Let's turn to God's Word again.
We turn now to the Acts of the
Apostles.
It's very significant.
It's written by Luke.
Continuation of Luke's Gospel.
And he says, the first account, which is
Luke's Gospel, chapter 1, verse 1.
I composed Theophilus of all that Jesus began
to do and teach.
So what is the subject of Luke's Gospel?
All that Jesus began to do and teach.
What is the subject of Acts of the
Apostles?
All that Jesus continued to do and teach
through his disciples.
And that has continued now through 2,000
years.
The Acts of the Apostles is not finished.
It's continuing.
The last word of the Acts of the
Apostles is unhindered.
It says about the Apostle Paul that he
preached and taught concerning the Lord Jesus with
all openness, unhindered.
And there is no Amen there.
It goes on and on and on for
2,000 years.
So that first verse is very significant.
And also, though it's referring to Jesus' actions
and words, I believe there's a principle involved
in Acts 1.1, which we must bear
in mind, that Jesus first did, then taught.
He did not just teach.
He did and taught.
And that is the principle of the New
Covenant.
Samson could, you know, not live the life,
but still be a leader, but not in
the New Covenant.
Gideon could ultimately end up worshiping idols, be
a leader, but not in the New Covenant.
Even a man like David would disqualify to
continue as a leader under the New Covenant
because he had so many wives and he
was a leader and he fell into adultery.
And once a leader falls into adultery, my
personal conviction is, though he can be restored
to fellowship with the Lord, he cannot be
restored to leadership.
It's a very high standard of leadership in
the New Covenant.
So it's important that we follow this principle.
Jesus began to do and teach and Jesus
continues to do and teach through us.
If we want to understand the Acts of
the Apostles, this New Covenant that God has
established.
And verse 5, I told you, is again
the promise that you shall be baptized in
the Holy Spirit, just like John the Baptist
said.
And then they asked him this question.
When he said, you shall be baptized in
the Holy Spirit, they immediately thought of an
earthly kingdom.
You see, the mind of Old Covenant people
is always on earthly things.
God blessed me means He's given me money.
God blessed me means He's given me many
children.
God blessed me means He's given me a
house.
Or God blessed me means He's given me
a wife.
This is characteristic of Old Covenant people.
And whenever your thinking is like that, it
shows you are an Old Covenant Christian, no
matter how much you understand about the New
Testament.
If automatically you think that earthly blessing is
God's blessing, just stop for a moment and
think of the millions of people who don't
worship God, who have got much more blessing
than you in that case.
And you'll see the folly of that type
of thinking.
The mark of New Covenant blessing is heavenly.
Okay.
So immediately they said, you mean we are
going to be baptized in the Holy Spirit?
That means you're going to restore the kingdom
to Israel?
We are all going to be kings and
prime ministers and defense ministers and all that
here?
And the Lord said, no.
Sorry to disappoint you.
That's not what I meant.
It's not for you to know.
It's not for you to know the times
or the seasons which the Lord has put
in His own power.
That's a very important verse.
Verse 7.
It's not for us to know about times
and seasons.
That's in God's hand.
When Jesus is going to come, I don't
know.
That's not for me to know.
But what I do need to know is
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now there are a lot of Christians today,
for example, when they study Revelation, the book
of Revelation, they're always interested in times and
seasons.
The very thing which it says in verse
7 you should not be interested in.
What we need is the power of the
Holy Spirit.
So if you're seeking God for something, don't
seek for an understanding of times and seasons
and prophetic details, but for the power of
the Holy Spirit.
What is the mark, the identifying mark of
being baptized in the Holy Spirit?
Acts 1.8. Power.
Jesus never said you shall receive tongues when
you are empowered with the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you
shall receive power.
Now I believe there are many, many godly
men through the centuries who never spoke in
tongues, but who received the power of the
Holy Spirit.
And that's the main thing.
God may also give the gift of tongues,
but it's not necessarily given to everybody.
Even to the church in Corinth, Paul writes
in 1 Corinthians 14, I wish you all
spoke in tongues, which proves they did not
all speak in tongues.
So we must accept that fact that they
did not all speak in tongues, even in
the first century.
Some people make us believe as though every
first century believer spoke in tongues.
It's not true.
But it is God's will that every Christian
should have power.
Tongues is one gift.
It's not the most important, certainly, but every
Christian should have power.
And power does not mean that you'll become
an evangelist just because you hear the testimony
of somebody like Moody or Finney, that when
they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, suddenly
Moody says, I preached the same sermons after
I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and
hundreds were converted.
And you think that if you get baptized
in the Holy Spirit, hundreds will be converted.
No, if you're an evangelist, perhaps.
See, the best illustration I can use is
from the human body.
For a member to be a member of
this body, one sign is that the blood
must flow through that member.
If the blood flows through a part of
this body, that's part of my body.
If I have an artificial hand, that's not
part of the body because the blood does
not flow in it.
But this little finger, the blood flows in
it, so it's part of the body.
That's a picture of the blood of Christ,
which determines whether I'm part of Christ's body
or not.
But even when the blood flows in my
hand, my hand may be paralyzed.
So I am a member of the body,
this hand is a member of the body,
but it's a useless member.
What does this hand need?
Power.
And when it gets power, will it become
a mouth or a tongue?
No, it'll become a powerful hand.
If the tongue is paralyzed, when it gets
power, what will it become?
It won't become a hand, it'll become a
powerful tongue.
So if God has called you to be
a mother, and you get filled with the
spirit, what will you be?
You won't be an evangelist, you'll be a
powerful, spiritful mother.
And if your calling is to be a
teacher, and God fills you with the spirit,
you'll be a powerful teacher, not a powerful
evangelist.
It's a wrong conception that many people have,
that power means we'll suddenly all become like
tongues, or all become like eyes.
No, you will be powerful in that particular
ministry that God has called you for.
And don't ever compare yourself with somebody else.
Verse 15, it says here that 120 people
were gathered together in the upper room on
the day of Pentecost.
Now I don't know whether you remember, if
you've read 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 6,
it says after the resurrection of Jesus, 500
believers saw Him.
And Jesus said, wait for the promise of
the Holy Spirit, out of 500, only 120
waited.
Not every believer is interested in the power
of the Holy Spirit, not even in the
first century, not even the very first time.
They all believed, they were all born again,
they were happy that Jesus rose from the
dead.
But when He said, wait for the Holy
Spirit, less than one-third, less than one
-fourth were waiting.
That's just in passing.
And verse 22, when they are looking for
a replacement for Judas Iscariot, notice what they
say.
We need somebody who should become with us
a witness of Jesus' resurrection.
Not a witness of Jesus' crucifixion, but a
witness of Jesus' resurrection.
Now if you read, you take a concordance
and look through the Acts of the Apostles,
you'll find that very frequently, I didn't get
time to count it up myself, but you
can do that.
Very frequently you find this phrase, witness of
His resurrection.
You never find the phrase, witness of His
crucifixion.
Why is that?
Because if you stop at the crucifixion, you
have not completed the gospel.
The gospel is Christ died and rose again
from the dead.
Otherwise it's a very sorrowful gospel, that Christ
died for our sins.
Now if you listen to average preaching of
the gospel today, most evangelists do not preach
the resurrection.
They preach crucifixion.
And even many of you, when you have
gone out preaching, you have preached the cross,
but you have not preached the resurrection.
And that's the big difference between you and
the apostles.
The apostles preach the resurrection.
And now let's get our focus right and
say, Lord, make me a witness of your
resurrection.
A witness who proclaims to the world, not
just that Jesus died, but that Jesus rose
up from the dead.
Very, very important distinction.
The reason a lot of Christians are gloomy
is because they don't believe that Jesus rose
up from the dead.
I mean, they believe it in their heart,
but they are not always confessing it.
You know, it's like Jesus died and he
was buried.
And then we are like those disciples who
are walking to Emmaus, gloomy, long-faced.
What a difference there was when they realized
Jesus rose up from the dead.
So we are called in this world to
be witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Chapter 2, it says here that when they
were waiting there, the day of Pentecost came,
and these people did not know when they
were waiting that in 10 days they would
receive.
If they had known it would be 10
days, it would be easy to wait.
When God keeps us waiting, he never tells
us what is the last day.
It may be 10 days, it may be
10 years.
In waiting, we have to wait in faith.
Watch and pray, waiting in faith.
And there is no faith if you know
the end of that waiting period.
So when you pray for something, God does
not tell you when the end of that
waiting period is going to be.
Afterwards, when you look back, you say, yeah,
I had to wait for that for 3
days, or for the other thing, I had
to wait for 3 years.
But faith means, I don't know when the
end is going to be.
When they were waiting on the Lord in
Jerusalem, they did not know it was 10
days.
They didn't know whether it would be 10
years.
They knew they had to wait until they
were endued with power from on high.
When you wait on the Lord for the
power of the Holy Spirit, wait until you
are endued with power from on high.
Is this important?
It's absolutely important.
And if you had gone to those disciples
when they were waiting and asked them, how
will you know whether you are baptized in
the Holy Spirit?
What would the answer be that they would
give you?
They would not say we would speak in
tongues like people say today.
They would say, Jesus said, we will receive
power.
That's how we will know.
And then people say, how do you know
you've got power?
Well, in some way, God will assure us,
just like God assures us that our sins
are forgiven.
Can you explain to an unbeliever how you
are so sure that your sins are forgiven?
And yet you know deep down in your
heart your sins are forgiven?
In exactly the same way, the Holy Spirit
who bears witness with your spirit that your
sins are forgiven can also give you a
witness that you have been endued with power.
That's how we know.
So they were expecting power.
But when they got power, they also got
tongues.
Now the tragedy today is a lot of
people have got tongues without power.
It's like if you go to the marketplace
and go to buy a bottle of Nescafe
instant coffee.
And when you go there, the shopkeeper says,
you can also get a free mug along
with that.
You didn't go for the mug.
You went for the Nescafe.
You went for the power.
And along with the power, God says, you
can also have the tongues.
That's good.
And you are so happy.
You went for Nescafe, but you got Nescafe
plus the free mug.
You went for power, but you got power
plus tongues.
Now I find two extremes among Christians today.
Some people, they go to the shop and
they say, I don't like mugs.
I don't like mugs.
I just want the Nescafe.
Okay, the shopkeeper says, then don't take the
mug.
Just take the Nescafe and go.
And that's what God says.
Some people say, I don't like speaking in
tongues.
Okay, don't take it.
Take the power and go.
But the more foolish people are the ones
who leave the bottle of Nescafe behind and
come back with just the mug.
Say, I got the mug.
Brother, you spent hundred rupees to get this
mug.
That's the folly of today.
They've got tongues without power.
So, we see that power is the identifying
mark and never forget that.
The important thing is not the noise and
the wind and all those things.
No, it's the reality of power.
You see, it's like getting a gift.
Supposing you get a diamond.
Very expensive diamond costing many, say, hundreds of
thousands of rupees.
And it's wrapped up in nice blue paper
with red ribbon or it's wrapped up in
newspaper.
What difference does it make?
Do you keep the ribbon or do you
keep the diamond?
Somebody got it in a newspaper.
Somebody got it in a nice package.
It doesn't make a difference.
The important thing is the gift inside.
Babies are taken up with the wrappings.
Babies are taken up with the external aspects.
Oh, the wind, the fire, the excitement, the
electric shock, the sound, something like that.
But the mature people are taken up with
the gift, which is a diamond, the power
of the Holy Spirit.
That's what you need to be taken up
with.
The external wrappings of wind, fire, so many
other things like that.
But let God give it in any wrapping
He wants, so long as you get the
power.
It says here that tongues of fire sat
on everybody's heads, which means that the Lord
was saying from this day onwards, the most
important part of this body, which I'm going
to be using in this new covenant age,
is the tongue.
It has to be set on fire by
the Holy Spirit.
And therefore, your tongue must be completely under
the control of the Holy Spirit all the
time.
Your mother tongue especially, or whatever language you
speak in.
And then they also spoke in other tongues
in verse four.
But it's the control of the tongue that
is emphasized in verse three.
The tongue under the control of the Holy
Spirit 24 hours a day.
Do you want your tongue to be used
by God in the pulpit?
Give your tongue to God 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a
year.
And God will test you on that for
some time.
And when He sees that you're faithful with
that, He will use your tongue when you
stand up in the pulpit.
But if you don't give your tongue to
God every day of the week, and you
suddenly expect God to use your tongue when
you stand up in the pulpit, I'm sorry,
He's not going to use it.
Because He does not take your tongue on
loan, as a rent.
You loan out your tongue to God for
a few hours, and the rest of the
time you give it to the devil.
No, it must be God's all the time.
Okay, we move on to verse 17.
This is the fulfillment, Peter says, of the
prophecy of Joel.
Verse 22 and 23, it says about Jesus,
men of Israel, listen.
Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you
by God, with miracles and wonders and signs.
It's very interesting that the spirit-filled Peter
calls Jesus still a man.
A man.
Do you know that even today Jesus is
a man?
He is God, but He's not given up
His humanity.
1 Timothy 2, 4 and 5 says, there
is one mediator between God and man, the
man Christ Jesus.
We use the phrase the God-man.
He is God and man, true.
The Bible never uses the phrase God-man.
It says the man Christ Jesus.
And Peter was not hesitant to call Him
the man at the right hand of the
Father.
A man attested by the Father, because He
has identified Himself with our humanity totally.
It's not only when He came to earth,
even after His ascension.
He is still the man Christ Jesus at
the right hand of the Father.
This man, this is a beautiful verse, verse
23.
Delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge
of God.
You nailed to a cross and put Him
to death and God raised Him up again.
That means even though you are the fellows
who put Him to death.
It was according to the predetermined plan and
foreknowledge of God.
That's a tremendous verse.
Predetermined plan.
Foreknowledge, that means He knew it in advance.
And you fellows did not know that.
But God already knew what you are going
to do.
He had already determined a plan.
Knowing that you are going to kill Jesus.
He was going to use it for the
salvation of the world.
Now the same thing applies to us.
When people harm you.
Remember Acts 2.23. They are harming you
when you go to preach the gospel.
The gospel is according to the predetermined plan
and foreknowledge of God.
Yeah, that cannot happen to you without the
predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.
He permits it and that's why He allows
somebody to harm you.
And therefore, you can be assured that God's
purpose will be fulfilled.
Even in what those people do.
And just like I have often quoted Romans
8.28. All things work together for good.
Even the evil that other people do in
this way.
What is the worst thing that ever happened
in this world?
The worst sin that was ever committed on
this earth.
You know that was the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ.
The worst sin that was ever committed on
this earth was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Now next question.
What is the best thing that ever happened
on this earth?
Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
That's how our sins are forgiven.
So what do we learn from that?
That the worst thing that the devil did.
God converted into the very best thing.
And the worst that the devil can do
to you.
God can also convert into the very best
thing.
Because it is according to the predetermined plan
and foreknowledge of God.
Okay.
Verse 38.
The first time the gospel was preached.
This is how Peter preached it.
Repent.
Be baptized.
And you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.
Today.
People do not, when they preach the gospel,
they do not preach repentance.
They do not preach water baptism.
They do not preach baptism of the Holy
Spirit.
What do they preach?
Believe.
Yeah.
Peter included believe.
If you didn't believe, you don't get baptized.
But unfortunately, in a lot of evangelistic preaching
today.
There is no mention of repentance.
Because you won't get so many people if
you preach repentance.
But you'll get genuine people.
There's no mention of water baptism.
Because you don't want to offend the people
who believe in child baptism.
There's no mention of baptism in the Holy
Spirit.
Because you don't want to offend the people
who don't believe in that.
Thank God Peter was free from all that.
He preached repent.
Be baptized.
And you'll receive the Holy Spirit.
That's the first time the gospel was preached.
They preached the whole counsel of God.
Peter was not a diplomat like today's evangelists.
Trying to please everybody.
He only wanted to please God.
Be like him.
And verse 40.
He not only preached the gospel.
When people responded to the gospel.
He told them something more.
With many words he told them.
You got to be saved from this wretched
world.
That's the next thing you tell people when
they are converted.
Be saved from this wretched world system.
Verse 42.
And after that these people who are saved.
Continued in the apostles teaching.
Fellowship.
Breaking of bread.
And prayer.
It's no use having breaking of bread if
you don't have fellowship.
Verse 47.
The Lord added to their number.
Every day those who are saved.
It's the Lord who adds to the church.
I don't have to worry about that part.
My part is to proclaim the gospel.
The Lord will add to the church.
I can never save souls.
My job is to proclaim the word.
The Lord adds to the church.
Chapter 3.
Verse 1.
This is the thing which Jesus could never
accomplish in his lifetime.
Because the Holy Spirit was not there.
Peter and John could never work together.
In the gospels.
John would always be with his brother James.
In fact they were trying to get the
seats on either side of Jesus.
In the resurrection.
But things have all changed now.
The Holy Spirit has come.
Nobody is seeking their own.
Nobody is trying to promote himself.
In fact in Acts 2.
Verse 11 it says.
Sorry not 2.
Verse 11.
It says in Acts 2.
Verse 14.
That when Peter stood up to speak.
The leaven were with him.
They did not speak.
They did not say Peter after you speak
we also want to speak.
No.
They said Peter you speak.
That's enough.
And we are 100% behind you.
Look at that spirit.
Greater works than Jesus did.
As soon as the Holy Spirit came.
They were not interested in seeing who is
going to get the honor to speak now.
Let Peter speak.
We are solidly behind him.
And Peter and John.
Who never sought a fellowship together like this
before.
Now go together.
To the hour of prayer.
And in that unity there is power.
Because they find this lame man.
And he asks for some.
He was laid from the mother's womb.
He was lame it says.
And he used to be set down every
day.
Verse 2.
At the gate of the temple called beautiful.
And there is another verse in chapter 4.
22.
Which tells us this man was more than
40 years old.
Okay.
So this man was brought.
To sit at the temple probably for 20
years.
Every day he was brought there.
To collect alms.
And go away.
Now my question is.
If he was sitting at the beautiful gate
of the temple for 20 years.
Did Jesus ever see him?
I am sure Jesus saw him.
Every time he went to the temple.
He saw this man.
Asking for alms.
And what did Jesus give him?
Money.
Every time.
He gave him money.
See him next week.
Money.
See him after 3 years.
He gave him money.
Why didn't he heal him?
Because he had no leading from the father.
To heal him.
Some people say Jesus just went around healing
everybody.
He didn't.
He didn't heal this man.
He saw him for 3 and half years
at the temple.
He never healed him.
And that teaches us.
That we are not called to do what
the father never called us to do.
If Jesus had healed him.
You know what would have happened?
This revival that broke out here in chapter
3 and 4.
Would not have broken out.
Because that fellow would not be at the
temple anymore.
He would have been healed long before that.
There was a time for that man to
be healed.
And that was not through Jesus.
But through Peter.
And so Jesus was in touch with the
Holy Spirit.
Like most believers are not in touch with
the Holy Spirit.
They live by rules.
Everybody must be healed or nobody must be
healed.
Jesus did not live by rules.
Those who live by rules.
Are legalistic.
Can never fulfill the will of God.
We have to live by the leading of
the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus.
Was in touch with the Holy Spirit.
And the Holy Spirit said don't heal him.
He left him.
Give him money.
Every time he passed him he gave him
money.
And thus fulfilled the will of God.
So that later on when Peter came.
Peter said.
When he asked Peter for money.
Peter said.
I don't have money to give you.
But in the name of Jesus stand up.
And it says there was such a revival.
5000 people.
Came to faith.
Chapter 5 verse 4.
Chapter 4 verse 4.
5000 people.
Came to salvation.
Because Jesus obeyed the Holy Spirit.
For three and half years and did not
heal somebody.
Wonderful.
That's a tremendous challenge to me.
How I can hinder God's work.
If I go and do something.
Which the Holy Spirit never told me to
do.
It may be a good work.
Healing a man is a very good work.
A lot of good works that people do.
Hinder God's purposes.
God's ways are not our ways.
The clever man.
The man who lives by rules.
Will be a hindrance to God's purposes.
If Jesus had healed that man.
He would have hindered God's purposes.
A lot of Christians today.
Who listen to principles and rules.
And live by them.
Are the biggest hindrance to God's purposes.
Who is the man.
Who is useful in God's purposes.
The man who does not live by rules.
But listens to the Holy Spirit.
Who may work in one way at one
time.
And a totally different way at another time.
It's more difficult to live like this.
But that is a spiritual man.
A legalistic man.
Lives by rules and regulations.
Everybody must be healed.
Or nobody must be healed.
Everybody must be healed at the first opportunity.
This is all rules.
God's purposes are different.
Chapter 4.
We read in verse 8.
Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit.
So we see that.
There was more than once.
That Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit.
And again.
At the end of the chapter.
We read.
They were praying together.
And verse 31.
They were filled with the Spirit again.
So between Acts 2 and Acts 4.
Peter was filled with the Spirit three times.
At least.
Which teaches us.
That the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Is not a once for all experience.
You have to keep on being filled.
Filled.
For every ministry.
You have to keep on being filled.
Yesterday's fullness is not good enough for today.
Just like people say I was born again
on so and so date.
I have met lots of people.
Who say I was baptized in the Holy
Spirit.
On such and such a date.
But I look at their life today.
There is not a drop of water in
their vessel.
It's all leaked out ages ago.
But they got a date.
Oh that date.
I feel sorry for all people.
Who quote a date.
What's use quoting a date?
Our river is flowing today.
Otherwise their date is useless.
Maybe you started speaking in tongues today.
You got the mug that day.
Where is the bottle of Nescafe?
Where is the power?
Missing.
That's the situation with lots of people today.
And the devils fool them left right and
center.
Don't be like them.
Don't go around quoting dates.
Be filled with the spirit.
And everybody will know it.
Acts chapter 4.
Verse 32.
It says.
The congregation of those who believed.
Before that.
Verse 28.
Again he uses that expression we found in
Acts 2.
To do whatever.
Lord thy hand and thy purpose.
Predestined to occur.
He was talking again about the crucifixion of
Jesus.
The apostles got a great revelation.
That the crucifixion of Jesus.
Was according to the predestined plan of God.
And that affected all their life.
And they said it to encourage themselves.
When they were beaten up.
It says here they were beaten.
And sent.
And when they got beaten.
And they said Lord this is all according
to your predetermined plan.
Praise the Lord.
And verse 32.
The congregation of those who believed.
Were of one heart and one soul.
This is how the early church was.
The secret of their power was not only.
The fullness of the spirit.
The secret of their power was.
They were of one heart and one soul.
They submitted to their leaders.
They submitted to the apostles.
And they were completely united.
They were not a bunch of gossipers.
And critics.
Like a lot of Christians today.
And they did not claim.
That anything belonging to them was their own.
This does not necessarily mean.
That they sold all their property.
But they did not say this is mine.
You want it.
You need it brother.
You can have it.
All things were common property to them means.
You can borrow my scooter.
You can have it.
You want a place to stay.
Come and stay in my house.
It does not mean that they sold their
houses.
Some people did that.
And they were free to do it.
But.
It was not followed right through.
Till the end of New Testament times.
There was a time when people felt.
We should sell our houses and do it.
But the principle of being one heart and
one soul.
And making sure that not a needy person.
Is there.
There was no needy person.
Among them.
Verse 34.
Not even one needy person.
Because.
Those who were houses.
Owners of lands and houses would sell them.
And bring the proceeds to the apostles.
And so nobody remained in need.
Because those who had excess.
Would help those who had less.
This is how the early church lived.
And that power lay there.
And in that type of situation.
You can imagine how.
Some people would like to take advantage of
it.
And Ananias and Sapphira.
We read in chapter 5.
Try to take advantage of it.
They said this is good.
We can belong to this group.
I mean a lot of people come to
our churches also.
Like that.
Because they say oh there are a lot
of hospitable people here.
There are a lot of generous people here.
I'd like to be a part of this
church.
And receive all the generosity of other people.
And all the hospitality of other people.
Now we got to be very careful.
If we start.
Giving out money like that in India.
You know how your church will grow in
size.
In no time.
And will get corrupt in no time also.
Because.
You'll get the wrong type of people.
You'll get people who are not interested in
righteousness.
But who are interested in money.
Like they talked about the rice Christians in
those days.
In the old days.
When people came to the church.
To get free rice.
Got converted for free education.
Got converted for free medical treatment.
Got converted so that they get.
Get a free trip to the United States.
Something like that.
It hasn't completely gone.
Even today.
There are people who come to Christian churches.
For some benefit for themselves.
Which they would not have got.
If they were in a secular job.
You need to always ask yourself.
When you come to the church.
Have you profited financially?
By coming to the church.
Then you are probably not in the will
of God.
The church is not a place to make
financial profit.
To make business contacts.
Through the church here and there.
A lot of people do that.
And I have always found that they lose
out spiritually.
So.
Don't take advantage of the church.
For your own profit.
The church is a place to give.
Businessmen will all be driven out of the
church one day.
Those who try to make profit out of
the church.
Who try to make contacts.
For their own benefit and gain.
The church is a place where we are
to give.
Sacrifice not gain.
Unfortunately in India today.
There are many people in Christian work.
Who are earning.
Five to ten times.
What they would have earned.
If they were doing a secular job.
So.
Christian work has become profitable for them.
And so.
All the non-Christians look and say.
Oh these fellows become Christians for the sake
of money.
How shall we.
Shut their mouths.
By showing them.
I am not doing this for money.
I could have made more money in a
secular job.
I didn't come here for money.
I am earning less than half of what
I could have got in my secular job.
Then their mouths are shut.
But if you are earning five or ten
times.
What you would have got in a secular
job.
How can you shut their mouths.
This is the tragedy of Christian work in
India today.
So.
But these people.
Ananias and Sapphira came in and thought.
How can we make profit.
And so they did not give all their
money.
The sin of Ananias and Sapphira.
Was not that they didn't give all their
money.
God never wanted all their money.
Peter said to them.
Peter said to Ananias.
In Acts chapter five.
When your land was not sold.
Verse four.
It was yours.
Even after you sold it.
The money was yours.
What do we learn from that.
Before you sell your land.
It is yours.
God doesn't want it.
God doesn't want you to sell it.
After you sold it.
The money is still yours.
God doesn't want your money.
But why do you tell a lie.
That's my question.
Why do you pretend.
So what was Ananias' sin.
Not that he didn't give the whole thing.
Supposing he had come.
And said well Peter.
You know we sold that land for fifty
thousand rupees.
But my wife and I talked about it.
And we felt that we should only give.
Ten thousand rupees to God.
The rest we want to keep for the
future.
Peter said wonderful Ananias.
That's good.
We are thankful that you decided to give
ten thousand.
God bless you.
And you would have been alive and gone
home happily.
Giving only ten thousand.
When everybody else was giving everything.
That was not their sin.
Their sin was.
They stood in the queue.
Kept their mouth shut.
And pretended that they were giving everything.
They didn't open their mouth.
But Peter was a man of discernment.
He said come here Ananias.
And afterwards he gave a chance to his
wife.
And said did you sell this for so
much.
She said yes.
Both of them died.
For hypocrisy.
Somebody asked me once.
Brother Zach.
Why doesn't God do that today.
I said there will be hardly anybody alive
in the church.
If God does that today.
If God removes all the hypocrites in the
church.
How many will be left.
I think there will still be a few.
But perhaps not many.
But the reason was.
That they were in the midst of a
very powerful church.
You see.
If Ananias and Sapphira were in some carnal
church.
Like Corinth.
They would not have died.
He may even have been an elder in
Corinth.
You see.
It depends which church you are in.
If you are in a dead church.
You may do a lot of wrong things.
You may even be an elder.
But you make the big mistake.
Of joining a church that is pressing on
to purity.
And you try to play the fool there.
You are a proud man.
And you join a bunch of humble brothers.
Who are pressing on to perfection.
I tell you.
God will smite you.
One way or the other he will smite
you.
If you want to live.
Go and join some dead church.
Please don't join a living church.
And play the fool there.
Because if there is a living church.
And you go there and try to play
the fool.
To get a reputation for yourself.
I warn you that God will smite you.
Thankfully there are not many living churches like
that.
So you will survive in most churches.
But if you ever find one.
Be careful.
Don't join it unless you are serious about
your Christianity.
Can't play the fool there.
I have seen it happen.
They don't get smitten physically.
They get smitten spiritually.
Ok.
Acts chapter 5.
There is a lovely verse here.
Verse 29.
We must obey God rather than men.
And verse 41.
They rejoiced.
That they had been considered worthy.
To suffer shame for his name.
We may have a lot of that in
India.
In the days to come.
And when that happens to us.
Let us rejoice.
That we are counted worthy.
To suffer shame for his name.
Because it says.
They called the apostles.
And flogged them.
They took a whip.
And flogged all the apostles.
And when they went away.
After getting this flogging.
They didn't just go away with their head
down.
They lifted up their head and said.
Praise the Lord.
I got a flogging for Jesus sake.
They considered it a great honor.
It was like somebody giving them a medal.
Or giving them an honorary doctorate.
Or something like that.
And they walk away with great joy.
Because they got a flogging.
For Jesus sake.
That's wonderful.
In Acts chapter 6.
We read about.
When the disciples were increasing in number.
Complaints started.
See this is the problem.
Whenever a work grows.
As long as the work is small.
Everything is wonderful.
But when it begins to grow.
Murmuring starts.
Grumbling starts.
Complaining starts.
And something has to be done about it.
If you allow it to remain like that.
It will spread.
It's like tuberculosis.
Chicken pox.
All these things.
They spread if you don't isolate the people.
Who have got this sickness.
So murmuring and complaining is like that.
It spreads very very quickly.
And so the twelve said.
Hey this is not good.
Because the complaint is about food.
And some people say.
There is a community difference here.
That the Jews are favoring their own widows.
And not taking care of the Grecian widows.
You know it was the problem.
Was on communal lines.
Just like in India sometimes.
And so the twelve apostles.
Had great wisdom.
They said we got to sort out this
problem.
But we can't be investigating.
Distribution of food.
Not because it's too lowly a task for
us.
But because we have to give ourselves.
To prayer.
Notice this lovely verse.
Verse four.
All those who are called to serve the
lord.
Please remember this verse.
We will devote ourselves.
To prayer.
And to the ministry.
Of the word of God.
That's what we are going to devote.
Ourselves to.
And we are not going to sit down.
And sit in a table as a director.
And keep signing letters.
A lot of people call to preach.
God's word are doing that.
I know many times.
The devil has.
Tried to draw me by some.
Offer of a job here.
In Christian organizations.
Sit behind a desk and sign letters.
And I said no thank you.
No matter what the salary is.
We cannot do that.
We are called to the minister of the
word.
And I want to say.
If you are not being gifted.
There are many people who are not gifted
to minister the word.
Their gift is administration.
Let them go and sit at tables.
If you are called to minister the word
of God.
And that's the gift God's given you.
Don't ever degenerate.
To the level of being some director.
Or something like that.
Sitting at a table.
Go out and be a prophet.
Don't be a director of some organization.
Signing letters.
That's what the apostle said.
We are not going to serve tables.
But.
Who is going to serve the tables.
You need spirit filled people.
So look for people.
Of a good testimony.
Filled with the Holy Spirit.
Who do that job.
But that's not our calling.
You see the apostle stuck to their calling.
That's why they fulfilled their ministry.
And the other calling is also important.
But somebody called to it must do it.
But they must be filled with the Holy
Spirit.
So they selected seven people.
Stephen and Philip.
And you know Stephen and Philip.
Are the ones you read of later on.
Who became great preachers.
Stephen became the first martyr.
Philip was the one who went to Samaria.
And brought a revival there.
So these people didn't just look after serving
food.
They started with that.
Like Elijah poured water on the hands of
Elijah.
But they moved on to higher ministries.
When they were faithful with serving food to
the widows.
And it says here.
The apostles prayed for them.
Laid hands on them.
And the word of God kept on spreading.
Here is a lovely verse.
Which we can claim for ourselves.
It says in verse 10.
That when Stephen spoke.
The others were unable to cope.
With the wisdom and the spirit.
With which Stephen spoke.
And that can be our experience too.
That when we speak.
We speak with wisdom and the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 7.
We read about the history of Israel.
That Stephen was speaking.
And finally he told them.
Verse 52.
Which one of the prophets.
Did your fathers not persecute.
He is saying every single prophet.
Your fathers persecuted.
They did not spare one of them.
And that verse teaches us.
That every prophet in the Old Testament.
Was unpopular.
Every prophet was rejected.
That's why Jesus said.
Leap for joy when all men speak evil
of you.
Because that's how they treated all the prophets.
A prophet.
Is different from a teacher.
A teacher may be accepted.
A prophet is usually not accepted.
A teacher is a non-controversial figure.
If a prophet.
Is non-controversial.
He is not a prophet.
A prophet.
Is always a controversial figure.
Whether it is.
Moses or Elijah.
Or Elisha or anybody.
So.
The prophets are always persecuted.
Teachers and evangelists are not necessarily.
Persecuted as much.
And he says.
Now you killed the last one who came
as a prophet.
That's Jesus Christ.
And these people got so mad.
Verse 54.
Stephen preached in such a way.
That he really worked them up.
And they were cut to the quick.
And they began to grind their teeth.
Have you had anybody.
Grinding their teeth.
When you are preaching.
Well that's what Stephen had.
He was like a prophet.
Spoke to them.
And they were sitting there mad.
At this man preaching.
And decided to destroy him.
And they got a lot of false witnesses.
And they took him outside.
And threw stones at him.
And killed him.
The first martyr.
Of the Christian church.
Killed for preaching.
The word of God.
And see this wonderful verse.
He being full of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 55.
Here is a mark of people.
Who are filled with the spirit.
They gaze intently to heaven.
A spirit filled man.
Gazes at heaven.
And gazes intently.
A spirit filled man.
Sees the glory of God.
Doesn't care for the opposition of men.
A spirit filled man.
Sees Jesus standing in the right hand of
God.
Verse 56.
A spirit filled man.
Testifies to this Jesus.
Whom he sees in the right hand of
God.
And verse 57.
A spirit filled man is usually persecuted.
And often killed.
A spirit.
And we read here.
That they laid their.
Clothes at the.
Feet of a young man.
Named Saul.
And Saul was agreeing.
To this.
Killing of Stephen.
That is the apostle.
One who became the apostle Paul.
And Stephen his last words were.
Lord receive my spirit.
And do not hold this.
Sin against them.
A spirit filled man.
Commits his soul to God.
And a spirit filled man.
Forgives.
Other people.
Who harm him.
It's a wonderful description.
Of what it means to be filled with
the spirit.
From verse 55 to verse 60.
He forgives those who hurt him.
Now once Saul saw this.
Why did God allow.
The killing of Stephen.
I believe that was the first step.
To the conversion.
Of the apostle Paul.
I wonder whether Paul would.
Ever have been converted.
If he had not seen.
The way Stephen reacted.
When he was killed.
Saul had seen many people being.
Stoned to death perhaps.
But he had never seen one like Stephen.
When the Roman centurion.
Who had seen many people being crucified.
Saw Jesus.
The way Jesus was crucified.
Without cursing.
Without spitting.
Without swearing.
He said this is the son of God.
I have never seen anybody die like this.
And when Peter.
When Paul saw.
The way Stephen died.
He said this is different.
This cannot be a false religion.
Something is wrong.
Maybe I'm wrong.
And it began to prick him.
And that's why later on.
On the Damascus road.
The Lord spoke to him.
It is hard for you Saul.
To kick against the pricks of conscience.
When did those pricks of conscience start.
When he saw the way.
Stephen died.
The way.
You react.
To the evil.
Somebody does to you.
May begin the pricks of conscience.
In somebody watching you.
And in these last 2000 years.
There are many people who have opposed Christianity.
In many many places.
Who have been first drawn to Christ.
By the way they have seen Christians react.
To persecution.
So.
Saul was just one of the first of
those.
Hundreds and thousands of converts.
Through 2000 years.
Who got saved through seeing.
A godly reaction.
To persecution.
For that we must be filled with the
spirit.
You cannot have a godly reaction.
To persecution.
If you are not filled with the spirit.
So Stephen is a unique example for us
in India.
And Saul was in agreement.
And he went around persecuting people.
In chapter 8.
We read in verse 12.
About the great revival that came in Samaria.
Through Philip preaching.
And there was a magician there.
And it says in verse.
Chapter 8.
In verse 13.
That this magician also believed.
And was baptized.
But when Peter came.
It says Peter laid hands on the people.
Because verse 15.
They were only born again.
And they had not been baptized.
In the Holy Spirit.
So they said Peter came.
Philip could not lead them into the baptism.
In the Holy Spirit.
Philip could only lead them to salvation.
Forgiveness of sins.
And to baptism.
He would not have baptized them if they
were not converted.
They were converted.
And then they were baptized.
But they were not baptized in the Holy
Spirit.
So when Peter and John came.
They prayed for them.
Verse 15.
That they should receive the Holy Spirit.
Because he had not yet fallen on any
of them.
They had simply been baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus.
And then they laid hands on them.
And they received the Holy Spirit.
Just a word about this baptism in the
name of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus said.
Baptize in the name of the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
No name there.
And you know.
Even in heathen religions.
They have a trinity.
So.
When we baptize.
It is important.
That we identify.
That our trinity.
Is not Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
It is the trinity.
Connected with Jesus Christ.
And therefore.
When I baptize.
I baptize in the name of the Father.
And the Son.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
And the Holy Spirit.
Why?
I am saying.
I believe not in that trinity.
All the heathen trinities there are in the
world.
But the trinity.
Where the Son is the Lord Jesus Christ.
So that is what Jesus commanded.
And at the same time.
Identifying the Son as Jesus Christ.
Means.
It is a baptism in the name of
Jesus.
It does not mean.
Like many people do today.
Where they deny the Father and the Holy
Spirit.
And baptize only in the name of Jesus.
That is not what the apostles did.
And then they laid hands on them.
Verse 17.
And they received the Holy Spirit.
And when Simon saw.
That you could get the Spirit.
That the Spirit was bestowed through laying on
of hands.
He gave money.
See here is an example.
Of a person.
Perhaps the first person in the Christian history.
Who tried to get it.
Get something spiritual.
By giving money.
And Peter refused to receive that money.
He says.
Your gift perish with you.
Because you thought you could get the gift
of God.
By money.
Do you know that there are many rich
people.
Who try to bribe.
Preachers today with money.
Simon was a rich man.
Don't allow any rich man.
To bribe you with money.
And if you sense that.
That man's heart is not right.
Give it right back.
That is what Peter said.
I don't want your money.
Be careful about whom you receive money from.
Peter did receive money from different people.
But not from Simon.
We need to be discerning.
If you love money so much.
You'll just receive it from anybody and everybody.
Receiving money.
As a servant of the Lord.
Is an act of fellowship.
I would receive.
But not from everyone.
There are people from whom I've said I'm
sorry.
I usually tell them I don't need it
brother.
I'm okay.
I don't want to insult them.
But I don't feel free.
To receive from certain people.
And Peter didn't feel free.
To receive from Simon.
Because there was no fellowship.
And Peter said your money perished with you.
And as I said earlier.
In the middle of that revival.
The Lord told Peter.
To go to the desert.
Verse 26.
And there in the desert.
He meets this Ethiopian eunuch.
Who gets converted.
And takes the gospel to Ethiopia.
In chapter 9.
We read of the conversion of Saul.
On the road to Damascus.
He gets hit by this light.
And blinded.
And the question he asked Jesus is.
In the King James Version.
It is there.
Lord what will you have me to do?
Lord.
What will you have me to do?
Verse 5.
Who are you Lord?
What will you have me to do?
Two questions.
In the NASB it doesn't come.
In the King James Version you get it.
And Paul says it later on in his
testimony.
There were two questions he asked the Lord.
Who are you Lord?
What do you want me to do?
Two questions.
That he kept on asking all through life.
Who are you Lord?
I want to know you better.
To know Christ is the passion of my
life.
Second question.
I want to know your will.
What do you want me to do?
And the Lord did not give him a
whole plan.
As to where all he is going to
go.
He gave him a little inkling.
That he is going to suffer.
But he said go into the city.
And I will tell you what to do.
God leads us step by step.
You say Lord what do you want me
to do?
The Lord says for the time being.
Verse 6.
Just go to the city.
That's all.
And when you go to the city.
I will tell you what to do next.
God leads us step by step.
And when he went to the city.
There was another man.
To whom God spoke in Damascus.
Called Ananias.
It's wonderful to see.
How these people were sensitive to the spirit.
The Lord said to Ananias.
Here I am Lord.
Go to that city.
There is a man there.
He is praying.
And he is fasting.
He is not eating and drinking.
He didn't eat and drink for three days.
And you will see him.
And I have already given him a vision.
That a man called Ananias will come and
pray for him.
Go.
And Ananias had some questions.
But he went.
See when the Lord sends you somewhere.
What we learn from this is the Lord
is already preparing people at the other end.
To receive your ministry.
If you go on your own.
You don't know whether the Lord has prepared
somebody at the other end or not.
But here you see the Lord sent Ananias.
And he says don't worry.
I have prepared that man.
And he will receive your word.
It's a wonderful thing to be one of
those.
Who spends your time listening to God.
And he went Ananias.
His humble unknown brother.
You never hear of him again.
He went and laid hands on the man
who was to be the greatest apostle in
the world.
And said Paul.
God wants you to be filled with the
Holy Spirit.
You were converted.
You were born again on that road to
Damascus.
Now you need to be baptized in the
Holy Spirit.
See this was so important.
All those disciples realized it.
It's not enough to be converted.
You got to be filled with the Holy
Spirit.
And immediately his eyes were opened.
And he took some food.
And he was strengthened.
And I just want to say one last
thing from chapter 9.
When they were threatening his life.
Verse 25.
He had to be lowered in a basket.
Through a window.
This great man.
Who was going to be the greatest apostle
in the world.
And he mentioned that in 2nd Corinthians 11.
Saying you know.
God humbled me.
Can you imagine this man sitting in a
basket.
And escaping for his life.
You know in the previous chapter.
You read how God lifted Peter.
Lifted Philip.
And took him off to another place.
Snatched Philip away.
Acts 8.39. God could have done that
for Paul.
When the people were surrounding Damascus.
To kill him.
God's way is not always the same.
Sometimes we have to go in a very
humiliating way.
To escape from our enemies.
Let's thank God that he is in control.
Saves us one way or the other.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father.
We thank you for the example of these
godly men.
Who have gone ahead of us.
As leaders in the church.
Help us to follow in their footsteps.
And to glorify you.
We pray in Jesus name.
Amen.