Acts 5

Ooooo. Ananias and Sapphira. Pwned.* I feel certain that there is more in depth explanation as to why these two were stricken dead, but you know, I just don't feel like I need more. They lied. They died. It makes sense to me. Think I'll avoid that.

I am excited about someday hearing Peter talk in heaven. He was a pretty righteous (and by that I mean awesome) speaker on earth. Once he is perfected in heaven, what will it be like to talk to and listen to him? I know I will be perfected too, but I have to imagine that in heaven we all have things we are really good at. Peter will have to be good at speaking. Bummer there won't be any sickness in heaven because I won't get to watch him heal the sick. But that's okay right? It's not about watching Peter. It's about watching Jesus heal people.

I had someone speak over my husband and I that we would be "healers", and while that might sound weird, SWEET!!! I. AM. SO. EX. CI. TED!!! That was at least a year and a half ago, and amazing healings HAVE happened since then. I feel as if I have been in a bit of a lull since the holidays and I am ready for that to be over. My dear dear sweet friend Jen has just returned from holiday travel and she is all crazy on fire for Jesus and seeing people healed and I cannot wait to walk through a mall or restaurant with her and pray for someone and see them get healed. It sounds wild, because it is. Wild and crazy bonkers about Jesus. Just like He is about us. Wild, crazy and bonkers about us. Whew. It's getting warm in here. (That's for you Jen)

Final note, Gamaliel is a stud. You should read the chapter.

* While the Urban Dictionary provided some colorful definitions for this word, none fit my own understanding of it. It is what happened when Al Capone got a hold of you. You got "Caponed", or "poned/pwned" for short. You died.

Acts 5

¹BUT A certain man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property,

²And with his wife's knowledge and connivance he kept back and wrongfully appropriated some of the proceeds, bringing only a part and putting it at the feet of the apostles.

³But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart that you should lie to and attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit, and should [in violation of your promise] withdraw secretly and appropriate to your own use part of the price from the sale of the land?

⁴As long as it remained unsold, was it not still your own? And [even] after it was sold, was not [the money] at your disposal and under your control? Why then, is it that you have proposed and purposed in your heart to do this thing? [How could you have the heart to do such a deed?] You have not [simply] lied to men [playing false and showing yourself utterly deceitful] but to God.

⁵Upon hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great dread and terror took possession of all who heard of it.

⁶And the young men arose and wrapped up [the body] and carried it out and buried it.

⁷Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not having learned of what had happened.

⁸And Peter said to her, Tell me, did you sell the land for so much? Yes, she said, for so much.

⁹Then Peter said to her, How could you two have agreed and conspired together to try to deceive the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out [also].

¹⁰And instantly she fell down at his feet and died; and the young men entering found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

¹¹And the whole church and all others who heard of these things were appalled [great awe and strange terror and dread seized them].

¹²Now by the hands of the apostles (special messengers) numerous and startling signs and wonders were being performed among the people. And by common consent they all met together [at the temple] in the covered porch (walk) called Solomon's.

¹³And none of those who were not of their number dared to join and associate with them, but the people held them in high regard and praised and made much of them.

¹⁴More and more there were being added to the Lord those who believed [those who acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and devoted themselves to Him joined and gathered with them], crowds both of men and of women,

¹⁵So that they [even] kept carrying out the sick into the streets and placing them on couches and sleeping pads, [in the hope] that as Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

¹⁶And the people gathered also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured.

¹⁷But the high priest rose up and all who were his supporters, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and being filled with ^[a]jealousy and indignation and rage,

¹⁸They seized and arrested the apostles (special messengers) and put them in the public jail.

¹⁹But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and, leading them out, said,

²⁰Go, take your stand in the temple courts and declare to the people the whole doctrine concerning this Life (the eternal life which Christ revealed).

²¹And when they heard this, they accordingly went into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now the high priest and his supporters who were with him arrived and called together the council (Sanhedrin), even all the senate of the sons of Israel, and they sent to the prison to have [the apostles] brought.

²²But when the attendants arrived there, they failed to find them in the jail; so they came back and reported,

²³We found the prison quite safely locked up and the guards were on duty outside the doors, but when we opened [it], we found no one on the inside.

²⁴Now when the military leader of the temple area and the chief priests heard these facts, they were much perplexed and thoroughly at a loss about them, wondering into what this might grow.

²⁵But some man came and reported to them, saying, Listen! The men whom you put in jail are standing [right here] in the temple and teaching the people!

²⁶Then the military leader went with the attendants and brought [the prisoners], but without violence, for they dreaded the people lest they be stoned by them.

²⁷So they brought them and set them before the council (Sanhedrin). And the high priest examined them by questioning,

²⁸Saying, We definitely commanded and strictly charged you not to teach in or about this Name; yet here you have flooded Jerusalem with your doctrine and you intend to bring this ^[b]Man's blood upon us.

²⁹Then Peter and the apostles replied, We must obey God rather than men.

³⁰The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, Whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree (cross).^(A)

³¹God exalted Him to His right hand to be Prince and Leader and Savior and Deliverer and Preserver, in order to grant repentance to Israel and to bestow forgiveness and release from sins.

³²And we are witnesses of these things, and the Holy Spirit is also, Whom God has bestowed on those who obey Him.

³³Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and infuriated and wanted to kill the disciples.

³⁴But a certain Pharisee in the council (Sanhedrin) named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, highly esteemed by all the people, standing up, ordered that the apostles be taken outside for a little while.

³⁵Then he addressed them [the council, saying]: Men of Israel, take care in regard to what you propose to do concerning these men.

³⁶For before our time there arose Theudas, asserting himself to be a person of importance, with whom a number of men allied themselves, about 400; but he was killed and all who had listened to and adhered to him were scattered and brought to nothing.

³⁷And after this one rose up Judas the Galilean, [who led an uprising] during the time of the census, and drew away a popular following after him; he also perished and all his adherents were scattered.

³⁸Now in the present case let me say to you, stand off (withdraw) from these men and let them alone. For if this doctrine or purpose or undertaking or movement is of human origin, it will fail (be overthrown and come to nothing);

³⁹But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop or overthrow or destroy them; you might even be found fighting against God!

⁴⁰So, convinced by him, they took his advice; and summoning the apostles, they flogged them and sternly forbade them to speak in or about the name of Jesus, and allowed them to go.

⁴¹So they went out from the presence of the council (Sanhedrin), rejoicing that they were being counted worthy [dignified by the indignity] to suffer shame and be exposed to disgrace for [the sake of] His name.

⁴²Yet [in spite of the threats] they never ceased for a single day, both in the temple area and at home, to teach and to proclaim the good news (Gospel) of Jesus [as] the Christ (the Messiah).