Acts 5

Ananias and Sapphira

5But a man named Ananias—his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him—sold a piece of land,G1161G5100G435G3686G367G4862G4551G846G1135G4453G29332secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it.G2532G3557G575G5092G846G1135G2532G4894G2532G5342G5100G3313G5087G3844G652G42283Peter said, "Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field?G1161G4074G2036G367G1302G4567G4137G4675G2588G4571G5574G40G4151G2532G3557G575G5092G55644Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn't lie to men but to God."G3306G3780G4671G3306G2532G4097G5225G1722G4674G1849G5101G3754G5087G5124G4229G1722G4675G2588G5574G3756G5574G444G235G23165Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it.G1161G367G191G5128G3056G4098G1634G2532G3173G5401G1096G1909G3956G191G50236The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.G1161G3501G450G4958G846G4958G2532G1627G22907Not more than three hours later, his wife, knowing nothing of what had happened, came in.G1161G1096G5613G1292G5140G5610G1292G2532G846G1135G3361G1492G1096G15258Peter said, "Tell me, were you given this price for your field?" "Yes," she said, "that price."G1161G4074G611G846G2036G3427G1487G591G5564G5118G1161G2036G3483G51189Peter responded, "What's going on here that you connived to conspire against the Spirit of the Master? The men who buried your husband are at the door, and you're next."G1161G4074G2036G4314G846G5101G3754G5213G4856G3985G4151G2962G2400G4228G2290G4675G435G1909G2374G2532G1627G4571G162710No sooner were the words out of his mouth than she also fell down, dead. When the young men returned they found her body. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband.G1161G4098G3916G3844G846G4228G2532G1634G1161G3495G1525G2147G846G3498G2532G1627G2290G4314G846G43511By this time the whole church and, in fact, everyone who heard of these things had a healthy respect for God. They knew God was not to be trifled with.G2532G3173G5401G1096G1909G3650G1577G2532G1909G3956G191G5023

They All Met Regularly

12Through the work of the apostles, many God-signs were set up among the people, many wonderful things done. They all met regularly and in remarkable harmony on the Temple porch named after Solomon.G1161G1223G5495G652G1096G4183G4592G2532G5059G1096G1096G1722G2992G2532G2258G537G3661G1722G4672G474513But even though people admired them a lot, outsiders were wary about joining them.G1161G3062G5111G3762G2853G846G235G2992G3170G84614On the other hand, those who put their trust in the Master were added right and left, men and women both.G1161G4100G4369G3123G4369G2962G4128G5037G435G2532G113515They even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on stretchers and bedrolls, hoping they would be touched by Peter's shadow when he walked by.G5620G1627G772G2596G4113G2532G5087G1909G2825G2532G2895G2443G2579G4639G4074G2064G1982G5100G84616They came from the villages surrounding Jerusalem, throngs of them, bringing the sick and bedeviled. And they all were healed.G1161G4905G2532G4128G4172G4038G1519G2419G5342G772G2532G3791G5259G169G4151G3748G2323G537

To Obey God Rather than Men

17Provoked mightily by all this, the Chief Priest and those on his side, mainly the sect of Sadducees, went into action,G1161G749G450G2532G3956G4862G846G3588G5607G139G4523G4130G220518arrested the apostles, and put them in the town jail.G2532G1911G846G5495G1909G652G2532G5087G846G1722G1219G508419But during the night an angel of God opened the jailhouse door and led them out.G1161G32G2962G1223G3571G455G5438G2374G5037G1806G846G1806G203620He said, "Go to the Temple and take your stand. Tell the people everything there is to say about this Life."G4198G2476G2532G2980G1722G2411G2992G3956G4487G5026G222221Promptly obedient, they entered the Temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching. Meanwhile, the Chief Priest and his cronies convened the High Council, Israel's senate, and sent to the jail to have the prisoners brought in.G1161G191G1525G1519G2411G5259G3722G2532G1321G1161G749G3854G2532G4862G846G4779G4892G4779G2532G3956G1087G5207G2474G2532G649G1519G1201G71G846G7122When the police got there, they couldn't find them anywhere in the jail. They went back and reported,G1161G5257G3854G2147G846G3756G1722G5438G390G1161G51823"We found the jail locked tight as a drum and the guards posted at the doors, but when we went inside we didn't find a soul."G3004G3754G1201G3303G2147G2808G1722G3956G803G2532G5441G2476G1854G4253G2374G1161G455G2147G3762G208024The chief of the Temple police and the high priests were puzzled. "What's going on here anyway?"G1161G5613G5037G2409G2532G4755G2411G2532G749G191G5128G3056G1280G4012G846G5101G302G5124G109625Just then someone showed up and said, "Did you know that the men you put in jail are back in the Temple teaching the people?"G3854G5100G1161G518G846G3004G3754G2400G435G3739G5087G1722G5438G1526G2476G1722G2411G2532G1321G299226The chief and his police went and got them, but they handled them gently, fearful that the people would riot and turn on them.G5119G565G4755G4862G5257G71G846G3756G3326G970G1063G5399G2992G3363G303427Bringing them back, they stood them before the High Council. The Chief Priest said,G1161G71G846G2476G1722G4892G2532G749G1905G84628"Didn't we give you strict orders not to teach in Jesus' name? And here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are trying your best to blame us for the death of this man."G3004G3853G3756G3852G3853G5213G1321G3361G1321G1909G5129G3686G2532G2400G4137G2419G5216G1322G2532G1014G1863G5127G444G129G1909G224829Peter and the apostles answered, "It's necessary to obey God rather than men.G1161G4074G2532G652G611G2036G1163G3980G2316G3123G2228G44430The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One you killed by hanging him on a cross.G2316G2257G3962G1453G2424G3739G5210G1315G2910G1909G358631God set him on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven.G5126G2316G5312G846G1188G747G2532G4990G1325G3341G2474G2532G859G26632And we are witnesses to these things. The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey him, corroborates every detail."G2532G2249G2070G846G3144G5130G4487G2532G1161G40G4151G3739G2316G1325G3980G84633When they heard that, they were furious and wanted to kill them on the spot.G1161G191G1282G2532G1011G337G84634But one of the council members stood up, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of God's Law who was honored by everyone. He ordered the men taken out of the room for a short time,G1161G450G5100G1722G4892G5330G3686G1059G3547G5093G3956G2992G2753G4160G652G1854G5100G102435then said, "Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men.G5037G2036G4314G846G435G2475G4337G1438G5101G3195G4238G1909G5125G44436Not long ago Theudas made something of a splash, claiming to be somebody, and got about four hundred men to join him. He was killed, his followers dispersed, and nothing came of it.G1063G4253G5130G2250G450G2333G3004G1438G1511G5100G3739G706G435G5616G5071G4347G3739G337G2532G3956G3745G3982G846G1262G2532G1096G1519G376237A little later, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and acquired a following. He also fizzled out and the people following him were scattered to the four winds.G3326G5126G450G2455G1057G1722G2250G582G2532G868G2425G2992G3694G846G2548G622G2532G3956G3745G3982G846G128738"So I am telling you: Hands off these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart,G2532G3569G3004G5213G868G575G5130G444G2532G1439G846G1439G3754G1437G3778G1012G2228G5124G2041G5600G1537G444G264739but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it—and you better not be found fighting against God!"G1161G1487G2076G1537G2316G3756G1410G2647G846G3379G2147G2532G231440That convinced them. They called the apostles back in. After giving them a thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus' name and sent them off.G1161G846G3982G2532G4341G652G1194G3853G2980G3361G2980G1909G3686G2424G2532G630G846G63041The apostles went out of the High Council overjoyed because they had been given the honor of being dishonored on account of the Name.G3767G4198G3303G575G4383G4892G5463G3754G2661G818G5228G846G368642Every day they were in the Temple and homes, teaching and preaching Christ Jesus, not letting up for a minute.G5037G2250G3956G1722G2411G2532G2596G3624G3973G3756G1321G2532G2097G2424G5547