No one else dared join them.... need help with this

[bling]

I will be teaching an adult Bible class on Acts 5: 1-15 and have some questions about verses Acts 5: 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.

It seems the people did not “join them” because Acts 5: 11 “Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.”

There seems to be a contradiction here: “No one else dared join them” and “more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number”, so how do you explain this contradiction?

Where people believing in Jesus being the Messiah, yet not committing be baptized and/or place membership with the group?

Can you believe and not be committed?

Fear is driven out by Love, so can you be in the church and still lack the Love to drive out your fear?

Half my class members are student that may have to go back the communist China (one is finished a will return to Hong Kong) and Kenyan students which may have to return home, so commitment is needed before they return, so how can I help them go from “believing” to joining the effort, at some real risk to them?

 

[sandman]

I will be teaching an adult Bible class on Acts 5: 1-15 and have some questions about verses Acts 5: 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.

It seems the people did not “join them” because Acts 5: 11 “Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.”

There seems to be a contradiction here: “No one else dared join them” and “more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number”, so how do you explain this contradiction?

Where people believing in Jesus being the Messiah, yet not committing be baptized and/or place membership with the group?

Can you believe and not be committed?

Fear is driven out by Love, so can you be in the church and still lack the Love to drive out your fear?

Half my class members are student that may have to go back the communist China (one is finished a will return to Hong Kong) and Kenyan students which may have to return home, so commitment is needed before they return, so how can I help them go from “believing” to joining the effort, at some real risk to them?

A better translation comes from the Aramaic Peshitta.

Acts 5:13 - And of the unbelievers, no one dared to interfere with them, but the people held them in respect.

 

[bling]

A better translation comes from the Aramaic Peshitta.

Acts 5:13 - And of the unbelievers, no one dared to interfere with them, but the people held them in respect.

That would explain it and is a good option.

 

[d taylor]

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Acts 5:11 is connected to Ananias and Sapphira and has nothing to do with Acts 5:13

 

[bling]

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Acts 5:11 is connected to Ananias and Sapphira and has nothing to do with Acts 5:13

What does it mean that the people who would not join them had great respect for them and why?

 

[d taylor]

What does it mean that the people who would not join them had great respect for them and why?

Well the verse means what it says, that the people who witnesses the signs and wonders done in verse 12 by the apostles. These people did not join them, but they held them in high esteem.

That is really all that can be understood from this verse and leaves a few questions.

Now the next verse states that believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

Now is this speaking about the people who would not join them that witnessed the signs and wonders or some other people, not sure. But it is seen that people in the group did believe in Jesus for Eternal Life salvation.

So the question is when the verse states Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. Who is the the group identified as "none of the rest" are they believers who did not want to join in with the apostles. Or are they people out of the group who remained unbelievers, but did respect what the apostles were doing.