And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.  (13) Yet none of the rest dared join them but the people esteemed them highly. (14) And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, (15) so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.  (16) Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. 

The Book of Acts was written by the gospel writer Luke; physician, historian and beloved companion of the apostle Paul.  Acts is a history of the miraculous growth of the early church – an eyewitness account in many parts. Our verses follow an account of bad faith of Ananias and his wife Sapphira.  They had allegedly sold all their land and were claiming to give all the proceeds to God and the new community of Christ.  This was a lie as they were holding back.  When called on this, first Ananias and then in a separate moment his wife Sapphira, fell down and died.  Needless to say, this caused great fear of joining the church lightly and our verses today say “none of the rest dared join them but the people esteemed them highly.”

The apostles and disciples gathered for doctrine and prayers daily on Solomon’s Porch in the Temple in Jerusalem – no one stopped them – and there was an explosion of increase in that early church. Because of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira people feared God  and kept their motivation pure for joining the church.  Remember that Christ Jesus had only recently been crucified because the Jewish leaders had felt threatened and now – even with remarkable daily growth – there was no interference by them.  Yet

God’s plan – especially at the beginning – was to set forth the gospel shown by a multitude of miracles. We are told that even the shadow of the apostle Peter passing by was thought to be enough to heal the sick. The Holy Spirit had entered the apostles Pentecost Sunday and sick people and tormented people were brought to them in Jerusalem – “and they were all healed”. All of them.