The believers
[Acts 5:12-16]
Do you know William Carey, the Father of Indian Missions (1761-1834)? William Carey went to India with a dream of mission work after studying Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and other languages. He received his commission from the Baptist Missionary Society in England. He studied the Indian languages, compiled an English-Indian dictionary, and then introduced a printing press from England to publish the Bible in Indian languages. However, while Carey was away on a missionary tour, a fire broke out, and the printing press and manuscripts were completely burned. Nevertheless, Carey did not lose hope. He knelt on the ashes and offered a prayer of thanksgiving. He sought faith, patience, and courage to start again. Finally, starting with the Bengali Bible in 1801, the Bible was translated and published in 24 Indian dialects. Success and failure depend on the attitude with which we face the problem. The greatness of a believer lies not in never failing, but in rising every time he falls. We call those who believe that God is with them Christians (Internet).
Today, in Acts 5:14, the Bible says, " Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number." With this verse as the focus, I want to meditate on what it means to be a believer in four aspects, desiring to receive God's grace.
First, the believers are all with one accord.
Look at Acts 5:12 – “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico.” In Acts 4:30, we see one of the prayers of the apostles was, " while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." We can see that this prayer from Acts 4 was answered in Acts 5:12. Because of this response to prayer, many people gathered together in Solomon's Portico with one accord, while the rest dared to associate with them (v. 13). These "rest" were likely hypocrites among the believers, like Ananias and Sapphira. Due to the fear generated by the events involving Ananias and Sapphira, they couldn't dare to join those who believed, even after witnessing God's signs and wonders.
Christians who gather with one accord receive praise and commendation from people in the world. In Acts 5:13, the Bible says that when the believers gathered with one accord in Solomon's Portico, even though there were some who dared to associate with them, however "the people held them in high esteem." We can also see from Acts 2:47 that the early church saints received praise from all the people. What a beautiful image of the early church community, being a church praised by people in the world.
However, look at the churches nowadays. Are they truly receiving praise from people in the world? How about our church? Are we receiving praise from people in the world? The decline of a church often starts with the scattering of the hearts of believers (Park). What do you think about the statement that when the hearts of the saints are scattered, the church weakens? A church that does not pray with one accord will scatter. A church that does not pray together in faith has double-mindedness (Jam. 1:6-8). In the end, it can only be unstable (verse 6).
In Ephesians 4:5, the apostle Paul says, "one faith." Like the early church saints, when we pray in faith, we can come together with one heart. However, if we pray in doubt, we can only scatter in the midst of church instability. We must remember: God is not only a God who gathers, but also a God who scatters. Look at Deuteronomy 28:64 - " Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known." When God scatters, it leads to the sin of idol worship. This is especially true when one makes money an idol and lives for money. Consequently, churches end up divided, fighting, and scattered over money matters. Therefore, as believers in Jesus Christ, we must strive to gather together in one faith.
Second, the believers are constantly added to their number.
Look at Acts 5:14 – “And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number.” As God answered the united prayers of the early church saints and performed many signs and wonders through the hands of the apostles, believers came together with one accord, receiving praise from the people. This is a clear work of God. We already know from our meditation on Acts 2:47 that the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Think about it logically. In which church would people gather? In a church where everyone is united in faith, where people are praised, or in a church where doubting saints keep scattering? On the internet, I found a post titled ‘What Makes a Church Attractive and Appealing?’ and I'd like to share it: ‘The church as the body of Christ possessing the spirituality of community, and every saint experiencing this, is also the essence of the church. We often find Paul referring to the church as another family. Yes, the church is like another family. Men and women, old and young, the poor and the rich, masters and slaves, sometimes people of different races. They all come together to form a family. Of course, love is the force that bridges the gaps between them, the consciousness of brotherhood among people who look to God as their Father. The attractiveness of the church comes from here. Once you experience the irresistible charm, you can't leave. It's like savoring something intensely rich, just like the saying blood is thicker than water. Community, it is the power of being one with diversity’ (Internet). In this community of love, coming together with one heart and one mind, there is a work of the Lord adding believers.
In such a community, the work of believers coming out to the Lord takes place. We earnestly pray that our church becomes such a church. A church where it is not by human effort, but by the saving work of the Lord, a church where those being saved are added every week, a church where people come out to the Lord just as He is. This is the kind of church I dream of and pray for.
Third, the believers hope.
Look at Acts 5:15 – “to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.” Because God enabled the apostles to perform many signs and wonders, many people gathered in Solomon's Portico from the surrounding villages of Jerusalem. They even brought the sick out into the streets, laying them on beds and mats, hoping that Peter's shadow might fall on some of them (v. 15). Why did they do this? Professor Sang-seop Yoo explained, ‘They did this because they thought that when the shadow of Apostle Peter passed by the sick, they might receive healing’ (Yoo). The early church saints had already witnessed and heard of the miraculous power of God manifested through Peter, who had raised up a man lame for 40 years, and so they had the expectation that perhaps even Peter's shadow could bring healing. In the time of Jesus, people in towns, cities, and villages where Jesus entered would lay the sick in the marketplaces, hoping to touch even the fringe of His garment, and all who touched it were healed (Mk. 6:53-56). Additionally, when Paul preached the gospel in Ephesus, people would take handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched Paul's body and place them on the sick, and their diseases left them (Acts 19:11-12).
I'm reminded of Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." The believers hope. The believers have faith. The believers are those who, even in the midst of the seemingly impossible, continue to hope. Just like our faith forefather Abraham, who in hope believed against hope (Rom. 4:18). Look at verse 3 and chorus of hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less”: “His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood; When all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.” Living a life where even when all we once held dear is severed and gone, our hope in Jesus only grows stronger is the essence of a life of faith.
Fourth and last, the believers receive healing.
Look at Acts 5:16 – “Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.” The original meaning of the phrase "they were all healed" here is "whatever kind of disease, all were cured." This means that there was no ailment that the apostles couldn't cure (Park). Grosheide remarked, ‘The ability of the apostles to heal all diseases shows that the work of Christ continued through them. Their ability to do such work was due to Christ's resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit, and it was a fulfillment of the mission and promise given by Christ. It is clear that God was with them’ (Park).
The first verse of the hymn “Heal me now, my Savior, Jesus! Touch and mend my ailing frame. I will heal all thy diseases. That promise, Lord, I claim. See me, Lord, expectant kneeling, Confident in faith appealing. Now, Thy mighty pow'r revealing, Lord, Heal! in Jesus' name!” This healing ministry is available to the believers.
The believers come together with one accord. The believers are constantly added to their number. And the believers hope. In other words, the believers have faith and hope. In the midst of such, the believers receive healing. I hope and pray that this ministry of healing will be present in your life as you believe in Jesus.
In faith and hope,
James Kim
(Only by faith!)