Sermon Tone Analysis

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Acts

Introduction

This is another pause from the narrative, where Luke provides a lens into the life of the church

Last time it was shortly after the coming of the Holy Spirit and the adding of 3000 after Peter’s sermon

The church shared everything in common

Sold their possessions

Nobody had unmet needs

This is very similar

Again, just after a major event

Lame man healed, sermon, 5000 men added, apostles arrested, then released

The church prays for God to give them boldness to remain faithful in the midst of persecution

Now at this point, when the church seems so perfect and such an example, Luke zooms in again

But this time he shows us the messy part

This is a “warts and all” view of the church

We are going to see a realistic picture of the early church, that shows us that Luke is giving us an authentic account

He is not exaggerating the goodness of the church, or only giving us the “pretty” view

He is showing us both the miraculous transformation AND the messyness that remains among God’s people due to sin

This

And he allows us to see the sinfulness that was found even among the professing church - and then shows us the judgment of sin....

....., so that we would recognize that God does not ignore or overlook sin among his covenant people

In fact, it shows God’s commitment to rooting out sin among his people.

It also serves as a warning to us about the serious threat of idolatry - particularly the idols of wealth and personal recognition

John Calvin described our hearts as idol factories, and he was spot on.

We easily scoff at the Israelites for making a golden calf, but we all manufacture idols ourselves - they are just not always tangible things.

The next significant issue that the church will have to work through is in chapter 6, and that also concerns wealth & possessions, as the complaining of widows forces the apostles to address the issue of unequal distribution of welfare among the congregation

Not everybody idolizes wealth and possessions.

For some, money and possessions mean very little.

The point is, wherever wealth or worldly possessions are involved, temptation and sin are close by.

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.

It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things.

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”

For some, recognition, respect, status and reputation can be even bigger idols than money.

And these idols are often much more dangerous because they are veiled or hidden, and we need the Holy Spirit to reveal them to us through God’s Word.

1 Tim 6:

This is what we see in Luke’s second pause to give us a lens into the life of the early church

This breakaway shows us two sides - two contrasts

We see a Gospel-Shaped economy of people giving selflessly for the sake of others,

and we see a Satanic counterfeit economy that looks the same on the outside, but is very different.

A Gospel-Shaped Economy

Acts 5:1

The first picture - unity

The gospel unites believers in Christ

Common theme in Acts -

Paul speaks of this special unity in his letter to Ephesians (4:1-3) “I... urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

And in Paul says “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”

Eph 4:

All Christians are grafted together into one and the same branch - into Christ.

Because we are all in Christ, we are so closely connected that its like we have the same DNA, and when one feels pain, everyone else in the branch feels the pain too

So it makes perfect sense that the picture we see of the first Christians here in Acts, even after a few weeks, is a picture of unity and sharing one another’s burdens and joys.

If anyone lacked anything, the rest would provide so that nobody lacked anything

We saw it already in in Luke’s first lens into the life of the church

There we saw in “they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

Here, with a few thousand more added to the church, we still see that “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”

Its important that you recognize that the kind of generosity and open-handedness that we see in the Church is not people sharing what’s spare, or left over

They were actually selling their possessions

:

This is sacrificial giving

It cost them

Now was this imposed on them or demanded by the apostles, or made a rule or law for them to obey?

No - you don’t see the apostles anywhere here demanding this as a condition of joining the church

This was completely voluntary

This was like everything else in the Christian’s life

It was not the blind obeying of a religious law in order to earn a goodstanding in God’s sight or among His people...

It was the righteous and grateful response of the people to Jesus for having already put them in goodstanding with God by dying as their representative and substitute, taking away their guilt....

.... and being raised from the dead for their forgiveness and justification.

So they recognized by faith that Jesus had poured out His love and grace lavishly for them and given them eternal life...

… and their response is worship and loving Jesus and loving His people and not allowing that any of His people should have any needs while they themselves had plenty.

So we see in verse 33 that “with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”

As the apostles continued to preach the gospel of Christ crucified and risen, so grace was poured out on people as they responded in faith and repentance,...

… and the openhandedness with their possessions that we see here is one of the effects of their grateful response to Jesus.

Barnabas

At this point we are introduced to Joseph

Who according to verse 36, “was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

Now Joseph was such a beloved member of the Church community that the apostles gave him a nickname - Barnabas - which means “son of encouragement”

Acts 4:

You will see Barnabas mentioned quite a few times in Acts, and every mention of him is one of encouragement

In he is sent by the church in Jerusalem to the church in Antioch to encourage them as they witnessed to Jesus in the Gentile territories

We will also see that he accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey

And it is Barnabas who perseveres with a guy called John Mark even after Paul’s patience had run out with him.

He is a great encourager of God’s people and is much loved by them

Now Barnabas is used by Luke as an example here of someone living out this Gospel-Shaped Economy...

…

He was so moved and changed by the gospel, that he was compelled because of the gospel and his love for Jesus ...

....to sell property that belonged to him, and bring the cash to the apostles and say - there it is.

Distribute it accordingly as it is needed.

He wasn’t asked to do it, he wasn’t required to do it, but he gave voluntarily, selflessly and sacrificially to God’s Church in grateful response to Jesus...

…desiring to see the Church grow and for others’ most urgent needs to be met.

Is this an accurate description of your giving and tithing?

Is your giving to the church selfless?

Sacrificial?

Voluntary?

Is it a response to what God has done for you?

Do you give because you are grateful for the grace that has been given to you, and you want to equip the church to be able to reach more people with the message of Christ crucified and risen?

- Even if it costs you other worldly comforts?

Do you give because of a conviction that you have been blessed by God with a certain level of personal wealth, and are in a unique position to in turn bless others

Or do you give out of a sense of tradition.... to obey a law.... to stay in goodstanding with God… or....

to remain in goodstanding with God’s people.... to be recognized as an upstanding, faithful, respectable member of the congregation who fulfills their religious duty?

In fact, don’t just think about your tithing, think about everything you do in or for the church

Whether it is serving as a Deacon, or leading a Bible study, attending one, or teaching at childrens church, or serving tea, or visiting people…