Tell the People
Acts 5:12-32
Pastor Scott Skones
The Resurrection changes everything.
Last Sunday we gathered to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead – his triumph over sin, death, and satan. His victory over the grave.
But for many of you, you have turned the page on Easter. You’re moving on. You sang “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” – You proclaimed, “He is risen, indeed” – and now you’re moving onto gardening season, or spring cleanup, or end of school, or whatever is in front of you next.
But historically, the church has focused attention on the themes of the Resurrection for Seven Sundays. You’ll notice that the New Testament Epistle Readings over the next 6 weeks are all from Revelation. Focusing us on the triumphant, victorious work of Christ.
And I think we can actually learn from the ancient church here – and remember that there is value in slowing down and letting the themes of resurrection and Christ’s victory permeate our minds and hearts.
Because, as I said earlier, the resurrection changes everything.
Last Sunday I shared about how the resurrection really is the source of our hope. The fact that Jesus was raised from the dead is the source of all true and future hope for the Christian.
And so today we are going to continue basking in the good news of the resurrection. Soaking in the reality that the resurrection changes everything.
And so we are going to look this morning at the life of the apostles and the earliest believers in the days following Jesus’ resurrection.
How did the resurrection impact them? How did it shape and direct the trajectory of their lives in the years to come?
And what we will see is that the resurrection changed their priorities.
You see, the resurrection of Jesus was God bringing the future restoration of all things into the present.
Let me say that again: the resurrection of Jesus was God bringing the future restoration of all things into the present.
Here’s what I mean: God is on a mission to redeem and restore all things. We are on the way toward all creation being reunited with God, death being no more, and all things existing as they were created to exist. God is bringing beauty out of chaos and peace out of conflict.
When Jesus walked out of that tomb, fully alive, that future restoration and renewal collided with the chaos and conflict of this sin and death-riddled world.
So, for example, for the secular person, death is the greatest enemy. It is the snuffing out of a flame that will never be known again. It is the thing that is to be avoided at all costs. But, for the Christian, death is gain. Death is victory. Death is life.
Jesus’ resurrection takes those future promises that we await – and brings them into the present. Into today. Because rather than live in fear of death, or living every day simply to try to stay alive, I can live for a different purpose, with different priorities.
In our text today we are going to see what those earliest believers prioritized in the aftermath of Jesus’ resurrection.
I invite you to stand as you’re comfortable for the reading of our sermon text for today. I’ll be reading from:
Acts 5:12-32
12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
God, On that day when Jesus walked out of the grave, everything changed. Not only was death defeated, but the future was brought into the present. As we consider your word today, re-prioritize our lives. Convict us of misplaced priorities. And may we find the freedom that you desire for us. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This account of the early days of the ministry of the church gives us a window into what those first Christians prioritized. What was most important to them? What were their core priorities? Today we are going to highlight three ways that these early Christians’ lives were changed as they lived in light of the resurrection.
Priority 1 - Meeting Together
V. 12-14 - The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
The early believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade – or your translation might say “Solomon’s Portico.” This was an area on one side of the temple in Jerusalem that consisted of rows of high stone columns, with a roof overhead.
This was the part of the temple complex that had some amount of shelter from the elements, and so it was common for people to gather here. This is the location where Peter and John were arrested in Acts chapter 3 as they taught and ministered to the people. And we know that Jesus also spent time here teaching.
And so the earliest followers of Jesus, after his resurrection, met together at the temple. They prioritized gathering together.
We see this in chapter 2 of Acts when it says “All the believers were together and held everything in common.” And then it goes on to say that they actually gathered together every day in the temple courts. And then in Acts chapter 4 - it says “All the believers were one in heart and mind…”. These early Christians were united and focused on the well-being of one another. On the mission to which they had been called. Their lives began revolving around their gatherings together.
Meeting together became a top priority. And, what’s interesting, is that if you were listening during the scripture reading, you know that those in authority weren’t particularly fond of these Christians meeting together. They didn’t have the freedom of worship that we are blessed with today.
We see this in verse 13 - “No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded.”
Why did no one else dare to join them? For fear of being arrested. For fear of being persecuted.
I am grateful to have been born in this place, under this system of government, with the freedoms that we are afforded. And, yet, there’s a reality that our lack of persecution has contributed to what we might call “cultural Christians.” These are people who sort of exist around the margins of the church, but who don’t have living faith in Christ. They are connected with the Christian faith for cultural reasons, but they don’t really believe it and haven’t really been changed by it.
In America, affiliation with Christianity doesn’t cost you anything, and, while this is changing, it might actually still give you some level of social or cultural benefit.
We’ve seen this over the last 20 years with the rise of attractional churches. Churches that are built around a religious entertainment model. They will attract MANY people. But what we’ve observed is that as soon as someone else tops their entertainment value somewhere else, those people abandon where they were and run over to the new place.
That wasn’t happening in the days following Jesus’ resurrection. The only people hanging around were those who had been transformed and made new by the resurrected Jesus. Faith cost them something.
But, in spite of that cost, verse 14 tells us “Nevertheless, more and more believed and were added to their number.”
The resurrection of Jesus caused people to prioritize gathering together. It became the most important thing. In spite of the threat. These people organized their lives around worship. Around gathering together.
The second priority that we see is:
Priority 2 - Telling Others About This Life in Christ
Notice verses 18-20: “They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
One of the things that becomes clear in those early days is that the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection isn’t something that can be kept to oneself. The apostles devoted their lives to telling the story, to proclaiming the good news of Jesus’ resurrection.
And here the angel who rescued them from jail gives them the instructions to “tell the people.”
Tell the people all about this new life.
Luke, the author of Acts, uses the word “life” to refer to salvation throughout Acts and also in his Gospel. He presents salvation, NOT merely as part of your spirituality, but as the new life that you live.
So many Christians today see their faith as one component of their being. As one aspect of their existence. As one piece of the puzzle that is them.
I’d argue that if Jesus really rose from the dead, we can’t view our faith that way. That if the resurrection is true, our life is reoriented.
And part of that re-orientation is the recognition that, as Paul says in 2nd Corinthians, we have been entrusted with the message and ministry of reconciliation. Of proclaiming to others that Jesus died for their sins and that there is true, lasting, transcendent, and eternal hope in him. That God loves them and came to save them not to condemn them.
Think about this message: That Jesus died for our sins. That Jesus did everything necessary for us to be reconciled with God. The work has been accomplished. That we can have confidence and assurance in our salvation because it doesn’t depend on what we have done but on what Jesus has done for us.
If you believe in Jesus, scripture says “Go and tell the people all about this new life.” Tell them about the hope that you have. Tell them about what Jesus has done for them. Tell them that this world isn’t all that there is.
What did these earliest Christians prioritize? Gathering together, and telling about this new life in Christ.
And the third priority that we will consider today is this:
Priority 3 - The Teaching Ministry of the Church.
Look first at verse 21 - They get out of jail and then, “At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.”
V 28-29 - “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”
There are many things that these early followers of Jesus COULD HAVE prioritized. They would have been justified, from a human perspective, in just taking some time to lay low and let the tension dissipate.
They could have formed a religious colony and gone off on their own to avoid the unbelief of the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities.
They could have become a humanitarian mission – focused entirely on meeting the needs of people around them.
There were many directions they could have gone. But notice what they did. They focused on the teaching ministry of the church.
We see this from the very beginning, in Acts 2:42: ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”
And what is listed first and foremost in that list? The apostles’ teaching.
We live in an era with more Christian teaching available at our fingertips than ever before. And I know many of you listen to sermons or podcasts or other types of teaching that are available. And that’s a good thing.
But it’s sort of like Take-out versus dining in. Now, sometimes takeout is a good thing. Sometimes you just need quick nourishment to fit into your schedule.
However, dining in a restaurant adds additional layers to the meal. You have human interaction. Conversations around a table. Opportunity to dialogue, to compare notes about the food and about life. Unrushed time together.
And in many ways that’s the difference between the teaching ministry of the church and just consuming teaching electronically. When you gather together in the same room with fellow believers and hear God’s word read and taught, you are nourished spiritually in a way that can’t be replicated elsewhere.
We see this priority on display clearly in the very next chapter – in Acts 6. Some were complaining in Acts chapter 6 because some widows were being overlooked and not getting the care and attention that they needed.
And so the church was faced with a difficult situation.
The apostles gather everyone to address these complaints – and we find their response in Acts 6:2: “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
This passage is probably a whole sermon in and of itself. But notice what they do. The Apostles say “Our calling to teach the word of God is critical. It’s the highest priority.” And so some others were called to meet some of the practical needs that arose.
The teaching ministry of the church was the top priority for the earliest Christians.
Every pastor that I know feels the weight of this. Pastors today don’t have the luxury of just focusing attention on prayer and the ministry of the word. They are administrators, planners, caregivers, advocates, counselors, and more. And some pastors allow those responsibilities to get in the way of their teaching ministry. And the church is never better for it.
But here’s why we must prioritize the teaching ministry of the church – because God’s word is the only thing with the power to save and set free.
God’s word is the only hope for those who are lost.
God’s word produces faith. God’s word takes us from death to life. As Peter confessed in John 6 - Jesus’ words are words of eternal life.
Talents will fade. Riches will pass away. Passions will subside. But listen to how Psalm 119 describes God’s word:
“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.”
Or consider 1 Peter chapter 1:
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you.
Almost everything that we do here is negotiable. The building. The programs. The coffee. The decorations. The musical style.
But what is not negotiable is the centrality of the teaching ministry of the church. Because it is that living and enduring word that takes people from death to life.
This must always be the most significant priority of our congregation. As we say in our core values:
The Bible is central in our congregation and in our households. The Word of God is the focus of our worship services, the textbook for our teaching ministries, and the foundation of our daily lives. Whether we are preaching, teaching, singing, or just talking, we want to be people of the Word.
This is the priority established by the earliest Christians. And it has been handed down to us. Because your eternal hope – your children’s eternal hope — your grandchildren's eternal hope – the eternal hope of future generations is in the teaching ministry of the Local church.
There will be many things – many GOOD things – that will seek to distract us from the most important things. There are many opportunities in front of us – and as a church, there are many good things that we can do. But we must always keep the main thing the main thing. We must always keep the teaching ministry of the church as the centerpiece of all that we do. As that which drives us and centers us.
The Resurrection changes everything. It changes our priorities. The priorities of resurrection people are Meeting Together, Telling Others about Jesus, and the Teaching ministry of the Church.
By God’s grace, may these be the things that define us here at Living Word. May we make these hallmarks of the early church our foremost priorities.
This sermon is offered as a resource by Living Word Lutheran Brethren Fellowship in Dickinson, North Dakota. It has been lightly edited for the website, but the original tone remains unchanged, and no grammatical revisions or style adjustments have been made.