Transcript

Distinguished Producer

Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle.

Podcast Introduction

Today is Gospels Saturday. We’ll read Acts 5-6.  I’ve got an On This Date In Church History, and I’m calling today’s episode “The Choice.”

Comments on Acts 5

In chapter five, after the apostles had been locked up for preaching about Jesus, and after the angel of the Lord had released them during the night and had told them, “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life”, they went right back to the temple to again teach (or preach) to the people.

The high priest had them brought back to stand once more before the Council and he said, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Now, does this sound at all familiar to you? Doesn’t this go on today? Aren’t we told not to speak the name of Jesus? Christians are one of the only groups today that are discriminated against, and it’s perfectly fine with most of the world.

What Peter and the other apostles said to the high priest and the Council should be an encouragement to us. They said, “We must obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Friends, they got the courage to do this from the same Holy Spirit that is in every believer today. Don’t be afraid to speak the name of Jesus and tell what He has done in your life and what He wants to do in the lives of every person alive. Be bold. Be strong. Do not obey those who would tell you to shut up. We answer to a higher authority. We answer to Almighty God!

That is not to say that we will necessarily be miraculously rescued. As a matter of fact, there is a good chance that we will not be. But is that any reason to be afraid? Is it not better to do what God wants us to do, than to do what man wants us to do? In Luke 12:4-5, Jesus said, “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. 5But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.” He didn’t say that to scare us into obeying God, He said that to say that we have nothing to fear from men. Of course God has the power to throw us into hell, but if we are in Christ, He has promised that we are forgiven. So it’s a moot point. 

Personally, I would much rather die doing what God has called me to do than to deny Him in the hopes of escaping the punishment of men. Those types of people are never satisfied. They will always continue to require more and more, until they have sucked the life out of you anyway. 

My prayer is that no one listening to this right now will ever have to make that choice. But it is better to decide in advance what choice we will make, rather than wait until circumstances force a hasty, emotional decision. 

Growing tyranny seems to be the order of the day around the world, beloved. We must be prepared. Prepared to stand and speak the truth of God and His offer of eternal life through Jesus, prepared to face opposition from those who hate God, and prepared to sacrifice the fleeting life of the body for eternal life with God, and with those who have gone before us.

What will you choose? Are you prepared?

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 5 ERV; Ch. 6 GW

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Transcript

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Those types of people are never satisfied.

INTRO S12E283 – 0:10
This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. And today is Gospel Saturday. We’ll read Acts five and six. After the reading I’ve got some comments for you, and I’ve got an On This Date in Church History today as well. I’m calling today’s episode, “The Choice”. The show notes page is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e263, if you’d like to leave a comment. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s get started.

ACTS 5 (ERV) – 0:48
Acts, chapter five. (1) There was a man named Ananias. His wife’s name was Sapphira. Ananias sold some land he had, (2) but he gave only part of the money to the apostles. He secretly kept some of the money for himself. His wife knew this, and she agreed with it.

(3) Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your mind with such an idea? You kept part of the money for yourself and lied about it to the Holy Spirit! (4) Before you sold the field, it belonged to you, right? And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. How could you even think of doing such a thing? You lied to God, not to us!”

(5-6) When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came and wrapped his body. They carried it out and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.

(7) About three hours later his wife came in. Sapphira did not know about what had happened to her husband. (8) Peter said to her, “Tell me how much money you got for your field. Was it this much?”

Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was all we got for the field.”

(9) Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! Do you hear those footsteps? The men who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out in the same way.” (10) At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband. (11) The whole church and all the other people who heard about this were filled with fear.

(12) The apostles were given the power to do many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. They were together in Solomon’s Porch, and they all had the same purpose. (13) None of the other people dared to stand with the apostles, but everyone was saying wonderful things about them. (14) More and more people believed in the Lord, and many men and women were added to the group of believers. (15) So the people brought those who were sick into the streets and put them on little beds and mats. They were hoping that Peter’s shadow might fall on them as he walked by. (16) People came from all the towns around Jerusalem. They brought those who were sick or troubled by evil spirits. All of them were healed.

(17) The high priest and all his friends, a group called the Sadducees, became very jealous. (18) They grabbed the apostles and put them in jail. (19) But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail. The angel led the apostles outside and said, (20) “Go and stand in the Temple area. Tell the people everything about this new life.” (21) When the apostles heard this, they did what they were told. They went into the Temple area about sunrise and began to teach the people.

The high priest and his friends came together and called a meeting of the high council and all the older Jewish leaders. They sent some men to the jail to bring the apostles to them. (22) When the men went to the jail, they could not find the apostles there. So they went back and told the Jewish leaders about this. (23) They said, “The jail was closed and locked. The guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, the jail was empty!” (24) The captain of the Temple guards and the leading priests heard this. They were confused and wondered what it all meant.

(25) Then another man came and told them, “Listen! The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple area teaching the people.” (26) The captain and his men went out and brought the apostles back. But the soldiers did not use force, because they were afraid of the people. They were afraid the people would stone them to death.

(27) The soldiers brought the apostles in and made them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them. (28) He said, “We told you never again to teach using that name. But look at what you have done! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. And you are trying to blame us for his death.”

(29) Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not you! (30) You killed Jesus by nailing him to a cross. But God, the same God our fathers had, raised Jesus up from death. (31) Jesus is the one God honored by giving him a place at his right side. He made him our Leader and Savior. God did this to give all the people of Israel the opportunity to change and turn to God to have their sins forgiven. (32) We saw all these things happen, and we can say that they are true. The Holy Spirit also shows that these things are true. God has given this Spirit to all those who obey him.”

(33) When the council members heard this, they became very angry. They began to plan a way to kill the apostles. (34) But one member of the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, stood up. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He told the men to make the apostles leave the meeting for a few minutes. (35) Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful of what you are planning to do to these men. (36) Remember when Theudas appeared? He said he was an important man, and about 400 men joined him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were scattered and ran away. … And so now I tell you, stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If their plan is something they thought up, it will fail. (39) But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even be fighting against God himself!”

The Jewish leaders agreed with what Gamaliel said. (40) They called the apostles in again. They beat them and told them not to speak anymore using the name of Jesus. Then they let them go free. (41) The apostles left the council meeting. They were happy because they were given the honor of suffering dishonor for Jesus. (42) The apostles did not stop teaching the people. They continued to tell the Good News—that Jesus is the Messiah. They did this every day in the Temple area and in people’s homes.

ACTS 6 (GW)- 6:25
Acts, chapter six. (1) At that time, as the number of disciples grew, Greek-speaking Jews complained about the Hebrew-speaking Jews. The Greek-speaking Jews claimed that the widows among them were neglected every day when food and other assistance was distributed.

(2) The twelve apostles called all the disciples together and told them, “It’s not right for us to give up God’s word in order to distribute food. (3) So, brothers and sisters, choose seven men whom the people know are spiritually wise. We will put them in charge of this problem. (4) However, we will devote ourselves to praying and to serving in ways that are related to the word.”

(5) The suggestion pleased the whole group. So they chose Stephen, who was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and they chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, who had converted to Judaism in the city of Antioch. (6) The disciples had these men stand in front of the apostles, who prayed and placed their hands on these seven men.

(7) The word of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem grew very large. A large number of priests accepted the faith.

(8) Stephen was a man filled with God’s favor and power. He did amazing things and performed miracles. (9) One day some men from the cities of Cyrene and Alexandria and the provinces of Cilicia and Asia started an argument with Stephen. They belonged to a synagogue called Freedmen’s Synagogue. (10) They couldn’t argue with Stephen because he spoke with the wisdom that the Spirit had given him. (11) Then they bribed some men to lie.

These men said, “We heard him slander Moses and God.” (12) The liars stirred up trouble among the people, the leaders, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. So they went to Stephen, took him by force, and brought him in front of the Jewish council. (13) Some witnesses stood up and lied about Stephen. They said, “This man never stops saying bad things about the holy place and Moses’ Teachings. (14) We heard him say that Jesus from Nazareth will destroy the temple and change the customs that Moses gave us.”

(15) Everyone who sat in the council stared at him and saw that his face looked like an angel’s face.

COMMENTS – 8:31
Let’s talk a little bit about chapter five, After the apostles had been locked up for preaching about Jesus, and after the angel of the Lord had released them during the night and had told them, “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple, the whole message of this Life”, they went right back to the temple to again teach (or preach) to the people.

So the high priest had them brought back to stand once more before the council and he said, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Well, this ought to sound a little bit familiar to you. Doesn’t this kind of thing go on today? Aren’t we told not to speak the name of Jesus? Christians are one of the only groups today that are discriminated against, and it’s perfectly fine with most of the world. I’ve been asked a couple of times to pray publicly. And I’ve been told that when I end my prayer, I’m not to say “in Jesus name”. It’s okay to pray to some nebulous God out there somewhere, and then just say, “Amen”, but to say “in Jesus name, I pray”, that’s not allowed. Well, of course, I ignored that directive when I did it. But there are people every day that are told not to use the name of Jesus.

What Peter and the other apostles said to the high priest and the council should be an encouragement to us. They said, “We must obey God rather than man. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus who you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His 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 the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Beloved, they got the courage to do this from the same Holy Spirit that is in every believer today. Don’t be afraid to speak the name of Jesus and tell what he’s done in your life and what he wants to do in the lives of every person alive. Be bold, be strong, do not obey those who would tell you to shut up. We answer to a higher authority, we answer to Almighty God.

Now, that’s not to say that we’ll necessarily be miraculously rescued. As a matter of fact, there’s a good chance that will not be, but is that any reason to be afraid? Is it not better to do what God wants us to do than to do what man wants us to do? In Luke 12:4-5 Jesus said, “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body. They cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God who has the power to kill you, and then throw you into hell, Yes, he’s the one to fear.” Beloved, he didn’t say that to scare us into obeying God. He said that to say that we have nothing to fear from men. Of course, God has the power to throw us into hell. But if we’re in Christ, he’s promised that we’re forgiven. So really, that part is a moot point.

Personally, I would much rather die doing what God has called me to do than to deny him in the hopes of escaping the punishment of men. Those types of people are never satisfied, they will always continue to require more and more until they’ve sucked the life out of you anyway.

Now listen, my prayer is that no one listening to this right now we’ll ever have to make that choice. But it’s better to decide in advance what choice we will make rather than wait until circumstances force a hasty emotional decision.

Growing tyranny seems to be the order of the day around the world, beloved. We must be prepared. Prepared to stand and speak the truth of God and his offer of eternal life through Jesus prepared to face opposition from those who hate God, and prepared, yes, to sacrifice the fleeting life of the body for eternal life with God and with those who’ve gone before us.

What will you choose? Are you prepared?

I’d like to know your thoughts go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e283 and let me know. Tomorrow’s Epistle Sunday. We’ll read Hebrews 8 through 10.

Boost!

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 12:51
Our Distinguished Producer today is Brother Paul of Seattle who came in with his weekly 22 dot 22 donation. Brother Paul, thank you and may God bless you richly.

Beloved, if you receive value from the show. If you believe that the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is filling a need. If you’re glad that it’s here, help to support it, go to lifespringmedia.com/support. Take a look around and then pray about it and then do what God leads you to do. lifespringmedia.com/support. I’ll thank you, and I believe God will bless you for it.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 13:36
On this date in church history, June 11, 1739, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, recorded in his journal, “I look upon all the world as my parish.”

And on this date in church history, June 11, 1799, Richard Allen was ordained as a deacon of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. And in 1816, he became the founding Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church making him the first African-American Protestant bishop in the United States.

PRAISE REPORT – 14:15
Well, I’ve got a praise. Both Allie and Sean, the daughter and son-in-law of my friend Mark, are feeling better from having their COVID. They’re not completely over it, but they’re much better. And the same is true of my friend Ron, who came down with it over the weekend. So we can be thankful for that.

CLOSING PRAYER – 14:32
Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father, we asked you today for more of the Holy Spirit. May we be filled like never before, Lord. He was the source of the apostles courage and we need courage today. We need to talk about Jesus as much today as they did in the early days of the church. People need to know you. Many are in rebellion, but many have never heard. Use us to tell them, Lord, and then give us the words to say as you did with the apostles.

I thank You, Lord, that Allie and Sean and Ron are feeling better. And I pray that you would restore them to complete health in the next couple of days. We thank you and we praise you for that, Lord.

I ask, Lord, that you bless the Lifespring family today. Be with each one. Where there are needs, fill them in your perfect loving way. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise, please go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. I set up a page there for you. You can give me as much or as little information as you’d like. You can even remain anonymous if you want. I’ll pray for you in my private prayer time and we’ll pray together right here on the show, prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E283 – 15:44
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e283. Email me at st***@*************ia.com. Share the show. Tell people about it. I appreciate it and I appreciate you. Thank you.

And thanks to Kirsty and Sean of San Pedro and Denise. They certainly do help to make my life better by their donation of time and talent.

And I invite you to support the show by going to lifespringmedia.com/support and obeying God’s leading.

Until tomorrow may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise