Acts 5:12
The Book of Acts – Chapter Five Another Review Acts 5:12-16 2| Your Hands| Acts 5:12 “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch” (Acts 5:12). After Ananias and Sapphira’s death, Luke describes the early Church’s state, the third time for such a statement. As we discovered in our previous study, these summaries seemed to follow a crisis. The first summary (Acts 2:43-47) follows the Holy Spirit’s outpouring, Pentecost Day. The second summary (Acts 4:32-35) occurs immediately after the beginning of persecution. The early Church is threatened never to speak of Jesus again (Acts 4:18). This third summary (Acts 5:12-16) follows a threat from within the church. Ananias and Sapphira have disobeyed God (Acts 5:1-11). However, one might also understand that each summary of the early Church’s state prepares us for the crisis that is to come. After the first summary (Acts 2:43-47), the miracle of the lame beggar’s healing launches the early Church into persecution. The leaders of Israel threaten the early Church never to speak about Jesus. The second summary (Acts 4:32-35) prepares us for the internal turmoil caused by Ananias and Sapphira. The third summary (Acts 5:12-16) occurs just before the apostles are imprisoned and brought to trial. We discovered one of the reports’ critical elements is “many signs and wonders were done among the people.” No individual could or would want to argue against Divine healing. This third report of the church relates the increase in miracles from just the people in Jerusalem to the surrounding cities (Acts 5:16). We must continuously see this in the context of the proper meaning of the phrase. “Signs and wonders” are two aspects of every miracle. The “wonder” is the astonishing element of the miracle. God was causing physical changes in the lives of people that were so dramatic as to be incredible, indicated in the third summary as Luke reports, “Yet none of the rest dared join them” (Acts 5:13). What was happening among them was so miraculous that some of the crowd purposely did not join the church out of fear. The “sign” distinctly relates that something is happening beyond the miracle. The miracle is a mere finger pointing to something greater than itself. The “common” purpose of every miracle is to point us back to the incredible power of God. We must not become mesmerized by the miracle. The greatness of God must capture us. Don’t be miracle centered but be Christ-centered! But there is not only a “common” purpose to every miracle but also a “concentrated” purpose. God never does a miracle without a purpose beyond the physical result of the miracle. The present miracle contains a great plan of God. We discovered this in the healing of the lame beggar (Acts 3:1-10). As the story unfolds into the next chapter, Luke never tells us his name because the miracle is not merely about him. This healing is the event that launches the persecution of the early Church. This miracle tipped the scales for the Sadducees. They could no longer tolerate the constant spread of the name of Jesus in Jerusalem. But the early Church could not remain silent! In the face of the Sadducees’ threat, the apostles repeatedly said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29, also seen in Acts 4:19). They could not cease to proclaim Jesus because of what they had witnessed and experienced. The increase in miracles became the platform upon which they proclaimed the Person of Jesus. It validated their message’s authenticity, added fuel to the Sadducees’ resistance, and increased the persecution’s fury. The result was the scattering of the church from Jerusalem to evangelize the world. Regarding “the many signs and wonders,” Luke clusters many notable factors in our passage. Instrument Luke was definite in saying the signs and wonders were done “through” the apostles’ hands (Acts 5:12). “Through” is a translation of the Greek word “dia,” which is beyond question a preposition of instrumentality. “Dia” refers to the instrument or intermediate cause through which an effect proceeds, meaning “through, by, or by means of.” The apostles were the intermediate agents or causative agents through which or by which the signs and wonders took place. They were not the source of these miracles. There is something about this reality that forms the core of Christianity. It is so central that any deviation from its existence destroys what can be called Christian. Indwelling the helpless person, the essence of God’s person becomes the source of their life. We must investigate the many aspects of Christianity, such as forgiveness, holiness, faith, and love, a long list. We must view these aspects as something done to the individual, only experienced as God does these things through him. The Spirit of God indwells the individual’s life, and he is an instrument of this Divine Person’s activity! Some people may propose they are Christians because they received forgiveness from God. But it is not a reception apart from His person. God did not deposit an item called “forgiveness” into their possession, but He embraced them in His fullness. Forgiveness is always relational and does not have substance apart from the intimacy of the relationship. Man cannot know forgiveness within the relationship between God and himself unless he is an instrument through which God expresses forgiveness. Jesus said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). When we embrace the source of forgiveness, we become an instrument of this expression! Some may propose they are Christians because they received the power of God. But it is not a reception apart from His person. The power of God is the person of God. It is always in a relationship with Him that we experience His power. However, we will not know this power from His presence unless we become an instrument of His mighty presence. Jesus promised man would “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). We do not revel in the strength we possess, but we become an instrument of its expression to “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). All Christian qualities result from His person and can only be experienced in the expression of His personhood as we become an instrument. Because the apostles possessed a “consciousness” of this truth, no arrogance was present. A crowd gathered at Solomon’s Porch due to the news of the lame beggar’s miracle. He was holding on to Peter as if Peter was responsible for the miracle. Focused on Peter, the crowds attributed this miracle to him. Peter was horrified and cried, “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we made this man walk?” (Acts 3:12). He proceeded to proclaim Jesus, the One they had crucified, as the source of the miracle. Peter knew he was simply an instrument of Divine expression. When brought before the Sanhedrin for interrogation, Peter gave voice to the resource within him. Israel’s leaders wanted to know the power or the name in which the apostles had healed the lame beggar. Peter did not hesitate to say, “By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole” (Acts 4:10). Peter did not attempt to project himself into this miracle. He was aware and admitted he was simply an instrument of Divine expression! This fact is what produced a “consistency” in their witness. Their proclamation was always the same and pointed to Jesus. They were consistently highlighting, praising, and honoring Jesus. Their focus was not on the miracles to create competition among them, and they did not control the miracles’ source; they were instruments. The focus of the early Church’s persecution was using the name of Jesus. The miracles, compassionate ministry, or the early Church’s training sessions did not bother Israel’s leaders. They hated the consistent proclamation of Jesus Christ. The early Church could have easily eliminated persecution and maintained their ministry if they simply downplayed Jesus. But they would and could not do so! They said, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Everything they had seen and heard was about Jesus! They had become instruments of His person! For the early Church, there was a “completeness” about the person of Jesus. There was nothing beyond Him. They needed not add any other facts or seek any other solution. Jesus completed the truth of their Old Testament and fulfilled the dreams of their lifetime. The Kingdom of God for which they had been waiting was in the Kingship of Jesus. There was nothing to add to Him. Christ completed all. No wonder Paul wrote, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9-10). Jesus fulfilled the search of a lifetime. They were complete in Him! Individual Ownership The overriding fact bringing stability to the apostles amid their persecution was the awareness that the “signs and wonders” were not theirs! They did not own the Source but were owned by Him. Luke expressed this in the phrase “the hands of the apostles” (Acts 5:12). The Greek word “cheir” is translated as “hand.” It is the object of the preposition “through” (dia), an instrument of action and power. Thus, to the hand is ascribed what strictly belongs to the person himself or his power. But the preposition “through” presents the hands as an instrument of something that does not belong to the apostles. Luke refers back to the prayer of the early Church upon hearing of the persecution. Their prayer was not one of complaining or a cry for deliverance. They prayed for the Lord to give close attention to their persecution and to grant to them the ability to proclaim the name of Jesus in even greater measure. They desired to do this “by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus” (Acts 4:30). The early Church recognized that the ownership of the Source of all they were experiencing was in the Trinity God’s hands. Now they were His hands bringing expression to all He desired. They were not in charge but were under His influence and control. He owned their hands! At the beginning of this same prayer, they forcibly described the position of the Trinity God. They prayed, “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them” (Acts 4:24). The phrase “Lord, You are God” is a translation of the Greek word “despotes,” our English word “despot.” God is a Tyrant! “Despot” is a negative term for us, but it was not for them. The Trinity God is in charge. They continued to describe how this Tyrant God herded all the world nations together with their rulers. He permitted them to do what they wanted, which was precisely what He wanted them to do. They crucified Christ to redeem the world. Nothing is beyond the Trinity God’s control. The early Church viewed the persecution they experienced as an extension of this same control and authority. Therefore, they saw their hands as an extension of His hands. They did not own the signs and wonders. They were an instrument owned by the sovereign Trinity God. Because this truth became a reality in their lives, the upset of persecution did not disturb them. The security of their existence was unshaken. Great purpose permeated their lives. They saw themselves fulfilling God’s planned destiny. Their lives were meaningful, not in self-importance, but Divine movement. They were the hands of God for their hour. The circumstances of their days could no longer dictate nor influence their response. They were His and His alone! There was a totality about this awareness. The Trinity God did not have partial ownership. There were not some sections of their lives that were His but not others. The use of “hands” often refers in the Scriptures to the being. On the cross, Jesus cried, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46), a reference to the person of the Father. If we apply this to our passage, Luke said that God was working through the being of the apostles. As described further in the passage, even Peter’s shadow becomes an expression of God’s power (Acts 5:15). Partial surrender has no place in the Christian experience. Illustration The apostles have become “instruments” for Divine movement. There is a direct link between their hands and Divine hands. It is an “individual ownership.” The apostles in total surrender have become an avenue for Divine expression, an exciting element of our passage. Luke states that the apostles were a platform upon which signs and wonders “were done among the people.” The Greek word translated “were done” is “ginomai.” It highlights the phenomenon of something brought into existence. It is the concept of “birthing.” The Trinity God was birthing “signs and wonders” through the apostles. But remember, these miracles were all designed to point to God Himself. God was using the apostles to birth an “illustration” or demonstration of Himself. He was revealing Himself through them! God fulfilling Himself through His creation is the grand scheme and destiny of human life. We were not created to do our own thing or manifest our being. God uniquely designed us to demonstrate His nature, and anything less forms us into a cartoon character. Can you imagine a person created to be the visibility of an invisible God choosing to demonstrate the puniness of his own life? Why would we become the illustration of defeat when we could live in victory? Why would sin dominate our lives when we could possess holiness? Why would we live in hate and jealousy when perfect love could be our expression? But Luke is clear that this demonstration did not happen in seclusion. It is not the monk hiding in a monastery. Others do not see God in our secret prayer room. Luke declares that the life of God was birthed “among the people” through the apostles. There are no secret Christians. Christianity is not a badge one wears; it is the very nature of God and the nature of man birthing a new creature. This new creature illustrates the nature of God seen in the culture and circumstances of humanity. Indeed, God reveals who He is through nature (Romans 1:20), and creation declares our God’s greatness. But we cannot display the intimate details of God’s being until people see them in the conflict and strife in my home. God must take on flesh and demonstrate Himself in the daily routine of my world. He did this in the person of Jesus. But now He is doing this through us. The hands, mind, emotions, countenance, and even the shadow are all illustrations of the Spirit of Jesus. All Jesus was as the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), we are! We are the hands of God for our generation. What a privilege!