Unshaken: Chapter a Day

Acts 5 Discussion

• Pastor Plek

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Holiness and power collide in Acts 5, where a hidden lie shatters a public image and a battered church sings with joy. We unpack the stark story of Ananias and Sapphira, why their deception threatened the integrity of a young movement, and how God’s holiness isn’t a slogan but a safeguard for real community. From there, we follow the surge of signs and wonders at Solomon’s Portico, where crowds gather, respect grows, and even Peter’s shadow becomes a signpost to a living God.

Tension rises as the apostles are arrested, only to be freed by an angel who sends them right back to teach. The council fumes, but the apostles answer with a line that still anchors courage today: “We must obey God rather than men.” We explore why that conviction remains essential for a church navigating cultural pressure, and how Gamaliel’s measured advice offers a timeless check against reactionary zeal. Along the way, we talk about healing as divine authentication, the risk of glory seeking inside religious spaces, and the surprising pattern where suffering and spiritual fruit often arrive together.

Our biggest takeaways center on honesty, boldness, and hope. The Spirit is personal and holy; you cannot fake surrender without eroding your own soul. Faithful witness isn’t flashy—it’s daily, steady, and willing to pay a price. And even when doors close, God can open them—sometimes with angels, always with purpose. Listen for practical applications you can use today: cultivate truthful generosity, share Jesus with someone each day, and reframe hardship as a battleground where joy can still win. If this conversation sharpened your faith, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Text us at 737-231-0605 with any questions.

Pastor Plek:

And welcome back to a chapter a day. Keeps the devil away. I'm Pastor Pleck. That's Pastor Holland. And we are talking Acts chapter 5. We're going to outline it. We're going to make some observation and then move into some interpretation about the nature of man, the character of God. Finally, land the plan with an application that you can use along your way today. All right. So outlining it, uh, you have Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, verses 1 through 11, where uh Ananias and Sapphira follow the model of Barnabas selling land, but instead of giving all the proceeds, they lie about how much they gave and only gave some of the proceeds, and they pay the ultimate price for that. Then you have signs and wonders through the apostles in verses 12 through 16. And many believers meet at Solomon's portico. And through this, people hold them in high esteem, but not very many people are wanting to join them because they're kind of freaked out by all their superpowers. Then verses 17 through 21A, that is, you got the apostles arrested and delivered by an angel. Then you've got the confusion in the council in verses 21B through 28. That's where the council assembles and sends for the prisoners only to find them not in prison, but preaching. Then you got the apostles' defense, similar to Acts chapter 4, in verses 29 through 32, where they say we must obey God rather than men. Then you've got when it comes to the height of like tension, Gamaleel, the guy that I think also taught Paul, uh, he gives advice and the apostles' release in verses 33 through 42, uh, wherein the council is in rage and intends to kill them. Gamaliel, the respective Pharisee, pulls him back.

Pastor Holland:

Okay, let's get into some observations. Man, it's gotta be so frustrating for the Jewish leaders at this point. They're, you know, they cannot um beat these apostles. They I mean they try to beat them, they try to throw them in jail. But they do beat them. Yeah. Um physically. They beat them that way, but they can't stop them. Yeah. And, you know, they keep uh I love verse 28. We we strictly told you not to do this, and you're doing it anyway. You know, they're just so frustrated. And um they seem like just bad parents. Yeah. But clearly, they also can't deny, man, they're they're they're healing people, they're doing all these signs and wonders, like something's going on with these guys. Um, yeah, interesting. Gamalil's advice, I I like too. He's like, just leave it alone. If it's of man, it'll fall, you know, it won't won't go very far. But if it's of God, then you need to get out of the way. Yeah. Okay, how about this?

Pastor Plek:

Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, discerns supernaturally that Ananias is lying. Yeah. Um, have you ever had was it one of those things where someone brings up like 50 bucks? I sold this land and all it was was$50. And you're like, nah, uh, you're dead. Or did he bring, you know, a couple hundred thousand dollars and it was actually, you know, you know, two hundred thousand dollars or whatever. What do you think there?

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, I don't know. And I don't, it's not clear whether he dies because he feels like you know guilty. He feels so guilty and overwhelmed and has like a heart attack because he's like 75 years old and feeling horrible, or if God just kind of strikes him down, or if Peter strikes him down with like apostle power or something, like it doesn't really say what it is. It doesn't, it's it leaves it kind of open for interp. It definitely seems like God is doing something. It says great fear um came upon the whole church. And I I get the impression this was God, you know, like in First Corinthians, how it talks about some people becoming sick and dying because of not taking communion the right way. It seems like sometimes like God did this in the Old Testament a lot. It seems like at least in this early stage of the church, um, God was still just killing people for um you know their sins. I mean, lying. Yeah. Like you're a liar. What do you deserve? Death. That's that's pretty hardcore. It is very hardcore. I mean, this is the very early stages of the church, you know, any any kind of um corruption would would could like destroy the whole movement, right, you know, in some sense. And so like maybe it's this idea of God just protecting the purity of the early church in these this uh foundational time. Yeah.

Pastor Plek:

Maybe, yeah. It's wild. Okay. Uh, how about Gamaleel, who is not exactly on Team Jesus, right, but I think he goes, he's seeing, hey, this is not working. The more that we try to get against them, the more they start to grow. Yeah. And he and he references something where, like, this is what I thought was interesting. This is for all those skeptics there who say there was never a census at the time of Jesus' birth. Oh. Okay. He says, Remember at the time of the census, and he gives an actual dude, was it Judas the Galilean?

Pastor Holland:

Um Judas the Galilean, verse 37. Rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people. Yeah.

Pastor Plek:

So it's I love the fact that he references the census. Now, it's the same author, Luke, as in who wrote Luke, who wrote Acts. And so in Luke is where we hear about the the census.

Pastor Holland:

And so I think there's for Luke the census census where everyone had to return to their hometown at the birth of Jesus, uh right after the birth of Jesus. Right.

Pastor Plek:

And I so I think that that's kind of a powerful thing. That that I don't think gets enough credence. I think sometimes we just think, oh, it's just reference once. No, he's doubling down on this, that there was a census. And so archaeologically, we have not found anything to corroborate that, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. So anyway, I just I thought that was an interesting thing that Luke here for the second time mentions that one particular census. Uh that is where um that that caused everyone to travel back to their hometowns. Okay. Nice. What else you got?

Pastor Holland:

Um I really like uh okay, so with Ananias and Sapphira. It seems like they're trying to like um Barnabas gave, and they they gave him a name, Barnabas, son of encouragement, right? It seems like they're trying to get in on some glory, and uh, but they don't want to really give up, you know, the full amount. So they're they're they're really seeking after the glory of man rather than the glory of God here. And later there's gonna be a um there's gonna be a uh a ruler who dies for the same, you know. There he's uh giving, you know, um an oration, a speech or something, and the people say the glory of uh God and not a man, right? A Herod. Yeah, and he drops dead. And um, and so that's another just another example of God just you know bringing judgment on someone um for taking glory for themselves. Yeah, that's good. That's interesting to me.

Pastor Plek:

Okay, uh, I thought it's just cool that after they get flogged, they go back and celebrate that they're worthy, kind of worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus' name. Like, usually we kind of we don't talk about that as a blessing. We go, that's a cross to bear, or sort of like a womp womp, I guess is what it means to be a Christian. You know, everyone's after me. We don't go, yes. Yeah, they're like, we did it. They're like, we have we have done something really awesome. And so maybe we need to start changing our tune from negative Nancy to a little bit, you know, praiseworthy Percy over here about the excitement Percy. You know, we want to think about excellent things as opposed to, you know, negative Nancy.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, and um I love uh an angel set some lets them out of uh jail too. Yeah, just like everything, yeah, and it's not like um well, I don't know. I just love that their prayers are for boldness. Um, their the their praises are for their suffering that they get to be counted worthy to suffer for the name. And so, um, but also like God's blessing is following them. They're getting let out of jail, um, they're getting uh they're seeing fruit, people are coming, you know, getting saved like thousands. It was three thousand, then it was five thousand, and then what does it say here? It's just like a mentions like a multitude of people getting saved, right? Yep, yep, yep. Um, verse 14 more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. So it's both like there's suffering, persecution, um, and there's a lot of fruit at the same time.

Pastor Plek:

Okay, let's get into some nature of man. I I I think that sometimes man can look at the worst of a situation and not rejoice that they are worthy of they look at the they go out, we were in prison, and you know, thank God we got out, but we had to be in prison. Whereas opposed to imprison is where they had an angel interaction. Uh, like prison was actually the result of them obeying God and being blessed by God and God's favor on their life. And I think sometimes when we have hard times, we don't look at it as a blessing, we look at it as a womp womp.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah. I say this to my kids all the time: being miserable is a choice. You you can choose to, you know, see God's grace and his goodness in it. And that's what they're doing.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah. And I think sometimes too in our culture, we are negative connectors. It's way easier to talk to somebody and be like, Yeah, can you believe my kids are so bad? Oh, me too. Or can you believe my, especially old people, latest health problem? Uh man, that gallbladder, colonoscopy next week. You know, like there's a lot of things that old people talk about which aren't super encouraging. But here is like, no matter like what's happening to them, they're always rejoicing and praising God for whatever the thing is.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, that's awesome. Um what about uh Peter's shadow um versus like uh 15? Yeah, 16. Uh Peter's shadow can heal people? What do you think about that? Did his shadow actually heal him, or they just hope it would? Um, you know, I guess it doesn't say. Um I always said they were all healed. The people, you know, bringing the sick and people with unclean spirits. Says they're all healed in verse 16, but it doesn't say specifically by the shadow. Yeah.

Pastor Plek:

But I you know, maybe it counts. Maybe he did like a wave of his hand and like the shadow went over them, and they thought it was the shadow as opposed to uh Peter's faith or their faith or what about the handkerchief?

Pastor Holland:

You remember the handkerchief?

Pastor Plek:

That's with Paul, right? Yeah, the snot rag.

Pastor Holland:

Similar kind of deal, right? Yeah, like they would even I mean, imagine so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched Paul's skin um were carried away to the sick and their diseases left them and evil spirits came out of them.

Pastor Plek:

Like, here's what I think is kind of wild about that. Like, imagine, like when I hear handkerchief, I think a snot rag. Do you is that what you think? Yeah. So imagine your snot being the medium of healing for somebody's disease. Healing mucus.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah. Um, I mean, that's pretty cool. If a snot rag can do it, why not a shadow? Like, it seems like was just saying, okay, I want to draw a lot of attention to this group of men so that everyone knows these are my guys. Yep. And so their shadows are gonna heal, their snot rags are gonna heal, their handkerchiefs are gonna drive out demons. Like, God seems to be emphatically making a point that the apostles are his dudes. Yeah. That's good.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah. Uh I I really like that. How about um uh what how about people can endure persecution with joy when empowered by faith? I think that's amen. That's also and um yeah. Free nature of man, we're still on the show. Yeah, so the last one, hypocrisy is a part of man's nature, even in the church. Yeah. Do you think that Ananias and Sophia were saved? Yeah, just think they were liars.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, and and that's why I think that their death was just it was a mercy from God, a mercy kill. They were saved, zapped straight to heaven. Yeah. And but it protected the rest of the church from hypocritical, lying, dishonest people getting into a position of leadership. Yeah. Because if they would have, you know, they could have become like up there with Barnabas. Um, like, hey, wow, look at these generous Ananias and Sapphira, they're so generous. Let's be like them. And now they've corrupted and polluted the church. Thing is, mercy kill from God, and they went to heaven and you know. Like, oh, my bad. Yeah.

Pastor Plek:

Okay. Uh, all right. What about character? I don't know. No, I like that. I mercy killing by God. That that's that's wild. Okay. Uh, how about three truths about the character of God that I'm coming up with? One, uh, how about uh God is holy and will not tolerate deception in the church. That's fair, right? Amen. Yep.

Pastor Holland:

Ananias and Sapphira. Um, God is a healer, and his healing is just like, you know, flowing out of the apostles' ministry. And so, you know, it's like a foretaste, a preview of what new creation is gonna be like, where everything's healed, but um, God's a healer.

Pastor Plek:

Okay, how about um God is giving the Holy Spirit to those who believe. And they are then, yeah, I think we already said they're empowered for ministry. Um what about God sends angels to minister to his saints? It's pretty cool. If you ever see a door move, it's not just an it's just maybe it's an invisible angel. Just go in there.

Pastor Holland:

If you ever see a door move, you're gonna make that connection to it's an invisible angel.

Pastor Plek:

You know, it could be. I mean that's it. Like, you know, it's like, I mean, here's a door wide open. You know, because I always just thought it was like, you know, God's power that opens doors and stuff, but it seems like an invisible angel he needs some physical.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, he does and he doesn't feel like he needs an angel to do it. He's God, he can do whatever he wants. But he liked I think it's kind of cool that he likes to use angels, he likes to use messengers to do stuff like that, to go and open the door to take off the cuffs and you know, let him out and talk to them.

Pastor Plek:

Roll back the rock. Pretty cool. It is kind of wild. I mean, and like I guess they have no other job in heaven, they need to kind of do something. They got they gotta have something to do. Yeah, all right, all right. Let's get into some uh application. Um, simple one, don't lie to the Holy Spirit. Oh, how about this? Sorry, back to the thing about God. The Holy Spirit is God. Yes. Because if the Holy Spirit was just an energy or just a power, you couldn't lie to him.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, and they even say you're lying to God, not man.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah. So I I think sometimes uh non-Trinitarian type people would say, you know, the Holy Spirit is just a power, uh, and but you you couldn't offend a power. This has per a person that is offended. Amen. All right, back to So don't do that. Yeah, don't do that. Don't try to the Holy Spirit. Don't lie to the Holy Spirit uh by pretending to surrender holistically when you've actually only surrendered partially. Just go, hey, I'm surrendering partially. Yeah.

Pastor Holland:

Uh example to follow, verse 42. Every day they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. Tell someone about Jesus every day.

Pastor Plek:

Uh okay. Uh how about I want to, this is an interesting thing. Verse 32, God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey him. Is that right? We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. What is the obedience needed? Believe in my son. There you go. So I think that's a I think sometimes when people read that, they I think there's a lot of times we equate obedience to doing something, but part of doing is also believing. Right.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, that's good. Um Paul talks about the obedience of the gospel in um Romans, right? Yeah. Um or the obedience of faith, Romans 1, 5. Um, that idea of uh obedience of faith again in Romans 16 26. Um anyway, it's just that idea of like faith obeys God. Um the first step is to believe in Christ. So yeah, when you believe in Christ, God gives you his Holy Spirit.

Pastor Plek:

And I know we probably beat this one to death, but God is holy and he wants his church to be holy, set apart for his use, free of blemish or impurity, and uh there is no place for deceit within the leadership of his church.

Pastor Holland:

Amen. One more. God is holy. I think did you ever thought about that? That God is holy. I feel like we said that like five times on this one. One more God is holy. Yeah, I like that. Okay, that's good.

Pastor Plek:

Hey, thanks so much for joining us today. We'll see you next time on a chapter a day.

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