THE BOOK OF ACTS The Ongoing Church by G.I. Harlow

Transcription

1 THE BOOK OF ACTS The Ongoing Church by G.I. Harlow EVERYDAY PUBLICATIONS INC. 310 Killaly Street W. Port Colborne, ON Canada L3K 6A6

2 2 THE ONGOING CHURCH Copyright 1983 Gertrud I. Harlow ISBN Cover design by Brian Smith reset 2008 Printed in Canada

3 Outline for Acts Page Introduction 7 1. Christ Sends the Holy Spirit Chapters 1 & 2 9 Why Luke wrote the book of Acts 1.1,2 The 40 days a er Christ's resurrection The Lord Jesus returns to heaven Ma hias is chosen to take Judas' place The believers are filled with the Holy Spirit Peter's first message Three thousand people believe The activities of the early believers The Church in Jerusalem A lame man healed Peter's second message Peter and John are put in prison Peter's testimony before the Sanhedrin Peter and John are warned and set free The Christians pray Oneness, love and sharing among the believers Ananias and Sapphira The Church in Jerusalem, cont d Miracles in Jerusalem The apostles are put in prison and miraculously released The apostles' answer and its result Gamaliel's advice The apostles are beaten and released Seven men are chosen to help the apostles Stephen arrested and unjustly accused Stephen speaks to the Council Stephen killed with stones

4 4 THE ONGOING CHURCH 4. Philip and Saul Chapters 8 & 9 49 Persecution of the church in Jerusalem Philip in Samaria Philip and the Ethiopian Saul becomes a Christian Ananias Saul preaches in Damascus Saul preaches in Jerusalem Peter in Lydda and Joppa Peter Among Gentiles and in Prison Chapters 10 to Cornelius Vision Peter s vision Cornelius messengers arrive to call Peter Peter comes to Cornelius Peter's message to the Gentiles Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit and are baptized Peter explains his visit to Cornelius The church at Antioch James is killed and Peter put in prison Peter is brought miraculously out of prison Peter tells the believers what happened Herod's death First Missionary Journey and the Council at Jerusalem Chapters 13 to Barnabas and Saul set apart for God's work First missionary journey Cyprus Antioch in Pisidia Iconium Lystra and Derbe Return journey to Antioch and Syria Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem The meeting of the apostles and elders Peter's testimony Barnabas' and Paul's report James' decision Le er to the Gentile believers The le er brought to Antioch

5 Outline for Acts 5 7. Beginning of Paul's Second Missionary Journey Barnabas and Saul separate Timothy joins Paul and Silas Paul's vision Philippi Paul and Silas leave for Thessalonica Paul's Second Missionary Journey cont d Thessalonica Berea Athens Corinth The end of the second missionary journey Paul's Third Missionary Journey Paul starts off again Apollos of Alexandria John's followers The sons of Sceva Trouble in Ephesus Paul revisits Macedonia and Achaia Paul's last visit to Troas Paul's farewell speech to the elders at Ephesus From Miletus to Tyre From Tyre to Caesaria Paul in Jerusalem Paul arrives in Jerusalem Paul follows the advice of the elders Paul is arrested Paul defends himself The Jews reject Paul's defense 22.22,23 Paul escapes being whipped by the Romans Paul before the Council The Council is divided Paul is sent to Caesarea Paul in Caesarea Chapters 24 to The Jews' accusation before Felix Paul s defense Felix's response

6 6 THE ONGOING CHURCH Paul before Festus Paul before Agrippa Paul's life before he became a Christian Paul's conversion Paul's obedience to God's call Agrippa 's conclusion Paul's Journey to Rome Chapters 27 & From Caesarea to Safe Harbours Driven by the storm until hope was gone Paul's vision All reach Malta safely Events in Malta The rest of the journey to Rome In Rome

7 Introduction What happened next? A er the Lord Jesus Christ went back to heaven? That's what the book of Acts is all about. This book tells how the Church began at Jerusalem and how a Jew, Saul of Tarsus became a Christian. Later this same man, now called Paul, was used of God to take the Gospel to many Gentile countries. Other believers from Jerusalem brought the Gospel to other countries also. Paul wrote many le ers to help and teach the churches that had been formed in some of these places and some of these le ers are included in the New Testament. Who wrote the book of Acts? Luke, the writer of the Gospel which has his name continued his account in the book of Acts of what the Lord Jesus did and taught. Luke was a Gentile the only Gentile writer of any part of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit guided Luke and showed him what to write, 2 Timothy Luke was a medical doctor and one of Paul's close friends, Colossians We do not see his name in Acts but a number of verses show that he o en travelled with Paul and had seen with his own eyes many of the things he wrote about. See ; ; He was with Paul when God called Paul to go into Macedonia. When Paul was in prison in Rome for the last time only one person remained with him faithful Luke. 7

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9 1 Christ sends the Holy Spirit Chapters 1 and 2 Jesus Goes Back to Heaven - chapter 1 Why did Luke write the book of Acts? 1.1,2 Luke had already wri en his Gospel which he had addressed to a man called Theophilus which means friend of God. He was probably a Gentile believer and Luke wanted him to know that the Lord Jesus did not only die for our sins but that He rose again from death and went back to heaven. Even now He continues to work with His servants, Mark 16.20; Ma hew 28.20, and prays for us, Hebrews In his gospel Luke had told about all that the Lord Jesus had begun to do and teach when He was here on earth. In Acts he told about His continuing work through His servants a er He had returned to heaven. The forty days a er Christ's resurrection, Did the Lord Jesus go to heaven right a er He rose from the dead? This verse shows that a er His resurrection He was seen of the apostles and many others for a period of forty days and proved in many ways that He was alive again. See also 1 Corinthians It was impossible for the Lord of life and glory to remain in the grave! The followers of many religions worship men who have died. No doubt these were great men but now they are dead. Not so the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Saviour died too when He bore God's penalty for our sins, but He rose again from death. This shows that God accepted the work He did when He died on the Cross. Our Saviour is alive again-forever and ever, Revelation We serve a risen, living Saviour! 9

10 10 THE ONGOING CHURCH During these forty days the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the kingdom of God, v.3. What is the kingdom of God? At the present time it is God's rule in the hearts and lives of men who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour. 4,5 The disciples probably wanted to go back to their fishing, John Or perhaps they wanted to start preaching the Gospel right away to the people around them because the Lord Jesus had already commanded them to preach the Gospel to every creature, Mark But the time for this had not yet come and the Lord Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem for a while until they received the Holy Spirit whom He had promised to send, see John 16.7, John had baptized with water those who repented, but they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit before long, Ma hew The apostles did not ask any questions about receiving the Holy Spirit, but they did wonder if Christ would set up His kingdom at that time. They were thinking about an earthly kingdom for Israel. This is what they were hoping for because then the Jewish people would no longer be ruled by the hated Romans. Also the disciples probably expected to have important places in that new kingdom. They seemed to have forgotten that the Lord Jesus had said His kingdom is not of this earth, John He had also said that in the world they would have outward trouble and inner peace, but not political freedom, John For 40 days a er rising from the dead the Lord had taught about the kingdom of God, a spiritual kingdom, but somehow they had completely misunderstood His teaching. 7,8 However the Old Testament shows that in the future Christ will set up His kingdom here on earth, see Daniel 7.13,14. The Lord told His disciples that it was not important for them to know when this would be. God the Father has decided on the date. The most important thing for them was that 1. they would receive power, heavenly power, when the Holy Spirit came on them. 2. they were to be Christ's witnesses 1) in Jerusalem, then 2) in Judea and Samaria, and finally

11 Acts ) to all people everywhere to the very ends of the earth. What a challenging verse this is! The Lord gave similar commands in the four Gospels a er His resurrection: He told His disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation, Mark Repentance and forgiveness of sins were to be preached to all nations and the disciples were to be witnesses of these things, Luke They were to teach all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that the Lord had commanded them, Ma hew The Lord Jesus Himself was sending them forth as God the Father had sent Him, John Jerusalem Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth... The rest of Acts shows how the Gospel reached these various areas and the book can be divided accordingly: Jerusalem Acts Judea and Samaria Acts The ends of the earth Acts Most of us do not live in the land of Israel, but that does not excuse us from applying to ourselves the command in verse 8 and those in the Gospels. Our Jerusalem is the town or village where we live and where people know us well. We must witness to them first and tell them about Christ. Our own families and the people of our home-town are our first responsibility. But they are only part of our responsibility. We are to be witnesses also in Judea and Samaria, that is, our own territory and the rest of our country. And that's not all. In addition to all these people the Lord commands us to preach the Gospel to all people everywhere! Of course no one person can himself preach the Gospel to all people. The Lord chooses and sends His servants to different lands with the Gospel and we should be ready to go wherever He sends us. In addition we should have a burden for the people in all other countries. We should share in the witness of God's servants in those lands by praying for them and helping with our gi s to make it possible for them to live there.

12 12 THE ONGOING CHURCH Yes, you must start in your hometown, your Jerusalem, but don't spend all your strength for the rest of your life witnessing only to the people of your own neighbourhood. Christ commands you to share in the work of spreading the Gospel in the whole world. How will you be able to do this? Not in your own strength and wisdom. The disciples would soon receive power when the Holy Spirit would come on them. You and I have already received that power. We received it when the Holy Spirit came to live in us at the very moment we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our own Saviour. Only in the power of the Holy Spirit will you be able to obey the very important command in verse 8. The Lord Jesus returns to heaven, Read these verses together with Luke 24.50,51. Verses 7 and 8 seem to have been the Lord's last words to His disciples before He returned to heaven. How surprised they must have been when they saw Him being taken up right before their eyes! Was that cloud an ordinary cloud? We do not know. It makes us think of the cloud in the book of Exodus which was a sign of God's glory and presence with His people. See Exodus ; 40.34; Mark 9.7 And so the Lord Jesus went from them into heaven to pray for us, Hebrews 9.24; He will remain there until all His enemies have been made a footstool for His feet, Psalm ,11 The disciples were longingly looking up into heaven when suddenly two men stood with them. No doubt they were angels and they remind us of those whom the women saw at the Lord's grave a er He rose from death. See Luke and John What amazing words the angels told them! Their Lord would come back again the way they had seen Him go up to heaven! No doubt they remembered the beautiful words of the Lord Jesus in John 14.3 and His prayer in John They knew the Old Testament prophecy which says that in the future the Lord Jesus would return and stand again on the Mount of Olives, Zechariah Read also the Lord's own words in Ma hew and

13 Acts 1 13 The disciples must have wondered how all these verses fitted together. At this time they did not yet know that the Lord would come to the air to take all true believers to be with Himself before He would return to this earth. This truth was revealed later to Paul and through him to us in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians Even so the words of the two men must have been a great comfort to the disciples. Their beloved Lord WOULD COME BACK! Those of us who love the Lord Jesus are looking forward with great joy to the day when He comes again. But those who do not know Him yet as their Saviour will have no more opportunity to be saved. Now is a good time to ask the Lord Jesus to become your Saviour. Ma hias is chosen to take Judas' place, ,13 So the apostles returned to Jerusalem to the upper room where they were staying. Was it the same room where the Lord Jesus had taught them to break the bread and drink from the cup to remember Him? See Luke We do not know, but all the disciples were there except Judas Iscariot, see Luke Judas had hanged himself when he saw that Jesus was condemned to die because he knew He was innocent, Ma hew There were others with the apostles in that upper room. Mary the mother of Jesus was there together with other women. We do not know who these women were but no doubt those who had gone to Jesus' grave early that Sunday morning were among them, see Luke And Jesus' brothers were there! They had not believed in Him when He was among them, John 7.5, but now, a er His resurrection, we see them also among the believers! What were all these people doing? They joined together continuously in prayer, no doubt, waiting and looking forward to the time when the Holy Spirit would come on them as the Lord had said in verse Peter seems to have been the leader of the group of believers. It is true that he had denied his Lord, but he had repented and the Lord had given him the privilege of serving Him again, see Luke ; John

14 14 THE ONGOING CHURCH 16,17 The disciples must have all been very upset when Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus, but Peter understood that this had been foretold in the Old Testament, Psalm 41.9, and was therefore part of God's purposes. 18,19 Here we read that Judas had bought a field with the money which the chief priests and elders had given him, Ma hew 26.14,15. He died in this very field perhaps because he did not know how to hang himself successfully. Actually Judas had returned the money to the chief priests and elders, and it seems that they had bought this field in his name because it was really his money, Ma hew Peter used two more verses from the book of Psalms, and 109.8, to show that they should choose someone to take Judas' place as a leader of God's people. 21,22 What kind of person would be able to take Judas' place? It had to be someone who 1) had been with the Lord Jesus the whole time He was here on earth; 2) had seen Him a er He rose from death and so would be a witness to His resurrection. 23 Two men were suggested of whom these things were true, but we know nothing about them except their names. 24,25 Which man should the disciples choose? They didn't know and so they wisely asked the Lord to show them His choice. Yes, God knows everyone's heart, yours and mine also. He also knows our sins but is ready to forgive us if we ask Him to do so, 1 John In the Old Testament people drew lots frequently to find out the Lord's will, see Joshua 18.10; 1 Samuel 14.41; Proverbs 16.33; Ma hew Acts 1.26 is the last time we read about drawing lots in the New Testament. Now we have the whole Word of God in our hands to show us His will and the Holy Spirit in our hearts to guide us, so we no longer need to draw lots. So Ma hias became the twel h apostle in Judas' place, but we do not read anything else about him in the New Testament.

15 Acts 1 15 Later Paul became an apostle and others also were called apostles: Barnabas, 14.14; James, the Lord's brother, Galatians Now Test Yourself 1. Who saw the Lord Jesus a er He rose from death? 2. What did the Lord tell the apostles to wait for in Jerusalem? 3. What was more important for the disciples than knowing when Christ will set up His kingdom on earth? 4. How many apostles returned to Jerusalem a er the Lord went to heaven? 5. The apostles drew lots to find out whom God wanted to take Judas' place. Should Christians use this method to find out God's will today? 6. Who preached to the many visitors who were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost? 7. What Old Testament prophet had prophesied that the Holy Spirit would come on all God's people? 8. To whom did God show in Old Testament times that Christ would rise again? 9. Where is the Lord Jesus now? 10. What four things helped the new believers to continue to follow the Lord? Write your answers on a piece of paper, then compare them with those given on page 165.

16 The Coming of the Holy Spirit, chapter 2 This chapter tells about a very important event which took place on the day of Pentecost. Pentecost means fi ieth in the Greek language. The Greek-speaking Jews had given this name to the Old Testament Feast of Weeks, Exodus 34.22, because it came 50 days a er the Passover feast, see Deuteronomy The Lord Jesus rose from death on the first day of the week following the Jewish Passover. He remained on earth for 40 days a er His resurrection. The day of Pentecost followed about nine days a er the Lord Jesus had gone back to heaven. The believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, On the day of Pentecost they were all in one place. No doubt they were the group of about 120 believers we read about in Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a strong wind filled the house where they were. It was not wind but sounded like wind. The Greek word meaning wind can also mean spirit. Wind can be very strong but we cannot actually see it. In these two ways it is a picture of the Holy Spirit. The believers heard the sound and they also saw something they had never seen before. It looked like tongues of fire and sat on each of them, v.3. Then something happened which had never happened to them before: they were filled with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in other languages which they themselves did not know. The Lord Jesus had told the apostles before that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, 1.5, and this took place at the same time the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit. 16

17 Acts 2 17 We read more about the baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians There we see that by the Holy Spirit all believers were baptized into one body. This means that the Holy Spirit joined believers of different races together to become one Body, the Body of Christ which is the Church. This baptism took place only once it was never repeated, but we read of believers being filled again with the Holy Spirit, see Acts 4.8,31; 7.55; 11.24; 13.9,52. Today all true believers have the Holy Spirit living in them, see Romans 8.9, but not all believers are filled with the Holy Spirit. Only those are filled with the Holy Spirit who allow Him to have full control over their lives, Ephesians Most of the visitors in Jerusalem at that time were Jews who were living in other countries and who had come to keep the feast of the Passover and Pentecost. How amazed they were when they heard these Galilean Jews speaking in the languages of the countries from which they had come! 8-11 Some of the visitors were people from as far away as Rome, both Jews and converts to the Jewish religion. They all heard the believers speaking in their own languages telling about God's wonderful works. 12,13 The listeners just couldn't understand at all what was happening, but some made fun of the believers saying they were drunk. Today also people o en make fun of Christians when they speak about the Lord. This should not surprise us or upset us. Peter's first message, A large group of people gathered when the news had spread among the people of what was going on. Now Peter got up to speak to this crowd. First he explained what had happened and then went on to preach the Gospel to them. 14,15 The people had asked in verse 12 what all this meant, these disciples speaking in other languages. Peter first told them quietly but plainly what it did not mean. It did not mean that the disciples were drunk. A er all it was only 9 o'clock in the morning!

18 18 THE ONGOING CHURCH Joel's prophecy Peter then reminded the people of what the Old Testament prophet Joel had prophesied in Joel In Old Testament times the Holy Spirit came on people in leading positions, such as kings, priests and prophets. But in Joel's prophecy God said that in the last days His Spirit would come on all people, that is all God's people and they would prophesy or tell out God's truth. This had just been partly fulfilled, and the disciples acted and spoke the way they did because they were full of the Holy Spirit. 19,20 Joel's prophecy will be completely fulfilled at the time called the Day of the Lord when Christ will come in power and glory. At that time He will set up His kingdom here on earth and will rule over the whole world for 1,000 years, see Ma hew 24.29,30; Revelation This verse will be true at that time but it is also true now. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Have you called? If not, ask the Lord Jesus today to become your Saviour, Romans Christ's death and resurrection 22,23 The miracles the Lord Jesus did proved that God was with Him. The people saw these miracles and wonders and signs, but they did not believe that Jesus was God's Son. Instead they turned Him over to evil men to have Him crucified. Was God surprised by this? No, He knew it would happen. It was God's plan that the Lord Jesus Christ should give His life for sinners, but God certainly did not lead men to strike His Son and spit in His face and they were all guilty. 24 Men killed the Lord Jesus, but God raised Him from the dead. How wonderful! Christ's resurrection showed that God was satisfied with the work His Son had done and that He accepted His sacrifice for the sins of men David and Christ Peter went on to show that even in Old Testament times God had shown to His servant David that Christ would rise again. Some of the things David said in Psalm

19 Acts 2 19 could not have been true about himself, but the Holy Spirit was leading him to speak about Christ The Jews all knew that David had died and was buried and that his body decayed in the grave. But God had sworn to David that He would place one of his descendants on his throne and David spoke as a prophet about the resurrection of Christ. Christ was not le in the grave for His human body to decay, but God raised Him to life again and the apostles had seen Him a er His resurrection. 33 And that was not all. God not only raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, He also exalted Him to the place of honour at His own right hand in heaven. From there the Lord Jesus had now poured out on His people the Holy Spirit as Joel had prophesied many years before. 34,35 David did not go up to heaven but in Psalm he was speaking about Christ again. In Revelation 3.21 we also see that the Lord Jesus is now on His Father's throne. See also Romans 8.34; Ephesians 1.20; Colossians 3.1; Hebrews 1.3,13; 8.1; 10.12; Therefore this Jesus whom the Jews had crucified was now Lord and Christ in heaven! Three thousand people believe, Peter was preaching to God-fearing Jews, v.5, and the Holy Spirit used his message to speak to their hearts. They did not try to deny what Peter had said and began to understand what a great sin their leaders had commi ed when they had delivered the Lord Jesus to the Romans to be crucified. 38,39 What should they do? They were really worried but Peter had an answer ready. They should repent, that is they should change their thoughts about Christ and receive Him as their Saviour. They should also be baptized to show that they were really sorry for their sins and no longer joined with the rest of the nation who had rejected Christ. They would receive the Holy Spirit who had been promised to all who will obey the call of the Lord to believe in Christ. 40,41 Peter kept on talking to the people for a long time and warned them to separate themselves from their fellow countrymen who had done this evil thing. His preaching was

20 20 THE ONGOING CHURCH not in vain and about 3,000 people believed and were baptized that day. What a joy that must have been to Peter and to the other believers. And what rejoicing there must have been in heaven where the angels rejoice even over one sinner who repents! Luke The activities of the early believers, At this time the New Testament had not yet been wri en, but these new believers obeyed the teaching the apostles gave them. They continued to meet to have fellowship and talk about the things of the Lord. They came together to break bread in order to remember the Lord and His death on the cross for them, as He had requested, and they met together to pray. So right here at the very beginning of the Church we find the Christians doing these four things which are so important for every healthy church: 1) listening to the Word of God, 2) having fellowship, and helping and encouraging each other, 3) remembering the Lord's death in the breaking of bread, 4) and meeting together for prayer. 43 The other people noticed these things and the miracles which were being done by the apostles and they were filled with awe. Already these new believers had a powerful testimony before the unsaved people around them. 44,45 The believers continued to have close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another according to what each person needed. It seems that only the church at Jerusalem did this and only at the very beginning. We do not read about anything like this being done in any of the churches that were started in other places, But they helped one another when necessary, James 2.15,16; 2 Corinthians ,47 These Christians met together every day in the temple and probably continued for a while to worship God as they had always done as Jews. They had a good testimony among the people and the number of those who believed in the Lord Jesus grew every day. The Bible tells us not to give up meeting together, but to encourage one another in the things of the Lord, Hebrews

21 2 The Church in Jerusalem, Chapters A lame man is healed, The two apostles, Peter and John went to the temple one day at 3 o'clock in the a ernoon. This was the hour when the evening sacrifice was offered and prayer was made. 2 The gate of the temple was called Beautiful, but it could not help the lame man who was brought there every day to beg for money from those who entered the temple. 3-6 This man begged from Peter and John also and looked at them expectantly. Would they give him something? Yes, they would but their gi would be far be er than money. In the name of Jesus Christ Peter ordered him to get up and walk! 7 Walk? The man had never walked before in his life! He didn't even know what it was like to walk. Was Peter making fun of him? No, indeed. Peter himself helped him get up and as he did, his feet and ankles became strong. 8 Now he could stand! And he could walk this man who had never walked before! No wonder he jumped for joy and praised God as he entered the temple courts together with Peter and John, perhaps for the first time in his life. 9,10 The people had seen what had happened. They all knew this beggar who lay at the gate of the temple every day. They knew he could not walk. But there he was, walking, jumping and praising God! Some had seen Peter helping him get up but how could that make it possible for the man to walk? It was a miracle! Peter's second message, The news of what had happened to the beggar spread 21

22 22 THE ONGOING CHURCH quickly among the people and they all ran to where Peter and John and the beggar were. It was a wonderful opportunity for Peter to speak to them again about the Lord Jesus Christ and he made good use of it. 12 First Peter made sure that the people would not think that he and John had made this man walk. It was God who had done it and Peter did not want any glory and praise for himself. 13 Notice how fearlessly Peter showed these Jews their great sin of rejecting Christ: They had rejected Him but God gave Him divine glory. They had turned Him over to the Romans even a er Pilate wanted to set him free, Mark 15.9,10,12, They asked for a murderer to be released rather than the pure and holy Lord Jesus, Ma hew 27.20, They killed Him but God raised Him from death and the apostles had seen Him a er His resurrection. Really no one could kill the Lord Jesus. In John He said that no one could take His life from Him, but that He would give it up of His own free will. He did not die of the wounds He received on the cross, but He Himself placed His spirit in His Father's hands, Luke The Jews had not actually nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross they had no authority to do so but they turned Him over to the Romans for this purpose. They hated Him, John 15.18,25; and whoever hates his brother is a murderer, 1 John The crippled man had been healed through faith in the name of this One whom they had killed and whom God had raised from death, the Lord Jesus Christ. Through faith? Yes, but whose faith? No doubt it was Peter's because up to that time the cripple had probably thought only about how to beg so that he might receive many gi s of money! Still he believed Peter's words and accepted healing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 17,18 Peter realized that the Jews and their leaders did not really know what they were doing when they turned the Lord Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified. The Lord Jesus Himself had prayed while hanging on the cross, Father, forgive

23 Acts 3 23 them, for they know not what they do, Luke But through what they had done God fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies that the Messiah would suffer, see Isaiah 50.6; 53.4,5. 19 However, they were still guilty and they should repent of their sins and turn to the Lord so that they might be forgiven. 20 In the future the Jews will turn to Christ when He returns and there will be times of refreshing. It is God's will for all Israel to be saved, Romans 11.26, and Peter pleaded with them to receive this salvation. God is not willing that any should be lost, 2 Peter 3.9, but many will be. 21 In the meantime Christ will remain in heaven until the time has come for God to restore all things as they had been before, that is, before sin entered the world. He had promised this through the Old Testament prophets, see Isaiah 9.7; 35.1; 65.20,25. However, this does not mean that even those who refuse to believe in Christ will be saved; the Bible nowhere teaches this. 22 Many years before Moses had told the people that God would send them from among themselves another prophet like himself and they should listen to him, Deuteronomy This Prophet had now come. His name? The Lord Jesus Christ. 23 Anyone who refused to accept Him and His word would be cut off completely, see Deuteronomy All the prophets beginning with Samuel had foretold this time of salvation. God had made a covenant or agreement with the Jews' forefather Abraham promising to bless all the people of the earth through his descendants. The people listening to Peter were Abraham's descendants and so was the Lord Jesus Christ. God sent Him first to His own people, the Jews, to bless them and turn everyone of them from his evil ways. But they must repent, v.19 and listen, v.22 and obey, v.26 in order to receive the blessing.

24 24 THE ONGOING CHURCH Peter and John are put in prison, Peter had spoken with great boldness to the people who had gathered a er the crippled man was healed. The priests, the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees also came and listened. They did not like what they heard, especially what the apostles taught about the resurrection because the Sadducees did not believe that people will be raised to life again. Also by praising the Lord Jesus Peter was really blaming them for Christ's death. So they arrested Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day. Even so many who had heard Peter's message believed and the number of believers grew to about 5,000! Peter's testimony before the Sanhedrin, All the Jewish leaders met together in Jerusalem the following day. These men made up the highest court in Israel, the Sanhedrin. The Lord Jesus had also stood before this court. They wanted to know by what power or by what name or authority Peter and John had done this miracle. Their questions were very much like those they asked the Lord Jesus, see Ma hew In verses 9 to 12 we see a fulfillment of the Lord Jesus' words in Ma hew Read these verses for yourself perhaps they will be a comfort and encouragement to you some day! Now the Holy Spirit shows Peter just what to say and gives him the courage to speak without fear to his judges, these men who had the power to have him killed. The Lord's promise in Ma hew is the same for Christians today as they face the enemies of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit will remove their fear of man and give them the right words to say for the glory of the Lord. See Proverbs ,10 Yes, a good deed had been done to the cripple. He had been healed through this act of kindness but it had not been done by Peter and John. Peter wanted the men of the Sanhedrin and all Israel to know that this man had been made well through the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He was not afraid to remind his judges that they were guilty of crucifying this same Jesus but that God had raised Him from death.

25 Acts 4 25 Read again Luke where Peter had been afraid to admit that he was one of Christ's followers. How he had changed! What caused the change? In Luke 22 Peter was trusting in his own strength. Now he was filled with the Holy Spirit. 11 This verse was a fulfillment of Psalm which says that the builders (probably builders of the temple) thought one stone to be useless, but it became the most important stone in the building holding two walls together. The stone here is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself had quoted this verse when He was here on earth and applied it to Himself, see Ma hew Peter used it now to answer the same question the Jews had asked of the Lord, v.7; Ma hew What is that building of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone? The Apostle Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians Later Peter called Christ the living Stone, 1 Peter 2.4,6. 12 And, Peter added, salvation can be found only in the Lord Jesus Christ, this One whom men had despised and crucified, but whom God had raised from death. The Jews had commi ed a terrible crime but God would forgive even them if they repented and accepted Christ as their Saviour. How wonderful is the grace of God! Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin. Men try to obtain salvation in many different ways: by living good lives, causing their bodies to suffer, offering sacrifices of food to idols, giving money to the Church, spending long hours saying prayers, helping the poor, but their efforts are all in vain. God's Word says that we can be saved only through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you received God's salvation or are you still trying to save yourself? Peter and John are warned and set free, The well educated men of the Sanhedrin were very surprised when they heard Peter speaking. They knew that he

26 26 THE ONGOING CHURCH and John were ordinary men and had had no education, yet they spoke with boldness. See what the Jews had said about the Lord Jesus in Ma hew and John He also surprised the people because He spoke with authority, Mark Now some of that authority was seen in His disciples. The Jews also recognized Peter and John as having been with the Lord Jesus. Probably they had seen them together with the Lord, but we think they also saw something of His grace and righteousness and authority reflected by the apostles. We too can reflect the Lord's glory as the Holy Spirit transforms us into His likeness, 2 Corinthians The Jews could not deny that a miracle had been performed because the man who had been healed was standing right there with the apostles. However, they still did not want to admit that they themselves had been wrong and the miracle did not cause them to repent and turn to the Lord. Instead they commanded the apostles never to preach or teach again in the name of Jesus. 19,20 And what did the apostles answer? Did they say, Yes, sirs, we'll do as you say. Thank you so much for not punishing us? No, Peter and John could not agree to obey this command. They knew they should obey God rather than the Jews. The Lord Jesus, the Son of God had commanded them to be His witnesses, 1.8, and they could not stop speaking of what they had seen and heard. 21,22 The men of the Council were afraid to punish the apostles because all the people were praising God for the healing of this man. So they warned them again more strongly and let them go. The Christians pray, ,24 Peter and John went back to the Christians as soon as they were set free and told them all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 This led the group to join in prayer to God, the Creator of heaven and earth. 25,26 Their prayer was based on the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit brought Psalm 2 to their minds. They were

27 Acts 4 27 being persecuted and the rulers were opposing both God and His Christ. 27,28 Both Jews and Gentiles had gathered together against the Lord Jesus. They had brought about what God had already planned should happen, but they were guilty just the same. 29,30 The believers went on to pray for themselves. Did they ask the Lord to protect them from those who were persecuting them? No, they asked for help that they might have boldness to preach about Christ. They also prayed that miracles might be performed in the name of Jesus to prove that they were really preaching the Word of God. Today we do not need miracles to prove that someone is preaching the truth of God. At the beginning of the Church the New Testament Le ers had not yet been written and these miracles showed that God approved of what was being preached. Now we have the whole Bible, God's complete revelation to man and we can (and are commanded to) make sure that all the teaching we hear or give agrees with the truth of the Word of God, 1 Thes - salonians 5.21; 1 John The Lord answered the Christians' prayer, but this verse does not mean that they received the Holy Spirit a second time. They had already been baptized with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and had received Him at that time. Now they were filled with the Holy Spirit, just like a cup already having some water in it can be filled completely. The result was that they did speak God's Word with boldness. All Christians today can be, and should be, filled with the Spirit, Ephesians This is possible only if our constant aim and desire is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in all that we do and say. What are some of the things that Spirit-filled Christians do? Read Ephesians Oneness, love and sharing among the believers, All the believers were of one heart and mind, a sign that they had been filled with the Spirit. Those who had needs were helped by those who were able to do so. They did not put their hearts on their earthly possessions any more, but were

28 28 THE ONGOING CHURCH laying up riches in a be er place now, in heaven itself, Ma hew However, let us notice three things about this sharing among the early Christians: 1) They did so at a time when they were being persecuted by their enemies. 2) They did it of their own free will, not because they were commanded to do so. 3) Read again the teaching on 2.44,45. To the unbelievers around them it was a wonderful witness of the oneness of the early Church. 33 The resurrection of Christ was very important to the early believers. The apostles continued to witness to it with great power and the Lord blessed them all richly. 34,35 Some of the believers sold houses and fields which they owned and brought the money to the apostles who divided it according to each one's needs. This made it possible to give all their time to the work of the Lord. Today Christians should help with their gi s those among them who spend all their time serving the Lord. Those who do so will share in the reward which the Lord Jesus will give His faithful servants when He returns. 36,37 We will read more about Barnabas later, in chapters 9, and 11 to 14. Here we only see that he was a Levite from Cyprus. In and Colossians 4.10 we see that he had relatives in Jerusalem. No doubt he had come to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. There the message of the Gospel of Christ had taken hold of him. He had believed it and had stayed on with the other believers. He too sold land and turned the money over to the apostles. This man's real name was Joseph, but the disciples called him Barnabas which means one who comforts or encourages. No doubt they gave him that name because that was the kind of man he was. In this world of sorrow and trouble many such men (and women) are needed, those who will comfort and encourage their fellow believers to go on for the Lord. May the Lord give us tender, understanding hearts for the spiritual needs of others.

29 Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 4, 5 29 There was great blessing in the early church and many unbelievers were accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. The believers were of one mind and heart. They loved and helped each other. Those who owned fields or houses sold them in order to assist other believers who were poor. As we might expect Satan tried to spoil this happy spirit in the church and soon found a man and his wife whom he could use to do so. 1,2 Ananias also sold some land. He and his wife agreed to keep some of the money for themselves and turn the rest over to the apostles. 3,4 Why did Peter accuse Ananias of deceiving the Holy Spirit and sinning against God? It was not a sin for Ananias to keep some of the money for himself, but it was a sin to act as if he was giving all to the Lord when he was only giving part of it. How did Peter know what Ananias had done? It was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. These two verses show clearly that 1) the Holy Spirit is a Person, v.3, and that 2) He is God, v.4. Other verses in the Bible teach the same truth: 1) He is a Person: He can act, send, call, and lead, see Acts 10.19,20; 13.2; Romans He has a will, see 1 Corinthians He also has feelings, Isaiah 63.10; Ephesians ) He is God: He is eternal, Hebrews 9.14 He is mentioned together with God the Father and God the Son, Ma hew 28.19; 2 Corinthians He knows all things, 1 Corinthians 2.10 He is everywhere at once, Psalm All these things are true only of God and prove that the Holy Spirit is God. He lives in every believer, Romans 8.9, and when the believer sins, he sins against the Holy Spirit, v.3.

30 30 THE ONGOING CHURCH 5,6 God's judgment fell on Ananias right there and he fell down dead and was buried immediately Sapphira came in later, not knowing what had happened. She too lied to the apostles as she had agreed with her husband and was judged in the same way. These events show us what a great sin it is 1) to lie. 2) to act as if we have given all to the Lord while we are holding back something for ourselves. When we sing so happily: All for Jesus, all for Jesus... all my thoughts and words and mo ments, all my days and all my hours are we singing the truth? God hates deceit and hypocrisy. Perhaps you think that this was a very great punishment for telling a lie? But lying is sin and God cannot bless as long as there is sin among His people. Do you remember what Achan did and its result? Thirty-six Israelites were killed by their enemies. And what happened to Achan and his family? Read about it in Joshua chapter 7. This chapter shows very plainly the great harm which unconfessed sin can do among God's people. Both these chapters, Acts 5 and Joshua 7 should be a warning to us. 11 No wonder all the believers and other people too were very much afraid when they heard what had happened. This is the first time the word church is used in the book of Acts. It is used in two ways throughout the New Testament: 1) Of the Church in general, made up of all believers all over the world. It is also called the Body of Christ, Ephesians 1.22,23. The Lord Jesus Christ in heaven is the Head of this body and believers are like different parts of it, each with an important work to do, 1 Corinthians ) A group of believers in one place is also called a church, Acts 13.1; 1 Corinthians 1.2.

31 Act 5 31 Now Test Yourself 1. What gave Peter the opportunity to speak to a large group of people a second time? 2. Peter said the Jews killed the Lord Jesus. What did he mean? 3. Moses had told the people that God would raise up another prophet like himself. Who was this prophet? 4. The Pharisees did not believe in resurrection. True or false? 5. What was the Sanhedrin? 6. Who enabled Peter to answer the leaders without fear and showed him what to say? 7. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Chief Corner Stone of what building? 8. Did the apostles obey the Jewish leaders who had commanded them not to preach any more about Christ? If not, why not? 9. Miracles were performed in the early church. What did they. prove? 10. Why were Ananias and Sapphira judged so severely? Turn to page 165 for the correct answers.

32 3 The Church in Jerusalem (cont d) Chapters Miracles in Jerusalem, Many miracles were being performed among the people through the apostles. The early Christians did not have a building of their own and seem to have made Solomon's porch their meeting place. This was next to the Temple area on the east side. 13,14 A er what had happened to Ananias and Sapphira certainly no one dared to join the Christians unless he had become a true believer himself. The Lord blessed greatly a er those who had sinned had been judged and many more people received the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. There is always blessing a er sin in the church has been judged. 15,16 These verses are a partial fulfilment of the Lord's words in John The apostles did here some of the same works the Lord Jesus had done when He was on earth. But nowhere in Scripture do we read that these miracles would continue throughout this present church age. They were only for its beginning when the Gospel and the Church were still something completely new and God's full revelation in the New Testament had not yet been given. But another kind of miracle is taking place even now! Is it not a miracle when people's lives are changed a er they have become Christians? The new Christian who used to steal and lie and get drunk does not do so any more. The one who used to think only about himself now begins to show love and care for other people. The one who used to curse and swear now sings praise to God. Are these not miracles? Is it not a miracle when Christians 32

33 Acts 5 33 overcome temptations and live clean lives for God's glory day a er day through the power of the Holy Spirit? The apostles are put in prison and miraculously released, In verses 1 to 11 we saw how Satan tried to hinder the work of the Lord inside the church. Now he a acked it again from the outside, by having the apostles put in prison. 17 The high priest and the Sadducees were most unhappy about what was going on; not only unhappy but jealous, jealous because the people were giving more honour to the apostles than to themselves. 18 The apostles were receiving great honour from the people, but the religious leaders had more power than they, so they arrested the apostles and put them in jail. 19 They thought that would put an end to their preaching and the miracles they were performing, but they had forgo en about God! That night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out! Nothing can keep God from working out His purposes in your life! You would think the angel would tell the apostles to get out of the city as quickly as possible to avoid further trouble, but he didn't. He told them to go right back to the Temple and teach the people about the new life in Christ, and the apostles obeyed. Unbelievers are dead in sin, Ephesians 2.1, but the Gospel message tells them how to get life, new life, eternal life. It also tells them how to live a er they become Christians. The apostles were commanded to tell the people everything about this new life, and thelord Jesus wants us to teach people to obey all that He has commanded us, Ma hew In the meantime the chief priests and the officer in charge of the temple guard wondered what could have happened to the apostles because they had disappeared from the prison But not for long. Soon they heard that the apostles were teaching the people in the Temple they were doing the very thing they had been told not to do!