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Acts 1:1-11, “We Are His Witnesses.”

vv. 1-5. What former book? (cf. Luke 24:44-53)

There is only one spiritual baptism among believers, at salvation we are spiritually, divinely and eternally placed into the Body of Christ, of which Christ is the Head (Col. 1:17), “He is the head of the body, the church.”  Jesus saves, cares for and leads us; we are to obediently follow.Eph. 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called–one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is

over all and through all and in all.

vv. 6-11 Jesus’ followers wanted Christ to rule over Israel now; Jesus tells them the kingdom will come, but before it does, the gospel message of forgiveness and salvation will be preached to all the world; it is Christians who are to testify to the Truth of God’s provision of forgiveness and salvation through His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ.

The power and presence of God came to them at Pentecost (Ch. 2), so that until He returns to earth, His followers might serve as witnesses of God’s divine mercy and grace (John 14:15-17, 25-27; 16:14-15).

Read Mtatthew 28:16-20

v. 16  availability:  being where He told them to be

v. 17  worship:  honoring Him internally and externally

v. 18  submission:  following Him

v. 19  obedience:  exemplifying Him

In Matt. 28:19, the Greek word matheteuo [make disciples] is the main verb and central command.  The root meaning has the idea of believing, learning, following, not just a believer or just a learner or just a follower; saving faith brings obedient action; if you believe, you will seek to behave as is pleasing to God!

Genuine belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior brings immediate salvation (death to life), immediate discipleship (believe, follow, and learn God’s Word), and immediate spiritual  baptism (relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).

In Matt. 28:19, we are to be going to them [unbelievers]; they aren’t coming to us. We are to baptize them as an identification with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  We are to immerse [teach] them the Word of God: equipping, encouraging & exhorting them to serve God.

2Tim 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

True repentance that brings salvation devotes itself to obey God’s Word, serve the Father, model our life after the Son, and walk in the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, as we reach out with the Love of Christ to all who will listen.

  • Prayer: Probably the most difficult of all our spiritual exercise, it embraces the kingdom of God and the people of God. It is hard work to pray on behalf of God’s will and God’s people in accordance with God’s Word, for God’s plan and purpose through Christ to be accomplished.  There are no “Me’s” or “My’s” in the Lord’s prayer (Mt 6:9-13).
  • Worship: He alone is worthy!  We praise Him with all that we have and all that we are that we bow before Him then stand and serve Him (The Greatest Commandment Mt. 22:37-39).
  • Evangelism: Living as light and salt in this dark and decaying generation, we purpose to live for Christ by our walk and words, that others might come to know Him  (Mt. 5:13-16).
  • Teaching/Training: Proclaiming God’s Word accurately, completely, understandably, and authoritatively, we seek to live out our Christianity, while encouraging other believers to grow and mature in Christ (Col. 3:16-17).

1John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

God’s Word tells us (Acts 1:12), that Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives, and (Zech. 14:4), says He will return to the Mount of Olives.  His 2nd coming will in some ways be similar to His departure, but it won’t just be a few believers who see Him when He returns (Rev. 1:7), “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.”

And it won’t be just a few who will acknowledge Him as sovereign creator, sustainer, and judge over all; as Paul wrote (Phil. 2:10-11), concerning this Jesus, “every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

The Acts of the Apostles is the historic journey of those first Disciples, those very first witnesses who genuinely believed and trusted in Jesus Christ: God’s Son, Lord and Savior.

Like those first witnesses, we must each commit to study, understand, and apply God’s Word, as we encourage one another to do the same, seeking to live out our faith, in unity, as one body, going and making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything God has commanded us so that we might serve as His witnesses.

God’s greatest desire is to have a unified people, i.e., one body, one family in which every part and member is receiving the Father’s love, and then sharing and testifying to that love so that the body believers can be encouraged and unbelievers can be exposed to love of the Christ.

God’s Word calls this spiritual organism or body, the “church”  or “called out ones,” from every nation, tongue and culture, and yet (Eph 4:4-6), there is only one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

 

Acts 2:22-47, “From Fisherman to Fisher of Men”

As Peter stood and began to preach, he proclaimed what must be believed in order to receive salvation.  He called for repentance, offering forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit to each person who genuinely responded in belief.

vv. 22-24 Jesus came from God with the full authority of

God, as verified by the miracles, wonders, and signs He did.

John 20:30-31 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 21:25   Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

God’s plan, purpose, and power were revealed in and through Jesus being handed over to evil men, put to death on the Cross, and then rising from the dead.  All of this having been foretold hundreds of years before Christ was even born.

vv. 25-35 Peter cites (v. 31) Psalm 16:8-11, which is a prophecy about the resurrection of the Messiah.  He then cites Psalm 110:1, which is a prophecy looking forward to the millennial rule of the Lord as king.

v. 36 What has been done has been done by God’s authority.  “Jesus is both Lord and Christ.”  “You people crucified Him!”  He is the Lord of all mankind: He is the anointed One from God (the Messiah) who brings salvation first to the Jews then to the Gentiles; this being validated by His resurrection from the grave.

v. 37 Talk about effective preaching, and what did Peter proclaim?  That God sent Jesus, and that God’s purpose and plan were fulfilled just as God had foretold; Jesus was given over death, He also would rise from the dead.

Mark 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. (see Luke 24:44-49)

Rom. 1: 4 Through the Spirit of holiness [He] was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

The people were “cut to the heart” (sharp pain brought about by conviction & remorse).  These people were realizing what they had done: rejected and executed their only hope of salvation.  “Brothers, what shall we do?”  These guys felt bad enough to do anything!  Peter could have gathered a following for himself; he could have asked  for their gold, silver, land, livestock, etc., but he didn’t ask anything from them for himself.  [TV evangelists]

v. 38 Peter tells them to “repent” (a complete change of mind about sin), and “be baptized” (identify with Christ), “because of the forgiveness of sins.”

Mark 1:4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 15 Jesus said, “The time has come.” “Repent and believe the good news!” 17 “Come, follow me,” “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Peter hadn’t been trained to preach, nor had he studied under one of the religious leaders or teachers of the law.  Peter was just a fisherman who had personally and genuinely responded to Jesus Christ.

When Peter obeyed Jesus’ call, the Scripture says (Mk 1:18) he responded “at once!”  Now three years later, he was forever changed, boldly testifying about Jesus Christ.

Peter proclaimed that every person must repent and make a public confession through water baptism.  Peter says “every one of you” must do this, for it doesn’t matter that they are Jews; in fact, it doesn’t matter what your heritage is.  Peter stresses that a personal response must be made to the message of God, calling upon “the name of Jesus Christ” (see Phil. 2:9-11).

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

We must repent, believe, trust, and commit to Jesus Christ, whom (v. 36) “God has made both Lord and Christ.”

The gift of the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee of salvation and eternal life.  Man repents; God redeems (Eph 1:13-14).

God places His Holy Spirit in us, marking us as His possession, totally and forever to be brought under the influence of God’s Word, in obedience to God’s Word, because of the death and resurrection of God’s Son.

v. 39 Peter says this salvation is “for you” (immediate hearers), “for your children” (succeeding generations), and “for all who are far off” (the rest of the world).

Salvation is given to everyone who calls on the name of the Lord (v. 21); and yet, “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world” (Eph. 1:4) (billboard?).

v. 40 Peter “warned” and “pleaded” with the people to save themselves from “this corrupt generation”.  Peter had, no doubt, often heard the Lord use the phrase “this corrupt generation” to signify the difference between those who accept the message of Jesus Christ and those who do not.

Matt. 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.

Luke 11:32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.

v. 41 Peter preached that people might repent and be saved through Christ; confession of sins and water baptism, publicly identified a person with Jesus Christ. [3000 converts]

vv. 42-47 True repentance that brings salvation devotes itself to:  the study of God’s Word, the fellowship with God’s people, obedience to the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and continual, thankful, and prayerful communication with God the Father, through Christ the Son, by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s people are to be messengers; Christ is the Message.  God’s people are food servers: Christ is the Bread of Life, and the Living Water.

As we purpose to love God the Father, following and exemplifying Christ the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to God’s Word, we will reach those who belong to Him, as we, His people, testify through our lives and lips the wonders of God and the Gospel of Christ.

 

Acts 2:41-47, “True Christianity ”

As we begin I want to remind you of all that has taken place in the first two chapters of this great history of Church:

1. Christ’s appearances to them over a period of 40 days after His resurrection (v. 3).

2.  Christ’s command to wait in Jerusalem to be baptized with the Holy Spirit (v. 5), and to receive power from God to be His witnesses to the whole world (v. 8).

3.  Christ’s ascension back into heaven and the angels’ declaration that Christ would return in the same way (v. 11).

4.  The 120 believers constantly gathering together for prayer; Matthias’ selection to replace Judas (vv. 14-26).

5.  The birth of the Church: a sound like a violent wind, the Holy Spirit baptizing, indwelling and empowering the believers to speak the gospel in 15 different dialects (2:1-11).

6.  Now, with everyone’s attention, Peter begins his sermon, declaring God’s plan and purpose fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesus (2:14-24), Whom God has made both Lord and Christ (v. 36).

7.  The listeners were convicted in their hearts (v. 37) and asked what they needed to do to receive God’s forgiveness.

v. 38 Repent and be baptized, everyone one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

 

v. 42 True repentance that brings salvation continually [constantly] devotes itself to God’s Word, Fellowship, Ordinances, and Prayer.

There were 120 believers at sunrise and before sunset the church had grown to 3,120 (v. 41).  Why the increase?

1.  Apostles’ teaching – God’s Word is to be proclaimed and explained so that people will be saved (birthed into the church), and then encouraged and equipped (discipled) to grow and mature in Christ (1Pet 2:2; Ro 12:2).

The pastoral epistles were written to instruct those who have responsibility to care for, nurture, lead and protect God’s sheep (1Tim 4:6, 11, 13, 16; 2Tim 3:16-17; 4:1-2; Titus 1:9).

God’s word is spiritual food for our growth, strength, and wisdom; it is a wasted day when we do not learn something new from or are not more deeply affected by God’s Word.           Most of the church today is weak and impotent because it fails to acknowledge and/or to apply God’s Word.

2.  Fellowship – Christian fellowship is a spiritual discipline for believers, through which we are to stimulate one another to be faithful servants of God.

There are at least 25 “one-another” passages in the New Testament that emphasize the fellowship we have as Christians [Greek, koinonia = partnership, sharing].

When believers isolate themselves from other Christians or fail to participate in the ministry of the local church, they are in direct disobedience to God’s Word (Heb. 10:24-25).

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

1Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another…

The Bible clearly teaches that Christians are not to be independent agents who attempt to live apart from other Christians, i.e., all the members of God’s body, the Church are to be actively involved in local congregations.

3.  Breaking of Bread – The celebration of the Lord’s Supper or Communion, is to be done by all believers, for we are all sinners saved by grace, equal in God’s sight (Gal 3:28; Eph 4:1-6; 1Cor 11:23-26; 12:12-14, 18-20, 27).

Sharing in the Lord’s Supper, is essential to the unity God desires among us, for Communion calls us to exam our own heart attitudes toward God, God’s Word, and God’s People.

Remembering what Jesus did on the Cross, should cause us to confess our sins, purifying us for service (1John 1:9).

4.  Prayer – (Mt. 6:9-13) When we come before God, acknowledging Who He is, confessing our sins and thanking Him for all that He has done, it is much more likely that we will then ask for those things that bring honor to God, and benefits to God’s people (Col 4:2; 1Thess 5:16-18: praying continually, giving thanks always; this is God’s will). These first believers understood the priority of prayer  (cf. 1:14, 24).

As the church is obedient to fulfill biblical teaching, Christian fellowship, keeping of ordinances, and God-centered prayer, spiritual character will be produced.

v. 43 A sense of awe and reverence for God was inspired by the many wonders and signs done through the apostles who pointed men to God as the author for what was happening.

vv. 44-45 Amazing!  Before the days of divisions and factions and denominations in the church, these people had a spiritual unity and love for one another, they gave up their own possessions, as anyone might have need.

All this sharing with one another was voluntary.  Wow!  People opened their homes and shared their resources so that no one would be without what they needed; whether they were visitors to the city who didn’t have homes or jobs, or the indigenous poor who lived in or around Jerusalem.

vv. 46-47a These folks continued to go to the Temple to pray (as witnesses of the new birth), and they met in private homes where they sat under the apostles teaching, participated in the Lord’s Supper, with glad and sincere hearts these people praised God and enjoyed the favor of all the people.

When God’s people honor and worship God, genuinely loving one another, while proclaiming the wonders and mercies of God through the Gospel of Christ, unbelievers will take notice, and some will be changed forever (v. 47b), “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Obedience to God’s truth produces godly character, which in turn impacts sinners for Christ; and after all, that is our main purpose on this earth, to serve as witnesses of God’s love, grace, forgiveness, and eternal life that has come through Jesus Christ.

 

Acts 3:1-4:4, “In the name of Jesus Christ ”

vv. 1-2 This man has been crippled since birth, (v. 2, lit. crippled from his mother’s womb); he is placed daily at the temple gate (Beautiful) separating the Court of Gentiles from Court f Women.

vv. 3-6 Peter and John had no money to give the beggar, but they did have Jesus.  In Jewish thought, a name expresses the very nature of the person’s character.  Peter said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!”

The name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua,  meaning “Yahweh is salvation.”  This was the name chosen by God and communicated to Mary and Joseph by an angel who told them that the baby Mary was carrying would be named Jesus because he would “save his people from their sins.”  The angel also told Mary and Joseph that this Jesus would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.”  Jesus is God in the flesh.  He came not only to bring God’s salvation to man, but to become that salvation by dying on the cross, and to provide the hope of eternal life by SHis resurrection from the grave.

We tend to think of Christ as a name, just as Jesus is a name; but in fact, Christ is a title.  The Greek word for Christ is cristos and it means “anointed,” in the OT it was always linked with two offices — that of king and that of high priest.  It was prophesied that the Messiah would come from the line of David and He would ultimately sit on a throne that would govern the whole world for 1000 years.

Jesus would also fulfill the role of high priest, offering himself as the ultimate sacrifice and then continuing to make intercession for us at the throne of God in heaven.

The fact that Jesus Christ was [of] or from Nazareth (in Galilee) was often viewed with contempt, as the Jews considered Nazareth to be an unimportant and insignificant place (Matt. 2:19-23; John 7:37-43).

In and through the despised and rejected Jesus of Nazareth, God’s plan, purpose, and power are revealed and explained in unmistakable clarity (Col 1:15-20).

vv. 7-10 The instantaneous healing of the crippled man declared that the divine grace and power of God  was at work.  The beggar gave glory to God, for only God has the power to heal.  And all the people were amazed!

vv. 11-16 The beggar was clinging to Peter and John, but this healing had been done by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to bring glory and honor to Jesus, the Christ.

The stage is now set for Peter to preach Jesus, God’s Servant, the one that the Men of Israel had rejected and killed; but God raised Him from the grave, for He is the Holy and Righteous One [the anointed]; the author of life [the Creator]; and the only means of forgiveness and salvation.

The ability to create belongs to God and God alone (Col 1:16), “all things were created by and for Christ,” (Col 1:19), “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Christ.” Through Jesus Christ, the Holy and Righteous God of Creation has been made visible and available to sinful man.           Everything has been created by, and for, and is held together by this same Jesus Christ of Nazareth: God in human flesh (Philippians 2:8-11).

This crippled man’s healing was by the power of the Jesus, God the Son, whom God made to be both Lord and Christ (2:36) through His death and resurrection.

vv. 17-21 Peter condemns them for rejecting God’s Salvation, then offers God’s grace, acknowledging they did this out of ignorance and they could be forgiven.

Again, God’s sovereign plan, purpose, and power is clearly referenced; Peter makes it clear that all this was done to fulfill what God foreordained and proclaimed through the prophets.

vv. 22-26 Peter quotes Moses [the Jews first and greatest prophet], declaring that Jesus is God’s High Priest and King over Israel; Jesus is “the Prophet” that Moses and all the OT prophets spoke of concerning His coming!

God sent His One and Only Son as the Servant of all, and Savior of those who would receive His forgiveness.

4:1-4 The Jewish authorities had conspired to arrest and kill Jesus, and now, two months later, two of His fisherman disciples are in Solomon’s Colonnade proclaiming Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected, and coming again.

(Solomon’s Colonnade was an open, roofed 45-foot walkway with double columns that were 38 feet tall. It was situated along the east side of the Court of Gentiles, and although it was part of the temple complex, it was not considered to be part of the actual temple, as evidenced by the fact that Gentiles were not allowed into the temple but they could be present in Solomon’s Colonnade). The colonnade was the last place Jesus publicly taught before His arrest and crucifixion. (John 10)

In Matt. 16:18, Jesus told Peter that the gates of Hell would not be able to stand against or overpower the Church; and now, Peter witnesses that truth, and even though he and John are arrested and awaiting trial, notice (v. 4), “many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.”

God is Sovereign!  His plan and purpose will not fail!

Isaiah 55:10-11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

God sent His Son to seek and save the lost, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!

 

Acts 4:5-20, Can You Personally Testify About Jesus?

As we ended last week (vv. 3-4), Peter and John were arrested for proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ; but to no avail, many believed their message and were saved.

vv. 5-7 The Sanhedrin ([the Jewish Supreme Court] was a Council of 71 members, made up of the rulers, elders and teachers of the law. Annas was the real power behind the Sanhedrin, for although he was not the current High Priest, he retained that title just like past presidents in America do. Annas’ son-in-law Caiaphas was now High Priest; five of Annas’ sons and one grandson all served as high priests.

The Sanhedrin gathered in order to decide the fate of Peter and John, as they were placed in the center of a semicircle and the Sanhedrin would gather aroung them and question them about the “miracle” they had performed.           In the OT, under the Mosaic Law, whenever someone performed a miracle and used it to illustrate a particular teaching, they were to be examined as to whether or not their teaching would lead men toward or away from the God of Israel.  If the Sanhedrin found the teaching to be false they were to have the guilty man stoned; but if the teaching was true, the one who performed the miracle was to be accepted as having come from God (Deut. 13:1-5).

The Sanhedrin question Peter and John, asking them (v. 7) “by what power or what name did you do this?”  Probably not a good question to ask Peter full of the Holy Spirit.

vv. 8-10 Peter  yielded himself totally to the Spirit of God, for he trusted in God to protect and provide for him.  Peter has no fear of the religious ruling body of Israel, although most any Jew would be silenced by fear of what this Council could do to them (the same ruling body that condemned and pronounced the death sentence upon Jesus).

Peter begins by bringing an indictment against this ruling body [the Rulers and Elders of the people]; basically, Peter questions the appropriateness of the Council in putting them on trial (v. 9), “are we really being accused of showing mercy to a cripple? Was it wrong for us to heal this man?”

The Sanhedrin are demanding to know how this man was healed, by what name or authority has this been done?  Peter says fine (v. 10), and let all the people of Israel know that this has been done by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you put to death but God raised Him from the grave, and it is by the power of Jesus name that this man stands before you healed.

In v. 11, Peter quotes from Psalm 118:22, declaring that Jesus is fulfillment of the OT Scriptures; He is the Chief cornerstone [head of the corner stone]: in a building project, this is the large stone to which every part of the structure, every stone in the building, is oriented and aligned.

Peter clearly and authoritatively states that Jesus is the cornerstone of God’s spiritual temple or house, the place where God both dwells and is worshipped; that is, in His body, His church (Eph. 2:19-22).

The Jews had rejected God’s Son, in part because, as they saw it, He couldn’t keep Himself from being killed, and that didn’t line up with their conception of the conquering Messiah as the ruling King and Deliverer of His people.           Peter accuses them of rejecting God’s Holy One, the Messiah, the Christ, and in doing so they have sealed their own fate.  The fulfillment of God’s gracious and merciful love has been expressed through God’s Son, but only those who believe in and follow Him will be saved.

v. 12 God’s Word declares that every person is guilty of sin, we are all born spiritually crippled; for that reason, God’s  grace has been provided through Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who gave His own life for us, that we might be spiritually healed, forever.

No one has to remain spiritually crippled, no one has to die in their sins; for just like the beggar who was healed by the power and authority of Jesus Christ, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (cf. 2:21).

Even though Jesus had been put to death and buried; He now seemed to reach out from the grave in order to dissarm the power these religious leaders held over the people of Israel by promoting and propagating a myriad of rituals and ceremonies.

The Jewish religious leaders were highly educated, respected, even feared, but their power and control was being eroded away like never before.

vv. 13-17 The Sanhedrin is in a quandary.  Here are these unschooled, untrained, unauthorized country bumpkins boldly teaching that anyone can be acceptable God without all the ritual keeping and sacrifices being made at the Temple; not only that, but they are offering the people forgiveness for sins and eternal life just by believing in the same Jesus, that these rulers had sentenced to death.

This went against everything the teachers of the law, the elders, and the priests taught, and after all, they controlled religious worship, rituals and ceremonies; they determined what God wanted the people to know and understand; they regulated the who’s who list of the religious righteous.

How is it possible that God’s message of forgiveness of sins and salvation wasn’t being delivered through the Chief Priests, Pharisees, Scribes, or Elders – but instead, it was being proclaimed by a band of ordinary men, rural fisherman; men who had repented, believed, and followed Jesus Christ for about three years; men who had witnessed the death and resurrection of this same Jesus; men who had experienced the coming of His Holy Spirit to live in and empower them and everyone who calls on His name, believing in faith that Jesus Christ is both Lord and Savior (John 14:6).

And to do this miracle in front of everyone and claim the name of Jesus Christ.  How could the Sanhedrin dispel what everyone was praising as the work of God?  So they determine that they will warn John and Peter to stop speaking to anyone in this name [the name of Christ].

vv. 18-20 Peter and John are called back in to hear the judgment against them.  They are to be silent concerning the name of Jesus… right!

Peter and John basically told them they would not obey the Sanhedrin’s Ruling, but instead would obey God.  Peter and John refused to comply with the sovereign authority of Israel, but they did it with respect and honesty.

They could have just said, “ok, we won’t speak about Jesus anymore.”  And after they were freed, they could go on about their business proclaiming Christ.  But they didn’t!  Instead, they made it clear that they couldn’t stop speaking about Jesus, all they had personally heard Him say and had seen Him do!

vv. 21-22 The Sanhedrin further threatened Peter and John, then let them go, for they were afraid of what the people might do; after all, the healed man was 40 years old and everyone knew who he was, that he had been crippled since birth and was now healed by the power of God, through the name of Jesus Christ; all the people were praising and glorifying God for this miracle.

Peter and John, along with the other apostles, were eyewitnesses to Jesus life, death and resurrection; nothing could keep them silent; no one could intimidate them into denying what they knew to be true from their own personal experience; in the same way, we ought to be continually and boldly proclaiming the Good News of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ (1John 1:1-3; 5:11-13).

 

Acts 4:23-5:11, God Cannot Be Deceived!

vv. 23-31 After release, Peter and John went back to the other believers (in the upper room?) and told them what had happened; they all began to praise God and to pray, asking for strength and power to spread the Gospel of Christ.

God’s purpose prevails (v. 26, Psalm 2:1-2).  Filled with the HS for the third time (2:4; 4:8), these believers spoke the truth of God boldly, in their own language.

vv. 32-35 Of one heart and mind, God’s presence is clearly displayed among the church as they testified to the resurrection of Christ; when someone had a serious need others gave of what they had to meet that need (Jn 13:35)..

Notice (v. 34), “from time to time” the people sold their belongings so the money from the sales could be used for the needy -there were no needy among them – these acts of Christian kindness displayed the undeserved mercy and grace we each have received from God through Christ.         As with any noble or charitable act, it can be done with either sincere or fraudulent motives; but no Christian should ever be intimidated or coerced into giving (2Cor. 9:7).

vv. 36-37 Joseph, John Mark’s cousin, the author of the gospel of Mark, had the nickname of Barnabas (Son of Encouragement).  Luke records the generosity of Barnabas, as a practical demonstration of Christian love; the money for the sale of his field was brought to the apostles under no compulsion, for the purpose of being used by those in need.

vv. 5:1-2 Everything seems wonderful among the Christians who give generously to one another; until this recorded deception of Ananias and Sapphira.

God gives a grave warning through Luke, to any believer who would attempt to deceive God.  No doubt, this couple wanted to enjoy the admiration of the church, as had Barnabas; so they sold some of their property, but then pretended to give the full price of that sale to the apostles, for use by believers who were in need.

In the OT (Joshua 7:1-26), as the Israelites began their conquest of Canaan, God commanded that everything be devoted to Him: all the Gentiles’ household effects, personal items, livestock, properties, everything  totally destroyed.

Achan (Tribe of Judah) kept some of this for himself: a beautiful robe (5 lbs. of silver, 1.25 lbs. of gold), causing Israel to be defeated by her enemies; Achan and his household were stoned, burned, then covered with rocks in the Valley of Achor (trouble), for God will not be deceived!

vv. 3-4 As the church was birthed, the believers were freely sharing what they had with one another, as necessary.

Ananias and Sapphira deceitfully held back a portion of their proceeds, saying they had devoted the total amount to God.  God hates hypocrisy and deception!  Jesus Himself denounced the religious leaders repeatedly for their hypocrisy.  Now, in lying to the Apostles, Ananias and Sapphira had lied to God, for the Holy Spirit lived in them, and the Holy Spirit is God.

1Sam. 16:7 Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

Heb. 4:12-13 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

vv. 5-11 Ananias fell down and died?  And (v. 7) about three hours later Sapphira comes in and tells the same lie (v. 10) and she fell down and died.  Wow!  God made a very clear statement decaring how He feels about deception, getting the immediate attention of the church (v. 11).

We can be thankful that God doesn’t use this same swift and drastic judgment in His church today, if He did, the Church would probably be very very small.

The Church was birthed for the purpose of spreading the Gospel of Christ, so that those who trust and believe in Him, for the forgiveness of sins, might receive eternal life and eternal relationship with God.

God has placed the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, in every person belonging to God, at the same time baptizing them into the body of Christ, God’s Church.

John 3:5-6 I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

John 4:24 God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

John 14:6-7 I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. 16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.

25-26 All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

1Cor 12:12-13 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Eph. 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Eph. 4:15 speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

In the early years of the Earth’s history, as man was populating the planet, man’s wickedness reached such a high level that God brought a catastrophic flood upon the earth, as a judgment upon man’s sin (cf. Genesis 6:5-8).

Noah’s sons had sons, and about ten generations down the road came Abraham; he had a son (Isaac), who had a son (Jacob = Israel) – who had 12 sons (the tribes of Israel).

God set apart Israel, from all the peoples of the earth, to be a people who would honor Him; it didn’t work!  Israel turned away from God, killed God’s prophets, and in the end, killed God’s Son, who had come to die for their sins (Rom. 3:10-12, 20-24; 6:23; 5:8; John 3:16-18, 36).

Those who believe in and receive Christ as Lord and Savior, are Christians; the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) indwells, provides for, protects, guides and directs them to bring honor, glory and praise to the God of all Truth, Creation, Eternity (Rev. 1:8, 18).

Gal. 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.

We are set free from sin’s penalty and saved eternally by the Truth, Jesus Christ is the Truth, God’s Word is the Truth:  John 8:31-32 Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Christians are sinners who have been saved through God’s Grace for the purpose of living by and being a witness to God’s Truth.

Col. 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Acts 5:12-42, “Proclaiming Fearlessly”

vv. 12-16 The apostles continued to share the message of salvation through Christ and they performed many miraculous signs and wonders; people were bringing the sick and demon possessed to be healed.

You would think that the Jewish rulers would be happy about all these good things that were happening, but they were not.

vv. 17-18 The Jewish leadership was outraged with jealousy, so they lock the apostles up again.

vv. 19-20 The apostles were released from jail by an angel of the Lord and sent to preach the good news of salvation and eternal life.  They are commanded to “go” and to “stand,” i.e., to “hold their ground” or “stand firm” in enemy territory (temple courts).

vv. 21-28 The apostles were arriving at the Temple to proclaim their message about the same time that the Sanhedrin was sending for the apostles (who were thought to be locked securely in jail) to be brought before their assembly.  It was soon discovered that (v. 23) although “the jail was securely locked, with guards standing at the doors, no one was inside,” they didn’t know what to think!

It was kind of like “Now you see ‘um, now you don’t!”  The disciples weren’t in jail, (v. 25), they were openly teaching in the temple courts.  The captain of the temple guard went to apprehend the apostles, yet again, but notice (v. 26) “without the use of force,” fearing the people.

Back in front of the “feared” Sanhedrin to be interrogated.  The Sanhedrin was the Supreme Court, the Congress and the Senate all rolled into one; the sovereign and supreme leadership for Israel, with jurisdiction over civil and criminal affairs.  Whatever they said was law, whether it came it came from the OT Scriptures or Tradition.

The Sanhedrin was made up mostly of Sadducees, Pharisees, and Scribes.

The Sadducees were mostly aristocrats, people of wealth and position, who did not accept the doctrine of resurrection, nor did they believe in angels or spirits; and so they were suspicious of any revelation later than the Mosaic law and they denied the authority of Jesus Christ.  They controlled the priesthood and all the Temple rituals.

The Pharisees were pious Jews who rejected Jesus as the Christ while holding fervently to the Law of Moses. They had a strong influence over the people of Israel who mistook the Pharisee’s ritualistic hypocrisy, with God’s righteousness.

The Pharisees were fanatics about religious law keeping for example: 1) It is ok to eat an egg laid by a chicken on the Sabbath, but the chicken must be killed the next day for violating the Sabbath

The Scribes were members of a profession; they were copyists of the law.  They were regarded as authorities on the Scriptures because they spent their lives copying them, and so they were held in esteem as teachers of the law.  They were similar in thinking to that of the Pharisees.

vv. 29-32 Peter and the Apostles before this esteemed Council were thinking: “Oh please don’t hurt us!  Let us go and we won’t talk about Jesus anymore.”  WRONG!

Peter and the others were not intimidated in the least by this assembly of self-righteous, self-centered, self-appointed hypocrites!  “We must obey God rather than men!”

Peter takes this opportunity to again speak the message of Christ: His mission, His accomplishment, His sovereignty.           Jesus Christ is the Author of life and the Savior of all those who believe in Him.  Peter makes it very clear that the apostles are not going to be silenced when it comes to speaking the truth of what God has done through Christ.

vv. 33-39 The Sanhedrin is outraged, wanting Peter and the other apostles dead.  But Gamaliel, a very wise, influential, Pharisee, stands up and addresses the Sanhedrin.  Basically, he says, “Let God be the judge!”  If this thing is being done by the power and authority of mere men, it will die out.  But, if this is happening by the hand of God, then to oppose these men is to oppose God Himself.

vv. 40-41 Gamaliel’s speech evidently persuaded the Sanhedrin not to kill the apostles; instead, they had them flogged (39 times), threatened them, and let them go.

Notice, the apostles went away rejoicing, excited about having suffered for the sake of Christ.  These are strange men.  The effect of being persecuted for Christ’s name can be seen in Peter’s writing (1Pet. 2:20-21; 3:13-17).

These Apostles are the original No pain, no gain, guys! When the going got tough, these guys just kept on going (2Tim. 1:7), “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

v. 42 The apostles continued to proclaim (day and night) in both public and private settings; they spoke with boldness the message of God concerning Jesus Christ: God’s Son, Savior.  Jesus didn’t just teach salvation, He became salvation for everyone who repents, believes, and follows Him. (John 3:16, 18; 4:34; 5:24; 6:29, 40; 7:16-17; 8:24; 14:6).

After Peter and John’s first arrest and beating, upon release they prayed (Acts 4:29), “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”  These guys proclaimed (Acts 4:12), “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

God loves you and has a marvelous plan for your life; but there is only one way for you to receive it (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10, 13); that is the message those first believers proclaimed; it is the message I proclaim to you today; and it is the message all Christians must continue to proclaim, like those first believers who, “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.”

1Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

When the believers first met together (1:15), there were 120 of them.  By chap. 2:42, they had increased to about 3,120; they continued to meet together, devoting themselves to God’s Word, Fellowship, Communion, and Prayer and (2:47), “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. ”

By chap. 4:4, the number of believing men increased to about 5,000.  The believers were meeting together in public places (like Solomon’s Colonnade); gathering for meals in private homes, and bringing money to the apostles so that everyone would have their basic daily necessities.

Acts 6:8-15, “Continued Opposition to the Gospel of Christ!”

Peter and the Apostles have been the main figures in Acts until this point; our attention now moves to Stephen, one of the seven Grecian Jews set apart by the Apostles to oversee the distribution of food to the widows.

v. 8 Stephen was a man filled with God’s Spirit and full of God’s grace and power (cf. 6:5) and he was performing great deeds and displaying miraculous signs among the people, as were the Apostles (2:43; 3:1-10; 5:12-16); people were amazed and were believing in Christ.  Stephen was probably healing the sick…

vv. 9-10 Living out his faith and testifying about God, Stephen quickly came under the watchful eyes and scrutiny of those who opposed Christ.  Here we are told of three separate synagogues, or communities of Jews who worshipped together, who were coming against Stephen’s testimony and deeds:

1) The Freedmen were a group of men, descendants of Jewish slaves, who had been given their freedom by Rome and so they had joined together to form a religious community.

2) The Cyrenians and Alexandrians were Jews from North Africa.

3) The Cilicians and Asians were Jews from Asia Minor.

Men from all three of these synagogue or religious communities, had come together to oppose Stephen, who had evidently become popular in Jerusalem.  These men argued with Stephen in open debate (probably about the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ) which was a mistake for them, as they were no match for Stephen’s wisdom and power provided by God through the Holy Spirit.

As we get deeper into Stephen’s speech/sermon, next week, we will find him contrasting God’s salvation through God’s Son Jesus, with the Law of Moses, the temple rituals, and the many Hebrew customs that had been handed down for hundreds of years.

vv. 11-12 Stephen’s opponents, unbelieving Jews, were unable to debate him, for he spoke the truth with power; these men were unable to win in open debate against Stephen, so they recruited some false witnesses to accuse Stephen of blaspheming both Moses and God.

If Stephen were convicted of blasphemy, he would be put to death (Lev. 24:16).  Evidently, these false accusations were stirring up the people, the elders, and the teachers of the law (members of the Sanhedrin); for the crowd now violently grabs Stephen and drags him away to be brought before the Sanhedrin.

vv. 13-14 The Sanhedrin soon assembled, [the Supreme Court of the Jewish Nation made up of 71 Rabbis who judged all the civil and criminal cases in Israel), and immediately the false witnesses began to make their charges against Stephen, saying that Stephen has continually been speaking against the Holy Temple and the Law of Moses.

These “witnesses” go on to say that Stephen is proclaiming that Jesus [the Nazarene] will destroy the Temple and change the rituals and customs handed down through Moses from generation to generation.

The Chief Priests, the Teachers of the Law, the Sadducees, all those making up the Sanhedrin, hated Jesus; in fact when they had condemned Jesus to death, it was after they had listened to false witnesses (just like they were now doing with Stephen) false witnesses who testified that they heard Jesus say he was going to destroy the Temple (Mark 14:55-64).

What had Jesus said (John 2:19), “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  He was clearly speaking of His own death and resurrection (2:21), “He was speaking of the temple of His body.”

Jesus also said (Mark 13:2), speaking of the Temple “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another, every one will be thrown down.”  He was talking about the future destruction of the Temple that occurred in A.D 70.

This same set up with false accusations is now used against Stephen; just like it had successfully been used against Jesus to bring the death sentence upon Him.  False testimonies would now be used to condemn Stephen.

These guys were paranoid of losing their control over the Jewish Religious system, so any threats of changing or doing away with the customs of Moses or the temple rituals, were to be confronted aggressively and dealt with harshly.

These religious lawyers were not going to let the Old Covenant under the Law be done away with.   But the truth was, the OT covenant of laws and rituals was fulfilled in and through Christ; all the ceremonial/ritualistic aspects of the law were done away with in Christ (Col. 2:8-17).

This was not a new teaching, the elders and the teachers of the law knew full well what the prophets had written, they just weren’t going to obey it (Jer. 31:31-34).

As we get more into Stephen’s sermon (7:1-53)), you will hear Stephen’s great respect for the Mosaic Law and the customs passed down generation to generation.

Stephen’s trust in God will be reflected in the courage he expresses as he proclaims the message of Christ while giving a history lesson from the time of God’s covenant with Abraham to the time of the Law of Moses, to the time of the New Covenant through the death and resurrection of God’s Son, murdered by His own people.

v. 15 Stephen now stands before the  Sanhedrin, accused of blaspheming God, the holy Temple, and the Law given through Moses; and yet, as these self appointed, self righteous judges gaze into the face of the accused – Stephens’ face is like the face of an angel.

There is only one other man in history who experienced the radiance of God’s glory showing on his face, and that was Moses (Ex. 34:27-35).  These judges over Israel have condemned Stephen for disgracing God, the temple and the Law of Moses; and yet, what when they look at the accuse man, what shows on his face is not the guilt of an evil doer, but instead the glory of God radiates from his face, as if God is giving His approval to this messenger of the New Covenant which has come through Christ.

 

Acts 7:1-16, Joseph, A Typology of Christ?

v. 1 Are these charges true?  What charges?  Blasphemy against God and Moses (6:11), and against the temple rituals and the law (6:15).

vv. 2-4 Stephen has been dragged before the Sanhedrin and charged with a horrible crime, yet his face is radiat like that of an angel.

Stephen begins his defense appealing to his judges as brothers (fellow Hebrews) and fathers (leaders of Israel), he then begins to tell the history of God’s special attention given to Israel, beginning with Abraham the father of all Jews, all who trust in God by faith.  Stephen addresses the God of Israel as the God of Glory; that title for God is used only here and in Psalm 29:3, an example of its meaning is given in Ex. 33:18-19, where Moses is talking with God.

Stephen reminds the leaders of Israel (v. 3) how God called Abraham out of his homeland and commanded him to go where God would show him (cf. Gen. 11-12).  Abraham was a man of faith who obeyed God and went to Haran [500 miles north], where he lived until his own father Terah died, (v. 4) then he went to Canaan where Israel is now located.

When God called Abram he was in a city in Babylonia, named Ur of the Chaldees. This was a very advanced and modern city with libraries, schools, and a system of law. It was a rich city, from which, many valuable jewelry treasures have been discovered.

The false religion of astrology, which began at Babel, was practiced in Ur as it was in all Babylonia.  Abraham’s father, Terah according to Joshua 24:2, “worshiped other Gods,”  like most of those in Ur: the moon god [the chief diety, Sin], fire god, sun god and god of the stars.

Abraham was not raised to know the One True God; yet, when God called him, he believed and obeyed.  Hebrews 11:8, states that “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go… obeyed; and he went, not knowing where he was going.”

vv. 5-7 Abraham owned nothing in Canaan but for a burial plot (Gen. 23), which he purchased from Ephron the Hittite, to bury Sarah when she died in Hebron.  And yet, God had promised Abraham (Gen. 12:7) even before he had any children, that he and his descendants would inherit Canaan.

God told Abraham his descendants would be captives in a foreign land for 400 years, long before Moses, through whom God would free Israel from Egypt, was even born.

Stephen talks of God’s personal care for Israel and God’s promise to punish Egypt for enslaving them, and then to lead His people into their own land (Gen. 15:13-21), where they would worship the LORD, the great I AM.

Remember, Stephen has been charged with blaspheming God, and yet he has done nothing but honor the God of Israel through his speech thus far, telling the story of God’s protection and provision for Israel.

v. 8 Stephen now reminds the Sanhedrin of God’s covenant with Abraham, passed to his descendants Isaac and Jacob, and the twelve tribes of Israel.  God changed Jacob’s name to Israel [he struggles with God], after a long night in the desert when Jacob wrestled with God (Gen. 32:24-30)

vv. 9-10 Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob (number 11), his brothers were jealous of him enough to sell him as a slave, for 20 pieces of silver.  Joseph, considered dead by his father, is really in Egypt, where, after being falsely accused and serving several years in the king’s prison, becomes 2nd in command over Egypt, for God is watching over him and granting him success in all he does (Gen. 37, 39, 41).

v. 11-13 The famine is worldwide, but Egypt has storehouses filled with grain, so Jacob sends his ten sons to buy some.  And who do they run into?  Joseph, who is now 2nd in command over all Egypt.  Many years have passed, so Jacob’s sons do not recognize their brother, (Gen. 42-43)

On their second journey to buy grain, Joseph again sets a trap for them, making them appear guilty of stealing from Joseph who then threatens to make Benjamin his slave as punishment; in the end, Joseph can’t keep up the façade and finally discloses his identity to his brothers (Gen. 44-45).

vv. 14-16 Jacob’s whole family (wives, children, grand children) go to Egypt at Pharoah’s invitation to live there and be provided for.  But as time passes Jacob and all his sons die in Egypt, yet the descendants of the people of Israel grew numerous.

What an amazing story of God’s plan and provision, Joseph was rejected and betrayed by his own brothers; and yet, by God’s grace through him, all his family, in fact the whole nation of Israel was saved from physical death.

Stephen’s retelling, of how the God of Glory cared for & protected Israel, displays his own faith and trust in God and should dispel any charge that he has blasphemed God.

Joseph’s brothers were jealous, so they got rid of him (for 20 coins) and told their father he was dead, but God used this betrayal to save the Hebrew nation.

Jesus was rejected by His own people: condemned, beaten, then murdered; yet He graciously offers them salvation from spiritual death: forgiveness for sins & eternal life (betrayed for 30 coins = slave price).

Stephen told the Sanhedrin how the patriarchs betrayed their own brother, who then forgave and saved them, giving glory to God as their protector & provider (Gen 50, Ex 1).  Joseph is a typology of Christ, and this lesson from Israel’s history, showing how something meant for evil was used by God for good (i.e., crucifixion), seems to fall on deaf ears among the Sanhedrin; but Stephen is preparing them to hear the truth, just as Peter earlier proclaimed in Jerusalem:

Acts. 2:23 [Jesus of Nazareth] was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge, and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

32 God has raised this Jesus to life and we are all witnesses of the fact.  36 Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

 

Acts 7:17-60, “God’s Covenant, Through Christ, Alone!

vv. 17-19 Last week we learned of Israel’s covenant with God through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

All Jacob’s sons died, yet Israel grew numerically in Egypt; but a new king despises the Jews and forces them to kill all newborn males. But infanticide can’t void God’s promise to Abraham, and so, Moses is spared (Ex. 1-2).

vv. 20-22 Jochebed cares for him until she must place him in a basket, at the edge of the river, in the reeds; the king’s daughter, while bathing, finds Moses, and unknowingly enlists the service of Jochebed to nurse him; later he is taken to be raised and educated in Pharaoh’s household.

vv. 23-29 Forty years pass, Moses now visits his fellow Jews and comes upon an Egyptian mistreating one of them.  Coming to the aid of his fellow Jew, Moses kills the Egyptian.

The next day two Jews are fighting and Moses attempts to reconcile them, but the aggressor says to Moses (v. 28), “Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?”  Moses is dismayed and, no doubt, fearful that the report of his killing an Egyptian might get back to Pharaoh, so he runs away to Midian to hide.

vv. 30-36 Forty years pass, Moses is now 80 when God speaks to him from a flaming bush near Mt. Sinai.  God reminds Moses of His heritage through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  God now calls Moses to go back to Egypt, that God might use him to free the people of Israel from the treachery of Pharaoh, who enslaved and mistreated them (Ex. 3).

Stephen reminds the Sanhedrin (v. 35) that Moses, even though rejected by his own people some forty years before, was then used by God and allowed to do miracles that led to the freeing of Israel out of Egypt, after 400 years of bondage (Ex. 7-18); and God used Moses powerfully to lead the Israelites in the desert for forty years.

vv. 37-38 Stephen tells the Sanhedrin that this is the very same Moses, to whom God spoke in the desert and on Mt. Sinai, giving him the 10 Commandments, covenanting with him to build the Tabernacle where God would receive offerings and sacrifices brought to the alter by the ordained priests from the line of Aaron, Moses’ brother (Ex. 19-31).

And it was this Moses who spoke to the people on behalf of the One True God, telling them (v. 37), that God would send a prophet to Israel who would come from among their own people (Deut. 18:15-18).

Stephen recounts Israel’s history of rejecting God’s messengers, in reality he is speaking of John the Baptizer, at the Jordan River, through whom God spoke to Israel after 400 years of silence.  And what did John proclaim?  The Lamb of God, who would die for the sins of all the people, had come (Jn 1:29-34).  John was beheaded by Herod, and the Lamb of God was put to death on the cross, murdered by His own people, just as they had murdered all the prophets who had come before bringing God’s message: Repent, Believe and Follow Jesus Christ (Mk 1:15-17)!

vv. 39-43 Israel had refused to obey Moses, in fact, while Moses was up on the mountain with God, they made a golden calf and worshipped it, throwing a big party celebration at the base of Mt. Sinai (Ex. 32).

This rebellion angered God, and He turned away from Israel because of their idolatry and the disdain they showed toward God’s statutes and decrees.  History tells us how God caused them, repeatedly, to be conquered, exiled, and scattered throughout the world, among their enemies.

Israel continually turned their hearts away from God, only to be punished; then, at the urging of God’s prophets they would repent and return to God, and He would bless them.

vv. 44-50 Stephen reminds the Sanhedrin how their forefathers had the very presence of God with them in the Tabernacle of the Testimony, the temporary Temple, in the desert.  Generations later King David wanted to make a permanent Temple for God, but God chose Solomon, David’s son to build it; and it was the Holy of Holies where God would meet with the Priest on the day of Atonement each year, when sacrifices were made on behalf of the priest and all the people of Israel.

But even the great Temple in Jerusalem was temporary; in fact it was destroyed in AD 70 and has never been rebuilt.  God does not live in buildings built by men; His plan all along was to live in each individual believer and follower of Christ: God’s ultimate and final prophet, messenger, and sacrifice.

vv. 51-53 Israel rejected God’s Son, betraying and murdering Him, just like their forefathers killed the prophets of God sent to them to speak on His behalf.

vv. 54-60 The Sanhedrin knew exactly what Stephen was alluding to: He was proclaiming Jesus Christ to be both Lord and Savior; at this realization they dragged Stephen to the edge of town and stoned him to death.

Notice, Stephen exhibited the very same attitude that had been displayed by Jesus Christ, God’s Son when He was hanging on the cross (Luke 23:24), Jesus said,  “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Stephen, as he was being stoned to death (vv. 59-60) calls on the Lord to receive his Spirit, at which time he falls to the ground; and in a loud voice cries out, “Lord forgive them,” and after he said this, he died.

Jesus Christ: God’s Son, Savior.  He came to save the lost, to forgive our sins and grant us eternal life.

Communion [the Lord’s Supper] is a time set apart for God’s people to remember and acknowledge that God’s plan, purpose and provision to the world through Jesus Christ.

Let us each consider our own heart attitude and  response to God’s Word and God’s Will. God loves us so much He sent His One and Only Son to pay the price for our sins on the Cross, and to provide eternal through His own resurrection from the Grave.

 

Acts 8:1-25, The Church is Birthed in Samaria

Stephen had delivered a fantastic sermon before the Sanhedrin, covering the long history of Israel’s special favor before God; from the time of Abraham through Isaac, through Jacob, through the twelve tribes, and later through Moses, even up through David, and all the way up to the present time in Israel; most recently marked by the murder of God’s One and Only Son by His own people, the Jews.

These religious leaders thought they had ridded themselves of their major problem, Jesus Christ.  But the followers of Christ had not remained silent; in fact, they were proclaiming Jesus Christ of Nazareth in the streets of Jerusalem, and even at the Temple.

Repeatedly  Peter and John had been arrested, beaten and threatened, but they wouldn’t shut up.  One of the seven men the apostles had set apart to care for the daily needs of the church, Stephen, had just instructed the Sanhedrin as if he were the teacher and they were the students; their response was to have him stoned to death, and Saul was right there giving approval to his death.

vv. 1-3 Up to this point, most of the persecution toward Christ’s followers had been directed toward the leaders, the apostles.  But now the persecution was going to come upon all those who believed in and followed Jesus.

The believers began to scatter, except for the apostles who stayed to evangelize Jerusalem; in fact, many fled from Jerusalem and went to Judea and Samaria after Stephen was laid to rest.

Saul (v. 3) went ballistic, he was intent on destroying the church [ravaging = like a wild animal attack].

vv. 4-8 Persecution didn’t silence the followers of Christ or put out their fire; instead, it seemed to spread and ignite in other places driven by a new found courage.  Philip, like Stephen, was another of the seven men who had been set apart by the apostles in chapter 6.  Philip goes to Samaria to proclaim Christ and to heal the lame and demon possessed, much as Jesus had done when He was with them.

God is so amazing!  He now uses persecution to send out the church. Philip is the first missionary mentioned in the Scriptures.  Jesus told His followers (1:8), to proclaim the gospel first in Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.  The believers were now being forced to leave the safety of their close knit fellowship, in order to take God’s message out into the world (Acts 2:24-47).

vv. 9-11 This man Simon was astonishing the people of Samaria with his magic arts [from Medo-Persia, the Magi practiced a mixture of science and superstition that included astrology, divination, occult practices].

Simon was good, he had the people believing he was God, or almost God.  Simon was himself boasting how great he was, and the people followed him, amazed.

Simon, so full of himself, was a good deceiver of others (2Tim. 3:13), “evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”  He had no room for Jesus.

Prov. 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

James 4:6 God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

vv. 12-13 Simon entertained people for his own glory, Philip preached for the glory of Christ that people might believe and be saved.   Although Simon expressed some kind of belief, and was also baptized, the priority of his focus was on the signs and wonders being performed by Philip.  Simon is a good example of the truth that baptism does not save anyone; nor does head knowledge about Jesus.  Only through a genuine heart response to the Savior by a sinner in need, can anyone receive forgiveness and eternal life.

Simon did not have saving faith, because he did not repent, as we will see in the rest of this passage.

vv. 14-17 Word got back to Jerusalem about Philip’s ministry in Samaria.  Devout Jews hated the Samaritans [half-breeds, Jew/Gentile] and it was unlikely that the Jewish Christians would believe that what God had done in Jerusalem was now being manifest in Samaria.

Peter and John went down to Samaria to check out what was happening, for many Samaritans had believed Philip’s message and had been baptized (John’s baptism), but they had not yet received the Holy Spirit.       Can you be a Christian and not have the Spirit of God?  No! There is no such thing as a Christian who does not have the Holy Spirit.

Rom. 8:9 if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

The Samaritans and Jews had hated each other for centuries.  The Spirit’s coming to the Samaritans had been delayed, for God’s plan was one Church, made up of people from all cultures and tongues.  Peter and John must give witness to the birth of the Church in Samaria, just as it had happened in Jerusalem, on behalf of the apostles, the recognized leaders of the Church.

This was a time of transition, from the Old Covenant of ritual and sacrifice, to the New Covenant of Faith and Belief in Jesus Christ.  Israel, under the Law, was a nation of people who had descended from the twelve sons of Jacob.  The Church, under Grace, is one body, made up of people from many nations (Gal. 3:28), “There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free man, neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Eph. 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of

all, who is over all and through all and in all.

When we get to chapter 10 we will find a similar event where God’s Spirit comes to the uncircumcised Gentiles, and then again, in chapter 19, to some believers under the Old Covenant, who had yet to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah even though they had been followers of John the Baptizer,

God’s desire & design for the Church is unity and oneness (Acts 2), one heart and one mind, sharing with each other, with glad and sincere hearts.

Today, all believers, no matter what nation, or culture or tongue, at the moment of genuine belief, are filled with the Spirit of God and placed into the Body of Christ.

Eph. 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—

Col. 1:18 He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church.

1Cor. 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

vv. 18-25 Simon wanted power, not salvation by faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  No one can ask forgiveness for someone else’s sins, salvation must be personally sought and personally accepted.  Everyone who calls on the name for the Lord for the forgiveness of sins will be saved; for Jesus is faithful & just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.  That is the message Philip, Peter & John preached in Samaria, resulting in the birth of the Samaritan Church.

 

Acts 8:26-40, Philip Goes on a Mission

The gospel had gone out to a multitude of Jews in Jerusalem; Jews from a variety of cultures and languages (2:5-12), at least fifteen groups mentioned there.  Because of persecution the gospel had been taken to Samaria to the half-breed Samaritans; and now, the Gospel would come to the first Gentile, delivered by Philip who had been proclaiming in Samaria.

vv. 26-29 God had set up a divine encounter between Philip (a Hellenistic Jew) an an Ethiopian eunuch who had been to Jerusalem to worship the One True God, and was now on his way home.

Just as Abraham had obeyed God by going, even though he did not know where he was going, Philip got up and went.  Understand, Philip had a very vibrant ministry going on in Samaria, and now, God tells him to leave his comfort zone and to travel south on a seldom used road in the desert that passes through the ruins of Gaza, a city that had been destroyed a hundred years earlier.

Philip obeys God and on his way he meets an Ethiopian eunuch, a man who has chosen to stay celibate, unmarried.  He has an important position overseeing the treasury of Candace, queen of Ethiopia.  Candace is a title, not a name, much like Pharoah or Caesar.

This eunuch, the Secretary of the Treasury to the queen of Ethiopia, was a genuine seeker of the truth about God and he had been in Jerusalem to Worship the True God.

On his way home this eunuch had his entourage pull over along the road so he could read and consider the Scriptures he had undoubtedly purchased in Jerusalem, at no small cost.  Riding in a chariot on poorly maintained roads was no doubt bumpy, and made for difficult reading.

vv. 30-35 The Ethiopian was reading from Isaiah 53:7-8, most likely out loud.  God sent Philip to this eunuch in order to open his spiritual eyes concerning what he was reading.

The eunuch genuinely wanted to learn more of the True God, but he has not been taught the plan and provision of God through Christ.  He asks Philip to explain the passage to him.  Philip is ready and prepared to unveil the truth of the Scriptures about the Christ, the Messiah (Isa 53:1-6).

All of us ought to be equipped and willing, as Peter wrote (1Peter 3:15, 18).  Philip begins with Isaiah 53:7-8 and explains how God sent His Own Son to be the Sacrificial Lamb, the Ultimate and Final, Once and for All sacrifice for sin.

Heb. 9:26 He [Christ] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

vv. 36-38 It would appear that Philip clearly shared the Gospel with the eunuch, who then professed genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ.  No doubt, Philip explained about baptism, for he had been baptizing the converts in Samaria, before his divine mission to encounter this eunuch.

Baptism is a believer’s first public act of obedience and identification with Christ.  As they come to a pool of water or a stream, the eunuch asks to be baptized.

If you are reading from the KJV you will have a verse 37; if you are reading the NIV you will not find verse 37; and if you are reading the NASB or NKJV you will have verse 37, but also a footnote telling you that this verse was not contained in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts.

Most Bible scholars, historians and translators believe v. 37 was added to later manuscripts, as a parenthetical thought, when more copies were made.

It would seem that some scribe tried to fill in the narrative between verse 36 and 38 [v. 37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”], for there is no doubt that the eunuch must have confessed Jesus as Lord in order to be saved and then he desired to obey and to be baptized (Acts 2:36-38).

vv. 39-40 Philip and the eunuch went down to the water together and Philip baptized him…

As they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God “snatched” Philip away; after which, the eunuch went back to Ethiopia rejoicing.

Wow! What a story this eunuch had to tell; and not only him, but what about his servants who heard Philip teach from Isaiah 53, then witnessing the eunuch’s baptism, and Philip’s disappearance into thin air.

We don’t know (from the Scriptures) what happened to the eunuch after he returned to Ethiopia; but most likely he became a missionary to the Ethiopians.

We do know what happened to Philip, however.  After being taken from the place of the baptism by God’s Spirit, he finds himself at Azotus about 20 miles north of Gaza.           From there Philip traveled along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, proclaiming the message of Christ in all the towns and villages, until he finally reached Caesarea, where he lived with his family (Acts 21:8).

As Christians, we don’t need to wait for an angel of the Lord to “send” us on a special mission, in order to serve God as witnesses of the risen Christ; (2Cor. 5:18-20) says we are reconciled to God through Christ’s death, and we are, therefore, Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.

Christians are to be bearers of God’s image and examples of God’s grace, which has come through Christ. Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness for sins and eternal life (cf. Ro. 10:9-15, 17).

No matter where we find ourselves, no mater where we might be; whether we are walking along the road to Gaza like Philip, or strolling along the beach near Waldport, we are to be willing and capable to share the simple truth taught in the Scriptures concerning Jesus Christ, God’s One and Only Son, the Lord and Savior of All.

 

Acts 9:1-22, Saul is Converted

vv. 1-2 At the same time as Philip’s encounter with the eunuch from Ethiopia, then being transported to a place 20 miles north of Gaza, and traveling up the coast to Caesara, Saul is persecuting Christians in and around Jerusalem.

Saul had received letters of authority from the high priest in Jerusalem (like a bounty hunter with wanted posters), he then headed to Damascus to round up followers of Christ to be brought back to Jerusalem in order  to stand before the Sanhedrin for sentencing (King Agrippa: Acts 26:9-11).

Christianity (v. 2) as the “Way” (19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).

John 14:6 – Jesus is the only way, truth, and life…

Acts 4:12 – The only way of salvation is through Jesus Christ.

Acts 18:26 – The only way to God is through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:19-22 – The only way into the Holy of Holies is through Christ [to be acceptable in the presence of God].

vv. 3-6 As Saul approached Damascus he had an encounter with Jesus Christ, the risen Lord and Savior.  Saul encountered the Lord in all His glory (later arrested in Rome, he speaks about this: Acts 22:3-7).  It was midday, yet the glory of the Lord outshined the noonday sun.

Why do you persecute Me?  Who are you Lord; what shall I do (Acts 22:8-11)?

Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, and every believer is a member of Christ’s body.  By attacking the believers, Saul had attacked the Lord Himself.

Jesus tells Saul to get up and to go, then he will be told what to do.  Saul was used to being in control, telling others what to do; he was now very willing to be submissive to Christ’s Lordship.

vv. 7-9 Saul’s companions heard something, but they didn’t see anything.  Evidently this vision of Christ’s presence and glory was just for him.

When Saul stood up he realized he was blind and he had to be led by the hand into Damascus.  This was not the way he had intended to come into town (cf. 8:1-3; 9:1-2).

Saul was so perplexed by all this that he didn’t eat or drink for three days.  I have no doubt that during this time Saul’s mind and heart were going through a major supernatural reconstruction (2Cor. 5:17).

Saul was in prayerful meditation and communication with God during these three days.

vv. 10-14 A believer named Ananias, no doubt well known to the believers in Damascus, was given a vision in which the Lord instructed him to seek out Saul and to restore his sight.

Ananias was concerned at first, for he knew of Saul’s persecution of the Christians in Jerusalem, and the authority that had been given to him by the chief priest to arrest anyone considered to be a follower of Christ.

Ananias was not told of Saul’s conversion, only that he was praying (v. 11) and waiting for Ananias to come and restore his sight.

vv. 15-16 The Lord commands Ananias to go, telling him that Saul belongs to Christ and that Saul will be used in a mighty way to bring the good news of the gospel to the Gentiles, even being granted audiences with kings and many opportunities to proclaim Christ to Israel.

It is also noted here that Saul’s empowerment to serve God will bring him much suffering (2Cor. 11:23-28); but Saul had no doubt that God had commissioned him and that God would equip him, providing all that what was necessary for him to complete his mission (Gal. 1:1; 2Cor 5:18-21).

vv. 17-19 Ananias goes to the house of Judas on Straight Street and asks for Saul of Tarsus.  He then places his hands on Saul and proclaims the Lord’s sovereign calling upon Saul, setting him apart for the work of the gospel.  Saul regains his sight and he is filled with the Holy Spirit; this is Saul’s commissioning ceremony (Acts 22:12-15).

The first thing Saul does is to be baptized, then he takes some food and is refueled, regaining his strength.  Saul fellowships with the believers, these fellow Jews who have now become his brothers in Christ.  For several days he enjoys sweet fellowship with them and, no doubt, talks about all that has happened.

Think about it!  Saul had set his heart on persecuting the followers of Christ and destroying the work of God through Christ; and now he has become a Christian, a true believer and follower of Jesus of Nazareth, having also been publicly baptized, giving personal testimony to his conversion.

vv. 20-22 Not only were the Christians totally shocked and amazed that God had saved this man who had so violently opposed Christ; but the Jews, especially the chief priests and teachers of the law must have been beside themselves, for now Saul was preaching in the synagogues, proving that Jesus is the Christ, instead of arresting the followers of Christ.

Saul had been trained by the best teachers of the day, and he had the finest education available; being totally immersed in Old Testament Law & Jewish Tradition.  These Jews were no match for Saul’s knowledge of the Scriptures, especially now, that he had come to genuinely understand who Jesus was, the long awaited Messiah that all the prophets had written about (1Tim. 1:12-17; Phili. 3:5-9).

Raised in a religious system of rituals, ceremonies, traditions and works, under the Law and vigorously dedicated to doing all required of him, Saul was a Roman citizen, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, trained by one of the most respected and teachers of the day [Gamaliel]).

Saul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus dissolved his heritage, education, privilege, and power, convicting him of his unrighteousness and worthlessness before God; causing him forever to trust and believe in God’s One and Only payment and provision for the forgiveness of sins, God’s Grace through Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected and coming again.

Jer 9:24; 1Cor 1:31, “let him who boasts boast in the Lord!

 

Acts 9:23-43, Christ’s death brings life to the Church

Persecution of the Church led to the spreading of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and to the outer regions of the world.

Saul, a zealous persecutor of those first Christians, has now become one: v. 15, God’s chosen instrument to bear the Lord’s name before Gentiles, Kings, and Israel  v. 20, proclaiming in the synagogues that Jesus is the Christ

v. 22, confounding the Jews with his ability to prove that Jesus is the Messiah

Acts 9:23-26… Saul’s transformation from death to life, darkness to light, blindness to sight, was so extreme that he immediately became the enemy of Judaism.  What I would like to bring to your attention here, is that although it sounds like Saul had to sneak out of Damascus and then he went to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples.  But the truth is, what occurs in these verses takes place over a 17 year period.

Gal. 1:14-17… After Saul was converted on the road to Damascus and three days later received his sight and his commission to serve the Lord, he went to Arabia for a time, more than likely, to be privately instructed by the Lord..

Saul was prepared for ministry by the Lord (vv. 16-17), not by the apostles or anyone else. And it was during a return to Damascus that the believers helped Saul get out of town through a hole in the wall, being lowered in a basket).

Gal. 1:18-23… It was three years after his conversion that he went back to Jerusalem the first time, actually staying with Cephas (Gk. Peter, Jn 1:42, changed by Jesus) for 15 days, and only interacting with James (the Lord’s half-brother).  Sual was not yet totally accepted by the apostles and the believers in Jerusalem, so, he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia to proclaim Christ; evidently having great success for (Acts 11:20-26) Barnabas was sent to check out Saul’s ministry, actually pastoring the church in Antioch for a time (the place where the followers of Christ were first called Christians).  Barnabas and Saul, later went on a missionary journey together (Acts 13:1-3), afterward they returned to Antioch (Ac 14:26), and from there they went to Jerusalem.

Gal. 2:1… It was 14 years later (17 years from his conversion) that Saul returns to Jerusalem (with Barnabas [son of encouragement] who was respected by the believers cf. Acts 4:36); Barnabas told the apostles how the Lord spoke to Saul and converted him, and how Saul had boldly proclaimed Christ in Damascus the surrounding region.

Acts 9:26-30 …  Saul was now accepted by the apostles and he moved around freely to teach about Christ throughout the city.  Saul eventually came up against the same guys who had opposed Stephen [Grecian or Hellenistic Jews].  These guys wanted to silence Saul, but some of the believers learned of their plot to kill him and took him out of the city to Caesarea and from there he sailed to Tarsus.

God sends Saul back to his hometown of Tarsus and we don’t hear of him again until the end of chapter 11.

v. 31 Saul removed, peace returns to Judea, Galilee and Samaria; but not just because of Saul’s leaving, there had been some changes made in those governing the region that led to less persecution of the church,  along with the increased work of the Holy Spirit causing the numbers of those, who were in reverent awe for God, to grow.

vv. 32-35 The last time we heard of Peter was in chapter 5, when he and John were arrested, beaten, then threatened not to speak in the name of Jesus.  But now we find Peter traveling throughout the region, currently he is at Lydda (about 20 mi. NW of Jerusalem), encouraging the believers.  Peter heals a paralytic (most likely an unbeliever) named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years; many of those who knew Aeneas, when they saw that he was healed, believed in Jesus Christ.

36-42 The town of Joppa was on the coast, about 10 miles NW of the town of  Lydda, where Peter had healed the paralytic.  When some of the believers heard that Peter was near by, they sent for him to come to Joppa.

There was a devout follower of Christ in Joppa by the name of Tabitha [Greek, Dorcas = gazalle], who had recently become ill and had died.  The family and friends of Tabitha had washed her body in preparation for burial, but had laid her in an upper room of the house and had sent for Peter to come.

Peter responds immediately and is brought to where her body was laid.  Many Christian widows are there weeping; no doubt, many had been blessed by Tabitha’s kind deeds that seem to include making clothing for those in need.

Peter clears the room, then he kneels down and prays.  Peter tells Tabitha to rise up; she opens her eyes and Peter helps her get up, he then calls the widows and other believers to come and see that Tabitha is alive.  Word of Tabitha’s resurrection quickly spreads throughout Joppa, and many people came to believe in Jesus Christ.

Peter stayed in Joppa for many days; no doubt, proclaiming Christ and healing the sick. Peter stayed at the house of a man named Simon who was a Tanner by trade.  This was no little thing, for the majority of 1st century Jews despised anyone who handled dead animals, making them unclean, unable to carry out religious rituals and duties.

Peter begins to break down the walls of prejudice and bigotry that had existed between the Jews and the Gentiles (all other peoples), since the time God called out Israel through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, from among all the peoples of the earth, to be His chosen nation, to live under the Old Covenant of Law, i.e., ritual and sacrifice.

Jesus Christ did away with the Old Covenant, stating that His death on the cross was the New Covenant, through His own shed blood and that anyone (no matter what their heritage), everyone who would trust and believe in Him would receive forgiveness for sins and eternal life.

Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and

through all and in all.

Jesus Christ is the One and Only Sacrifice for all sin, for all time; and because of Him the whole human race is no longer under a National Covenant of ritual, ceremony, and sacrifice, with the Law as our master; instead, we are under a New Covenant of Grace, which is by faith in God’s One and Only Son, who invites all men, women and children of age from every nation, culture and language, to receive forgiveness for sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected and coming again.

 

Acts 10:1-23, Whom or What Do You Serve?

vv. 1-6 Caesarea is the home of Philip (evangelist to the eunuch), it is about 30 miles north of Joppa, on the coast, and was the capital of the Roman province of Judea.

Cornelius was a Gentile and a centurion who commanded 100 Roman soldiers.  A Roman Legion had 6000 men, made up of ten regiments [cohorts or battalions] of 600 men; which were further broken down into units of 100 men, each controlled by a centurion; these guys were the backbone of the Roman Army.

Cornelius and all his household “feared” God; the term used here refers to Gentiles who had turned from pagan religions to worship the True God of Israel (cf. Mt. 8:5-13).

The Greatest Commandment deals with God & others.

Cornelius’s devotion toward God was expressed in his giving generously to Jewish people in need, and daily praying to God.  This day of prayer would be like none before and would forever change Cornelius’ life (v. 3) for God’s angel comes to prepare him to hear the Gospel of Christ.

Cornelius is commended (v. 4) for his commitment to prayer and in caring for the poor; but Cornelius desperately needs to hear and respond to the message of Christ; (vv. 5-6) he will find out what that is through a man called Peter, who is staying at Simon the Tanner’s house in Joppa.

vv. 7-8 After the angel leaves, Cornelius calls in two of his servants and his adjutant, telling them what has happened and what he wants them to do.

vv. 9-13 As the soldier and servants approach Joppa, God is preparing Peter, who is on the roof praying, about noon; he becomes aware of his hunger, at which time he falls into a trance and has a really strange vision.

Peter sees something like a large sheet being lowered, by its four corners, coming down, as it were, from heaven.  On this “sheet” are a variety of animal, bird and reptiles.

Understand, Israel had been given dietary restrictions by God, under the Law (Lev. 20:25-26). God kept Israel separate from all other nations by using restricted diets, religious observances, and many social/cultural customs, rituals, and traditions, to keep Israel from mixing with her idolatrous neighbors.

God shows Peter all sorts of clean (acceptable) and unclean (unacceptable) animals, birds, and reptiles, and then the voice says, “Kill and eat!”

vv. 14-16 Peter is horrified!  “There is no way that I am going to touch what is unclean!”  “I have always kept the dietary laws, since I was a child, how can I break them now?”

The Jews had lived under the Law for 1500 years, how could Peter even consider breaking these laws, which had been part of his daily life since he was old enough to obey.

This vision occurred two more times, the voice told Peter NOT to consider anything impure or unholy [unclean or detestable] that God has made acceptable.  This left Peter perplexed and confused about the meaning.

God was definitely abolishing the OT dietary regulations; but it was much more than that, for God was now accepting Gentiles as His people; and this was not through human ancestry, or religious ritual or dietary restrictions, but through Jesus Christ and Him alone (Mark 7:14-19; Romans 14:1-3; Colossians 2:16-17; 1Timothy 4:1-5).

vv. 17-20 Peter is bewildered and unclear as to exactly what it is that God is trying to say to him, just as it would have been for any of us.

It is easy for us to compare the Scriptures, as we just did, and then to know what God means by what He did here with the clean and unclean animals.  But Peter didn’t have the Scriptures to consult at this time; in fact what he was experiencing, saying, and doing was being recorded as God’s Word.  None of us will ever be able to say that!

God’s Spirit directs Peter to go downstairs and meet these men who have come from Caesarea, sent by God.

vv. 21-23 Peter obeys, just as Cornelius had (vv. 5-8), even though he still doesn’t’ understand what is going on.  Peter knows these men have come to find him, and that God has sent these men; but he doesn’t yet know what they want, so he asks them to tell him why they have come.

They tell Peter how their master Cornelius, a God-fearing Gentile (respected by the Jews) had received a vision from God, and in this vision he was instructed to send for Peter to come to his household, that Peter might to share a message (of great importance, no doubt) with them.

It was probably late in the day by this time, so Peter invites the three men to come in and spend the night.  Wow! God is breaking down barrier after barrier, as the Gospel goes out (Romans 1:16); neither national origin, religious ritual or social class can disqualify anyone from coming to Christ (Gal. 3:28).

Prior to the birth of the church and the spread of the Gospel, no Jew would ever invite a Gentile into their home, let alone a Roman soldier; to offer a despised Gentile lodging [to entertain as a guest] was unthinkable.

God shows no favoritism to a nation, culture or language group, for the walls of separation have been removed, just like the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple was torn open (Mark 15:37-39).  With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last; at that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped from top to bottom, and the realized and professed Jesus Christ as Lord.

No longer was there a barrier between man and God, for the curse of sin had been removed by the divine sacrifice of God’s own Son.  The old covenant through rituals and sacrifices (the Law) brought only death and was nullified; the new covenant through belief in Jesus Christ for the  forgiveness of sins and eternal life (Grace) was made effectual by the shed blood of God’s own Son: that is the Good News!  And no doubt that is the message Peter will bring to the household of Cornelius, as we will see next week.

As I finish up here today, I want to share with you what has been on my mind and heart this past week, as I have studied this passage against current events in the world.

The election is over, and we need to get on with our lives as Christians who will trust and obey God’s Word, first and foremost.  I believe we are going to be put to the test like never before in this country, and that we must become more prayerful & Biblically proactive people.

We must trust God and His Word, not our experience, abilities, heritage, resources or acquisitions; we must be humble yet bold, compassionate yet firm in our convictions.

  • After the birth of the church, Peter proclaimed Christ in Jerusalem, even though he was repeatedly arrested and beaten: should we obey God or man?
  • Stephen accused his accusers of rejecting and murdering God’s Son; after which he was dragged outside the city and stoned to death !
  • Saul was hunting down Christians, thinking he is doing what pleased God; he is struck blind for three days, then commissioned to proclaim Christ Who he had been persecuting.  He obeyed!
  • Ananias was sent to “heal” and commission Saul, who had probably come to Damascus to arrest him (dead or alive poster?), but he obeyed!
  • Saul went to Jerusalem 3 years after his conversion and stayed with Peter (they both understood eating humble pie); but the other Apostles didn’t yet accept Saul.  Saul went to other regions to serve Christ and didn’t return for another 14 years, at which time he was fully accepted and allowed to teach.
  • Peter invited a Gentile (Roman soldier) to be his guest and to spend the night; then agreed to go to the

home of a Centurion to share God’s message.

In each of the situations concerning Stephen, Saul, Ananias, and Peter, they were called to go against their own traditions and associations, not to mention to leave their comfort and safety zones, in order to obey God; but God is faithful and He provided everything they needed to accomplish their assignments victoriously.

If you are hoping to just remain comfortable in the coming months & years, and to not have to go against the flow of a godless, post-Christian society, you are going to be greatly disappointed; unless of course, you go into some kind of spiritual trance or coma until the Lord comes back.

Jesus said  (John 14:6) “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Matt. 10:33) “All men will hate you because of Me…” (John 15:19) “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world… That is why it hates you.”  (Matt. 22:21) “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

2Tim. 3:12-13  Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

1Cor. 15:58  Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves full to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Notice (v. 24) that Cornelius was waiting; in fact, he had gathered his friends and family to hear whatever message Peter  would bring to them.  Cornelius was so overwhelmed that Peter had come, that he fell down at Peter’s feet as if to worship him; but Peter immediately told him to “Get up, for I am only a man, like you!”

vv. 27-33 Peter enters the house and finds a large group of Gentiles gathered inside, waiting for him to say something.  And what does he say?  I shouldn’t even be here, for it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with a Gentile…. But! And now he expresses his understanding of the vision God had given to him in Joppa (v. 28) “that I should not call any man impure or unclean.”

Cornelius now tells Peter “why” he has been beaconed to stand before all these Gentiles.  God told Cornelius to send for Peter who would then come and deliver a message from the Lord.  Wow!  What an introduction!  I’m thinking that would be great here on Sunday mornings.  I could have one of the elders stand up and say, “Pastor Mike is here today with a message from the Lord God Almighty!”

vv. 34-38 As Peter begins to speak, he acknowledges his new realization concerning the Church: God’s intent from the very beginning was to include the Gentiles; in fact, men from every nation who respond to the message of God through Jesus Christ (Jn 10:14-16; Rom 3:29-30; Gal 3:26-29).

Cornelius has already responded in his heart to the limited knowledge he had about God (Greatest Commandment).  His desire was to know God more intimately and to serve Him.

God sent Peter to share the Gospel with these Gentiles who had been prepared by God’s Spirit (John 16:7-9), “When the Counselor [Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, because men do not believe in Me” (John 3:16, 18; 6:28-29; 8:24-25; 10:10; 14:6-7, 25-26).

Peter reminds them (v. 37) of how John appeared in the desert, calling people to repentance, preparing them to receive Jesus Christ, God’s Chosen One, sent first to Israel to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life.

Peter tells them how Jesus went around healing all who were oppressed by the devil, those who were suffering from all sorts of physical diseases and infirmities, as well as demon possession, spiritual blindness and unbelief.

Jesus, the Messiah, was fully man, yet full of God’s Spirit and Power (v. 38),”God was with Him.”  Cornelius (and company) had no doubt heard about Jesus of Nazareth, the miracles He performed throughout the region, and the “good news” He brought to all people.

vv. 39-43 Peter declares that he (and the six Jews with him) are witnesses of all that Jesus had done in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria; they had witnessed Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave.

Peter tells them how Jesus appeared to the believers after He rose from the grave, eating and drinking with them at various times & places.  God’s Word records many of the post resurrection appearances Jesus made to His followers,

Peter proclaims (vv. 42-43) how all the believers were commanded to preach, just as the prophets had testified, that Jesus was the Messiah, the Holy One from God.

vv. 44-46a Peter proclaims the Gospel, these Gentiles believe, and are immediately saved and sealed by God’s Spirit (Eph. 1:11-14); placed into the body of Christ, the Church, of which He is the Head (1Cor. 12:12-13; Col. 1:18).

The Jews who had come with Peter from Joppa couldn’t believe their eyes and ears! Gentiles in the Church, what is this?  (Isa 42:5-7; Acts 13:47).

Pentecost had come to the Gentiles; Peter and six Jewish believers were there to bear witness of how God’s Spirit had come upon and within these Gentiles at Caesarea just as it  had happened to the Jews at Jerusalem.

v. 46b-48 While the Jewish believers were considering all that was happening , Peter proclaims boldly that these Gentiles have received the Holy Spirit and therefore they ought to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

No doubt, Peter used the six Jews to do the baptizing, just as Christ had instructed them (Matt. 28:19-20).  Later on (Acts 15:7-9), Peter will again recall this momentous day.

The Gentile believers ask Peter (and the six) to stay with them for a few days, to enjoy Christian fellowship, just as the believers in Jerusalem had (Acts 2:42).

Peter probably celebrated the Lord’s supper with them and told them about all the Lord had done while He was on earth, about the resurrection appearances, about the birth of the church, and how salvation had first come to Jerusalem and was now going out to Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth.

Christianity would now begin to spread throughout the Roman world, for God had indeed come to the Gentiles!  But as we will see next week, the racial bias, religious rituals, ancestral heritage, cultural traditions, and social practices of the converted Jews will continue to cause dissension and discord, making it very difficult for the converted Gentiles as they are birthed into Church.

Last week we looked up Mark 7:14-19; Romans 14:1-3; Colossians 2:16-17; 1Timothy 4:1-5: a person’s relationship with God is based not on human ancestry, religious rituals, Sabbath days, or dietary practices; these were but a shadow, the reality is Christ, and Christ alone!

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, everyone (Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13), i.e., even your worst enemy, perhaps someone who has hurt you; or someone from another culture, lifestyle, or walk of life; poor people and wealthy people, educated people and uneducated people; people you may not normally associate with, understand, or even like; people who may hold a different political party affiliation than you do; people who voted for Obama, as well as those who voted for McCain…

Ephesians 4:1-6, ONE: Body, Spirit, Hope, LORD, Faith, Baptism, GOD over All.  Christians come in many varieties like flavors of ice cream [over 1000]; from all walks of life, from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, with many biases, personal preferences and preconceived notions…

But, if someone is a genuine Christian, one who has called upon Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, believing in Him as the only way of salvation & eternal life, that person is your brother or sister in the Lord and you are to love them (1John 3:18) “with actions & in truth,” and you are to treat them as you want to be treated (Matt. 7:12), “for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Keep in mind it is by our love for one another that we exemplify & honor the Lord.

 

Acts 11:1-30, “Gentile Believers Send Aid to Jewish Brothers”

vv. 1-3 The news of what had happened in Caesarea quickly reached Jerusalem; in fact, while Peter was enjoying fellowship with the Gentile converts, trouble was brewing among the “circumcised believers” in Jerusalem.

Peter ate with the Gentiles?  Wow!

Peter had been on a very successful, even miraculous, journey (9:32-43); he had healed Aeneas, a paralytic, in Lydda, then had raised Tabitha from the dead, in Joppa; then he had a wild vision (10:11-16) of animals, birds, and reptiles on a sheet coming down from heaven, at which time a soldier shows up asking Peter to come back with him to Caesarea, to the house of a Centurion named Cornelius; which Peter does, and subsequently shares the Gospel with a house full of Gentiles who then get saved!

After all that, Peter returns to Jerusalem only to face heated criticism about breaking Jewish tradition and law concerning mixing with Gentiles.  He could have easily pulled rank, but he doesn’t; instead, he explains to them all that had happened…

vv. 4-16 Peter gets to the crux of the story…

v. 17 What happened with the Gentiles in Caesarea was similar to what had happened to the Jews at Pentecost, with the coming of the Holy Spirit to all the Jews who had believed in Jesus Christ as the Messiah (Rom. 10:9-10; 1Cor. 15:1-4, 11b).

Peter and six Jewish brothers from Joppa witnessed the Gentiles respond to the message of Christ, being placed in the Church (1Cor. 12:12-13); Christ is the Head (Col. 1:18).

v. 18 Those accusing Peter of breaking Jewish law, were now convinced that God had indeed granted salvation, i.e., “repentance that leads to life with God,” to the Gentiles.

This was no little thing!  For 1500 years the Jews had separated themselves from all other people by way of location, religion, diet, culture, etc.  This was one of the most shocking admissions in the history of the Jews.  But this had to happen if the Jewish believers were really going to seek to evangelize Gentiles with the Gospel of Christ.

vv. 19-21 Saul led the persecution against the followers of Christ, after the stoning of Stephen (8:1-4), when believers spread to Samaria, Lydda, Joppa, Caesarea & Damascus; but also to Phoenicia (about 300 miles NW of Jerusalem, along the Mediterranean Sea), above Samaria and Galilee; to Antioch (another 200 miles north); and also to Cyprus (an island about 60 miles SW of Antioch).

The Jewish believers had scattered all over the place and were spreading the Good News of Jesus, but they had only been sharing it with Jews.  Now some Greek speaking Jews had gone to Antioch and shared the Good News of Jesus life, death, and resurrection with the Gentiles there.  The Lord’s presence, pleasure and power was with them, as is seen by the expression that a great number of people believed and came to a saving faith in Christ.

Antioch was a major metropolis; in fact, it was the 3rd largest city in the Roman Empire, along with Alexandria and Rome.  The Gospel, from here, could go out to the ends of the Roman-Gentile world, this was God’s great plan!

vv. 22-26 When word got back to Jerusalem concerning the numbers of Greeks coming to Christ, the church sent Barnabas to Antioch to check it out.  Barnabas was a man full of God’s Spirit and faith, and so he was qualified to discern the working of God among these Gentiles.

Barnabas personally witnessed the grace of God in Antioch; he rejoiced with the Gentile converts, encouraging them to continue in the faith they had received, remaining true to the Word of God (cf. John 8:31-32; 1John 2:24-25).

There were so many people coming to the Lord that Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Saul and bring him back to help disciple the new believers (Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14).

For an entire year Saul and Barnabas taught the believers – equipping and encouraging them — to grow in their knowledge, application and obedience to God’s Word.

The disciples (v. 26,) were first called Christians here in Antioch (26:28; 1Pet. 4:16); it seems to have come from outside the church, first a disparaging nickname, with the meaning of “Christ’s followers,” or “those of the household of Christ,” perhaps because of the mixture of Jews and Gentiles in close fellowship, which was incomprehensible to those outside the church, both Jew and Gentile alike.

vv. 27-30 The Gentile Christians would now be required to show their love toward their Jewish brothers.  From Jerusalem came a prophet, Agabus, proclaiming a severe famine [Tacitus & Josephus record that, during the reign of Claudius, there was a great famine in Israel, A.D. 45-46)

The Antioch Church responded immediately as believers gathered relief supplies “each according to his own ability,” and then sent these to their Christian brothers in Judea, by way of Barnabas and Saul, their two best men.

The Church was birthed in Jerusalem, salvation had gone out to Jews in Judea and Samaria, then, as we have seen, to Gentiles in the outer parts of the earth.  Now, these Gentiles were sending provisions to the Church in Israel.

The walls created by ancestral heritage, religious rituals, cultural traditions and social practices, had kept the Jews and Gentiles irreconcilably separated for 1500 years; but now, through Christ, God has (Eph. 2:14), “made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” God’s purpose was (v. 16) “to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility,” (v. 22), “And in [Christ] [they] are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”

Eph. 4:4-6  One Body, Spirit, Hope, Lord, Faith, Baptism, God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Jn 13:34-35 Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (Mk. 12:30-31)

1Jn 3:18 And  let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

 

Acts 12:1-25, “Are You Opposing God?”

vv. 1-2 Herod Agrippa the 1st is one of many Herods.  It was his Grandfather, Herod the Great, who tried to kill baby Jesus but was put to death himself by God (Matt. 2).  Herod the Great had seven sons, I believe he killed three of them, one of them died about ten years after his own death, and the three surviving sons divided Herod’s kingdom: Archelaus took the region of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; Philip II took the regions north of Galilee; and Herod Antipas ruled the region around Galilee.

It was Herod Antipas who had John the Baptist beheaded to please his adulterous sister-in-law Herodias (Matthew 14:1-12), and it was in front of Herod Antipas that Jesus stood for trial the morning of His arrest, after which He went to Pilot and was then crucified (Luke 23:6-15).

It is Herod the Great’s grandson, Herod Agrippa who kills the apostle James, then has Peter arrested (vv. 3-19).

When Saul was persecuting the church in Acts 9, he was confronted by the Lord while on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians (v. 4), “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  When someone attacks God’s people he is coming against God Himself. Herod should have learned from the history of his family, that it wasn’t profitable to fight against God.

vv. 3-4 When Herod saw how excited the Jews got at the murder of James, he then goes after Peter; in fact, he uses 16 soldiers to guard this one lowly fisherman (John 18).

Herod persecutes the Church in order to gain support of the religious leaders in Jerusalem who were plagued by Christians, it was beneficial for Herod to do this favor for the Jews and in so doing, to show Caesar he had his territory under control.

The Sanhedrin didn’t want to have to arrest Peter and try to question him; it would be like Larry King trying to interview Franklin Graham while keeping him from sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

vv. 5-10 Peter was a powerful and dynamic leader in the church, if Herod could do away with him, it may quiet the Christian uprising.

Herod’s plan (v. 4) was to bring Peter out for a public trial and conviction, but not until Passover was over.  Herod didn’t want his audience to be distracted by all these religious ceremonies, so Herod made sure Peter was kept secure, by 16 soldiers guarding him in prison, until after the Holy Days had concluded.  He had Peter chained between two soldiers, deep in the prison cells, behind bars, iron gates, and more soldiers standing guard.

The first thing the church did was to pray, earnestly, intensely, i.e., making a total effort [1Pet. 4:8, love; Acts 26:7, serve).  Peter was sleeping (v. 6), God sends an angel to wake him up, “Get up! Get dressed, let’s go!”  Peter’s chains fall off and he follows the angel out of prison: doors and gates magically open (v. 9), “is this really happening or it is another one of those visions” (like in Joppa).

vv. 11-17 Peter is standing out in the middle of the street when he realizes he is not dreaming, he is out of jail.  He goes to his friends’ house, and they are still praying for him, fearful that he might be put to death by Herod, just as James was.

Peter knocks, Rhoda, the servant girl, goes to the door and recognizes Peter’s voice; but instead of letting him in, she runs back to the group and exclaims that Peter is here.  The believers think she must be crazy, but she persists, so they say it must be his angel.

All this time, Peter is at the door, knocking, no doubt looking up and down the street to see if the soldiers are coming after him. “Hey guys, open up, its me, come on, let me in.”

They finally open the door and are astonished that Peter was safe.  Peter motions for them to be quiet (“it’s the middle of the night, we don’t need to draw attention to the soldiers”), he tells them how God’s angel released him, encouraging them to know that God still answers prayer.  Peter tells these 30-40 witnesses to make sure that James and to all the brothers are told of this; he then departed to another place. Where? The Bible doesn’t tell us. The Catholic Church says Peter went to Rome and started the Roman Catholic Church, but there is no evidence to even suggest that to be true.

vv. 18-19a The next morning when Herod found out Peter had escaped, he made a search, questioned the guards, then executed them, the penalty for a soldier losing his prisoner.

vv. 19b-23 Herod’s popularity with the Jews evaporated with the escape of Peter, so Herod heads for the coastal town of Caesarea.

There had evidently been some friction between Herod and the two cities of Tyre and Sidon, both of which had excellent harbors; perhaps they were charging heavy tariffs for import and export goods.  Herod cut off their food supplies from Galilee.

The city officials arranged an audience with Herod, who was all decked out in his royal attire, perched up on his royal throne, and then he spoke to them. The people were exclaiming, “It is the voice of a god, not a man.” Herod ate this up and He did nothing to dissuade their praise. Not good! God shares His glory with no one.

God’s angel filled Herod with worms. Josephus says he suffered for five days before he died. What a terrible way to die. God is a jealous God who detests pride, and Who alone is worthy of praise.

vv. 24-25 Herod’s opposition to the church resulted in more growth. Anyone fighting against God’s plan and purpose in Christ is a fool.  God’s punishment can’t be avoided, and His purpose will prevail.

America bans God from schools, marketplaces, government.  In doing so it places itself against God. Jesus said (Matt. 16:18), “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”  God’s purpose and plan through Christ is to save anyone who will believe in and receive Jesus as Savior & Lord.

If you have not asked Jesus Christ to forgive your sins, you are opposing God. You may be thinking, “wait a minute. I mean, I’ve never really asked Jesus to forgive my sins, but I have never openly opposed God. Think again, Jesus said (Matt. 121:30), “He who is not with me is against me!”  If you cannot say with total assurance that you belong to God, and that you have received His forgiveness and eternal life, you are in opposition to God’s plan, for (Tim. 2:3-4), “God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (John 14:6).

John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.

John 10:10 I am the good shepherd. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.

People gamble with relationships, health, finances; all of these can bring disastrous consequences; but to gamble with eternity will bring eternal consequences, and there is no reason to do so.

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he

has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Everyone who calls on Jesus Christ for forgiveness will be saved!

1John 5:11-13 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

 

Acts 13:1-12, Learning from the Antioch Church

Intro: Some churches today are way too focused on human comfort, i.e., latte bars, plush furnishings, cafes, recreation centers, etc.  Other churches are too focused on human services, i.e., soup kitchens, clothing rooms, food pantries, counseling centers, day care facilities.

Antioch was a biblically balanced church i.e., its priorities and practices, Antioch was the premier church plant within the boundaries of the Gentile world (11:19-30):

  • Hellenistic Jews take the message to Antioch, v. 20
  • Many Gentiles believe, v. 21
  • Barnabas & Paul taught them, vv. 25-26
  • Gentile believers send relief to their Jewish brothers,

during the famine of 46 A.D., v. 29

The believers in the church at Antioch were obedient to God’s word and God’s will through accurate biblical teaching  that equipped them to understand and apply God’s Word to their lives (Eph. 5:15-6:9; Col. 3:15-4:1); this is very critical to the church today (2Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17).

vv. 1-3 Barnabas “son of encouragement” [Acts 4:36, Joseph) was a Levite from Cyprus.  Simeon “Niger” = black, was African. Lucius was from Cyrene], Manaen [was raised in Herod’s, household i.e., “foster brother”], and Saul.

These prophets & teachers (handout) were worshiping [“ministering,” carrying out their priestly service] and fasting.  Nowhere in Scripture are believers ever commanded to fast; but if they do fast, it must be done with humility and for reasons of spiritual conviction/intercession (Mt. 6:16-18).

God set apart Barnabas and Saul for a special mission (confirmed by the Holy Spirit); the believers placed their hands on them, releasing them to go on their mission.

vv. 4-5 B & S went to Seleucia and sailed to the island of Cyprus, porting at Salamis (2nd largest city) at the NE corner of the island.  They proclaimed the Word of God in the synagogues, to the Jews, and John (Barnabas’s cousin, Acts 12:12, 25, “John Mark,” author of Mark) was helping them.

vv. 6-8 Barnabas & Saul traveled across Cyprus to Paphos (the capital city), on the SW coast, proclaiming the Word of God as they went; when they reached Paphos, they were confronted by a sorcerer and false prophet (Bar-Jesus), an attendant to the pro consul of Cyprus [Sergius Paulus].

Evidently, Sergius is interested in hearing what Barnabas & Saul have been proclaiming across Cyprus, so he sends for them.  Bar-Jesus [Elymas – Greek transliteration of Arabic word for magician/sorcerer] tries to dissuade Sergius from having them come.

vv. 9-11 Saul [Heb. God has given] or Paul [Gk. little or small] were both his names, probably since birth; with his focus now toward Gentiles, he took his Roman name.

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, confronts and condemns this sorcerer/false prophet for his wickedness and deceit.  Paul calls him a son of the devil and enemy of righteousness, or an opponent of God.  This magician’s major problem is that he is spiritually blind (2Cor. 4:4-6; Eph. 4:17-18).

Bar-Jesus or Elymas as he is also called, is already spiritually blind; Paul tells him (v. 11) that the Lord is going to make him blind “for a time,” and he will be “unable to see the light of the sun.”

God is really merciful to this son of the devil who is trying to pervert the work of the Lord here in Paphos.  I mean, God could have just blinded him forever; but instead, God temporarily blinds this man, to let him know that the God of Barnabas and Paul is Almighty God, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.

Barnabas and Paul were obedient to the Lord, expressing boldness and courage as they confronted this servant of the Devil.  Paul knew all too well about being blinded by God and having to be led by the hand (like a child) by someone else.  Perhaps later Paul told Bar-Jesus about his own experience on the road to Damascus?

v. 12 Sergius Paulus was, no doubt, an eyewitness to this interchange between Bar-Jesus and Paul, and the subsequent blinding of this sorcerer; but it was Paul’s teaching about the Lord that caused Sergius to believe, not the miracle of blinding Bar-Jesus.  Awesome, one man is blinded the other man is given his “sight”.

The Church at Antioch, from which Barnabas and Paul had come, is a great example of what a church should be and do; they set apart godly men to serve in carrying out the mission and ministry of equipping believers, while evangelizing all who would listen to the Gospel of Christ.

The Antioch Church exemplified what all believers need to know and do (Acts 11:25-26, 29-30).

  • 13:2-3  …growing intimacy with God as we spend time with Him in prayer, in His Word, among His people
  • 13:4-7  …sharing the relationship we have with God, with others, because we care enough to share
  • 13:8 …expecting to have conflict and even confrontation concerning the Message we bring, i.e., Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected, and coming again, the Lord and Savior of all.
  • 13:9-11  …trusting in God’s power, presence & protection, as we face opposition
  • 13:12  …witnessing God’s victory over sin, death &

judgment, as people respond to the Gospel of Christ.

We can learn true biblical balance from the Antioch Church, for it was this group of believers who started the whole Gentile evangelism thing.  The believers at Antioch were taught and discipled, then they began taking the Gospel to the outermost parts of the world.

Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27… “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Those who have genuinely come to know God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, will grow in the grace and knowledge of Him who has saved us; reaching out to love others on His behalf, that they too might come to believe in and receive Him as Savior and Lord; that is exactly what our ministry and mission is to be, as we serve God together, in Waldport, Oregon, or wherever we might be.

 

Acts 13:13-41, The Priority of the Message

vv. 13-15 From Paphos (SW coast of Cyprus) Paul, Barnabas and John sail to Perga (200 mi N), one of the major cities in the Roman Province of Pamphylia.         Evidently John departed from there to head back to Jerusalem (cf. 15:36-40; Col. 4:10-11; 2Tim. 4:11).

Barnabas and Paul continued on to mountainous regioin of Pisidian Antioch (modern Turkey) not the Antioch that we talked about last week, which is in Syria, just above modern Lebanon.

v. 16 This is the first of Paul’s sermons that is recorded in Acts, although he had been preaching and teaching since his conversion in Damascus (9:20).

Proclaiming and explaining God’s Word was Paul’s priority and is expressed all through the New Testament: to the believers in Rome (Rom. 10:14); to Timothy (2Tim. 4:2; and to Titus (Titus 2:1, 15).

I can’t emphasize this strongly enough: accurate, authoritative and applicable teaching is to be at the very center of church life and function (Heb 4:12-13).

Remember the powerful preaching of Peter (Acts 2:22-24, 36-38, 40-42, 44-47)?  Paul (v. 16), stands and addressed the Jews (men of Israel) and any Gentile converts to Judaism (Gentiles who worship “fear” God).           Paul’s message [the Lordship of Christ] would be the most important thing these men would ever hear.

vv. 17-25 Paul tells them how Jesus is the fulfillment of all history and that He has come through Israel, as God determined to work first through the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph), who would ultimately point to Christ.

God cared for Israel during their time of bondage in Egypt (v. 17), freeing them and leading them through the desert, provided for them.

God put up with Israel’s sin and rebellion, patiently, for He planned to use them in a mighty way to carry out His plan and purpose to be fulfilled in Christ.

400 years of slavery in Egypt; 40 years wandering through the desert; 10 years from the time they crossed the Jordan until the land was divided up in Canaan

After Israel was set up in the land of Canaan, God gave them judges [leaders] (Joshua 21:25-1Samuel 1:7) until the time He sent them Samuel, a prophet.  Samuel (1:8) anointed the first king over Israel, Saul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin (v. 21).  Saul ruled for forty years.

God removed Saul (v. 22) and placed David as king over Israel, for David was a man with a heart after God who would ultimately obey and carry out His will.

David was guilty of many sins and ineptitudes: he was a coward (1Sam 21:10-22:1); an adulterer (2Sam 11:1-4); a murderer (2Sam 12:9); God knew David’s heart and that he would earnestly repent (1Sam 13:14).

God’s Messiah came through the bloodline of David (v. 23); He would be born in Bethlehem, He would be God’s Son, wearing human flesh, Lord and Savior of all.

Before Jesus started His ministry, a man named John, (the baptizer) bold and full of conviction, was chosen by God to call Israel to repentance, preparing them to receive the Savior, God’s Son, by admitting their sins.

John was also humble (v. 25) and he made it clear that he was not the Messiah; in fact, he wasn’t even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals (duty of a slave).  This combination of boldness and humility, compassion and conviction, was also understood by Paul, for although he had impeccable credentials, considered himself a bond slave of Jesus Christ {Phil 3:4-6; Acts 22:27-28).

John the baptizer is the very first person mentioned in the New Testament who preached that all men need to repent and seek forgiveness (Mk 1:4-5).

vv. 26-31 Paul makes the point that the Gospel is for all who will believe, Jew and Gentile alike (Rom 1:16).  Paul proclaims this message.

Paul makes it clear (v. 27) that Israel and its rulers rejected God’s Son, as taught by the prophets (Is 53:3), the Messiah would be “despised and rejected by men.”

Paul proclaims Jesus was innocent, yet (v. 28) the Jews incited Pilate to have Him executed, like a criminal.  But God He raised Jesus up, just like He had promised (Lk 24:46-48; Acts 2:23-24); then Jesus made appearances to many of His followers (1Cor 15:1-11).

vv. 32-35 Paul is a witness of Christ’s resurrection, and a receiver of the Good News.  And he wants his listeners to understand that this all happened just as God said it would: God’s Son laid down His life for our sins and then taok it up again, by His own authority (John 10:17-18).

vv. 36-37 David, as great as was, died, and his body remained in the grave only to decay.  God’s Son died, was buried, and then came out of the grave, alive.

vv. 38-41 Jesus promises that everyone who believes in Him has eternal life (Jn 10:28; Acts 2:21; Ro 10:13); the priority of the Message we share with unbelievers must be Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected, coming again, for He alone fulfilled and achieved what the law was unable to accomplish, forgiveness for sins & eternal life.

 

Acts 13:42-52, “The Gospel Demands a Response”

Last week we studied how Paul made the Gospel very clear to his listening audience, urging them to accept the message of Christ and not to reject it.

Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

The word translated “power” is the word dunamis, from which we get our word dynamite.  God’s Word is meant to transform those who genuinely believe and the flip side is that it often infuriates those who reject it; for the offer of forgiveness demands a response.

When John came, calling the Jews to repent and seek forgiveness from God, the religious leaders sent representatives to question him by what right he was confronting them about sin (John 1:19-22; Matt.  3:3).

When Peter preached in the streets of Jerusalem he set the whole city into an uproar that resulted in the persecution of the apostles (James killed, Peter imprisoned).  Stephen’s sermon (Ch. 7) got him killed and persecution broke out against the whole church, so they scattered all over Samaria, Judea and north.

Throughout the book of Acts, whenever the gospel is preached there is conflict and strife; Paul and Barnabas were confronted by a Jewish sorcerer in Paphos (13:8).

Amazingly, it was the Jews, God’s chosen people, the ancestors of Jesus Christ who opposed Him so vehemently, ultimately rejecting Him, as John wrote

(1:11-12), “He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to

become children of God.”

Jesus was repeatedly confronted by the Jewish religious authorities, who finally had Him executed.

vv. 42-44 It would seem that the initial response to Paul’s teaching in the synagogue was favorable.  The people seemed taken by what they heard and they wanted to hear more, next Sabbath.

Some of the people, Jews and devout converts (circumcised Gentiles) to Judaism talked with Paul and Barnabas as they walked through Antioch, no doubt intrigued by Paul’s overview of how God had cared for Israel through kings and prophets, to bring them Christ.

Paul & Barnabas urge them (v. 43) to continue in the grace of God, for evidently some of them professed to believe and now needed to validate their profession through perseverance (John 8:31; 15:1-8; 1John 2:19).

The assurance of salvation is God’s gift through the presence of His HHkkkHoly Spirit to every person who believes in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. (John 14:16-17, 25-26; Romans 10:9-10; 2Corinthians 5:17; 13:5; Ephesians 1:13; 1John 5:11-13).

Some of the folks who had responded to Paul’s teaching had evidently ignited an interest within the city (v. 44), for a large crowd gathered on the next Sabbath to hear the Word of the Lord.

Paul & Barnabas were not teaching on social issues, contemporary topics, current events, politics, religion, or self-esteem; they were simply proclaiming God’s Word (v. 44) the priority Message: Christ!

vv. 45-49 Amazing!  The Jewish authorities are jealous because people are actually responding to the free gift of eternal life.  This is really going to mess up the sale of bona fide, stamped and approved sacrificial animals, not to mention all the $$ given as sin offerings.

Paul boldly states that they had to preach the word first to the Jews, even though they would reject Christ, bringing judgment upon themselves for their unbelief.          Paul now (v. 47) quotes Isaiah 49:6, at which the Gentiles are very excited and give honor to God by believing in His salvation (John 5:39-40; 8:24; 10:30).

Genuine salvation is always followed by evangelism, because those who are saved desire to share their faith, and that is what happens here (v. 49); it would seem that it was mostly Gentiles who responded to
God’s Word, and became spirit-filled believers who were now spreading God’s Word throughout the area.

vv. 50-52 While the Gentiles were accepting the truth of God, the Jews were inciting the most prominent, respected, and influential men and women of the city to come against Paul and Barnabas, by convincing the local authorities to run them out of town, but probably not until after they were beaten (2Timothy 3:11).

AS Paul and Barnabas are forced to leave, they kick the dirt from their sandals in protest to the unbelief that exists among these Jews, just as the early disciples did when Jesus sent them out two by two (Luke 10:10-12).

Jesus said (Luke 11:23) “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters,” (v. 28) “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (John 3:16-18; 14:6). Truth or Consequences?  Life or Death?

Believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior brings forgiveness for sin and eternal life; rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior brings a guilty verdict for sin: eternal death and damnation in hell.

The Gospel [Jesus Christ, God’s One and Only Son: crucified, resurrected, and coming again] demands a response.  Who have you shared your confession of faith with lately? Are you sincerely willing to share Christ with unbelievers?  God desires and deserves your affirmative response to that question.

 

Acts 14:1-18, “Boldness, Seasoned with Humility”

vv. 1-7 Paul and Barnabas departed Pisidian Antioch (Turkey) after being forced out (13:50-51).  They went to Iconium (80 miles SE of PA) and began to preach in the Synagogue there; proclaiming God’s Word mightily, many Jews and Gentiles believed and were saved.

Not surprisingly, the Jews rejected the message of Christ, inciting the Gentiles, to come against Paul and Barnabas.  Paul and Barnabas were very bold in their proclamation and defense of the Gospel, and God empowered them to perform great signs and wonders.

The combination of miraculous signs and powerful preaching caused a great division among the people with battle lines being drawn; some of the people sided with the Jews and some with the apostles [those sent, messengers; Barnabas wasn’t a true Apostle (1:21-22).

The Jews wanted to beat & silence Paul & Barnabas (v. 5, stoning was a Jewish form of execution, usually for blasphemy (Stephen (Acts 6:11), Jesus  (John 10:33); but Paul and Barnabas were aware of this danger, and they fled (not out of fear, but wisdom).  “He that fights and runs away, may turn and fight another day; but he that is in battle slain, will never rise to fight again.” ~Tacitus (A.D. 56-117).

Lystra is 18 miles S of Iconium, Derbe another 80 mi SE). Lystra had a small Jewish population, no synagogue.  Timothy was from Lystra, his godly mother (Eunice), grandmother (Lois), Greek father (Acts 16:1; 2Tim 1:5).

vv. 8-10 One of the miracles God allowed Paul to do was to heal a crippled man who had been from birth.  P & B were most likely in the market place where this man heard and believed the Good News, placing his faith and trust in Jesus.  Paul singles him out (v. 10), “Stand up!”  The man jumped up and began to walk (3:8-10, “jumping and leaping and praising God!”).

vv. 11-13 The people are so amazed and impressed by this healing, that they begin shouting out that Paul and Barnabas are gods (v. 12): Barnabas they call Zeus – distinguished appearance; Paul (chief speaker) they call Hermes (messenger of the God’s).

Tradition says Zeus & Hermes came to earth (Lystra) as men asking for food and lodging; everyone refused them except an old peasant (Philemon) & his wife (Baucis); Zeus and Hermes caused a flood that killed everyone else, and turned Philemon and Baucis’ cottage into a beautiful temple of which they served as priest & priestess, until death [two trees].

The people didn’t want to replay Zeus & Hermes first visit; in fact, the priest from the Temple of Zeus (just outside the city) brought in animals to sacrifice to P & B.

vv. 14-18 The people were praising Paul & Barnabas as God’s; causing P & B to tear their robes; this is a Jewish expression of horror and revulsion usually in response to blasphemy (Mt 26:65-66, Jesus before Caiaphas).

Paul & Barnabas confront the people exhorting them to “stop” this futility and nonsense.

“We are not Gods! We are just men like you, and we are here to tell you to turn away from these worthless and hopeless idolatries,” i.e., all religion is useless apart from the knowledge of the one true God – maker of the heavens, the earth, the seas and all that is in them.

Paul urgently appeals to them, not on behalf of the OT God of Israel, but on behalf of the Creator & Originator of all that exists, i.e., making it clear that they are responsible to acknowledge His creation and to worship Him, for the evidence itself confirms Intelligent Design (Ps 19:1-4; Ro 1:18-23).

Special revelation came to Israel through the OT Scriptures, and those outside of Israel were only given general revelation.  But that all ended with the coming of Christ, for now God’s revelation about Himself has gone out to the whole world (Lk 24:44-49; Heb 1:1-4).

God’s provision of rain, trees, flowers, fruit, seasons, sunrises & sunsets, mountains, rivers, birds, animals, fish, insects, etc., is general revelation that demands a response to God’s creation, which clearly points to God’s existence (Ro 1:18-23); all those who reject Him as Creator will be condemned by Him through Christ who is Judge over all (Rom 2:16; Phili 2:9-11; Rev 1:8, 17).

Paul & Barnabas were very bold for Christ, and yet their boldness was seasoned by godly humility.

Although Paul and Barnabas were bold servants of God, their boldness was seasoned by their humility; for they understood that God and God alone is worthy of praise.  Many of today’s TV preachers and “evangelists,” would have gladly allowed the people of Lystra to make sacrifices to them and to worship them, perhaps even to make little statues or bobble heads of them, or to have an imprint of their faces put on special religious items to be given places of honor in their houses and in the marketplace.

1Cor. 1:31 Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.

1Cor 2:1-5 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s

wisdom, but on God’s power.

Col 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

 

Acts 14:19-28, “Love God, Love Others on His Behalf“

vv. 19-20 It is unclear as to whether the Jews had come in search of Paul and Barnabas or were just traveling to Lystra for some other reason.  Either way, when they found Paul and Barnabas proclaiming Jesus Christ they were very aggressive and effective at turning the crowd against Paul and Barnabas; this is the same crowd that had wanted to worship them, and now they came against Paul, stoning him.

Those who stoned Paul left him for dead outside the city; but evidently some of those who had believed the gospel message came to take Paul’s body away for burial, to their surprise he wasn’t dead.

Paul got up and went back into the city, no doubt to recuperate over night; for the next day he and Barnabas headed out on a 40 mile journey toward Derbe.

vv. 21-23 After powerfully proclaiming Jesus and winning many converts to Christianity, Paul and Barnabas returned to the new converts in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, to disciple and nurture them.

As good shepherds of God’s flock and servants of Christ, Paul and Barnabas worked at strengthening the believers for the persecution they would undoubtedly face in this anti-Christ environment.

Paul and Barnabas encouraged, equipped and exhorted the believers to remain true to Christ and to obey God’s Word.  Perseverance is a very essential trait of genuine belief, so Paul and Barnabas warn them of the hardships they will experience as true followers of Christ (John 16:33; 2Timothy 3:10-12;1Peter 5:10-11).

Paul and Barnabas must continue to take the gospel to other cities, so they approve and set apart elders to oversee, lead, and nurture the believers in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch.

It is only after much prayer and fasting that Paul and Barnabas appoint shepherds to care for these new believers, and after trusting them to the Lord, in whom they had believed, Paul and Barnabas are now able to leave for home, mission completed.

vv. 24-28 Paul and Barnabas now travel through Pisidia to Perga in Pamphylia, and there they proclaim Christ.  It would seem that they had not preached in Perga their first time through (13:13-14) after having sailed up from Paphos on the island of Cyprus; the place where John left them and returned to Jerusalem, while they went up to Psidian Antioch and preached, only to be thrown out of town and head for Antioch (13:50-51).

After preaching in Perga (v. 25) they travel to Attalia on the coast, and book passage to Antioch (Syria).

Antioch is the home church of Paul and Barnabas, and the place from which that had originally set off on their missionary journey (13:2-4).

Paul and Barnabas now return home to report to the church all that has happened on their journey:

  • Paphos (13:6-12)
  • Pisidian Antioch (13:32, 38-39, 45, 50-51)
  • Iconium (14:1-2, 5-7)
  • Lystra (14:8-13, 19)
  • Derbe (14:20-21)

Paul and Barnabas had seen, done and experienced many great things, many had come to Christ through the Word of God, and they had been empowered to do miracles that pointed to God.

When they gave their report to the church, the priority of their report was not about themselves (v. 27), but about what God had done through them, opening the door of salvation to the Gentiles.

All honor, glory and praise went to God, not to God’s servants.  This is what makes Paul and Barnabas great, their recognition of God’s priority, presence and power, not their own.

Their example to us is clear, as John writes (1John 2:6), “Whoever claims to live in Him [God] must walk [live and act] as Jesus did”; (Mark 10:45), “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for man.”

God’s servants are to be bold, yet humble; full of conviction, yet compassionate; strong in God’s power, yet submissive to God’s Word and Will.

So what can we learn from Paul and Barnabas in reference to the way we are to serve Christ, to live out our lives for Him?  What is our main purpose?

Mark 12: 28-31 One of the teachers [an expert] of the law… asked Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, is this: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart [identity] and with all your soul [emotions] and with all your mind [intent and purpose] and with all your strength’ [physical capabilities].  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor [treat others] as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

God doesn’t want us just to “believe” or just to “obey,” He wants our love, i.e., our commitment to Him with our whole identity, everything that is within us, our emotions, the very intent and purpose of what we set our mind on, and with our bodies, serving Him with all our strength as living sacrifices, in order to worship Him; caring for others in need, as we care for ourselves.

In doing this we fulfill all the laws of God and all the laws of society, for our full duty in this life is reduced to these two issues; loving God completely and loving others as God has loved us in and through Christ.

That is our purpose and to that end we are to serve together, bringing honor and glory to God

 

Acts 15:1-35, “Law or Grace”

Since the very early days of the church, false teachers have attempted to subvert the completed work of Christ by adding laws & rituals to the message of salvation by grace.

All the false religions of the world have this in common, “human works” must be done in to get right with God; and so it isn’t surprising that legalists have always tried to control religion by adding requirements to finished work of Christ.

vv. 1-4 Paul and Barnabas strongly oppose these heretics, debating them openly; the church sends Paul, Barnabas, and others to Jerusalem, where these false teachers came from, that they might confer with the apostles and elders!

Paul and Barnabas, sent on their way, travel through Phoenicia and Samaria, teaching that Gentiles have been saved through grace just as the Jews were.

When they reached Jerusalem they reported all that God was doing to save Jew & Gentile alike, through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by works.

vv. 5-11 Evidently some Pharisees who had been saved, were adding to genuine belief, circumcision and the Law of Moses.

The apostles and elders discussed this question at length in order to determine exactly what was necessary for salvation, according to the teaching of the Lord.

Peter addresses the leaders (v. 7), hearing and believing the gospel alone is all that is necessary for salvation, for God knows a man’s heart and to genuine belief God grants the gift of the Holy Spirit, whether a man is a Jew or a Gentile.

God cleanses our heart by faith (1John 1:8-9), nothing more is needed for salvation (v. 11), for it is by grace that we are saved just as we are.

vv. 12-18 Everyone was silent as Barnabas and Paul told all that God had done on their missionary journey; how God had confirmed their teaching with miracles.

When they were finished speaking, James (the Lord’s brother) reminds those listening that God chose to take from the Gentiles a people for Himself, a people outside of Israel, just as they were, without having to obey the Laws of Moses and the traditions of Israel; i.e., Judaism is not necessary for salvation.

James continues, recalling how Simon Peter reported His experience with Cornelius (chap 10) to Jerusalem (chap 11); preaching that salvation by grace had indeed come to the Gentiles (11:18), “to whom God had granted repentance that leads to eternal life.”

James now quotes Amos 9:11-12 (750 B.C.), citing that the prophets agree with what he is saying, God always intended to save the Gentiles; Isaiah 49:6 says Israel would be a light to the Gentiles in order that salvation might be brought to the end of the world (Acts 13:47).

vv. 19-21 James states that Gentile converts should not be burdened by legalistic law keeping and rituals, no one should.  James (v. 20) says the leaders of the church ought to write a letter to the Gentile believers to straighten out this wrong teaching; and in that letter to alert them to the following expectations (for the purpose of peace:

1.  Abstain from foods offered to pagan Gods (idols), often sold in the local markets. Idolatry was serious to the Jews, whose idolatrous ancestors had brought destruction upon Israel (Exodus 20:3; 34:17; Deut. 5:7; 2Kings 17:7-18; 2Ch. 36:14-16).

2.  Abstain from sexual sins, often associated with pagan worship; marrying close relatives.

3.  Abstain from strangled animals and blood, both dietary prohibitions for the Jews (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; 7:26; 17:12; Deut. 12:16; 15:23).

James was trying to keep peace so that the Jews didn’t impose legalistic rituals upon the Gentiles, and the Gentiles didn’t offend the Jews with their freedom to eat certain things that were knowingly offensive to them (v. 21).

James was trying to make and keep peace so that the Jewish and Gentile believers could socialize and fellowship with one another, without flaunting their own freedoms or placing their legalistic practices upon one another.

vv. 22-29 The apostles, elders, together with the church, determined to send representatives to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, along with a letter, in order to put to rest the dissension caused by the false teachers who had come down from Judea teaching that Gentiles must obey the Law of Moses and be circumcised and in order to be saved.

Judas and Silas, both respected leaders in the Jerusalem church, were chosen to go with Paul and Barnabas to their home church in Antioch.  The letter (v. 23) addresses the Gentiles as brothers, and (v. 24) makes it clear that the men who had come down from Judea, teaching adherence to the Law of Moses and circumcision, did so without the authority or approval of the leadership in Jerusalem.

The letter was meant to help bring peace between the Jews and Gentiles, so that they could fellowship together; without imposing their personal preferences & pet peeves on one another, and without purposefully offending one another’s cultural traditions or practices.

Jesus said (John 8:31-32), “If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  Traditions & rituals enslave!

Notice (v. 29) “you will do well to avoid these things.”

vv. 30-35 Paul, Barnabas, Judas and Silas go to Antioch and address the congregation, reading the letter to them, at which the people rejoice and are encouraged by it.

Judas and Silas speak to the people as brothers and sisters in Christ, proclaiming a message to them, and visiting with them for a time, before then heading home.

[v. 34, But it seemed good to Silas to remain there]

Paul & Barnabas stayed to proclaim and teach the believers with the Word of the Lord, specifically, that salvation is God’s gift that can’t be earned (Eph, 2:8-9).

Let us not make the mistake of placing our own personal preferences, convictions, or pet peeves, on others, as if our likes and/or dislikes are somehow equal to God’s Word.

Christian Jews and Gentiles are from very different cultures and societies; Satan attempted to divide them along racial and cultural lines, using false teaching about salvation; but the leaders (P, B, P, J) walked, talked &obeyed the truth, encouraging, strengthening and unifying the believers around this: it is by grace alone that we are saved.

 

Acts 15:36-16:5, “What you do? Who You Know?”

Paul, Barnabas, Judas and Silas had come from Jerusalem to Antioch with a letter from the Apostles and Elders, to be read aloud in front of the congregation of believers.  The letter contained certain requirements that would help bring and keep peace between the Jewish and Gentile believers.

–       abstain from food sacrificed to idols

–       abstain from the meat of strangled animals and any meat with the blood still in it

–       abstain from offensive sexual practices

After delivering the letter and encouraging the believers, Judas headed back to Jerusalem, but Paul and Barnabas stayed to teach and preach the word of the Lord.

[v. 34, But it seemed good to Silas to remain there]

vv. 36-41 Paul sensed the need to go back to the towns he and Barnabas had visited during their first missionary journey, in order to see how the churches were doing, i.e., especially to check on the growth and maturity of the new believers.

A church full of infants and little children may be very busy and cute, even entertaining; but it will also be very tedious, demanding constant attention, care and supervision.  Paul wanted to make sure that new believers were being nurtured, that they might grow and mature, and become a benefit to the body of Christ (Eph. 4:14-16).

Barnabas wants to take John Mark (12:12; 13:13) with them, but Paul basically says, “Naw, I don’t think so, the last time he quit and deserted us in Pamphylia.”

Paul, a soldier of Christ, had no use for deserters, so there was (v. 39) a sharp disagreement causing he and Barnabas to split up and go their own separate ways.  Barnabas [son of encouragement] took John Mark [his cousin] and sailed to Cyprus; Paul took Silas (a prophet v. 32), and they traveled through Syria and Cilicia, encouraging and equipping the believers.

Barnabas probably should have submitted to Paul’s objection to take John Mark, as Paul was an Apostle; but we know that Barnabas was instrumental in turning Mark’s life around by giving him this second chance.

How many times have you and I failed to affect the life of someone for good, because we were unwilling to give them a 2nd or 3rd chance?

Paul and Barnabas did eventually reconcile, and Mark became very useful not only to Paul  (Col 4:10; Phile 24; 2Tim 4:11), but he was a co-laborer with Peter (1Pet 5:13) and had the privilege of writing one of the four Gospels.

vv. 16:1-3 Paul and Silas travel to Derbe, then to Lystra.  It was in Lystra that Paul had previously healed a lame man (14:8-10), and the people praised him as a God, wanting to sacrifice animals to him (14:11-18); but this was short-lived, as some Jews from Antioch turned the crowd against Paul (11:19) stoning him outside the city, leaving him for dead.

There was in Lystra, a young disciple named Timothy who had a good reputation and was “spoken well of’ by the believers in Lystra and Iconium.  Timothy’s mother was a Jewess, and his father was [indicates past tense] a Greek.

Timothy was blessed with a godly mother (Eunice) and grandmother (Lois), both of whom it is said (2Tim 1:5; 3:14-15) that they were sincere women of faith who taught Timothy the Scriptures from his early days as a child.

Timothy was led to Christ during Paul’s first missionary journey, Paul loved him like a son; in fact (1Tim 1:2), Paul calls him “my true son in the faith.”

Paul wanted to take Timothy on this journey (v. 3) so Timothy needed to be circumcised (he was probably 15-20 years old).  When you first read that (v. 3), you might think “wait a minute, what about the meeting in Jerusalem (last week) and the decision that Gentiles didn’t need to be circumcised to be saved, and all the talk about not putting the burden of ritual and law keeping upon the Gentiles?”

Both Timothy’s mother and grandmother were Jews; his dad was a Greek (evidently deceased).  With both Jewish and Grecian heritage, Timothy had access to both cultures; this would be very beneficial for his missionary service with Paul (who held Roman & Jewish citizenship).

Paul wanted Timothy to be able to go with him into the synagogues, but if Timothy was not circumcised he could not enter.  Being circumcised had nothing to do with salvation or works, it had to do with Timothy’s ability to be accepted  by and to evangelize the Jews.

Timothy later became pastor of the church in Ephesus; having been taught the Scriptures as a child, then brought to faith in Christ through Paul and taught by him, Timothy was no doubt Paul’s prize student.

vv. 4-5 Paul, Silas, and Timothy are now on their way, proclaiming salvation by faith through grace; Gentiles do not have to be circumcised or keep the law of Moses in order to be saved; but they should also not purposefully offend or disrespect Jewish culture and tradition by flaunting their own freedoms, for this causes hurt feelings and discord.

The Jews weren’t to impose their cultural practices upon the Gentiles, and the Gentiles were not to flaunt their cultural freedoms, so as to offend the Jews.

What you do will not save you; but WHO you know, will not only save you, but will bring you peace.

Every person belonging to Christ is a member of God’s family (Eph. 2:8-9, saved by grace, through faith, in Christ, this is God’s gift to us); Eph. 2:14-22 tells us we are reconciled to God by the peace that has come through Jesus Christ, so that all men, women, & children of age who believe & trust in Him, might be saved as one people, from all nations, cultures, and languages, apart from any human works.

 

Acts 16:6-18, “Victory Over Sin, Satan, and Society!”

vv. 6-10 Paul, Silas and Timothy are traveling west and north through Phrygia and Galatia; they attempt to enter Asia to the west, but somehow they are blocked by or detoured by the Spirit of God.  Ok, so they continue traveling north until they get near Bythinia, but again, God’s Spirit won’t let them enter; so they turn west and head across the top of Asia toward Troas, on the Agean Sea coast.

While they are in Troas (v. 9), Paul receives a vision: he sees a man from Macedonia who is pleading with him to come over and help those in Macedonia, for they need to hear the message of Christ.

Macedonia is all the way across the Agean Sea, on the mainland of Greece.  This would be the first presentation of the Gospel into the continent of Europe.  Several churches would be started by Paul on this second missionary journey, including churches in Philippi and Thessalonica, to whom he would later write letters that would become books of the Bible.

This is cool!  Notice in v. 10 it says “we” got ready to go into Macedonia.”  Luke has evidently joined the missionary team, and he would continue as Paul’s close friend and fellow laborer until the end of Paul’s life.

vv. 11-15 From Troas they sailed to Samothrace, then on to Neapolis, which served as the port city for Philippi, where a Roman Garrison was established, the city itself was founded in 356 B.C. by King Philip II.

After getting off the boat at Neapolis, Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke travel about 10 miles inland to Philippi, where they remain for several days.

The Sabbath arrived and it was Paul’s practice to teach in the local synagogue, but Philippi didn’t have one, as the Jewish population here was very small, (a synagogue required at least 10 Jewish men, heads of households),

Paul, Silas, timothy, and Luke went in search of a place of prayer (v. 13), an open area near a river or the sea (for baptisms).  They located a good area just outside the city gate, along a river, and they found an assembly of women gathered there.  Paul took the opportunity (as a traveling Rabbi) to teach them.

A woman named Lydia responded to the Lord’s message through Paul, and we are told several things about her:

1.  She is a seller of purple cloth or fabric, and her hometown was Thyatira. [The purple dye commonly used came from two main sources: from the glands of the murex shellfish; and from the roots of the madder plant.  This dye was expensive to obtain and so it was used to produce clothing for royalty and wealthy patrons]; and so, she was most likely financially independent, as this was a very profitable business to be in.

2.  She is a worshiper and a believer of the One True God of Israel, even though she is a Gentile.  Lydia (v. 14) listened to Paul teach the Gospel, and she responded from her heart with genuine belief.

It would appear that members of her household (perhaps children and/or servants) also believed in Christ; they were all baptized [in the river].  Lydia now invites Paul and Co. to come to her house and be her guests,.  Because they were assured of her conversion to Christ as Lord and Savior, they accepted her invitation and hospitality.

vv. 16-18 Paul, Silas, timothy, and Luke are enjoying fellowship and hospitality at Lydia’s house; most likely they were going to the place of prayer by the river each day to preach and teach God’s Word to all who came.

Since the very birth of the Church in Acts 2, Satan has continued to attack those who genuinely serve God; Satan uses chaos, confusion, diversion, dissension, persecution, sorcery and murder to try and destroy the work of God.

Here in vv. 16-18, Satan uses a lone slave girl to try and neutralize the efforts of Paul & Co. in Philippi.

Note: Both Greeks and Romans gave great attention to clairvoyants and oracles who supposedly could predict or foretell the future.  Kings, Governors, and high ranking military commanders, depended on predictions in the making big decisions, like going to war.

No doubt this slave girl made big bucks for her masters.  Notice (v. 17) she was constantly following Paul & Co. around, loudly announcing to everyone that they were servants of the Most High God (OT designation for the God of Israel, Dan. 5:8; Ps. 78:35) and they were showing the way of salvation (Jesus Christ).

2Cor. 11:14 Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

 

The World’s Jesus:

 

God’s JESUS: There is One God and Savior and Lord over All, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe: Jesus Christ.

The devil does some very effective work in the name of Jesus, usually, with just enough bait to lure and ensnare people into a system of rituals, works, and human teachings, i.e., false teachings and heresies that only lead to judgment and eternal separation from God in Hell.

Back to v. 18, Paul had had enough, the constant impertinence of the demon toward God’s Majesty and God’s plan of salvation, coupled perhaps with Paul’s anger toward Satan for abusing and using this girl to do his wretched bidding…  led Paul to turn around and speak to the demon in the girl, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you, come out of her!”  And the demon immediately vacated the girl because of Christ in Paul.

1John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

 

Acts 16:19-40, “Persecuted but Not Defeated!”

vv. 19-21 Paul has just cast the demon out of a slave girl, and her owners were enraged that their money making fortune telling business was being shut down; so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place to stand before the magistrates.

The charges they brought against Paul and Silas were that they were creating total chaos and they were basically encouraging Roman citizens to engage in a foreign religion that had not been sanctioned by the state.

Interesting, they didn’t arrest Luke [Gentile] or Timothy [half-Gentile], but only Paul and Silas [Jews].  Rome was becoming more and more anti-Semitic, under Emperor Claudius, who was moving to expel all Jews from Rome, perhaps that is why only Paul and Silas were arrested (v. 20).

vv. 22-24 It was common Roman protocol to have at least two civil judges [authorities acting on behalf of Rome] in each Roman colony.  These judges or magistrates were to investigate the charges brought against the accused to determine whether or not they were guilty, and then sentence them; but the accused were always given the opportunity to defend themselves, that was Roman law.

Paul and Silas were given no opportunity for defense, but were stripped and severely beaten with rods [a bundle of rods tied together].  Paul suffered this same punishment at least two other times (2Cor. 11:25).  Paul and Silas are now thrown into maximum security, their feet placed in stocks.

vv. 25-28 Talk about an awesome witness!  Paul and Silas have been brutally beaten, thrown into the securest part of the prison, all without a trial, and now their legs are spread far apart and their feet are secured in leg irons.

It is no wonder that they cannot sleep, instead they prayed and sang hymns to God, expressing their trust and faith in Him.  This is a great example of what Paul would later write to the Christians in Philippi (Phili. 4:6-7), “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The other prisoners had no doubt to be wondered these guys were who had been beaten and shackled and are now singing songs and talking to their invisible God.

Now there is a great earthquake that shakes the foundations of the prison, makes all the doors open up and causes the prisoners chains [hooked to the walls] to fall off!

The jailer is awakened by this big disturbance, and is probably thinking that there has been a massive jail break; notice (v. 27), he drew his sword and was going to kill himself [rather than face death for letting his prisoners escape.

In the midst of all the confusion Paul cries out loudly, “Don’t kill yourself, we are all here!”  Evidently, all the prisoners were still there in the inner prison and had not escaped.

vv. 29-34 This is too much for the jailer to handle; he calls for lights, then falls trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas.  The jailer takes them outside, into the courtyard, and asks what he must do to be saved.  Paul tells him he must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 31), “—you and your household.”

I have full confidence that Paul told them the following:

Who Jesus is: John 20:31 “… Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.”

What Jesus did: 1Corinthians 15:3-4 Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, he was buried, he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

What we must do about it: Romans 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Paul and Silas preached to the jailer and to all his household, after that, the wounds of Paul and Silas were cleansed, and then the jailer and his household were baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ.

The jailer now brings Paul and Silas into his own house {next to the jail) and feeds them; everyone is filled with God’s joy; this jailer who was earlier going to kill himself, now has God’s perfect peace; he is also going to need courage that only God can provide, when the magistrates find out what happened at the jail during the night.

vv. 35-37 This is awesome! The magistrates who had sentenced Paul and Silas, now send their officers, probably the same guys who had beaten Paul and Silas, to basically release Paul and Silas so that they might leave town.

Paul basically says (v. 37), “No way!  We have been beaten without a trial, thrown into prison, and now you want us to just slink out of tow, unnoticed?

We are Roman citizens and we have been dealt with unjustly, if the magistrates want us to go they can come and escort us out themselves.”

Inflicting corporal punishment on a Roman citizen was against Roman law and could lead to the magistrates being removed from their positions;  not only that, but the emperor, if word got back to him, could very well rescind Philippi’s privileges as a Roman colony.  This was no small concern.

vv. 38-40 The officers reported to the magistrates all this, and that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.  This caused great alarm and the magistrates came and tried to make nice with Paul and Silas, but they weren’t going for it!

Paul was concerned that if they treated him this way what were they going to do to other Christians in town; so Paul forced the magistrates to beg him to leave, or else, word would get back to the emperor.

They did leave town, but not until they stopped at Lydia’s house to get Timothy and Luke, and to encourage all the believers to trust in God’s provision, presence and power.

1Corinthians 15:57-58 Thanks be to God [Who] gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

2Corinthians 4:8-9 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I

can do everything through him who gives me strength.

19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious  riches in Christ Jesus.

 

“Was it something I said?”  Acts 17:1-15

vv. 1-9 Paul, Silas and Timothy travel SW through Amphipolis and Apollonia, to Thessolonica.  Luke is not with them but has stayed in Philippi to care for the church.  As a Gentile he was not subject to all the prejudice experienced by Paul & Silas (2Tim 3:1-5).

There was no synagogue in Philippi, as the Jewish population was evidently too small [10 Jewish head of households necessary to establish a synagogue].

There was a synagogue in Thessalonica, and Paul, as was his custom, reasoned with them, presenting evidence (OT) that the Messiah would suffer and die and then rise from the dead; he then answered their questions and discussed with them (1Pet 3:15-16).

Paul’s public ministry here was over three Sabbaths (3-4 weeks), but his private ministry to the church in Thessalonica was more like 4-6 months.

Paul proclaimed Jesus Christ as God’s Son, Savior and Lord, and he did it from the OT; (v. 4) some Jews were persuaded, also many Greeks; the unbelieving Jews (v.5) were jealous, spiteful and angry, that people were believing Paul’s message, so they enlisted some thugs from the local bars to go after Paul and Silas and give them a good beating and send them running.

These Jews (v. 6) accuse Paul, Silas and Timothy of stirring up trouble and promoting worship of a king other than Caesar (16:20-21, Philippi). (1Pet 4:12, 6-7)

These Jews take along some scoundrels and go to Jason’s house; evidently Jason had heard and believed Paul’s message and was providing hospitality to him and his co-travelers; since they can’t find Paul & Co. (vv. 6-9), they grab Jason and some other brothers [believers] who are there and drag them before the magistrates, charging Jason with harboring Jewish troublemakers who are “promoting the worship of a king other than Caesar, someone named Jesus.

Upon hearing these allegations, the crowd goes ballistic and of course, to keep the peace and calm the chaos, the officials determine that these trouble-makers must leave their city, if they can find them.

The judges demand a pledge from Jason, i.e., to post a bond, probably a large sum of money or perhaps the deed to his house, to be forfeited if there was any more trouble caused by Paul and Co.

vv. 10-15 After Dark, Paul and Silas are sent to Berea, about 50 miles west of Thessalonica.  Berea was kind of an out of the way town, in fact, Cicero [a Roman writer, 1st cen. B.C.] said, it was “off the beaten track.”

Paul and Silas needed to get out of the public eye for a time, and Berea was a great place to do that; but the first thing Paul does is to go before the synagogue to teach about Jesus, the Messiah.

It would seem that whenever it is possible on a Sabbath Day Paul finds his way to some synagogue, or a place of prayer by a river or a lake, or on a hillside or in a garden, etc., and there he preaches and teaches Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected and coming again.  According to what we have read about his 1st and 2nd missionary journeys, he often caused a disturbance on Sabbath days because of the message he brought.

One of the greatest exhortations in the Bible expressing genuine noble character, is found right here (v.11).  Unlike the Jews in Thessalonica, whom Paul had to try and convince concerning Jesus; the Jews in Berea listened, examined, and determined whether or not a teaching was true by comparing it to God’s Word, which they held as the sovereign authority in all doctrine and instruction (Col 3:17).

In Thessalonica (v. 4) “some” of the Jews were persuaded, but In Berea (v. 12) “many” of the Jews believed, as well as a large number of prominent Greek men and women who believed in Jesus.  The Bereans had open hearts and they searched the Scriptures to see if Paul’s message lined up, and because it did, they believed.

The unbelieving Jews in Thessalonica were angry that Paul & Silas had escaped without a beating; when they heard Paul was in Berea, they went and stirred up the crowds against Paul and his companions.

Paul is forced to leave, or bring trouble on Jason; but Silas and Timothy stay in Berea to nurture and care for the believers.  Paul is taken to Athens, as evidently, all of Macedonia had become too hot for Paul’s safety, he was now very well known as a troublemaker.

After reaching Athens (200 miles), those escorting Paul were told to get a message to Silas and Timothy to come as soon as they could and join Paul in Athens.

(2Tim 3:12-13; Phil 4:12-13, 19) Praise God for troublemakers like Paul & Silas, who unabashedly proclaimed Jesus Christ; and although it brought them great trouble and hardship; they trusted God, they never quit or gave up sharing the Gospel of Christ.

ICTHUS or ICHTHUS pronounced ‘ik-thuse’  is the English translation of the Greek word IXOUS, meaing fish. (ICQΥS) is an acrostic, and each letter of the Greek alphabet spelling fish represents another word:

I Iota = JESUS

C Chi = CHRIST

Q Theta = (of) GOD (‘s)

Υ Upsilon = SON

S Sigma = SAVIOR

 

“Making God Known!”  Acts 17:16-34

vv. 16-18 Paul is waiting for Silas and Timothy to finish up in Berea and then make the 200 mile journey to Athens, to join him.

We should not be surprised that Paul is not staying out of the public eye; but instead (v. 17) right to the synagogue he goes, teaching Jesus Christ.  Paul also goes into the local marketplace where many people gather daily (v. 16), “the city was full of idols.”

Epicureans believe that the main purpose of man is pleasure, and the avoidance of pain and struggle.  Although they did not reject the existence of god’s, they believed gods did not bother with the affairs of men, who simply died and decomposed, for they did not believe in an after life.

Stoic philosophers on the other hand held no value in pleasure or pain, but in conquering or subduing self, in order to reach a place of philosophical exaltation that voids the material/physical world.

vv. 19-21 Paul’s teaching about Jesus’ resurrection,  seemed to spark interest among both groups of listeners; in fact, they take Paul to the Areopagus (the council or judiciary of Athens) who judged the beliefs and behaviors of men (like the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.

They wanted to hear Paul’s new teaching, as that is what they spent their time doing (v. 21), “talking about and listening to the latest ideas of men.”

What Paul is about to tell these deep thinkers and philosophers is definitely going to be new to them, that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, Savior and Lord of all (IXOUS).

vv. 22-23 Paul continually empties himself of man’s wisdom and judgment, in order to be filled with God’s wisdom and power.  God will often open a door for us to share Christ with unbelievers (open eyes & ears), using something that is of interest to them (v. 22), “I see that you are very religious.”  Paul shares his interest in the way they express their “worship” —even noticing the altar they have made to “An Unknown God.”

These men are religious and they are worshipping gods, so they must believe god or god’s exist.  Paul tells them that he can introduce them to the god who up to this point was unknown to them; in fact he can tell them about this god.  This peaks their interest!

vv. 24-29 Paul says (v. 24) “God made the world and everything in it.”  The Epicureans believed that all matter was eternal and had no creator.  The Stoics were pantheists, believing that everything was part of God, and God could not create Himself.

Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Psalm 146:6 “God made heaven and earth, and sea and all that is in them.”

See John 1:1-5. God is the Creator of everything and, He alone is distinct from all that has been created. God doesn’t live in or need manmade things; He is the Creator; in fact, He provides all things (Ro 11:32-36).

God formed Adam from the dust of the ground and Eve from Adam’s side.  All humans are descendants of the first man and woman; there is one human race; different languages and cultures yes (v. 26), for it was God who placed the world’s tribes and nations where He wanted them to be.  Why did God do all this, so that we might believe and receive life from above.

Paul quotes various poets of the day (v. 28) in order to illustrate the universal acceptance that God exists as Creator, Sustainer and Ruler.  Basically saying since we are all God’s offspring (v. 29), i.e., God is creator and we are created in His image, why do you make images of gold, silver and stone, as if God inhabits these idols?

vv 30-31 Paul declares (v. 30), until Christ came God overlooked the ignorance of nations who did not know God, but He has now set a time for judgment.  We are commanded to repent and believe in Christ. (Heb. 1:1-3; Ro. 1:1-4; 10:9-10, 13; John 5:21-24).

vv. 32-34 Paul’s visit to Athens ended, and the majority who had rejected Paul’s invitation to personally know the One True God, continued to worship counterfeit gods made of metal and stone.

Some of the philosophers turned their noses up at Paul’s teaching about resurrection, others wanted him to come back and share more “new” ideas about the “unknown God,” a few genuinely believed and came to personally know the God of the Heavens and Earth.

Activity at the Areopagus was similar to that in many of today’s colleges, churches, public gathering places, and TV shows like Good Morning America or Larry King Live; in that, the majority of public and “expert” opinion is directed at new human philosophies, experiences & explanations about God, religion and morality; but at the end of the day, most of the human race go to bed not knowing God and get up the next day, and every day, without faith, without hope, without love, because they have not believed in God’s One & Only Son.

Every Believer’s purpose is to introduce unbelievers to God, just as Paul did in Athens when he made God known to all those who would listen (cf. Mt. 28:18-20; 1Pet 3:15-16).  God created everyone but only His children bear His image in order to share His Message.

 

“Paul Stands His Ground in Corinth!”  Acts 18:1-18a

v. 1 After this?  Paul is on his 2nd missionary journey, and just to recap a little bit: (15:41) After traveling through Asia Minor “Strengthening the churches,” God led Paul across the Aegean Sea to the mainland of Greece, from where he goes to Philippi and heals a demon-possessed girl, creating a riot (16:22-24) that led to Paul and Silas being beaten and thrown into jail.

God caused an earthquake (16:25-26), setting them free, after which (16:29-33) the jailer and his family were saved and baptized, just before Silas and Paul left town and headed for Thessalonica (17:2-3).

It didn’t take long in Thessalonica before they were run out of town by the Jews (17:10) and so they went to Berea, where they found many (17:11) Jews and Greeks who believed and responded to the Gospel.

Things were looking up, then some of the Jews from Thessalonica heard that Paul was preaching Christ in Berea, so they traveled there and stirred up the crowds forcing Paul once again to have to leave town.

(17:14-15) Some brothers escorted Paul to Athens (200 mi.), while Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea to teach the new believers.  In Athens (17:34), Paul proclaimed the One True God, but only a few believed.

From Athens, Paul walked about 50 miles to Corinth and that is where we pick up our study today.

vv. 2-4 Corinth was a multi-cultural trade center, in fact, it had surpassed Athens as the leading commercial and political center of Greece.  There was a large temple of Aphrodite (goddess of love) here, up on a hill, from which, as many as 1000 priestesses [temple prostitutes] went into the city below, every night, to sell their bodies.

Corinth was a godless city, and Paul is basically alone, no traveling companions or Christian support, no doubt he was somewhat discouraged; but God is good (vv. 2-3), to provide Aquila & Priscilla, tentmakers, recently forced to leave Italy [Emperor Claudius had banished all Jews from Rome] they would become his closest friends (Ro 16:3-4).

Paul has Christian fellowship, employment in order to provide for himself, a place to stay, and (v. 4) every Sabbath he goes into the Synagogue to engaged in dialogue with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks (proselytes to Judiasm).

Paul proclaimed Jesus to be Israel’s Messiah: God’s Son, Savior and Lord, to all who would listen (1Cor 15:3-7).

vv. 5-6 Silas and Timothy now arrive, and Paul is able to devote himself fully to proving Christ from the OT Scriptures.

The Jews (v. 6) oppose Paul, abusively!  They resisted [purposely set themselves against] Paul’s teaching, blaspheming the name of Christ, to which Paul shook out his garments in a display of righteous anger – telling them they are guilty before God for rejecting God’s message of salvation!

At this point Paul is extremely fed up with the Jews constant rejection of God’s plan and purpose in Christ’s death and resurrection: they are spiritually deaf and blind!

vv. 7-8 Paul takes God’s message to the Gentiles; in fact, he goes next door to the synagogue to the house of a Gentile worshiper of God, Titius [tish’ee-uhs] Justus; but more alarming to the Jews then going into a Gentile’s house, was the fact that the synagogue ruler Crispus (and his whole household) believed in the Lord after Paul’s preaching, along with many Corinthians who were also baptized.

vv. 9-11 God encourages Paul, “Don’t be afraid!  Keep on speaking!”  “No one is going to stop you; I have a special assignment for you in Corinth (2Cor. 4:1-9; 11:24-28).

There were people in Corinth who although they belonged to the Lord, they needed to hear the Gospel of Christ in order to believe and be saved.

Wow!  What a vision!  It evidently worked, as Paul stayed in Corinth for 1.5 years teaching God’s Word (1Cor. 2:1-5).

vv. 12-17 Gallio [gal-ee’ oh] served as proconsul (judge) in Achaia (the Roman province: Corinth, Athens, Sparta)  A.D. 51-52.  The Jews brought Paul before the judge [judgment seat – a large stone platform elevated above the ground in the center of the market place, just in front of the residence of the ruling proconsul of the province] Gallio.

Clearly, Gallio didn’t want to get involved in a battle of semantics with the Jews over words, names or Jewish laws.  He tells them he finds no minor or serious crime committed, as far as he is concerned, and that they should settle it themselves.  He then has them thrown out of his court.

The unbelieving Jews take out their fury on Sosthenes [sos-thuh neez] a ruler of the synagogue, for it had been his responsibility to bring charges against Paul before the judge, on their behalf; but because Sosthenes failed to make a compelling argument to indict Paul, the Jews beat up Sosthenes, right there in front of the judgment seat, and Gallio didn’t do a thing; he just didn’t like these guys!

v. 18a… God blessed Paul’s efforts in Corinth, protecting him from being silenced and run out of town, turning Paul’s accusers, the Jews, upon themselves; and the accusations brought against Paul were thrown out of court, along with those bringing the charges against him.

A few years later, Paul, writing to the church in Corinth (1Cor. 1:1), calls Sosthenes his brother in the Lord. Wow,  two of the leaders from the Synagogue in Corinth (Crispus & Sosthenes) believed and received Jesus Christ.

God is good to provide all we need for life and godliness (2Pe. 1:3); to know and serve Him, in both good and bad times, humbly & boldly seeking to honor Him (1Pe 5:6-11).

No matter what you may be going through, like Paul says (Phil 4:19), “God will meet all your needs in Christ Jesus,” and I would consider it a privilege to help show you how.

1Cor. 15:58  Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

 

“One Body, One Lord, One Spirit,” Acts 18:18-19:7

v. 18 Paul stayed in Corinth for 1.5 years, preaching and teaching, and Aauila & Priscilla became his close friends, so, when it was time to leave, Paul invited them to come along.

The Corinthian church, evidently, had some solid leaders by the time of Paul’s departure; two of which were probably Sosthenes and Crispus (originally rulers in the synagogue).

Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla boarded a ship at Cenchrea, on the east side of Corinth, after Paul cut off his hair. Vow keeping seems strange for Paul, who knew full well that the rituals associated with Judaism had passed away with Christ’s death and resurrection.

Paul was very orthodox and zealous before coming to Christ (Gal. 1:13-14; Phili. 3:5-6). Paul loved God’s Word, but he was also very influenced by his Jewish heritage. God had been so good to protect and provide for Paul during his time in Corinth (friends, housing, employment, ministry); and so, Paul responded in a typical Jewish manner — he made a special pledge or vow to express his devotion toward God.

Paul’s vow was a Nazirite vow, usually made to Almighty God for either blessings received or deliverance given; it was meant (Num. 6:2-5; 13-21) to express special dedication toward God for a specified period of time – ranging from one month to a lifetime [Samson, Ju. 16:17; Samuel, 1Sam. 1:11; John the Baptist, Luke 1:15], a Nazirite was to avoid three things, grape products, dead bodies, and haircuts.

Paul had evidently made a vow and was now terminating that vow by the cutting off of his hair, which according to the custom of the day – he had to present his cut off hair offering at the Temple in Jerusalem within 30 days of cutting it off, in order to fulfill his vow.

vv. 19-21 Paul, Priscialla and Aquila set sail eastward, across the Aegean Sea (300 mi.) to Ephesus.  Upon arrival in Ephesus, Paul leaves Priscilla and Aquila to establish their business and settle in; in fact (1Cor. 16:19). they stayed there several years and hosted a church in their home.

While Aquila and Priscilla were settling in and getting their tent making business going, Paul was entering the synagogue in order to reason with the Jews.

Paul must have made an impression, as the Jews asked him to stay longer, but Paul declined, saying that he would be back if it was God’s will.  He then left Ephesus.

vv. 22-23 Paul sailed about 750 miles across the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea, a Roman city, the port city for those heading to Jerusalem.

Paul “went up” (about 60 mi.) to Jerusalem and greeted the church there, and no doubt, he also fulfilled his vow by presenting his hair at the Temple.

After going up to Jerusalem, Paul went “down” to the coast and traveled all the way to Antioch (500 mi. north); returning to where he had started out three years ago on his 2nd missionary journey (15:36).

Paul’s visit in Antioch was brief, as he was itching to get going on his 3rd missionary journey to strengthen the believers and make sure the young churches were established firm upon God’s Word and were growing.

Paul’s 3rd missionary journey basically followed the path of his previous journey, through Tarsus, Derbe, Lystra, Ephesus, Philippi, Athens, Corinth, Berea, Thessalonica, then back.

At this point in Luke’s narrative, instead of following Paul’s journey, Luke takes us back to Ephesus to show us what took place after Paul’s departure and return to Antioch.

vv. 24-28 As Paul begins his 3rd missionary journey, some neat things are happening in Ephesus.  There was a Jew named Apollo, who had been raised in the Jewish tradition in a large Jewish population in Alexandra (Egypt).

Although Apollos was well educated in the OT Scriptures relating to the coming Messiah, he didn’t understand the significance of Jesus’ death & resurrection, for although Apollos knew the baptism of John (for repentance), he did not know of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

As Apollos taught in the synagogue, Aquila and Priscilla heard him and evidently took him to their home where they explained to him about Christ’s death and resurrection, the birth of the church, and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Like Paul, Apollos was well versed in the OT Scriptures and so, when he came to fully understand the completed work of God in and through Christ, he became a formidable proponent for the Church and he boldly taught Christ.

Apollos wanted to go to the region of Achaia, specifically Corinth, to help those who had believed through grace, that they might grow in Christ.  He was a powerful preacher (v. 28) who refuted the Jews, as Paul had done, demonstrating by the OT Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

vv. 19:1-7 At the time that Apollos was preaching in Corinth, Paul had made his way from Antioch across Asia Minor to Ephesus where he found some men who were OT saints or believers, as Apollo had been, for they had not yet heard of the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost but were disciples of John, some 25 years after John’s death.

Paul explains to them (v. 4), John’s baptism was for repentance and John himself taught that One was coming after him, Jesus, in whom the people were to believe and receive forgiveness for sins.

Paul instructed these men about Jesus (1Cor. 15:3-7: deat, resurrection, appearances); they believed, and (v. 5) were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul placed his hands on them, a sign of apostolic affirmation of their fellowship with all true believers and followers of Christ.

Just like had happened to the Jews at Pentecost (2:1-4), to the Samaritans (8:14-17, John & Peter), and to the Gentiles in Caesarea (10:44-48, Peter); now the Holy Spirit had come to the OT believers at Ephesus (Paul).  And in each of these transitional events, they began to speak in tongues – proclaiming God’s message in languages unknown to those who were speaking them.

These twelve OT believers were now part of the body of Christ, the Church.  God, through His sovereign purpose and plan had embraced the Jews, the Gentles, the Samaritans, and the OT saints, all them now part of the universal body of believers known as the Church (Acts 11:17-18), for indeed everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

At each of these marvelous birthing events God had one or more of His apostles present, in order to confirm and verify that indeed they had all received the Holy Spirit and were now one people, making up one body, with one Lord and one Spirit (Eph. 4:1-6; Rev. 4:9).

Love and unity is at the very essence of genuine obedient Christianity, and it is no wonder that Satan’s greatest attack on the church is to get God’s people at odds with God and at odds with each other.

1John 4:11, Dear friends, since God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  19 We love because he first loved us.  21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves

God must also love his brother.

Jesus said (John 13:35), they (the world) will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.

As we begin this week, let us serve and honor God by trying to live a life of love, being kind and compassionate toward one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven all those who call on Him by faith.

 

“The Word of the Lord” Acts 19:8-20

Last week we ended with Paul just having taught the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection to about 12 OT believers who, evidently (v. 3) had received the baptism of John the Baptist for repentance, but had not yet believed in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and so they had not received the Holy Spirit, marking them as belonging to God (John 1:12-13; 3:3-6; Eph 1:13-14; 1Cor 12:12-14, 18, 27).

vv. 8-10 On Paul’s previous visit to Ephesus he made a very good impression (18:19-20), and the Jews asked him to stay and teach them; but Paul needed to get back to his home Church in Antioch to give a report of all that had happened on his 2nd missionary journey.

Now back in Ephesus, on his 3rd missionary journey, Paul proclaimed Christ for three months in the synagogue, reasoning with and persuading the Jews concerning the Kingdom of God, i.e., teaching, discussing and proving from the Scriptures that God’s salvation had come through Christ.

During the three months teaching in the synagogue, some of the Jews hardened their hearts toward the gospel; in fact, they refused to repent and believe, publicly speaking against Christianity or the Way (9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22; John 14:6, death, resurrection, coming again!).

Realizing he could do no further good at the synagogue, Paul leaves, along with those who had believed, they go to the local lecture Hall (or school) of Tyrannus [tyrant], perhaps the owner or philosopher who taught there daily.

vv. 11-12 God was performing mighty works through Paul in Ephesus, although this was not always true for Paul (2Cor. 12:8; 2Tim. 4:20; Mk 6:5-6, Jesus in Nazareth).

God often used signs [attesting miracles] and wonders [amazement experienced by those witnessing God’s miracles] among the prophets in the OT, and of course among the apostles in the NT — in order to authenticate His message and messengers (15 x’s OT, 15 x’s NT).

By the time the NT was completed and written, these sign gifts had ceased; in fact, the history of the church records no authentic verifiable use of signs & wonders by any servant of God, since the consummation of the Bible.

Paul is back in Ephesus, and some very extraordinary things are happening there: handkerchiefs [headbands] and aprons used by Paul in his tent making labors were actually taken to the sick who were healed, and to the demon possessed, forcing the evil spirits to leave them.

These miracles were given by God through Paul to convince the people in Ephesus that Paul was sent from God, so that they would listen to and believe his message about Christ; remember, the NT wasn’t available to be used to judge the words of so-called prophets and teachers, and so, attesting miracles were given to point to God’s Son.

1.         Jesus (Lk 10) sends our 70 of His disciples to proclaim the gospel; when they returned (v. 17) they exclaimed, “even the demons obey us in Your name.” But Jesus said to them (v. 20), “don’t rejoice because spirits obey you, but because you are going to heaven.”

2.   The twelve disciples (Matt. 10:1-8) are given authority  over diseases, demons, even death, in order that their message from God would be received and believed.

God’s apostles and prophets were empowered to do miraculous signs and wonders in order to authenticate that they were from and spoke for God (Acts 2:22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 14:3; Rom. 15:18-19; 2Cor. 12:12).

Are there any Prophets or Apostles today — NO! (see handout).

vv. 13-16 These so-called Jewish exorcists thought they  would try out “in the name of the Lord Jesus, whom Paul preaches, come out!”

There were seven sons of Sceva [no record of any such priest by this name, probably a false title, much like that being used by many so-called irreverent Reverends, today].

Anyway, these would-be exorcists add Jesus’ name to their list of incantations for casting out demons; but, (v. 15), the evil spirit in the man says, “I know Jesus and I know Paul, but who in the heck are you guys.”

The demon submitted to the authority of Jesus and recognized that Paul also had been granted this authority; but these sons of Sceva, no way!  The demoniac jumped on all seven of these guys, beat them up, tore their clothes off and sent them running out of the house, naked and wounded (Mark 5:2-5, demoniac living in the tombs, breaking all the chains used to bind him).

vv. 17-19 The beating of these seven men was great advertisement for Jesus Christ: God, Son, Savior.

Many who had believed, now made public confession of what they had been doing, i.e., idolatry, sorcery, demon worship… they brought their scrolls/books of magic spells & incantations, and all the paraphernalia that went with their magic arts, and publicly burned them.

The value of all the books and assorted paraphernalia was 50,000 drachmas [days wages, i.e., about 140 years of salaries).  Ephesus was full of occult practices, idolatry, and many other forms of pagan worship.

v. 20 The Word of the Lord became powerful in Ephesus and could not be stopped by worldly influences, demonic forces or Satanic power.  Why?  Because of the Word of the Lord [logos- John 1:1-4; Col. 1:15-17; 2:9-10, 15].  The Word of God disarms His enemies, gives sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and life to the dead – freeing sinners from the bondage, futility, destruction and eternal judgment of sin.

2Cor. 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2Cor. 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Col 2:8  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

John 8:32  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  14:6  I am the way and the truth and the life!  (cf. Rom. 3:10-12; 23-24; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1; 10:9-10, 13)

Saved and Set Apart to serve God by knowing, obeying, living, and sharing the Word of the Lord — Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior: crucified, resurrected, coming again.

 

 

Great Commotion in Ephesus, Acts 19:21-41

v. 21  “After all this” is in reference to what had gone on in Ephesus up to this point: (19:8) Paul taught in the synagogue for three months; (19:9-10) for two years he lectured in the Hall of Tyrannus and the Word of the Lord spread throughout Asia; (19:11-12) people were being healed of illnesses, evil spirits were being cast out; (19:18-19) those who had practiced magic arts brought their books of incantations & spells and various paraphernalia publicly burned them.

Paul’s time in Ephesus was drawing to a close, he had been there about three years preaching & teaching God’s Word, nurturing the believers and establishing the church.

Paul plans to go to Jerusalem by way of Macedonia and Achaia (across the Aegean Sea, in the opposite direction from Jerusalem).  Evidently, it was Paul’s plan to go back through the region of Macedonia and Achaia to obtain love offerings (Rom. 15:25-27) from these mostly Gentile churches in order to help the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem where there were many poor and needy (cf. James 2:15-16).

However, the main destination of Paul’s proposed journey is said to be Rome, and for the rest of the book of Acts, Rome seems to be the final destination for Paul.

v. 22 Paul sends Timothy & Erastus, into Macedonia, in order to ready the believers for the offering he will come to collect and take to Jerusalem; Paul stays in Ephesus for awhile (1Cor. 16:8-9; 2Cor 1:8-10; Acts 18). God’s Word is being heard and believed, opposition quickly comes against Paul.

vv. 23-27 Paul’s adversaries incite a riot in Ephesus over Paul’s teaching about the Christian faith, the Way (Acts 9:2; 19:9; 22:4; 24;14, 22): Jesus is the Way (John 14:6).

A leading businessman named Demetrius, a silversmith, along with other craftsman who made statues of the goddess Artemis [Latin, Diana] whose temple was in Ephesus, [one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World, 550 B.C.] were very upset because people were persuaded by Paul’s message (vv. 26-27, which had gone out in Ephesus and throughout Asia) “manmade gods are no gods at all.”

Previously (vv. 17-19)? The value of all the books and assorted paraphernalia that were burned was 50,000 drachmas [days wages, i.e., about 140 years of salaries).

Ephesus was one of the largest cities, as well as being the capital city in the province of Asia [2000 B.C.], at its height 1st c. A.D., with a population of 250,000, it was full of occult practices, idolatry, and other forms of pagan worship.

Paul was not only costing the idol makers big losses in revenue (v. 27), but the very object of their worship, the goddess Artemis, would be dishonored and stripped of her majesty, which could very well threaten the prosperity of Ephesus and the high position it held in Asia Minor.

There was an annual spring festival in honor of Artemis that lasted 30 days, with athletic, dramatic, and musical events.  Thousands of worshippers came to Ephesus from all over, boosting its economy and its prestige.

vv. 28-29 Demetrius’ appeal to the craftsman’s loss of income and Ephesus’ loss of high standing was in reference to the worship of Artemis.  Demetrius was basically demanding that his audience openly and forcefully oppose Paul’s teachings and all those who follow the Way!

The whole city was raging frenzy with people shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”  Talk about mob hysteria, the people were pushing and pulsing through the streets like water being forced through a maze of canals; they grabbed two of Paul’s companions Gaius and Aristarchus and poured into the theater [the ruins of which show it to be the largest building in the city, holding a calculated 25,000].

vv. 30-34 When Paul heard what was happening he wanted to go to the theater and speak to the crowds, but many of his own disciples along with some [Asiarchs] prominent and wealthy religious & political officials of the province urged Paul not to go into the theater.

It was total chaos and confusion in that packed theater; and most of those who attended didn’t even know what was going on or why they were there, they were caught up in the madness of the moment and became par of a crowd.

The Jews (v. 33) were most likely unbelievers, who wanted not to be associated with the followers of the Way. they shoved this guy Alexander to the front of the crowd, no doubt to speak on their behalf and to distance themselves from the Christians.  But the mostly Gentile crowd recognized Alexander as a Jew and determined to shut him up.

The Gentiles lumped Christians and the Jews in the same pot, for both groups rejected idolatry & worshipped the God of Creation.  This was a frightening scene (v. 34), the crowd started shouting, more like a chant, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians,” and they did this for about two hours.

vv. 35-41 Finally, a city official [mayor] steps up and quiets the crowd, reassuring them that nothing these Christians say or do will diminish the prominence of Artemis or her guardian city Ephesus.  Wrong! Although it had a bumpy start, the church in Ephesus grew into a powerful and effectual ministry that served the Lord there for several centuries.

The city official admonishes the crowd (vv. 37-38) saying, these Christians haven’t broken any laws, but if Demetrius or others have charges against them, they should make them before the magistrates, or one of the legal assemblies.         The official warns (v. 40) that because of this commotion, the people could be charged with inciting a riot.  (Ephesus was a “free” city, self-governed with no Roman garrison of soldiers in it.  But, if the people won’t listen to their local government, Rome will send soldiers, and this won’t be good for the city or its citizens; for Rome could remove privileges it had granted to Ephesus (primary port for Roman Governors entering Asia).  The people were dismissed, and it would seem no charges were brought against the Christians.

20:1 The Great Commotion now calmed, Paul says good-by to his Christian brothers/sisters, and heads for Macedonia (See 1Peter 2:12-15; 3:15-16; 5:6-11).

 

Acts 20:1-16, First Day of the Week

vv. 1-3 After the big riot had calmed down, Paul got together with the believers to encourage them one last time before departing.  Paul then set sail for Macedonia where he traveled to the churches of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea; then headed south to Greece and spent about 3 months in Corinth.

Paul was getting ready to sail east, from Cenchrea, to Syria (above Galilee), but he was informed that the Jews in Corinth were plotting to kill him.  These unbelieving Jews had not forgotten what had happened previously (18:8-17) when two of the synagogue leaders had believed in Christ through Paul’s teaching, and not only that, but the proconsul (Gallio) had the Jews thrown out of court when they brought accusations against Paul.

Perhaps these Jews were going to have Paul murdered and thrown overboard, we don’t know what the actual plot was, but it was enough to make Paul decide to go by land the long way around, and to revisit the churches in Macedonia on his way.

vv. 4-6 Paul’s traveling companions were most likely the official representatives from the various churches in Macedonia; they had probably brought their churches’ love offerings for the believers in Jerusalem.  Notice (v. 5) Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundas, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus sailed (from Neapolis) to Troas, ahead of Paul and Luke, who stayed on in Philippi to observe Passover.

After Passover, Paul and Luke sailed for five days and then reached Troas, where they stayed for another seven days with the other brothers who had gone ahead.

vv. 7-12 The believers in Troas gathered together on the first day of the week [Sunday] in order to break bread (meaning the common Agape meal that believers would have together, after which they would celebrate Communion.

The New Testament never commands Christians to observe the Sabbath.  In our only glimpse of an early church worship service in the New Testament, the church met on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).

In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul refers to the Sabbath as a shadow of importance in comparison to Christ; not only the Sabbath, but all the annual, monthly, and weekly holy days of the Jewish calendar.

The Sabbath was the sign to Israel of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:16-17; Ezekiel 20:12; Nehemiah 9:14). Since Christians are now under the New Covenant through Christ’s sacrifice, we are not required to observe the Old Mosaic Covenant.

Nowhere in the Old Testament are the Gentile nations commanded to observe the Sabbath or condemned for not doing so, and there is no Biblical record of anyone keeping the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai.

When the Apostles met at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15), they did not impose Sabbath keeping on the Gentile believers.

Paul warned the Gentiles about a variety of sins in his letters, but breaking the Sabbath was not one of them.

In Galatians 4:10-11, Paul rebukes the Galatians for thinking God expected them to observe special days (including the Sabbath).

In Romans 14:5, Paul forbids the Jewish believers who keep the Sabbath from condemning the Gentile believers who do not.

All the early church fathers taught that the Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship.

Sunday didn’t replace Saturday as the Sabbath, but the Lord’s Day is a time when believers gather to remember His resurrection, which occurred on the first day of the week. Every day to the believer is one of Sabbath rest, since we have rested from our spiritual labor in the salvation of the Lord (Hebrews 4:9-11).

Paul was teaching and preaching, and engaging in discussion and dialogue with the believers in the upper room of someone’s house; as the believers asked questions, Paul answered them, comprehensively, no doubt, for he was intending to leave the next day.

Paul talked until midnight in that upper room; there were many oil lamps burning among the crowd, and it was very late (v. 9), evidently a young man (9-14 yrs. old) named Eutychus [fortunate] drifted off to asleep and fell out of the third story window to the ground.  Luke says (v. 9) that he was dead.  This interrupted the service as Paul quickly went downstairs to the boy who had died.  Paul (v. 10) embraces the boy and declares that he is alive, or that his life has returned to him (cf. Elijah 1Ki. 17:21; Elisha 2Ki. 4:34).

Paul went back upstairs and had everyone get something to eat, and that they might share Communion.  Paul continued to teach them until daybreak.

vv. 13-15 It seems that Luke, Timothy, Tychicus and the other representatives from the churches in Macedonia set sail for Assos (20 mi. SE), while Paul was going to go by foot.

We aren’t told why , but perhaps he needed some alone time, or more likely, there were new converts from Troas that he wanted to spend more time with, to encourage them.

When Paul reached Assos, he boarded the ship with Luke and his other companions, and they set sail for Mitylene, from there they went to Kios, and on to Samos, and finally they landed on the mainland at Miletus (30 mi. S of Ephesus).

v. 16 Paul was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem, as he wanted to be there in time for Pentecost; because of this and no doubt because he knew his presence in Ephesus would likely

cause a commotion, he had purposely bypassed Ephesus.

Paul had spent three years in Ephesus, preaching and teaching God’s Word, nurturing the believers, and building up the church; he loved the believers in that city.

Paul now sends word for the elders in Ephesus to come down to him in Miletus, so he can encourage and exhort them one last time before setting sail across the Mediterranean Sea toward Jerusalem, where he hopes to be able to celebrate Pentecost with the believers there.

Remember when Stephen was murdered (8:13), Paul, then Saul, began to persecute the followers of Christ, trying to  destroy the church, with a vengeance.  Paul sets out like a bounty hunter [dead or alive] (9:1-2), “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples,” and Paul had the authority of the High Priest (Sanhedrin) in Jerusalem, to capture, beat, arrest, and imprison the followers of Christ.

  • 33 A.D. Paul is converted to Christ…
  • 46-48 A.D. 1st Missionary Journey…
  • 49-52 A.D. 2nd Missionary Journey…
  • 53-57 A.D. 3rd Missionary Journey…
  • 58 A.D. taken prisoner in Jerusalem, Caesarea…
  • 60-61 A.D. sent to Rome, where he is imprisoned and set free several times, until his death around 68 A.D.
  • During this time he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 1&2 Timothy, Titus & Hebrews,

 

So, on this Memorial Day Weekend, as we remember all the brave men and women who have given their lives in the fight for America’s freedom, I would like to also remember Paul of Tarsus, who gave his life in the fight for our Spiritual freedom in Christ.

 

Acts 20:17-35,

“It Is More Blessed To Give Than To Receive”

vv. 17-21… Paul sent for the elders of the church in Ephesus, the church he had fathered and nurtured and had suffered much persecution on account of, by the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles in Ephesus.

After they had arrived, Paul began to share his heart with them, this being the only speech, addressed to Christians, that Luke records.  [crowds/governors/kings)

Paul begins by appealing to their personal knowledge of him and his ministry (v. 18, 20); and more than that (v. 19), emphasizing his priority of ministry in serving God, as a bond-servant of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:10; Col. 1:7; 4:7; Titus 1:1).  Paul considered it an honor to serve the Lord and he did so with great humility, tears, and suffering.

Paul said (1Cor. 15:9) he was “the least of all the apostles… not even fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God,” (Eph. 3:8), “the least of all the saints,” (1Tim. 1:15) “the worst of all sinners.”

Paul had brought much pain and suffering upon followers of Christ before his conversion; since then, he had suffered much because of the Lord and because of his great love for the believers (2Cor. 11:23-30).

Paul had taught the Ephesians publicly, in the synagogue (3 mo.), and in the lecture Hall (2 years); but also privately, from house to house, i.e., he applied the truth of Scripture to the very lives of those he shepherded.

Paul had proclaimed humbly, yet boldly, to every Jew & Gentile who would listen, that they must repent of their sins and turn to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

vv. 22-24… Paul’s sense of duty to Christ compels him to go to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen, but it seems that prison and more hardship awaits Paul, as the Holy Spirit has been impressing this on him in every city he enters.

Talk about a servant leader, one willing to sacrifice for the sake of others, Paul considered his own life worth nothing in comparison to the ministry of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace through Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:20).

vv. 25-27… Paul loved these guys, he had ministered to them, nurturing and training them, for three years, and he now knew that he would never see them again.

Paul declares himself innocent of all men’s blood, for he has done what God called him to do – to speak God’s truth concerning sin and salvation, not only to the church, but to the lost (Ezek. 33:7-9; 1Cor. 1:18-25; 2:1-5).

vv. 28-32… It is to the elders (v. 17) that Paul delivers his last exhortation to the church of Ephesus concerning the priority of preaching and teaching God’s Word in its entirety, even in the midst of hardships and opposition (v. 27) to proclaim, “the whole will [counsel] of God.”

Notice (v. 28), speaking to the “elders” Paul says, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit [God] has made you overseers,” and they are to work as “shepherds” of the church of God.

Clearly, elders have a responsibility to protect and guard the sheep from false teachings and false teachers, the main format for doing this is to teach the whole counsel of God and not to shrink back when contemporary religion or political and societal pressures come in to conflict with God’s Word!

From the beginning days of the Church, the priority for the Apostles (and all future church leadership) was (Acts 6:4), to “devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word of God,” (2Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17; 4:2-5).

Bringing God’s Word to the flock is paramount to godly servant leadership, and it is within a plurality of servant leadership that God desires His church be led, guarded, managed, and cared for.  There is not one instance in the NT of any church having only one elder.

These three terms – elder, overseer, shepherd – are used in the NT to describe the man God has called to serve His flock which was been bought with sacrifice of His own Son:

  • elder (who he is) – spiritually mature, an example to others
  • overseer (what he does) – supervise & manage the church
  • shepherd (how he serves) – feeding, leading, protecting.

1Peter 4:1-3 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:  Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers –not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Paul warns these elders (vv. 29-31) to be on their guard [be alert], for false teachers will not only come from outside the church, but from within (cf. 1Tim. 1:3-7; 2Tim. 3:1-9); in fact, he names them in 1Timothy 1:20; 2Timothy 1:15; 2:17.

Those who care for God’s church must remain devoted to prayer and diligent in their study of the Scriptures, for these are their major concentrations.

During the time of the writing of the NT, there were apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers.  As the NT Scriptures were completed, the responsibility for carrying God’s message moved from the apostles and prophets (who passed from the scene), to the evangelists and pastor-teachers, who were put in place by the Lord Himself (Eph. 4:11-12) in order to serve the Church, the Body of Christ.

Are there any apostles or prophets on the earth today…NO!  They passed from the scene with the completion of the NT Scriptures, just as the OT prophets did at the completion of the OT Scriptures.

Evangelists and Pastor-Teachers are now in place to call and to prepare God’s people for works of service.  The Greek word for evangelist [evangelistes], simply means “proclaimer of the Good News.”  These men are especially gifted by God to reach the lost with the saving gospel of Christ.  The Greek words for pastor-teacher are [poimen] meaning “shepherd” and [didaskaloi] meaning “teacher,” These men’ are to oversee, lead, guard, manage, and care for God’s Church, the Body of Christ, the Flock of God!

vv. 33-38… A God-honoring ministry will have its priority as giving, not getting, as serving, not being served.  Paul’s life was an example to these men who had witnessed his sacrificial service in Ephesus for three years, pouring out his heart and life for God’s service, while also working with his own hands not just for his own needs (vv. 34-35), but that he might help others who were in need (Col. 3:23-24).

In Philippians 4:9 Paul writes, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”

Paul (Acts 20:35) now urges them to follow his example, for he is being obedient to what the Lord told him, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This statement by Jesus is not found in any of the Gospels, and is the only statment of Jesus, while He was on earth, recorded outside of the Gospels; even though there are volumes of the words and miracles of Jesus not recorded in the Scriptures (Jn 21:25).

After speaking, Paul knelt down to pray with the brothers, after which they accompanied him to his ship (v. 38), realizing they would not see him again (2Tim. 4:6-8).

Paul’s ministry in Syria, Asia, and Macedonia was very successful because he devoted himself to God, and to guarding and caring for those who belong to God.  Paul modeled his life after Jesus [the ultimate suffering servant], who gave away much more than he ever received while on earth: self-love/love of God; independence/dependence; get/give away; servants/those served; (Galatians 6:7-10).

 

Acts 21:1-14, “In the Name of the Lord”

vv. 1-3… Paul painfully tore himself away from these believers, many of whom had come to Christ through Paul’s preaching and had been discipled by him.

Paul and his traveling companions set sail for the island of Cos, then Rhodes, then on to the mainland port of Patara (on the SW corner of Asia Minor).

Basically, they sailed during the day, harbored at night, stopping at two islands on their way to Patara, where they boarded a much larger ship (cf. 27:37 says 276 passengers) that would take them non-stop across the Mediterranean Sea to Tyre, a five day journey.

The distance across the sea was about 350 miles on a SE course that sailed on the south si

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