Drop Dead!

1. Drop Dead! Viewing Acts Chapter 5 Prepared by: Soon Siak. February 2010

2. Topics covered ... • Thinking about lies. • A tale of two persons. • Thinking about what they have done. • The Outcome and the Power of HS. • Work of God disrupted for a while? • Wisdom of Gamaliel. • Some applications for us.

4. What are some common things that people lie about? Why is lying so common? (5 min)

5. Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-2) During the formation of the church, two people found out just how dangerous lying can be. The early church was made up of people who were sharing, giving and becoming as close to each other as possible (v32-37). There was no place for deceit, yet what did Ananias and Sapphira do (v1-2)? They sold some of their property, kept a little for themselves and gave the rest to the apostles. But they made it seem that they were giving the whole amount.

6. Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-2) As lies go, how severe do you think this one was (on a scale of 1 -10)? Can you think of any lies you’ve told that seem just as bad, or worse?

7. What went wrong? (5:1-10) Barnabas was sincere and honest in his giving (single-minded giver). But the sin of Ananias and Sapphira was: Selling the field and brought part of the money to the apostles, professing to be bringing the whole sum into the common fund. They were guilty of vanity; covetousness & contempt for God. SPM Part B stuff - 97, 01, 08

8. Too harsh a punishment? (5:1-10) Why do you think they received such a harsh punishment? Wouldn’t a strong warning have been enough? To show that their sins was detected To prevent internal corruption of the infant Church, a corruption infinitely more dangerous than any external persecution, had not such a crime been at once severely visited. Since the church was just beginning to take shape, people were starting to watch the believers closely. The love, joy, and peace they displayed were attractive elements, yet people were not to forget that the Holy Spirit was responsible for such things. God was in control and would not be mocked. If Ananias & Sapphira went unpunished, people might logically think that God didn’t know, or “close one eye” when sins were committed.

9. The effect (5:11) What effect did the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira have on the church and others? Great fear came upon the whole church Great fear came upon those who have heard ie those outside the church – don’t play-play! What warnings/lessons? (SPM01/A18#2) Whatever actions we do that are wrong are ultimately against God Himself. People might be deceived by our actions but God sees into our hearts and He knows when we are sinning against Him, and He will judge us for our sins.

10. Miracles done by the Apostles (5:12-16) How could the people tell God was at work? They were healed of all kinds of diseases. The apostles displayed God’s power in much the same way Jesus had. Healing of sick who were carried on beds & pallets, even could be healed by the shadow of Peter falling on them.

11. Hitting back (5:17-18) Those poor religious leaders…they thought if they got rid of Jesus their problems would go away. Now there were lots of people displaying the power Jesus had used. So what did the religious leaders do (v17-18)? Arrested them and throw them into the public prison. What next? God turned it around.

12. A Twist (5:19-26) But God has a wonderful way of making the bad intentions of some people turn out for our good. So what happened (v19-26)? An angel freed them and they immediately went out to the temple to teach. The jail was still locked. The guards were still there. But God’s people were out doing their job.

14. Metro Tabernacle Testimony Protection on Pastor confirmed The night before the church was burned their Pastor was at the church past 11pm because he wanted to check his emails. He is a very hardworking person and has a habit of wanting to complete his work as much as possible. But he is also very sensitive to the Holy Spirit. When he got to the church premise and was about to swipe the card to open the door, he had a terrible stomachache that he had never had before. He knew that the Lord was telling him to go back home and he obeyed and left the church premise. It was past midnight that the church was torched. If he had not obeyed he would have been burned alive and would not be able to live to tell this wonderful testimony. God still has work for him to do on earth. His time was not up yet. Finance Provided The MTC had trouble moving to the new premises in Batu Caves. They had been waiting for approval from the Local Authorities and is still pending. Then they were facing financial difficulties as they needed to buy new furniture for the new premise. They had been raising funds on their own to relocate to Batu Caves but had been “stuck” due to approval permits and raising more $ to buy new furniture and equipment. So when the church was burned it was all the old stuff that they had been wanting to get rid off! And our Govt compensated them RM500K and CIMB and many other donations started to pour in. From an adversity it turned into a blessing! Our God truly provides! Making Us Known & United Celia said the church leaders and members shook hands with Najib and they released forgiveness for whatever that has happened in the past. She said Najib felt very welcomed at the church. Hishamuddin commented that during his visit he has never seen so many smiling faces when their church had just been burned down. To God be the glory! The Metro Tabernacle worship service appeared in the International Herald Tribune (they were on international news) and the photo of the worshippers with their hands raised was taken in the Wisma MCA hall. My MD asked what was happening and Celia told him we were praising and worshipping God. MD didn’t know that this was how we praised and worshipped God. It was good to see many church leaders of other denominations coming together at the MTC worship service over the last few days, united and praying together. Approval Granted! They also requested for the Batu Caves new church premise to be turned into a place of worship and not a commercial zone. The Selangor Govt is looking into it and the MB, Khalid gave his assurance that he will look into it personally. 24jan10 MP Teresa Kokwent to attend the Metro Tabernacle church service in its new building. She is pleased that the Selayang Municipal Council gave speedy approval for the new building. Malaysian church fire-bombed ahead of Muslim protests By M. Jegathesan (AFP) – Jan 7, 2010 KUALA LUMPUR — A church in Malaysia has been fire-bombed in an attack that gutted its ground floor, church officials said Friday, escalating a dispute over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims. A fire department official said all stations were on alert for more blazes at religious buildings, ahead of planned nationwide protests Friday by Muslim groups angry over the use of the word as a translation for "God" by Christians. The three-storey Metro Tabernacle church in suburban Kuala Lumpur, part of the Assemblies of God movement, was set ablaze in the attack which took place around midnight, said church leader Peter Yeow, 62….

15. Gamaliel’s Speech (5:33-39) When they finally confronted the Jewish leaders, the apostles were as bold as ever. And the Jewish council wanted to have them killed (v27-33). But at the advice of Gamaliel, one of their respected leaders, they didn’t. What was Gamaliel’s advice (v34-39)? How does it apply to cults today?

17. Gamaliel’s Speech (5:33-39) Gamaliel’s argument Be cautious, do not proceed to extremities because: Theudas’ insurrection came to nothing, he himself was slain. Judas of Galilee’s insurrection was a failure. Time tries all things, and time will show if this movement is of God or man i.e. If of man, it will fall to pieces If of God, it will stand and your efforts will fail. After two thousand years, Christianity is still going strong!

18. Pressed down but not forsaken (5:40-42) What was the result of this encounter between the apostles and the Sanhedrim? The apostles were flogged and sternly warned not to speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they went right out and kept doing what God had told them to do. Wow!