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Acts - Session 19

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:21:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – SESSION 19

Paul’s First Missionary Journey – Part 1

Acts 13 marks a major turning point in the book of Acts. Four major changes occur in Acts 13 that are carried throughout the remainder of the book:

The primary focus of the witness of the church shifts from Jews to Gentiles. While we have seen the church reach out to Gentiles prior to Acts 13 (the Ethiopian in Acts 8, the household of Cornelius in Acts 10, the people in Antioch in Acts 11) and while the gospel is preached in some Jewish synagogues after Acts 13, the emphasis of the Christian witness shifts from Jews to Gentiles. This is the fulfillment of the last part of the Lord’s command in Acts 1:8.
The base of operation shifts from Jerusalem to Antioch. Beginning in Acts 13, Antioch takes over as the center of Christian activity.
The focus shifts from Peter’s leadership to Paul’s leadership. While Peter dominated the events described in the first part of Acts, his name is not even mentioned after Acts 15. The remainder of the book focuses primarily on the missionary journeys and captivity of Paul.
1. Acts 13:1-14:28 describes the Paul’s first missionary journey (To Cyprus and Central Asia Minor with Barnabas and John Mark)
2. Acts 15:1-35 describes the Jerusalem Conference
3. Acts 15:36-18:22 describes Paul’s second missionary journey (To Macedonia and Achaia with Silas)
4. Acts 18:23-21:16 describes Paul’s third missionary journey (To Asia, Macedonia, and Achaia)
5. Acts 21:17 – 28:31 describes Paul’s imprisonment
The strategy of deliberately doing missions was established. Until this point in time, the gospel had been shared primarily by Christian refugees. Now we see the church intentionally setting aside some people to send out to share the gospel.

Acts 13:1-3 describes the call of Barnabas and Saul to missionary service.

Verse 1 – God moved within the hearts of the leaders of the church at Antioch to begin the first organized missions effort.

“prophets and teachers” – Some say this is a reference to two distinct groups of people. Others contend it is a reference the one group with two distinct functions. “Prophets” were those inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak a direct message from God. “Teachers” (this is the first mention of “teachers” in Acts) were those gifted to give believers instruction in the practical duties of the Christian life.

Notice the list of those named in this verse.

“Barnabas” – Nothing else is said about him because he has been introduced to us previously in Acts.

“Simeon who was called Niger” – Niger is the Latin word for black or dark-skinned. Some have tried to identify him with Simon of Cyrene (north Africa) who was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus.

“Lucius of Cyrene” – Cyrene was a province in north Africa about where modern day Libya is located.

“Manaen” – He was reared in the court of Herod the tetrarch, also known as Herod Antipas. He was the Herod who beheaded John the Baptist and the one before whom Jesus appeared on the day of His crucifixion.

“Saul” – He was a highly trained theologian.

It is impossible not to see the rich racial and social diversity of this group.

Verse 2 tells us what this leadership group was doing.

“ministering to the Lord” – The word translated “ministering” is used only three times in the New Testament. It is found also in Romans 15:27 and Hebrews 10:11. It refers to a ministry of public worship.

“fasting” – This indicates the earnestness with which they were seeking direction from the Lord.

“the Holy Spirit said” – Not told precisely how the Spirit communicated with them, but it is reasonable to assume He spoke through one or more of the prophets among them.

Verse 3 tells their response to the Lord’s command. The did three things:

1. They “fasted and prayed” some more to make sure they had not misunderstood what the Spirit was saying to them.

2. They “laid their hands” on Barnabas and Saul. We have seen this act several times in Acts (see Acts 6:6; 8:17; 9:17). This was certainly not an ordination to ministry for both Barnabas and Saul had been extensively involved in ministry before this point in time. Instead, it was an act of confirming their call and of being sent forth with their blessing.

3. They “sent them away.” This must have been terribly difficult for Barnabas and Saul were among the key leaders in that church.

The first missionary journey of Paul is summarized in Acts 13 – 14. It lasted for approximately two years probably around AD 46-48. They set out from Antioch with a definite missions strategy in mind. Their plan was to:

· Go to places the gospel had not yet been shared

· Focus on larger population centers

· Begin by approaching the Jews and other God-fearing people

· Stay a short time in each location, teach new believers, establish a church, and move on trusting the Holy Spirit to lead the new believers

· Revisit the young churches to encourage them

· Return to the home base (sending church) and report

Verse 4a

“being sent out by the Holy Spirit” – Paul and Barnabas were not sent out by the church, they were sent by the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit was directing this entire process and the church was only acting at His direction.

“Seleucia” – This was a seaport about 16 miles from Antioch. There is no record of Paul and Barnabas preaching in this town.

Verses 4b-12 – These verses tell of the ministry in Cyprus. Barnabas was from Cyprus and perhaps that is why they went there first. Cypress is the largest island in the eastern Mediterranean. Though it was dominated by the Romans, it was largely a Greek population and there was a large Jewish community on the island. This was not the first Christian witness to Cyprus (see Acts 11:19-20). While they went “through the whole island” (v.6), Luke describes their work on Cyprus in two principal cities.

“Salamis” (v.5) – This city was located on the northeast side of the island of Cyprus. It was the governmental center for eastern Cyprus and a flourishing commercial center. Two things are mentioned in connection with their work in Salamis.

· They preached “in the synagogues of Jews”

· They had John Mark, who was the cousin of Barnabas (see Colossians 4:10), with them as their helper

“Paphos” (vv. 6-12) – Paphos was located on the southwest side of the island of Cyprus. This was the seat of government for western Cyprus. The city was notorious for its immorality in connection with the worship of a love goddess known as “the Paphian” which was a Syrian version of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Three significant things are said of the work in Paphos.

· A detailed account is given of the encounter with a man named Bar-Jesus who was also known as Elymas which the Greek form of an Aramaic word which means sorcerer. This man was apparently an adviser to the provincial governor who was named Sergius Paulus. It was not unusual for government officials to have around them sorcerers and fortune-tellers to advise them. The governor heard of Paul and Barnabas and invited them to share with him “the word of God” (v.7). Elymas knew that if the governor became a believer in Christ, his source of employment would dry up. So, he did all that he could to keep the governor from listening to Paul and Barnabas. Paul strongly rebuked Elymas. What he said to the sorcerer in Acts 13:10-11 is a good summary of what the Bible has to say about those who practice sorcery or witchcraft or black magic or who dabble in the occult:

o You are “full of deceit and fraud”

o You are “son of the devil”

o You are and “enemy of all righteousness”

o You constantly attempt to make right seem wrong and wrong seem right

o The true God is against all that you stand for

· Saul is referred to as Paul for the first time in Acts. Most Jews had both a Jewish and a Roman name. For Paul, using the Roman name helped him in his work with the Gentiles.

· Sergius Paulus, when he witnessed what happened to his sorcerer and based on the teaching of Paul and Barnabas, became a believer in Jesus.

Verse 13 tellls of the ministry in Perga. Two significant things are mentioned in this verse.

After the confrontation with Elymas, Paul becomes the unmistakable leader of the mission. Notice the phrase “Paul and his companions.” To this point it had been Barnabas and Paul but no longer. Now, Paul was in charge. William Barclay says that this verse pays great tribute to Barnabas because there is no hint of complaint or resentment or bitterness from him. He was more than glad to take second place if that advanced the work of the gospel.
John Mark left the team and returned to Jerusalem. We are not told why Mark left, but the assumption is that he did not like his cousin, Barnabas, being relegated to a secondary role to Paul. John Mark’s leaving became a source of contention between Paul and Barnabas later on (see Acts 15:36-41).

Practical Lessons from Acts 13:1-13

We must not place limits on the people God can use in ministry. The leaders of the church at Antioch demonstrate that God can use people from all backgrounds.
We need to seek the counsel and wisdom of others as we make major decisions. No doubt Barnabas and Saul felt called to go on the missionary journey but God confirmed that through the leaders of the church at Antioch.
Unselfishness is one of the characteristics of a genuinely spiritual person. The leaders of the church at Antioch demonstrated unselfishness by sending out two of their best to other parts of the world even though the need around them was great. Barnabas demonstrated unselfishness by graciously deferring to the leadership of Paul.
Even good people sometimes make mistakes but they need not be fatal. John Mark made a large mistake by bailing out on Paul and Barnabas. But he came back to write the first Gospel and to become a faithful companion to Paul (see 2 Timothy 4:11).

Acts - Session 18

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:39:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – SESSION 18

Acts 12:1-25

Acts 12 marks a new era in the persecution of the Christians. To this point in time the Romans had pretty much taken a hands-off attitude toward Christianity. The Romans tended to few Christianity as nothing more than a sect of Judaism. To them, the conflict between Jews and Christians was an internal religious fight of little concern to the Romans. However, in this chapter we see a Roman official persecuting Christians. To understand the significance of this event, two questions must be addressed:

Who was the Roman official who joined in the persecution of Christians?
What was his motive for doing so?

Question: Who was the Roman official who joined in the persecution of Christians? Acts 12:1 identifies him as “Herod the king…” Actually, a number of different “Herods” ruled in the area of ancient Palestine.

Herod the Great ruled as King of Judea from 37 – 4 B.C. He is the one who rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem. It was under his reign that Jesus was born. In an attempt to destroy the newborn king, Herod ordered the slaughter of babies in Bethlehem (see Matthew 2:16-18). He was a very ruthless man who even killed members of his own family if he thought they were his political rivals. It was said that it was better to be Herod’s dog than his son! When Herod the Great died in 4 B.C., his kingdom was divided between three of his sons:
- Herod the Ethnarch (the word means ruler of a people) also known as Archeleus (see Matthew 2:22). He ruled over Judea, Samaria, and Idumea from 4 BC – 6 AD. He was an incompetent leader liked by virtually no-one. The Romans replaced him with a governor.
- Herod the Tetrarch (the word means ruler of a fourth part) also known as Herod Antipas. He was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and eventually beheaded (see Matthew 14:1-12). He ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 BC – 39 AD. He was the Herod before whom Jesus was taken in Jerusalem prior to the crucifixion.
- Herod Philip was tetrarch over the northern areas of Palestine. He was the one who founded Caesarea Philippi at the base of Mt. Hermon where Jesus and the disciples spent some time (see Matthew 16:13).
Herod the King, also known as Herod Agrippa I, is the Herod in Acts 12. He was the grandson of Herod the Great. His father was Aristobulus and his mother was of a royal Jewish line. Herod the Great had Aristobulus murdered in 7 BC. When that occurred, young Agrippa was taken to Rome to get him away from his evil grandfather. While in Rome he became friends with Caligula who became Emperor in 37 AD. Since Agrippa helped Caligula become Emperor, the Emperor rewarded him with the title of “king.” Over a period of years, he become ruler over roughly the same area his grandfather, Herod the Great, had ruled. He died in 44 AD, so we know the events in Acts 12 took place in that year.
Herod Agrippa II was the son of Herod the King. He was the ruler before whom the Apostle Paul appeared in Acts 25 and 26.

Question: What was Herod’s motivation for persecuting Christians? Herod was a conniving politician who would do anything to court popularity with the people. He knew that to rule effectively over Palestine, he needed the support of the elite Jewish leaders. Because his mother was Jewish royalty and because he kept the Jewish law when convenient and observed Jewish holy days, he was well liked by many of the Jews. When he saw the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem struggling with the growing Christian movement, he saw an opportunity to win more favor with the Jews. His attack against Christians was motivated by raw political ambition.

The story of Herod’s persecution of Christians is told in four movements:

The execution of James (Acts 12:1-2)
The arrest and miraculous release of Peter (Acts 12:3-19)
The death of Herod (Acts 12:20-23)
The continue growth of the church (Acts 12:24-25)

The Execution of James (Acts 12:1-2)

Verse 1 is a general statement summarizing the persecution of key Christians instigated by Herod Agrippa I.

“about that time” – This event took place about the time the church was dealing with the issue of allowing Gentiles come in without first becoming Jews. Up to this point in time, it had not been wise for the religious or civil leaders to be to harsh with the apostles because of their popularity with the people (see Acts 5:26). It may have been the apostles’ acceptance of Gentiles which began to turn public opinion and which made it politically expedient for Herod to move against the church.

“laid hands” – The verb carries the idea of taking hold of someone to inflict hardship or damage.

“some who belonged to the church” – The persecution involved more than a couple of members. James is singled out because of the prominent place he had among the apostles.

Verse 2 is a specific statement concerning the death of James.

“James” – Several people in the New Testament are identified by the name of James. Later in this chapter we will meet another James. But the James in this verse is identified as “the brother of John.” His father was named Zebedee. By occupation, James was a fisherman. Along with his brother John and father Zebedee, he fished the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. Jesus called them to follow Him one day as they were working at their trade (see Matthew 4:21-22). Along with John and Peter, James was part of the inner circle of Jesus’ followers. He was allowed to be a witness of the transfiguration of Jesus (see Mark 9:1-7). He was also invited by Jesus to pray with Him privately along with John and Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of Jesus’ arrest. The events in this verse are actually a fulfillment of a prediction that Jesus made about James drinking the same cup (of suffering) and baptism (of death) that Jesus experienced (see Mark 10:37-39).

“with a sword” – Luke does not tell us precisely how James died. He may have been pierced through with a sword, hacked to death, or more likely, beheaded. One writer points out how remarkable it is that so little is said about the martyrdom of the first apostle. The way Luke tells of this event is a reminder that individuals were not glorified in the early church and death was not viewed as the ultimate tragedy.

The Arrest and Miraculous Release of Peter (Acts 12:3-19)

Verses 3-4 describe the arrest.

“when he saw that it pleased the Jews” – Ever the politician, Herod Agrippa I figured if the Jews were pleased with the death of James, they would be ecstatic with the death of Peter. After all, he was the recognized leader of the Christians in Jerusalem.

“proceeded to arrest Peter also” – This is the fourth time Peter is arrested.

· In Acts 4 he was arrested along with John for preaching after they healed a lame man in the Temple. He was threatened and released.

· In the Acts 5:17 he was arrested along with the other apostles because the Sadducees were jealous of the attention they were getting from the people. In this case, they were miraculously freed from jail by an angel and went right back into the temple to continue preaching.

· In Acts 5:26 Peter and the apostles were re-arrested. This time they were flogged and threatened before being released.

“during the days of Unleavened Bread” – It was the Passover season. No doubt Peter was thinking about the experience of Jesus during the Passover when He was arrested and crucified.

“four squads of soldiers to guard him” – Because of his previous miraculous release, the Romans were taking no chances with Peter. Sixteen soldiers were assigned to guard him, four at a time working in six hour shifts.

“to bring him out before the people” – Perhaps as Jesus was brought out when the crowd shouted for His death.

Verses 5-19 tell of the deliverance of Peter. In the interest of time and space, I am going to just list several key things about this account.

Peter’s deliverance was timely. It occurred on “the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward” (v.6). God left Peter in that situation until the last minute. And notice was Peter was doing. Knowing what had happened to James and knowing what Herod was planning to do to him, “Peter was sleeping…” That is a beautiful picture of a person who feared neither death nor life.
Peter’s deliverance was supernatural. There is no way to explain Peter’s release except to attribute it to the supernatural intervention of the Lord. Peter was “between two soldiers, bound with chains; and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison” (v.6). Also, pass the guards was an “iron gate” to secure the prison (v.10). Luke gives a detailed account of the security surrounding Peter to remind us that his release was undoubtedly the work of the Lord.
Peter did nothing to cause his release. On the contrary, he had to be directed every step of the way. Notice the instructions given to him by the angel:
- “Get up quickly.” (v.7)
- “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” (v.8)
- “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”(v.8)

This release was not the work of Peter. He was a passive participant in what occurred.

The prayers of the church played a key role in Peter’s release. Verse 5 says “prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God…” Verse 12 says that in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, “…many were gathered together and were praying…”
The church was surprised when their prayers were answered. When they finally realized Peter had been released, verse 16 says they “were amazed.” Dr. Curtis Vaughan points out that “God often gives us more than we expect and always more than we deserve.”
Peter instructed the group to let James know what had happened. This, of course, is not the same James mentioned in the first part of this chapter who had been martyred by Herod. This James refers to the half-brother of Jesus who became a believer after the resurrection. From this point on, he is portrayed as the key leader of the church in Jerusalem (see Acts 15:13ff and Acts 21:18).

The Death of Herod (Acts 12:20-23)

Herod had become angry with the people in Tyre and Sidon for some reason that Luke does not explain. Since these Phoenician cities depended on the other areas Herod ruled for their food supply, having the king angry at them was a serious threat to their survival. A delegation was sent to seek peace with Herod, and to gain access they apparently bribed his treasurer, Blastus. Herod received these emissaries from Tyre and Sidon in great splendor. Falvius Josephus, the early Jewish historian, describes the event this way:

[Agrippa] entered the theater at daybreak. There the silver [in his royal robe] illuminated by the touch of the first rays of the sun, was wondrously radiant and by its glitter inspired fear and awe in those who gazed upon it. Straightway the flatterers raised their voices from various directions … addressing him as a god. “May you be propitious [benevolent, favorable] toward us,” they added, “and if we have hitherto feared you as a man, yet henceforth we agree that you are more than mortal in your being.” [Quoted in The Book of Acts, the Smart Guide to Bible Study Series, pp.151-152]

“an angel of the Lord struck him…” – The death of Herod is portrayed as an act of God. While Luke does not specifically say it, the implication is that his death was at least partially caused by his persecution of believers.

“because he did not give God the glory” – What a contrast between Herod’s actions here and Peter’s actions in Acts 4:12 and Acts 11:26 and the actions of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:11-15.

“he was eaten by worms and died” – There has been much speculation over how Herod died. Whatever the specific cause, God was behind it! Jospehus says Herod was stricken with severe abdominal pains on one day and died five days later.

The Continued Growth of the Church (Acts 12:24-25)

Verse 24 is another of those summary statements that are scattered throughout the book of Acts to provide us an account of the state of the church at various points in time. This verse is the sixth of nine such summary accounts in the book. Most are very brief consisting of just a sentence or two. These summaries are located in Acts 1:14; 2:43-47; 4:32-35; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; and 28:30-31. There is an interesting contrast in verb tenses between this verse and the previous verse. The verb “died” in verse 23 is in the aorist tense which denotes completed action in past time. The verb tense describes something that is over and one with. Herod died. He came to an end. He was no longer a threat to the church. But the verb tenses in verse 24 are imperfect, denoting continuing action. In contrast to Herod who was stopped, the church continued to progress, to grow and multiply.

Verse 25 is a transition statement setting the stage for what is to follow. The stage is now set for launching a great missionary effort toward the Gentile world, and that effort begins in earnest in the next chapter of Acts.

Practical Application of Acts 12:1-25:

Commitment to God is costly. There is no such thing as easy commitment. For James, commitment meant death. For Peter, it meant imprisonment. For all who choose to follow Jesus, it involves sacrifice. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24)
Failing to commit to God is costly. Herod paid a steep price for his rejection of Christians. The deeper lesson here is not merely that we will experience physical death if we reject God. Even worse, we experience spiritual death and we miss the very essence of life. Those who fail to commit their lives to God exist without really living.
There is a mystery about the workings of God in this world that we are unable to discern. God spared the life of Peter (at least temporarily) and allowed James to be martyred. In the great chapter of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 are two statements that sum up this mystery. In Hebrews 11:34 we are told that by faith some “escaped the edge of the sword.” But in almost the same breath in Hebrews 11:37 we are told that by faith some “were put to death with the sword.” The reality is that we are inadequate to understand the mysterious ways of God!

Acts - Session 17

Fri, 29 May 2009 03:03:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – SESSION 17

Acts 11:19-30

Acts 1:8 (“…but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth”) is the thesis sentence of Acts and provides us a broad outline of the book. Acts tells of the expansion of the Christian witness from Jerusalem, into Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. In a general sense:

Acts 1-7 tells of the witness in Jerusalem
Acts 8-10 tells of the witness in Judea and Samaria
Acts 11-28 tells of the witness to the remotest parts of the earth

After the conference in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1-18) in which the young church opened its doors to Gentiles, the stage was set for the expansion of the witness of the church. In the last part of chapter 11, Luke begins to introduce us to that expanding witness.

Acts 11:19-30 introduces us to events that did not occur in either Judea or Samaria. Luke tells us of these events to show how the church was being prepared for the expansion of its mission to the Gentile world. This paragraph tells of the expansion of the gospel to Antioch of Syria

The key person in this section of Acts is Barnabas. This is the third time we have come across Barnabas in Acts. We saw him in:

Acts 4:36-37 selling a field and laying the money at the apostles’ feet for distribution to the poor.
Acts 9:27 befriending Saul when everyone else in Jerusalem was afraid to associate with him.

Acts 4:36 tells his given name was Joseph but the apostles nicknamed him Barnabas which means Son of Encouragement. Each time we meet him in Scripture he is living up to that name.

There are three basic movements in this paragraph:

The founding of the church at Antioch (Acts 11:19-21)
The mission of Barnabas to Antioch (Acts 11:22-26)
The benevolence of the church at Antioch (Acts 11:27-30)

The Founding of the Church at Antioch (Acts 11:19-21)

Verse 19 – This verse takes us back to the events recorded in the first part of Acts 8. Acts 11:19 uses the same language as Acts 8:4. When the persecution instigated by Saul of the church in Jerusalem began, Christians scattered preaching the gospel. Philip (see Acts 8) went to Samaria. But others who were unnamed went to more distant lands. Three specific places are listed in verse 19:

“Phoenicia” – This referred to the coastal region along the Mediterranean just to the west and north of Galilee. This area would be roughly equivalent to modern day Lebanon. The major cities in this area in the 1^st century included Tyre, Sidon, Berytus, and Tripolis. Acts 21:4 and 27:3 makes reference to early Christian communities in this area.
“Cyprus” – This is the eastern most of the larger islands of the Mediterranean. It was the home of Barnabas and it is mentioned several times in the book of Acts.
“Antioch” - . Antioch of Syria was:
- The third largest city in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria. The population in the 1^st century is estimated to have been about 800,000. The population was primarily Syrian but in culture and language it was Greek. A large Jewish community lived in Antioch.
- Known as “the Queen of the East” or “Antioch the Beautiful” or “Antioch the Great.”
- A free city, having its own municipal government. It was also the seat of the provincial administration of Syria.
- Know for its moral corruption.
- Eventually, Antioch surpassed Jerusalem as the center of Christianity. It became famous as the location of a school of theology. The early church fathers Ignatius and John Chrysostom were associated with the church in Antioch.

Verse 20 introduces a new chapter in Christian history. Here we see:

The gospel being preached to “Greeks” not “Grecians” which would have meant Greek speaking Jews. It is not clear whether this event occurred before or after Peter preaching in the home of Cornelius.
The preaching occurring in the largest pagan city to which the gospel had gone at that point in time.
The preaching being done by Hellenistic (Greek speaking) Jews from “Cyprus and Cyrene.”
The substance of the preaching being “the Lord Jesus.” Notice the absence of the word “Christ.” The Greeks did not have a concept of a coming Messiah (Christ), so these early evangelists began with them where they were.

Verse 21 reports the great success of the preaching in Antioch. The phrase “the hand of the Lord” was a common expression meaning the power or the presence of the Lord.

The Mission of Barnabas to Antioch (Acts 19:22-26)

The mission of Barnabas to Antioch is similar to the mission of Peter and John when they were sent to Samaria in Acts 8 to check out the work of Philip among the Samaritans. Each event represents a new direction for the church, and the apostles in Jerusalem correctly thought that the new direction should be carefully evaluated.

Verse 22 describes the sending of Barnabas.

“…news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem…” – The calm reaction of the church in Jerusalem to the news that Gentiles were being converted in Antioch is an indication that by the time word got back to Jerusalem, they had already dealt with the issue concerning the conversion of Cornelius and the other Gentiles at Caesarea.

“…they sent Barnabas…” – Barnabas was ideally suited by both temperament and background for this mission. He was a non-judgmental, compassionate individual who was a native of Cyprus, from which some of the first preachers at Antioch had come.

“…to Antioch” – Literally the text says “as far as Antioch” indicating he was to check out the work all the way from Jerusalem to Antioch.

Notice that Barnabas was not required to return to Jerusalem and give a report or get approval for what was happening in Antioch. In effect the apostles told him to use his best judgment and respond appropriately. That was an expression of great confidence in Barnabas.

Verses 23 and 24 tell us the response of Barnabas. Essentially, he lived up to his name.

“…began to encourage them…” – The verb tense indicates he repeatedly, continuously encouraged them. He did not stop encouraging them.

“…good man…” – His disposition was pleasant, his heart was kind, he genuinely loved people, and he naturally served others. Barnabas modeled the person described in the first part of Philippians 2.

Verses 25 and 26 describe how Barnabas recruited Paul to help him with the work at Antioch. One writer says that Barnabas, ever the encourager, saw an opportunity to help a church and to help a man.

“…left for Tarsus to look for Saul…” – The phrase indicates a thorough search for Saul was made. Barnabas did not know precisely where Saul was, so he began looking in his ancestral home. F.F. Bruce writesthat Paul had been “…disinherited for his Christian confession and could no longer be found in his ancestral home.”

“…the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch…” – The word means “the Christ people.”

The Benevolence of the Church at Antioch (Acts 11:27-30)

The events in these verses demonstrate the genuineness of the commitment to Jesus of the new believers in Antioch. One of the distinguishing characteristics of those who follow Jesus is compassion for those in need. In the biblical sense, compassion that does not act is not really compassion. As John put it in I John 3:16-18, “We know love by this, that He [Jesus] laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” The Christians in Antioch demonstrated their love for others through their deeds.

“…some prophets…” (v.27) – The function of prophets in the New Testament church was to instruct the people and guide the people in the things of God.

“…took place in the reign of Claudius…” (v.28) – Claudius reigned from 44-54 A.D. Sources outside the Scripture confirm that a severe famine occurred during his reign.

“…in proportion that any of the disciples had means…” (v.29) – This is always the standard of Christian giving. God is not concerned with how much we give; He is concerned with how much we give in proportion to what we have to give.

“…in charge of Barnabas and Saul...” (v.30) – The Scripture records several visits of Barnabas and Paul to Jerusalem. For examples, see Acts 15 and Galatians 2. Perhaps this was one of those visits or perhaps it was a separate visit altogether.

“…to the elders...” (v.30) – This is the first time the office of elders is mentioned in the Scripture. The word was used interchangeably with the word “overseers or bishops” (see Acts 20:17,28 and Titus 1:5,7).

Practical Application of Acts 11:19-30

God is constantly doing a new thing in this world. Three new things emerge from the events reported in Acts 11:19-30:

· A new center for missionary work – Antioch

· A new name for those who followed Christ – Christians

· A new team for spreading the gospel – Paul and Barnabas

Everyone needs a “Barnabas” in his or her life – someone who is kind-hearted, dependable, and trustworthy. Also, everyone needs to be a “Barnabas” to some other person.
Investing in people, building people up is an important part of the Christian calling. Who knows what would have become of Saul had it not been for the effort of Barnabas to seek him out and bring him to Antioch.
God does not call every believer to the same task. In the case of the church at Antioch, one group planted the church, Barnabas encouraged the church, and Paul helped instruct the church.
Stewardship of abilities and possessions is an important expression of the Christian life. Christians, who have been given so much by God, are by nature to be givers.

Acts - Session 16

Fri, 22 May 2009 04:27:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – Session 16

(Acts 10:23b-11:18)

In this session we are going to continue looking at the story of the meeting between Peter, the Jewish apostle, and Cornelius, the Gentile centurion in the Roman army. In our last session we saw that the importance of this meeting is highlighted by:

The amount of space Luke devotes to the story -- all of chapter 10 and about one-half of chapter 11.
The repetition Luke uses in telling the story. The vision of Cornelius is described four times and the vision of Peter is described twice.
The geographical area the story encompasses. It begins in Caesarea (Acts 10:1-8), moves to Joppa (Acts 10:9-23a), returns to Caesarea (Acts 10:23b-48), and concludes in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1-18)

The reason this meeting is given so much attention in Acts is that it represents a major breakthrough for the gospel. This is the first time that Gentiles came to faith in Jesus without first becoming Jewish converts. And, as the events in Acts 10 & 11 unfold, it becomes clear that this was a very controversial event.

Two visions from God, one given to Cornelius while in the seaside city of Caesarea and the other given to Peter in the seaside town of Joppa, set the stage for the meeting between these two men. We looked in detail at those visions in Acts 10:1-23a in the previous session. An angel appeared to Cornelius telling him to send messengers to Joppa to get Peter to come to Caesarea. While those messengers were on their way to Joppa, Peter had a vision of a sheet being lowered from heaven filled with animals Jews considered unclean to eat. A voice told him to kill the animals and eat them but Peter refused because he considered them to be unholy or unclean. The voice told him not to consider as unholy what God had cleansed. While Peter was trying to figure out the meaning of that vision, the messengers from Cornelius arrived in Joppa. Peter invited them into the house and gave them lodging. We are going to pick up the story in this session in the middle part of Acts 10:23. In this session we will look at:

The meeting of Cornelius and Peter (Acts 10:23b-33)
The message of Peter to those assembled in the home of Cornelius (Acts 10:34-43)
The conversion of Cornelius and those gathered in his home (Acts 10:44-48)
The controversy in Jerusalem over the salvation of Gentiles (Acts 11:1-18)

The Meeting of Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10:23b-33)

Verse 23b

“…some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him…” – Acts 11:12 tells us that six (6) men went with Peter from Joppa to Caesarea. That he would take an entourage like that seems to indicate that Peter expected something significant to happen in Caesarea and he wanted witnesses to the event. Given the controversy this event caused in the church, it was a wise move on Peter’s part to have corroborating witnesses to what actually happened.

Verse 24

“…Cornelius was waiting for them…” – Apparently Cornelius had never even heard of Peter before he was instructed by an angel in a vision to send for him. But he was so certain of what he had experienced, had no doubt that there was such a man and that he would come to his home.

“…had called together his relatives and close friends…” – It was one thing for Cornelius to wait alone expectantly for Peter to arrive. If he failed to show up, at least no-one would know except for the messengers he had sent to Joppa. But Cornelius was so full of faith, that he invited his relatives and friends to join him in waiting for Peter to come.

Verse 25

“…fell at his feet and worshiped him…” – Literally, Cornelius bowed before Peter. It is not that Cornelius thought Peter was a god. Remember, he was worshiping as the Jews did and they were rigidly monotheistic. But he viewed Peter as a special messenger from God, perhaps some sort of angelic being. This is an amazing scene—a Roman centurion giving deference to a Jewish Galilean fisherman!

Verse 26

“…Stand up; I too am must a man…” – Throughout the book of Acts we see the early disciples being very careful not to take credit for what God was doing through them. They correctly saw themselves as instruments of God and constantly pointed beyond themselves to Him.

Verses 28-29

“…how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him…” – Peter had already broken this law several times as he invited the messenger from Cornelius to lodge with him at Joppa and then as he traveled with them to Caesarea.

“...God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean…” – Sometime during the night before Peter had figured out the meaning of the vision he had seen on the rooftop. He explained that is why he readily accompanied the men sent by Cornelius back to Caesarea.

Verses 30-33 – At the request of Peter, Cornelius recounted the events which led him to send for Peter.

The Message of Peter (Acts 10:34-43)

The beginning of verse 34, “And opening his mouth, Peter said…” is designed to underscore the importance of what Peter was about to say. Luke uses this same formula in Acts 8:35 when Philip begins to explain the Scripture to the Ethiopian on the road between Jerusalem and Gaza. Matthew uses this formula in Matthew 5:2 where he begins his account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount with these words: “And opening His mouth He began to teach them, saying…” The sermon Peter preached on this occasion is very similar to the sermon he preached on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Also, it has been pointed out that this sermon follows the pattern of the Gospel of Mark which many scholars believe is the Gospel of Peter as told to John Mark.

In the interest of time and space, I am just going to list the main points of Peter’s sermon:

God does not show partiality. God does not turn His back on anyone. Instead, He welcomes into His presence people of all nationalities.
However, there is a condition to being welcomed into God’s presence. The condition is reverencing God and doing what is right. As the sermon develops Peter explains that doing what is right means believing in Jesus (see verse 43).
The message of peace and salvation in Jesus was sent by God first to Israel (see Romans 1:16).
A recounting of the life and works of Jesus (verses 37-38).
A recounting of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus (verses 39-40).
The testimony of the apostles as witnesses to the resurrection and proclaimers of the coming judgment (verse 41-42).
A call to repentance and faith (verse 43).

The Conversion of Cornelius and Those Gathered in His Home (Acts 10:44-48)

This event has been described as the Pentecost of the Gentile world. This is the third time in the book of Acts we have seen such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Each occurrence represents a breakthrough of the gospel to another people group—Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came upon Jews at Pentecost, Acts 8 when the Holy Spirit came upon Samaritans, and Acts 10 when the Holy Spirit came upon Gentiles. Each outpouring of the Spirit is accompanied by extraordinary signs.

“While Peter was still speaking…” – These people were so ready to receive the good news and so receptive to God’s Spirit, they did not even wait for Peter to finish his sermon before responding!

“…all the circumcised believers … were amazed…” – They could not believe what they were seeing. They needed some visible, outward manifestation from God to accept such a radical change in their theological understanding. F.F. Bruce writes:

The descent of the Spirit on those Gentiles was outwardly manifested in much the same way as it had been when the original disciples received the Spirit at Pentecost: they spoke with tongues and proclaimed the mighty works of God (see Acts 2:4, 11). Apart from such external manifestations, none of the Jewish believers present … would have been so ready to accept the reality of the Spirit’s coming on them. As in Peter’s vision the voice of God overruled food restrictions … so now the act of God in sending the Spirit overruled the sacred tradition which forbade association with Gentiles. [Quoted in The Book of Acts: The Smart Guide to Bible Studies, Robert C. Girard]

Notice the way Peter phrased his question to the Jewish believers who had accompanied him to Caesarea. Based on what they had seen and heard, there was no way that anyone could object to these new Gentile believers being baptized and accepted into the fellowship of faith.

The Controversy in Jerusalem over the Salvation of the Gentiles (Acts 11:1-18)

Verses 1-3 describe the charges made against Peter. It is interesting that someone with the credentials of Peter was not immune from being criticized by narrow thinking people within the early church.

“…those who were circumcised…” – This does not refer to all Jewish believers. Obviously those who accompanied Peter to Caesarea were not in this group. The phrase can be translated “…those of the circumcision…” referring to a group of Jewish believers who were especially zealous for the law. They became known as Judaizers. Their basic stance was that a Gentile could become a Christian only after becoming a full-fledged Jewish proselyte. This group caused much trouble in the early church, and they were especially critical of Paul who became the Apostle to the Gentiles. In the letter to the Galatians Paul addresses this group directly and very firmly (see Galatians 1).

“…took issue…” – This is a strong phrase which can men contend with, withdraw from, judge, or oppose. They questioned Peter’s ability to lead. The verb is present tense indicating continuous action. They were continually opposing Peter. They would not let it go.

Notice the nature of the charge against Peter. They did sort of a backdoor approach. Instead of criticizing him for sharing the gospel with Gentiles, which was really their main concern, they attacked him for fellowshipping with Gentiles. They complained that Peter “…went to uncircumcised men and ate with them…” This criticism apparently stung Peter, because at a later time he tried to avoid putting himself in a position to be criticized in such a way again (see Galatians 2:11-21)

Verses 4-17 contain Peter’s defense against the charges. Essentially, he just tells the story of what happened and how the Lord worked to bring him and Cornelius together.

Verse 18 gives the decision of the church. This decision certainly did not please everyone, and the issue continued to plague the church for years to come.

Practical lessons from Acts 10:23b-11:18:

God is often at work in ways we cannot fully comprehend. We only see part of the picture. Neither Cornelius nor Peter fully understood God’s plan when they received their vision from God.
Once God reveals His will to us, our only options are to cooperate with Him (as Cornelius, Peter, and the people gathered in Cornelius’ home did) or resist Him (as some of the people in the Jerusalem church did).
Cooperating with God will often lead to being misunderstood and criticized by others. The only way to avoid criticism is to do nothing, and even then some will criticize!
Negativism is destructive. It limits one’s vision and destroys initiative.
The gospel is for all people. No-one is outside the scope of the saving grace of Jesus. That is the basic lesson God taught Peter and the larger church through this event.

Acts - Session 15

Fri, 15 May 2009 03:59:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – Session 15

(Acts 10:1-23a)

We began looking in our last session at a rather large section of the book of Acts which deals with some of the travels of Peter. This section of Acts focuses on the ministry of Peter in four places:

Lydda – Acts 9:32-35
Joppa – Acts 9:36-10:23a
Caesarea – Acts 10:23b-48
Jerusalem – Acts 11:1-18

Toward the end of Acts 9, Peter is summoned to Joppa from Lydda because a much loved follower of Christ in Joppa name Tabitha (Aramaic) or Dorcas (Greek) had died. Following the example of Jesus in Mark 5, Peter prayed and God raised Dorcas from the dead. Following that miracle, many came to faith in Christ in Joppa and Peter, staying in the home of Simon the tanner, remained in Joppa to minister to them.

Acts 10 introduces to us Cornelius, a Roman centurion who lived in Caesarea. The story of the interaction between Peter and Cornelius consumes all of Acts 10 and one-half of Acts 11. This is one of the most important events in the book of Acts because it represents another breakthrough for the gospel. The conversion of Cornelius and those gathered in his household is the first occurrence of Gentiles coming into the church without first converting to Judaism. In this event we see people coming to faith in Christ with total disregard for the Old Testament law. The importance of this event can be seen in:

The amount of space Luke devotes to the story … all of chapter 10 and about one-half of chapter 11.
The repetition Luke uses in telling the story. The vision of Cornelius is described four times and the vision of Peter is described twice.
The geographical area the story encompasses. It begins in Caesarea (Acts 10:1-8), moves to Joppa (Acts 10:9-23a), returns to Caesarea (Acts 10:23b-48), and concludes in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1-18)

The Vision of Cornelius – Acts 10:1-8

Verses 1-2 introduce Cornelius. These verses speak of his home, his position, and his religious character.

His home was “Caesarea” which is a seaport city about thirty miles north of Joppa. In New Testament times Caesarea was the Roman civil capital of the area. The Roman procurator or governor lived in Caesarea (Pilate, Felix, Festus). Caesarea was also the headquarters of the Roman army occupying that part of the world.
By occupation Cornelius was a Roman centurion. The Roman army was divided into legions. Each legion was made of 6,000 soldiers. The legions were organized into cohorts. Each legion consisted of 10 cohorts of 600 solders. The cohorts were organized into 6 centuries or groups of 100 men. The centuries were commanded by centurions. In modern day military terms, the legion was like a division or perhaps infantry regiment, the cohort like a battalion, the centuries like a company. The men who commanded the centuries have been described as the backbone of the Roman army. They were the equivalent of modern day captains. Centurions are mentioned more than twenty times in Scripture, and they are always mentioned in a positive light. The person who became a centurion had to have the ability to relate well to and to lead others.
His religious character is spelled out in verses 2.
- He was “…a devout man, and one who feared God with all his household…” – God-fearer was the phrase Jews used to describe Gentiles who believed in the God of Israel and worshiped in the synagogue but who did not submit to the rite of circumcision. Because they were uncircumcised, they were look upon as being spiritual incomplete or unclean. The word translated “feared” is phobia. We have come across this word several times in the book of Acts. It carries the idea of awe and respect, and it was one of the distinguishing characteristics of how the early church related to the Lord.
- He “…gave much alms…” That is, Cornelius had a generous spirit. The implication is that he gave to help the Jewish people. This is remarkable considering the Roman army was in the area to crush any Jewish uprising.
- He “…prayed to God continually…” Cornelius was constantly seeking direction from God.

Verses 3-6 describe the vision of Cornelius.

“ninth hour” – This is three in the afternoon, one of the prescribed times of prayer (see Acts 3:1).

“an angel (messenger) of God” – This is the third time in the book of Acts we have seen such a messenger from God. See Acts 5:19 and Acts 8:26.

“staying with a certain tanner” – These words probably gave Cornelius some comfort because they indicate the man for whom he would be sending was not overly rigid. A strict Jew would not have been staying in such a place.

Verses 7-8 describe the response of Cornelius to the vision. Even though it was already late in the day, he immediately did as he was told. One writer has pointed out that it is remarkable that God had to speak to Cornelius only once to get His point across, but a little later in this chapter He has to give Peter three chances to obey and he still hesitated!

The example of Cornelius provides us a model for putting ourselves in a position to hear God speaking to us.

Recognize our need for God (verse 2).
Approach God with a sense of reverence and awe (verse 2).
Have a compassionate heart toward people (verse 2)
Be persistent in prayer (verse 2)
Be obedient to what God says (verses 7-8).

The Vision of Peter – Acts 10:9-23a)

Verses 9-16 describe the vision.

“…the next day … approaching the city…” – It would have taken nine to ten hours for the men sent by Cornelius to make the 30 mile trip from Caesarea to Joppa on foot.

“up on the housetop” – Even to this day houses in that area have flat roofs that are used much like we would use a patio. Sometimes a canopy was built over the flat roof to provide protection from the sun.

“sixth hour to pray” – The time was 12:00 noon. There were three special hours of prayer observed at the temple each day -- the third hour (9:00 a.m.), the sixth hour (12:00 noon), and the ninth hours (3:00 p.m.). Jews who were away from Jerusalem still observed these hours of prayer.

“he became hungry” – The word for “hungry” suggests a very intense hunger. He was extremely hungry.

“fell into a trance” – The word translated “trance” is ekstasis from which our word ecstasy comes. The word suggests a state of disorientation and bewilderment. Literally it means to be out of one’s senses.

“a certain object like a great sheet coming down” – One writer describes this object like the sail of a large ship.

“four footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air” – Leviticus 11 gives a detailed breakdown of animals the Jews were allowed to eat and not eat. In short:

· Land animals that have split hoofs and chew their cud were considered clean. Animals with paws or that did not have split hoofs and chewed their cud were considered unclean. (Cattle, goats, and sheep were clean. Camels, pigs, badgers, weasels, rats, and lizards were unclean.)

· Fish that had fins and scales were considered clean. Catfish, eels, and shellfish were unclean.

· Predator type birds such as eagles, vultures, hawks, ravens, and owls were considered unclean.

· Insects that have jointed legs such as crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts were considered clean. Other insect were considered unclean.

“Arise, Peter, kill and eat!” – That was a shocking command to Peter. All of his life he had been taught that it was wrong to eat the kind of animals in that sheet, but now he was being told it was okay to eat such animals. That was such a shocking revelation that God had to give it to him three times, and apparently each time Peter objected.

Verses 17-23a described the arrival of the messengers from Cornelius.

“greatly perplexed” – Peter was aware that the Lord gave him that vision to teach him some lesson, but he was not sure of what the lesson was. Was the Lord saying to him just that it is now okay to eat animals which were once pronounced unclean, or was there a broader principle to be learned from the vision? As Peter was struggling with that question, the answer showed up at the gate of the house!

“the Spirit said to him” – The Holy Spirit assured Peter that the men who were looking from him were sent by Him.

“he invited them in and gave them lodging” – This is an incredible statement. It had been engrained into Peter that Gentiles were unclean. Jews would not enter the home of a Gentile and they certainly would not invite Gentiles into their homes. But in this case, Peter did not hesitate to invite these Gentiles to eat and share lodging with him. That is evidence that Peter was already beginning to grasp the central concept of the vision given to him—that in Christ all the old barriers of race, position, gender, upbringing etc. have been done away with. As the Scripture so eloquently puts it in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Practical application from Acts 10:1-23a:

As we do our part, God does His part. Cornelius did what he knew to do—reverenced God, helped others, and prayed—and God honored that by giving Cornelius more insight and direction. The old adage, God helps those who help themselves, is true. Trusting God does not mean that we do nothing; it means that we do what we know God wants us to do.
Times of difficulty and need in our lives can be some of the best teachable moments. God used Peter’s intense physical hunger to impart to him a spiritual lesson.
We are much more likely to hear from God if we put ourselves in a position to listen. Peter separated himself from the crowd below, went to the rooftop, and opened himself to God. This is a reminder of the importance of having a regular time and place in our lives for prayer and meditation.
We still have much to learn. Peter did not have the attitude that God could not teach him new truth. We do not know it all and we do not understand all spiritual truth. As the Scripture says in I Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly…” We need to be open to the Spirit as He leads us into more truth. Of course, to avoid being led into error, we must always verify our understanding of truth with God’s Word.

Acts - Session 14

Fri, 08 May 2009 04:14:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – Session 14

(Acts 9:32-43)

In the first part of Acts, the prominent character of the narrative is Simon Peter. To this point in the story we have come across Peter on numerous occasions. For example:

Acts 1:13 – Peter is listed first, indicating his position of leadership, among the apostles who gathered in upper room in Jerusalem following the Lord’s ascension into heaven.
Acts 1:15 – Peter led the meeting in which the young fellowship chose Matthias to be the replacement among the twelve for Judas Iscariot who had betrayed the Lord and committed suicide.
Acts 2:14-42 – Peter is the main preacher on the Day of Pentecost.
Acts 3 – Peter is the main figure in the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple.
Acts 4 – Peter spoke before the Sanhedrin Court after he and John were arrested in the temple following the healing of the lame man.
Acts 5:1-11 – Peter was the one who confronted Ananias and Sapphira when they lied about their offering.
Acts 5:12-16 – Peter was the key player in a series of miracles that occurred following the episode with Ananias and Sapphira.
Acts 5:17-42 – Peter was the main spokesman before the Sanhedrin when all the apostles were arrested and ultimately beaten because of their preaching about Jesus.
Acts 8:14-25 – Peter, along with John, was sent by all the apostles to Samaria to investigate Philip’s ministry among the Samaritans.

All of those events except for the last one took place in the Jerusalem. In this session we are going to begin looking at a section of Acts which focuses on some of the travels and work of Peter outside of Jerusalem. Acts 9:31 indicates this was a time of freedom of persecution and healthy growth for the young church. Perhaps this time of peace and prosperity gave Peter the freedom to leave Jerusalem for awhile to minister in other areas.

This section of Acts focuses on the ministry of Peter in four places:

Lydda – Acts 9:32-35
Joppa – Acts 9:36-10:23a
Caesarea – Acts 10:23b-48
Jerusalem – Acts 11:1-18

Peter at Lydda (Acts 9:32-35)

Verse 32

“came down” – Even though he traveled northwest from Jerusalem, the text describes him as going down because Jerusalem is higher in elevation than any of the surrounding area. Jews always spoke of “going up” to Jerusalem and “coming down” from Jerusalem. As we have seen in previous studies, this terminology may have referred to more that mere physical elevation. It was always a spiritually uplifting experience to go to Jerusalem and a time of coming down spiritually to leave Jerusalem.

“to the saints” – We saw in the last session that the word “saints” refers to all believers. It means holy ones or those who have been set apart by God. We are saints not by virtue of what we have done. We don’t earn the title of saint. That title is conferred on us by virtue of the sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf. We have been made saints by the grace of God!

“Lydda” – Lydda was located about 23 miles northwest of Jerusalem and about 12 miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea. Today, Ben Gurion Airport is located very near the ancient site of Lydda. The New Testament town of Lydda was on the site of the town known as Lod in the Old Testament. It was situated on an important intersection of two key trade routes: the highway known as the Via Maris (way of the sea) which was the trade route than ran from Egypt to Asia and Asia Minor and the road that ran from Jerusalem to Joppa, a seaport.

Verse 33

“Aeneas” – The name suggests he was a Hellenistic (Greek speaking) Jew. Luke does not tell us whether or not Aeneas was a Christian, but the context seems to indicate he was. Peter’s mission on this journey seemed to be to minister to and encourage the believers. One of the early church fathers, John Chrysostom described Peter’s journey this way: “…[he] went about inspecting the ranks, what part was compact, what in good order, what needed his presence…” Since the verse states that Peter “…came down also to the saints who lived in Lydda….” it makes sense to assume Aeneas, to whom Peter ministered, was one of those saints. If he wasn’t, no doubt he became one after this miracle!

“bedridden for eight years … paralyzed…” – This was obviously no minor illness. Perhaps the Lord chose cases like this to demonstrate the power of the gospel. Matthew Henry says, “Christ chose such patients as those whose diseases were incurable … to show how desperate the case of fallen [humanity] was when He undertook their cure.”

Verse 34

“Jesus Christ heals you” – The tense of the verb indicates that Peter was saying to Aeneas, “At this very moment as I speak Jesus Christ is healing you.”

“arise” – This required an act of faith on the part of Aeneas, much as we saw in Acts 4:7 on the part of the man healed at one of the gates of the temple.

“make your bed” – Peter told the man to do for himself what others had been doing for him for years.

Verse 35

“all … saw him, and they turned to the Lord” – The result of this healing was that many people came to faith in Christ. That is a reminder of the purpose of miracles. In Scripture they are never an end in themselves. And, they never point to the one through whom the miracle was performed. Their purpose is always to point people to the Lord. In light of what happens in the following chapters, the “all” in this verse obviously means all Jews. At this point, the early church had not yet reached to point of welcoming Gentiles into the fellowship.

Peter at Joppa (Acts 9:36-10:23a)

Two key events occur in Joppa, the seaport town 35 miles northwest of Jerusalem and 12 miles northwest of Lydda. Today, Joppa is a suburb of Tel-Aviv. The first notable event is the raising of Dorcas from the dead. The other is a vision God gave Peter to prepare him for taking the gospel to Gentiles.

The raising of Dorcas (Acts 9:36-43) – This is the first account of someone being raised from the dead in Acts. Dorcas is only the third woman mentioned by name in Acts. Mary, the mother of Jesus is mentioned along with some unnamed women in Acts 1:14. Sapphira, the wife of Ananias, is mentioned in Acts 5. Now we come across the name Dorcas. Nothing is known about her except what is said in this passage.

Verse 36

“…Tabitha…Dorcas…” – Tabitha was her Aramaic name and Dorcas was her Greek name. The word means gazelle and it brings to mind graceful. Since no husband is mentioned, we can assume that either she never married or was a widow.

“...disciple…” – No question that she was a believer in Jesus.

“…abounding in deeds of kindness and charity … continually did…” – She used her abilities and her resources to benefit others. She was a model of unselfishness and graciousness. The verses that follow indicate she positively impacted the lives of many people.

Verses 37-38

“…laid it in an upper room … sent two men to him…” – The fact that they did not bury Dorcas’ body right away, which was the custom of the time, but instead sent for Peter is an indication that they expected Peter to do something about her death.

“…do not delay to come to us…” – This reflects the urgency of their request. The Jewish custom was to bury a body before sundown on the day of death. While they did not specifically request that Peter raise Dorcas from the dead, the clear implication is they had heard of the miracle performed through Peter in Lydda and were hoping for a similar miraculous event in the case of Dorcas.

Verses 39-41

There are obvious similarities between the actions of Peter in these verses and the actions of Jesus when he raised the young daughter of the synagogue official, Jairus, from the dead (see Mark 5:38-43). Peter had witnessed first hand a resurrection performed by Jesus, and in this case he copied what he saw Jesus do. The similarities include:

· Putting out of the room those who were weeping and mourning (Mark 5:40 and Acts 9:40).

· The words that were spoken. Jesus said in Mark 5:41 “Little girl (talitha), arise” and Peter said in Acts 9:40 “Tabitha, arise.”

· Jesus took the little girl by the hand (Mark 5:41) and Peter took Tabitha by the hand (Acts 9:41).

The primary difference in the two accounts is that Peter “…knelt down and prayed…” before instructing the girl to arise. Peter did not presume to do such a thing in his own power. He took no credit for the miracle and understood that the power came not from him but from the Lord.

Verses 42 tells of the after effect of the raising of Dorcas. Obviously news of such an event caught the attention of many people. The result was that the number of believers increased.

Verse 43 is a transition verse that leads us to the next narrative about Peter’s travels.

“…stayed many days in Joppa…” – Some have suggested that he was there for as long as a year.

“…with a certain Tanner, Simon...” – One of the characteristics of the writing of Luke is to provide detailed information about where people lodged during their travels.

· Acts 9:11 says Paul stayed in the house of Judas on Straight Street in Damascus

· Acts 16:14-15 says Paul stayed in the house of Lydia in Philippi.

· Acts 17:5-7 tells us that Paul stayed in the house of Jason in Thessalonica.

· Acts 18:2-3 tells us that Paul stayed in the home of Aquila and Priscilla at Corinth.

· Acts 21:8 says Paul stayed in the home of Philip in Caesarea.

· Acts 21:16 says Paul stayed in the home of Mnason in Jerusalem.

The significance of Peter staying in the home of Simon the tanner must not be overlooked. Being a tanner was considered having an unclean occupation. If a husband became a tanner after marriage, that was grounds for his wife to divorce him. F.F. Bruce, the well known Bible commentator writes, “Peter’s lodging with such a man was a mark of his increasing emancipation from ceremonial traditions.” God was leading Peter step by step toward the acceptance of Gentiles into the Kingdom.

Practical application of Acts 9:32-43:

God has the power to do things we view as impossible. Does it not make sense to believe that the God who created the laws of nature is more powerful that the laws He created?
It is the role of believers to give God the credit for what He chooses to do through them. Notice the phrase “Jesus Christ heals you” in verse 34 and Peter’s praying in verse 40.
Jesus is our model for life and ministry.
God is constantly preparing us for future events in our lives.
The Christian life is a journey/pilgrimage of growth.

Acts - Session 13

Fri, 01 May 2009 03:59:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – SESSION 13

(Acts 9:1-31)

Some events in life are so dramatic and life-changing that you never forget where you were and what you were doing when you first heard news of the event. Of course, we all have personal events in our lives that fall into that category, most of which evolve around some tragedy. But there are some collective events we experience together that fall into that category as well. If you are like me, you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy or when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on lift-off or when you first heard the news of the terrible events on September 11, 2001.

The event on which we are going to focus tonight would fall into that category for people who lived in the Jewish and Christian communities of 1^st century Palestine. I am referring to the conversion the man whose Jewish name was Saul and who later came to be identified by his Roman name, Paul. It is nearly impossible to overemphasize Paul’s conversion. In the book Turning Points of History Earl of Birkenhead puts it this way:

Of all men who may claim to have changed the course of the world’s history, St. Paul must surely take first place. He altered the basic ideas of Western Civilization; the whole of our history bears the marks of that busy career of impassioned teaching which the Jewish tent-maker undertook after his conversion of faith in Jesus Christ. [Quoted by Vaughn in Acts: A Study Guide Commentary]

Another writer says:

We simply cannot make too much of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus from the fiercest enemy of the church to its greatest spokesman and theologian. All of world history has benefited from his Christian witness, the exemplary and intense life he lived, and most of all, his legacy as a writing theologian. [Acts: Layman’s Bible Commentary]

We have been looking during our past several sessions at the second major section of the book of Acts. This section tells the story of the expanding witness of the early church into Samaria and the coastal regions of Judea. The ministries of three people dominate this section:

· Acts 8:4-40 tells of the ministry of Phillip

· Acts 9:1-31 tells of the conversion of Saul

· Acts 9:33 – 11:18 tells of the work of Peter

One of the transitions taking place in the church in this period was a transition in leadership from Peter to Paul. While it did not happen overnight, from the moment of Paul’s conversion recorded in Acts 9, he begins to move toward becoming the dominant figure in the 1^st century church.

The book of Acts gives us a rather detailed profile of Paul. From the text of Acts we know the following about him:

· He was a “young man” which means he was probably between twenty-four and forty when Stephen was martyred (Acts 7:58)

· He was born in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 21:39; Acts 22:3)

· He was reared in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3)

· He was a Jew (Acts 21:39; Acts 22:3)

· He was a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 22:25-29)

· He was fluent in Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew (Acts 21:37, 40; Acts 22:2)

· He received a superior theological education under the teaching of Gamaliel, a respected Pharisee (Acts 5:34; Acts 22:3)

· Both before and after his conversion he was motivated by a great zeal for God (Acts 22:3)

As impressive as his background was, strong Christian tradition indicates Paul was not too impressive physically. One ancient writer describes him this way:

[Paul was] a man of middling size, and his hair was scanty, and his legs were a little crooked, and his knees were far apart; he had large eyes, and his eyebrows met, and his nose was somewhat long. [Quoted in The Book of Acts: The Smart Guide to the Bible, Robert Girard]

The mention of Saul’s name in Acts 9:1 is the fourth time his name appears in Acts. We first see him in Acts 7:58 as those who stoned Stephen laid their robes at the feet of Saul. In Acts 8:1 we are told that Saul was in “hearty agreement” with the killing of Stephen. Then in Acts 8:3 we read that “…Saul began ravaging the church…” After an interlude dealing with the ministry of Phillip, in Acts 9:1 Luke picks up the thought of Acts 8:3. There is not complete agreement among Bible scholars about when the conversion of Saul occurred, but the consensus of thought seems to be somewhere in the mid-30’s A.D.

Luke tells the story in four movements:

· The conversion experience (Acts 9:1-9)

· The visit of Ananias (Acts 9:10-19a)

· Paul’s first preaching (Acts 9:19b-22)

· Conspiracies against Paul’s life (Acts 9:23-31)

The Conversion Experience (Acts 9:1-9)

Three times in the book of Acts Luke records this story (Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-16; 26:12-18). That Luke would record the story three times is indicative of the importance he attached to the event.

Verses 1-2 set the stage for the event.

“still breathing” – Looks back to Acts 8:3.

“went to the high priest and asked for letters” – In the Roman Empire certain sub-groups of people were allowed to govern themselves with some limitations. The Jewish Sanhedrin, headed by the high priest, had jurisdiction over the approximately six million Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Letters from the high priest authorizing Saul to arrest Christians would be honored by both religious and civil authorities.

“synagogues at Damascus” – Located about 150 miles north of Jerusalem. Was on a major trade route connecting Egypt and Mesopotamia. It is estimated that about ten thousand Jews lived in Damascus so the hunting ground for Christians who were at this time still meeting in the synagogues would have been fertile for Saul.

“the Way” – This is one of the earliest designations for Christianity. It is used at least six times in Acts (9:2; 19:9; 22:4; 24:14; and 24:14,22). The word (hodos) means road or path. It calls to mind the statement of Jesus in John 14:6 where He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no-one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

“bound to Jerusalem” – Presumably for trial and punishment.

Verses 3-7 describe Saul’s encounter with the Lord.

“was approaching Damascus” – Damascus is about a week’s journey from Jerusalem. As the predator approached the flock in Damascus, the Good Shepherd intervened!

“a light from heaven flashed around him” – This event occurred at noon (see Acts 22:6 and 26:13). At that time of the day the sun in the middle east is extremely bright. However, this light was brighter than the noonday sun. Some have suggested this was a manifestation of what the Old Testament refers to as the shekinah of God coming from Jesus.

“heard a voice” – Acts 26:14 tells us the voice spoke in the “Hebrew dialect” which would have been Aramaic.

“…why are you persecuting Me?” – That question is a reminder of the close relationship which exists between Christ and His people. He is present with us in our sufferings! When Christians are persecuted, it is a persecution of Jesus as well. Augustine says of this statement, “It was the head in heaven crying out on behalf of the members who were still on earth.”

“Who art Thou, Lord?” – Notice the immediate surrender of Saul. From that instant forward there was no doubt about Paul’s commitment to Jesus as Lord.

“the men who traveled with him … hearing the voice” – Acts 22:9 says those traveling with Paul did not hear the voice. Critics have attempted to make a big deal of this supposed discrepancy in Scripture. A closer examination of the language reveals that there is no discrepancy. The case of the noun “voice” is different in Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9. The case in Acts 9:7 means suggests hearing a sound. The case in Acts 22:9 suggests not understanding what is heard. The clear meaning is that the people traveling with Paul heard the sound of the voice but did not understand the words.

“three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” – Imagine what was going through Paul’s mind during this period of time. He had no idea what was ahead of him. He had no clue who might come to assault him. After all, he had been waging war against these Christians. Surely, they would use this opportunity to take their revenge on him!

The Visit of Ananias (Acts 9:10-19a)

Ananias is one of the unsung heroes of the New Testament. All that we know about him is mentioned in Acts 22:12. He was a devout Jewish believer and was well respected by all the Jews (both believers in Christ and unbelievers) who lived in Damascus.

Verses 10-12 describe the vision Ananias received from the Lord.

“the Lord said to him in a vision” – Notice the extensive occurrence of visions in Acts. I counted at least six (6) accounts of visions in this book. Two occur in this passage—one to Ananias and one to Saul.

“street called Straight” – That street can still be seen in Damascus to this day.

Verses 13-14 describe Ananias’ initial response to the vision.

“Ananias answered…” – The hesitation Ananias expressed in verses 14-15 is understandable. Perhaps he was in Jerusalem when the persecution instigated by Saul had begun. Certainly he had heard of Saul and he was well aware of the purpose Saul’s coming to Damascus.

“how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem” – This is the first occurrence in the New Testament of the word “saints” to describe Christians. It became one of Paul’s favorite ways of referring to followers of Christ. The word essentially means “holy ones.” It is a reference to every believer. All believers in Christ are saints (holy ones) not by virtue of their own actions but because of the sacrifice of Jesus on their behalf.

Verses 15-16 give God’s response to the objections of Ananias.

“chosen instrument” – Chosen as an act of God’s sovereignty. Why Saul? Certainly he was uniquely gifted and trained as a theologian. He had the right credentials as a Roman citizen to reach outside Judaism. He was a man of intense passion. For all those reasons, Paul was uniquely qualified to become the Apostle to the Gentiles. Also, perhaps the choice of Saul was a reminder to the early Christians of the power of the gospel to change the lives of people. No doubt, once they got over their skepticism about Saul’s motives, his conversion was a source of great encourage to those early believers.

“to bear My name before the Gentiles” – This is an unusual prediction. It moves the story toward the final part of Acts 1:8 – “…and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

“I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” – In effect, the Lord says to Ananias, ‘Don’t worry about how much suffering Saul has caused. His turn for suffering is coming!”

Verses 17-18 describe Ananias’ visit to Saul.

“Ananias departed…” – Notice the immediate obedience.

“laying his hands on him” – This act was performed not by an apostle but by a man who apparently had no official rank in the church. Dr. Curtis Vaughan says of that, “Perhaps we are to see in it the suggestion that Saul’s ministry was to be totally independent of the twelve.”

“Brother Saul” – A very tender greeting. Those words must have given Saul some encouragement and sense of relief. Maybe he was among friends, after all!

“filled with the Holy Spirit” – This was absolutely necessary for Saul to carry out the mission God had given him.

“was strengthened” – Both spiritually through his obedience (baptism, etc) and physically through the taking of food.

Paul’s First Preaching (Acts 9:19b-22)

Unlike any of the new converts mentioned to this point in Acts, Paul immediately began preaching.

“proclaiming Jesus” – The substance of his preaching.

“in the synagogues” – The location of his preaching. Ironically, in the very synagogues where he had planned to arrest believers, he was now attempting to make believers!

“by proving that this Jesus is the Christ” – Paul’s extensive knowledge of the Old Testament allowed him to place the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah alongside their fulfillment in Jesus. It was a compelling argument which the people in the synagogues were unable to refute.

Between verses 22-23 Paul’s visit to Arabia that is described in Galatians 1:15-18 occurred.

Conspiracies Against Paul’s Life (Acts 9:23-26)

Verses 23-25 tell of the conspiracy in Damascus. Paul mentions this experience in 2 Corinthians 11:32-33.

“many days” – The three years in Galatians 1:15-18.

“the Jews plotted” – The hunter became the hunted!

Verses 26-30 tell of the conspiracy in Jerusalem. This was Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem since his conversion at least three years earlier. The visit is mentioned in Galatians 1:18-20.

“were all afraid … but Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles” – The disciples were afraid to associate with Paul. One person says he was the first man to have his application for membership in the Jerusalem church rejected!

“arguing with the Hellenistic Jews” – This was the same group that had instigated the death of Stephen with Paul’s encouragement. They wanted to do the same to Paul!

“brethren learned of it” – Acts 22:17-21 says Paul received a vision from the Lord concerning the plot against him while he was praying in the temple. He apparently shared the vision with some fellow believers and they got him out of Jerusalem.

Acts 9:31 is the fourth in a series of nine summary accounts of the state of the church at various points of time in Acts. Most are very brief consisting of just a sentence or two. These summaries are located in Acts 1:14; 4:32-35; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; and 28:30-31.

Practical Applications from Acts 9:1-31

1. No-one is outside the reach of the grace of God.

2. What we do to others, we do to the Lord.

3. Obedience is the only appropriate response to the Lord.

4. God has a way of protecting His people.

5. The call to Christianity is a radical call.

Over 200 years ago two skeptics, Gilbert West and George Lyttleton, set out to discredit the resurrection of Jesus and the conversion of Saul. In the process, both became convinced of the reality of both events. Concerning the conversion of Saul, Lyttleton wrote: “The conversion and apostleship of Paul, duly considered, was of itself a demonstration sufficient to prove Christianity to be a divine revelation.”

Acts Study - Session 12

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:14:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – SESSION 11

(Acts 8:4-24)

The book of Acts tells the story of the expanding witness of the early church. We have seen that Acts 1:8 is the thesis sentence of the book and provides us a broad outline or table of contents of what is to follow. In Acts 1:8 Jesus told His disciples, “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” The book of Acts tells the story of how that happened.

· Acts 1:1 – 8:3 tells primarily of the witness in Jerusalem

· Acts 8:4 – 11:18 tells primarily of the witness in Samaria and the coastal regions of Judea

· Acts 11:19 – 28:31 tells primarily of the witness beyond Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria

In our last session we began looking at the second major section of Acts which tells primarily of the witness in Samaria and the coastal regions of Judea. This section of this Acts focuses on three people:

· Acts 8:4-40 tells of the ministry of Philip

· Acts 9:1-32 tells of the conversion of Saul

· Acts 9:33 – 11:18 tells of the work of Peter

The Witness of Philip (Acts 8:4-40)

The story of the witness of Philip (not Philip the apostle but Philip who was one of the seven selected in Acts 6 to assist the apostles with the daily distribution of food to the needy) is told in three movements:

· Proclaiming the good news to the Samaritans (Acts 8:4-25)

· Explaining the Scriptures to a man from Ethiopia (Acts 8:26-39)

· Preaching in the towns that dotted the Sharon Valley along the shore of the Mediterranean from just north of Gaza to his hometown of Caesarea (Acts 8:40)

In our previous session we looked at the first of those three events. In this session we will focus on the other two. Verse 25 is a brief interlude in Luke’s description of the ministry of Philip. Remember that in Verse 14 Luke tells us the apostles sent Peter and John, the two most prominent of the apostles, to check out what was happening in Samaria. It was such an amazing thought to the average 1^st century Jew that God would actually include the Samaritans in His redemptive plan (see the discussion about Jews and Samaritans in the previous session of this study), that the an investigation into Philip’s ministry was launched. But when Peter and John saw what God was doing in Samaria, they wisely got on board with God’s plan. Verse 25 represents a radical change in Peter and especially John. The man who at one time wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village (see Luke 9:51-56), was now “…preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.”

Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8:25-39)

Verses 26-29 provide the background for this encounter.

“but”- This is a conjunction of contrast. As opposed to Peter and John who made their way back to Jerusalem, Philip was called to go another direction. (Application 1 - This is a reminder that God’s plan is not the same for every believer. He gives some one task and others another task. It is not our role to question God’s purposes, but gladly accept the assignment as Philip did.)

“an angel of the Lord” – This phrase and the phrase “the Spirit of the Lord” seem to be used interchangeably throughout this account (see verses 29 and 39). The point is that Philip was being directed by God. (Application 2 – The phrases “an angel of the Lord spoke…” in verse 26 and “the Spirit said” in verse 39 implies Philip hearing. We need to make sure we are in a position to hear what the Lord is saying to us. How many times do we miss His voice because we are preoccupied with other things?)

“road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza” – Gaza was a Phoenician city. Old Gaza was destroyed in 98 B.C. and the city was rebuilt nearer to the Mediterranean in 57 B.C. That part of Israel still retains the name Gaza Strip today and, of course, it is very much in the news.

“and he arose and went” – What an incredible response! There is no hint of questioning or complaining by Philip. He just did as he was instructed to do. (Application 3 - From a human perspective, to leave a thriving ministry in Samaria to go to the barren area of Gaze seemed foolish. But Philip, with complete confidence and trust in God, obeyed without hesitation. This is a reminder that we do not see things from the perspective of God. He sees things we do not see. Trusting Him means doing what He says even when we cannot understand why or predict the outcome.)

“an Ethiopian” – Ethiopia was a general term for the area south of Egypt. Greeks and Romans were fascinated with dark-skinned Africans. This man, who was an important official, must have seemed both powerful and exotic to Philip.

“eunuch” – It was not unusual in ancient times for male servants of royal families to be castrated to remove any possibility of sexual impropriety.

“court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians” – Candace is a title like “queen mother” and probably not a proper name.

“in charge of all her treasure” – Royalty oversaw the duties of state but were considered above day to day administration. That task was given to others. This man had a powerful position. He was the chief treasurer of a region known for gold mining, iron smelting, and trade.

“had come to Jerusalem to worship” – Luke does not tell us the religious background of this man. He could have been a:

· Proselyte – Gentiles who accepted Judaism, were circumcised, and obeyed the law. Some think because the man was a eunuch he could not have been a Jewish proselyte. Deuteronomy 23:1 forbids eunuchs from entering the assembly of the Lord. However, Isaiah 56:3-6 seems to invite eunuchs into the presence of God. Maybe that explains why the eunuch was reading from the prophecy of Isaiah.

· God-fearer – Did not go to quite the length proselytes did in accepting Judaism, but did read the Scripture and attend synagogues.

“the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’” – It is not likely this powerful government official was traveling alone. He probably had a substantial entourage. It took a direct command from the Spirit for Philip to have the courage to approach such a person.

Verses 30-33 describe the beginning of the conversation between Philip and the Ethiopian.

“he heard him reading” – Reading aloud was a common practice in the ancient world.

“Isaiah the prophet” – The passage the Ethiopian was reading could not have given Philip a better opportunity to share the good news with this man. The passage quoted in verses 32-33 is from Isaiah 53:7-8. Isaiah 53, written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, is an amazingly accurate prophecy concerning the suffering of the coming Messiah. (That the Ethiopian was reading from this particular chapter when Philip approached him is a reminder that God’s timing is always perfect. Our lives work out much better if we trust the Lord’s timing, not lagging behind or running ahead of Him. That’s why the Scripture instructs us over and over again to wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 puts it well: “Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”)

The question the Ethiopian asks in verse 31 reveals a lot about his character. When Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading, the Ethiopian’s response was, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” Here was a very powerful man who was not afraid to ask for help. He did not pretend to know it all. He was not arrogant or prideful. He had a genuinely teachable spirit and the Lord blessed that.

Verses 34-35 describe the heart of the conversation between Philip and the Ethiopian. While Luke does not tell us precisely what Philip said, he does tell us that he “preached Jesus to him.” The word for “preached” is euaggelizo which is made up of an adverb meaning good and a verb meaning to announce or report. Philip merely reported to the man the good news about Jesus who was the fulfillment of the prophecy which was being read from Isaiah 53.

Verses 36-39 describe the result of the conversation. Obviously as Philip instructed the Ethiopian about Jesus, he dealt with the subject of baptism. Remember in the sermon at Pentecost Peter made baptism one of his central themes. Maybe Philip said something like Peter said in Acts 2:38 – “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”

The desire of the Ethiopian to be baptized was evidence of the genuineness of his faith in Jesus. Here’s what one writer says about that: “Everything Philip told the eunuch was good news. Whereas he had been excluded from the Temple because of his race and physical condition, in Christ the Ethiopian was cordially invited to come into the inner recesses of the presence of God. There were no barriers in this new faith; all shared equally in the grace of God and in the salvation offered by the Suffering Servant ... By the side of the road, with dozens of soldiers, attendants, and probably some passing by looking on, this high official of government submitted himself to the rite of baptism as an expression of his newfound faith in Jesus Christ.” [Layman’s Bible Commentary, Acts]

You will notice that in the NASB verse 37 is set apart by brackets. That’s because many of the earliest and most reliable manuscripts of the New Testament do not contain this verse.

Baptism by immersion is clearly suggested by the phrase “they both went down into the water,” by the word “baptized” which means to dip or immerse, and by the phrase “when they came up out of the water.” William Barclay points out that in New Testament times baptism was by immersion and in running water. He says it symbolized cleansing, a fresh start, and union with Christ in His death and resurrection.

Verse 39 says that immediately after the baptism “the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away…” While some of tried to rationalize this statement merely to mean that Philip left, I see no reason to interpret this event as any thing other than a supernatural occurrence. His mission was accomplished in this place and the Lord had another assignment for him.

Philip’s Continued Ministry of Preaching (Acts 8:40)

Verse 40 tells of Philip preaching in the towns that dotted the Sharon Valley along the shore of the Mediterranean from just north of Gaza to his hometown of Caesarea. This verse is a reminder that much was happening in the early church of which we have no record. Based on what we see of Philip in Acts 8, there is little doubt that the Lord blessed his ministry in all the cities to which he was led.

Acts Study - Session 11

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:57:00 GMT

The book of Acts tells the story of the birth, development, and growth of the church. The church described in the book of Acts is very different from the institution we call “church” in our culture in several ways:

· In Acts the church was not a building. Those who made up the church sometimes met in public places such as Solomon’s portico in the temple in Jerusalem (see Acts 4:11; 5:12) and most of the time met in private homes (see Acts 2:46; Romans 16:5; Colossians 4:15).

· In Acts the church was not so much an organization as a fellowship. While the early church did have some structure (see Acts 6:1-6), the focus was not so much on structure as on relationships (see Acts 2:44; 4:32).

· In Acts the church was not casual or flippant about relationship with God. Instead, there was a pervasive sense of reverence and awe toward God (see Acts 2:43; 4:24ff; 5:11).

· In Acts the church was not an anemic institution in which everything that occurred could be explained in terms of human effort. It was a fellowship characterized by miraculous events which could only be attributed to the work of God (see Acts 2:43; 3:1ff; 4:31; 5:12, 16; 17-18).

· In Acts the church was not focused inward but outward. While those who made up the early church looked after each other, they understood their primary mission was to take the good news of Jesus to the entire world. At every opportunity they proclaimed Jesus! (see Acts 2:14ff; 3:12ff; 4:8ff; 5:25,29ff; 6:10).

At the beginning of this study, we saw that Acts 1:8 is the thesis sentence of the book and provides us a broad outline or table of contents of what is to follow. In Acts 1:8 Jesus told His disciples, “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” The book of Acts tells the story of how that happened.

· Acts 1:1 – 8:3 tells primarily of the witness in Jerusalem

· Acts 8:4 – 11:18 tells primarily of the witness in Samaria and the coastal regions of Judea

· Acts 11:19 – 28:31 tells primarily of the witness beyond Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria

In this session we are going to begin looking at the second major section of Acts which tells primarily of the witness in Samaria and the coastal regions of Judea. During the period of time covered in this section (which some scholars estimate to have occurred between 35-44 A.D.) three major transitions begin to occur in the church.

1. The witness of the church begins to shift from strictly Jewish people to primarily Gentile people.

2. The center of the church begins to shift from Jerusalem to Antioch of Syria.

3. The key leader of the church begins to shift from Peter to Paul.

None of these transitions were absolute. The church still tried to evangelize Jewish people, Jerusalem still was an important center of activity, and Peter still was a key leader. But during this era, a gradual shift toward Gentiles, Antioch, and Paul can be detected.

This section of this Acts focuses on three people:

· Acts 8:4-40 tells of the ministry of Phillip

· Acts 9:1-32 tells of the conversion of Saul

· Acts 9:33 – 11:18 tells of the work of Peter

The Witness of Phillip (Acts 8:4-40)

The New Testament identifies two people named Philip who were followers of Jesus. One was Philip the apostle. He was from the fishing village of Bethsaida along the shore of the Sea of Galilee (see John 1:43-46). He is mentioned by name in Acts 1 in the list of those people who were in the upper room in Jerusalem in that pre-Pentecost prayer meeting. The other Philip is introduced to us in Acts 6 as one of the seven who were selected to assist the apostles in the daily distribution of food to the needy. Since Acts 8:2 tells us the apostles remained in Jerusalem after the death of Stephen, we can safely assume that the Philip we read about in Acts 8 who was ministering outside Jerusalem was not the apostle but the one introduced to us in Acts 6. All that we know about him is that:

· He was a Hellenistic (Greek speaking) Jew.

· He had a house in Caesarea which is on the Mediterranean coast of Israel and was the Roman capital of the region.

· He had a passion for sharing the gospel. He is called in Acts 21:8 “Philip the evangelist.” The word means “one who announces glad tidings or good news.” He is the only person in the book of acts who is given that title.

· He had four daughters, all of whom are described in Acts 21:9 as virgins and prophetesses.

In Acts 8 we see Philip:

· Proclaiming the good news to the Samaritans

· Explaining the Scriptures to a man from Ethiopia

· Preaching in the towns that dotted the Sharon Valley along the shore of the Mediterranean from just north of Gaza to his hometown of Caesarea

In this session we are going to focus on only the first of these three events. It is an important event because it represents a significant breakthrough of the gospel to another people group. To this point in time the focus of the church had been completely on Jews. This was natural because all of the early believers were Jewish. But it was more than natural; it was an integral part of God’s plan for the redemption of humanity. As Paul put it in Romans 1:16, “…the gospel … is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

The proclamation of Christ in Samaria (Acts 8:4-25)

Verse 4 describes one of the positive results of the persecution instigated by Saul. The word translated “preaching” in this verse is the word from which our word “evangelize” comes. It simply means “to announce good news.”

Verse 5 points to Philip as an example of one person who “when about preaching the word.” Notice the verse says “Philip went down to the city of Samaria.” Even though Samaria was north of Jerusalem and we would say “went up” to describe someone moving from south to north, the Scripture always describes going to Jerusalem in terms of “going up” and departing Jerusalem in terms of “going down.” There are two reasons for that. First, the elevation of Jerusalem is higher than the surrounding area. To enter Jerusalem from any direction one must “go up.” But I believe there is a spiritual reason for that as well. Jerusalem was the central place of worship for Jews. It was the location of the temple which symbolized the presence of God among them. To go into the presence of God was to be an uplifting experience and to depart from that presence was to be a downward experience.

It is difficult for us to understand the significance of Philip, a Jew, going to the Samaritans to tell them about Jesus. There was a deeply engrained prejudice between the Jews and the Samaritans which had its roots deep in the history of Israel. To understand this prejudice you have to have some understanding of the history of Israel. When Israel became a monarchy, a succession of three kings ruled the nation: Saul, David, and Solomon. Shortly after the death of Solomon in about 975 B.C. Israel split into two nations. The ten tribes to the north became known as the Northern Kingdom which is sometimes referred to as Israel. The two tribes to the south became known as the Southern Kingdom which is sometimes referred to as Judah. In 722 B.C. the Northern Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians. Many of the people were taken off into exile never to return. Foreigners came into the land and began to intermarry with the Jews were still remained in the north. The Samaritans were the descendants of these people who intermarried with foreigners. The people in the Southern Kingdom, which was conquered by the Babylonians in 587 B.C., always looked down on the Jews in the north whom they considered half-breeds and unclean. By the 1^st century the contempt between the two groups was deeply engrained in the Jewish psyche.

· When Jews were traveling from southern Israel to northern Israel or visa versa, they would go miles out of their way to avoid going through Samaria.

· Two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John (the apostle of love, no less!) were perfectly willing for God to reign down fire on a Samaritan village they felt had slighted Jesus.

· When Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan, the thing about the story that is so amazing is that the Samaritan turned out to be the hero. To the average Jew, the phrase “good Samaritan” was an oxymoron.

So, when Philip shared the gospel with people in Samaria, he was making a startling break with deeply engrained tradition.

Verses 6-8 indicate that the message Philip shared in Samaria was well received by the multitudes. Both the words and actions of Philip were powerful. He proclaimed the word about Jesus verbally and he demonstrated the power of the Spirit through attesting miracles such as casting out demons and healing those with physical ailments. The result was there was must rejoicing among the Samaritans.

Verses 9-13 introduce to us a man who has come to be known as Simon the magician. Through slight of hand, dabbling in the occult, and perhaps the use of hallucinogenic drugs, Simon had convinced the people that he had special powers Verse 10 says they referred to him as “…the Great Power of God…” and no doubt Simon did not discourage such talk. However, even he was impressed by what he heard and saw in Philip. Verse 13 says “And even Simon himself believed…” and was baptized. That probably means either:

· He merely professed belief in Jesus to learn the secret of Philip’s power. Perhaps he saw Philip as a rival who was undermining his place with the people, and he wanted to make sure he kept up with the competition.

· He believed in the sense that he recognized the spiritual power accompanying Philip’s ministry, but his belief was not a genuine saving faith in Jesus.

Whatever the case was, his interest in the gospel seems to have been more professional than personal. In light of what we read about him in verses 18-24, it is not likely that he was a true believer in Jesus.

Verses 14-17 – When the news got back to the apostles in Jerusalem that people in Samaria were becoming followers of Christ, this was such a radical departure from the cultural norm they were steeped in, and investigation was ordered. Peter and John were sent to Samaria to check out what was happening. They discovered that the Holy Spirit “…had not yet fallen on them…” That does not mean the Holy Spirit was not involved in their conversion. He was the One who convicted them of sin and called them to faith in Christ. There is no indication in this passage that they were not genuinely saved, and there is no salvation apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. But they had not yet received the fullness of the Holy Spirit as the apostles and other early believers did at Pentecost. The apostles viewed this as an abnormal state for believers and immediately took steps to correct it.

As I’ve shared with you before, I understand the Scripture to teach that those who are genuine believers in Jesus have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. I base that view on biblical statements such as:

· Romans 8:9 – “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

· 1 Corinthians 6:19 – “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own.”

· 1 Corinthians 12:13 – “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we are all made to drink of one Spirit.”

However, in the book of Acts we see the Holy Spirit falling in a special way on certain groups and individuals. This is especially true each time the gospel breaks through another barrier. In Acts 1:8 the disciples were commissioned to be witnesses to the Jews (Jerusalem and all Judea), the Samaritans (Samaria), and the Gentiles (to the remotest parts of the earth). As the story of the spread of the gospel unfolds in Acts, we see the Holy Spirit falling on a special way on each of those three groups—the Jews in Acts 2, the Samaritans in Acts 8, and the Gentiles in Acts 10.

Verses 18-24 – When Simon the magician saw the power or the fullness of the Holy Spirit come upon these new converts when Peter and John laid hands on them, he requested of Peter to purchase the power to impart the Holy Spirit as he thought Peter and John had done. The request itself shows the lack of spiritual understanding of Simon. One writer says of him:

He was confused about grace. He thought he could buy God’s favor.

He was confused about power. He couldn’t see the difference between the power of the occult, magic, and superstition and the power of the Holy Spirit.

He was confused about ministry. He saw the work of the apostles as another kind of showmanship. If he had the formula, he could do it too!

He was confused about the Holy Spirit’s work. His entrepreneurial mind saw it as a way to get rich, influence people, and satisfy his ego. [The Smart Guide to the Bible Series: The Book of Acts, Robert Girard]

It was not Peter and John who caused the Holy Spirit to come upon the Samaritans. It was God. The act of laying on of hands was not necessary for the fullness of the Spirit to be experienced. After all, at Pentecost in Acts 2 or the filling of the Spirit mentioned in Acts 4:31, or the Gentiles receiving the Spirit in Acts 10, the act of laying on of hands is not mentioned. The fullness of the Spirit is a gift from God (see verse 20).

Simon attempted to bribe the wrong person. Peter strongly rebuked him. Whether Simon ever truly repented or whether he became a genuine believer we do not know. Nothing else is said of him in Scripture.

Practical Application of Acts 8:4-2

1. The appropriate response to times of difficulty in our lives is not to feel sorry for ourselves. It is to continue doing what the things the Lord wants us to do. One person described the actions of the early Christians in this part of Acts this way:

Ripped from their homes and families, probably having had their property confiscated, hounded out of town if they were lucky, and fleeing under cover of darkness if they were unlucky, followers of the Way ran from Jerusalem in every direction. But they remained undaunted, counting themselves blessed to be able to suffer persecution for their Lord. Everywhere they went, in their exodus from the Holy City, they preached. If there were any regrets over their decision to follow Christ, they quickly worked through them and eagerly shared the good news with all they met. [Robert L. Maddox, Jr., Layman’s Bible Commentary]

2. The key to having genuine spiritual life and power is understanding its source. Spiritual life comes from God. W.T. Conner put it this way:

Spiritual life is not our attainment but God’s gift. We do not achieve it; we receive it. We do not earn it; we take it. It is not a matter of works, inner or outer, it is a matter of faith. It comes not by looking at our own hearts, but to the crucified living redeemer.

Acts Study - Session 10

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:14:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – SESSION 10

(Acts 7:1-8:3)

God does not call His people to a life of ease. There are always difficulties and challenges to be faced. Anyone who becomes a committed follower of Jesus expecting the path to be easy is in for a rude awakening. Jesus repeatedly warned His followers that the way of discipleship is difficult and demanding. For example, He said:

· Matthew 7:13 – “For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”

· Matthew 10:16-18 – “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; and you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake…”

· Matthew 16:24 – “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

The principle that following Jesus if often difficult can certainly be seen in Acts 3-8. We have seen that this section of Acts recounts five events which, at their heart, represent the attacks of Satan on the young fellowship. The events in this section of Acts include the following:

· The arrest of Peter and John after the healing of a lame man in the temple (Acts 3 & 4)

· The attempt of Ananias and Sapphira to deceive the apostles (Acts 5)

· The arrest, miraculous release, re-arrest, and release of the apostles (Acts 5)

· The controversy between the Hellenistic Jews and native Hebrews (Acts 6)

· The death of Stephen, the first disciple to be martyred and the subsequent persecution of the church led by Saul (Acts 7 & 8)

How the young Christian fellowship responded to these events provides us an excellent model for dealing with the attacks of Satan in our lives.

The last in this series of five attacks on the church is told by Luke in three movements:

1. The arrest of Stephen (Acts 6:8-15)

2. Stephen’s defense (Acts 7:1-53)

3. The death of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60)

After telling the story of Stephen’s death, in the first few verses of Acts 8 Luke explains what occurred because of his death.

Stephen’s Defense (Acts 7:1-53)

Acts 7 contains the longest sermon in the book of Acts. Luke and the early church obviously attached great significance to this address. In the interest of time, we are going to deal with Stephen’s address in a summary way. At the end of Acts 6 the authorities accused Christians in general and Stephen in particular of wanting to destroy the temple and to change the religious customs of Judaism. In his speech Stephen does not directly address those allegations. Instead, demonstrating extensive knowledge of Jewish history, he sets forth some basic spiritual principles that the Jewish religious system of the 1^st century failed to grasp. These principles include:

1. God’s presence is not limited to Jerusalem.

2. God does not limit Himself to dwelling in a physical structure.

3. God’s purpose is often missed by His people.

God’s presence is not limited to Jerusalem

· Acts 7:2-8 – God had been with Abraham in Mesopotamia. The phrase “God of glory” in verse 2 is significant. To the Jews of the 1^st century, the temple in Jerusalem represented the glory of God. As long as the temple stood, they had a visible representation of God’s glory, meaning His character, power, and presence. But Stephen reminds them that the “God of glory” appeared to the father of Judaism in a pagan land.

· Acts 7:9-16 – God had been with Joseph in Egypt. Notice the phrase “…yet God was with him…” in verse 10.

· Acts 7:17-29 – God had been with Moses in Egypt. Notice the phrase “...and he was lovely in the eyes of God…” in verse 20.

· Acts 7:30-37 – God had been with Moses in the land of Midian. Notice the phrases “…an angel appeared to him…” in verse 30 and “…there came the voice of the Lord…” in verse 31.

· Acts 7:38-44 – God had been with the Israelites in their long journey from Egypt to the promised land. Notice the phrase “Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness…” in verse 44. The tabernacle was a temporary place of worship, symbolizing the presence of God with the Israelites as they moved from place to place. The plans for the tabernacle are given in great detail in Exodus 26. Hebrews 8 reminds us that the tabernacle was a foreshadowing of the redemptive work of God in Christ Jesus. While we could spend hours studying the symbolism of the tabernacle, the point Stephen is making is that it symbolized God’s presence with the Israelites in their journey to the promised land.

God does not limit Himself to dwelling in a physical structure

· Acts 7:45-50 – Stephen reminded the Jewish leaders that the temple was never designed to be the exclusive dwelling place of God. When Solomon dedicated the temple he prayed, “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built.” (2 Chronicles 6:18) In verses 49-50 Stephen quotes from the prophecy of Isaiah stressing that God cannot be confined to a building. One writer puts it this way:

Pagans think temples contain gods and to threaten a temple is to threaten a god. But it’s not a biblical idea. It makes God out to be small and distorts people’s perception of him, confusing him with religious institutions, “sacred” places, and man-made traditions. God is none of these “religious” things. He is the Most High—too great to be stuck in a man-made structure. Not even the universe can contain him, for heaven’s sake! [The Book of Acts: The Smart Guide to the Bible]

The New Testament teaches that the real temple of God is the people of God. He dwells within the hearts and lives of His people.

o I Corinthians 3:16 – “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

o Ephesians 2:22 – “…in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

o I Peter 2:5 – “…you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house…”

God’s purpose is often missed by His people

· Acts 7:9-16 –Joseph’s brothers rejected him and sold him into slavery even though he was God’s favored one.

· Acts 7:20-43 – The people of Israel questioned and rejected Moses even though he was the one God sent to free them from slavery.

· Acts 7:51-53 – The Jewish leaders in the 1^st century rejected Jesus even though He was the Promised Messiah. These verses are a ringing condemnation of those who were accusing Stephen of heresy. The accused becomes the accuser!

The Death of Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:1)

“cut to the quick” (v.54) – Same phrase as is used in 5:33. It literally means “cut to the heart.” Stephen’s words found their mark!

“gnashing their teeth at him” (v.54) – The image is that of a pack of hungry, snarling wolves attacking their prey.

“Jesus standing” (v.55) – Only place in Scripture where Jesus is portrayed as standing at God’s right hand.

“right hand” (v.55) – The place of highest privilege and authority.

“Son of Man” (v.56) – Only place in Scripture where this phrase is used by someone else to describe Jesus. It was Jesus’ favorite way of referring to Himself.

“rushed” (v.57) – The word is used in Luke 8:33 to describe swine rushing down the slope of a hill and over an embankment when Jesus cast the demons from a man called Legion into them.

“a young man named Saul” (v.58) – Verse 8:1 tells us Paul was in complete agreement with their actions. More than likely he was the source of the great detail with which tells the story. This event was burned into the mind of the Apostle Paul and must have haunted him all of his life.

Notice the similarities in verses 59 – 60 between the death of Stephen and the death of Jesus.

Jesus	Stephen
*“Father, into Thy hands I commit my Spirit.”* (Luke 23:46)	*“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”* (Acts 7:59)
*“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”* (Luke 23:34)	*“Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”* (Acts 7:60)

The Events Following Stephen’s Death (Acts 8:1-3)

“great persecution” – While the persecutions to this point had been targeted toward specific individuals (Peter and John, the apostles, Stephen), this persecution was more general in nature being aimed at the entire church in Jerusalem.

“were all scattered” – The imagery suggest the sowing of seed. As the early church father Tertullian put it, “The blood of martyrs is the see of the church.”

“throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” – See Acts 1:8.

“except the apostles” – Perhaps the leaders in Jerusalem were still afraid to persecute them because of their popularity with the people. Or perhaps the bulk of the persecution was aimed toward the Hellenistic Jews who were generally discriminated against anyway.

“But Saul began ravaging the church…” – The root of the word translated ravaging means outrage. This is the only place the word is used in the New Testament. By any standards, Saul’s actions against the church were outrageous.

Practical Application of Acts 7:1-8:3

1. Before we talk about what the Bible means we need to know what the Bible says. Stephen was able to give an accurate, concise summary of biblical events in making his case for Christianity.

2. It is possible to know what the Bible says but not follow it. See Acts 7:53.

3. God gives special grace for our times of need. It is evident that the Holy Spirit equipped Stephen for his time of crisis.

4. We must not be too quick to judge whether an event is good or bad. God has a way of making our snap judgments look foolish! The death of Stephen and the persecution which followed spurred a great mission movement on the part of the church.

Acts Study - Session 9

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:12:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – SESSION 9

(Acts 6:1-15)

Chapters 3 – 8 in Acts introduce us to a series of events which severely tested the young Christian fellowship. While each of the attacks on the young church in these chapters involved people—some from outside the fellowship and some from within the fellowship—the real instigator of these attacks was Satan. This section of Acts quickly moves us from the mountain top of Pentecost and the idyllic post-Pentecost days, to the valley of the great spiritual battle in which God’s people are continuously engaged. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 that “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

The events in this section of Acts include the following:

· The arrest of Peter and John after the healing of a lame man in the temple (Acts 3 & 4)

· The attempt of Ananias and Sapphira to deceive the apostles (Acts 5)

· The arrest, miraculous release, re-arrest, and release of the apostles (Acts 5)

· The controversy between the Hellenistic Jews and native Hebrews (Acts 6)

· The death of Stephen, the first disciple to be martyred and the subsequent persecution of the church led by Saul (Acts 7 & 8)

How the young Christian fellowship responded to these events provides us an excellent model for dealing with the attacks of Satan in our lives. In this session we are going to focus on the fourth and begin looking at the fifth in this series of attacks.

The Controversy Between the Hellenistic Jews and native Hebrews (Acts 6:1-7)

Verse 1a tells us when this controversy occurred. “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number…”

“Now at this time…” – The phrase is vague but obviously refers to the days immediately following the flogging of the apostles by the Jewish leaders at the end of Acts 5. The last part of Acts 5 indicates the apostles did not stop teaching and preaching about Jesus, and God honored their faithfulness.

“…while the disciples were increasing [in number]…” – Like the incident involving Ananias and Sapphira at the beginning of Acts 5, this event took place during a time of spiritual prosperity. You will notice the words “in number” are in italics in most biblical texts indicating that they are not in the Greek text but are inserted for clarity. The “increasing” could be referring to growth in depth and commitment as well as to growth in number. However, the verb translated “were increasing” is one which generally carries the idea of numerical growth, thus the insertion of “in number.”

Verse 1b describes the controversy. “…a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.”

“…a complaint…” – The word means to mutter or murmur or grumble. I remember reading somewhere that the word was used to describe the buzzing of bees. There began to be an undercurrent of murmuring and complaining in the fellowship.

“…on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews…” – All of the members of the early church were Jewish. But among these Jewish believers, there were two distinct groups.

· “Hellenistic Jews” – The word “Hellenistic” means influenced by Greek culture. These were Jews who were not natives of Judea or Galilee. They were from foreign areas. While they had maintained their commitment to Judaism, they had also been influenced by other cultures. Greek was their primary language. Many of them had been in Jerusalem for Pentecost and stayed after coming to faith in Christ.

· “native Hebrews” – These were Jews who lived in the Jewish homeland. Aramaic was their primary language. They prided themselves in not being influenced by foreign cultures. They looked upon themselves as more “pure” than their Hellenistic counterparts.

Since all of the apostles were native Hebrews and since there was a natural distrust between the two groups, it is not surprising that the Hellenists would suspect that the apostles would care for their type of Jews first.

“…their widows…” – Widows were among the most vulnerable people in the ancient culture. When a woman’s husband died, she was generally left destitute unless she had brothers or grown sons to care for her. That’s why the Scripture gives special instruction concerning the care of widows (see Deut. 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Isaiah 1:17; James 1:27).

“…were being overlooked…” - Whether or not that was actually happening, we do not know. If it was happening, there is no indication it was an intentional slight on the part of the apostles. Maybe their bias toward the Hellenistic Jews blinded them to what was happening.

Christians have inflicted about as many wounds on the fellowship as has persecution from outsiders, by harboring of racial, class, and religious prejudice. Such prejudice leads to discrimination, and discrimination destroys the unity of believers. These distinctions should not have entered the church then, and they should not be present now. [T.C. Smith, Broadman Bible Commentary]

“…in the daily serving of food…” – The Jews were very careful to care for the needs of the poor and oppressed among their number. When the Jews became Christians, they continued and perhaps intensified their custom of caring for the needy. The Jewish system of caring for the poor included two things:

· Kuppah (basket) – A weekly distribution of food and clothing for poor families.

· Tamhui (bowl or tray) – A daily distribution of food for those with a pressing need. It was this distribution which apparently came from the gifts given to the apostles to administer (see Acts 4:35) which was being questioned by the Hellenists.

Verses 2-3 describe the proposed solution.

“And the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples…” (2a) – Since it was a church-wide problem, the entire congregation participated in the solution. This is the first use of the word “disciples” in Acts to refer to the followers of Jesus.

“It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.” (2b)– The phrase “serve tables” could refer to the dining tables used for the common meals Christians shared or tables where funds were administered to those in need. The apostles were not minimizing the importance of the daily distribution to those in need, but as witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, they had a higher calling. The verb translated serve is “diakoneo” which simply means to minister or serve. It is the basic New Testament word used to describe how the early Christians helped others. Because it is in the same word family as the word for deacon (“diakonos”) and because of the nature of the event, some people see this event as the beginning of deacon ministry. However, the seven men chosen are not called deacons in this passage.

“But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.” (3) – Notice that the apostles specified the number needed and the qualifications required but left the actual selection process up to the congregation. The qualifications are important:

· “good reputation” – To deal with this sensitive matter, the congregation had to have confidence in those selected. They must have demonstrated their ability to handle this task based on previous conduct. This was not a job for a novice!

· “full of the Spirit” – Even though they would be dealing with temporal things, they must have spiritual wisdom. To be “full of the Spirit” means to be controlled by or directed by the Spirit.

· “full … of wisdom” – The word is “sophia” and it means more than abstract wisdom. It carries the idea of good, common sense. What was needed in these men was a practical wisdom that could deal with difficult situations with discreetness and finesse.

“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry (diakonein) of the word.” (4) – The apostles wisely recognized that they could not do everything. They focused on the things God called them and equipped them to do. They continued seeking God’s direction and power in prayer and continued “teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” (Acts 5:42)

Verses 5-6 describe the reponse.

“And the statement found approval with the whole congregation…” (5a) – They recognized the wisdom in the proposed solution to the problem.

“…they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch…” (5b) – The interesting thing about this list is that all of the names are Greek names, meaning they came from the Hellenistic Jews, the group which had made the complaint. One way to assure the Hellenists that the daily distribution was being fairly made was to put them in charge of the distribution! The listing of Stephen and Philip first points to their importance, and we read more about them in the next two chapters. Nothing else is said in the New Testament of the other five.

“…after praying, they laid their hands on them.” (6) – In the Old Testament this was an act of consecrating something to God (see Leviticus 8:14, 18, & 22; Numbers 8:10) and of commissioning a successor (see Numbers 27:18 & Deut. 34:9). In the New Testament it is an act of blessing (Matthew 19:13), an act of healing (Mark 5:23), a symbol of imparting the Spirit (Acts 8:17; 9:17; 19:6), an act of commissioning for service (Acts 13:3), and a means of imparting and/or confirming a spiritual gift (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6).

Verse 7 – “And the word of God kept on spreading; and the number of disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” This is the fourth of the nine summary passages in Acts describing the state of the church at particular points in time (see Acts 1:14; 2:43-47; 4:32-35; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; and 28:30-31).

The Story of Stephen (Acts 6:8-7:60)

Luke tells the story of Stephen in great detail. Basically, the story has three movements:

1. The arrest of Stephen (Acts 6:8-15)

2. Stephen’s defense (Acts 7:1-53)

3. The death of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60)

There are several reasons why Luke devotes so much space to the story of Stephen:

· He was a prominent person in the Jerusalem church

· He was the first to be martyred for the cause of Christ

· His death and the persecution of the church that followed was a key event in the spread of the gospel

The arrest of Stephen (Acts 6:8-15)

Verse 8 describes Stephen and his work. – “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.”

“full of grace and power” – Earlier Stephen was described as being “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). The word for “grace” is charis and it carries the idea of kindness. The word for “power” is dunamis, the same word we saw back in Acts 1:8 where Jesus promised His followers, “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”

“performing great wonders and signs” – While Stephen was initially appointed to help with the daily distribution of food, his ministry quickly expanded to other areas. He is the first non-apostle we see performing such works in Acts.

Verse 9 tells the source of the opposition to Stephen.

“the Synagogue of Freedmen” – The people who made up this synagogue were either former slaves or the sons of former slaves. Since Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew he took his ministry to fellow Hellenists.

“Cyrenians and Alexandrians” – From northern Africa.

“Cilicia” – Included the city of Tarsus, the hometown of Saul who was to become Paul. Since Saul was complicit in Stephen’s death (see Acts 7:58 and 8:1), it is possible he was involved in this synagogue and in the debates with Stephen.

“Asia” – More accurately, the province of Asia Minor.

“rose up and argued with Stephen” – While we are not told the specific nature of the dispute, since Stephen was proclaiming Jesus, the dispute was no doubt about Him. Because he was accused of speaking against the Temple and the Law, perhaps Stephen was trying to explain to them how Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for sin and the ultimate fulfillment of the Law.

Verse 10 indicates that those who challenged Stephen were no match for him. His practical sense and spiritual power overwhelmed them.

Verses 11–14 gives the tactics they used to silence Stephen.

· Verse 11 – Bribery

· Verse 12 – Mob psychology – It is interesting that “the scribes” are mentioned. These were Pharisees. While the first persecutions were instigated by the Sadducees, this persecution was led by the Pharisees. While the Sadducees were concerned with the teachings about the resurrection and any disturbance that might catch the attention of the Romans, the Pharisees were concerned with preserving Jewish traditions.

· Verse 13 – Falsehood – They accused Stephen of teaching that Jesus would destroy the temple and Judaism. The reality is that Stephen taught Jesus was the fulfillment of all that God promised in the Old Testament. They twisted the following Christian beliefs:

o The temple is not the only place to meet God. People can meet God anywhere (see Matthew 18:20; John 4:21-24; Acts 17:24)

o The Law and temple services are fulfilled in Christ (see Matthew 5:17).

o God writes the Law on people’s hearts and minds by the Holy Spirit (see Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10).

o God’s grace is not exclusively for Jews; it’s for Gentiles too (see Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:39) [The Book of Acts: The Smart Guide to the Bible]

Verse 15 describes Stephen’s countenance before the Council. He stood in the same place Peter and John had stood (Acts 4:7) and that all the apostles had stood (Acts 5:27). The phrase “his face like the face of an angel” is significant because the Jews associated a glowing face with a person being in God’s presence.

Practical application of Acts 6:1-15

1. Even during (or perhaps, especially during!) the best of times divisiveness can rear its ugly head among God’s people. Notice the statements in Acts 6:1 – “…while the disciples were increasing … a complaint arose…” We must constantly be on guard in all of our relationships.

2. Some of the best things God does in us are done during times of adversity. The conflict between the Hellenistic Jews and native Hebrews actually strengthened the church (Acts 6:7). God works in times of adversity (see Romans 8:28-29). The cross is the best example of this.

3. Being faithful to God does not necessarily protect one from the attacks of evil people. As a matter of fact, it increases the likelihood of such attacks!

4. Satan does not fight fair! He uses every evil tool at his disposal. We can expect nothing less from “the father of lies.”

Acts Study - Session 7

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:45:00 GMT

ACTS STUDY – SESSION 7

(Acts 4:1-35)

In our last session we saw that the idyllic early days of the church were soon interrupted by the attacks of Satan from both within and without the new fellowship. Beginning in Acts 4, we encounter a series of events in which the young church comes under attack. These events include:

· The arrest of Peter and John after the healing of a lame man in the temple (Acts 3 & 4)

· The attempt of Ananias and Sapphira to deceive the apostles (Acts 5)

· The arrest, miraculous release, re-arrest, and release of the apostles (Acts 5)

· The controversy between the Hellenistic Jews and native Hebrews (Acts 6)

· The death of Stephen, the first disciple to be martyred and the subsequent persecution of the church led by Saul (Acts 7 & 8)

How the young church responded to these events provides us an excellent model for dealing with the attacks of Satan in our lives.

When Peter and John healed the lame man who was begging alms by a temple gate (Acts 3:1-10), that caught the attention of a great crowd of people who witnessed the once lame man “walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8). When Peter used the occasion to proclaim that the miracle was performed by the authority/power of Jesus and that Jesus, the One they crucified but Whom God raised from the dead, was the long awaited Messiah, that caught the attention of the temple authorities. Acts 4 tells the story of what happened. Luke relates the story in four main movements:

1. The arrest of Peter and John (Acts 4:1-4)

2. The trial of Peter and John (Acts 4:5-22)

3. The response of the church (Acts 4:23-31)

4. The state of the church following the event (Acts 4:32-35)

The arrest of Peter and John (Acts 4:1-4)

Verse 1 – “And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees came upon them…”

“And as they were speaking…” – The implication is that Peter and John were not finished. They were interrupted, almost as if in mid-sentence. Perhaps the reference to their “wicked ways” in the last verse of chapter 3 was the last straw. It is certainly possible that all the commotion caught the attention of the temple authorities and as they listened to Peter’s words they became more and more disturbed the longer he spoke. Finally, they had heard enough and they silenced him.

“…the priests and the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees…” – This actions seems to have been instigated by the Sadducees. They were one of two main sects in first century Judaism, the other being the Pharisees. The Sadducees:

· Were the priestly aristocracy and controlled the administration of the temple and thus the temple guard.

· Rejected the oral tradition of the Pharisees and accepted on the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) as their religious authority.

· Did not believe in the resurrection, the existence of angels, or the existence of demons because those teachings did not appear in the Pentateuch.

· Pursued a policy of accommodation with Rome.

Verse 2 tells us the authorities were “greatly disturbed” by Peter and John. This phrase has been translated “highly incensed” or “sorely troubled” or “grieved” or “annoyed.” The root meaning of the word is to labor or work until one is worn out. The root meaning of the word carries the idea of laboring until one is worn out. Peter and John “wore them out” with their preaching! They were “greatly disturbed” because Peter and John were:

“…teaching the people…” – From the viewpoint of the authorities Peter and John did not have the proper credentials. They had not attended the rabbinic schools.

“…proclaiming is Jesus the resurrection from the dead…” – This directly conflicted with the teaching of the Sadducees.

Verse 3 tells us what they did.

“…laid hands on them…” – They physically took them into custody.

“…put them in jail until the next day…” – It was three in the afternoon (“the ninth hour” – Acts 3:1) when Peter and John went to the temple. The day ended at 6:00 p.m. Since it was already late in the day and since according to Jewish law trials were not to be held at night (even though they made an exception in the case of Jesus!), Peter and John were kept in custody until the next day.

Verse 4 tells us that many responded to the responded to message about Jesus. Many commentators view the 5000 men mentioned in this verse as a cumulative number added to the church to that point in time.

The trial of Peter and John (Acts 4:5-22)

Verses 5-6 describe the make-up of the court before which Peter and John appeared. Even though the word is not used, it is generally assumed that this was the Sanhedrin (the word means court) which was the Jewish high court which dealt with both religious and political matters. The Sanhedrin consisted of the high priest and seventy others. It is referred to as “the Council” in Acts 5:21 and “the Council of elders” in Acts 22:5. Sometimes, as in the case of these verses, it is referred to by the groups which made up the court. The court was made up of three groups:

“rulers” – Probably a reference to the Sadducees who were in the majority.

”elders” – The heads of key families. While this term describes all the members, it may also be a reference to those who were neither rulers or scribes.

“scribes” – These were the professional interpreters of the law and were mostly Pharisees.

Four individuals are mentioned by name:

“Annas the high priest…” – Some contend that Luke made an historical error in identifying Annas as the high priest. They point out that he was appointed as high priest in 6 A.D. and served in that position for only eight years. However, Luke was correct in identifying him as the high priest because was the real power behind the position. Annas had five sons who served as high priest and the current high priest, Caiaphas, was his son-in-law. While he was removed from office by the Romans, the Jews still considered him the rightful high priest.

“Caiaphas” – Served as high priest from A.D. 18-36, longer than any member of Annas’ family.

“John” – Some identify him as a son of Annas who followed Caiaphas in the office of high priest.

“Alexander” – His identity is unknown.

Verse7 sets forth the basic accusation against Peter and John.

“…placed them in the center…” – The Sanhedrin was arranged in a semi-circle and the accused was placed in the middle for questioning.

“By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” – The pronoun “you” is placed at the end of the question in the Greek. The connotation is that of scorn or contempt. The idea is, “How was this done by people like you?”

Verses 8-12 contain the defense of Peter and John. The verb tense of “filled” in the phrase “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit…” indicates a special moment of inspiration. The idea is that he was filled with the Holy Spirit for this special occasion. This is a fulfillment of what Jesus promised His followers in Luke 12:11-12. Notice:

· The biting sarcasm of Peter in verse 9 – “…if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well…”

· The boldness of Peter in verse 10 – “…let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands before you in good health.” They were guilty of putting God’s Son to death, as we all are. John R.W. Stott wrote:

We ourselves are also guilty. If we were in their place, we would have done what they did. Indeed, we have done it … We too sacrifice Jesus to our greed like Judas, to our envy like the priests, to our ambition like Pilate … We may try to wash our hands of responsibility like Pilate. But our attempt will be as futile as his. For there is blood on our hands. Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading to repentance). [John R.W. Stott, quoted in The Book of Acts, the Smart Guide to the Bible series]

· The proclamation of the gospel by Peter in verses 11-12 – Quoting Psalm 118:22 Peter points out they had rejected the very one God sent as the Messiah, the only one in whom is salvation.

Verses 13-22 describes the deliberation of the court, the decision of the court, the response of Peter and John, and the conclusion of the event.

· The deliberation of the court (vv.13-15)

“observed” (v.13) – Suggests a deliberate contemplation. They studied Peter and John.

“uneducated and untrained men” – Peter and John had not received the appropriate theological education in the rabbinical schools of Jerusalem. Ironically, the court did not recognize they had been disciple by God, Himself!

“they were marveling” (v.13) – This reaction is similar to the way the people in the temple reacted to the healing of the lame man (see Acts 3:9). The members of the court knew that something miraculous had happened and they knew that Peter and John had a part in the event. They simply could not reconcile those two indisputable facts.

“began to recognize them as having been with Jesus” – Maybe someone pointed it out or maybe their Galilean speech gave them away or maybe their composure reminded them of when Jesus was before them.

“they had nothing to say in reply” (v.14) – The presence of the healed man took away in a option they had to discredit Peter and John. They could not deny what was apparent to all!

· The decision of the court (vv.17-18) – The Sadducees were unpopular with the multitudes and, at this point, Peter and John were revered by those who witnessed the miracle. So, the court was powerless to do anything except warn Peter and John “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (v.18) which means they were not to speak or teach on the basis of Jesus’ name or in the authority of Jesus’ name. In other words, they were not to talk about Jesus.

· The response of Peter and John (vv.19-20) – Again the biting sarcasm of Peter and John is evident in these verses. In effect they said, “You are the ones with the great theological education. We’ve been told by God to share these things. You can argue about whether it is right for us to obey God or to obey you. As for us, the choice is easy. We are going to obey God!”

· The conclusion of the event (vv.21-22) – Because they had no legitimate reason to continue holding Peter and John and because the people were buzzing over the miracle that occurred, all the court could do was to threaten them further and then let them go.

The response of the church (Acts 4:23-31) – These verses contain the first recorded prayer meeting of the church after the Day of Pentecost. There were obviously others, but this one had special significance. The church faced a crisis. To continue speaking in the name of Jesus meant disobeying the Jewish authorities. To not continue speaking meant disobeying God. There was no question which path they would take, but they needed God’s strength to walk that path. So, “they lifted up their voices to God with one accord…” (v.24). They were moved by a common impulse, a unity of spirit to turn to God in prayer.

Verses 24b-30 give the content of the prayer.

· It is addressed to God. The prayer begins with the word despota which the NASB translates “O Lord” and the RSV translated “Sovereign Lord.” The normal Greek word for Lord is kurios. The word despota carries the idea of a master/slave relationship. God is the Master and we are to follow His will. God is acknowledged in this prayer as Creator (24b) and the author of Scripture (v.25a). In comparison to a God like that, the Jewish high court did not seem so intimidating!

· It included the use of Scripture. Two Old Testament passages are quoted in the prayer.

o The phrase “…didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them…” in verse24 comes from Nehemiah 9:6 and Psalm 146:6.

o Verses 25b-26 are a direct quote of Psalm 2:1-2 from the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament). Verses 27-28 apply the quote from Psalm 2 to the 1^st century. It seems that Luke equates the “Gentiles” and “kings” in Psalm 2 with Herod and Pontius Pilate. The “rulers” seem to represent the Jewish leaders before whom Jesus appeared and before whom Peter and John appeared.

· It was characterized by a deep confidence in God. They made three specific requests of God in this prayer in verses 29 & 30.

o They asked that God would take note of the threats made against them (v.29). Notice they did not tell God how to respond to the threats. With complete trust they left that in His hands.

o They asked God to grant them boldness to continue speaking His word (v.29).

o They asked that God would verify their witness with healings, signs, and wonders. The word translated “heal” in v.30 is a medical term used only three times in the New Testament. It appears twice in the Gospel of Luke and in this passage.

Verse 31 tells us the results of their prayer. Three specific results are mentioned.

· “…the place where they had gathered together was shaken…” – They prayed to God as Lord of creation and in response God gave them an external sign of His power over creation.

· “…they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” – It is interesting that this is not that for which they had they prayed. Nowhere in Acts does anyone pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Their request was for boldness to speak God’s word. They were filled because they were submissive to the will of God. This is the third reference to the disciples being filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:4 and 4:8). This experience is one that can and should be repeated. One person writes:

We may be sure that it is proper, indeed desirable, for believers to ask for the Spirit continually (Luke 11:13), but it is not necessary to do so in so many words in order to have the Spirit’s presence or assistance … We may be led, in fact, to believe from Acts 4:31 that wherever there is the prayerful desire among Christians for the service of Christ there is the full gift of the Spirit. [F.D. Brunner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit, p171]

· “...began to speak the word of God with boldness…” – The word translated “boldness” is parresia. It is from a preposition meaning “all” or “every” and an noun meaning “speech.” It is the same word translated “confidence” at the end of verse 29. It is also used in verse 13 to describe Peter and John before the Jewish court. The word means freedom of speech or freedom to speak. This was a direct answer to that for which they had prayed in verse 29.

The state of the church following this event (Acts 4:32-35) – This is the third of the nine summary passages in Acts describing the state of the church at particular points in time (see Acts 1:14; 2:43-47; 4:32-35; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; and 28:30-31). This passage is very similar to Acts 2:43-47 at which we look in session 5 of this study. During these days the young fellowship was characterized by:

· A spirit of oneness and harmony – “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and sould…” (v.32)

· A spirit of sharing – “…and all things were common property to them … there was not a needy person among them…” (vv.32 and 33)

· Faithful witness – “…with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…” (v.33)

The statement in verse 33 that “…abundant grace was upon them all…” sums up the state of the church at this point in time. One writer says of that statement:

Wherever you went you found “grace” – mercy, kindness, acceptance, honesty, forgiveness, generosity (Acts 4:33). The way Jesus’ followers lived together was powerful proof he was alive. This visible evidence added impact to the Christian’s claim that Jesus had risen and was living in them. [The Book of Acts, the Smart Guide to the Bible series]

Practical Application from Acts 4:1-35

1. God can and does use people that others think are unusable. The Jewish leaders could not believe that God would choose to speak through common people such as Peter and John.

2. God empowers us for life’s most difficult and challenging moments. That does not mean we sail through those times with no difficulty or pain. But it does mean that we get through them.

3. This passage gives us a formula for making it through those times of difficulty.

a. Seek the help, support, companionship of spiritual people. That statement in Acts 4:23 is instructive – “And when they had been released, they went to their own companions…” We need to be a part of a fellowship of believer, a community of faith to which we can turn in times of need.

b. Turn to God in prayer. Prayer is not some kind of magic formula which makes our trouble disappear. It certainly did not for the disciples in this case. As the story unfolds, we will see that the pressure on them actually intensifies. But prayer keeps us in touch with God, helps us see things from His perspective, calms our spirit, and gives us strength for the challenge.

c. Keep on doing the right things. The disciples kept on doing what they knew God wanted them to do. They did not give up or quit or drop out.

Where did they learn this formula for making it through difficulty? No doubt, they saw it modeled in Jesus, Himself! He turned to His companions in time of need (especially to Peter, John, and James). He turned to God in prayer, often slipping away for extended times of prayer. And He kept on doing the right things, even when it was most difficult and led to the cross.