decision. This new ministry was blessed with prayer and laying on of hands. Laying on of hands was a way of bestowing one’s authority to another, meaning they would be acting in their authority.
  • Stephen is the first non-apostle to start preaching and doing miracles. This makes sense, as discipleship was the main aim when Jesus gave the great commission. And it would appear Stephen had learnt from the Apostles.
  • Stephen is also the first Apologist. He defends his faith with a lengthy sermon in Acts 7. Apologetics is all about defending the faith, which he does well. It does cost him his life. He does go out forgiving his persecutors. May this be a lesson to us Apologists, to never be angry or irritated with those we debate or converse with. But to always do our work in love.

What is a church? Answer:

Believers in Jesus, who are of one heart and soul. To be a believer you must be saved by the name of Jesus. This is only done by belief in Jesus as the Messiah and Saviour. Also, the belief that Jesus is God is essential for the Christian faith. The trinity is a core doctrine. This includes the Holy Spirit as God.

What do believers do?

  • Pray. They prayed together as a habit, but also in times of adversity
  • Praise God.
  • Study the scriptures.
  • They also went to the temple together, daily, for pray. This is no longer possible for us since (1) the temple is destroyed and (2) not all believers are Jews. However, meeting as a group is a part of the believers’ life. This can be in a large setting as in Solomon’s Porch, or a smaller setting at individual houses. Also, men and women met together. There was no separation as in Judaism. At the meetings there is teaching and miracles.
  • As a believer grows, he starts preaching and doing miracles as the Apostles did (e.g. Stephen).

They also had fellowship which entails the following:

  • They eat together, as a community but also in separate homes.
  • All things are shared in common, with those having, selling their goods to provide for those without. This is voluntary, and believers can do with their possessions as they see fit. Historical context here is that a lot of the early converts were far from home and had nothing. Also, these funds were not shared with non-believers.

Positions in the church:

  • Unofficial leader: Peter. It appears Peter has naturally taken a leadership role. This is not an elected position, or one that was chosen with prayer or the leading od the Holy Spirit (at least the scriptures do not imply it). He did not make decisions for the group but pled in preaching or debating the Jewish leaders.
  • Apostles: a special position with the criteria that they were with Jesus from His baptism till His resurrection. Based on historical context, this position is no longer applicable for today, as no one alive can meet this criterion. They taught the new believers, did miracles, and testified of Jesus’ resurrection. They also handle disputes at the top level.
  • Ministers, that is, servers. These are men assigned to look after the widows and their provisions. The criteria for this position are: (1) men of good repute, (2) men full of the Spirit and (3) men of wisdom.

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