Acts 5 - Signs & Wonders & Church Growth (notes)

Acts 5 - Signs & Wonders & Church Growth

In Chapter 5

• We find signs and wonders become a major part of the growth of the early church.
• The first sign that makes people wonder was the death of Ananias and his wife Sapphira.
• In chapter 4 we see how revival has caused the believers to sell possessions and distribute the proceeds to the church so that there would be no lack in the church.

In Acts 5

• A couple in the church had sold come property but conspired to deceive Peter by telling him that it sold for so much but in reality it sold for more and they were going to keep the rest.
• Peter tells Ananias, “why has Satan filled your mind that you could cheat the Holy Spirit & keep for yourself part of the price of the land?” You could have sold it for whatever price you wanted.

Acts 5

• Peter tells him you didn't lie to men but to God. As soon as he heard this he fell down dead. They buried him.
• Then his wife, Sapphira comes in not knowing what had just happened and told Peter the same tail and she fell down dead.
• A deep sense of awe swept over the whole church and the community. You can’t mess around with God, He means business.

This Caused The Church

• To be in the front pages of the local paper and to grow in numbers.
• To see many signs and wonders through the ministry of the apostles. To the point that people would bring out their sick into the streets and lay them down on stretchers so as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall upon some of them. A large crowd gathered from the surrounding communities with their sick and suffering from evil spirits and they were healed. That is revival!

Signs & Wonders

• Were normal at this time in the early church and it caused the church to grow in numbers.
• Should be normal for us today. I believe God desires to demonstrate His power today with great miracles. He is doing it in many third world nations like the middle east.
• Muslims are seeing miracles and seeing visions and coming to Jesus as a result.

Where Ever People are hungry for God and for His manifestations you will find miracles and church growth. This is happening all over the world but my prayer is that we will become hungry for God here.