Acts - Week 3 / Tuesday

Reading for today: Acts 5:12-16

The previous verse (11) refers to this group of new believers as the “church” for the first time. This church is experiencing some pretty exciting times. Many miraculous signs and wonders are taking place. The purpose of the miracles was to point people to Jesus, not simply for some “power display.”

The fear that resulted from the death of Ananias and Sapphira also affected the unbelievers, so that no one dated to join them. That is, no unbelievers dared to mix in with the crowd of believers pretending to be one of them. That was too dangerous!

This did not mean, however, that the Church’s growth was slowed down. It continued to grow, until the suggestion is that the number of believers was over 10,000 at this time.

These believers have great confidence in the Lord, so they bring the sick to be healed. They even lay them out on cots along the road, hoping that the shadow of Peter walking by might be enough of God’s presence to heal them.

Now, honestly, I don’t understand this kind of thing. I believe in divine healing. I have witnessed it in the lives of people around me. I know God can, and does heal. But I have to admit that I don’t always understand the way God works in the lives of people. Sometimes the way God works freaks me out! And some of the people through whom God chooses to work really freaks me out!

But over the years I have learned that God’s ways are a lot higher than my ways, and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. So, even when I don’t particularly like the methods of the messenger, or I am uncomfortable with the strange way in which God may choose to work in someone’s life, I can still rejoice in the work that God accomplishes in a person’s life. His work is real, and it deserves to be praised.

Tomorrow: A jailbreak that defies the odds!