Acts 5:14
The Book of Acts – Chapter Five Another Review Acts 5:12-16 5| Others-Others-Others| Acts 5:14 “And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14). Evangelism is a consistent theme throughout the three summaries of the early Church in Jerusalem. Luke never indicates there was isolation or contentment within the Christian community. The early Church continually reached out to those around them, which directly contrasts to the Jewish culture’s segregation. The strong emphasis on law isolated the Jews from the rest of their world. There were Gentile proselytes, but it was not because of the evangelistic efforts of the Jews. The law developed an exclusion from others who might bring defilement to them. However, the moment Jesus freed the early Church from the law, evangelism took place. In the first summary, Luke highlights this fact. “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Although Luke does not directly say evangelism in the second summary, we can assume it. Luke said, “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33). The third summary increases the focus and highlights an increase in the results. These converted Jews moved from a religion based on laws to a relationship with Jesus raised from the dead. This shift demanded they embrace every person within their reach. The law focused on performance rather than compassion. Its interest was in measuring how well one treats others rather than encompassing others’ pain and guilt. Relationship with Jesus changes everything because we know Christ’s heart. The fullness of the Spirit is a merger with the nature of Jesus. His presence infiltrates the mind, emotions, and will. It is impossible to have a passion for Jesus and not have a passion for others. Jesus clarified this in the Sermon on the Mount as He spoke of religion’s four basic principles. The law demands charitable deeds but focuses on meeting the requirement, not the one in need (Matthew 6:2-4). Jesus calls us to such intimacy with Him that we express the Father’s heart, always focused on others. The grammar of our summary suggests a series of contrasts. Ananias and Sapphira’s death contrasted with signs and wonders being done among the people by the apostles (Acts 5:12). Verse 12 begins with the Greek word “de,” which has the primary meaning of “but.” Ananias and Sapphira’s self-focus brought death to their lives. When we surrender to Jesus, He changes our focus from self to others. We intervene, meeting their needs. Connected to God’s movement through the apostles is the group of believers gathered under Solomon’s Porch. Their chief characteristic was “all with one accord.” We discovered this means that they were together with heavy breathing. Each one was passionate about the Cause, Jesus. Jesus consumed them! Evangelism, church growth, or increasing their number was not what consumed them. Jesus was their cause! The Devil is deceptive and continually sets traps to shift our cause from Jesus. The issue is not about good or bad but Jesus. One might be entirely right but be lost because He is not right “in Jesus.” The early Church was passionate about winning the lost as a result of being passionate about Jesus. Evangelism is a byproduct of being in Jesus. If it does not flow from His heart, it is duty, obligation, or the product of a career. Pride quickly becomes the motive as we measure our success. Evangelism for the early Church was a direct result of their passion for Jesus; therefore, they genuinely desired to help people. Evangelism is the result of the heart of Christ indwelling the believer. There is another contrast (Acts 5:13). The group gathered in Solomon’s Porch had a passion for Jesus and is contrasted with this group who admired them but did not dare to allow Jesus to dominate their lives with such a passion. They realized that to join these Christians was to be welded or merged with Jesus. Jesus would not be a pleasant addition to an already established life. He would dominate and transform their lives with His passion. Although they admired those who had such courage, they did not. Keep in mind that this setting’s context is the death of Ananias and Sapphira and Israel’s leaders’ persecution. But there is good news! Luke gives an additional contrast. “And (but) believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14). Christ captured them and became their passion. Luke expands this picture with his continued description (Acts 5:15-16). Physical miracles happened, the power of God moved through the lives of Peter and the apostles, evangelized the cities beyond Jerusalem, and rescued the demon-possessed. Flourishing “increasingly” In describing the early Church’s evangelism, Luke injects the word “increasingly” (Acts 5:14), a translation of the Greek word “mallon,” which means “flourishing.” The English Standard Bible translates it, “more than ever.” The evangelism of the early Church in Jerusalem moved to a new level. Luke continues to express this in the statement, “multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14). The Greek word translated “multitudes” is “plethos.” We must note that this Greek word is plural. Although this Greek word appears in various other places, this is the only place in the New Testament it is plural. Luke highlights the immense growth of the church. It is fair to say that the three summaries of the early Church’s state reveal a continuing emphasis and increase in evangelism. We should easily understand growth! Evangelism is not by addition but by multiplication. Although the word “added” is used in the passage, the emphasis is upon the hand of God taking each new believer and bringing them into fellowship with the heart of the Trinity. Therefore, we see multiplication in the method of evangelism. When one person wins another person to Christ, he doubles the evangelism force. There are now two people who are winning others to Jesus. As those two people each win another person, they expand the evangelism force to four. On an on this multiplication takes place until everyone is affected by the person of Jesus. In seventy years, this group of Christians so infected their culture that the world recognized Christianity as the world religion. Each believer’s passion for Jesus should not surprise us. The inner heart of each one merged with Jesus and burned with love for Him. They could not keep silent about Him. When the leaders of Israel demanded they no longer speak about Jesus, Peter said, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19, 20). How could they not confront every person with Jesus when He was their life. To deny Jesus would be to deny their own existence. Evangelism was never a duty or requirement for membership; it was as natural to them as breathing is to anyone alive. The increase in the early Church was somewhat startling in light of the cultural environment surrounding them. The persecution, which began with the miracle of the lame beggar’s healing at the Gate Beautiful, increased. The leaders of Israel once again placed the apostles in the common prison (Acts 5:18). God miraculously delivered them. When the officers came to the prison to bring them before the leaders, they were gone. They discovered them in the temple, teaching the people about Jesus. Stephen became the first martyr of the early Church. The persecution escalated under the leadership of Saul, but evangelism consistently increased. The passion for Christ within the believers was more significant than the persecuting spirit of their world. Might we in the evangelical church find ourselves a bit embarrassed in light of this picture? There is no evil circumstance or resistance to the Gospel in our day that was not equally present in the early Church’s culture. Our physical resources to spread the message of Jesus are more abundant than they had. The ability to reach the world with our passion for Christ is staggering. We experience the increasing supply of two thousand years of God’s grace poured out. There is more depth and wisdom concerning the message at our disposal. If we fail in evangelism, our lack of passion for Jesus will be the reason. Let us be captured by Him again! Focusing “believers” The terminology Luke chooses for those converted to Jesus is significant. In our passage, he writes, “And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14). The idea of “believe” or “faith” is not new to us. Luke identifies those who joined the number were as passionate about Jesus as people who were convinced. The apostles have not provided theological arguments to sway their thinking. It was not a doctrinal crash course that won them. Peter and the apostles proclaimed nothing but Jesus, the resurrected Lord. Their focus was not on the resurrection event; it was upon the Lord who was alive because God resurrected Him. They became believers because they found Jesus to be alive as He confronted their lives. These believers became passionate about the person of Jesus. “To believe” was not about a system but a person! As stated repeatedly, we must see the reality of Jesus in light of this setting’s culture and historical moment. Jesus was crucified, raised from the dead, and ascended to the right hand of the Father. Fifty days later, He poured out the Holy Spirit upon the believers. How long ago were the occasions for this group, Luke describes? Even if one demands it was two or three years, it was well within these people’s memory span. When the apostles spoke of Jesus, they saw His face in their memory. They remembered shaking their fists in His face and screaming His name in blasphemy. He was not a belief system to them but a real person they had rejected. Now in the Spirit of evangelism, Peter challenges them to reverse their involvement with Jesus. They crucified Him; they must “un-crucify” Him. They rejected Him; now they must embrace Him. They pushed Him aside as a false Messiah; now they must bow to His Lordship. But how can they change all they have done? He is alive, and they have another chance. The memories of crucifying Him hounded them night and day; now they could make it right. They became “believers.” With the same zeal with which they crucified Him, they must now merge with Him. As they wholeheartedly eliminated Him from their lives, now they will cherish His presence. They are passionate believers! This picture is a reality for us. We have participated in Jesus’ crucifixion. By our sin, we have defiled His name, rejected His presence, and refused the redemptive plan of God. In the spiritual realm and physical expression, we duplicated the actions of those in the Book of Acts. We are guilty! We depended on ourselves in our self-centered pride and rejected His guidance in our lives. Embracing Jesus is not about joining a church or adopting a particular theology. It is about Jesus, falling in love with Jesus. As we have rejected Him with outstanding commitment, we must now embrace Him wholeheartedly. It is not a theological decision; it is a relational decision. Will I allow my life to be under His influence? Will I be a passionate believer? Foundation “were added” We might say, “I want to love Jesus with my whole heart, but how do I do it?” As Peter completed his explanation of the Pentecost event, the crowd asked the same question. “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter’s answer was, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). If you and I do not have the mindset of their culture, we will misinterpret Peter’s instructions. He demanded “repentance!” It is the internal mind, will, and emotions of a person giving up a former thought to embrace a new thought. It is the inner being’s willingness to reverse all previous opinions about Jesus and embrace Him fully. It is a state of availability to the real influence of Jesus within the life. In their religious culture, the symbol of this was baptism. Submitting to baptism was submitting one’s self to relinquishing self-control. No one can adequately baptize himself. The one baptized trusts the hands of the one baptizing. The candidate for baptism is no longer in charge of what will happen in his life. He is not responsible. Our passage strongly indicates this idea. Luke says that believers “were increasingly added to the Lord.” The Greek word “prostithemi,” translated as “were added,” and the prefix “pros” means “to” or “besides.” The basic word is “tithemi,” meaning “to put” or “to set.” Significantly, this verb is in the imperfect tense, which means “an event in the past that continues into the present and has no view of ending.” It is not a simple act or experience that they soon completed. It is a relational idea. Through the attitude of repentance, Jesus is allowed to take control of the believer’s inner life and continually draw them into intimacy with Himself! It is not a visitation, a counseling session, or a mere touch. It is a merger, indwelling, or continual fusion of God’s heart and the being of man! Significantly, this verb is in the passive voice, which means “the subject is being acted upon by the action of the verb.” The subject is not responsible for the accomplishment or action of being “added to the Lord.” The believer has simply placed himself in the position where Jesus could embrace him and continually draw him into intimacy. The believer cannot do this; he is being acted upon by the Divine provision. From beginning to the end of the Gospel message, the Trinity God is always the instigator of the action. He provided redemption through Jesus. Jesus has won me to His heart, embraced me with His presence, and is revealing His glory moment by moment. He is all in all! Jesus acts upon the believer! Significantly, this verb is a movement term that means “a location change.” The believer places himself at the disposal of the love of Jesus. In this state of surrender, Jesus embraces the believer and moves him from one location to another. This new location is “to the Lord.” In the consistent language of the Apostle Paul, it is “in Christ!” The believer’s place is within the boundaries of the person of Jesus. “But God (the Trinity God), who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6). We have been merged with the Divine heart of God by the mercies and love of God. He acts upon our lives to bring us into oneness with Himself! While you and I cannot do this, we decide whether or not to experience it. One cannot “try” this on a trial basis. It is “all or nothing.” You and I are either “in or out.” Would you allow Jesus to draw your life into an intimate love relationship with Jesus?