February 19, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I don't care how much you love him or how
much you love her. No human relationship is to trump
your commitment to the Lord.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Doctor Tony Evans says, even our closest earthly relationships can
only stay healthy when they take second place to our
connection with Christ.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Whatever there is.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
A clear directive from God, you are obligated to that
command higher than your human relationship.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. The early Church
described in the Book of Acts is known for its
unity and because of that, the power and presence of
the Holy Spirit. But today doctor Evans will tell us
about an event that threatened that closeness and why it
(00:49):
was dealt with so severely. Let's turn to Acts chapter four.
As doctor Evans begins, Now.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
We come to the end of the chapter, verse thirty
two to thirty seven. The congregation believed were again one
heart and soul. Satan has to promote disunity to keep
the Holy Spirit away. That's why Ephesians four says, preserve
the unity of the Spirit. Why because the Spirit won't
(01:16):
work in disunity. So that's why he keeps people fighting, fighting,
in families fighting and fighting in church fighting. He has
to keep people fighting because he knows that'll keep the
spirit away. But if you can ever rise above that
and see that that's the devil trying to keep God
from working. And you said, no, we're gonna, we're gonna
do this in unity, and we're gonna we're gonna call
(01:38):
on God in unity. Now the spirit's at home comfortable
and can then express this supernatural. So there one heart
and one soul, and not one of them claim anything
belonging to them. Belonging to him was his own. But
all things were a common property to them. That is,
it was a sharing environment. They were meeting each other's need.
(01:59):
And what was going on again the supernatural, There was
great power. In verse thirty three, the apostles were giving
testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and grace
was upon them all, I mean, God was just all
over them, and there was not a needy person among them.
All the needs of everybody was being met because they
(02:19):
were unified underneath God. The favor of God was flowing.
So now Barnabas is highlighted. He has some property, he
sells the property and makes it available for use at
the church. Okay, Anonius and Sopharra were introducing them. In
verse one of chapter Fiveharra is Anonius his wife. They
(02:42):
sold a piece of property, and he kept back some
of the money with his.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Wife's full knowledge.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
She's not a person who doesn't know what her husband
is doing. Brings a portion of it and lays it
at the apostles feet. Peter says Annius verse through, why
has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy
Spirit and to keep back some of the price of
the land. And as he heard these words, Antonius fell
(03:09):
down and breathed his last. If God killed folk for lion,
the room would be empty. So what Anonius did was
he concocted a plan and made a commitment to give
to meet needs. He held back some of what he
(03:30):
committed to give to meet needs for himself, but portrayed
himself as fully engaged in whatever he committed.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
So it's not manly the fact that.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
He lied, but what he lied about was detrimental to
the congregation. One Corinthians, chapter three says that when men
hurt the church, they jeopardized themselves because the church is
Jesus's brither. He says, it's the temple of God. So
(04:03):
it was the damage he was doing that he did
not have to do, which was the content of the lie.
Time elapses, so the young men came in, covered him up,
carried him out. Now as time elapses, his wife comes in,
not knowing what had happened.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Verse A.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Peter responded to her, tell me whether you sold the
land for such and such a price? And she said, yes,
that was the price. So he gave her an opportunity.
Peter said, why is it that you have agreed together
to put the spirit of the Lord to the test. Behold,
(04:43):
the feet of those who have buried your husband are
at the door, and they will carry you out as well.
And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her lass.
And the young men came and found her dead, and
they carried her out. I don't care how much you
love him him or how much you love her. No
(05:04):
human relationship is to trump your commitment to the Lord.
Jesus says clearly in Matthew chapter ten, you are to
love him more than mother and father and sister and brother.
That you do not agree to wrong just because of
the relationship. God told Adam, because you listen to your
(05:28):
wife rather than me. So wives are to submit to
their husbands as to the Lord, not period men vice
versa are to have their first commitment to the Lord.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
So whenever there is a clear.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Directive from God, not a preference, a clear command, you
are obligated to that command higher than your human relationship.
When you're getting and I'm getting serious about discipleship, that
means every other love is secondary. Now you have become
(06:09):
a serious Christian, and now you'll see more of God
at work in your life. Now, it says at the
end of verse five, great fear came upon all who
heard it.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I guess, so they weren't lying no more.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Up in there, up and there the hands of the
apostles verse twelve were doing wonders were taking place, and
they were all with one accord. Here we go again,
one accord he got. Please don't miss this. The Spirit
shows up in the unity of the people in dependency
on the Holy Spirit. That's when God does things outside
(06:49):
of the norm, outside of regular That's when God gets
super unletted on you. Verse thirteen is a little funny,
But none of the rest dared the sociate with them. However,
the people held them in highest theme. In other words,
they respected him, but they weren't going to church there.
They said, then people too serious over there. That's actually
(07:11):
a compliment. It's a compliment. And they weren't weird, they
were serious. But the supernatural was taking place because the
spirit was full, it was thick, the atmosphere was being
controlled by God through his people, and all the more
(07:31):
believed people were getting saved, and they were constantly added
to their number. Why, because these are bold people. They're
witnessing for Jesus Christ. They're not ashamed because they're full.
Now these are apostles, so obviously they're operating at a
supernatural level. The scriptures have not been complete, but the
principle of the Holy Spirit and the principle of the
(07:52):
supernatural is still ongoing throughout the New Testament. Okay, well,
when God starts working devil verse seventeen. But the high
Priest rose up along with all of his associates, that is,
the Sadducees, and they were filled with jealousy because now
(08:12):
the church is getting all the attention and not the
Jewish leaders. And they laid hands on the apostles and
put them in jail. Okay, and you would think you'd
be glad. People were getting healed, lives getting better, and
they getting mad. We call them haters. So the haters
are out during the night Verse nineteen, and angel of
(08:35):
the Lord opened the gate of the prison and taking
them out, he said, go stand and speak to the
people in the temple the whole message of this life
of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
An angel comes and opens the door to a locked
temple that's guarded and says, go out and preach.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Upon hearing this, they ain't run for cover.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
They went into the temple about daybreak and began to teach.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
When the High Priest.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
And as associates come, they call the Sanhedra and the
council together even all the senaer of the Sons of Israel,
and sent orders to the prison house for them to
be brought because they think they're still in jail. But
the officers who came did not find them in prison,
and they returned and reported back, okay, we went to
(09:32):
get them, but they ain't there, saying we found the
prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at
the door.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Wait a minute, come on, man, women.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
They're in the prison lock with guards the angel lets
them out. They go to get them, and the prison
is still locked and the guards are still standing there,
which meant that the had to be spellbound while the
angel let them out, because the prisoners don't even know
(10:07):
they're gone, who's guarding them. They were so full that
the supernatural was normal. Things outside of the norm were
normal because God was so at home. We become so
secular and churchified that the supernatural is abnormal. We're shocked
(10:35):
to see it when they expected to see it, because
they were so full, and so so they reported back,
and they said verse twenty five. In fact, they're not
only not there, they are in temple preaching. They out
(10:57):
there in the temple preaching. Then the captain went along
with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence,
because the people were They were afraid the people, so
we better bring them back nice. Because all this stuff
they got the people on their side, so they recapture them.
(11:20):
And when they had brought them, they stood before the Sanhedrin,
the Jewish council. The high priest questioned them, we gave
you strict orders.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
To not teach in.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
This name, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your
teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
But Peter and the apostle says, we must obey God
rather than man. And noticed they wouldn't even use Jesus's name,
your teaching, in this name and in Dan to bring
this man because they just hated Jesus, because of course
(11:59):
who Jesus was and what Jesus was about. But Peter says,
we must obey God rather than men.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
There it is.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Let me say this again, Saints don't allow men to
have the last word. They can have a word, they
just can't have the final word. Your obligation, my obligation
to God, and I know we all have to grow
in this area must be superior to our obligation to men.
(12:33):
And these men were chief men in charge. This was
the Sanhedrin, this was the official Jewish council. But they
said this man is unacceptable. Peter said we must obey
God rather than man. And then he got real specific
and the God of our fathers and the God of
our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death
(12:56):
by hanging him on across Ooh, you would have thought
he got quiet real quick Dan. Nope, he is the
one who God has exalted at the right hand as
a prince and a savior to grant repentance to Israel
and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things,
and so is here It is the Holy Spirit whom
God has given to those who obey Him. So when
(13:18):
we walk in obedience to God and dependency on God,
you get more experience of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Statements like that could have ended with a death sentence,
But something very interesting happens next, and doctor Evans will
return in a moment to tell us about it. Today's
lesson is part of Tony's fourteen part sermon series on
the Book of Acts, where we explore the early Church's
growth and the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and
spreading the Gospel. This comprehensive study of the Apostles, journeys
(13:49):
and challenges will inspire you to live out your faith
with boldness. For a limited time, you can get this
complete audio collection as our thank you gift when you
make a contrby Ushen to help us keep Tony's teaching
on this station, along with a special bonus. His insightful
book Kingdom Purpose, a guide to discovering your unique role
(14:10):
in God's plan and living it out successfully. Just visit
us today at Tonyevans dot org or call us at
one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. Make
a contribution and let us send you the Acts audio
series and Kingdom Purpose Book as a way of showing
our appreciation once again. You can find all the details
(14:31):
of this special offer online at Tonyevans dot org or
by phone at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two
twenty two. Well, let's get back to more now from
doctor Evans.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
This introduces us in this section between verses thirty three
and thirty nine, to Gamelio, who is one of the
Pharisees who was highly respected according to verse thirty four,
because they wanted to kill the disciple Accord in verse
thirty three, but he said, no, don't do that. Then
he lists two men in verse thirty six and verse
(15:06):
thirty seven through this and Judas, who had movements prior
to that, and he said those movements didn't come to anything,
so verse thirty eight. In this present case, I say
to you stay away from these men and let them alone,
for if this plan of action is of man, it
will be overthrown but if it is of God, you
will not be able to overthrow it, or else you
(15:29):
may even be found fighting against God. So if you
don't want to fight against God, you better leave these
men alone and see whether they're fizzles of its own accord.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
So they took the advice.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
They flogged them, that has whipped them, and ordered them
not to speak in the name of Jesus, and they
released them. So they went on their way from the
presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been considered
worthy to suffer for his name. If you have to suffer,
(16:01):
suffer for his name. When you read the Epistles of Peter,
he keeps talking about suffering for righteousness sake, because you've
taken a stand with Jesus Christ. First Peter, Chapter four, vers. Thirteen.
First Peter Chapter two, Verses eighteen to twenty one, Chapter three,
Verses eight. It's over and over again. He talked about
suffering for righteousness sake. Yes, because while the miraculous is there,
(16:26):
there's also the rejection that's there. They counted it worthy
to suffer for his namesake. So the disciples are increasing
in number in chapter six, verse one, but a problem
occurs a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews,
that is, the Greek speaking Jews against the Native Jews,
which were the Hebrew speaking Jews. So there's a culture class,
(16:47):
two different cultures. Because their widows were being overlooked in
the daily serving of food, they felt that their culture
was not being treated fairly with the needs being met.
So the twelve sum of the Congregation of the Disciples
and said, it is not desirable for us to neglect
the Word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore,
(17:07):
brothre and select from among you seven men of good reputation,
full of the spirit and of wisdom, who we may
put in charge of this task. This is typically viewed
as the first dedication of deacons in the church, who
would serve the tables, that is, minister and meet the
needs of the people. And we will devote ourselves to
prayer and the ministry of the Word. So there is
(17:30):
a physical need that needs to be met, the serving
of tables. That means meeting physical needs, he says, with
the apostles spend all that time serving tables, then the
spiritual will get neglected. In terms of the proclamation of
the word of God in prayer. So we can't do that.
So let's get a staff, if you will, who will
(17:50):
help serve the body, because we can't do that and
keep preaching the word.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
No.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
But he says, because it's the church is growing, so
he says, we can't do all that, choose some men
who will do that. So they go out and the
names of all these men are Greek men, so these
are Greek names. So they chose men who could relate
to the people. That's an important point. They chose people
who could relate. It was the Greek speaking Jews that
had a complaint, so they chose Greek men and servants
(18:19):
to meet the need. People who could relate to the
people who had the need. So being relevant to the
need with the people who you select, they've got to
be spiritual people, they've got to be wise people. But
they've got to be able to relate, because everybody can't
relate to everybody else. If you are a Hebrew speaking person,
then you would not be able to relate as naturally
to a Greek speaking person. So let's find somebody who
(18:42):
can adapt to the culture of the environment, so that
when we minister to the congregation, we want to have
people ministering to the congregation who can relate to that
segment of the congregation, because they can relate to where
they are, who they are, and where they've been. So
that is the nature of the men that they chose.
So what was the result of that. The result of
(19:04):
that that they laid hands on them, They ordained them officially,
and the word of the Lord kept spreading. The numbers
disciples continued verse seven, which now introduces us to an
interesting person, and Stephen verse eight, full of grace and
power was performing great wonders and signs among the people
(19:29):
were introduced to Stephen. But some men from verse nine
what was called the Synagogue of the Freemen. These are
Jewish slaves who got free, who built the synagogue, and
they were unable to cope with the wisdom and spirit
with which he was speaking. They couldn't take it. They
couldn't take his sermons, they couldn't take what he was preaching.
(19:52):
They didn't like what he was saying. So they secretly
induced men to say, we have heard him speak blasphemous
words against Moses and against God.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
God.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Blasphemy was like a capital crime. So they wanted to
get rid of Stephen, and they stirred up the people,
the elders, the scribes, and they came to him and
dragged him away and brought him before.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
The council, the Jewish Sanhedrin.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
They put forth false witnesses, liars, professional liars, paid liars,
born liars, false witnesses, who said, this man incessantly speaks
against the Holy Place and the law. So he's speaking
against God, God's people, the temple, the law. For we
(20:36):
have heard him say that this nazarene Jesus will destroy
this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down
to us. Okay, so he's against Moses, he's against the
Old Testament. He's talking about this Jesus, and Jesus is
gonna tear this thing down. And fixing their gaze on him,
(20:58):
that means staring at him. All were sitting in the
council saw his face like the face of an angel.
Steven is full of the spirit. Stephen is proclaiming Jesus,
and he looks like one who's been in the presence
of God. There is a supernatural aura around him as
(21:22):
they stare at him. But now they don't like him,
and they are mad. And Chapter one opens up with
a question. The High Priest said, are these things? So
he should never have asked that question. And I've set
this up for you. Have you been talking against Moses,
talking against the temple, and talking against the law in
the name of Jesus?
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Are these men lying? So he's sitting up here looking supernatural.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I mean, he got the awe of God all around him,
and they're staring at him because of how he's looking.
He'd got this supernatural look about him. But he's being
lied on about what he's been saying. He wants to
know these things. So Stephen launches into a history lesson.
(22:09):
Chapter seven is a history lesson. Stephen goes all the
way back to the Old Testament, and he goes all
the way back to Abraham. Now, the reason it's gonna
go all the way back to Abraham is because the
Jews love Abe. He's the father of the Jewish people.
And his point is simply gonna be this. I'm not
(22:32):
the problem, y'all. The problem because you don't understand Abraham,
you don't understand Joseph, you don't understand Moses. Because if
you understood them, you wouldn't have a problem with Jesus.
So the problem is not Jesus. The problem is, y'all,
you have a wrong view of Abraham, Moses, the Temple,
(22:55):
and the law because all that stuff was setting you
up for Jesus. And if you really believe that, you
wouldn't have a problem with him. And the reason you
have a problem with him is you never understood that
because it's all about Jesus.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Doctor Tony Evans introducing the story of Stephen. We'll hear
more about that next time. Remember today's lesson is part
of Tony's engaging new series on the Book of Acts,
and for a limited time, all fourteen messages in this
two volume audio collection are yours on CD or as
a digital download when you make a generous donation to
(23:33):
support our mission of sharing Biblical insights and fostering spiritual renewal.
As I mentioned, it comes bundled with Tony's thought provoking book,
Kingdom Purpose, which will help you uncover and fulfill your
divine calling. This special double offer is only available for
a limited time, so be sure to contact us today
(23:53):
to make the arrangements. You can reach us day or
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help you, or make your request online at Tonyevans dot org.
You'll find the details you need right there on the homepage.
Once more, that's Tonyevans dot org. As early church leaders
(24:17):
faced opposition to the teachings of Jesus, they made the
same bold point over and over that true faith is
about a living, dynamic relationship with God, not just following
religious rules or traditions. But there's a cost to standing
up for the truth, and we'll learn about it tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
Be sure to join us
I don't care how much you love him or how
much you love her. No human relationship is to trump
your commitment to the Lord.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Doctor Tony Evans says, even our closest earthly relationships can
only stay healthy when they take second place to our
connection with Christ.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Whatever there is.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
A clear directive from God, you are obligated to that
command higher than your human relationship.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. The early Church
described in the Book of Acts is known for its
unity and because of that, the power and presence of
the Holy Spirit. But today doctor Evans will tell us
about an event that threatened that closeness and why it
(00:49):
was dealt with so severely. Let's turn to Acts chapter four.
As doctor Evans begins, Now.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
We come to the end of the chapter, verse thirty
two to thirty seven. The congregation believed were again one
heart and soul. Satan has to promote disunity to keep
the Holy Spirit away. That's why Ephesians four says, preserve
the unity of the Spirit. Why because the Spirit won't
(01:16):
work in disunity. So that's why he keeps people fighting, fighting,
in families fighting and fighting in church fighting. He has
to keep people fighting because he knows that'll keep the
spirit away. But if you can ever rise above that
and see that that's the devil trying to keep God
from working. And you said, no, we're gonna, we're gonna
do this in unity, and we're gonna we're gonna call
(01:38):
on God in unity. Now the spirit's at home comfortable
and can then express this supernatural. So there one heart
and one soul, and not one of them claim anything
belonging to them. Belonging to him was his own. But
all things were a common property to them. That is,
it was a sharing environment. They were meeting each other's need.
(01:59):
And what was going on again the supernatural, There was
great power. In verse thirty three, the apostles were giving
testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and grace
was upon them all, I mean, God was just all
over them, and there was not a needy person among them.
All the needs of everybody was being met because they
(02:19):
were unified underneath God. The favor of God was flowing.
So now Barnabas is highlighted. He has some property, he
sells the property and makes it available for use at
the church. Okay, Anonius and Sopharra were introducing them. In
verse one of chapter Fiveharra is Anonius his wife. They
(02:42):
sold a piece of property, and he kept back some
of the money with his.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Wife's full knowledge.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
She's not a person who doesn't know what her husband
is doing. Brings a portion of it and lays it
at the apostles feet. Peter says Annius verse through, why
has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy
Spirit and to keep back some of the price of
the land. And as he heard these words, Antonius fell
(03:09):
down and breathed his last. If God killed folk for lion,
the room would be empty. So what Anonius did was
he concocted a plan and made a commitment to give
to meet needs. He held back some of what he
(03:30):
committed to give to meet needs for himself, but portrayed
himself as fully engaged in whatever he committed.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
So it's not manly the fact that.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
He lied, but what he lied about was detrimental to
the congregation. One Corinthians, chapter three says that when men
hurt the church, they jeopardized themselves because the church is
Jesus's brither. He says, it's the temple of God. So
(04:03):
it was the damage he was doing that he did
not have to do, which was the content of the lie.
Time elapses, so the young men came in, covered him up,
carried him out. Now as time elapses, his wife comes in,
not knowing what had happened.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Verse A.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Peter responded to her, tell me whether you sold the
land for such and such a price? And she said, yes,
that was the price. So he gave her an opportunity.
Peter said, why is it that you have agreed together
to put the spirit of the Lord to the test. Behold,
(04:43):
the feet of those who have buried your husband are
at the door, and they will carry you out as well.
And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her lass.
And the young men came and found her dead, and
they carried her out. I don't care how much you
love him him or how much you love her. No
(05:04):
human relationship is to trump your commitment to the Lord.
Jesus says clearly in Matthew chapter ten, you are to
love him more than mother and father and sister and brother.
That you do not agree to wrong just because of
the relationship. God told Adam, because you listen to your
(05:28):
wife rather than me. So wives are to submit to
their husbands as to the Lord, not period men vice
versa are to have their first commitment to the Lord.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
So whenever there is a clear.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Directive from God, not a preference, a clear command, you
are obligated to that command higher than your human relationship.
When you're getting and I'm getting serious about discipleship, that
means every other love is secondary. Now you have become
(06:09):
a serious Christian, and now you'll see more of God
at work in your life. Now, it says at the
end of verse five, great fear came upon all who
heard it.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I guess, so they weren't lying no more.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Up in there, up and there the hands of the
apostles verse twelve were doing wonders were taking place, and
they were all with one accord. Here we go again,
one accord he got. Please don't miss this. The Spirit
shows up in the unity of the people in dependency
on the Holy Spirit. That's when God does things outside
(06:49):
of the norm, outside of regular That's when God gets
super unletted on you. Verse thirteen is a little funny,
But none of the rest dared the sociate with them. However,
the people held them in highest theme. In other words,
they respected him, but they weren't going to church there.
They said, then people too serious over there. That's actually
(07:11):
a compliment. It's a compliment. And they weren't weird, they
were serious. But the supernatural was taking place because the
spirit was full, it was thick, the atmosphere was being
controlled by God through his people, and all the more
(07:31):
believed people were getting saved, and they were constantly added
to their number. Why, because these are bold people. They're
witnessing for Jesus Christ. They're not ashamed because they're full.
Now these are apostles, so obviously they're operating at a
supernatural level. The scriptures have not been complete, but the
principle of the Holy Spirit and the principle of the
(07:52):
supernatural is still ongoing throughout the New Testament. Okay, well,
when God starts working devil verse seventeen. But the high
Priest rose up along with all of his associates, that is,
the Sadducees, and they were filled with jealousy because now
(08:12):
the church is getting all the attention and not the
Jewish leaders. And they laid hands on the apostles and
put them in jail. Okay, and you would think you'd
be glad. People were getting healed, lives getting better, and
they getting mad. We call them haters. So the haters
are out during the night Verse nineteen, and angel of
(08:35):
the Lord opened the gate of the prison and taking
them out, he said, go stand and speak to the
people in the temple the whole message of this life
of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
An angel comes and opens the door to a locked
temple that's guarded and says, go out and preach.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Upon hearing this, they ain't run for cover.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
They went into the temple about daybreak and began to teach.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
When the High Priest.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
And as associates come, they call the Sanhedra and the
council together even all the senaer of the Sons of Israel,
and sent orders to the prison house for them to
be brought because they think they're still in jail. But
the officers who came did not find them in prison,
and they returned and reported back, okay, we went to
(09:32):
get them, but they ain't there, saying we found the
prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at
the door.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Wait a minute, come on, man, women.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
They're in the prison lock with guards the angel lets
them out. They go to get them, and the prison
is still locked and the guards are still standing there,
which meant that the had to be spellbound while the
angel let them out, because the prisoners don't even know
(10:07):
they're gone, who's guarding them. They were so full that
the supernatural was normal. Things outside of the norm were
normal because God was so at home. We become so
secular and churchified that the supernatural is abnormal. We're shocked
(10:35):
to see it when they expected to see it, because
they were so full, and so so they reported back,
and they said verse twenty five. In fact, they're not
only not there, they are in temple preaching. They out
(10:57):
there in the temple preaching. Then the captain went along
with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence,
because the people were They were afraid the people, so
we better bring them back nice. Because all this stuff
they got the people on their side, so they recapture them.
(11:20):
And when they had brought them, they stood before the Sanhedrin,
the Jewish council. The high priest questioned them, we gave
you strict orders.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
To not teach in.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
This name, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your
teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
But Peter and the apostle says, we must obey God
rather than man. And noticed they wouldn't even use Jesus's name,
your teaching, in this name and in Dan to bring
this man because they just hated Jesus, because of course
(11:59):
who Jesus was and what Jesus was about. But Peter says,
we must obey God rather than men.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
There it is.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Let me say this again, Saints don't allow men to
have the last word. They can have a word, they
just can't have the final word. Your obligation, my obligation
to God, and I know we all have to grow
in this area must be superior to our obligation to men.
(12:33):
And these men were chief men in charge. This was
the Sanhedrin, this was the official Jewish council. But they
said this man is unacceptable. Peter said we must obey
God rather than man. And then he got real specific
and the God of our fathers and the God of
our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death
(12:56):
by hanging him on across Ooh, you would have thought
he got quiet real quick Dan. Nope, he is the
one who God has exalted at the right hand as
a prince and a savior to grant repentance to Israel
and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things,
and so is here It is the Holy Spirit whom
God has given to those who obey Him. So when
(13:18):
we walk in obedience to God and dependency on God,
you get more experience of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Statements like that could have ended with a death sentence,
But something very interesting happens next, and doctor Evans will
return in a moment to tell us about it. Today's
lesson is part of Tony's fourteen part sermon series on
the Book of Acts, where we explore the early Church's
growth and the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and
spreading the Gospel. This comprehensive study of the Apostles, journeys
(13:49):
and challenges will inspire you to live out your faith
with boldness. For a limited time, you can get this
complete audio collection as our thank you gift when you
make a contrby Ushen to help us keep Tony's teaching
on this station, along with a special bonus. His insightful
book Kingdom Purpose, a guide to discovering your unique role
(14:10):
in God's plan and living it out successfully. Just visit
us today at Tonyevans dot org or call us at
one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. Make
a contribution and let us send you the Acts audio
series and Kingdom Purpose Book as a way of showing
our appreciation once again. You can find all the details
(14:31):
of this special offer online at Tonyevans dot org or
by phone at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two
twenty two. Well, let's get back to more now from
doctor Evans.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
This introduces us in this section between verses thirty three
and thirty nine, to Gamelio, who is one of the
Pharisees who was highly respected according to verse thirty four,
because they wanted to kill the disciple Accord in verse
thirty three, but he said, no, don't do that. Then
he lists two men in verse thirty six and verse
(15:06):
thirty seven through this and Judas, who had movements prior
to that, and he said those movements didn't come to anything,
so verse thirty eight. In this present case, I say
to you stay away from these men and let them alone,
for if this plan of action is of man, it
will be overthrown but if it is of God, you
will not be able to overthrow it, or else you
(15:29):
may even be found fighting against God. So if you
don't want to fight against God, you better leave these
men alone and see whether they're fizzles of its own accord.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
So they took the advice.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
They flogged them, that has whipped them, and ordered them
not to speak in the name of Jesus, and they
released them. So they went on their way from the
presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been considered
worthy to suffer for his name. If you have to suffer,
(16:01):
suffer for his name. When you read the Epistles of Peter,
he keeps talking about suffering for righteousness sake, because you've
taken a stand with Jesus Christ. First Peter, Chapter four, vers. Thirteen.
First Peter Chapter two, Verses eighteen to twenty one, Chapter three,
Verses eight. It's over and over again. He talked about
suffering for righteousness sake. Yes, because while the miraculous is there,
(16:26):
there's also the rejection that's there. They counted it worthy
to suffer for his namesake. So the disciples are increasing
in number in chapter six, verse one, but a problem
occurs a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews,
that is, the Greek speaking Jews against the Native Jews,
which were the Hebrew speaking Jews. So there's a culture class,
(16:47):
two different cultures. Because their widows were being overlooked in
the daily serving of food, they felt that their culture
was not being treated fairly with the needs being met.
So the twelve sum of the Congregation of the Disciples
and said, it is not desirable for us to neglect
the Word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore,
(17:07):
brothre and select from among you seven men of good reputation,
full of the spirit and of wisdom, who we may
put in charge of this task. This is typically viewed
as the first dedication of deacons in the church, who
would serve the tables, that is, minister and meet the
needs of the people. And we will devote ourselves to
prayer and the ministry of the Word. So there is
(17:30):
a physical need that needs to be met, the serving
of tables. That means meeting physical needs, he says, with
the apostles spend all that time serving tables, then the
spiritual will get neglected. In terms of the proclamation of
the word of God in prayer. So we can't do that.
So let's get a staff, if you will, who will
(17:50):
help serve the body, because we can't do that and
keep preaching the word.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
No.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
But he says, because it's the church is growing, so
he says, we can't do all that, choose some men
who will do that. So they go out and the
names of all these men are Greek men, so these
are Greek names. So they chose men who could relate
to the people. That's an important point. They chose people
who could relate. It was the Greek speaking Jews that
had a complaint, so they chose Greek men and servants
(18:19):
to meet the need. People who could relate to the
people who had the need. So being relevant to the
need with the people who you select, they've got to
be spiritual people, they've got to be wise people. But
they've got to be able to relate, because everybody can't
relate to everybody else. If you are a Hebrew speaking person,
then you would not be able to relate as naturally
to a Greek speaking person. So let's find somebody who
(18:42):
can adapt to the culture of the environment, so that
when we minister to the congregation, we want to have
people ministering to the congregation who can relate to that
segment of the congregation, because they can relate to where
they are, who they are, and where they've been. So
that is the nature of the men that they chose.
So what was the result of that. The result of
(19:04):
that that they laid hands on them, They ordained them officially,
and the word of the Lord kept spreading. The numbers
disciples continued verse seven, which now introduces us to an
interesting person, and Stephen verse eight, full of grace and
power was performing great wonders and signs among the people
(19:29):
were introduced to Stephen. But some men from verse nine
what was called the Synagogue of the Freemen. These are
Jewish slaves who got free, who built the synagogue, and
they were unable to cope with the wisdom and spirit
with which he was speaking. They couldn't take it. They
couldn't take his sermons, they couldn't take what he was preaching.
(19:52):
They didn't like what he was saying. So they secretly
induced men to say, we have heard him speak blasphemous
words against Moses and against God.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
God.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Blasphemy was like a capital crime. So they wanted to
get rid of Stephen, and they stirred up the people,
the elders, the scribes, and they came to him and
dragged him away and brought him before.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
The council, the Jewish Sanhedrin.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
They put forth false witnesses, liars, professional liars, paid liars,
born liars, false witnesses, who said, this man incessantly speaks
against the Holy Place and the law. So he's speaking
against God, God's people, the temple, the law. For we
(20:36):
have heard him say that this nazarene Jesus will destroy
this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down
to us. Okay, so he's against Moses, he's against the
Old Testament. He's talking about this Jesus, and Jesus is
gonna tear this thing down. And fixing their gaze on him,
(20:58):
that means staring at him. All were sitting in the
council saw his face like the face of an angel.
Steven is full of the spirit. Stephen is proclaiming Jesus,
and he looks like one who's been in the presence
of God. There is a supernatural aura around him as
(21:22):
they stare at him. But now they don't like him,
and they are mad. And Chapter one opens up with
a question. The High Priest said, are these things? So
he should never have asked that question. And I've set
this up for you. Have you been talking against Moses,
talking against the temple, and talking against the law in
the name of Jesus?
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Are these men lying? So he's sitting up here looking supernatural.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I mean, he got the awe of God all around him,
and they're staring at him because of how he's looking.
He'd got this supernatural look about him. But he's being
lied on about what he's been saying. He wants to
know these things. So Stephen launches into a history lesson.
(22:09):
Chapter seven is a history lesson. Stephen goes all the
way back to the Old Testament, and he goes all
the way back to Abraham. Now, the reason it's gonna
go all the way back to Abraham is because the
Jews love Abe. He's the father of the Jewish people.
And his point is simply gonna be this. I'm not
(22:32):
the problem, y'all. The problem because you don't understand Abraham,
you don't understand Joseph, you don't understand Moses. Because if
you understood them, you wouldn't have a problem with Jesus.
So the problem is not Jesus. The problem is, y'all,
you have a wrong view of Abraham, Moses, the Temple,
(22:55):
and the law because all that stuff was setting you
up for Jesus. And if you really believe that, you
wouldn't have a problem with him. And the reason you
have a problem with him is you never understood that
because it's all about Jesus.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Doctor Tony Evans introducing the story of Stephen. We'll hear
more about that next time. Remember today's lesson is part
of Tony's engaging new series on the Book of Acts,
and for a limited time, all fourteen messages in this
two volume audio collection are yours on CD or as
a digital download when you make a generous donation to
(23:33):
support our mission of sharing Biblical insights and fostering spiritual renewal.
As I mentioned, it comes bundled with Tony's thought provoking book,
Kingdom Purpose, which will help you uncover and fulfill your
divine calling. This special double offer is only available for
a limited time, so be sure to contact us today
(23:53):
to make the arrangements. You can reach us day or
night at one eight eight hundred thirty two twenty two
where someone in our Resource center is always available to
help you, or make your request online at Tonyevans dot org.
You'll find the details you need right there on the homepage.
Once more, that's Tonyevans dot org. As early church leaders
(24:17):
faced opposition to the teachings of Jesus, they made the
same bold point over and over that true faith is
about a living, dynamic relationship with God, not just following
religious rules or traditions. But there's a cost to standing
up for the truth, and we'll learn about it tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
Be sure to join us
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