Acts 5:12-42 | Greg Opean
Sunday, December 14, 2025
Greg Opean
Packinghouse’s Sunday morning worship service from December 14, 2025
Acts 5 teaches that the Spirit-empowered church in Jerusalem grew explosively because believers walked in honest grace and deep unity, not religious posturing. God removed hypocrisy (Ananias and Sapphira) to protect an authentic community, and as the church kept it real, multitudes were “added to the Lord,” miracles abounded, and even imperfect faith met God’s mercy. True unity—centered on the core gospel, not secondary debates—became as powerful a witness as the healings themselves. Filled with love that drives out fear, the apostles showed bold yet gentle obedience, practicing civil disobedience only when forbidden to preach Christ. In contrast, jealous religious controllers resisted the gospel, revealing that religion without Jesus breeds control and anger, while the gospel frees, forgives, and calls us to keep dropping the mask and say yes to Him.