- Covered In His Dust
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- Acts Chapter 4 & 5
Good morning ☀️
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
If this is your first time getting Covered in His Dust, WELCOME!
You can access my previous notes on Acts and Luke by signing into your account. Click 'Read Online' at the top right of this post and scroll down to find them waiting for you.
Let me catch you up to date.
In Chapter 4, Peter and John were arrested for preaching about Jesus' resurrection. After being questioned and threatened by the religious leaders, they were released because they couldn't find a reason to punish them, especially with the healed man as proof.
When Peter and John returned to the other believers, they shared what had happened. The group prayed together for boldness to keep preaching. The place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, which gave them the courage to continue speaking about the risen Messiah.
At the end of Chapter 4, we read,
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
The physician Luke is writing about ‘believers.’
What did they believe exactly?
Jesus is the Messiah: They believed that Jesus was the promised Savior, the one sent by God to save humanity.
Resurrection: They believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, conquering death and offering eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Holy Spirit: They believed in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, who filled them with boldness and empowered them to live out their faith.
It’s also important to notice that they were not commanded or even asked to sell their homes and land. They did it because they genuinely wanted to take care of each other.
Imagine the scene:
The believers are gathered together, filled with a sense of unity and purpose. There's a feeling of joy and generosity so thick you can almost touch it.
People are willingly selling their homes and land, bringing the money from those sales, and laying it at the apostles' feet, trusting them to distribute it to anyone in need.
Thus Joseph, who 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.
The fact that the apostles gave Joseph the name Barnabas tells us a lot about his character.
Bar: This is an Aramaic word that means "son."
Nabas: is traditionally interpreted as encouragement or consolation.
Barnabas: son of encouragement
The apostles giving Joseph the new name Barnabas shows that he was well-liked and respected.
"Apostle" means "one who is sent out." The term comes from the Greek word "apostolos," which refers to someone who is sent on a mission or as a messenger.
In the New Testament, the term "apostles" primarily refers to the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus. However, it is also used to refer to others who were sent out to preach and teach, such as Paul and Barnabas.
The Twelve Apostles: The original twelve disciples chosen by Jesus (with Matthias replacing Judas Iscariot).
Paul: Referred to as an apostle because he was specifically chosen by Jesus after the resurrection (e.g., Romans 1:1, 1 Corinthians 15:9).
Barnabas: Also referred to as an apostle in Acts 14:14.
This is the first time Barnabas is mentioned in the New Testament, but keep an eye out for him. He plays a vital role in spreading the gospel.
It would have been easy to get caught up in the emotion of it all.
The excitement and sense of unity among the believers were palpable. Imagine the joy of seeing everyone come together, sell their possessions, and share everything they had.
About ten years ago, we had a family visit us in Guatemala to see what the Lord was doing in our little village. They played soccer with kids from our academy, delivered food, and helped the sick with needed medicines they couldn’t afford.
At the end of the week, we visited widows who had been forgotten, and this really struck a chord with the mother who had recently been widowed herself.
When she returned home, she emailed me asking for our address. She wrote that she would like to donate $10,000.
For our little ministry, that’s a ton of money. That’s a ton of money for any ministry.
Instead of giving her an address to send a check, I wanted her to be sure it wasn’t an emotional decision she would later regret.
“Pray about it, and if it’s what the Lord is asking you to do, then we would be grateful to receive it. But please make sure it’s a decision you feel at peace with.”
I tell you that story because, in Chapter 5, we meet Ananias and Sapphira.
To this day, I’ve never understood it. And I think it relates to the story of our visiting widow.
Let’s break it down verse by verse.
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
They laid it at the apostle's feet and said, “That’s all of it.”
Remember, as far as we know, they weren’t required to sell their property. We’ll see how scripture backs that up in just a bit.
“with his wife’s knowledge” shows that Sapphira was fully aware of and complicit in the lie. This implies that their actions were premeditated and agreed upon.
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, knew they lied because the Holy Spirit revealed their deceit to him. He confronted Ananias and Sapphira, emphasizing that their lie was not just to the apostles but to God Himself.
While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?
Basically, what Peter is saying here is that the property and the money from its sale was theirs. They didn’t have to sell the property or donate all the proceeds.
Their sin was not because they withheld part of the money but because they lied about it to make themselves appear more generous and committed than they actually were.
How does this relate to the story of the widow who visited us?
It’s only a guess, but I imagine Ananias and Sapphira were caught up in the emotion of it all, like our visiting widow.
Barnabas had just given the proceeds from the sale of land… and everyone loved that guy!
I imagine their intentions were right when they sold, but when they had the money in their hands, they had a change of heart.
"We'll still be giving a lot. No one will know we kept some back."
"What if we need this money later? Let's keep some for ourselves."
What’s the takeaway? First…
It seems as if Luke, through his writings in Acts and the Gospel of Luke, wants to teach us to be free of the love of money.
"And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'"
"And he said, 'All these I have kept from my youth.' When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.'"
"Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common."
In Luke 12, Jesus says,
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.
It’s our Father’s good pleasure!
For what?
To give us the kingdom!
Does
It
Get
Better
Than
That?
Jesus was saying, “Love people, not money.”
And that’s exactly what was happening in the early church.
The 2nd takeaway…
After both Ananias and Sapphira died,
And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
The fact that Luke records this twice shows it’s something we should pay attention to.
We should fear lying to God, the Holy Spirit.
We should fear the love of money and things.
We should fear intentionally appearing to be generous.
We should fear the praise of men.
Whew! That was intense.
I’ll finish up Chapter 5 on Friday or Saturday. I’m still trying to find my rhythm.
For the rest of July, I want to leave you with a short video that has either inspired or convicted me.
Today’s video is from one of my favorite pastors, Paul Washer. It’s super short, only 3:33.
I’d love to know your thoughts.
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
George Sisneros is a full-time missionary in Guatemala and the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 26 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
George and his family are expanding to Cuba in 2024.