Todays sermon talks about the appointing of the first deacons. There are 4 major points:

1) Diversity: they were growing and growing in diversity. This was a good thing- this is the way the gospel works- it expands- it moves to more and more different people. However, along with this comes dangers.

2) Disunity: the first danger is disunity- certain widows weren’t being cared for and people started grumbling. Left unchecked this would have been disastrous for the church.

3) Distraction: as the apostles moved towards solving the problem there was a second danger- distraction. They could be distracted from their primary calling of the word and prayer. To do this would have been equally as disastrous, derailing the mission and neglecting eternal needs.

The religious leaders had four strategies to stop the apostles teaching about Jesus. These were:

1) Prison: first the Jewish leaders through the apostles in prison to try to stop them from speaking about Jesus. However, God sends an angel to let them out and they go to the temple and keep speaking about Jesus

2) Threats: the Jewish leaders had previously threatened them- but clearly that didn’t help- they were speaking about Jesus. And even when they were standing in front of the intimidating and threatening counsel they kept speaking about Jesus.

3) Death: they wanted to kill the apostles to try to stop them. However, Gamaliel points out that this wouldn’t help either- if it was from God it still wouldn’t stop the gospel from spreading. And, in fact, history proved this to be true.

Today we will be looking at the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. Why did God judge them so harshly? Let's find out.

The two points of today's sermon are:

1) The Poison of Counterfeit Christianity: Ananias and Sapphira counterfeited the real generosity and love that was taking place in the early church. They were driven by love of self- of reputation and admiration and wealth- rather than love for Christ and their brothers and sisters. This kind of thing is poison to a church and to its witness.

2) The Response of a Loving God: God reacts with judgment- they both die- it reflects the priority of his people- this is his purpose since the beginning and this is what he is doing in the church- creating a community that will image his glory and show who he is.

What did the disciples pray after being released from prison? Here are three insights into their prayers:

1) Like-Minded Prayer: the believers were united in prayer- in their need for prayer, the content of their prayer, etc. To truly pray together takes work but it is rich and powerful.

2) God-Centered Prayer: their high view of God and his sovereignty and supremacy comes through clearly in their prayer. They believe that God is sovereign and that they can trust him even in the scariest of situations. This shapes their prayer.

3) Mission-Driven Prayer: they do not pray for safety or comfort or for their rights- they pray for boldness- that they would be able to freely speak of Jesus.

There are two keys to today's sermon. One involves what the Jewish leaders did and the other involves what the Apostles did:

1) Unhesitating Self-Protection: the Jewish leaders didn’t care about the truth or what was really going on- all they cared about was protecting themselves, their comfort and their position. This is the natural human reaction to Jesus- push him away in self-protection. Non-Christians do this in ultimate ways. Even as Christians we can do this in ways.

2) Unstoppable Boldness: instead of self-protection the apostles were marked by incredible boldness in the face of a really intimidating situation. This boldness came from four sources 1) they were filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit 2) they knew salvation wasn’t found anywhere else. 3) they had been with Jesus 4) they were listening to God rather than men.

Peter and John heal a man who was lame from birth. This sign tells us three things:

1) It Tells us Who Jesus Is: the miracle Jesus performed through the apostles pointed to who Jesus is- the one God raised from the dead and glorified, the messianic servant of God, the Holy and Righteous One, the Author of Life.

2) It Tells Us How Jesus Fulfills Prophecy: he is the prophet Moses foretold, he brings the blessing that God promised to Abraham.

3) It Tells Us What Jesus Came to Do: this miracle gives a preview of what Jesus came to do- restore and make new- for those who repent

Jesus promises to restore

Today we will be looking at the gathering of the early church. We will look at their:

1) Comprehensive Devotion: these early believers were relentlessly giving attention to four practices- apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. A healthy church needs to avoid imbalance and be devoted to all of these.

2) Loving Togetherness: the early church here was remarkably united- they were together and shared life- this showed itself in the area of finances in particular and really in daily life in general.

3) Significant Impact: we see awe- v. 43, we see favor- v. 47 and then we see the gospel’s spread the church’s growth.

Three things can be seen as Peter delivers his first sermon:

1) The Clarity of God’s Approval- Peter emphasizes the truth that God approved Jesus- he empowered Jesus, Jesus fulfilled the Father’s plan, God raised him from the dead, God exalted him to his right hand, God gave him the Spirit. All of this shows that Jesus is the chosen, approved and exalted Savior and King.

2) The Tragedy of Human Rejection- Peter’s hearers however had rejected Jesus- they had crucified and killed him. We are like them- we have rejected Jesus and killed him in our hearts.

3) The Surprise of Gospel Grace- this combination leads to a place of desperation and a question of whether there is any hope. The surprise is that there is hope- if we will repent and believe there is a forgiveness and cleansing- there is life- there is the gift of the Spirit for us.

The Sign- the Spirit comes and there’s 1) sound like mighty wind, 2) tongues of fire 3) people speaking in different languages. This is strange and clearly supernatural stuff. The people react- are astonished- some are skeptical but others know this means something and want to know what it means.

The Significance- What we read in the text and what Peter says tells us the significance. Wind speaks of Spirit’s arrival. Fire- speaks of God’s presence. Tongues speak of God’s design to bring people from every nation into his restored kingdom/people.

The apostles prepared for their mission by 1) Praying - the apostles prepared for mission by devoting themselves to prayer- they gave serious attention to praying- we see this all through Acts. They were aware of their need and so they prayed. This is necessary preparation for mission. 2) Replacing - the apostles prepared for mission by replacing Judas with Matthias. Judas’ actions and death were a part of God’s plan and so was replacing him. This was important because the apostles were the foundation for this new community that the Spirit would create- God was forming a new people. This is a mission worth giving our lives for.