¹³But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. ¹⁴And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, ¹⁵to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. ¹⁶Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.

The gospel divides, make no mistake about it. There were those for whom the fear of what was happening in the church kept them away from God and the community of believers, and those for whom that fear drew them to God in faith and association with others who believed. The story of Ananias and Sapphira illustrates the truth of the gospel’s penetrating power:

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)

To be a follower of Jesus Christ means to accept the transparency of authenticity because we have already accepted the penetrating Word of God that exposes us and leaves us naked before God—and forgiven! We have nothing to hide from Him; no number of fig leaves will “protect” us. Indeed, we desire no protection, because we know and are convinced that He loves us despite seeing us as we really are. How can we not be drawn to God when we understand that? Only refusal to be exposed before Him can keep a person away.

What happened in the early church was that “multitudes” were “added to their numbers.” To be sure, the miracles were drawing people’s attention, but fake believers would have stayed away, for the requirement of integrity would have been too high for them, no matter the miraculous benefits.

The miraculous work of the apostles was nothing short of amazing! The sick were being healed in large numbers, and these were not second- or third-hand stories. People were experiencing firsthand, genuine miracles—not manipulations or deceptions, but bona fide healings. God was performing verifiable, undeniable supernatural works at the hands of the apostles. Word was spilling out to surrounding cities. And, as Luke tells it, this scene was reminiscent of Jesus’ ministry (see Luke 6:17–19). Truly Peter and the apostles were continuing the ministry and teaching of Jesus.

Lord, thank You for validating the apostolic ministry through miracles, signs, and wonderful acts. That assures us that they were preaching Your message.