21

Acts 4:31-37 GREAT THINGS HAPPENING

Introduction:

The Apostles Peter and John had been arrested by the Sanhedrin Council for

healing a lame man in the name of Jesus. The chief priests and elders of the

Council dared not harm them in any way because the whole city of Jerusalem was

greatly excited about the miracle. They did, however, forbid them to speak any

more in the name of Jesus and threatened to punish them if they did so. Then

they released them. Peter and John went immediately to the church and the

church went immediately to God in prayer.

I. A great prayer

We talked about that prayer last week. Before we get into our text today

I want to briefly review that prayer with you that we may be reminded just how

great a prayer it was. Peter and John had been threatened by the Sanhedrin

Council. Indirectly that was a threat to all of the church. If any of the

Christians were to be heard speaking in the name of Jesus they would be subject

to the same kind of punishment that Peter and John were threatened with.

It was a dangerous situation which they faced. They were subject to being

arrested and brought to trial before the Sanhedrin Council. They were subject

to being beaten. They were subject to being banned from entering the temple

grounds and from entering any Jewish synagogue. They were subject to being put

to death. The Council had managed to get Jesus put to death and they would not

hesitate to do the same so with His followers. Their very lives were at stake.

The well being of their families was at stake.

Yet the people of the church did not ask God to take vengeance on their

enemies nor did they ask God to harm their enemies in any way. They did not

even ask God to protect them from their enemies.

They asked God for only two things. They asked God to make them brave

enough to speak out for Jesus in spite of the threats which the Council made

against them. They asked God to make them brave enough to witness for Jesus no

matter what punishment they might have to endure. Even if it meant giving up

their lives, they wanted to be bold in witnessing for Jesus.

In addition they asked God to stretch forth His mighty hand and to perform

more mighty miracles and signs like the healing of the lame man. They were

dependent on such miracles to confirm to the people that what they spoke about

Jesus is the truth of God.

Let tell you that this was a great prayer. It is no wonder that this

prayer brought great results. In this message I want to call to your attention

some of the great things that happened as a result of that great prayer.

II. A great sign that God would grant their request

V. 31, “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were

assembled together...” Just as soon as the last “Amen” of the prayer was said,

that whole building in which they were meeting began to shake. An earthquake

was taking place. The dishes would rattle, some would fall to the floor

and the quake itself would make a great noise. They were all shook up. It got

their attention.

But apparently no one was hurt and if the building was damaged in any way

Luke says nothing about it.

The people may have been frightened at first, but after it was all over,

they were more comforted than frightened. They understood that this earthquake

was a sign from God that He had heard their prayer and would grant their

request.

III. A great filling by the Holy Spirit

(V. 31), “...and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost...” There is no

indication in our text that there was any sound as of a rushing mighty wind, as

there had been on the Day of Pentecost. Neither were there any cloven tongues

like as of fire which lit upon any of them as there had been on Pentecost. What

took place this time is not the same as that which had happened on Pentecost.

On Pentecost, the church had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. This was in

addition to the various individuals being filled with the Holy Spirit. On this

occasion, they were not immersed or baptized in the Holy Spirit. On this

occasion there was a filling by the Holy Spirit as there had been on Pentecost,

but there was no Holy Spirit baptism as there had been on Pentecost.

Even on Pentecost, there had been no individuals to get Holy Spirit

baptism. It was the whole church as a congregation which was baptized in the

Holy Spirit. The church would never need Holy Spirit baptism again and it has

never been baptized in the Spirit again.

But let us not get so involved in making this distinction that this was

not Holy Spirit baptism that we overlook the greatness of what actually did take

place. All of the Christians present on this occasion were filled with the

Holly Spirit of God. If they were going to have the kind of bravery that they

would need to be faithful witnesses for Jesus in the face of grave danger which

they faced , then they would need the help of the Holy Spirit of God. By

filling them with the Holy Spirit, God gave them the help that they would need.

When one gets saved, he gets the Holy Spirit in the new birth. The Holy

Spirit is born within his inner spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who produces the

new birth and when the Holy Spirit produces the new birth He leaves His divine

nature within the individual in a way similar to a father leaving his nature

within the child when the child is conceived.

But there is a difference in getting the Holy Spirit of God when one is

saved or born again, and getting filled by the Holy Spirit at some later time.

One gets the Holy Spirit by being born again, but he gets filled with the Holy

Spirit by yielding his life to the will of God. It makes a great deal of

difference in an individual’s life when he is yielded to the will of God and he

is filled with the Holy Spirit of God. It makes a great deal of difference in a

church when its members are filled with the Holy Spirit of God. They made it

clear that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

IV. Speaking with great boldness for Jesus

(V. 31), “...and they spake the word of God with boldness.” The people

had prayed a great prayer. They had received a great sign from heaven that

their prayer would be answered, and they had all been filled with the Holy

Spirit of God. In this part of the verse we see the results. They spoke the

word of God giving testimony of Jesus Christ with great boldness. They made it

clear that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of men. They made it clear that

Jesus had been raised from the dead. They made it clear that the only way that

anybody can go to heaven is by placing their faith is Jesus Christ.

This did not take place in the prayer service immediately following the

prayer. Rather, after they left the church services and went out among the

people of the city where there were a lot of unsaved people, they did not mince

words. They made it clear that Jesus is the Son of God.

I cannot say for sure whether or not they were afraid of being arrested

and punished. I cannot say that they were not afraid. But if they were afraid,

they did not let their fear stop them. They spoke out for Jesus. They spoke

the word of God.

Somehow I get the feeling that if we were more bold to speak for Jesus and

for God among the general public that there would be a lot more people to get

saved. We boldly proclaim the word of God in our worship services, but there

are very few unsaved people present to hear our words. It seems to me that we

are neglecting a great opportunity to be of service to God by not speaking up

for God more when we are out among the public or when we are talking one on one

to a friend or neighbor or relative.

Yet that is the place where we are most likely to clam up and not say a

word for Jesus. That is the place where we may not say anything at all for

Jesus. But that is the place where we have the greatest opportunity to be a

witness to the unsaved. May God give us the boldness to take advantage of our

opportunities to witness for Him.

V. A great unity of heart and soul

V. 32, “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of

one soul...” Luke informs us that all of those who were saved and who made up

the membership of the church were of one heart and soul. That is, they were

united in a harmonious spirit. There was no division among them. They had one

objective. They all wanted to bear witness on behalf of Jesus Christ. This was

their goal.

This is the kind of attitude that every New Testament church should have.

Every church should be united in love and fellowship for one another. But it

was much more than just love for one another. Primarily it was their love for

Jesus which bonded them together in harmony.

At an earlier period they had been guilty of having their jealousies and

their differences with one another. But the suffering of Jesus which they had

witnessed had bonded them together in a spirit of brotherly love. Now the

threat and the danger which they all faced from the Sanhedrin Council bonded

them together more than ever. There was an amazing spirit of unity among them.

Whatever petty differences they still had in their thinking was laid completely

aside as being unimportant. There simply were no divisions nor split nor

factions among them. What a great fellowship there was in this church! There

simply were no divisions nor splits nor factions among them. What a great

fellowship there was in this church! This, too, was a result of being filled

with the Holy Spirit. If every member of every church was filled with the Holy

Spirit then they would all be in harmony. They would believe alike doctrinally.

They would all be easy to get along with. Nobody would have a chip on his

shoulder. What little differences they had in their personal likes and

dislikes, they would all be willing to lay aside and go along with the majority.

IV. A great unselfishness

(32), “...neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he

possessed was his own; but they had all things common.” This does not mean that

they sold all their possessions and put all of the funds into a common treasury

and all lived out of that common treasury. What it means is that on the Day of

Pentecost there were about 3000 souls who were saved and who joined the church.

When the lame man was healed at the gate Beautiful there were about 5,000 who

now were saved and it was not long until they, too, were baptized and united

with the church. A lot of these people had come from distant lands. They had

no means of livelihood there in Jerusalem. It would take a while for them to

get jobs and earn a living. But that posed no problem for this church --- at

least, not for the present. All of those who had were anxious to share with

those who had not. They shared so generously that all were taken care of.

This was an unusual situation. It is the kind of situation which has

probably never repeated itself in the history of the churches. However, there

have arisen numerous situations down through the years when illness would strike

a family or a company would have a big layoff and many families would be without

an income that Christians have opened their hearts and their pocketbooks and

anxiously shared with those who were in need. This is as it should be. Every

Christian should be willing to share with others to help them meet their needs.

Especially Christians should be willing to share with Christians. But let me

hasten to say that we should be willing to share with more than just our own

Christian brethren. Gal. 6:10, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do

good unto all [men], especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

VII. A great witness of the resurrection of Jesus by the apostles

V. 33. “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection

of the Lord Jesus...” The apostles, all of the apostles, not just Peter and

John, had great success in bearing witness that Jesus had been resurrected from

the dead. It is vital that the unsaved believe in the resurrection of Jesus.

We cannot persuade anyone to place his faith in Jesus until he first believes

that Jesus has risen from the dead. No lost sinner will depend on Jesus to take

his dead body from the grave unless he believes that Jesus Himself has come out

of the grave. Once an individual believes that Jesus has been raised from the

dead it should be easier to persuade him to call upon Jesus to save his soul.

This great power of persuasion was also a result of them being filled with

the Holy Spirit of God. It was the Holy Spirit of God who accompanied the word

of God which they preached and accompanied their personal testimony of Jesus.

Even today it is the Holy Spirit of God that we must rely upon to touch the

hearts of the unsaved to convince them of the truth of the word of God and of

the truth of our witness concerning Jesus.

VIII. Great grace upon them all

(V. 33), “...and great grace was upon them all.” All of the people of the

church were a great spirit of unity. All of them were filled with the Holy

Spirit of God. All of them, not just the apostles, were witnessing for Jesus.

God was blessing them with great blessings from above.

You will note the word “grace.” The word grace means “unmerited or

undeserved favor.” This particular verse is not speaking about “saving grace.”

These people were already saved. What the verse means is that God was pouring

out His special blessings upon them in a way that was far beyond what they

deserved.

What a joyous experience this is for any Christian. It is a joy when he

can stop and take a look at his life and see that God is blessing his life far

beyond that which he rightly deserves. I can relate to that. I strongly

suspect that many of you can also. You stop to comp[are how little you deserve

with all the great blessings that God has given you. Don’t compare what you

have with what you wish you had. Compare what you deserve with what you have.

IX. A great supply of their daily need

V. 34, “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were

possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things

that were sold,” I hope that you understand that there was not just a handful

of people in this church who needed feeding. There was a huge number of people

who needed feeding. There was a huge number of complete families who needed

feeding. Huge sums of money were needed to buy food. What was already in the

treasury was quickly gone. More was needed. Much more was needed. It was

needed fast.

It took a great sacrifice on the part of those who had in order to supply

the need of those who did not have. But the people of the church arose to the

occasion. Many of them sold a part of their property and gave the money into

the treasury so that the need could be met. Some of them even sold the houses

in which they lived in so that the needed funds could be raised to care for the

needy families. Now stop and think for a minute. If some of our families got

in desperate need and you could not help them any other way, would you be

willing to sell your home in order to supply the need for others. Well, whether

we would or not, they did. They sold their homes and gave the money into the

treasury. V.35, “And laid [them] down at the apostles' feet: and distribution

was made unto every man according as he had need.”

A disciple whom we know as Barnabas was one of those who sold his home.

V. 36 -37, “And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is,

being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, [and] of the country of

Cyprus,” Having land, sold [it], and brought the money, and laid [it] at the

apostles' feet.” Barnabas was a resident of the Island of Cyprus. Luke tells

us that he was a Levite. That is, he was a member of that part of the family of

Levi whose job it was to go to Jerusalem for a large part of the year and assist

the priests as they officiated in the offerings and to take care of all of the

material things at the temple. He lived at Cyprus, but he had land at

Jerusalem. He apparently had bought a home at Jerusalem in which to live during

that part of the year while he was in Jerusalem. He sold that property or, at

least, some of that property. If he sold the home, he would have to make some

other arrangements for a place to stay while he was in Jerusalem. Others did the

same thing.

X. A great faith in Jesus and a great love for Him

I would like to point out to you who are unsaved what a great faith those

people had in the Lord Jesus. Those people were fully persuaded that Jesus is

the Son of God. They were fully persuaded that Jesus is the Christ of God.

They were fully persuaded that Jesus had arisen from the grave. They had seen

Him with their own eyes. They had touched Him with their own hands. They had

seen Him when He ascended and went away to heaven. They were fully persuaded

that Jesus had saved their souls. They were fully persuaded that Jesus is the

only hope of any man going to heaven. They were fully persuaded that if anyone

would repent of his sins and trust in Jesus Christ that Jesus would save his

soul and take him to heaven.

They believed these things so strongly that they risked their freedom in

order to tell others about Jesus. They risked their safety in order to tell

others about Jesus. They risked their lives in order to tell others about

Jesus. I am here today to call upon you to place your faith in Jesus Christ and

trust Him to save your soul.

I would also like to point out to you who are saved what a great love that

these people had for Jesus. They loved Him enough to risk being arrested and

brought to trial in order to serve Jesus. They loved Him enough to risk their

lives and the lives of their families in order to be faithful in the service of

Jesus Christ. I am here this morning to call upon you to love Jesus enough that

you would make great sacrifices in order to serve Him. I am here to call upon

you, if need be, to risk your life in order to be loyal and faithful to the

service of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

I call upon you to come forward now and make a public commitment to Jesus

Christ.