MONDAY, OCTOBER 28
Scripture: Acts 5:1-11

The term “signs and wonders” appears in both the Old and New Testaments. A number of those speak to the judgments Moses executed in Egypt. Many people in today’s church equate “signs and wonders” with blessings and healings. But it is highly likely that when the term appears in the New Testament, the apostles were asking for the appropriate biblical judicial response promised by Psalm 2. They understood the term by the context in which it appeared in the Old Testament and were not praying for healings and miracles, but praying for God’s Judicial Hand! In Acts 5, they finished praying and immediately the place where they were was shaken and they were filled with boldness. Then Barnabas set the standard of righteousness by selling his property and sowing it into the Kingdom. But when Ananias and Sapphira sold their property they lied about the amount of the proceeds. And God’s Judicial Hand restrained evil with a dramatic intervention. One reason the act restrained evil is everyone recognized it was God, they feared Him and likely would not dare to test the Spirit as Ananias and Sapphira did. What does restraining evil look like? It can look like the blindness that fell on the false prophet Elymas or even like the termination of Ananias and Sapphira. It is God and God alone who decides.