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STUDIES IN ACTS, Part 9

Published April 21, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Acts, Jerusalem Council

What do we do with those pesky, fun-loving Gentiles?

Acts 15:13—21

Without a doubt, the hardest thing for human beings to do is understand how free God’s salvation really is. Grasping God’s grace in salvation is like trying to bottle a ray of sunshine. It’s fairly easy to put words to it: the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is justified by faith on the ground of the finished work of Christ plus nothing else. Nobody can add to the propitiatory work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

However, since the Church was founded, all kinds to things have been added to the work of Christ as the basis of salvation. For example, here are some familiar church teachings:

You are saved by faith, but you must be baptized to get into heaven.
Grace saves us, but that grace comes to us through the sacrament of the Communion.
We may be saved by grace, but God saves us through the Church, so you must join a local church in order to be saved.

Adding to the work of Christ is nothing new; it’s as old as the Church. The very first “church council” was held to iron out just what one had to do in order to be saved.

1. Background

Thanks to the effective preaching and teaching of the Word, Gentiles by the bucket-load were finding Christ as Savior. Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary excursion yielded awesome results for the Kingdom of Heaven. With the influx of all these Gentiles came a controversy:

Certain individuals came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1)

Who were these “certain individuals?” Were they false teachers? Or Judaizers? Or just Jewish trouble-makers? In the beginning, the Gospel was preached to all people as salvation by grace plus nothing else. Jew or Gentile all got the same message. This troubled some, though certainly not all, Jewish Christians. In time, these “certain individuals” became the infamous Judaizers, but at this early this juncture, they were merely very sincere Jewish–Christians, members of the church in Jerusalem, who were alarmed with all these Gentiles flooding into the Church.

What these “certain individuals” said, though, was enough to bring the work of Paul and Barnabas to a stand-still. However, what this Gentile church did about the situation spoke volumes about the quality of their faith:

So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. (verse 2b)

They didn’t hunker down and give in to the demands of these Jewish Christians nor did they rail against them. Instead, this wonderful congregation did the mature thing in sending their representatives, Paul and Barnabas, to the place where the Church began.

Paul and Barnabas, on the way up to Jerusalem, did an unexpected thing:

…as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. (verse 3)

These intrepid missionaries didn’t seem to be bothered in the least with the “certain individuals” who brought their work among the Gentiles into question. Instead, as they traveled, they shared all the good results of their ministry and all the believers who heard them were overjoyed with what God was doing. They didn’t seem to be too concerned about the minute; Christians ought always rejoice when anybody finds Christ, no matter who they are, where it happened, or how it happened.

Upon reaching the Mother Church in Jerusalem, they were well-received by the Church leaders there. Among those listening to Paul and Barnabas were members of “the party of the Pharisees.”

Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” (verse 5)

In all likelihood, it was members of this group that caught up with Paul and Barnabas in Antioch. Who were these people? They were genuine believers who had been Pharisees. They were sincere, honest Jewish-Christians who had a problem with all these new Gentile converts.

It may seem difficult for us to realize, but sometimes “other Christians” may hold different views than we. The fact is, all believers form opinions based on the light that they have at any given time. These former Pharisees had the Old Testament memorized, and they knew the prophecies of the Old Testament that said Israel was chosen by God and that other nations would come to God only through Israel. The Pharisees knew what the prophets said: all men could be saved, but their salvation was always by way of Israel. They knew prophecies like these:

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60:3)

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” (Zechariah 8:23, read whole chapter)

As far as these experts in the Law were concerned, these prophecies and others meant that these new Gentile converts needed to submit to certain aspects of Judaism in order to ensure their salvation was genuine.

In answer to these sincere Jewish-Christians, Peter got up and spoke about his experiences with the household of Cornelius, a Gentile.

God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them [Gentiles] by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. (verses 8, 9)

Peter saw how God worked with the Gentiles and came to the right conclusion: God does not recognize a difference between Jew or Gentile and He treats all people the same.

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

…you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. (Isaiah 37:16b)

Since God does not discriminate against anybody, and since everybody is a sinner and everybody is need of saving, everybody gets saved the same way: through faith in Jesus Christ. Peter came to this conclusion, and he ended his dissertation this way:

Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? (verse 10)

2. The decision

When Peter, Paul, and Barnabas had spoken, the leader of the Jerusalem church got up to address all those gathered. It was James, the half-brother of Jesus, who had formulated a decision that met with the approval of all the leaders of the church. James’ word was, literally, the last word on this subject. Here is what James said:

“Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

“‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’—things known from long ago.’” (verses 13—18)

Just what was James’ real message in these verses? He quoted from Amos 9:11—12, but not from the Hebrew Bible. Instead, he quoted from the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, which differs considerably from the Massoretic, or Hebrew, text. We’re not sure why he did this, and opinion is quite varied as to the point of the Old Testament citation. However, if we consider the audience to whom James was speaking, namely the members of the Pharisee party, James’ meaning comes clear.

These former Pharisees knew the Old Testament by heart, and they knew that the Gentiles would turn to God en mass and be blessed by the nation of Israel during the reign of the Messiah in the Kingdom. However, James told them that this mass conversion of the Gentile world is NOT what was going on. During this present dispensation, God is calling out of the Gentile world a people for Himself, just as He had previously called out a people for Himself, the nation of Israel, 2,000 years prior. God began this “Gentile calling-out” with Peter, who was the very first Jewish evangelist to reach a Gentle.

The key in James’ talk to the leadership of the church are the words “after this.” After what? we should be asking. The answer: After what we are witnessing TODAY, both the “today” of James’ time and the “today” or our time. In other words, God is not converting the world today. Instead, God is calling out an elect people from the world (read Gentiles) and bringing them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through the ministry of the Church, not Israel.

The plan of God, and the program of the Old Testament prophets, looks like this:

“After this” means after the present Church Age. “I return” in verse 16 refers to the Second Coming of Christ as described in Revelation 19.
Christ as Messiah “will rebuild David’s tent,” or He will restore the House of David that has crumbled.
When Christ returns, He will establish a way for the remainder of mankind to “seek the Lord.”
Then all the Gentiles will be in the kingdom, Amos 9:11.

Instead of speaking in a condescending manner to these former Pharisees, James actually told them that they were right, just not right now. The day would come, at some point in the future, when the entire world would find the Messiah through Israel. Evidently, many of the Pharisaic believers did not get what James was saying and eventually broke from the true church and became the dreaded Judaizers.

Ultimately, James gave Paul and Barnabas a four-point plan for the Gentiles.

First, they should abstain from food polluted by idols. We all know, as Paul did, that there was nothing wrong with eating food offered to idols. So why would James insist that Gentiles avoid it? The issue of this particular restriction concerned a big problem in the early church, and Paul would later have to deal with in 1 Corinthians 8:1—10 and 10:19). Because this food was such a “lightening rod,” even though there was nothing wrong with it, it would be prudent just to avoid it all together. In other words, just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should. A Christian has the freedom to do all kinds of things, and he has the freedom to not do those things.

Second, Gentiles should abstain from sexual immorality. This was another big problem in the Gentile world and was often practised as a part of their worship. The church was justified in making this demand of their members.

Third and fourth, Gentiles should abstain from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. Why does James insist on these two restrictions? They are closely related, since blood cannot drain from a strangled animal. Both these admonitions were firmly part of the Mosaic Law, although they harkened back to the time Noah when human beings were first allowed to eat meat:

But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. (Genesis 9:4)

Why did James insist that Gentiles abide by this tenet of Judaism and not the rest of them? The other restrictions he suggested were not so much restrictions as common sense. But the last two, no strangled meat or meat with blood still in it, seem to be wholly Jewish in nature. To understand why James advised this is revealed in verse 21:

For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

The church needed to be united. There had to ONE church, full of Jews and full of Gentiles, not two separate churches for each culture. Had the Gentiles continued eat their strangled meat, they would have offended their Jewish brothers and sisters. Abstaining from that kind of meat was merely a matter of courtesy.

In fact, most of James’ admonitions to the Gentiles were designed to prefer others; to place their needs over one’s own. This idea was later expanded upon by Paul:

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23, 24)

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. (verses 32, 33)

James’ advice, and later Paul’s, is desperately needed today. We should always prefer the needs of other believers. That’s not say some Christians should constantly be subordinating themselves to the whims of other Christians. In fact, Paul himself limits the extent that aforementioned preference:

Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat everything, but another person, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted that person. (Romans 14:1—3)

The limit is disputable matters. We should never wield our freedom like a bat, beating up other believers until they agree with us. When something is disputable, the strong believer lets it go; he eats his strangled meat at home and not in front of a believer who would be offended by it.

How wonderful the church would look if we all preferred our fellows in the name of Christ and Christian unity.

We can appreciate the wisdom of James, who, in his admonitions to the Gentiles, not only freed them from the burdens of Judaism as additions to the grace of Jesus Chris in the matter of salvation, but he also nodded to the former Pharisees as if to say to them, “You aren’t all together wrong.”

How wonderful the church would look if we had pastors and elders who exercised that same kind of wisdom.

STUDIES IN ACTS, Part 7

Published April 7, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Acts, Philip, Samaria, Simon the sorcerer

Acts 8:1—25

“The Blood of Martyrs is the Seed of the Church”

Sometimes, God has to act through surprisingly harsh circumstances in order to “force” His saints to “get with His program.” It’s human nature to desire security and sometimes predictability. If we have learned anything about God, it’s that God’s idea of “security” isn’t always the same as ours, and He is nothing if not unpredictable sometimes.

It was always God’s intention that His Gospel should be preached to the whole world. He was not just a God to the Jews; He is the God of all people, everywhere, but it was up to His people to bring that good news to those who had never heard it. Up until the persecution of Stephen, it seemed as though the Christians of Jerusalem were more or less content to remain there. This new faith experienced by so many Jews was closely linked to Judaism, so much so that to the casual observer it might very well have been a mere sect of Judaism. The church had the respect of the city, and with the exception of some of the religious elite, nobody in Jerusalem seemed to have a problem with this new faith.

But the Gospel of Jesus Christ, like a force of nature, must always be moving; proclaimed by His followers to new listeners all the time. In a sense, we might consider the period from Pentecost to the death of Stephen a kind of “transitional period,” where the early church learned how to walk. In the time that followed the coming of the Holy Spirit, the church learned about its faith, saw the power of God made manifest in their midst, was emboldened by the Holy Spirit and each other, learned what the purpose of Christian fellowship was all about, and discovered that the there were different levels of leadership within the Body of Christ. It took followers of Christ some time to see their work as Christ saw it. The martyrdom of Stephen brought their mission into focus the hard way.

1. Good from bad, 8:1—4

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. (verse 4)

This verse reminds us of an Old Testament verse:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

Sometimes it takes a lot of faith to see the hand of God at work in a bad situation! Joseph had that kind of faith, which is why he was able to to make that astonishing proclamation, which is arguably the most poignant and powerful verse in the Old Testament.

It is likely that the religious establishment martyred Stephen, not so much for what he said, but for the implication of what he said. It rocked their world, and being faced with their own irrelevance in the face of what Jesus Christ brought to the world, these men killed Stephen and began a campaign of persecution against the church. Most scholars believe their anger was directed primarily at the Hellenistic or Greek-speaking Jewish-Christians at this time. These believers fled Jerusalem in the face of this persecution, though the apostles remained there to shepherd the many Jewish-Christians who did not feel the need to leave.

Stephen’s death was not in vain; nor was the persecution that followed, for thanks to those awful circumstances, the Gospel was carried far beyond the confines of Jerusalem, in fulfillment of Jesus’ mandate to take it to the whole world. Without Stephen’s martyrdom and subsequent persecution, who knows how long it would have taken the church grow out of Jerusalem?

The driving force behind this persecution of the Jewish-Christians was a young man named Saul. The death of Stephen infuriated him:

But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. (verse 3)

The Greek word behind “destroy” is rare and seen only here in the New Testament; it is a violent word and was used to describe the actions of a wild boar tearing up a vineyard. Saul was not content with arresting these Christians in public, he went into their homes and dragged them out. Saul was a busy man prior to his own conversion. Though not a verse in Scripture, this whole incident proves the veracity of William Cowper’s powerful hymn: God moves in a mysterious way!

2. Philip in Samaria, 8:5—8

Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. (verse 5)

The Philip who went proclaiming Jesus Christ in Samaria was not Philip the apostle, but Philip, the deacon. Here was a man who was originally ordained to make sure the needy widows of the Jerusalem church got their temporal needs met, yet he was also a powerful evangelist and preacher, who was making sure the Samaritans got their eternal need for salvation met! Any church could use several of these Philips! Even though he was one of the first deacons ever, this mighty man of God has the distinction of being forever known as “the first evangelist” (Acts 21:8).

Technically, nobody ever “went down” to Samaria since it was north of Jerusalem. But in the Jewish mind, one always “went up” to Jerusalem” and “down” to any other place. It makes perfect sense that the first missionary effort would start in a place like Samaria; it was a “halfway house” between Judaism and the Gentile world (MacGregor). Excluded from the Word of God within Judaism, they were not excluded from the Word of God found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His Gospel was and is universal in scope; the Word of God is for all people.

Apparently these fine people hung on Philip’s every word, just as the crowd in Jerusalem hung on Peter’s every word when he preached after Pentecost. And just as the apostles performed signs and wonders as they preached, Philip did as well, and he wowed the crowd.

When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. (verse 6)

The way this sentence is worded in the Greek, it seems as though Philip kept on preaching and kept on working signs and wonders all the while the people listened to him. Through the preaching of the Gospel and the evidence of divine miracles, many Samaritans came to have faith in Jesus Christ.

Here we see Philip, like Peter and Stephen, exercising the “sign gifts” that were so common in the early church. Not all the early evangelists had them; it appears that only those in places of leadership, like the apostles, were able to work these various signs. These “sign gifts” had their day, and that day is past. After the apostolic age, the “sign gifts” ceased. This is not a denial of the supernatural, nor is it a denial that God is able to heal the sick or free the demon possessed today. When the canon of Scripture was complete and established, the credentials of a genuine minister of God became correct doctrine, not the ability to work “signs and wonders.”

Verse 8 is short but profound:

So there was great joy in that city.

“Joy” is one of the supernatural fruits of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22), which Christians can’t help but manifest when they first come to know Jesus Christ. Obviously, many Samaritans found Jesus under Philip’s ministry!

3. Simon the Sorcerer, 8:9—13

Satan’s number one goal is to stop the work of the Church of Jesus Christ any way he can. In Jerusalem, the Devil’s opposition to the church came in the forms of deceit (Ananias and Sapphira), the imprisonment of the apostles, the death of Stephen, and finally the persecution of many Jewish-Christians. In Samaria, Satan used a different kind of strategy to hinder the work of Philip and the great move of God. He used a man by the name of Simon, who was known to be a sorcerer in Samaria.

Apparently Simon was very well-known, for we read this:

They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. (verse 11)

Was Simon a master of sleight of hand? Or was he able to perform genuine magic deeds because he was enabled to do so by Satan? Opinion varies on this. This kind of witchcraft and practice of the black arts posed a real threat to the early church, whether the so-called magic arts were real or merely tricks. Magic arts run contrary to the law of God and are routinely condemned in Scripture.

Simon the sorcerer was a popular figure in and around Samaria, and had an ego to match has talents. But as popular as he was the people, he could in no way compete with the Word of God and with the manifest power of God, so many who followed Simon now followed Jesus Christ. Simon’s response is noted in verse 13:

Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

The inevitable question is raised: Did Simon become a genuine Christian? There are many kinds of beliefs, but only one kind of belief will result in salvation. It is possible to accept and believe many historical facts about Jesus Christ yet not be born again. It is possible to have a great knowledge about all things concerning Jesus Christ yet that does not make Him your Savior. The Samaritans heard the Word of the Lord, placed their faith in Christ and were baptized into the faith. Simon listened, believed many things Philip said, was impressed with the signs and wonders, and was even baptized. That, however, does not mean he was genuinely repentant.

There are many people in the church today like Simon. They have given mental assent to the doctrines of God, have a measure of faith, but have never faced their sins, owned them, confessed them, and repented of them before God. They, like Simon, want a place in the Christian community. However, anybody depending on church membership or the fact that they have been baptized to get them into heaven will be sadly disappointed, just as Simon was.

4. The Samaritan Pentecost, 8:14—17

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. (verse 14)

Why did the apostles feel the need to go to Samaria? Did Philip’s work there need their “stamp of approval?” Did Philip lack the gift of the Holy Spirit? Understanding why this happened the way it did, is as simple as understanding Jesus’ command to the His followers at His Ascension:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

The growth of the church would be like the ever-widening ripples we see when we throw a stone into the water. It all started in Jerusalem and rippled out from there. The Spirit was poured out on the believers in Jerusalem and the church began to grow in earnest. When it reached Samaria under Philip’s ministry, the apostles came down from Jerusalem to welcome the new believers into the common church. Once there, God bound the Jewish-Christians and the Samaritan-Christians together as one. When the Spirit fell in Samaria, the wall of separation between Jew and Samaritan was broken down. It was vital for the apostles to see this, to be present when the Spirit fell, and it was vital for the Samaritans to have the apostles with them during this momentous event.

This narrative in Acts is significant. It shows, first, that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an event subsequent to salvation. We know that upon conversion, all believers receive the Holy Spirit, so assuming the Samaritans were genuinely born again, then the Holy Spirit was actually dwelling in them. When the text says that the Samaritans “received the Holy Spirit” when the apostles laid hands on them and prayed, clearly something else is meant. It seems from what follows that “receiving the Holy Spirit” here refers to receiving the “gifts of the Holy Spirit.” Since Simon saw something after the Spirit fell, it would seem the the new believers began to manifest some of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit. Though tongues is not mentioned, that is one possibility.

Second, why did Philip not lay hands on the new Samaritan believers and baptize them in the Holy Spirit? Why did he wait for the apostles from Jerusalem to do that? The answer is likely that it was necessary to establish the unity of the Church at the very beginning. There was to be only ONE church, not a whole series of independent “movements” or “revivals” all over the land. It had to be clear to all involved that regardless of culture or language, there was only ONE church.

5. Simon’s heart revealed, 8:18—24

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (verses 18, 19)

“Simony” is a word the sprang this this very incident. It means the buying or selling of church offices or authority. Simon’s response to God’s presence and the gifts of the Spirit is truly tragic story. We learn many lessons from this story, not the least of which is that whenever God moves and is at work in people, there are not only genuine responses but also counterfeit ones. Luke indicates that “Simon believed” and that he was “baptized.” These are matters of fact; Luke simply reported the facts. Matters of the heart are not always so easily discerned, but eventually a person’s heart will always be revealed for all to see.

No spiritual blessing can ever be bought, neither with money nor with tears. A gift is given at the discretion of the one giving it. If that person has to be bribed or manipulated into giving it, then it’s not a gift.

Peter’s response is terse:

“May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (verses 20—23)

Peter was not pronouncing a curse on Simon, he simply speaking to him with the authority given him by the Spirit, and possibly exercising a gift of the Spirit, like the word of knowledge. Simon was completely unfit for any kind of ministry because his heart was not right. In his rebuke of the sorcerer, Peter actually quotes from Psalm 78:37—

…their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

The psalmist was recording the unfaithfulness of the rebellious Israelites who died in the desert. Peter was given the ability to see into Simon’s heart, and he saw that Simon had the same problem as those ancient Israelites had. Simon was not serving God, he was serving himself. Obviously, Simon missed the whole point of Philip’s preaching! So Peter gave Simon another chance to get it right by urging him to repent and pray for forgiveness.

There are three interesting points in Peter’s dealing with Simon:

(1) Why did Peter give Simon a second chance but not Ananias and Sapphira? In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, they were Jewish-Christians who professed to know God and were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were genuine believers and had been taught by the apostles. They sinned against the Holy Spirit purposefully; they deceived Him and they tested Him. God took their lives as a measure to keep His church pure, and as a sign that He would not tolerate that kind of behavior from His people.

Simon, on the other hand, was a Samaritan who had a measure of belief but had never confessed faith in Christ. He had not received the Holy Spirit and sinned in ignorance because he was still in bondage to his sin. Simon did not sin against the Holy Spirit, he simply did what all unrepentant people do. Peter was stern with Simon, yet offered him a chance to make things right.

(2) Peter urged Simon to ask God for forgiveness. Notice how Peter phrased this:

Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. (verse 22)

Was there a chance that He wouldn’t forgive Simon? No; God’s forgiveness of anybody’s sins is always conditional on them. A person must be willing to repent. Feeling sorry for your sins is not repenting of them. Being embarrassed that you got found out is not the same thing are repenting. Simon must take responsibility for the sin in his heart, stop trying to buy the gift of the Spirit and he must change the whole course of his life so that it lines up with God’s purpose for him.

(3) Finally, Peter urged Simon not to become bitter in any way. What would Simon have to be bitter about? Peter is actually alluding to various passages in the Old Testament where Moses warned the Israelites not to worship false gods and to avoid bitterness taking root among them (see Deuteronomy 29:18, for example). Moses taught that God could not forgive them of their sins if any of them were bitter.

How does all this relate to Simon? God wanted Simon, as He wants all people, to be free from all kinds of bitterness because when Christians are bitter they stifle the work of God in their lives and in their church. Bitterness is the opposite of joy, and believers are commanded to be joyful.

Did Simon take Peter’s advice to heart? It would seem so, although Luke gives no details beyond this:

Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” (verse 24)

It’s marvelous how God deals with people on an individual basis; He never deals with two people in exactly the same way. God created us, and He respects our “bent,” our temperaments and personalities. He dealt with the Jews one way, the Samaritans another. He dealt with rebellious Jewish believers one way, and an ignorant Samaritan another way. But God is ever gracious and His will is always accomplished when we trust Him and submit to Him.

(c) 2011 WitzEnd

STUDIES IN ACTS, Part 5

Published March 28, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Acts, divine healing, Healings, Miracles

Acts 3:1—10

An Amazing Miracle

In Acts 2, we are given a glimpse by Dr. Luke the historian into the routine of the early Christians.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42—47)

In chapter 3 we have a short story illustrating this. Luke picks one particular miracle to give the reader an idea of what life was like for the very early Church. He could have related any number of miracles, but he chose the healing of the lame man.

Also in this third chapter of Acts, we have a record of Peter’s second sermon. The theme of this second sermon is the theme of all the apostolic sermons in Acts: Jesus Christ. Specifically, Jesus Christ incarnate, crucified, risen, and glorified.

But the miracle cannot be separated from the sermon. Miracles were never performed by Jesus or His apostles to appease or amaze the people. These “signs and wonders” were performed to draw attention to the exposition of the Word of God.

1. The setting, 3:1

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.

Luke’s attention during these early days was focused primarily on Peter, the spokesman of the twelve apostles. Peter was accompanied by John, the son of Zebedee. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, Peter and John were part of our Lord’s “inner circle,” and were with Jesus at the time of His transfiguration (Matthew 17:1), and they were with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). No doubt Peter and John worked well together, and the church in Jerusalem recognized them as leaders from the very beginning. They were often paired together, although Peter was the one who generally spoke while John listened.

That these two church leaders made a habit of going to the temple to pray regularly is suggested by the use of the phrase “were going up.” This phrase, in its Greek form, is in the “past progressive form,” which indicates that this “going up to the temple to pray” was a regular part of their daily routine. Not only was it the daily habit of Peter and John, but of all the early Christians, who considered themselves as Jews who worshiped the Messiah, and would have never given up traditional prayer times at the temple.

Herod’s Temple was still standing in Jerusalem, and it would remain for the next 40 or so years. Josephus wrote that even during the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD, the priests continued to offer their sacrifices on the altar. The Jews and Jewish Christians both made full use of the temple and its grounds. At three o’clock in the afternoon, when Peter and John were heading into the temple, the evening sacrifice was being offered. These sacrifices, however, were now valueless to all who worshiped Jesus, for He fulfilled all the types and shadows of the Law. Nonetheless, these two men go into the temple, not to offer a sacrifice, but to pray, as was their custom.

Remember, this is the Church in its infancy. Initially, the Kingdom was to be offered only to the Jews, then it would be offered to the rest of the world. At this point, the Church is full of Jews; few if any Gentiles. So, it should make perfect sense that in these very early days the Jewish-Christians would remain faithful to both Christ and elements of the Law. Very shortly, however, the Gospel would break into the Gentile world.

2. The confrontation, 3:2, 3

Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.

Like the two apostles, a man “lame from birth” made going to the temple part of his daily routine, but for very different reasons. Strangely enough, this man wasn’t brought to the temple to pray for healing or to worship God, but to beg for money. This was a very common practice in New Testament days. Handicapped people were not taught a trade but taught to become beggars. Close friends or relatives would bring the lame person to the temple and place them where the most people would walk by them and, hopefully, give them some money. The fact that almsgiving was seen as a very virtuous act by this time shows how far Judaism had fallen from God’s ideal. When the Law was given, God made it clear to the Israelites that there should be no poor people living among them.

However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you. (Deuteronomy 15:4)

For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. If anyone is poor among your people in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. (Deuteronomy 14:6, 7)

The Jews, however, ignored God’s command and the result was, as Jesus observed, that “the poor you will always have with you” (Mark 14:7). Interestingly, the early church was determined to wipe poverty out from its ranks by making sure the truly needy had their basic needs met. And it seems that for a while, they were successful. How it must have grieved God, however, to see His House so misused. A minor, but powerful lesson for the Church of Jesus Christ today. Let’s make sure the Church does what Jesus Christ founded it to do and not what makes us feel good.

As they went into the temple through the Beautiful Gate, the beggar set his sights on Peter and John. He expected them to help him out financially. The beggar “asked them for money” is a phrase written in the imperfect present tense, which suggests the beggar asked Peter and John repeatedly for money; over and over again.

3. A surprising response, 3:4—6

Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Here is Peter the mouthpiece of the Church, while John remained silent. There are a couple of points that should be noted. First, we need to note what Peter did NOT do: he did not give the beggar any money. Obviously, Peter had resources. He had access to all the money from the people who sold lands and other valuables. What better use for the church’s money than to help out a poor, crippled man? That’s how modern Christians think, but that’s not the purpose for which the Church was founded. Those resources were to be used to help members of the Christian community, not people outside the Christian community. Does that mean that God, or Peter and John, were cold and heartless? Not at all!

Second, what Peter gave the beggar was what the beggar really needed. The beggar thought all he needed was money, but the beggar’s need ran deeper than the need for material things. Peter healed the man in the name of Jesus Christ. Does this mean that the man needed to be healed? No, it means something more than that. The word “name” in Semitic thought is significant because it involves the whole revelation of the person mentioned. So when Peter says to the beggar “name of Jesus Christ,” Peter is referring to everything knowable about Jesus: His virgin birth, sinless life, His ministry and teaching, His suffering and atoning death, His resurrection and ascension. So what Peter offered the crippled man was not merely healing, but salvation.

4. The beggar’s response, 3:7, 8

Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

The offer made by Peter called for faith on the part of the crippled man. He needed to put his faith in Jesus. To encourage his faith, Peter extended a hand to the man, who reached out in faith. Jesus did a very similar thing when He healed Peter’s mother-in-law in Peter’s own home:

So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. (Mark 1:31)

This must have made an impression on Peter! He later used the exact same technique when he healed the lame man. In both instances, the one needing healing had to reach out first, before a miracle took place. In the case of Peter’s mother-in-law, she took Jesus’ hand and then He helped her up. After the lame man took hold of Peter’s hand, “the man’s feet and ankles became strong.” There was a responsibility on the part of ones needing healing to do something, no matter how minor, to demonstrate their willingness to receive what was being offered them “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

For the first time in his life, this once-crippled man was able to stand up. Now that was a miracle! But that was just the beginning. As soon as the man was able to stand up, a second miracle took place: he began to walk. This ability to walk is a learned skill; it normally takes time for a child to learn how to walk. But this man started walking right away. In fact, he didn’t just walk, he jumped and walked and praised God all at the same time. Think of the change. Just a few minutes ago, all this crippled man wanted was a few dollars to get him through another day. He had never walked. He had to be carried everywhere. Although he was at the temple every day, he had never gone inside; never praised God with his family or his friends. And what was the very first thing this man did after he was touched by Jesus? He ran inside the temple, praising God!

5. Other responses, 3:9, 10

When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

There were many, many people in the temple for the afternoon hour of prayer and sacrifice; many Jews and many Jewish-Christians. This once-crippled man was well-known to all Temple-goers. We can imagine that he hit many of them up for an offering in the past. They now recognized this man who was now walking, jumping, and praising God as the man who had never walked in his life. They were completely surprised, amazed, and astonished at this miracle.

This may well be the most significant miracle in the whole Bible, not because it is any more amazing and astounding than other miracles, but because of what Isaiah wrote centuries before;

Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:6)

When the Spirit fell during the Day of Pentecost, not only was the Church of Jesus Christ empowered to its work, but it would be last time the Kingdom of Heaven would be offered to the Israel. Time and time again, the children of God rejected the Kingdom. They ultimately rejected the King Himself, preferring to crucify Him than worship Him. But Jesus made it clear that after the Spirit fell, Israel had one last chance. The newly energized Church was not to take off running with Gospel to the four corners of the earth; that would happen later.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

It was to start in Jerusalem. This would be Jersualem’s final chance to accept what Jesus Christ was offering. Many who heard Peter preach believed; 3,000 the first time, 5,000 the second time. And here was one man who believed and immediately was able to “leap like a dear…and shout for joy.”

(c) 2011 WitzEnd

STUDIES IN ACTS, PART 4

Published March 23, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Acts, Acts 4, church growth, Early Church

MARKS OF A DYNAMIC CHURCH

Acts 2:37—47

In some senses, the Church of Jesus Christ has never had it so good. We, as Americans, are fortunate to be living in a country that, for the most part, does not stop us from engaging in many different forms of evangelism. Given our freedom to do the work of the Lord, why are so many churches struggling to survive? With three hundred million citizens in the country, why isn’t every church in America flourishing and growing?

The answer to that question comes to us when we study what made the early Church tick. Many churches today use various “business” models to promote growth, but Peter and the apostles didn’t have any “business” models to emulate. All they could do was simply trust in the Lord and use the only resource they had: the Word of God empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Dr. Luke, chronicler of the early Church, gives us a kind of check list of what that Church did, and what they did caused them to experience incredible success. Before looking at the good doctor’s check list, it should be noted that everything the budding Christian congregation did in the first few days after the Day of Pentecost they did in response to Peter’s sermon. It wasn’t the Holy Spirit alone that caused the early Church to grow, it was a combination of the power inherent to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)

This was the initial response to Peter’s sermon, the listeners were “cut to the heart.” That phrase comes from a long Greek word katanysomai, and it’s a very strong verb seen only here in the New Testament. It means “to pierce, to sting sharply, to stun, to smite.” This is the most vivid description of the Holy Spirit’s work of convicting the human heart of sin in the entire Bible. So deep was the anguish of the people that they cried out, “What shall we do?” Peter’s inspired answer gives us the marks of a dynamic church.

1. Repentance: “Repent…” (verse 38)

The essence of the people’s question was, “How can we receive forgiveness of sins and find salvation?” Peter answers their question simply and to-the-point. The very first thing they needed to do was repent. The Greek word Peter used is metaneo, which means “to change your mind,” or we might say “change your way of thinking.” Peter urged his listeners to change their minds and attitudes with regard to Jesus Christ. Instead of rejecting Him, they needed to accept Him as Lord.

The fact that mataneo is written in the imperative, shows just how important it is. It is very first step any sinner must take in becoming a Christian. Repentance signifies that a person’s mind has been changed completely so that now he consciously and actively turns away from sin and to Christ as his Lord and Savior. But repentance isn’t just a first step, although it is that, it must be a continual state of being for the believer; he must live in repentance. Repentance causes a person to literally think and act in complete harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ. This has to be done daily, as is suggested by Paul’s wonderful admonition in Romans 12:2a—

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

2. Baptism: “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ…” (verse 38)

Peter continues with the next mark of a dynamic church: water baptism. As a public testimony of their repentance and new faith in Jesus Christ, Peter urged the people to be baptized in water. This was to follow repentance in the life of the Church just as it did in the ministry of John the Baptist:

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:4)

Of course, water baptism was a very familiar religious exercise to the Jews; whenever a Gentile wished to convert to Judaism, he had be baptized in water. This showed to all that he was now in complete agreement with the tenets of his new religion. But this baptism was different; different even from John the Baptist’s baptism, for he never baptized anybody “in the name of Jesus Christ.” The word “name” is of vital importance in understanding what it means “to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” That term, “name,” includes the full revelation concerning Jesus Christ. In other words, when a new believer is baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ,” he is, among other things, showing that he is now in agreement with everything Jesus taught and stands for.

Not only does water baptism identify a believer with the Person and teachings of Jesus Christ, it also demonstrates to all two things: (1) That a spiritual work was taken place inside the person. That spiritual work can’t be seen from the outside, so water baptism is a dramatic way to show everybody on the outside what has happened on the inside. (2) That this new believer is beginning his walk with Jesus Christ by being obedient to Him. It was Jesus’ wish that all of His followers be baptized in water, so by being baptized in water shows that we are being obedient to Him.

3. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, “And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (verse 38b)

The third point of Peter’s sermon is also the third mark of a dynamic church. Notice that Peter calls the Holy Spirit here a “gift.” Peter is not talking about “the Gifts of the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:1; 14:1). The “gift of the Holy Spirit” (singular) is another way of describing what happened to the 120 believers on the Day of Pentecost. “The gift” is simply the Holy Spirit Himself given to individual believers to minister salvation and the benefits of grace and mercy of Christ’s redemption to those believers.

Being a gift, you don’t ask for it or pray for it; the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to you when you fulfill the prerequisite of being in a state of repentance. The “Gifts of the Holy Spirit” are something else altogether. While the gift (singular) of the Holy Spirit is given to the believer to work within him and to make the benefits of salvation real to him, the Gifts (plural) of the Holy Spirit are given to believers “for the common good” and these gifts are given sovereignly, “just as he (the Spirit) determines.”

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7)

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:11)

Paul, after listing all the Gifts (plural) of the Holy Spirit, urged his readers to pray that they would receive some of them—

But eagerly desire the greater gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:31)

So, while the gift (singular) of the Holy Spirit is a gift we get without asking for it, the Gifts (plural) of the Holy Spirit may be asked for and desired, and the Spirit in His wisdom will give His various gifts to the ones who will use them as He sees fit.

Further more, this indwelling of the Holy Spirit is considered by Peter to be, not only a gift, but also a promise. In what sense is the gift of the Holy Spirit a promise? Peter probably had in mind what Paul would later teach his Ephesian friends—

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:12—14)

4. Devoted to teaching, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…” (verse 42a)

This begins what distinguished the early Church from all other religious groups of the day. The members of this new faith were fervent about their new-found faith and that fervor was manifested in several different ways, first off by a serious study of “the apostle’s teaching.” That phrase means simply that these new believers turned continually to the apostles for instruction in the teachings of Christ. The fact that this is listed first among many distinguishing features of the early Church seems to indicate that learning the teachings of Jesus Christ was not only the focus of the Church but its whole reason for being. In other words, where the Word of God is not regularly taught and preached, no matter how many members or adherents a so-called church may have, it is not a church by New Testament standards.

5. Devoted to fellowship, “They devoted themselves to…fellowship…” (verse 42b)

It is significant that Luke places fellowship right after learning as something that distinguished the early Church. This idea of enthusiasm among believers for their faith was demonstrated in a common bond at worship, at meals, and in sharing their resources with each other. Christians then, as they should now, visibly showed their unity in Christ by being unified with each other.

6. Devoted to Communion, “They devoted themselves to…the breaking of bread… (verse 42c)

To say that is phrase “the breaking of bread” has been debated over the years among Bible scholars would be an understatement. On the one hand, some scholars think Luke was referring to an ordinary meal, either eaten at a central location (ie, a church potluck dinner) or meals eaten in various member’s home. These scholars see a link with fellowship; the idea being eating together in any location was part of the fellowship these early Christians practised.

On the other hand, there are scholars who think Luke is referring to a memorial meal, like our Communion service, where believers gather together to remember and commemorate Christ’s sacrifice. This seems to be the more logical choice, especially as it is followed by “prayer.” Also, in the Greek the definite article, “the,” precedes “bread,” making it “the bread,” which suggests that the early Christians partook of the bread, or special bread which had been set aside for a special purpose.

7. Devoted to prayer, “The devoted themselves to…prayer.” (verse 42d)

The text literally reads, “the prayers.” This probably refers to corporate praying, not private praying. In other words, these prayers would have been formal prayers. This makes complete sense. Most of these new believers came out of Judaism, a religion full of formal prayers. In their enthusiasm for their new faith, the new Christians took their old forms and reshaped them to fit their new beliefs. This again fits well with the notion of fellowship. Whenever the new Body of Christ met, they prayed together.

This, of course, does not mean these believers didn’t pray at home, but it does mean that the early Church was distinguished by their praying corporately.

8. Wonders and signs, “Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.” verse 43)

There is some debate as to whether “everyone” refers to members of the Christian community or to those who had not come to follow Christ. It probably refers to both believers and non-believers. When God’s Word was preached it was confirmed by signs and wonders, and these things were seen by both those who already believed and those who did not believe. Notice that these signs and wonders were performed by “the apostles.” This is in line with what happened in Mark 16:20,

Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

When modern Christians read things like this, we wonder what’s wrong with the Church today? Why are there no “signs and wonders” accompanying our preaching? No matter how charismatic/pentecostal leaning you may be, it honestly seems that the signs and wonders of the early Church were unique to them, not to us. That is not to say that God has stopped answering prayers or that miracles of healing don’t happen today. But these early years of the Church were unique in God’s timetable, and they have never been repeated since. The infant Church needed special, divine help in those early days. Remember, they had no Bibles, no set doctrines they could turn to, no history to fall back on, no seminaries or minister training schools, they didn’t even have an infrastructure through which to evangelize. Everything the early Church did was “off the cuff,” they had to “learn by doing.” To help them, God gave authority to His Word through the manifestation of the miraculous. People would stop, listen, and many times heed the Word, not because they recognized it as coming from a holy book, but because the man preaching it was also healing the sick.

Today, the Church has the full revelation of the mind of God: the Holy Bible. The Church also has over 2,000 years of Church history to point to. When a preacher preaches from the Word, the Word is its own authority; the Word is its own confirmation; it needs no sign or wonder to verify it. In fact, Jesus talked about people who looked only for signs and wonders as a basis for faith:

“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” (John 4:48)

As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” (Luke 11:29)

Furthermore, it seems as the apostolic church wound down, there were fewer and fewer miraculous signs. As the Church grew in numbers and became established, it seems as though the ministry of the Word was preeminent with no signs or wonders. The second-generation of pastors and teachers relied more on the exposition of God’s Word, the Old Testament and the new writings of Paul and the others, than on the miraculous. If signs and wonders were to continue indefinitely, then we have to wonder why, for example, Timothy was never healed of his stomach ailment and why Epaphroditus, a church worker and possibly a pastor, was deathly ill, and of course, Paul was never in the best of health, apparently, since he had his own personal physician traveling with him most of the time, Dr. Luke. If signs and wonders were to continue, there would be sick Christians today.

9. Generosity, “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” (verse 45)

Luke is not teaching a kind of “Christian communism” here, or even “Christian socialism.” This sharing of resources was not a divestment of wealth; it was a willingness on the part of all believers to place their possessions at the disposal of all those believers who were in need. The aim of the early Christians was to abolish poverty so that the needy were no longer among them, and it seems as though they actually reached that goal:

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. (Acts 4:33, 34)

It’s interesting that this is totally different from how the Lord met the needs of the Israelites. When the Israelites traveled through the desert for 40 years, it was God who provided for them. They were all on the same economic level; there were no rich and no poor. Not so with the Church; from its earliest days, there were both extremes of the economic scale represented, and it was up to the members of the Church to look after each other. We learn later on that there are Gifts of the Spirit given to believers to help with that.

Luke does not say that the rich sold all their possessions, merely that from time to time, those with wealth willingly gave some of it into a kind of general fund, out of which those who had need could be helped.

10. Corporate worship, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” (verse 46)

Here, Luke shows that the early believers in Jerusalem expressed their new faith through daily observance of the customs associated with their Jewish heritage. This gives us a glimpse into how these early believers thought of themselves: they had seen the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures in Jesus Christ. They met in the Temple courts, prayed, praised, and studied Scripture. For now, their lives were exemplary in every way and these new, enthusiastic believers didn’t pose a threat to the religious leaders.

Key is noticing that the early Church not only fellowshipped and worshiped at home, but also in public, regularly. This public, corporate worship provided a powerful witnessing tool. Their new faith could be seen by all. It would seem that this fact alone would drive a death knell in the modern “home church movement.”

11. Glad meal times, “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God…” (verses 46b—47a)

This new faith caused love to grow among the members of the Church; it was as though they couldn’t get enough fellowship. Fellowship is important for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the idea of accountability. When we fellowship with other believers, we will be apt to watch our behavior so we don’t have lots “explaining to do” when we meet with our Christian friends for dinner. Also, we human beings tend to become like the people we spend time with. It’s important that your closest friends be of the same faith as you, so that there can be a mutual encouragement experienced during times of fellowship.

12. Favor with other people, “…enjoying the favor of all the people.” (verse 47b)

Here is one mark of a dynamic church that doesn’t necessarily last all the time. It certainly didn’t for the church in Jerusalem, which would eventually be persecuted and driven out of town. Jesus Himself indicated that following Him could result in difficult times:

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)

However, just because we may encounter “persecution” on account of our faith, that doesn’t mean we should expect it or do things to curry it. In fact, local churches should strive to have sterling reputations in their communities, while understanding that we can, in no way, control what anybody thinks of us.

13. Growth, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (verse 47c)

Here is a verse that is often misunderstood. It does not mean that a dynamic church is big church. It does not mean a dynamic church is always a church that is growing in numbers. All Luke is saying here is that those who were being saved were joining the church. Whether or not your congregation is growing is not necessarily an indication that your church is doing anything right or wrong. Today, the Lord is still adding souls to His Church and is still calling sinners to become citizens of the Great City called Zion. It is t the Lord who does the adding, not the pastor or the evangelist.

Having said that, if modern Christians were as committed to their faith as these early believers were, we no doubt would experience church growth similar to what they experienced in Acts. There are many “carnal Christians” in the Church today, and a “carnal Christian” isn’t just a person who thinks dirty thoughts all day long or engages in bad behavior. A carnal Christian could simply be somebody whose priorities are “out of whack.” It is the carnal Christian who seldom thinks about personal evangelism. It is the carnal Christian who can engage in a conversation on just about any topic but gets tongue-tied when it comes to talking about Jesus. Let’s take stock of ourselves to see if the witness of our faith measures up to the confession of our faith!

(c) 2011 Witzend

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(c) 2011 WitzEnd

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