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Acts 5Introduction:

At the end of Acts Chapter 4, we saw for the second time the mention of communism being practiced in the early church. Those who were wealthy and had possessions sold what they had and shared with the rest of the people through the apostles. I pointed out that this practice was ultimately a disaster. From a spiritual point of view, it was kind of a beautiful thing to see. People who had wealth and a love of God and a love of the brethren were willing to sell everything and put the money into a common purse. Their motivation was good. They had great intentions. They intended that no one in the church would have need; they intended that no one would go without. However, the result was still a financial disaster. How do I know that? We know it because later we will see that the Apostle Paul had to take up offerings from among the Gentile churches to help support the poor brethren back in Jerusalem because it turned out just as Margaret Thatcher said it would. “Communism is great until you run out of other people’s money.” This is exactly what happened.

Over the many years of the history of the church, there has always been some advocating for the church to enter into a “church community.” Even now, there are certain churches attempting to reinstitute this particular practice. They modify it a little. I read about one pastor in London who came up with what he called “The Church Community” concept. He encouraged those of the congregation who had expensive cars or those who had large houses to sell them and to purchase something smaller and more economical and, of course, to give the rest of the money to the church community. He fell shorty of calling it communism because, even in England, that label still has a negative connotation to it. Therefore, he modified the name to “The Church Community” concept. Everyone still has their own house and their own car, (albeit, much more “economical”), and there is also a sharing of the “wealth” within the church—a redistribution, if you will. The problem is that this concept simply is not Biblical, and it is a concept that is more akin to Marxism than it is to Christianity. It is certainly not what God had intended. Even though the early church entered into it with no mandate from God, I might add, the results in Jerusalem were terrible—nothing but chaos. The problems were not just financial, and I’ll deal with those when we get to them. If you haven’t already, please open your Bibles to Acts 5.

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Acts 5:1-42(1) But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,(2) And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.(3) But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?(4) Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.(5) And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.(6) And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.(7) And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

It’s interesting that they buried Ananias without even telling his wife.

(8) And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.(9) Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.(10) Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.(11) And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

I. No one was forced: I think it is interesting that Peter first asked Ananias if he was forced to sell his property, to which he answered,“No.” Even after they had sold the property, no one required Ananias and Sapphira to bring in the money. All this was being done on a purely voluntary basis. It’s obvious to me that blessed Barnabas was the one who started this mess, and I say that tongue in cheek.

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Here was blessed Barnabas, who, out of the abounding grace and love in his heart for God and for the brethren, decided on his own to sell his property and to give the money that it might be shared. I am totally convinced that his motivation was pure. I’m sure it never dawned on him that people would look at his gesture and there would be those wanting to emulate it from purely selfish motives. Unfortunately, that is what happened.

a. Self-inflicted wound: It is important to note that the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira were totally self-inflicted for the very reason I stated earlier. They were not being forced to do anything. No one, not even God, had asked them to do anything. They died because of their sin, and that sin was hypocrisy in pretending to give everything to God, when, in reality, they had not. They had held back from giving all. Why? To gain status within the church. I think it is important to note God’s opinion of hypocrisy, which is why it caused fear and trembling to come upon all the church.

b. Power and purity: I think the power exhibited by the early church is very attractive. As we read of the miracles and the signs and the wonders exhibited in the lives of the believers, it’s a very attractive thing. There was also a genuine purity in the hearts of these people. There was such a power and purity that a hypocrite could not stand. Any hypocrite coming into that kind of environment would ultimately be exposed and destroyed by the power of God. How awesome is that? Just imagine, my friends, if that same kind of power and purity existed in the church today. How big would the congregations be where we served? Would we even be serving? I’ve heard it said that throughout church history, the curse of the church has always been hypocrisy, and it can manifest itself in many different ways.

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In general, as I mentioned last time, hypocrisy is that desire of the flesh to be seen and thought of by people to be more spiritual or righteous than we truly are. I’ve told you before that I have been let down by my own flesh in wanting to have people think that I’m more spiritual than what I am. I think that this is very true among most believers but especially those who stand behind pulpits. This is why it is better, my friends, to be honest with God. We do not stand by our own righteousness or by our own holiness. We stand or fall to our own Lord, who is Jesus Christ, who uses me in spite of my flaws because I have embraced and continue to cling to all that He has done on my behalf. It is by His righteousness, His holiness, and His purity that I am able to preach or to sing or to do anything by which Jesus Christ is glorified.

II. Discerning of spirits: Another interesting thing in these verses is Peter exercising the gift of discerning of spirits, which we will see again in a couple chapters when Simon the sorcerer comes to Peter seeking to buy the power to lay hands on people that they might receive the Holy Spirit. You see Peter discerning what was in Simon’s heart, that his heart was not right with God. So it is here with Ananias. Peter didn’t beat around the bush with Ananias. He just straightway asked him why he chose to lie to the Holy Spirit, thus, lying to God. Basically, Peter did the same thing with Sapphira when she came in. He asked her a simple question. “Did you sell your house for so much?” Her answer was, “Yes.” Then, Peter accuses her of conspiracy with her husband in an attempt to deceive the church. Of course, they carried her out, as they did her husband.

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The church was being purged from hypocrisy. From this purity, power would proceed. If you remember back in the Gospel, Jesus warned the people, “. . . Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1). The Apostle Paul would later tell the Corinthian church to purge out the leaven to eradicate hypocrisy within the church. The effect of purifying the church is power. I do not want you to misunderstand. When I talk about purity, I am not talking about “Touch not; taste not.” I’m talking about truth—honesty. Those are the kinds of things that bring power to the life of the believer and to the church in general. I believe that the reason that the church in general has fallen into this program-oriented state is because they no longer see the power of God. Therefore, they rely upon their man-made programs to get things done. Make no mistake, my friends, that the lack of power in the Body of Christ today is not God’s fault; it is our fault. When the church gets honest about itself before God again, then you will see the power again.

It is the human nature of man that causes him to blame his ills, his shortcomings, his dishonesty, and his sin on God. Even in the Garden of Eden when God asked Adam, “What have you done?” Adam’s response was typical of people trying to lay the fault of their sin on God. “. . . The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12). So it is with the church, my friends. So often we want to blame God for the church’s weak state. Some say that God has withdrawn His power or has withdrawn the power of the Spirit because the power was only given to the first-generation church. It was only in the early church that miracles could be seen or expected. After that, the church was capable of developing its own programs, of establishing its

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own seminaries, and creating its own organizational structures. There was no longer a need for the power of the Spirit, and we are now able, by our own genius, to carry the Gospel into all the world. I am certain that history, itself, will testify how foolish this concept truly is.

When the church was purged and purified, it became powerful.

(12) And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

III. A church without walls: Solomon’s porch is the same area where the lame man had been healed. Now we see this growing mega church continuing to meet here, without a building, in view of everyone as they worshipped and praised God. That is amazing!

(13) And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

IV. End of communism: Even though people were getting saved, because of the story of Ananias and Sapphira, many people were rightly afraid. Even though they were coming to Christ, they were no longer joining themselves to the inner church. This was the end of people selling their possessions and dividing the proceeds—redistributing the wealth, so to speak. It is my own personal belief that this is how God put an abrupt end to this practice within the early church. For one, communism is ungodly in its heart. Even today, every communistic regime that’s left in power (which aren’t many) has atheism as its state decree.

(14) And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

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(15) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

V. Evangelism continues: Even though there was a slight hiccup with the death of Ananias and Sapphira, the Lord continues to add multitudes to the church, both of men and women.

VI. Peter’s shadow: I think it is interesting to note that scripture does not teach that Peter’s shadow brought any kind of healing benefit. The fact is that in that culture, they had a strange superstition about shadows. They were careful not to get into the shadow of an evil man. The reason is that they believed that if an evil man’s shadow overfell you, you would be cursed. On the contrary, they also believed that if the shadow of a good man fell on you, it would bring healing or benefits. Were any of them healed because of Peter’s shadow? Personally, I believe it’s highly possible, but it was not because of Peter’s shadow but the principle of the releasing of faith, a point of contact where I’m going to believe God to do a particular thing. An example of this is found in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 9, with the woman who had the issue of blood. She said to herself, “If I can but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made whole.” The moment she touched the hem of His garment, she released her faith, for Jesus said to her, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith has made thee whole.” There is that point of releasing that thing, whatever it might be. With the woman with the issue of blood, it was her simply saying, “If I can but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made whole.” So, when she did, she was. I’m sure there were those in like manner who said, “I know that if Peter’s shadow falls on me, I will be healed.”

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(16) There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

VII. Harassed by spirits: I want you to make note of this here in Verse 16 that he separates those who were sick from those who “. . . were vexed with unclean spirits. . . .” The word “vexed” in the Greek simply means to be “harassed.” In fact, Young’s literal translation renders the verse, “And there were coming together also the people of the cities round about to Jerusalem, bearing ailing persons, and those harassed by unclean spirits—who were all healed.” I think it needs to be emphasized today that nothing has changed. The harassment of evil spirits—demonic forces—are still in play today. The reason we don’t hear much taught about it is because much is not understood about it.

There is a vast difference between possession and oppression. It is, in fact, impossible for a Christian to be possessed, for he is indwelt by the Spirit of God. In fact, after being born again, his body has become the temple of the Living God. As the Lord, Himself, taught, “Light and darkness cannot dwell in the same place.” Therefore, it is impossible for a Christian—a genuine, born-again believer—to be possessed by an unclean spirit. It is, however, altogether possible for a Christian or anyone else, for that matter, to be harassed or even oppressed. Let me give you an example. The word “oppressed” has many definitions. One definition is “to be burdened psychologically or mentally; to be ladened with grief; to be oppressed by a sense of failure; bearing a heavy burden of work or responsibilities.” Christians can often find themselves being oppressed by an unclean spirit when they do not fully grasp the grace of God and the vicarious life that we have in Christ.

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Thus, they become the accuser of the brethren, pointing to your failures and encouraging you to work harder and to do better, knowing that those that give in to those suggestions will become psychologically distressed.

We need now more than ever to pray for the gift of discerning of spirits. The church has been led astray in this area, chalking up many spiritual problems to medical conditions. One example is with the issue of alcoholism. The Bible calls “drunkenness” a sin; the world calls it an “illness.” If it’s an illness, it’s one of the only self-inflicted illnesses known to mankind. We need to get back to the Bible and back to believing what God says instead of what some knucklehead says who doesn’t know God or the power of God. Then and only then will we really see the power of God in the area of healing. Instead of sporadic, as it now is, we could be experiencing what the early church did when we are told, “. . . and they were healed everyone.”

(17) Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

VIII. Indignation? Boy, these guys were just sad, you see, because they were witnessing the power of God in the healings that were coming forth from this ministry, and they were filled with indignation. The word “indignation’ in the Greek means “jealousy.” They were jealous because they never saw those kinds of miracles. Why? Because they did not believe in the things of the Spirit. In fact, they were the modern-day humanists. They gave no credence to angels or a belief in the resurrection, but they were into religion and they were paid to do it. They loved to perform the pomp and circumstance and the rituals, but there was no power in it.

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When they saw these miracles being performed by the disciples, they were jealous because it was a threat to their own way of doing things.

(18) And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.(19) But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,(20) Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

IX. Words of this life: The first point that I want to make is that, having been set free, the angel did not tell them to flee for their lives. He didn’t tell them to run as far away as they could. But, he said, “Go back to the temple where you got arrested in the first place and do what you got arrested for in the first place.” Then he said, Share “. . . all the words of this life.”

a. This life: I’ve heard so many sermons on this particular phrase: some good; some not so good. When the angel tells them to go speak “. . . all the words of this life,” he wasn’t talking about life in general, about how we should live in this life in general. He was speaking about this life as in this life that we have in Jesus Christ. Later, it will be the Apostle Paul who would write to the Romans explaining in depth all the words of “this life.” In fact, one of the greatest statements of this life is found in Romans 5:10.

Romans 5:10(10) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

The life that we have in Jesus Christ is a vicarious life. Not only was His death substitutional, but His life was also substitutional. Thus, everything Jesus did, He did to please the Father on your behalf. The life that we now live, we live by the power of the Son of God, who loved us and did all for us.

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Because He is righteous, we are righteous. Because He is holy, you are holy. You have been justified by the justifier, reconciled, and saved to the uttermost. As He is, so are we in this present world. These are the words of this life that the angel wanted them to go and speak.

(21) And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.(22) But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,(23) Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.

(24) Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.(25) Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

(26) Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.(27) And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,(28) Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

X. Filled Jerusalem: I think it is interesting that these enemies of the cross claimed that the disciples had “. . . filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. . . .” That’s a pretty bold statement.

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So often when people are speaking about evangelistic efforts, they tend to speak, as we say, “evangelistically.” You know, something like, “There was an outreach to a thousand, and we reached at least twenty,” always wanting to put a spin that it turned out bigger than what it really did. This was not the report of an evangelist. This was a true statement and assessment by those trying to stop them. They had “filled Jerusalem with their doctrine.” What a compliment! How glorious would it be to be accused of filling all of Licking County with the doctrine of Jesus Christ? So often, the church has notoriety, but so often it is not for proclaiming the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

a. This man’s blood: Every time I read this, I can’t help but think of Pilate trying to wash himself of Jesus’ blood. After trying to set Him free and then realizing that he could not prevail, Pilate called for a basin of water, and washed his hands before the multitude saying, “. . . I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it” (Matthew 27:24). You remember what they responded. They said, “His blood be on us, and on our children.” Now they are upset, saying to Peter, “You’re seeking to bring this man’s blood upon us.” This was true. Peter was. He has told them over and over, “This Jesus Christ, whom you crucified, whom you hanged on a tree. It’s by His name and faith in His name that this lame man was healed.” Even though they had asked for it, that is, the blame of Christ’s death, their consciences didn’t like receiving it when it was delivered.

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(29) Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

XI. We ought: A lot of times when we hear the word “ought” used, it sounds more like a choice—more like a, “Well, I should, but I don’t really have to” kind of a thing. This really isn’t the sense of the word here in the Greek. The word that is translated “ought” here literally means “must.” We “must” obey God rather than men. This is the kind of heartfelt dedication that the church is so in need of today that we “must” obey the Word of God instead of looking at it as a choice. Too often we take a careless attitude in this particular area, but these men had a simple epiphany: We “must” obey God.

a. Even in the church: Many Bible teachers like to point out (and rightly so) that if any law of the land is in contradiction to the plainly-decreed Word of God, we are to ignore that law and follow God. We “must” obey God rather than men. Any Bible-believing Christian would believe this. This is not who Peter and John are dealing with. They are dealing with the church; that is, the Sanhedrin Council—the very ones who declared what they would and would not do as far as God was concerned. So often, the traditions of the rabbis (the Talmud) contradicted the known Word of God, or, at the very least, their traditions were exalted to the same level as the Word of God. The apostles make it clear here that we “must” obey God rather than men.

(30) The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

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XII. Pointing the finger: They had just accused Peter of trying to bring the blood of Christ upon them; thus, he was. Here Peter goes even further and says that not only had they killed the Lord of Glory, but they were the ones who had hanged Him on a tree. Even in this statement, Peter does not hesitate to point them to the fact of Jesus’ resurrection.

(31) Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

XIII. A Prince: Some Bibles do not translate the word “Prince” here, but instead opt for the word “Leader” or “Ruler.” This is a mistake because Peter was actually referring to Daniel Chapter 9 when pointing out the mission of the Messiah.

Daniel 9:24-26(24) Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.(25) Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.(26) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

This is an extraordinary prophecy and one that is so exact that many skeptics have said that it was written after the fact because we know the time that the order was given to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. It was given by King Artaxerxes, and 483 years after that date brings you to the week of Jesus’ crucifixion; thus, the Messiah being cut off.

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For our study now, I want to emphasize the purpose of the Messiah. He was to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. The prophet Daniel makes it more abundantly clear that the Messiah’s purpose was “. . . to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness. . . .”

(32) And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

XIV. Obey: Peter says that the Holy Spirit is given by God to them that obey Him. So often when we hear the word “obey” in the Word of God, our human instinct is to create a list of “Do’s and Don’ts” and then go about trying to “obey” each and every one of the items on the list. This is an exercise in futility, my friends, and why James, the half brother of Jesus, would later write:

James 2:10-12(10) For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.(11) For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.(12) So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

You see, my friends, that obedience is believing the Gospel in its entirety; that is, that Jesus has done it all for us. According to the book of Romans, Jesus lived a perfect life for us, being obedient to every law and regulation. Jesus died for us, being obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He was raised for our justification. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us.

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He has imputed all of the things He has accomplished on behalf of mankind to those who believe by faith alone. Thus, we enjoy an exchanged life—My failure for His success; my sin for His righteousness; and my death for His eternal life. Those who obey the Gospel receive the Holy Spirit.

(33) When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.(34) Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;(35) And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.(36) For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.(37) After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.(38) And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:(39) But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

XV. Cut to the heart: You remember back in Acts 2:37 that the people listening to Peter were “pricked” in their heart, and they said, “What must we do?” The word “pricked” here is interesting to me. It comes from the Greek word “katanoosso,” which means “to agitate violently” or “sting to the quick,” which I’m sure it did. But what was the fruit? After being pricked in their heart with the truth of the Gospel, they said, “Men and brethren, what must we do [to be saved]?”

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Here in Chapter 5, we see kind of the same scene but with an entirely different outcome. Here in Verse 33, it says they were “cut to the heart.” This is the Greek word “deeapreeo,” which means to “saw asunder” or “to exacerbate;” that is, to take a bad situation or thought and make it worse. This is exactly what happened, for after they heard this, they were exacerbated and took counsel to kill Peter and John. I want to point out this one thing. It’s not up to us to read the attitude of the people to whom we are speaking. We are to speak the truth, regardless of the attitude of the people to whom we are speaking. In other words, we are to speak the truth of God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit minister it to the people in any way He sees fit.

I can say this from personal experience. After listening to me preach, I’ve had many people who have been pricked in their heart and who have come to Christ. On the other hand, I’ve had many to whom I have preached who have been cut to the heart and, no doubt, went about seeking to slay me, or, at least, my character. So be it. I’d rather be a prophet than a politician.

XVI. Gamaliel: Gamaliel is a very interesting rabbi. I do think it’s important to understand that many of the old rabbis in history left behind writings—not just in the Talmud. As we are going to find out, Paul the Apostle was a student of Gamaliel. In his writings, Gamaliel made mention of Paul and said that he had only one problem with Paul as a student. That problem was that Paul, the student, was extremely zealous, and because he had such a thirst for knowledge, Gamaliel found it difficult to provide him with enough books.

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Even though Gamaliel was highly-respected by the council (and he gives them very wise counsel here), they didn’t listen to him completely. Gamaliel told the council to leave Peter and John alone, but when the council called them back, they beat them.

(40) And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.(41) And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

XVII. Suffering shame: I want to bring your attention to the fact that these men counted it an honor that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ and left that place rejoicing, even after having been beaten. Men like this cannot be stopped. What a glorious thing it would be to have a church full—from the pulpit to the pew—of both men and women who would count it a joy to suffer shame for the name of Christ. Alas, today, we are afraid to suffer shame for even that which is right because the church, itself, has fallen victim to an evil spirit of political correctness. This is sad.

(42) And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

XVIII. Teaching and preaching: Make note that Peter and John were teaching and preaching. Remember, preaching is proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is always done to the unconverted. Once people have received Jesus Christ, their real need is to be taught. As I’ve pointed out before, this is where the church, in general, has made a grave mistake.

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Even though the church continues to produce great preachers, it’s not producing many great teachers. Thus, the sheep are weak and sickly because the sheep are being preached at every Sunday rather than being taught. Preaching should be done in the highways, in the bi-ways, and on the street corners. Teaching, however, should be done within the church. Where were they doing it? In the temple and in every house.