Consistency. Acts 5:21
The Book of Acts – Chapter Five Another Review Acts 5:12-16 8| Consistency| Acts 5:21 “And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought” (Acts 5:21). There is something admirable about “faithfulness,” defined in the dictionary as “loyal, constant, and steadfast.” Regarding employment, it is an employee who has decades of faithful service. About marriage, it is a spouse who never betrays their marriage partner. Regarding an object, it is a reliable instrument one can count on. Faithfulness has to do with being true to the facts or the origin of something. In religion, it means never wavering from one’s belief. Other words substituted for “faithfulness” are “loyalty, consistency, truth, devoted, true-blue, unswerving, staunch, steadfast, dedicated, committed, trustworthy, dependable, or reliable.” The epitome of all faithfulness is the character of God! Often, we quote the passage, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). It is a recognition of the unchanging nature of God! “For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end” (Daniel 6:26). His Word is secure; the palmist cried, “Your testimonies, which You have commanded, are righteous and very faithful” (Psalms 119:138). Paul told Timothy, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). God is not capable of being unfaithful because of who He is. We are constantly admonished in the Scripture to be faithful. “Continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Colossians 1:23). Faithfulness is not a decision or a discipline we impose upon ourselves, but it is a fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22). While in our self-centeredness, we may express an unwillingness to change regarding certain things essential to “self,” the faithfulness produced by the Spirit is vastly different. There is a difference between faithfulness and stubbornness. Self-centeredness produces stubbornness; Spirit-centeredness produces faithfulness. In His humanity, men acknowledged Jesus’ “faithfulness.” Jesus is the faithful high priest who expresses His steadfastness and the destiny given Him by the Trinity for His saving work of humanity (Hebrews 2:17; 3:2-6). In the Book of the Revelation, Jesus is called the “Faithful Witness” or absolutely the “Faithful and True” (Revelation 1:5; 3:14; 19:11). This characteristic of God is in Jesus and contrasted with human changeableness. When the heavens open, Jesus will appear as a victorious warrior whose name is faithful and true. He is the One in whom the attribute of faithfulness has its highest realization and of whom it is so characteristic as to become the name of our exalted Lord. Incredibly, the Scriptures connect God’s faithfulness to His gracious promise of salvation. He is unwavering in His commitment. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13). God is wholly focused on redemption. It is the dominant theme of His existence, which elevates Him to Lord in my life. He is worthy because of His faithfulness! As He draws us into His nature, we know “faithfulness” as we focus on Him. How can we understand the martyrs except through their “faithfulness?” “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented – of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:35-38). They could do this because they were faithful. Jesus became so great in their lives He overshadowed every circumstance! The apostles and the members of the Sanhedrin were faithful, but the contrast of their faith was in the object of their faithfulness. The Concept The two main verbs in the beginning sentence are “entered” and “taught” (Acts 5:21). The verb translated “entered” is in the indicative mood indicating a simple statement of fact. Argument or debate is not in the apostles’ response, nor is the angel allowing such. Without hesitation, the apostles step back into the situation that previously got them imprisoned. In most translations, the Greek verb “taught” means “began to teach.” The verb appears in the imperfect tense, where the writer portrays an action in the process or a state of being that occurred in the past, not assessing the action’s completion. The apostles did not start something new but returned to the temple to do the same thing they had done all along! They responded to the first scene of persecution by praying, “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word” (Acts 4:29). God abundantly answered their prayer. “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). The apostles remained faithful and continued to teach in the name of Jesus even though Peter and John were placed in prison and threatened. Now, during heightened threats and the imprisonment of all the apostles, they remained faithful. This faithfulness is especially significant considering they could have fled to safety after the angel released them from jail. Is it not inevitable that the Sadducees will capture them again because they returned to the temple to teach! But they do not hesitate! We must understand their faithfulness was not to a career, tradition, or fame. That was not the last time Peter was placed in jail and delivered by an angel. Herod the King put him in prison and chained him between two guards. The church prayed, and “the Lord sent His angel” (Acts 12:11). Peter did not return to the synagogue to teach; instead, he went into Caesarea and stayed there (Acts 12:19). Whether Peter stayed or went did not determine his faithfulness; his response to God’s instructions determined his faithfulness. The apostles were faithful to the exact instructions of the angel. Faithfulness is the core of the merger with Jesus. In merging with His life, we begin to live out His mind and heart. Legalistic obedience to the angel’s commands did not project the apostles’ actions. The Spirit of Jesus filled, saturated, permeated them, and the mind of Christ became their mind. Their hearts and His heart became one. In this oneness, they became new creatures, who Jesus is and who they are! Obedience to the angel’s instruction is a spontaneous response from these new creatures. This apostles’ faithfulness contrasts with the response of “the high priest and those with him.” Once again, Luke introduces a startling contrast, “But” (Acts 5:21b). The apostles go to the temple to teach, while the high priest and Sadducees go to the hall of the supreme court, the Sanhedrin. Luke writes, “But the high priest and those with him came” (Acts 5:21). The main verb is not “came (paraginomai).” It is a participle giving content to the action of the main verb. Luke continues by stating that they “called the council together,” which is the main verb (synkaleo) (Matthew 5:21). An identical approach is presented to us by Luke in the first scene of persecution. After interrogating Peter and John, the members of the Sanhedrin find themselves in a dilemma. “And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it” (Acts 4:14). In addition to this, everyone in Jerusalem was speaking about this notable miracle. There was no way to deny it! What was the response of the members of the Sanhedrin? “But when they had commanded them (Peter and John) to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves” (Acts 4:15). In each case, the Spirit of Jesus filled the apostles. The focus of God’s heart is always outward! The apostles’ concern was the healing of the lame beggar, as was the crowd gathered at Solomon’s Porch and even the leaders of Israel. They must win all of Jerusalem to Jesus, and the multitudes needed a Divine touch. The reason for the second imprisonment of the apostles was this outward focus. Even though an angel of the Lord delivered them from prison, their focus did not change. They did not care about their safety or comfort. The angel sent them back to the temple to proclaim the message. Their focus was on others. But the leaders of Israel were focused on themselves, turning inward to confer with themselves and not seeking beyond themselves. That was their constant pattern. They would not seek beyond themselves, which always turned them back to the same conclusion. The Trinity God injected their lives with new and fresh revelation, revealing the fallacy of their spiritual rejection; an angel of the Lord crossed their path again, but they turned inward and rejected such a thought. Jesus spoke this same truth concerning the Devil (John 8:44). Satan is a liar and the father of all lies. Why does he continually lie? It is because his pile of information and resource is nothing but lies. He always goes to his pile; therefore, he always lies. His only chance for change is to go beyond his inner personal pile. We must apply this concept to our lives! We must seek beyond ourselves. The prevenient grace of God continually bombards us with new and fresh revelations of Himself, and He wants to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). But to be guided, we must not turn into ourselves. We must be willing to listen, respond, and embrace, which will require a life-giving change in our lives. Constantly conferring with ourselves brings nothing but destruction and death! The Content Faithfulness always has content or a focus, the object to which an individual is faithful. The content becomes the driving force that keeps a person’s life within the boundaries of faithfulness. Once we lose interest in the object, our faithfulness ceases to exist. Jesus is the singular object of the apostles’ faithfulness! In a previous study, we discussed the content of their proclamation, “all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20). It is not a focus on “life in general,” “our life,” or “eternal life.” It focuses on the “resurrected Life,” the resurrected Jesus! Only one focus is significant enough to compel the apostles to return to the temple, assuring their capture again. Jesus raised from the dead is their compulsion! Luke highlighted the early Church’s faithfulness from the beginning of the Book of Acts until this story. They stayed in Jerusalem because the resurrected Lord remained with them for forty days (Acts 1:3). This seminar discussing the content of the Kingdom of God only cemented their focus, their faithfulness. Before His ascension, Jesus assured them He would come to them in a new and realistic filling (Acts 1:5). In the few days they remained in Jerusalem, they experienced the Spirit of Jesus indwelling them (Acts 2:1-4). How could they proclaim anything else except the resurrected Lord living within them? Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, explaining the event, was focused on Jesus. After the healing of the lame beggar, Peter again pointed exclusively to Jesus. His concern was for everyone to focus on Jesus (Acts 3:12). When interrogated by the members of the Sanhedrin, his sole explanation for the miracle was Jesus (Acts 4:8-12). This focus was verified by those threatening the early Church. The Sanhedrin demanded that the apostles never speak the name of Jesus again (Acts 4:17). Their concern was not miracles, church gatherings, or compassionate ministry. It was the constant and unrelenting focus on Jesus! In response, the cry of the early Church was that they might speak His name with the same boldness regardless of the threats (Acts 4:29-30). The events in our passage occur only because of the early Church’s faithfulness to Jesus. If the apostles had removed Jesus from the center, the Sanhedrin would not have put them in prison. There would have been no angelic appearance. Indeed, they would not be returning to the temple with the blazing message of “this life.” Their focus was the resurrected Jesus! Nothing or no one can capture our focus until circumstances do not matter. Only Jesus is worthy of eliminating all other concerns in our hearts, and He sets the standard for all Christians everywhere and through all generations. The person of Jesus must capture us! Mere theology will divide us; legalism will condemn us; miracles will focus us back on ourselves, causing competition; gifts of the Spirit will cause spiritual superiority. While all these elements may have their place, they must not be our focus. Jesus alone is worthy of our focus. Jesus is not an object on which we focus, and He is not an organization with rules for doing good things in the community or a belief system that I firmly believe. The apostles’ focus is directly due to their intimacy and oneness with Jesus. They experienced Him in His resurrection appearances, and He has filled them with His Spirit. Their linkage with His person is the content of their focus. The faithfulness of the Sanhedrin’s members focuses on “self.” “Self” is not an object of their gaze or an organization of which they are members. “Self” is not a belief system to which they adhere. The Sadducees so linked with themselves that they focused every decision on “what is to our advantage?” Self-centeredness permeates every decision, overshadows every activity, and dictates every thought. Their intimate relationship with themselves is the center of their faithfulness. In contrast, the apostles’ intimacy with Jesus dominates their attention while self dominates the Sadducees. The Clerical Whether we focus on Jesus or self, practical results are equally predictable. Those who focus on Jesus cannot help but glorify Him. That is the crucial issue between the apostles and the Sadducees. The apostles are not merely speaking about Jesus but glorifying Him, dwelling in a state of praise for Jesus. All the miracles are activities glorifying His name. They express the transformation of their lives and live in the atmosphere of glorifying His name. Their speech naturally contains nothing but glory for the name of Jesus. The Greek word for “glory” is “doxa.” It has to do with perspective, what one values, or what one sees necessary. Jesus so captured the apostles’ lives that He was their supreme value. He was more valuable than their own lives. The practical results of faithfulness to “self” are equally possessive. Self-focus demands the elimination of everything that challenges its authority. In the spiritual realm, the greatest threat to self-sovereignty is Jesus. Jesus is Lord; He threatens every other lordship! All must bow under His authority. In every facet of life, Jesus confronts the self because His nature demands total surrender. Jesus does not need to fight for the position of Lord; He does not need to persuade others of His value. It is inherent within His nature. Light does not need to prove its superiority over darkness. Light does not fight against darkness. Light simply appears, and darkness is gone. Darkness must bow to the authority of Light! The Sadducees could not simply ignore Jesus. Of necessity, they must crucify Him. They cannot overlook the Jesus who filled the apostles, and they had to stop them! The presence of Jesus confronted the self-centeredness of the Sadducees, where every aspect of their lives cried out against Jesus. As they participated in crucifying Jesus in days gone by, they must now eliminate Him in the present. We must understand that Jesus is so superior He continually confronts us. The Sadducees were constantly battling to eliminate Jesus from their lives, and Jesus simply would not stop His pursuit for them. It is who He is! Every one of us experiences the challenge of our faithfulness. Focus on ourselves produces faithfulness to self, and focus on Jesus produces faithfulness to Him. We dwell in one focus or the other.