Acts 4:32-5:11

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

*July 26, 2010
<http://www.2rbetter.org/>*



   *V. ACTS 4:32-5:11 THE LORD OF GREAT GRACE AND JUDGMENT*


 *A. 4:32-37 HOW THE EARLY CHURCH MET ITS NEEDS*

*a. 4:32 ATTITUDE OF EARLY CHURCH TO POSSESSIONS IN FACE OF NEED*

Tou de PL*E*thous t*o*n pi-steuSANt*o*n *e*n karDIa kai psuCH*E* MIa:

*And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul:*

kai ouDE HEIS ti t*o*n hu-parCHONt*o*n [5224] auT*O* Ele-gen Idi-on EInai;

*and not even one said that anything of his :possessions was his own;*

all' *e*n auTOIS panTA koiNA [2839].

*but they had all things common.*


 *b. 4:33 NATURE OF EARLY APOSTOLIC WITNESS*

kai duNAmei meGAl*e* a-peDIdoun to marTUri-on [3142] hoi aPOsto-loi

*And with great power gave the apostles their witness*

tou KuRIou 'I*e*SOU t*e*s a-naSTAse-*o*s [386]:

*for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus:*

CHAris [5485] te meGAl*e* *e*n ePI PANtas auTOUS.

*and great grace was upon them all.*


 *c. 4:34-35 METHOD OF MEETING NEEDS IN EARLY CHURCH*

ouDE gar en-de*E*S [1729] tis *e*n en auTOIS:

*For neither was there any among them that lacked:*

HOsoi gar KT*E*to-res [2935] ch*o*RI*o*n [5564] *e* oi-ki*O*N [3614] huP*E*
Rchon,

*for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them,*

p*o*LOUNtes [4453] Ephe-ron tas tiMAS [5092] t*o*n pe-pra-skoMEn*o*n [4097],


*and** brought the prices of the **things sold,*

kai eTIthoun paRA tous POdas t*o*n a-poSTOl*o*n:

*35 and laid them at the feet of the apostles:*

di-eDIde-to [1229] de heKAst*o*, kaTHOti AN tis CHREIan [5532] EIchen.

*and distribution was made to each, according as any one had need.*


 *d. 4:36-37 EXAMPLE OF BARNABAS IN THIS RESPECT*

'I*o*S*E*PH de, ho e-pi-kl*e*THEIS [1941] BarNAbas aPO t*o*n a-poSTOl*o*n

*And Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas*

(HO es-tin, me-ther-m*e*-neuOme-non [3177], HuiOS pa-raKL*E*se-*o*s [3874]),

*(which is, being interpreted, Son of exhortation),*

LeuEIt*e*s, KUpri-os t*o* GEnei [1085],

*a Levite, Cyprian by :race,*

huPARchon-tos [5225] auT*O* aGROU, p*o*L*E*sas,

*37 having a field, sold it,*

*E*neg-ken to CHR*E*ma [5536] kai Eth*e*-ken paRA tous POdas t*o*n a-poSTOl*
o*n.

*and** brought the money and laid **it at the feet of the apostles.*


 *B. 5:1-11 GOD TEMPERS GRACE WITH JUDGMENT*

*1. 5:1-6 GOD JUDGES THE SIN OF LYING*

*a. 5:1-2 DECEIT OF ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA*

A-N*E*R DE tis, Ha-naNIas oNOma-ti,

*But a certain man, Hananias by name,*

sun SapPHEIr*e* t*e* gu-naiKI auTOU, eP*O*l*e*-sen [4453] KT*E*ma [2933],

*with Sappheira his :wife, sold a possession,*

kai e-noPHIsa-to [3557] aPO t*e*s tiM*E*S [5092], su-neiDUI*e*s [4894] kai t
*e*s gu-naiKOS,

*2 and withheld part of the price, the wife also aware of it,*

kai eNEGkas MEros [3313] ti, paRA tous POdas t*o*n a-poSTOl*o*n Eth*e*-ken.

*and brought a certain part, and laid it at the feet of the apostles.*


 *b. 5:3 ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA*

EIpen de ho PEtros, Ha-naNIa, diA ti ePL*E*r*o*-sen ho Sa-taNAS [4567]

*But :Peter said, Hananias, why has :Satan*

t*e*n kar-diAN sou PSEUsasTHAI [5574] se to PNEUma to HAgi-on,

*filled your :heart to lie to the Holy :Spirit,*

kai nosPHIsas-thai [3557] aPO t*e*s tiM*E*S tou ch*o*RIou [5564]?

*and to withhold part of the price of the land?*


 *c. 5:4a NO COMMUNISM HERE*

ouCHI MEnon, soi Eme-nen?

*While it remained, did it not remain yours?*

kai praTHEN [4097], en t*e*s s*e* e-xouSIa huP*E*Rchen [5225]?

*and when sold, was it not in your :power?*


 *d. 5:4b SERIOUS NATURE OF LYING: A CRIME AGAINST GOD*

ti HOti Ethou en t*e* karDIa sou to PRAGma [4229] TOUto?

*How is it that you have conceived this :thing in your :heart​?*

ouk ePSEUs*o* [5574] anTHR*O*pois, alLA t*o* The*O*.

*you have not lied to men, but to :God.*


 *e. 5:5 JUDGMENT: DEATH OF ANANIAS BROUGHT FEAR ON ALL*

aKOU*o*n de ho Ha-naNIas tous LOgous TOUtous peS*O*N eXEpsu-xen [1634]:

*And Hananias hearing these :words fell down and breathed his last:*

kai eGEne-to PHObos [5401] MEgas ePI PANtas tous aKOUon-tas.

*and great fear came upon all that heard it.*


 *f. 5:6 ANANIAS IMMEDIATELY BURIED*

a-naSTANtes de hoi ne*O*te-roi [3501] suNEstei-lan [4958] auTON,

*And the younger men arose and wrapped him round,*

kai e-xeNEGkan-tes [1627] Etha-psan [2290].

*and carried out and buried him.*


 *2. 5:7-11 A DOUBLE JUDGMENT*

*a. 5:7 WIFE OF ANANIAS ENTERS*

E-GEne-to de h*o*s h*o*R*O*N tri*O*N diAst*e*-ma [1292], kai h*e* guN*E*auTOU,

*and it was about after three hours' space, and his :wife,*

m*e* eiDUIa [1492] to ge-goNOS, eiS*E*Lthen.

*not knowing what was done, came in.*


 *b. 5:8a PETER QUESTIONS HER*

a-peKRIth*e* de pros auT*E*N PEtros,

*And Peter answered unto her,*

EiPE moi ei toSOUtou to Ch*o*RIon aPEdos-the.

*Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.*


 *c. 5:8b SHE SIDES WITH HER HUSBAND*

h*e* de EIpen, Nai, toSOUtou.

*And she said, Yes, for so much.*


 *d. 5:9 JUDGMENT FOR SYMPHONIZING IN DECEIT: DEATH!*

ho de PEtros pros auT*E*N,

*But :Peter said unto her,*

Ti HOti su-ne-ph*o*N*E*th*e* [4856] huMIN peiRAsai [3985] to PNEUma KuRIou?

*How is it that you have agreed to try the Spirit of the Lord?*

iDOU, ho POdes t*o*n thaPSANt*o*n [2290] ton ANdra sou

*lo, the feet of them that have buried your :husband*

ePI t*e* THUra, kai eXOIsouSIN [1627] se.

*are at the door, and they shall carry you out.*


 *e. 5:10 EXECUTION AND BURIAL*

Epe-sen de pa-raCHR*E*ma [3916] pros tous POdas auTOU, kai eXEpsu-xen [1634]
:

*And she fell down immediately at his :feet, and breathed her last:*

ei-selTHONtes de hoi ne-aNIskoi HEUron auT*E*N neKRAN,

*and the young men came in and found her dead,*

kai e-xeNEGkan-tes [1627] Etha-psan [2290] pros ton ANdra auT*E*S.

*and they carried her out and buried her by her :husband.*


 *f. 5:11 RESULT: GREAT FEAR ON THE CHURCH, AND ALL HEARING*

kai eGEne-to PHObos [5401] MEgas [3173] eph' HOl*e*n t*e*n ek-kl*e*SIan,

*And great fear came upon the whole church,*

kai ePI PANtas tous aKOUon-tas TAUta.

*and upon all that heard these things.*



 *NOTE**: *Here is another example how God's Bible Numeric Greek and English
New Testament relates to establishing true contexts of sentences,
subdivisions, paragraphs and sections (chapter equivalents) - helping us to
grasp the unity of a section such as this.


 Section V of Acts includes 4:32-5-11 - the last few verses of chapter 4,
and the first 11 verses of chapter 5. To look into this section in this
light, is to find ready confirmation for the wisdom of God in this. Chapter
and verse devisions as found in other versions since 1611 - do not
*begin*to show the wisdom of what we find here in Panin's Interlinear
Greek NT.


 4:32-37 shows how the needs of some were met in the early church. Barnabas
nobly did his part in meeting such needs.


 5:1-6 - But here God felt it wise to judge *lying* at the very beginning of
the early church, and set the standard of the seriousness of walking in
honesty before God and man. He chose to use Peter - apostle of the Jewish
circumcision to strike a note that in turn struck fear not only upon the
church of the beginning, but upon all non-believers also who heard this
report.


 God gave Peter the gift of discernings of spirits to spot the hypocrisy in
the heart of Ananias. It was just as if Jesus were present reading the
hearts of men. And indeed it was! It *was* Jesus by His Holy Spirit working
through Peter as His channel to strike this note. It was also confirmation
that this book of Acts through Luke was truly the “Acts of the Holy Spirit”
through the apostles - Peter in this instance.


 Then in 5:7-11, God through the Holy Spirit again used Peter as a double
witness to work judgment on the wife of Ananias: Sapphira, who with her
husband had agreed to this deception. Again, great fear in a double measure
fell upon the whole church, and all outsiders who heard. It would cause
unbelievers to think before they responded to the Gospel of the Kingdom of
God in Jesus - for if they were not whole-heartedly involved, it could be
dangerous to join this church!


 Would to God our present church of North America would see the sin of lying
and deception as *God* sees it. Oh! It was just a little “white lie”, we
hear said today! Really? Before the end of this age and the return of our
Lord Jesus, expect God to use many Peters again as set forth in this
Chapter-Section. J.A.W.



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