Acts 5:12-16

This is a picture of what happens when the church walks in unity, holiness, and the power of the Holy Spirit. The same power that flowed through Jesus was now flowing through the Apostles, touching everyone. These miracles served to confirm the message of the Gospel, demonstrate the ongoing work of Jesus, and reveal God’s compassion for people.

Notice that the Apostles were now meeting out in the open, in a very public place in the Temple known as Solomon’s Colonnade—as opposed to being hidden prior to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. These miracles showed that the Holy Spirit had indeed given them boldness.

Yet notice the reaction of the crowd: “But no one else dared join them, even though the people had high regard for them.” What an interesting statement. Why would that be?

For one, persecution was part of the job description, as already experienced by Peter and John. But secondly, what happened right before this? Ananias and Sapphira died in the presence of the Lord for lying to the Holy Spirit. There was an atmosphere of holiness among them that revealed God was not casual about sin. Some, by choice, decided not to get too close.

This ties in with what I shared yesterday about my two experiences where the presence of God was so strong that I was afraid. There was some of that going on here, where the people were in awe of what was happening, yet cognizant of their own sin and hesitant to draw near because of the holiness of God.

This is a good thing, in that people should have a healthy reverence for the holiness of God. But what does this say about many of our “seeker-friendly” churches? We are no better than the Israelites before the mountain of God, telling Moses to speak to God for us. As my husband just said, when you put a veil over the presence (holiness) of God, the church becomes a safe place. Yet church is not meant to be a place where we feel comfortable—it is a place where we become aware of our need to change.

We cannot water down the Gospel to make God more approachable if we expect to have an audience with the King, along with signs and wonders. If the church wants to be powerful, it must be pure. Too much carnality causes God to keep His distance for our protection, lest we be consumed by His holiness.

True revival is not built on comfort, but on conviction. People are drawn to real encounters with God that shake the flesh, not entertainment-driven performances that appease it.

Some of us need to rethink church.

Holiness matters. God’s power flows where His presence—His holiness—is honored.

In the words of Peter in 1 Peter 1:15-16:

“But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.””

Words to consider…