27th Mar 26 | 16:08
Studies by Book
01 Acts 05 01-11 THE FEAR OF GOD IN HIS CHURCH 09 Acts 05 03-04 God’s ways through us
📖 Acts 05:01-11
09 – 25Mar2023 – *God’s ways through us* - _Acts 05:01-11_ - THE FEAR OF GOD IN HIS CHURCH - Bible reading: _Psalms 149:06-09_
“Lord Jesus, we are not aware that You have called us to a high calling of bringing Your judgment and holiness into Your church and also into our world. In Your name, we pray. Amen.”
*_Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? (4) While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."_*
Peter confronted Ananias and Sapphira powerfully and directly. He did not spare them. This was the discernment of the Holy Spirit as Peter operated in the fullness of His Holy Spirit. *_John 16:8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:_*
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, was able to bring this judgment on Ananias and Sapphira and the fear of God came on His church. This is the authority that the Holy Spirit gives to His people.
The manner in which Peter dealt with this matter of lying to the Holy Spirit is a display of the holiness of God. The church is the fullness of Christ. _Ephesians 1:22-23 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all._* We must have a total reorientation of how we look at His church. His church is holy.
Let us surrender and submit to God to take us as His church to the place where we ought to be, which is His place of holiness. We are a display of the glory and holiness of God to the world.
The church is expected to bring God’s judgment into those areas where we are deceiving God, just as it took place with Ananias and Sapphira. _Psalms 149:6-9 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, (7) To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples; (8) To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; (9) To execute on them the written judgment—This honor have all His saints. Praise the LORD!_
We must know that the responsibility of the church is not only to be holy within but also to bring God’s judgment into our world, where there is darkness. _Luke 10:16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."_
We bring the ways of God into the life of His church and also into our society. _II Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, (5) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, (6) and *being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled*._
We can only punish disobedience in our world when our obedience to God is fulfilled. Since there are things within us, which are unholy, we are not able to execute the vengeance of God on the nations.
We have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus, not to bask in our salvation but to be co-rulers with Christ to bring His kingdom here on earth. *_Ephesians 2:5-7 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (6) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7) that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus._*
We must keep in mind that we are bringing the judgment of God into our present circumstances as a preparation to be co-rulers with Christ in the next age. *_I Corinthians 6:2-3 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (3) Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?_*
We will also come with the Lord to execute judgement on all the ungodly. _Jude 1:14-15 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, *the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, (15) to execute judgment on all*, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."_
What Peter did with Ananias and Sapphira was only the normal activity in which the church must be engaged. ```This is to bring the judgement of God into those matters that are against God. Let us surrender to God for His ways to take place amongst us.```