Acts Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 vs 1 thru 15

Summary of all that uh Jesus began to both do and teach, and how he made the transition from the old mosaic law under which he lived, born, lived, died, resurrected, and even ascended back to heaven, was still all under the old covenant.

Uh but that was a uh there was a new day that was drawing upon that world, that Jewish world, a Jewish age.

And maybe someone can give us uh maybe five no more than ten minutes uh synopsis of it.

I would uh I would yield to you.

Uh volunteers first.

Okay, brother, let time get away from us.

Um Brother Kenny Patton uh that you give us a brief summary uh from the life teachings uh that Christ Himself began to both do and teach until the implementation on the day of Pentecost and uh bring us up to the I think we stop at the fifth chapter, so kind of give us a summary from the old to the new up to the fifth chapter, which would have still been only three years uh two and a half to three years of the New Testament church been in operational go ahead, sir.

Okay, well um where to begin?

Well you know that the as brother LJ stated in the book of Acts is the Acts of the Apostles We can see at the end of after the resurrection of Christ, uh I believe it's at the end of the book of Luke told them to go to Jerusalem and tarry.

Oh, that's what he told him.

He said, uh uh behold, I send the promise of my father upon you.

Um but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem.

I'm in Luke, uh final chapter, 49th verse.

Behold, I send the promise of the Father upon you, but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high.

So we can see at the first chapter of the book of Acts where he begins to talk to them before his ascension, and uh they begin to make inquiry about the nation of Israel, uh the circumstance for the for that nation, uh, because they had an expectation, because they at that point their eyes weren't fully open to the word of God, and rather than give them anything that could be construed as discouraging information, he told them just to go and wait till they be till they receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

And we see that in that in that second chapter, um, well, before the second chapter, we see that um Peter set things in order because they had lost one of the twelve according to the scriptures that were written in the 9th second chapter of the book of Psalms, which discussed the fall of one of the 12.

They put Matthias in that place.

They had uh the order of God was uh was implemented, and then we see in the next chapter there came from heaven um as of the sound as of a rushing mighty wind, and they received the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

That was, I think it was about the third hour, I think that's how you put it.

It was the third hour of the day that was in correlation with a feast that had taken place, and also that at that hour would have been uh they were probably returning from the morning sacrifice, and so they had heard these men praising God in all of these different languages and uh saying the about the accomplishments of God, and and some mocked, and Peter stood, the eleven stood with him, and he he gave that message of life.

And we can see that 3,000 were added.

Uh, you made mention of the closing of the law and the opening up of the of the uh of the law of grace.

I think he said in one place that they would all be taught of God, and another place he said um he gave the word, and great was the company of those that published it, speaking of the apostles in the ministry that uh they were given.

So we see the nation of Israel was given an opportunity.

He spoke about that three and a half years of the ministry of Christ, and from that three and a half years uh the sacrifice and oblation ceased.

I think Isaiah made a statement he that offer up an ox as if he slew a man, he that offer up um, I think he said a lamb as if he cut off a dog's neck, he offered an oblation as if he offered swine's blood.

So we see the day, the difference that the 24 hours made from the cutting off of the law of Moses to the bringing in of grace.

And so from this point, the nation of Israel had a three and a half year countdown that they obviously knew nothing of.

So the the word of God was preached as it as it had been prophesied in first in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then in the utmost parts of then Samaria, then in the utmost parts of the world.

This movement of the Lord was brought about by the persecution.

I think we mentioned this sometime last week, where the Lord He had made a statement in the book of Psalms.

He said, um, he said, the wrath of man would praise him.

He said the remainder of wrath would he restrain.

So we can see how they had killed, they had slain the son of righteousness, and they had had a murderer to be set free or let go for that nation.

And they said, I think it's in the in the book of John, uh Matthew, they had made a statement that let his blood be on us and on our children.

And so this uh this countdown had begun.

Um, you see, uh they were preaching from you had brought out earlier that they were preaching from the uh from Solomon's porch, which was a gathering for the nation of Israel, uh, for people to come and hear the word of God.

And that's how they had the 3,000 added, the first in uh in that second chapter, I think the fourth chapter, 5,000 were added.

And so we see the that uh just like that the book of Psalms has said, the wrath was restrained uh from the early church.

You can see how the earth, uh, I'll use this in this sense, how the earth opened up and swallowed the flood that was let go of the woman, even though they're speaking of a latter time.

I'll use it in this instance because they had thought to kill or slay the apostles, but instead of being able to slay them, they had one of uh who was a man of renown stood on behalf of the movement of God and said, if this be of man, uh it'll come to naught.

But if this be of God, he told them, he told the rulers to restrain themselves.

Uh he said, if this be of man, it'll come to naught.

But if it be of God, you'll find yourself happily to fight against God, because there's nothing you can do against it.

So that um I think that three and a half year period of time that you spoke of, uh, which would would would bring a close to the time uh permitted in the ninth chapter of the book of Daniel, that three and a half years hadn't come to pass yet.

Um, you're at the fifth chapter, that three and a half years doesn't come to conclusion until the seventh chapter.

So even though the law had been, I think he says in the 102nd Psalm, he said that um that he would put the law away, it would be folded as a vesture and put away.

He said the same thing.

I think in the 51st chapter, I believe, of the book of Isaiah, he makes mention of the same thing.

In the 27th chapter of the book of Isaiah, he talks about Israel, um, um, that they would uh that they would fill the earth with fruit.

And so we can see this is the beginning of the of the fulfillment of that prophecy um that was spoken of.

And then also there's prophecy in the 53rd chapter that talks about how beautiful, I think it's 50, 53rd chapter, talks about how beautiful are the feet of them that preach good tidings, um, that published peace, that saith unto Zion, Thy God liveth and reigneth.

So we see that what's taking place here in these first seven chapters is the nation of Israel is being given a full opportunity to come to fruition.

Uh, I'm trying to think of a scripture in Isaiah also, where he talks about the deliverer shall turn from them ungodliness uh uh in Jacob.

So that's speaking of not a ministry um that he was going to turn ungodliness from, but a remnant of people that he had spoken of in the fifth chapter also uh that is of the book of Ezekiel.

So I'll just I don't want to take up too much time.

Um I just want to say that these first seven chapters, he's dealing mainly with that nation before he gives the the rest of the world the opportunity because uh in the first chapter of John it says he came to his own and his own received him not, not just naturally so, but even um even as a ministry, because we know that there are three phases of his coming.

Um, this first phase of this first coming, he came in the flesh, he came in a people, then he came in judgment.

And so now he's coming in a people, and that judgment is pending.

So I hope I didn't say that.

Did a phenomenal, very thorough, a very accurate, uh, very comprehensive uh overlay of the gospel of uh Jesus Christ.

And of course, that was a gospel in the old covenant, uh, which is a good news that there was a Messiah coming.

And of course, uh, from the time that Christ began his ministry at the river banks of Jordan, um he went into the temple or the synagogue there right after, and began to proclaim in the fourth chapter of the book of Leviticus, uh Luke, I'm sorry, four and sixteen, the spirit of the Lord is upon me, for is anointed me the priest of the gospel, or that is, to those that was poor in spirit who could hear it.

And so everything prior to that pointed toward Christ.

And from the time that he took up his ministry, uh, now it's gonna be the fulfillment of all the law and the prophets, as you did a very uh thorough job of the overview.

And so everything in the old covenant through pictures and types and shadows, allegories, was pointed toward the coming Messiah, uh, the one that was going to not just redeem Israel, but make a way possible for all men to actually obtain to eternal life.

That wasn't possible in the law of Moses.

And as you pointed out, uh some golden nuggets, uh, we can actually uh press it a little further, but we wouldn't have a chance to finish the fifth and prepare and get into the sixth chapter of the book of Acts.

But it is imperative that we understand, even in the book of Acts, it's the fulfillment of all that was written in the old covenant.

Otherwise, it's just words without true meaning.

I do agree he used quite a bit of metaphors, as you pointed out.

Uh and the law of Moses was in effect, and by the way, that term was called forever.

It didn't mean forever more, it mean for as long as the law was in effect.

Uh everything had to be according to that.

So much so, uh, so much so, uh, to every disobedient receive a just recompense or reward.

Uh Paul put it, that is in Hebrews chapter 2.

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

So he said, How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation, which is first spoken to by the prophets, and then, of course, the apostles.

But uh, if I may, uh, as you were pointing out, and this is why it's so imperative they understand not just what God has done and not just what he's going to do, but what God is doing at the very hour.

And this is why it takes administration, this is why it takes people giving themselves to the word of God.

Uh, and the old covenant used metaphors, not to go too much into this, but he used terms like uh Isaiah 65, behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth.

Well, he's not making reference to new skies and uh a new globe.

Uh, the earth is talking about the people, and then of course, the new heaven is talking about the ministry uh that's going to cover the people.

And the old covenant, uh, when you say hero heavens and hero earth, he's making reference to the Levitical priesthood.

That was the heavens, and then the earth was the nation of Israel.

But he's going to make a new heaven.

And that heaven came out on the day of Pentecost.

It was those apostles.

And then, of course, that was the new earth.

That earth began the same time when 120 was filled and began to speak in other tongues, and Spirit gave them utterance.

That was the one who was under that ministry.

And as Brother Kennedy Patty, you pointed out, then he added 3,000 more.

So you see the earth expanding.

Then he added 5,000.

So the earth kept expanding.

And if the earth is going to keep expanding, if the people who's under authority is going to expand, then that's going to necessitate the expansion of the ministry.

And I will get to that in the sixth chapter.

But tonight, let's first finish the fifth chapter.

Each chapter is uh impregnated with not just golden nuggets, but as I mentioned, I want to reiterate this.

It's very important that we get it.

Uh, you're not going to see the teachings with the uh accumulation of passages and scriptures of the uh the first principles of the articles of God, uh, which is uh repentance, faith toward God, repentance, uh land on the hands, baptism, eternal, I'm sorry, eternal judgment, resurrection, but you're going to see each of these fundamental truths being implemented, not taught from a verbal a verbal perspective, but you will see the implementation starting uh on the day of Pentecost, uh, when Peter began to preach, as Brother Kennedy Patton put out, just give me a few moments.

I'm just trying to uh make sure we can uh get a good understanding before we go any further.

When he began to like give them the plan of salvation, repent.

And of course, to repent as part of the first principle of the doctrine of Christ.

Uh repent from your sins.

And of course, it doesn't stop with that, just that.

It's going to also include dead works.

Everything that we do uh that doesn't produce life uh for religious purposes or thinking is spiritual, it's dead works.

But before we can see that, we have to first see faith toward God.

Uh in the fourth chapter, before we get into the fifth, uh, there's an interesting passage that I think we ought to just take a second and bring.

Just want to touch on each doctrine as we go, as we go forward here.

Um in the fourth chapter, um, if we go down to uh look at this is after Peter and John went into the gate called Beautiful.

And of course, uh a man sitting there in the 10th verse at the gate, uh beautiful gate of the temple, going back into the temple, uh, expecting to receive something.

Of course, Peter tells him, Silver and gold have a number, such as I have, give unto thee in the name of Jesus, rise up and walk.

Uh, and of course, the man was he was made whole.

But what I wanted to get to uh is Peter made a profound statement.

Uh look at verse 12 after this miracle, of course, verse 11 is important.

And as the lame man, which was healed, he helped Peter and John.

All the people ran unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's.

This is where they can continue together every single day, never stopped.

It never stopped until the time was fulfilled for Israel, and then the persecution started.

They could no longer gather in this public place.

But when Peter saw it, that is the people, I want you to get this.

He answered unto the people, you men of Israel, why marvel you at this?

Talking about this miracle, or why look you so earnestly upon us, as though by our own power of holiness we made this man to walk.

Now, here's, watch this.

Here's you're going to see faith toward God.

He said, The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob and of our fathers, God the Father, he has glorified his son Jesus, whom ye, you Jewish religious leaders, delivered up and denied in the present of Pollate.

When he was determined, let him go.

Wow.

But go down to verse 16.

And watch while I'm in verse 15.

Ye have killed a prince of life, whom God, you may want to underline this.

This is just it's in each chapter, the first four chapters, whom God has raised from the dead.

And that's the resurrection from the dead.

Or we are witness.

But verse 16 is what I want to key in on.

And his name through faith in his name, because uh Christ was sent of God, and so that's showing faith toward God.

I want you just trying to touch the doctrine that you can see them being unfold, uh, being exemplified, being uh not taught, put out in front of us, so we can actually see how it looks.

He said, In his name, through faith in his name, has made this man strong, mean whole there.

Listen to this, whom you see and know, yea, by the faith, which is by him, has given him this perfect or complete soundness in the presence of y'all.

So you can see faith toward God.

If you go down a little bit further, verse 19, you're gonna see repentance.

Repent ye therefore.

This repentance is not from dead works, this is repentance from sin.

Repent ye therefore and be converted.

Now that's going to include dead works, because nothing you could do in the law of Moses was going to give you life.

Well, so he said, be converted, that is, from the law of Moses unto the law of Christ, that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the praise of the Lord when you receive this wonderful Holy Ghost.

Okay, and so let's go on to uh chapter four.

If we may just for a moment, it's kind of walks into the fifth chapter.

Uh I like to point out, uh, of course, on the day of Pentecost, the second chapter, they use the term they was filled.

And so every time they say filled doesn't mean the baptism.

But every time people are baptized with the Holy Ghost, there is an initial evidence that cannot be denied, which is speaking, and other tongues are unknown tongues, a new a supernatural language.

Uh and so that some people say, well, you can be filled many times.

Well, a refilling, that's how they put it.

There is no refilling, but you can perpetually be filled, but there is no refill.

Like you, you had a tank of gas, and you were on a long journey, and you need a guy on east, so you pulled into the station, get a refilling.

Holy Ghost is not like that.

It's only one baptism, and fill with the Holy Ghost just simply means sagurated.

That's no refilling, that's bad uh communication.

It gives people a false concept.

But verse 8 said, Peter, fill with the Holy Ghost.

This is not the baptism.

He already had received the baptism.

It simply means that he's inspired, moved by, sagurated, uh, began to preach another message.

And of course, the message was uh the message of Jesus Christ, verse 10.

I'm gonna slow down.

Be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, here you watch these keys, whom ye crucified, again Israel, the blood is on them, whom God raised from the dead.

Again, the teaching of the resurrection from the dead by him.

It is by Christ that this man stands here before you whole.

So again, you can begin to see uh an implementation uh of these fundamental truths.

And of course, they threaten him not to teach no more in their name, not to preach no more.

But Peter said, Is it right in the sight of God to hear unto you uh more than God you judge?

As for us, we can't help but speak the things which we've both seen and heard.

And so they threaten him.

Look at verse 13.

Well, get into this fifth chapter in just a moment.

And after they threaten him, being let go, let them go, they went to their own company.

And the point I want to bring out here, uh, since we're back here, is that when they went to their own company, it's back at Solomon's porch.

Uh be distracted now.

Um anyway, uh, they're back at Solomon's porch.

There were many people there, but this group of people uh gathered in a setting.

Was separate from even though there was many groups, the Pharisees, Sadducees, they gathered together.

Now, watch how he put this being let go, they went to their own company.

They didn't join with the Pharisees, Sadducees, the religious group.

They went to their own company and rehearsed everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

And right there, in the midst of all those people, when the verse 24, when they heard that, that's the people who was the 3,000, uh, who was the 5,000.

And the earlier part of this fourth chapter, tell you 5,000 more was added.

They heard this, they lifted up their voice with one accord, and they began to pray Psalms 2, is what he's going to quote here.

And then, of course, uh, verse 31, and when they had prayed, the place that Psalm's porch was shaken, where they was assembled together, and they was all filled with the Holy Ghost.

Again, that's not the baptism.

These people was also inspired, they elevated in the things of God.

And verse 32 will show you that.

The multitude of them which believed was of one heart.

Wow, they're ascending, and of one soul, they're ascending.

When the Spirit of God moves uh in a special way, it is to do just that.

It's to unify his people, to build them up, edify, get our minds off of selfishness.

And uh most of the, this is a side note, most of the things that we do, believe it or not, it's the pride of life working.

Uh we exercise foolish decision because we want people to take note of us.

Uh, we want people to uh to see us in a special light, and uh more than any other transgression of God, that's gonna make that's gonna damn most of us, not getting past the pride of life.

The way up in God is down, and Jesus put it like this except you humble yourself, become as a little child, that's hard because of the pride of life, and so you'll watch these people that had no shame.

Um in verse 32 again, when the multitude of them which believed was it was of one heart and one soul.

It's a key here.

Neither said any of them that all of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things I like to emphasize, not in common, but common.

And that's saying quite a bit.

I'm gonna tell you why.

Because being possessors of cars and houses and lands, it gave us some prestige.

These people didn't hold to the prestige.

Uh, that was a need.

When they began uh to proclaim the name of the Lord, uh, they were ostracized, not persecuted at first, just ostracized.

The uh priest, let's be for a moment, because this has to be real when we read it.

Uh, the temple priests and the captain of the temple had already said in the days that Christ was living, that if any man confessed Christ, he's to be put out of the synagogue.

Well, that's not like being put out of a church.

When he was put out of the synagogue, they had absolutely, they had absolute and nowhere, no way of selling their wares and their fruits.

And so when they were put out of the synagogue, they had no way of making a living.

And so many of the people who acknowledged Christ was without means to make a living.

Uh, when they confessed Christ, they didn't persecute them, they just weren't allowed to come into the synagogue.

They couldn't stop from going to the temple at this time till the persecution arose.

And this is why this is so important.

And watch this.

I want to read into the fifth chapter so there's no misconceptions.

The reason that they were selling their houses, not the one they lived in, and their lands, is because the people who confessed Christ, these 8,000, 3,000, and 5,000, these people became instantly unemployed.

Well, they were already self-employed, but they had no way of making a living, no way whatsoever.

And these people were so elevated that those that had houses and land didn't want the people who acknowledged Christ to be without pavilions, to be without uh the needs being met.

And so those who had house and land, they sold it, had so much confidence in the ministry that when he said they laid it at the apostles' feet, it was put under their care.

And they didn't buy houses for other people, but they made distribution as was needed.

That is, they gave these people pavilions, uh food, uh, they gave them clothing.

Where did they get the money from?

They got the money from the people who had houses and lands.

And uh, watch this.

Everybody could be on that level.

But those who was part of that church whose eyes was open was on that level.

And so uh the first thing you see dying is the pride of life.

They got past that.

Most things that we do um is to bring attention to ourselves.

Why do people have uh anniversary parties?

Why do they have birthday parties?

Uh, because people like to show the flush.

They like to be exemplified, they want to be honored.

And most of the things we do is because of selfish, selfish, and fleshly motives.

These people made at a level playing field.

Uh, those who had houses, lands, they sold it and gave it to the apostles to make distribution.

And so they lost their uh prestige.

They leveled the playing field.

Keep reading, watch verse 33, and with great power gave the apostles, I want you to underline this, witness, and he gave them uh witness, it means they preached it of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

This is what they did.

Underline this, and not just grace, but great grace was upon them all.

Why?

Because they heard the apostles' teaching and they adhered to it.

Now, even though they lost their ability to sell their wares and their uh their vegetables and their fruits and their rye and their wheat and their bottle, it didn't matter.

Verse 34.

Neither was there any among them that lacked.

Wow, not because it wasn't working, it's because they was inflicted with not being able to sell their pavilions.

But it didn't matter.

For as many as was possessors of lands or houses sold them, that is, the houses and lands, not their home, but the house and the land, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and he laid them down at the apostles' feet.

In other words, they trust this ministry to do what was right.

And here's the key and distribution was made as every man, was made unto every man accordingly as he had need, not as he had greed, but need.

And this was a just weight, a just balance.

Uh, God was pleased with this operation because it was it was being led by the Holy Ghost.

This was God and His this was God in his temple, uh His temple this time now, the New Testament church in the hearts of these people.

Now watch.

And Joseph, who was by the apostle servant named Bonabas, which was which being, which is being interpreted, son of consolation, he was a Levite, another country of Cyprus.

He had heaven land, he sold it, and brought the money and repeated, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Wow, wow.

So this group of people, up to 3,000, 8,000, all on this on this great gathering place, this pavilion attached to the temple.

And this is where they gathered, but so did the Pharisees.

They had groups out there and the Sadducees, the Esseene, the Herolians, the Zillachs, all types of groups was out there.

But, and this is it wasn't written in chapters and verses, let it flow.

But a certain man named Ananias, and I'm sorry, with Sapphira, his wife, they sold the possession.

And there's nothing wrong with selling it.

The problem was it was used to the hypocrisy of these other sects, Sadducees and Pharisees.

They thought this was just another group of people, and killed back part of the price.

Well, wow, because everyone else was laying the whole price down.

Uh, but they just couldn't, they couldn't go that far.

And I understand it, but they should not have pretended.

Uh, they would have done better, joined themselves to the Sadducees, or joined themselves to the Escanes, go to another group.

This is not the group to play with, not at this time, because God is establishing a new heaven and a new earth wherein is going to dwell righteousness.

If they had waited three and a half years, let the apostles scatter, you might have got a break, but not now because court is in session.

And now, what you're going to see right here, you're gonna write this down, you're going to see the doctrine of eternal judgment.

This couple is going to be eternally judged because they're before the judgment seat of Christ, which is a pure, clean ministry in operation.

And so here is the implementation of eternal judgment.

They will never resurrect, they'll never come forth.

You'll never see them.

This is eternal judgment, implemented, manifested right here.

Watch.

In other words, he was pretending.

Wow.

And his wife also being prudent, no, she knew about it to it, brought a certain part.

Wow.

That's not what the rest of them uh those people did.

Brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet, as if he's doing what judges people.

Let me write the sideline, write this down.

God judges you by the truth he has in the earth, both by what you should reasonably know and what is commonly known.

He judges you by a ministry, and he judges you by your peers.

If uh if two or three people in an assembly do what's right, it judges everyone else in the whole assembly who does not.

If just two or three people out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established.

If two or three people adhere to the word of God, there's a judgment seat been established.

It's a drecular place.

Uh, it's not other than the house of the Lord.

Watch this.

And but Peter, uh-oh.

And no one knew what was going on, so you would think.

But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan, underline that, please, Satan?

Why has Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?

What do you mean to the Holy Ghost?

This is a Holy Ghost operation.

And so what he was doing, he was blaspheming the Holy Ghost.

He was withstanding, he was resisting and opposing what God was doing to his spirit.

He's blaspheming the Holy Ghost.

The 12th chapter of John, I'm sorry, Matthew's, Jesus said, Whoso blaspheme the Holy Ghost should never be forgiven, either in this world nor the world to come.

In this incident, in this incident, he didn't get a chance to pay for it.

He didn't get a chance to bear that.

He was eternally judged.

Listen, why have Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost and to keep back part of the price of the land?

So, what was wrong?

What's wrong with keeping part of the price?

It's because you're pretending that you're with the people of God, and you're not.

You're still in the earth.

Watch.

Read this carefully.

While it remained, he's reasoning with him.

Was it not thy own?

And after it was sold, was it not in that power?

You could have sold it and went on about your business.

Don't pretend that you're committed, that you're submitted, that you're a part of what God is doing when you're not.

Listen, why hast thou?

Uh-oh, why hast thou conceived this thing?

Underline thou, why hast thou?

The first question he said was, Why has Satan filled thy heart?

Well, here he said, Why has thou conceived this thing in thy heart?

Showing you who his Satan was.

His Satan was his own thoughts, his Satan was his own corner mind.

His Satan was his own greed.

That was his adversary.

That was his devil.

Thou hast not lied unto men.

This is not men's operation, but unto God.

Wow.

And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and gave up to ghost.

He breathed his last breath.

The word ghost means the breath, the breath of life.

And so he was eternally judged on the spot.

He didn't know court session was in.

He didn't know that his brothers and his sisters was judging him.

He didn't know he was before the judgment seat of Christ.

A clean, pure ministry operated by speaking by the Holy Ghost.

He had no idea where he was sitting, he did not know.

And so he was eternally judged.

Wow.

And great fear, this is why it happened, and great fear came upon all them that heard these things.

Why that's so important?

This is nothing new.

Every time God does a new thing in the earth, he causes men to fear what he's doing.

Every single time.

I'm gonna go to kidding because I don't know the exact verse.

I want you to see this when God Brother Burner.

Yes.

I'm sorry to interrupt you.

That's okay, stop me.

No, let me run.

I appreciate you interrupting because uh I'm running, I can feel myself running.

Forgive me.

Go ahead.

Yeah, before you, yeah, before you go to numbers, it was a pretty powerful statement in chapter, I'm sorry, in verse number four.

And um if you don't mind just kind of opening that up a little bit, because when an analysis of when they um when Satan felt their heart, they were lying to Peter.

But in verse four, it says you didn't lie into men, but in the government, just showing the severity of the white wrong judgment of the pure judgment seat.

I mean, it's not in the earth right now, however, um, that's what we're working towards.

You know, of course, we have to um purge ourselves and um get to where the money wants us to be, but when you um I mention that because we're we're practicing, we're not practicing, but we're trying to implement righteousness now.

And so whatever we're doing now, we're gonna get used to doing it.

So when the church does get to that level, whatever when that happened in my generation, but whatever I'm doing is what I'm gonna do when that happens.

And so you these these people, they didn't walk to the apostles.

Um, whenever we say apostles, you know, they're men and um you know, sometimes we you know look at the severity of what's in front of them, but they make that statement they lied unto God.

So line into these men, these these um, you know, these Holy Ghost field uh doing righteousness sold them, men they were lying.

It's just like they're lying.

If you're lying to Peter, you were lying to Christ, you lying to the one that's in Christ, you were lying to God.

And so um, I I don't know if it even uh requires that, but um if if you kind of understand where I'm going with it, it just seems like that's a very powerful statement.

It absolutely is.

But Ron, let me uh let me dive a little deeper since you mentioned that.

What gave the creudence to this was the people.

These people, when they heard Peter and they heard James and John, they didn't hear men, but in fact they heard God speaking through those men.

And the things those men said and did was above reproach, wasn't questionable.

And the people had so much confidence that it strengthened and established that judgment seat because they sold their houses, they sold their lands, and they didn't have a committee.

They laid it down before these apostles, knowing these men was just, knowing these men had discernment, knowing these men had insight and they had foresight.

And because of that, they trust the judgment of these men so much that they themselves established a judgment seat with the apostles.

It's the people.

And so men could have joined themselves otherwise.

You didn't have to stay in that set.

There was plenty of sets out there, sex, S-E-C-T, sex, and groups.

You didn't have to be there.

You could have gone somewhere else and continued to play.

It was the wrong place.

Court was in session.

And the people, and the people who was adherent to the things, who told those people to sell their houses and lands?

I don't think the apostles told them that.

I think the Spirit of God moved upon these people and pricked their hearts.

When two did it and four did it, and ten did it, and eight did it, twelve did it.

I don't think the apostles asked him to do that.

And so you have to know where you were sitting.

He had to know the type of people, you know, even people come among us.

You have to give them grace because they don't know, but we're not playing church.

We don't live foul.

Uh we don't live two lives.

We don't gossip and backbite.

Uh, we're not that kind of people.

It's not that kind of place.

And uh, believe it or not, God still judges.

Uh they may not drop dead and lose the breath of life spontaneously, but they lose the Spirit of God moving upon them until the Lord pulls the shades down.

Only looking they can't see.

Uh the path of the wicked is as darkness, you know what not, and what they stumble.

They think they're stumbling at something natural, but it's not.

It's much greater than that.

And so in this particular incident, this was the this is not the first time.

It's the first time in the day that we're living in.

It's this 2,000-year day.

It's the day of the law, it's 2,000 years.

No, court is not in full session, but it never has ceased to be court.

It's not the judgment seat of Christ.

That's not a white throne judgment, I'm sorry, but it's still the judgment seat of Christ.

It's not a white throne judgment.

Uh and every time God does a new covenant, a new thing, the first thing he does is cause fear to fall upon the people initially, so you'll know this is something new.

This is God, it's not to be played with.

Uh I'm sorry, see your hand.

Uh, I can't tell who it is.

Brother Harris.

Okay, Brother Harris.

Go ahead.

Go ahead.

Brother Brown, uh I was um as you were saying how they laid here the soul what they had, the land and everything, and they did the apostles' feet.

I was just wondering if they laid all that they had, they're so what did they live off of?

Well, that's the point I was making.

They didn't give up their homes.

You have to read it.

Uh, possessor of a house and land.

They didn't sell their homes and land.

They were sold the lands and houses that they weren't living in, so everyone would have means to um to eat.

What good would it do?

And I'm gonna make another point here, it'd be a little strong, but it's the truth.

What but what good would it do for me to have four or five houses, and I have more than that?

And people are sold out for God and trying to live dedicated lives to God, and because of that, they can't make a living.

Not because they're lazy, not because they're not, they made bad decisions, but because they stood for God.

There's no beans, there's no rice, there's no smoke sausage, there's no alligator, nothing to eat, sir.

And I'm sitting up on lands and I'm sitting up on houses.

That's number one.

And I'll tell you this, and we'll come back to it as we get deeper on.

Because it was such a tremendous move of God, and Peter stood on the day of Pentecost and he began to preach a message.

Uh, this is that which is spoken by the prophet Job.

And the last days, said the Lord, he's gonna pour out his spirit upon all flesh.

So they thought the second coming of Christ was immediate.

They thought they was living because it was the last days.

But it wasn't the last days of annihilation of the earth, but it wasn't defined.

And so they was living in the last days.

But the earth was gonna go on, people was gonna go on, but they thought that this whole world was finna be eternally judged.

Even Paul, throughout his ministry, he brought, he believed, and he thought the second coming of Christ was at hand.

These people thought they was living in the last days of human existence.

So, what good would it do to have houses and lands?

And so they had to stay somewhere, they didn't sell that.

But that which was excess of that, they sold it.

Uh, both because they was committed and they Thought the second coming of Christ was immediate, could be any time.

Let's go back and read the go back and read it.

Um Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And the last days, I'll let you read it for a real quick.

Take a little moment to build me, but it's important that you see this.

Um this is after the day of Pentecost.

Uh, verse 14.

2 and 14.

But Peter standing up with the eleven lifted up his voice and said, You men of Judea, was they was there to celebrate Passover.

And all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you and hearken to my voice.

These men are not drunk as you suppose, since it's but the third hour of the day, nine o'clock in the morning.

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Job.

Watch, two, he's quoting Job chapter 2, 37, 38, uh 20.

Job 2 · chapter mention

It shall come to pass, look at these words, and the last days said the Lord, Wow, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.

And so they're seeing this happen.

So they're saying it's the last days, as Peter said, Job said, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.

They're seeing that happen.

Your young man shall see vision, your old man shall dream dreams.

And of course he said, On my servants and on my handmaidens will I pull out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy.

So they seeing these things happen, they conclude they're at the very end of life itself.

Uh, but they had so much confidence in these men.

They had so much confidence in these men in this ministry, and uh, there wasn't any hypocrites.

Well, you was, but you didn't stay long.

Uh watch this.

Let's go back to the fourth chapter.

It's a key verse here.

All of it is key, but I want you to watch this carefully.

Um verse 11.

And watch this.

This is the consequence of Ananias and his wife.

She's gonna come in a few hours later, and then she's gonna drop dead for line.

Verse 11.

Great fear came up all the church.

That's remember now, there wasn't different assemblies.

I guess it was, but it was one meeting place, and so they saw what happened and heard what happened, and by the hands of the apostle, I'm sorry, verse 11 again, and great fear came up on all the church, and not just them, that's that group, but there was other groups around, and upon as many as heard these things.

Wow, wow, and by the hands of the apostles were many signs and oneness wrought them in worked among the people, and again, it's showing where these things happened.

He says it redundantly, and they was all with one accord, just like the world Pentecost, in Solomon's porch.

Verse 13 is what I want to get to, though.

And of the rest, all those other groups who heard and saw things, of the rest, dark, I mean, dare no man join himself to them.

It didn't just join to them.

It's you planted the perils of your life.

And that was the reason.

That's why God kept it so tight.

He intended to strike fear in the hearts of people that the hypocrites wouldn't join themselves because this is a new work God is doing.

It had to start off pure, he had to be kept pure because he didn't have time to be chasing foxes.

This is a this is, let me help you with this real clearly.

This is the judgment seat that God is putting to eternally judge the nation of Israel.

It couldn't have leavened in it, it couldn't have weak links in it, and so it was judged, just like God did when he established the law of Moses.

When he first established the law of Moses, every transgression, every disobedience receive a just recompense of reward.

I quoted that early in uh Hebrews 2.

It's a reason for that, because this was the new thing God was doing in the earth, and he had to have people to reverence what he was doing.

And I was gonna take you over.

Uh I see your hand, Brother George.

Let me finish this point.

I want to, I want, I'm, I want to drive this home.

I want you to see the New Testament church in his zenith.

Because it's just this is going to, it's going to be another white throne judgment at the end of the church age.

And you'll come in and meet us like we come today.

But it's not going to be, it's not going to be some uh trumpet being blown, saying the church is restored.

Uh hypocrites will be dropping dead, pretends to be dropping dead.

You'll know then.

And watch, this is nothing new.

Uh go to Numbers chapter 15.

Numbers 15 · chapter mention

This verse came to me.

I want you to read because some people just don't know.

But when you sit in before the white throne judgment, it doesn't matter.

Watch verse 27 first, just to read into it.

Um, it's it's gonna take too much reading.

I'm gonna look at verse 29.

You should have one law for him that's sin through ignorance, he didn't know.

Both for him that is born among the children of Israel, for us as people who received the Holy Ghost right here in the kingdom, and for the stranger that sojourned among us.

Someone came by the religion and they said among us, that's fine.

But verse 30, this is scary.

But the soul that do it presumptuously, wow, whether he be born in the land or a stranger, the same reproach it the Lord, you blaspheming, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

That's not this fellowship.

I know people use cut off.

That's not what he's talking about.

Underline that statement, cut off, and you're gonna see what it means.

Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that soul shall ultimately be cut off.

Underline again, his iniquity shall be upon him.

Then God gives you an example, verse 32.

And while the children of Israel was in the wilderness, they found the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath.

He was gathering sticks so he could cook.

And they found him gathering sticks.

He's picking up sticks on the Sabbath day.

And he brought them to Moses and to Aaron, that was the ministry, and unto all the congregation.

They put him in war, that is a jail, a prison, because it was not declared what should be done to him.

And so Moses sought the Lord.

And the Lord said to Moses, that man shall surely be put to death.

That's what he means by cut off.

That man shall surely be put to death.

All the congregation stoned him with stones without the camp.

Wow.

And all the congregation brought him without the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died as the Lord commanded Moses.

Wow.

Because God was doing a new thing.

And he was establishing his law.

So when you look at these things that's transpiring in the book of Acts, what you are actually seeing up till it's going to, it's going to the dilute.

But up till the seventh chapter of the book of Acts, he's judging Israel.

He's judging Israel after the flesh, eternally judging them.

And so everything that's transpiring in this church is a judgment seat.

It's all reflected in the will of God to judge this religious world.

Peter said, judgment must first begin at the house of the Lord, which house you are.

So it starts in assemblies.

Before you can judge out, you got to judge them that are within.

You don't have to say anything.

The sin will be made manifest.

People will be dying.

You can believe that.

Life will be lost.

And so the rest of the hypocrites will run because this will be the white throne judgment of God.

It's a judgment seat because when things come to light, we have to do what the Bible tells us.

But when it's a white throne judgment, you don't have to do anything.

God Himself won't judge.

He's going to execute the judgment.

You'll see.

And just look through the Bible, you'll see it.

Brother Joy.

Brother Joy.

I think you answered that question because I was uh you were talking about the white thrown judgment.

I was supposed to think about sorcery.

And uh you know, there's not much of if or if any grace given because he's trying to discover the fear among the people.

So I was kind of wondering why.

Okay, some some of the sorcerer with his the way his heart was, why wasn't he why was he yeah, I mean, why did he drop the head?

But I think you answered a question from what you were uh explaining about that.

So that was that was just my thought.

The difference between us.

That's a very good question.

But go when you get to it, and we'll get to it.

That's the eighth chapter.

Watch when he prayed that Peter would pray for him.

He he petitioned Peter.

Peter never prayed for him, he was rejected, he didn't drop dead, but Shaza pulled down on him.

He broke his plate.

Um things like that could get away with a little bit later, but not when God is moving.

This is scripture.

Someone get it from a Hebekah, I can quote it.

The Lord is in his holy temple, that all the earth uh remain solid.

Get that from me.

That's Hebekah 2 and 2 and 20.

Someone read that for me.

When God is moving like this, this is a dreadful place.

It's dreadful for the flesh.

Someone get that from me, please.

So just remember from the second chapter, the implementation of the New Testament church, right up to the seventh chapter, the court is in session, a white throne judgment.

He's judging the house of Israel.

And by the way, these are all Jewish people.

Did someone get that for me?

Uh Hebakah 2 and 20.

Yeah, it's Hebakah 2 and 20.

Listen to this carefully.

Lord is in his holy temple.

Go ahead.

And his temple from the day of Pentecost was in the hearts of the people, not Solomon's temple, not Solomon's porch.

No, he's talking about the hearts of the people.

And he's talking about these 12 apostles, especially.

And so all the earth, all your corner minds, all the thoughts and witty inventions of men.

It's time to be quiet.

He didn't, he didn't keep it quiet.

He let it spoke to him.

Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?

He should have been quiet.

He shouldn't have joined himself.

Well, go ahead, Brother Michael.

But the Lord is in his holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before him.

Keep silent.

God is in his holy temple.

He's moving, he's working.

It's no time to blaspheme.

It's no time to try to deceive.

You should have taken your money when you sold your possession and went on about your business with it.

Maybe come back 10 years and God give you grace, but this wasn't the time.

This wasn't the time.

Okay, what verse we stopped at?

Well, we can continue.

I want to emphasize verse 13 again.

Let me ask you all the question.

Who do you think would pick up sticks the next Sabbath?

Not a soul.

Not a soul.

Once Moses died, and the elders that outlived him, they went right on back to picking up sticks on the Sabbath.

But that wasn't the time.

Okay, um verse uh 13, because you have to read 13 to appreciate 14.

And the rest dared not, does not dare not join himself to them.

There was a lot of people on their porch, but they stayed in those other sects.

They didn't join themselves to that people, but the people magnified them.

In other words, these people was too high for us.

They was heavenly, they were spiritual.

It wasn't a place for the flesh.

And then because of that, those whose heart was right toward God, and verse 14 would make sense now.

And believers, they believed in the teaching, they believed in the order, they believe in the word of God, and the believers were more added to the Lord.

Both men and women, again, I want to emphasize they're not going into the highways and hedges.

They had an audience right there at the temple for people who was already God-fearing, some hypocrites, but God-fearing people was right there.

So this is where they proclaimed the message.

This is where they preached the message, right there.

I'm going to show you something.

This is going to be very, and of course, again, I want you to see the picture.

Verse 12, T, this is on Solomon's porch.

Now watch.

Um, insomuch, this is how much they regarded the people, insomuch that they brought forth sick into the streets, laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow.

This is the kind of miracles and wonders that God was doing, confirming his word, confirming this is a new day, this is a new order.

And uh there came also a multitude out of the cities.

I want to emphasize this.

Watch this carefully.

There came also a multitude out of the cities, round about unto Jerusalem.

Remember how he said it's gonna start in Jerusalem?

Round about Jerusalem is the countryside that's called Judea.

And so he witnesses in Jerusalem, and now round about Jerusalem, that's Judea.

We get to the eighth chapter, it's Samaria, just like he said it would happen.

The same order never deviated.

Not one dot, not one tittle passed.

It was all fulfilled just as he said.

So here goes Judea.

And they was bringing six folks, which was vexed with unclean, and them that was vexed with unclean spirits, which is mental illnesses, and they were healed, every one.

But guess what happened?

Look.

Then the high priest rose up, and they that was with him, which is a sect of the Sadducees who didn't believe in the resurrection, they were filled with jealousy and indignation, anger, jealousy, envy.

They wouldn't have had no power except they was the high priest at the temple.

And this is where these men was gathering.

They laid their hands.

This is not the doctrine on hands.

That means they confiscated them.

They laid their hands on the apostles, not just Peter, but they got all 12 of them and put them in the common prison.

But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, brought them forth, didn't tell them to go run, go back to Galilea or Galilee.

He said, Go stand and preach in the temple.

I don't know why people can't see this.

In the temple to all the people, to the people and all the words of this life, back to the same place they were confiscated.

Go back there.

And when they heard that, they entered into the temple.

Now we know where in the temple, Solomon's porch.

They entered to the temple early in the morning.

That would have been about six o'clock.

And they taught back teaching again, same place Christ taught, the same place they taught.

But the high priests came, and they that was with them, and they called the council, that's the Sanhedrin council, together, and all the synod, the whole Sanhedrin council of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought, bring those apostles.

But when the officers came, they found them not in prison.

And they returned and told, saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers, as the guards, as standing without the doors.

When we opened, we found no man within.

That was a miracle.

And when the high priest and the captain, look at this, of the temple and the chief priests of the temple, when they heard these things, they doubted it was concerned of them where unto this is going to grow.

And then came one.

These men's not hiding.

They write back where it was confiscated, showing these men didn't count their lives dear to themselves.

There came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, teaching the people.

Then went the captains with the officers and brought them without violence.

They didn't snatch them or uh they didn't do them violence, for they feared the people, because the people had regard for them, lest they should have been stolen.

That is, these captain guards.

And when they brought them, they set them before the council, the Sanhedrin council.

And the high priest asked them back in chapter four, saying, Did we, did not we straightly command you that you should not teach in this name?

And behold, look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine.

Amen.

They didn't go through our Jerusalem highways and hedges, they went right to the temple.

And that's how they got the city filled.

That's how they got Judea filled with the gospel.

And filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intended to bring this man blood upon us, because that's what they said, you with your wicked hands have crucified.

Then Peter and the other apostles, all 11 with Peter, that's 12, said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

So you couldn't scare them.

Then he began to preach to them.

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus.

There you go again, raised up Jesus, resurrection from the dead, whom you, no rabbit in their blood, whom you hang, or you slew and hang on the tree.

You did that.

Him have God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sin.

I want you to look at verse 32.

What a verse.

And we are his witnesses of these things, not just them.

And so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to them, not everybody, but to them that obey him.

What a verse.

What a verse.

When they heard this, they were cut to the heart.

Wow, and took counsel to slay them.

And this is what Brother Kennedy Patton was making reference to, and stood up one in the council.

And see, a Pharisee is one who believed in the resurrection.

The Sadducees, which is the one who had the money, they did not believe.

And so, because the apostle kept preaching about the resurrection of the dead, Gamelian, who was a Pharisee, believed in the resurrection.

He was more sympathetic to the message.

The Sadducees didn't want to hear nothing about no resurrection because they didn't believe in the resurrection.

And so God was able to use Gamilia to stand up.

He named Gamelian a doctrine of the law, meaning he was a professor.

He was well educated in reputation, a good reputation, what he means, among all the people.

He said, Listen, command them to put the apostles forth, put them aside a little space.

Then he began to try to reason with these men.

It was seven.

According to the seven elders of Israel, they kept their tradition.

And so here's one man, talking to the others, six and nine.

He said unto them, You men of Israel, you take heed to yourself.

Pay attention to what you're about to do.

Take heed to yourselves, what you intend to do as touching these men.

Let me give you some examples.

For before these days, that is, that he was living, there rose up Thadis, boasting himself to be somebody, like he's someone special, to whom a number of men, about 400, joined themselves, who were slain or killed.

And not just that, and all as many as obeyed him was scattered and brought to nothing, because there was a man.

Then he gave a second witness.

After this rose up Judas through Galilee, not Judas Isakar, but it's another Judas in the days of taxon, drew a much people after him.

And he also perished.

And all his men as obeyed him was dispersed.

And it's two examples.

He said, Now I say unto you, the rest of you 6 and 9, restrain from these men, don't touch these men, and let them alone.

For if this counsel or this work be of men, it's gonna come to naught, just like the other two.

But because he's teaching the resurrection from the dead, and Gomelia believed in the resurrection of the dead.

But if it be of God, if if God did raise up Jesus, like these men said, you can't overthrow this, lest by chance, happily, you be found even to fight against God.

Because these men very well could be telling the truth, because he believed in the resurrection.

And to him they agreed.

They all listened, they couldn't rebuke, they couldn't withstand his wisdom.

And when they called the apostles, even though they knew he was right, they still beat them and commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go.

When he said, Beat them, that's forty stripes, save one, because they was under the law of Moses.

They beat them with rods or even with the whip.

They gave them 40 stripes except for one.

39.

The reason they didn't give them 40 is because it would become vile.

So they had to stop at 39 in their eyes.

But these men are beat in verse 41.

Look at this carefully.

And they departed from the present of the council.

They left out of his council, which is inside the temple in another area, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

Wow.

That didn't stop them.

Watch.

And daily, here we go again.

I don't know why people can't see this.

And daily in the temple and in every house, when he began to break it down, they cease not to teach and to preach Jesus Christ.

What a chapter, huh?

What a chapter.

It's just showing you the implementation, the boldness, the persuasion, the convictions of not just the apostles, but those who heard them.

Now, the next chapter, chapter six, you're about to get into the doctrine of laying on of hands.

Because there were so many people, there were so many people, the ministry needed to be expanded.

And by the way, let me clarify this before we can get into this chapter.

The apostles was the government of the church, but the churches were broken up into home meetings.

And in those homes, they had what was called elders in the homes.

And those elders in the home in the 15th chapter, when he said the apostles and elders, these are men who had churches in their homes.

And so it wasn't just the apostles, though there was the head, there was the government, they had local government in the assemblies, which was homes.

And so when they all came together, they'd have to rent a home because they had the temple.

They could use Solomon's porch.

But to get people with a good understanding, they had to go to homes.

It's too many people.

They had to break it down into groups that you could talk to people.

And this is what you're seeing.

But here's the problem.

Let me give you this while we're on it.

In the fifth chapter, you'll see how the people who had housing land, they sold them, not the ones they're living in, because he had to live somewhere, and they made the money available to the apostles.

Here's why.

Because the people needed to be provided for till they could get a way of making another living.

They couldn't sell it to other Jews who was not Christians.

So it wasn't written in chapters and verses.

And so we start off with an and that's a continuation.

And in those days, that is after they were beat, and they continue in the temple and preaching from house to house.

And in those days, in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied.

Wow.

Wow.

3,000, 5,000, and now he's multiplying it.

They're rose of mummering, a complaining.

I want you to get these terms right.

When he says, of the Grecians, the Grecians is Hellenistic Jews.

These are people who was born in other cities, other regions, but they were Jews.

And no doubt they had moved there, and uh their widows was not being taken care of.

Because you can see some partiality.

He said against the Hebrews, that's the native Jews.

And all these are Jews.

Because it says Grecian don't mean that these were Gentiles.

It means these were Jewish people who was born in other Greek-speaking towns.

And so they differentiated because some were speaking Hebrew and some were speaking Grecian, some was always native, some come from other cities, but they moved there because their widows.

I want you to underline these terms, it's very important.

Their widows, underline their widows, who widows?

The Grecians, the ones who's from other areas, and it wasn't lived in Jerusalem.

They moved there, but it wasn't there.

They was neglected in the deli, distribution, administration.

They weren't being given the same care.

And so partiality can happen anywhere.

But I want you to watch what happened.

That's what makes it so important.

I'm glad it happened.

I'm glad it's recorded.

And so it's not that the church didn't have issues.

It had a righteous way of dealing with it.

That was just men, just people.

Then the twelve.

When he said they called the multitude, people think it was a vote, it wasn't.

He said the multitude of the disciples.

What disciples?

Not just the 70, but all these elders in the homes.

They got all of them together unto them.

They gathered them together.

No doubt, this is Solomon's porch again.

And said, Listen, it's not reasonable we should leave the word of God and do things natural.

That's what it means serve tables.

Take care of just natural.

It's important, but this is not what we're called for.

So look what he tells them.

Wherefore, brethren, look out among you seven men.

I want you to watch the qualification of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost, spiritual man, and wisdom, whom we may appoint.

I want you to underline that word over this business.

These were not deacons, these were elders who was already over assemblies in their homes.

And among those men, everyone knew who had special measures.

I'm going to say special measures, people who was full of honor's report, full of the Holy Ghost, and full of wisdom.

They knew their peers.

They knew these men had special uh recognition, special ability, special wisdom.

These are not food administrators, these are elders who God, by his sovereignty, allow others to see their ability to set them over this affair because it was bringing a reproach.

It wasn't being held justly.

So, verse 4, we're going to give ourselves continued to prayer into the ministry of the word.

We're not going to stop and take care of these natural things.

We have other brothers who is of reputation, and you know who they are.

You knew it.

So they didn't even choose them.

They let these other men and they began to choose these seven men.

And uh the saying, please the whole multitude.

What multitude?

The multitude of the disciples, the multitude of these other elders.

And they chose these men, Stephen, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.

And Philip.

You will see these first two people.

You're going to see in chapter seven, you're going to see Philip.

I mean, you're going to see Stephen.

You're going to see this man was gifted.

And uh, he wasn't some beacon or just a food administrator.

These men were elders.

These men was in homes, uh, shepherding God's people and breaking the word of God down.

You're going to see Philip.

He's going to leave.

He's going to run down to Samarita.

He's going to bring the gospel to Samarita.

He couldn't bring them through with the Holy Ghost.

Peter had to bring the keys.

But he was able to get those men converted.

And you're going to begin to see these men was not just anybody, but you're going to see the doctrine of laying on of hands being implemented here, whom they set before the apostles, all seven of these men.

And when they, that's the apostle, had prayed, they laid their hands on them for what?

For an appointment, for an anointment, uh, for an empowerment to give these men a necessary office over this affair.

These men were ministers.

And the word of God increased.

You know why it increased?

Because the government increased.

God will give you only as many as you can take care of.

When your ability to take care of more increases, then God can add more people.

So you begin to see here the number of the disciples was multiplied.

Here we go again in Jerusalem greatly.

Didn't just multiply like it did in verse 1.

He says, greatly, and a great company of the priests of the Old Testament priesthood was obedient to the faith.

Wow.

Here's where trouble is gonna begin to go forth.

And Stephen, this is the end of the three and a half years that God gave to Israel to repent.

This is the last half of the last on the seventh week of Daniel.

This is it.

Then Stephen, full of faith and power.

And by the way, this is gonna confirm what I'm telling you earlier that these men was gifted men.

These men were in the ministry.

Uh there was over assemblers.

Then Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

Everybody didn't work miracles, the ministry worked in miracles.

And so these are not what you call deacons.

I know that's what religious.

These men was not helps, these men was elders.

These were gifted men, shepherding God's people.

And he did great wonders and miracles among the people.

And then there arose certain other synagogues.

That's a Jewish gathering place, right?

Which is called a synagogue of the libertarians and the Cyrenians and the Alexandrians and them of uh Silissa and Asia, disputing, arguing with Stephen.

He was the problem.

Remember, he was full of the word, he was full of faith, he was full of the Holy Ghost.

They were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

You want to underline that?

Wow.

Wow.

And when he couldn't, they hired the men, wicked men, uh, and said they lied on him.

We have heard him speak blasphemy words against Moses and against God.

Stop there.

This is he was preaching a message, though it does not tell you exact words here.

What he was preaching was repentance from dead works, not just repentance from sin.

He was trying to tell them that all these sacrifices you bring in to this temple, it's not going to profit you nothing.

He's going to go on in his message and tell him that by the blood of Christ you could be redeemed from all things, which you couldn't be from the law of Moses.

They said he's blaspheming because he wasn't blaspheming.

He was telling them that's been done away with.

There's a new heaven, there's a new earth.

And they took that as a blasphemy.

It's just like you tell somebody today that grape juice and crackers are nothing but grape juice and crackers.

That's not the body of Christ, that's not communion.

That's blasphemy to some people.

That's steeple on your building.

That's not of God.

That comes from Egypt.

That's blasphemy.

I'm sorry, it's not.

But anyway.

And so they got people to lie and say he speaks blasphemy words.

He didn't.

He taught against repentance.

He taught repentance from dead works.

That's dead works and against Moses.

This is what he did say.

Then he stirred up the people and the elders and stribe, and they came upon him and caught him and brought him to the council.

And watch this.

And uh they set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceased not to speak blasphemous words.

He wasn't blaspheming, he was telling him the truth against this holy place and against the law.

Watch.

Now I believe he said this.

Verse 14.

We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, because he did say he was going to destroy it, and change the custom which Moses delivered him.

And he did do that.

But that's not blasphemy, that was speaking the truth.

And they and all sat in the council, looking steadfast on him, and saw his face.

It has been the face of an anointed messenger or an angel.

I'm going to stop there for the sake of time.

Got five minutes to spare.

We made the sixth chapter.

And this is the end of the time that God gave Israel.

They're going to stone Stephen in the next chapter.

When they did, they broke their plate.

That's the end of the seventh week of Daniel.

God is not dealing with them as a nation no more.

So now he's going to go, he did Jerusalem, he did Judea.

He's going to go down to the half Jews or people who's practicing Judaism, which was Gentiles.

And then he's going to go down to the conclusion, the 10th chapter of the book of Acts.

That's the Gentiles or the othermost parts of the earth.

He strewed Israel as a nation.

Whosoever will, let them come.

He hadn't forsaken them all.

They have not.

He forsaken what they thought was the law for righteousness.

He's done with that.

So they broke their plate as a nation, but they could come in like everyone else, as a people, as a people who don't have a covenant with God, like we came in.

And so when Pastor said, What if the right if the foundation be broken, what shall the righteous do?

You go from the foundation of Moses to the foundation that Christ is uh is.

He's the foundation which was rejected of this, of this, he's the stone which rejected of the builders.

I'm gonna stop.

Any questions?

Made further than I thought we did tonight.

Any questions?

A lot of information, but let me leave you with this before you go.

It should build faith in your heart, it should give you confidence that God does have a predestinated plan.

And we get to choose what part of the plan that he has predestinated that we get uh to be a part of, that which is for good or that which is for evil.

But we make the choices ourselves.

I'm so encouraged because nothing comes out of his mouth that he doesn't bring to pass.

And so, will the Lord sign?

Surely, and scriptures can't be broken.

Uh surely, the Lord will do nothing to reveal his servants, his secret to his servants, the prophet.

There's no evil thing can befall you that the Lord doesn't know about.

I'll give you a scripture.

Uh Isaiah 50, Isaiah 54.

Every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned.

For this is the righteousness of this is an inheritance of the Lord.

And we should quote this all the time in Pentecost.

I didn't know the right end of it, but I can see it now.

I can see it now.

No weapon formed against you is gonna prosper.

Nothing can happen to you except God allows it.

And every tongue that rise against you, they can call you blasphemy, they can say you're crazy.

My God, brother, it's not gonna prosper.

I love this passage.

No weapon, no lie, no plot, and no conniving, nothing.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

Every tongue that rises against you, you don't have to argue, it shall be condemned.

This is a heritage, he says, of the Lord, my God.

So it's good to be on the Lord's side.

It is good to be on the Lord's side, working on his project.

Love you all, miss you.

I appreciate your uh your diligence, and uh this should be a confidence.

God had a plan from the foundation of the world, lamb was slain, and that will the people that's carrying on his work until he comes again.

Not the day of the morrow, but in his predestinated time.

Yes, I heard a voice.

No one okay.

If you have any questions, please write them down.

You can post them for next week.

We only have uh uh three more chapters, and then we'll go to our respective uh zone home groups.

Uh only three more chapters, but these are the most essential.

Okay, God bless you all.

Appreciate you.

Love you much.

Good night, everybody.

Good night.