HANDLING THE HOLY

This sermon was preached at the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Cherry Log, GA on Sunday, September 23rd, 2012 by Rev. Paul Mims.

Acts 4:32 – 5:16

Those who handle holy things must be very careful. The scripture reveals to us the mind of God in these matters. At the establishing of the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people there are two instances that show how God wanted holy things to be handled with a sense of awe. Samuel was the first prophet. Saul was the first King. A battle with the Philistines was at hand and Saul’s army was vastly outnumbered. Saul called for Samuel to offer a sacrifice for God’s blessings in the battle. Samuel told him to wait for seven days and then he would offer the sacrifice for God had ordained that only the prophet could offer the sacrifice. The army began to flee and Saul panicked. So on the seventh day he offered the sacrifice himself. Then Samuel appeared. God was so angry with Saul that he withdrew his blessings from him for the rest of his reign and Saul became a mental case and finally died by his own sword. “You have acted foolishly, Samuel said. You have not kept the commandment the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (I Samuel 13:13-14).

Another instance of handling holy things wrongly is seen in 2 Samuel 6:6-7. The Ark of the Covenant was symbolic of God’s presence with his people. David was now King of Judah and he ordered the Ark to be brought to Jerusalem so that he could make it his religious as well as his political capital. It was being transported on a cart. “When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the Ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:6-7).

In the New Testament we have another instance of handling holy things wrongly. It occurred at the forming of the church. This is the first time that the word “church” is mentioned in the Bible. “Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.” (Acts 5:11).

What were these events? They are three which we shall consider today.

I. THE PURITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S WORKING IN THE CHURCH. (Acts 4:32-37). “All the believers were one in heart and mind.”

This is how the church began – one heart and one mind. There was such a caring spirit for each other that they saw to it that no one in their fellowship had any need physical or spiritual. There was a mutual love for each other that just with spontaneity they rose up to meet the needs. Their hearts were aflame for Jesus and for each other and it manifested itself in their giving. The Holy Spirit created this atmosphere and it was intended that mutual love and respect was to be the norm in church life going forward. Some even sold land and houses to meet the needs of those in the fellowship and brought the money to the Apostles for distribution. Notice the two characteristics of a great church in verse 33, “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.” Great power and great grace is what we long to see at Cornerstone.
Peter Wagner has compiled a survey of hundreds of pastors who listed measurable quality factors that are desirable in the life of a congregation. The twelve factors are:

1. Bible knowledge. Church members are increasing in their grasp of the teachings of the Bible. They can integrate this with a theological system that enables them to apply the Bible’s teachings to their life situation.
2. Personal devotions. Members spend time daily in prayer, Bible reading, meditation, and other personal spiritual exercises.
3. Worship. Members regularly participate in the worship services scheduled by the church.
4. Witnessing. Members regularly attempt to share their faith in Jesus Christ with unbelievers.
5. Lay ministry. The lay people of the church are engaged in such ministries as teaching and discipling. In some cases this happens through consciously discovering, developing, and using their spiritual gifts.
6. Missions. The church actively supports missions, organizing and sustaining a strong program for recruiting, sending, and financing home and foreign missionaries.
7. Giving. Members give an appropriate portion of their income to the local church and/or to other Christian causes.
8. Fellowship. Members are growing in their personal relationships with each other through regular participation in church fellowship groups of one kind or another.
9. Distinctive life-style. Members generally manifest their faith in Christ by living a life-style clearly and noticeable distinct from that of non-Christians in the same community.
10. Attitude toward religion. Church members regard their involvement in the church primarily as a service to God rather than a means to fulfill personal needs.
11. Social service. Members are serving others outside the congregation. This includes direct personal involvement with the poor and needy, or in programs designed to help the needy.
12. Social justice. Either through the congregation as a whole or through specialized Christian agencies, members are striving to make changes in sociopolitical structures that will contribute to a more moral and just society. C. Peter Wagner, Leading Your Church to Growth, Regal Books, 1984, pp. 25-27. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that could be true in our churches today?

II. SATAN TRIES TO DISRUPT THE CHURCH (Acts 5:1-4).
One of the members named Joseph, who was a Levite from Cyprus sold a field and brought the money to the Apostles. He had such respect in the congregation that they gave him a new name – Barnabas – which meant, “Son of Encouragement.” Our churches today need this kind of members.

A couple in the church named Ananias and Sapphira wanted to be recognized and admired like Barnabas and the others but did not have the inner spiritual graces to do so. They also sold a piece of property but agreed to lie about the amount. The Holy Spirit made this known to Peter and he confronted them about it. Now they were perfectly free to give or not give any amount they wanted to, but to pretend that they were as generous and honest as the others was to lie to God.

“Then Peter said, Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4).

If Satan could work in such a pure atmosphere where the Holy Spirit is so present and powerful, he can enter into the heart of anyone in a church today. Satan has his people in most every church. But here in the first church God showed that he would not tolerate holy things to be handled lightly and dishonestly. As he had done with Saul, the first King who violated his commandment, and with Uzzah who touched the Ark of the Covenant, he demonstrated to the first church that pretense at faith would not be allowed. So Ananias and Sapphira both died instantly. Does this happen today? Not to my knowledge, but God does not always settle his accounts immediately.

Lou Nicholes tell of an agnostic farmer who wrote to the editor of his local newspaper, who was a Christian. He said; “In defiance of your God I plowed my fields this year on Sunday, I disked and fertilized them on Sunday, I planted them on a Sunday, I cultivated them on Sunday, and I reaped them on Sunday. This October I had the biggest crop I have ever had. How do you explain that?” The editor replied: “God does not always settle his accounts in October.” (Lou Nicholes, Word of Life Fellowship, Schroon Lake, NY).

III. THE CONTINUED MIRACLES IN THE CHURCH. (Acts 5:12-16)

Satan tried to throw the church off course, but with the instantaneous deaths of Ananias and Sapphira the believers realized all the more just how powerful the Holy Spirit was in their midst. More and more people were drawn to join them. There was such a power on them that “…people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.” (Acts 5:15-16).

The healing ministry of the Apostles drew people from all of the surrounding areas. It was similar to the healing ministry of Jesus in Mark 6:54-56: “As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went- into villages, towns or countryside – they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.”

There is a popular belief that such healings stopped when Jesus ascended back to heaven and when all of the twelve apostles died. But is this true? Is not Jesus with us today? Is not the Holy Spirit just as powerful today as he was in the first century? Are not signs and wonders needed today just as in the early church?

I believe that we in our Baptist tradition have been put off by the excesses of the “faith healers” with their aberrant theology and wild claims that we have seen on television have caused us not to want any part of such a display. When some of their healings have been checked they do not hold up to truth.
But there is today a valid and truthful healing ministry among God’s people. In these last days in which we are living there is a recurrence of signs and wonders to attract the unbelievers to the gospel of Christ. I pray that we shall see this in our Baptist churches and particularly in our church. Both Janice and I have experienced a valid divine healing so that I can say with confidence to you that this is not relegated to the times of the New Testament. When I was in my thirties I was diagnosed with a severe hiatal hernia and was told that I would have to be on medication for the rest of my life. This was before the corrective procedures that we have now. We asked a Baptist pastor friend who had the gift of healing to pray for me and I was healed instantly and never took another medication for it. Janice has had difficulty with both of her knees. She had an MRI which indicated that she needed corrective surgery. She went to the phone to make an appointment with the surgeon and the Holy Spirit said to her, “Don’t do it.” Her knee was healed and she is fine in that knee. She does have some problem with her other knee and is using exercise therapy to correct it.

I do not have the spiritual gift of healing, but here is what I do believe. If we as a church hungered for the healing ministry of the Holy Spirit and qualified through faith for it and if it was in the Providence of God for us, we would see this ministry activated among us. If we wanted it for the glory of our Lord and not just for our own delight, I believe that it is possible for us to see the mighty workings of God in our midst not only for physical healings, but for healings of mind, of families, of relationships, and salvation of souls.

James 5:13-16 indicates that prayer for healing should be employed along with medicine. The “oil” is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and medicine. “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray…Is any one of you sick? He should call for the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And prayer offered in faith will make the person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is power and effective.”

One of the keys to healing is a deep and true confession of sin. The spirit and soul must be cleansed before the body is healed. As long as sin is harbored in the heart or in the church you cannot expect healing. The experience of God cleansing the church of Ananias and Sapphira demonstrates this. For those who handle holy things must do so with awe and respect for the power of God.

Praise Be To His Name!