 Okay, welcome. Good morning, everyone. Let's begin with the word of prayer. Asha, would you be able to lead us in prayer? Yes, please go ahead. Thank you so much. Thank you, Asha, for leading us in prayer. So we will continue from where we had stopped in the last class. So we saw how the layman was healed. And after that, we had a certain reaction from the authorities, which was to question and interrogate Peter and John. So they go through the entire interrogation in Acts chapter four. And they are let go. And then we saw how the church in a great time of opposition chooses to pray, chooses to seek God for his favour and asks for boldness instead of succumbing under pressure, instead of wanting to hide, they want to continue to serve God. So it was all too amazing for us to note. Then we also towards the end of chapter four, we saw how the community, the church community lived in unity. They were committed to the teaching of God's word and they were breaking bread, which was remembering the Lord Jesus and his work on the cross. And so their fellowship continued in this way where they were focusing on the Lord. And we also saw how there was sharing, giving to one another that they practice because of their needs which existed in the church of Jerusalem. And we saw a man introduced, which is Barnabas, son of encouragement, who is spoken of as a wealthy person and a generous person at the same time who sold his possessions and who brought the gifts to the apostles. So we will pick up from there. And so today we will be looking at Acts chapter five and I request us to please turn to this chapter. So we're still in a place where this amazing community is together. People who are serving the Lord, people who are dedicated to the fellowship of the believers. So a lot of caring is taking place. We saw how Barnabas gave into this community. So we recognize from what happens in Acts chapter five that there were others also who were giving. So Acts five will throw light on a certain couple called Ananias, however you want to pronounce it, or Ananias with Safaira, his wife. And they also had the heart to give, but something went wrong in their giving. So that's what we are going to look at. So Acts chapter five introduces Ananias and Safaira and it says that they sold a possession, but what they did is they kept back of the proceeds. And in this case, both husband and wife were aware that something like that, this had taken place and they brought only a certain part and gave it to the apostles. Now, for us in verse one and two, we see the generosity of Ananias and Safaira. But in verse three, Peter rebukes Ananias. He says, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? So there's generosity by the couple, but there is a rebuke from the apostles. So what really happened in this situation, that is something that we must look into. So what happened is, as Peter suggests here, he says, you have kept back a certain amount. Now, how does Peter know? Peter is functioning with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we have a list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. One of the gifts is the word of knowledge, where God can supernaturally bring revelation on a past event or an occurrence. Or even something, usually we refer to something in the past, but word of knowledge could border on prophecy. It is one of those prophetic and revelatory gifts. So there could be an element of future in it, but in general, something to do with the past. So as soon as this gift was brought to the apostles, Peter, by the operation of the gift of the Holy Spirit, a word of knowledge, he rebukes Ananias and he says, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? So there is an influence of Satan and that is how temptation works, we know that. So there is an influence, but we observe that it takes the human being or the believer to yield to the temptation also for that sin to be committed. In this case, why has Satan filled your heart is one thing, but Ananias lying to the Holy Spirit. So him actually committing the deed, committing the sin is the other thing. So we have a responsibility as far as a walk of righteousness is concerned. So it's not all like, oh Satan pushed me, do it and I had no say, it's not like that. Satan influenced, but Ananias yielded. So he lied to the Holy Spirit. So that's what Peter came to know by the Holy Spirit. So lying to the Holy Spirit, it's interesting. Peter could have said that Ananias lied to the church because this was about the community and about their accountability to one another. But he points out that the sin was committed against the Holy Spirit. And also in this case, the Holy Spirit, we will see later that he is actually in the knowledge of the Holy Spirit being a person and being a part of the Trinity or the Godhead. So what Ananias did was not so much against the church as much it was against God himself. So it was huge the revelation that came to Peter when this gift was brought. So in what Peter told Ananias, he says, you kept back. So that is the issue here. He lied to the Holy Spirit and he kept back some amount of money. Now, let's go ahead and read the following verses also, then we'll have a full picture. Verse 4, while it remained, was it not your own and after it was sold, was it not your own in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. So Peter is saying that Ananias of his own will decided to give to the church community. So it was in his own will what he wanted to do and how he wanted to serve the body of Christ. But it seems like because the statement made there is and after it was sold, was it not in your own control? So it was his own will, it was in his control. But it seems like he promised something but he did something else. And it also seems like he was someone who wanted to do the right thing with the wrong motivation. So earlier we looked at the testimony of Barnabas, how he was commended for his generosity. It's possible that Ananias wanted a place of fame in the church community. He wanted to be recognized as a so-called godly believer. So on the outside there is generosity but deep within his heart there is an agreement with Satan. He wants other things deep within which would be fame, which would be name, which would be favor from the apostles. And all these things which are not right before the Lord. So it just goes to show us that Ananias did something wrong. Why are we saying wrong? When you look at that term kept back, you kept back part of the price of the land for yourself. Is it wrong to keep back a part of the price of the land for yourself? Not at all. It was his land and that's exactly what Peter is saying. It was your land. Everything was under your control. But what Ananias ended up doing here is something like misappropriation. It falls under the category of actually the word which is used there. In the Greek word is nospizomai, which means to misappropriate. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, Akan's sin, Akan's theft in the book of Joshua is described with the same word, nospizomai. So you see that there is a connection in what Akan did and what Ananias also did. And in the New Testament in Titus 2.10, that word stealing is described with the same word. So Ananias had done something which falls in that category of misappropriation, theft. And God was aware of what was done. So he was doing something on the outside as if he kept his word and all that. But actually he had tried to cover up some of his actions behind the scenes. Now we know that God is an all-knowing God. We can't hide from him, which is why even beyond what we do, why we do it is so crucial. And it's not right in our own lifestyle to project an image of ourselves which does not exist in reality. So in the case of Ananias in the area of giving, it seems like he had done something really displeasing unto the Lord. And no wonder Peter is rebuking Ananias and he's saying, look, you kept back misappropriation a part of the price of the land. And he says things like, you lied to the Holy Spirit, you have not lied to men but to God. So there it is. He is calling the Holy Spirit as God. And God helped the Apostle Peter to recognize the people things, not just the things on the surface, but what actually was going on. And in the house of God, when we studied about the church, we looked at the various pictures of the church, how God wants the church to be a bride, to be an army, a representative, a body, representative of Christ himself. And obviously, it's a temple, it's a temple. And in a temple, the holy presence of God dwells. So God is not someone who can push sin under the carpet and still keep things moving. It doesn't work with God that way. And so in this case, holiness was being compromised. And in the church of Jerusalem and in the acts of the Apostles, as I earlier mentioned to us, it's a time of great revival. So we see that people are being saved, miracles are taking place, God's favor is seen upon the church. So many things are happening. So in a time of great revival, one observation is that it will also be a time of great judgment. Somehow, there is little or no tolerance for sin. Some of us might look at what Anandayas did and say, why couldn't he be let go? Or why didn't God just let it be? Okay, he misappropriated the funds. So many people misappropriate funds in today's day and age. Why is Anandayas being rebuked? But you see, it's a time of a great revival and generally we see that in scripture and even in church history, times of revival. There will be great incredible manifestation of the presence of God, deep revelation of the truth of God's word. And so all these positive things will be in a heightened level. And at the same time, there'll be little or no tolerance for sin, the slightest issues. It just is exposed and God deals with it in a very sort of a strict and immediate way. So somehow that's how it works. So that is the observation here from the incident of Anandayas. So what happened? Now Peter rebuked Anandayas and was that all? Was he given a chance to change what he had done? Okay, verse 5. It says, then Anandayas hearing these words fell down and breathed his last. So what happened? Maybe Anandayas thought that nobody will discover what he did. Okay, that he will have an image which is very different from the actual person he is or the actions that he's responsible for. But when Peter brought it up, it surprised, surprise is a milder word, it shocked him to the extent. Now we don't know how exactly he fell down and breathed his last. It just means he died. He died that very moment. So Anandayas died, we could interpret it in the natural way that maybe he had a heart attack because of the shock or this and that. So we don't know what were the physical responses of his body, his emotions. But when Peter recognized and called out what he had done, it was unbearable for him. So obviously something very evil has gone on behind the scenes. He couldn't take it. Hearing these words, he just fell down and he died. So people call it the judgment of God, judgment of God which came upon a person like Anandayas. So is it possible for a believer to be judged in this manner? No, we do know that the Bible talks about God's dealing with people who are caught up in sin to such an extent that they have crossed that thin line of no return. The Book of Hebrews talks about it and scriptures also refer to something known as a sin unto death in 1 John chapter 5 verses 16 and 17. There is, you know, okay. So anyway, judgment as far as judgment is concerned, even this kind of strict judgment is possible. But let us understand that it's an extreme scenario. So we wouldn't look at this as any and every transgression missing the mark will cause God to judge the believers in this manner. So it doesn't happen. We are under grace. We have been instructed by God's word to repent, to confess our sins, to trust in the power of the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all unrighteousness. So that is the norm. But when, you know, we have a hardened conscience, it is possible for believers who have walked with the Lord, you know, for a long time to also fall back and go astray. So there are those extreme situations and in those times, you know, such judgments can happen even to believers. All right. So that's what happened to Ananya. So he fell down. He was so shocked that God even gave Peter the knowledge of his sin. Then that verse five, second part of that says, so great fear came upon all those who heard these things. Obviously, you know, when other believers heard about the judgment of Ananya's great fear came upon them. What kind of fear is this? See, it's a fear such that there is reverence towards God. There is an understanding of the nature of God. You know, God will not go against his own nature. He's a holy God. He's a just God. He's a righteous king. So as the people heard about what had happened to Ananya's, they would have understood that we are serving, you know, this mighty God. And we better not, you know, move away from the path of righteousness than God has called us to. And we've seen earlier in chapter four, we saw how the church had incredible favor with the people. So they had a good testimony with the people around. How do you get a good testimony by walking in integrity, by walking, you know, righteously? So they already had a good testimony. And so when they heard of things like this about the judgment that came upon unrighteousness, their fear of God would have increased further and, you know, hopefully their hearts would have turned towards God and they would have made a commitment that, okay, God, you know, such things should not happen in our community anymore. So great fear. And that also includes when I say reverence, there's also that sense of, you know, being terrified that, oh, judgment of this extent can also take place. Okay, so those who heard these things, great fear came upon them, verse six. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out and buried him. It just shows the seriousness and the immediate way in which this judgment took place. That immediately young men or whoever, you know, could take care of a situation like this. They came and they had to go and actually bury unrighteous. Now, let's move on. Let's see what happened further. Verse seven, it was about three hours later. So remember that we have a doctor who is writing this account. So Luke writing about an incident like this. It's very, you know, it's intriguing because he doesn't explain further. He just says, Peter told Ananias what had happened. Ananias was shocked hearing these words. Well, so there's no more investigation or diagnosing. Hey, what are the, you know, what are those intricacies of, you know, the things that took place? No, he just leaves it at that. And the details, he says, about three hours later. So not very, you know, far away from this incident, you have his wife. Three hours later, his wife came in not knowing what had happened. So obviously, she does not know what has happened. What about Peter now? How is he going to deal with Safaira? Peter answered her, tell me whether you sold the land for so much. Okay, so what did we see earlier? Ananias gave an amount. It was not the full amount that he got after selling his property. He gave, he kept back a portion and he gave the remaining portion. So Peter is asking the wife this question. Tell me whether you sold the land for so much. The amount which has been given to me, is it the full amount? Or in other words, he's asking her, have you kept back anything? Okay, let's see the response of Safaira. She said, yes, for so much. It's really sad. In verse two, we saw that Ananias had kept back a portion, his wife also being aware of it. Okay, so she knew that this was not the full amount. But she lies to the apostles. Okay, so it really takes that sort of, I don't know what to call it. Such things can only be done when people don't fear God. You don't fear that God knows the end from the beginning. You don't fear him for being the righteous judge. You don't fear him for who he is, his majesty, his glory. We think we can get away with anything that we could even trick God. So it's a very dangerous position to be in. So Ananias tried to do it, no wonder. He was shocked when Peter told him, this is what you did, Ananias. And now the wife, she's in agreement with the husband. So there's nothing wrong in husband and wife being in agreement. But the matter in this case is an ungodly matter. So being in agreement over this matter is a very sad thing. At least in such a matter, hopefully, she had the fear of God. Excuse me. And she chose to do the right thing. Who knows? She might have had a very different future from this point on. But what did we read? Peter asked her, tell me whether you sold the land for so much. So just in a sort of a very bold way. She says, yes, so much. That's all. We brought everything to you. Verse 9. Then Peter said to her, how is it that you have agreed together to test the spirit of the Lord? He's accusing Sapphira of the same sin which he accused Ananias of. What is that? You lied to the Holy Spirit. In this case, he says, you agreed together to test the spirit of the Lord. See, then Peter had said that you lied to God. You did not lie to men, but you lied to God. Now he's saying spirit of the Lord. So the understanding in the early church about the person of the Holy Spirit, it was growing. So they were aware that the Holy Spirit, he is God. He is Lord. And so they lived in surrender, in adoration of the Holy Spirit. Just as much as they understood the deity of Jesus Christ and they preached it everywhere they went. Just as much as they worship the Father with their Jewish knowledge. So the Godhead, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, the early church had a good understanding of the Trinity. So in this passage, Peter is primarily talking about the response to the Holy Spirit. So whatever Ananias and Sapphira did, Peter is saying you didn't do it against the believers of the church or the church community. You have done it against the Holy Spirit. You have done it against God. So he rebukes her. He says, how can you test the spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door and they will carry you out. So he says that. Strange. Now again, Luke doesn't diagnose it. Medically, what happened? When Peter said this, do you think she had a heart attack? She had this that we don't know. But judgment came upon her and was tense as then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. So what happened to her husband happened to her and scripture say, and the young man came in, found her dead and carried her out, buried her by her husband. Verse 11. So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. So who God is, the person of God, the nature of God was like sort of, you know, like a deep understanding of that was with the early church. So when people heard these things, they would have understood this is a real God. He's a living God and he's a just and righteous God. And as I told us, in times of revival, we might see great judgment also. So this is how things unfolded in the early church. And just want to remind us, you see earlier, we were looking at external problems. So you had people outside who said these men seem like they are drunk. You had the authorities rebuking Peter and John and telling them, don't ever proclaim this name again. Don't preach in the name of Jesus. So these are external threats, external pressures, external issues that the church had to face. And we saw a beautiful picture of the early church. There are people they are caring, they are praying in one accord. They have one voice, there is one voice. So a lot of good things about the community. But there are these internal issues as well. So in church communities, in church families, there can be internal issues at the end of the day. We are dealing with people, but we need the leading of God to be able to work out the internal issues or be able to face the external issues that come against us. So the church has to stand amidst all these things, external pressures, internal pressures. And the church of acts did, it stood. It stood, all these attacks or onslaughts, whatever you want to call it. So that's how things were in the community. So can we pause for a moment? I think we should, in case you have some comments after hearing what happened to an analysis of our questions. Okay, no questions. All right, then we can move forward. Okay, let's go to the next section in chapter 5 here. So after something like this takes place, what can we expect in the church community? From verse 12 to verse 16, you see a manifestation of God's glory at the next level. So I told us the church is in revival, the church is already in revival. But even after an incident like this, which is so scary, the power and the presence of God is, you know, it continues and it's very, very real. So Ananias and Sapphira died, great fear came upon all the people and the works of God continued in the church of Jerusalem. So verse 12, we read, through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people. So God is moving powerfully. Okay, God is moving powerfully and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. Okay, notice earlier, we saw that they were meeting house to house, they were meeting in the temple. But now, more specifically, we are told about Solomon's porch. Solomon's porch, we saw how the lame man was healed and the people gathered in Solomon's porch. So it was like a, you know, calling it a larger space, a larger space. So now the believers were meeting in Solomon's porch because they had increased in number, so they needed a larger space to meet. And when they met in that place, the power of God, it continues to flow, many signs and wonders. I don't know why, you know, Luke is a very detailed writer, but maybe there are too many. So he just says, okay, many signs and wonders, he doesn't list them out. Many signs and wonders were done among the people. So it's a church filled with glory. Then he also said they were in one accord. So it continues to be a church with unity. Verse 13, yet none of the rest dare join them, but the people esteem them highly. So the fear of God was within the church and when the fear of God is within the church, we notice that people outside are also, you know, walking with the fear of God in a sense because they are esteeming the believers as, oh, they are God's people. They are people of integrity. They are people among whom God moves. So signs, wonders and miracles are taking place. So the believers are being highly esteemed by the outsiders. So that is the status of the church and the response of the people around. Verse 14, and believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of men and women. So this shows all the features of the church that I described, plus it's a growing church. People are still being added to the church family. Verse 15, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. So the miracles are taking place, which is amazing. But the extent to which the miracles are taking place is something we must note. The sick are being brought into the streets. Did this happen when Jesus was around? Yes, it happened. People were being brought from the nearby cities and they were being lined up for Jesus to heal them. They were being lined up because some people believed that they could touch the hem of his garment and the heal. So it was an amazing time when Jesus did his ministry and Jesus spoke to his disciples. Before his departure in John chapter 14 verse 12, he said, you shall do greater things than these. So Jesus was pointing to the fact that there will come days when those who believe in him will move in the signs, wonders and miracles that he himself has moved in and they will give testimony to the power of God. And in the book of Acts, you could say the disciples, you know, the first line of leadership that Jesus himself prepared by seeing the manifestation of what had been spoken. So very similar to Jesus' times, people were lining up for healings. People were lining up for the miraculous on the streets even. So the sick were brought. So you can only imagine, you can just imagine a picture. The city of Jerusalem, something is happening in the city. Earlier because of Jesus, you know, there was chaos in the city. Jesus' trial divided the city politically, spiritually in so many different ways. And now, once the disciples have started moving in the power of the Holy Spirit again, there is something taking place in the city in the name of Jesus. Lots of people are beginning to believe in him and this community of believers of Jesus is growing. They are moving in signs, wonders and miracles to the extent that, you know, if a Solomon's porch is the venue for church services, right outside, lots of sick people waiting so that they can receive from the ministry of the apostles. And it also seems like God was working in unusual ways. So people were actually expecting even the shadow of Peter to heal them. So would that have happened earlier? Maybe. Maybe it would have happened to some and that is why others were also waiting for Peter's shadow to fall and heal. So unusual miracles. We've talked about this. When the anointing of the Lord is through material substances or in this case, you know, a shadow. A shadow is not a substance, but we can't box God up. You know, God can work in any way he likes because he's God. Even the shadow of Peter, people were expecting that even if his shadow falls on us, we would be healed. So verse 16 also, multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem. So again, you can just think about the activity, the excitement in the city of Jerusalem that news went out to neighboring cities. And as if all the sick people in Jerusalem brought to the, you know, the church folk was not enough. Additionally, the sick people from other cities, the people who are tormented by unclean spirits, they also are being brought into the city of Jerusalem. You know, it's like, you know, sometimes when we have or rather we used to have here, it's not common anymore, but crusades and large gatherings. People come down from, you know, far away cities, they fly down, they bring in their sick because they've heard that if I attend this meeting, you know, people have been healed in the past. So maybe I too will be. So something very similar where even from other cities, people were coming down to Jerusalem to receive from God. The beautiful part is the end of verse 16, it says, and they were all healed. Very similar to the way Jesus minister, you know, Matthew eight. They brought so many people in the evening, they brought people with all kinds of sicknesses Matthew describes. They were all healed. Jesus healed them all. And same thing, the same legacy continues with the early church when they whoever was brought, they were all healed. So the early church was moving in mighty power, science and wonders. It was a very, very powerful church when, you know, the spirit of God began to move upon them. So when such things are taking place, what response, you know, can we expect from the people we've seen earlier that there's generally a positive response, but there's also a negative response where people mock, people accuse people, you know, take action to kind of harm the apostles and God's people. So now with the church becoming so famous for the power of God in the city of Jerusalem, what kind of a reaction can we have from the authorities? So we're 17. Then the high priest rose up. Okay, so it looks like the issue of the church growing in this manner had reached its limit, you know, so to speak for the high priest. It was like enough is enough. I've heard too much about these followers of Jesus and you know, what they're up to. So the high priest rose up and all those who were with him. So the sector of the Sadducees and scriptures tell us that they were filled with indignation or they were angry. Obviously, because it's a threat to their position of authority in the city. So they were angry and verse 18 says they laid hands, their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. So earlier, who was put in the prison, we had Peter and John. But this time around, they brought the apostles it says. So, you know, our assumption is that probably 12 of them would have been there and they are all now been put in prison. So the reaction is definitely not a positive one. Why prison? Because a second time, they're going to see if they can stop what is being done in the name of Jesus. Okay, so how did Peter and John escape the last time? Peter and John were let go by the authorities. Primarily two notable things were in the passage of Acts 4. One was the boldness of Peter and John and they said, hey, come on, these are unlearned men. But how is it that they are so bold? So the boldness was something that they observed. And the second thing was the layman's healing of that miracle was notable. Nobody could question it. So the authorities were afraid that if at all they made it an issue that their position would be under. So it was a notable miracle or God's work was evident to the people around. Now we will see how they escape in this particular situation. So let's take a 10 minute break. We will come back and continue. We will pick up from Acts chapter 5 and verse 19. So see you in a bit. Thank you.