Philip: Deacon Turned Evangelist

“Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.  And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did…Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is a desert place. And he rose and went.   And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure.  He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.  And the spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot…Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.” –Acts 8:4-6, 26-26-29, 35 (ESV.  Read Acts 8).

The gospel begins to spread beyond Jerusalem.  Grave persecution came immediately following Stephen’s death by stoning, with Saul being one of the main ones to ferret out the Christians and put them in prison for preaching the Word.  But the early apostles and others were not to be outdone by persecution.  Wherever they went, they preached the Word.  The fulfillment of Christ’s command to them to be “witnesses in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8) was coming true.  Let us focus attention on Philip, one of the faithful first deacons who turned evangelist.  Persecution ignited a fire under those who were scattered abroad.  Philip stands as a shining example of going, witnessing, performing signs and wonders, and, above all, winning others to the faith.

Philip went to Samaria, a feat in itself.  The Jews did not like to have fellowship with the Samaritans, considered “half-breed” Jews.  In Samaria Philip witnessed to and baptized many believers.  He encountered Simon, a magician (astrologer, soothsayer), who was held in great favor with all in the region.  Simon himself became a Christian.  But then, because the believers in Samaria had not received the Holy Spirit, Peter and John went to pray for them and lay their hands on them.  When Simon saw this impartation of the Holy Spirit, he wanted the gift for himself and offered to buy the gift from Peter and John.  Peter reprimanded Simon sternly, telling him, “you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity” (v. 23). This was a way of telling Simon that he even believed in his own soothsaying and that he had deluded himself before he had practiced his magic on others. It would have been valuable indeed for him to have had the power of the Holy Spirit for gain, for ‘signs and wonders.’ Simon pleaded for prayer concerning his wrong motivation in wanting the Holy Spirit for purposes other than that intended by the powerful gifts the Holy Spirit imparts for good.  

Look at a map of the Holy Land.  Philip next went on the road from Samaria to Gaza, traversing through Jerusalem and southwestward on to Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea, a long journey.  An angel of the Lord directed Philip to go there.  Along the road near Gaza he came upon a chariot in which was an Ethiopian eunuch of Queen Candace’s court.  He had adopted the God of the Jews (a proselyte or a God-fearer) and had been to Jerusalem to worship and was returning to Egypt.  He was reading from Isaiah 53, a Messianic passage.  Philip joined him in his carriage and explained how Jesus was the Messiah promised by the prophet Isaiah.  Philip did a fine job of proclaiming the word one-on-one, even to explaining that baptism follows faith.  There along the road they came upon water sufficient to baptize, and the eunuch requested Philip to baptize him.  He went on his way rejoicing.  Tradition holds that this Ethiopian eunuch himself became a bearer of the Word helping to evangelize Ethiopia.  From Gaza, Philip went to Azotus, northward and on to Caesarea, everywhere preaching the word.  Much later, on Paul’s last missionary journey to Jerusalem (Acts 21:8), he lodged in Philip’s house.  Philip was a faithful and productive witness to the power of Christ to save.

Stephen, Full of Grace and Power, Bold Witness, First Christian Martyr

“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people  Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.  But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking…And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council…And he said,’Behold I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’  But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.  Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.  And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” –Acts 6:8-10, 12; 7:56-60 (ESV.  Read Acts 6:8-7:60).

Stephen was one of the seven ordained deacons with the job of distributing to the Hellenistic converts who were in need of daily distribution of food.  When his name was first listed in Acts 6:5, he was described as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”  As Luke continues the story of Stephen, the first of the Christian witnesses martyred for the faith, he devotes a long passage in Acts 6:8 through 7:60 to Stephen. From Acts 6:9 we learn that Stephen was preaching in the synagogue in Jerusalem known as “the synagogue of the Freedmen,” where Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from the Diaspora worshiped.  The names of countries where they had gone (and returned from) were also listed.  They disagreed with some of Stephen’s preaching and reported him to the council. The longest discourse in Acts was delivered by Stephen before the Sanhedrin, beginning in Acts 7:1 and continuing through 7:53.  In this marvelous sermon Stephen gives a summary history of the Hebrew nation citing the major leaders and their contributions.  But all the while Stephen kept uppermost the will and leadership of God and how the people often failed to live up to God’s expectations.  For an excellent thumbnail account of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and the apostasy of the children as they rebelled against God and became a “stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,..always resist(ing) the Holy Spirit,” (7:51), take time to read and study Stephen’s sermon.  As Stephen spoke in his own defense before the council that was accusing him, we are told that “his face was like the face of an angel” (Acts. 6:15).  The Sprit of the Lord overpowered him as he spoke with clarity, truth and persuasion.  A glow was upon his face, a physical manifestation of the presence of the Lord.  The theme of Stephen’s sermon as he gives a history of the Hebrew nation is the Israelites’ repeated rejection of God’s will.  Always that is what stands between the sinner and forgiveness:  his rejection of God’s provision of grace through Jesus Christ.  And in the climax of Stephen’s sermon, he declared that they had rejected the Righteous One of God and murdered him (7:58).

The council and the mob became incensed at Stephen’s sermon.  One of our good country-preacher friends would have said Stephen got to the place “where the water hit the wheel.”  The guilt of Stephen’s hearers turned them against him.  They did not wait for the usual permission from the Roman authorities. They turned upon Stephen, acted in anger and stoned Stephen outside the city gates.  Mob violence  brought about Stephen’s death.  And there, consenting to his death and guarding the garments of some who were casting the stones was Saul, our first introduction to this man who would later be converted and become such a strong witness for Christ.  Stephen died with two prayers on his lips:  Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” In manner of life, in service, in teaching and preaching, and in death, Stephen is an example of the Lord Christ, faithful to the end, faithful in suffering. His example has been emulated by many through the centuries.

Church Chooses Seven of Good Report and Full of the Spirit to Serve

“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.  And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.  But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.  And what they said pleased the whole gathering , and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.  These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.  And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” –Acts 6:1-7 (ESV).

Choosing and ordaining seven men to be deacons began with a definite need of the early church.  It is true that they were not called deacons here, but the verb to serve as translated in 6:2 is from the Greek word diakoneo (noun form, diakonos).  A challenge arose.  Since early Christians were from both Hebrew and Hellenistic backgrounds, a language barrier existed, and in the common effort to assist all who needed help, those who were Hellenists were (or felt) neglected.  Hellenists were people of Jewish descent but who, because of the Diaspora—scattering of the Jews—had lived in areas of the Empire where Greek was the main language. Another noteworthy explanation of this challenge is also seen by the Hebrew practice of  taking care of the needy.  The early Christian church seems to have continued the Hebrew practice of alms, Kuppa (Basket) and Tamhui (Tray).  Briefly explained, alms were collected to help those who needed help.  We see this in the early church by believers bringing their offerings and “having all things in common.”  The Basket was the fund that assured every family in need had fourteen meals in a week’s time.  The Tray was the family-to-family distribution on a daily basis for those with pressing needs.  Acts 6:1 notes that dissatisfaction arose because Hellenistic widows were being “neglected in the daily distribution.” And the apostles were so busy teaching and preaching that they could not attend to all the people’s needs and see that everyone was cared for in an acceptable manner.  Seven men of good report, and full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, were selected and set apart for this task.  And thus was born the practice of deacons to assist with the work and ministry of the church.

To serve is a worthy calling.  Of the seven whose names are listed as the first deacons, we have later accounts of Stephen and Phillip who preached the word as well.  Stephen became the first Christian martyr.  Early historical accounts hold that Prochorus was secretary of John the Beloved who wrote the Revelation and that he was martyred at Syria in Antioch. Because these men were willing to step up when a definite need for service was present in the early church set an example for succeeding church practice.  Persons thus set aside may not always be called “deacons” in every denomination, but in almost every church there are those who willingly and with wisdom and under the Holy Spirit’s leadership attend to the matters of church ministry, business and polity so that the whole burden will not be upon the pastor.  A great concern of the early Christian church was to put the teachings of Jesus into practice to care for the poor, the needy and the sick.  The ministry of service to others is a result of knowing Christ and having the spirit of love and caring.  What results came in the early church after deacons were set apart to relieve the preachers of some of the daily tasks of caring for others?  “The number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great number of the priests became obedient to the truth” (Acts 6:7.  Let us pray for and support those who serve Christ as ordained lay leaders.  They are important in the Lord’s work.

Apostles Arrested, Freed, Questioned by the Sanhedrin, Scourged and Witnessing

“But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.  But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the ‘words of this Life.’  And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach…And when they brought them, they set them before the council.  And the high priest questioned them…But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law…stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while…[Gamaliel said] ‘if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.  You might even be found opposing God!’...And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”  (Acts 5:17-21, 27, 34, 38b-39, 42. ESV.  Read Acts 5:17-42).

If there had been a Jerusalem Times newspaper in the days of the early church, the headlines no doubt would have called attention to the most significant happenings:  Apostles Arrested; Angel Takes Prisoners Out with Doors Still Locked; Arrested Apostles Preach at Daybreak at Temple; Council Sends for Prisoners, Finds Them Escaped; Escapees Brought before the Sanhedrin without Force; Council Fears the People Because of Apostles’ Popularity;  Reprimanded for Preaching, Peter Responds “We Must!”; Peter Preaches to Council; Council Meets without Accused Present; Pharisee Leader Gamaliel States ‘If of Man, Movement will Fail, If of God, It Can’t Be Stopped’; Apostles Scourged, Given 39 Lashes; Apostles Continue Preaching and Teaching.

“It was the worst of times, it was the best of times” in Jerusalem (to quote Charles Dickens).  The zealous apostles went through great persecution because they proclaimed the gospel.  But they could not be quieted, whether attempts were made through imprisonment or through scourging with 39 lashes.  “We must obey God rather than men” Peter declared boldly, as he continued to preach, even before the Council.  And from among those who imprisoned the apostles came one with great words of advice.  After giving examples of two, Theudas and Judas the Galilean whose uprisings failed, Gamaliel said:  “So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.  You might even be found opposing God!”  (Acts 5:38-39).

The apostles rejoiced at having been counted worthy to suffer in Jesus’ name.  Suffering for the name of Jesus is a notable theme throughout the book of Acts.  Gamaliel was right in his evaluation:  “if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them!”  This surprise advocate, Gamaliel, a member of the opposition to the gospel, saved the day for the apostles.  He evidently convinced the Council to “wait and see what happens.”  Even though the apostles were lashed (beaten on their backs and chests with 39 lashes), this did not silence them.  Robert L. Maddox, Jr. in commenting on this noteworthy event from Acts wrote:  “Their backs hurt on the outside but their hearts exulted on the inside.”  Their purpose was not defiance of the law the Sanhedrin had laid down.  Their higher calling, their passion was obedience to the Lord Christ.  Their allegiance was to the Lord, not to men.  They could not help but preach the richness of God’s unmerited grace.  Thanks be to God!

Sharing All Things in Common and Some Remarkable Happenings

“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.  And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.  For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need…However, the people held them in high esteem.  And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number.” –Acts 4:32-35; 5:13b-14 (NASB.  Read Acts 4:32-5:16).

Today we look at a long passage, especially if we read all twenty-two verses suggested.  Remember we are studying a summary of the early church, and as Luke wrote Acts he gave very pertinent and memorable information to give us an insight into how the Holy Spirit worked to lead the apostles and add to the church “multitudes of men and women who were constantly added to their number” (5:16).

This passage is hard to explain and raises the question of whether Christian groups should share all things in common as the early church did.  Dr. William Barclay, Bible scholar, reasons that the early church was progressing well, with the proclaimers and teachers filled with the Holy Spirit and persons being converted and added to the church daily.  But then practical matters entered in and had to be dealt with.  Where would money for food and shelter come from?  No one seemed to have the power, like Jesus, to turn a few fish and loves into enough food to feed thousands.  The apostles and other believers did have an intense sense of responsibility that all fare well.  This sharing all things in common was not socialism or communism—not a legal act of law-passing.  Sharing was spontaneous and voluntary as the needs arose.  Dr. Barclay notes:  “When the heart moves us to share…society becomes really Christian…not when law compels it.  The charity of legislation can never be a substitute for the charity of the heart.”  (William Barclay.  The Daily Study Bible.  Acts of the Apostles.  Philadelphia, Westminster, 1953, p. 41).

Notice how many things happened.  We can learn spiritual lessons from each of them:

(1)  They voluntarily brought what they had and shared with each other, laying it at the apostles’ feet.

(2)  Joseph, a Levite, also named Barnabas (an important later missionary with Paul and on his own) sold his land and brought the proceeds to the common treasury.  This is the first mention of Barnabas in Acts.  His name means “son of consolation.”  He would become an asset to the spread of the gospel.

(3)  Ananias and Sapphira, man and wife, sold a piece of property.  They, as Barnabas, brought proceeds of land sale to the apostles, but they used subterfuge in their transaction, pretending to bring the whole amount but keeping back for themselves.  The sin was not keeping back some for themselves; it was in pretending they had brought the whole—first Ananias, and then Sapphira.  Peter insists that Ananias’ sin is against God.  Ananias dies on the spot and is taken out and buried.  Sapphira, coming three hours later, and still holding to giving the whole to the Lord’s treasury, dies, as had her husband.  Is death not severe punishment for telling a lie, for pretending?  Why did Luke include this story in the account of the early church?  To brand religious hypocrisy for all time seems to be the object of this miracle.  “Their sin was vanity and ambition.  They wished to have a greater reputation for liberality than they were entitled to.”  (J. R. Dummelow.  A Commentary on the Holy Bible.  Philadelphia:  Westminster, 1958, p. 824).  No doubt, this couple wanted praise for their giving.  Their claim was not the truth; we might say they embezzled from God.  Such radical judgment as death is not the usual way to deal with the sin of pretense.  Theirs was a prime example of “seeming” and “being.”  Jesus warned severely against hypocrisy. They should have known the Old Testament warning as well on hypocrisy:  “Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord” (Lamentations 3:40).  Dr. George MacDonald wrote:  “Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look instead of trying to be what one is not.  (Quoted by Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe.  An Exposition of the New Testament.  Acts.  Colorado Springs:  Cook, 1989, p. 421).

(4)  “Great fear” came upon believers.  This followed immediately after the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, certainly an event of great magnitude and a somber example for all believers.  But fear here indicates “a healthy respect for the power of God.”  They had seen God’s power manifested in marvelous ways and they stood in fear, awe and reverence of Him and of what He was doing in their midst.  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7a).

(5)  “Ecclesia” (church) is used first in Acts 5:11 to indicate the body of believers.  And within the church, signs and wonders were taking place.  The church continued to meet at the Temple on Solomon’s Porch.

(6)  The “rest” (meaning the orthodox Jews who were not accepting Christianity) did not associate with Christians.

(7)  Favor of the church and of the preached word grew among the people.

(8)  Many brought their sick so that Peter could heal them.  Many thought that even if his shadow fell upon the sick, they would be healed.  This is similar to those in Corinth later who thought to touch the garments of Paul would bring healing.  But there is no indication given by Luke here that any such superstitious beliefs came true.

There was not magic to what Peter, John and the others were doing.  Through the Holy Spirit they had the power to preach and heal.

(9)  Word spread out and people came to hear from towns surrounding Jerusalem.

(10)  “Multitudes” of men and women were added to their number. The church grew!

How exciting and marvelous that the early church grew so.  And that impetus has continued with varying degrees of growth through the centuries to our own day.  A study of Acts behooves us to ask:  “How is our church growing?”  Dare we pray for the Holy Spirit to move us, as it moved the early ecclesia (church) so that we may reach out in power to share the gospel and see a harvest of souls for the Lord?   

Believers Pray for Boldness

“And now Lord, look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak Your word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” –Acts 4:29-31 (ESV.  Read Acts 4:23-31).

We learn much about how to pray from the early church.  We could say the believers were close to God in thought and prayer.  They had been charged by the Jewish authorities not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.  Peter’s bold declaration must have gone out as a clarion call of the apostles’ intentions and mission:  “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

Peter and John returned to the gathered Christian community and reported that the Sanhedrin had ordered them not to preach further in Jesus’ name.  A major prayer meeting was in order. They had to break through the barriers of opposition.  They knew already that their mission was to  proclaim the word.  They sought through prayer to gain the boldness and strength to do what they had been assigned by the Lord. We can learn much about prayer from this prayer given in Acts.  They approached God by calling His name in reverence, recognizing His sovereignty.  They quoted a portion of God’s Word that applied to their situation:  “”Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against His Anointed” (in Acts 4:25-26, quoting from Psalm 2:1-2).  They saw this as a Messianic prophecy and claimed God’s word spoken through their father David as forth seeing their present situation. A valuable lesson learned here about prayer is that praying the Scripture to God is commendable.  When we use Scripture to pray, as someone has said, we are speaking to God in God’s language.

Their prayer recounted the situation they were in and then made their petition:  “And now, Lord,  look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed, through the name of Your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29).  Here they were following the instructions Jesus had given them about prayer.  “Ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).  They were certainly praying according to the will of God and the teachings of the Lord.  With prayer and petitions offered in this manner, it is sure to be pleasing to God.  They did not plead for circumstances to change or for God to destroy their enemies.  Instead, they asked God to accomplish that which He had already planned.  The Rev. Phillips Brooks advised:  “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men and women.  Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers.  Pray for power equal to your tasks.” And what was the result of this prayer for boldness?  The Holy Spirit came in mighty power and the apostles continued to speak the Word of God with boldness!  Their prayer for boldness was answered.  Dr. R. A. Torrey, a great Christian leader, gave us this sound advice about prayer:  “Pray for great things, expect great things, work for great things, but above all—pray!”  All that we do should begin in prayer, be motivated by prayer, be bathed in prayer, be accomplished through prayer.  This is God’s way.

The Boldness of Peter and John

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.  And they recognized that they had been with Jesus...So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John told them ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”  -Acts 4:13, 18-20 (ESV.  Read Acts 4:1-22).

Peter stands out as the leader in the days of the early church immediately following Pentecost.  John is an able assistant and likewise in the forefront of the exciting action.  Following healing of the lame man, the two disciples were arrested and spent a night in custody.  When they were released the next day they were taken before the high priests and elders and questioned.  Bold Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to preach to them.  He addressed the Jewish leaders.  Imagine with what power, conviction and understanding Peter spoke: “Jesus Christ of Nazareth…whom you crucified…God raised from the dead…This Jesus, the stone rejected by you, the builders…has become the cornerstone” (10-11). 

Peter’s preaching sent the Jewish rulers into a huddle.  What to do with these disciples?  These unlearned men (who had taken no formal training with them in the rabbinical school) “had been with Jesus.”  What better education could they get than traveling about with Jesus for three years, hearing Him teach, hearing Him pray, watching as He performed miracles?  And other matters the Temple rulers had to contend with was the living sign of the power of Jesus of Nazareth, the 40-years-lame man, walking and demonstrating that he was healed.  Add to that the growing popularity of the gospel Peter and John and the other believers were joyously sharing with everyone.  Ears were tuned in; hearts were being changed by hearing the Word.

The Jewish leaders could not stand this growing popularity of the followers of Jesus.  They feared losing their own power and influence.  Jealousy makes people do hurtful and unusual things.  Silence them, the leaders thought.  Forbid them to preach any more in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.  That should bring this strange uprising to an end and get Jerusalem and the Temple back to business as usual.

But when commanded not to preach any more about Jesus and Him crucified, risen and ascended, proclaiming Him as the Messiah the Jews had expected for centuries, Peter and the others could not keep quiet.  “We cannot but speak what we have seen and heard!” (Acts 4:20).  Very recently I received an e-mail telling that a group in America now is working at break-neck speed to stop ministers, many of them known for their faithfulness to the Lord and to the Word, from preaching on radio, television and other media.   Bills have been introduced to ban Christian religious programs on the airways.  If we remain complacent and allow this to come about, our churches would not even be allowed to purchase air time to broadcast their worship services.  Persecution was very near to Peter and John.  They had already spent a night in custody and now they were being forbidden to preach.  We are closer than many of us realize to persecution and silencing of witnesses to Christ’s power.  Let us be serious about our positive stand for the right to preach, teach and witness to the power of the risen Lord.  Will you be one, like Peter, who will declare boldly:  ‘We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard”?   Let us earnestly pray that His Word may continue to be preached and shared.

Peter Preaches from Solomon’s Portico of the Temple

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets long ago.  Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.  You shall listen to Him, whatever He tells you.  And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.  And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.” –Acts 3:19-24 (ESV.  Read Acts 3:11-26 – Acts 4:4).

Peter’s second sermon recorded in Acts was delivered from an area of the Temple known as Solomon’s Portico (Porch), a colonnaded portion along the eastern wall of the Temple.  It was where Jesus had ministered and taught and where the church worshipped.  The healed lame man had drawn quite a crowd.  Peter first had to refute the idea that he and John had healed him by their own power.  He declared that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, through His Son Jesus Christ, had healed the man.  With great boldness Peter declared that the Holy One had been crucified and raised from the dead.  In this sermon, Peter used illustrations from Moses and the Pentateuch to declare that Jesus had, indeed, been the promised Messiah.  With those who heeded the words of Peter, imagine their remorse to realize that they had consented to and perpetrated the death of the One sent from God.  In verses 11-18 Peter told of the crime of killing the Savior, presented the evidence of it, and told of the nature of their sin.  Then he presented a strong appeal of how they could gain pardon and restoration.

Repentance was the first step toward restoration.  Repentance is genuine sorrow for sins and a determination to turn from them.  Repentance is the heart’s response to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.  Some explain repentance by showing that it is like going in one direction, realizing that way is wrong, making an about-face, and going in a new direction.  It is admitting that what God says is true, and accepting the Truth.  In Christian repentance, it is turning to Jesus and acknowledging that He is the Savior.  This second step is called conversion and comes with turning to Jesus and believing that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Peter told his hearers what would happen when repentance and belief came.  Sins will be blotted out and times of refreshing will come.  Scholars note that Peter was appealing to both individuals and the nation.  Blessings would come to both through repentance and belief.  He was pleading for national repentance—and promising subsequent national blessing—so that the Messiah could return and begin the promised kingdom.  But Peter did not overlook the individual responsibility of each person to repent and turn to the Lord for restoration.  Notice in verse 26 that he says:  “by turning, every one of you  from your wickedness.”  Restoration and faith is a one-by-one process whereby each individual is confronted with the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ, makes a conscious and deliberate decision to turn from sins and going in the wrong direction, believes that Christ is the only way to salvation, and turns to Him, accepting Him in faith. What were the results of Peter’s second sermon?  Go to Acts 4:4 and learn that the number of believers grew to five thousand—from three thousand saved on the Day of Pentecost to a total of five thousand believers at the time of Peter’s second sermon delivered on Solomon’s Portico. No national repentance came.  In fact, persecution was forthcoming from the Jews.  But the Holy Spirit touched hearts and many became believers.  This is still how God works today.  Praise be to God!

Miracles and Wonders: The Lame Man Healed

“And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple…But Peter said, ‘I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!’ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.  And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.”-Acts 3:2, 6-8 (ESV.  Read Acts 3:1-10).
 

In his summary statement of occurrences following Pentecost, John had written in Acts 2:43 that “many wonders and signs” were done by the apostles.  Here is an apostolic miracle: healing the lame man who came daily to the temple court to beg alms. Peter, invoking the name of Jesus Christ, commanded the man to rise and walk.  And immediately, without hesitation, the man’s “feet and ankles were made strong.”  What joy filled the man!  Years of being crippled and depending on others to transport him to his begging station near the Beautiful Gate were to be no more.  He was restored and could walk on his own, leap about, and praise God!  

The time of day this miracle happened is significant—“the ninth hour.”  The regular hours of prayer were the third hour (about 9:00 a. m.) when the first sacrifices were offered; the sixth hour (noon) and the ninth (about 3:00 p. m.) when the evening sacrifices were offered.  The Beautiful Gate, or the Gate of Nicanor, was called beautiful because it was made of imported Corinthian brass decorated with gold and silver.  It was 50 cubits high and 40 cubits wide.  It was on the east side of the Temple and led from outside into the Court of the Gentiles. It was a well-used gate, and many were probably there to see this miracle performed at the command and invocation of Peter.  It is noteworthy that this first recorded miracle by the apostles not only brought wonder and rejoicing among the believers, but it was the springboard that would lead the Jewish leaders to begin their persecution of the believers.  They could not tolerate anything done in the name of Jesus of Nazareth whom they had subdued (so they thought) by insisting on His death on the cross.  The authorities thought those who could perform miracles in His name must  be stopped from their signs, miracles and wonders.  Two forces are working here:  the power of God to change hearts and heal infirm bodies and the determination of the Jewish religious leaders to squelch the movement of the early church. 

I am thinking of a report from the mission field told by a friend of Grover’s, the Rev. Sam Byler, who went several years ago when our Baptist churches first began partnership mission trips to foreign lands.  Rev. Sam had volunteered to go and preach in a remote African village.  One night as he preached through an interpreter, the service was interrupted with others bringing in a man foaming at the mouth and writhing with contortions, having a seizure of great magnitude.  “Heal this man who has been thus plagued all his life,” was the plea from the ones who carried the sick man into the service.  Rev. Sam had never had any experience in healing other than praying for members of his congregations, but he knew immediately that the authenticity of what he had just preached depended heavily on how he reacted to this challenge.  He closed his eyes, prayed aloud earnestly, and then touched the man.  Miraculously, before the eyes of Rev. Sam and all present, the man stopped his contortions, rose up and was in his right mind and able to praise the Lord.  The remainder of the week was a glorious testimony to the power of Jesus Christ at work in that village, with many people confessing faith in the living Lord.  Rev. Sam Byler did not capitalize on his power to heal, nor did he have another experience like that one in Africa.  But at the point of need, the Lord was ready to heal and the miracle was used to cause others to turn to the Lord who can heal both body and soul. Miracles and wonders are the Lord’s doing, not man’s! 

Fellowship of the Believers

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.  And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:42-47 (ESV).

In these verses is Luke’s first extensive summary of what occurred immediately following Pentecost.  We cannot tell how long the span of time these verses cover but this marvelous fellowship of believers occurred before persecution began against the Christians in Jerusalem.  Notice the significant activities of the Christian group: 

(1) Teaching from the apostles covered what they had learned from Jesus in His three years with them and in the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension.

(2) Fellowship, Greek word koinonia, meant a close and harmonious relationship, a sharing, a common purpose and devotion that binds persons together.

(3) Breaking of bread likely included both eating regular meals together and having the solemn, memorial Lord’s Supper that Jesus had instituted, saying, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

(4)  They prayed together.  Their prayers were no doubt in the temple and wherever they gathered in house meetings or in smaller groups.

(5) They experienced awe (reverent fear) because of the signs and wonders the apostles were performing through the power of the Holy Spirit.

(6) They had all things in common; they gave of their means.  This was accomplished as they sold their possessions and brought the money voluntarily and without coercion to help with the needs.  Scholars would have us note that they still had their own homes and that the giving up private property is not mentioned in this summary account.  Later, when Ananias and Sapphira came to claim they had sold their property and were bringing all the money to offer in the Lord’s work, their lives were required of them because they told a lie; they pretended to bring all when they withheld part for themselves (see Acts 5:1-11).  (7)  Praising and worshiping God was a daily part of the believers’ activities. Luke does not elaborate here, but they probably included the Old Testament Scriptures, especially readings from the Psalms, Prophets and Wisdom Literature. 

(8)  Conversions occurred.  “The Lord added…day by day those who were being saved.”  Because the believers’  hearts were right and their spiritual tasks done with zeal and focus, God gave the increase in souls.

Scholars believe (and there is both written and archaeological evidence for this) that the “breaking of bread” mentioned in verse 46 is what was called the agape feast, or love feast.  It was a banquet meal, usually in the evening, where the more financially able furnished the food for the poor and they ate together, saying prayers over each dish or course of the meal.  The agape feast was followed by the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion. However, later, because of excesses, greed and discrimination against those partaking of the meal, the agape feast was gradually separated from the observance of the Lord’s Supper.  By the time of church historian Justin Martyr (150 A. D.), no mention is made of observance then of the agape meal.  A good exercise is for us to examine the points of the Disciples’/Apostles’ (Early Church’s) fellowship of believers.  Are our fellowships in keeping with this early pattern?  Do we need to make adjustments?  Let us pray that our Christian fellowship will be God-pleasing instead of just people-pleasing.  When we please God, we will be blessed as well.  

A Look at Peter’s Sermon and Its Results on the Day of Pentecost

“’Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.’ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself. Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”-Acts 2:36-41 (ESV. Read Acts 2:14-41).

The air was electric with anticipation as Peter stood to preach on the day of Pentecost. His sermon was addressed to “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem.” His targeted audience were those of his own nationality, the Jews. There is logical order in Peter’s sermon. In his introduction, he explained that the Holy Spirit had come and that the disciples were not filled with wine as they had been accused but rather were filled with the power of the Spirit. To show how this spiritual phenomenon was a fulfillment of prophecy, Peter quoted from Joel 2:28-32. Although Joel’s prophecy deals also with the end times, Peter saw it as representative of “the day of the Lord” when the gathered believers had been imbued with the power of Almighty God. Peter’s next point was that Jesus Who was crucified was alive. He presented Jesus as a real person, one who had performed miracles and signs, met an untimely death and was raised up in glory and power. To substantiate this, Peter quoted from the writings of King David (which we note from Psalm 16:8-11 and Psalm 110:1). No doubt, Peter wanted to allay the rumors that were circulating that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus from the grave to make people believe He had risen from the dead. He says (and I can imagine with great power, conviction and emphasis): “Tjos Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:32-33). The believers were a living witness to the resurrection. The Holy Spirit poured out on them was living proof that Jesus was alive, because the Spirit could not come upon them until the Lord had returned to the Father in heaven (as promised in John 16:7). The message Peter proclaimed fell with convicting power on the gathered crowd. They were under great angst, and their cry was “Brothers, what shall we do?” They were in a position to rid themselves of the guilt they must have felt when Peter so pointedly reviewed from their own Holy Writ and from an interpretation of events of the immediate past weeks why Jesus had come and what His purpose was.

With the powerful sermon delivered, and the question asked by the hearers, Peter was ready to press the invitation: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (v38). Much scholarly debate has been issued over Peter’s words “repent and be baptized,” with the argument “is baptism necessary to salvation?” A slight inflection of meaning for the Greek word eis translated “for” can also mean “on account of” and implies that repentance, belief and faith precede baptism—that baptism is the rite that shows a follower has already repented and believed. For example, look at the roll call of the faithful as given in Hebrews 11. Not any of these had been baptized. Their faith was the basis of their salvation. The results of the Holy Spirit’s work on the day of Pentecost was phenomenal. Three thousand people repented and believed. “Were added” means to the initial 120 believers, bringing the number to 3,120 believers! Peter stood in the gap and spoke convincingly, God’s instrument for opening the understanding of the people. Peter preached: “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). The Holy Spirit permeated the sharing of His Word and results came! The “everyone who calls” still holds true! Let us pray for power as at Pentecost!

Language Is No Barrier to the Gospel Message

“…’we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.’ And all were amazed and perplexed, saying one to another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others, mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’” – Acts 2:11b-13 (ESV. Read Acts 2:5-13).

An amazing happening on the day of Pentecost followed the descent of the Holy Spirit on the gathered followers of Jesus. It was their ability to speak in the languages of all the people in Jerusalem who had come to take part in the celebration of Pentecost, one of the three festivals at which every Israelite was expected to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem, the sacred city. In fact, the crowd was so cosmopolitan that Luke listed the places they were from to indicate the many languages and dialects the people would have spoken (see the list in verses 9-11a). This list includes people from most of the first-century Roman world. Jews had been dispersed to the regions named and had settlements there. Luke’s list in Acts 2 gives a comprehensive list of the Jewish Diaspora (Jews who had residence outside Palestine). Luke’s list is authenticated also by secular historians (Philo, for one, in his “Embassy to Gaius” and by archaeological and literary accounts). One might argue that since they were witnessing mainly to displaced Jews—except for the “proselytes” to Judaism mentioned in verse 11—that the listeners could have heard and understood if the apostles had witnessed in the Jewish language. However, the listeners could have been several generations removed from the Diaspora, which took place over several centuries. It is difficult to date its exact beginning, but dates back at least to 722 B. C. when the Assyrians captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel and took many captive, and the Babylonians captured the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 586 B. C., likewise taking many away from the land of Palestine. By New Testament times, as many Jews lived outside Palestine (in the countries Luke mentions in his listing) as lived in the Holy Land. The more recent exodus occurred when the Greeks and then the Romans conquered Palestine, even more of the Jews living there then were dispersed to other countries. The fact was that, even if they knew “classical” Hebrew, and could worship in the Temple with that ancient language intoned in the services, they still spoke more fluently in the language of the places they lived. They would have had to know the language of those places to work and dwell in those lands. So there, on that amazing day of Pentecost, as the followers of Jesus shared enthusiastically the good news of the Savior, they were able to communicate in the languages best understood by those to whom they spoke. By the power of the Holy Spirit, and without formally having studied the foreign languages, they spoke and the people understood. As Jesus had said when He was ready to ascend: “Ye sahll be witnesses unto Me...beginning in Jerusalem.” This was coming true, and language was not a barrier to the spread of the gospel right there in the hub city! The faithful spoke; the eager heard and responded, all by the Spirit’s leading.

Since the day of Pentecost, the gospel has gone out to many people of many languages. At first, in Jerusalem, but then the believers and apostles were dispersed, and as they went, they told the Good News of the Savior and a new way of restoration of fellowship with God, “by grace through faith.” It was a new day for the good news! Through the centuries since about 33 AD, the gospel has found a way to break through the language barrier. Nowadays, our missionaries who go to foreign lands—or even places in America with languages not English—spend time learning the language with which they can communicate to the people. Sometimes the studies are hard, time-consuming and seemingly a delay to what they have been called to do. But it is time well-spent, for being able to communicate is necessary to the work of an evangelist, a witness, a teacher of the Word. Why could they not instantaneously know the language, like those on the day of Pentecost? Is it because they are not as close to the Lord or that the Holy Spirit is not as much in control as He was on that day? I think it is not for us to judge, but to follow and to do what is necessary to prepare for the work to which God has called. Today, some missionary friends of mine are in a specialized language study, a newer and more facile method than that previously required of missionaries. “Why did we not have this method 20 years ago when we were first in language school?” my friends wonder. There was an immediacy needed on the day of Pentecost to reach the people and that need was supplied in a magnificent way through the power of the Holy Spirit. This account stands in stark contrast to the confusion of tongues at the attempted building of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). The motivation of the disciples was holy and right and the results were spiritual and life-changing. Dedicated workers have similar motivation and goals today in reaching the people in their native language. The story is told of St. Vincent Ferrer who was preaching in Spanish but was understood by those who spoke English, Flemish, French and Italian. At Pentecost, the unbelieving Jews, the authorities, quaffed and said, “They are filled with new wine!” What they could not believe is that the spokesmen on that auspicious day were filled with the wine of the Spirit, and what a difference that made! Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12:7: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” And when language is no barrier to the spread of the gospel, this gift was and is present and active. Praise be to God!

The Holy Spirit Comes

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” –Acts 2:1-4 (ESV).

The prophecy in Joel 2:28 came to pass on the day of Pentecost: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions (ESV). John the Baptist also told of the coming of the Spirit: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11, ESV). Jesus promised the Spirit when He was still among the disciples, teaching them: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17, ESV). As He was ascending into Heaven, Jesus again told His disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon youk, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV).

And now that day had arrived! The day of Pentecost was the fiftieth day after Passover, counting from the second day of the feast (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of the NT, 1996, p. 465). The coming of the Holy Spirit was audible, visible, and powerful. The Spirit was audible in the sound of a mighty rushing wind; visible as divided tongues of fire; and powerful in that He filled each one of those who had been waiting and praying. They began to do amazing things, one of which was to speak in and understand languages not native to them and which they had not studied. The speaking at the time of the coming of the Spirit may also have been in ecstatic spiritual utterances as well. They had been waiting for and praying for the Holy Spirit. They didn’t have to wonder, when He came; He demonstrated His presence. The mighty wind showed the power and energy of the Spirit. Fire in the Old Testament indicated the presence of God; the disciples would have known this and the Spirit was demonstrating it. The fire represented God’s holiness and the burning away of impurities. Dr. Vance Havner, commenting on the coming of the Holy Spirit, wrote: “We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by the combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God.” (Quoted in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, 2007, p. 325). The Spirit had “combusted” the hearts of the followers on the day of Pentecost. This was the baptism by or the coming of the Holy Spirit to them as promised. Christ had pledged to the disciples that when the Spirit came upon them they would be able to accomplish great deeds. Indeed, that promise was fulfilled. Now the third person of the Trinity lived and moved among believers.

Daniel Iverson (1890-1977) penned the words of the chorus: “Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me; Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me. Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.” My husband and I spent a month in the Holy Land in 1978. While there, we visited the upper room believed to be where the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples. I was amazed when I had our pictures developed and two of those I took in that room had a reflection of light that looked like tongues of fire. It was sobering and humbling to have stood in the reputed place where the Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. As each individual is willing, the Spirit enters and fills the waiting heart. May our prayer be: “Breathe on me breath of God, Till I am wholly Thine, Till all this earthly part of me Glows with Thy fire divine.” (Edwin Hatch (1835-1889).

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas as a Disciple

“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers…So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when He was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to His resurrection. And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed…And they cast lots for them and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” –Acts 1:12-15, 21-24a, 26 (ESV. Read Acts 1:12-26).

Following Jesus’ ascension and after the two men (angels) had asked them why they stood gazing up into heaven, the disciples and others who had witnessed the resurrection returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. This was “a sabbath’s day’s journey,” the length set by Jewish tradition that one could walk on the Sabbath and it not be work, about 0.6 of one mile or 1 kilometer. They went to “the upper room where they were staying.” Many believe this was the same upper room where Jesus met with his disciples for the Passover Meal and the institution of the Lord’s Supper on the night of His arrest. Scholars also believe the room may have belonged to Mary, the mother of Mark (see Acts 12:12). Luke in writing Acts lists the names of the eleven; all are present on that important occasion. Peter who has been restored by Christ is now the convener, the spokesman (remember how the Lord singled Peter out at the post-resurrection appearance at the Sea of Galilee and told him, “Feed my sheep”?). He first reports on the death of Judas the betrayer. He does not spare details of Judas’s suicide and the subsequent desecration of his body, but reminds those gathered that Judas’s end was prophesied in Psalm 69:25. And then Peter quoted from Psalm 109:8 that another was to be selected to take the position vacated by Judas.

A requirement for selection of the new twelfth member of the apostles (those sent) was to be a man who had been with them, traveled about with them and heard Jesus teach, one who had been with them from the time John the Baptist baptized Jesus until the Lord was taken up, and therefore a witness to the resurrection. Two qualified and were nominated, Joseph and Matthias. After prayer, they “cast lots” (voted) for which of the two would be the new apostle (for the designation of this special group of twelve had now changed to apostles—those sent—from disciples—learners). Scholars tell us that “lots” were probably marked stones placed in a pot and shaken until one fell out. This was a common Jewish way of selecting persons for a task. The lot fell to Matthias. It is significant that the number should be twelve—representative of the twelve patriarchs of Israel and also of the number Jesus Himself had selected to be His inner circle. The church was to be “built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets” (Ephesians 2:20, Revelation 21:14). We do not read of Matthias after his selection. Luke does not give further accounts of his work as an apostle. We are not to read into this that he was not true to his election. Acts highlights some of the major events in the early church and does not account fully for all the twelve and their involvement in spreading the gospel and attending to the work of the early church. The name Matthias means “gift of Jehovah.” The fact that his name is not mentioned again in the New Testament should not lead us to believe he was a wrong selection. Many serve without honor and recognition. His selection set a precedent for the church. We still call out and choose persons for the work of proclamation, teaching and ministry. Praise be to God.

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

“Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’” –Acts 1:6-11 (NKJV).

Can you imagine being present with the believers on the occasion of Jesus’ ascension into heaven? With what awe must they have been filled. We hear no expressions of doubt from those
gathered on that glorious day. We are told in Acts 1:3 that He had showed Himself “alive to them after many proofs.” The ascension of Jesus occurred forty days after His resurrection. The place was the Mount of Olives outside Bethany. It was a reaffirmation to His disciples that the kingdom was not to be as they had expected, a restoration of Israel’s kingdom, but a new kind of kingdom, spiritual and under the authority of God himself who knows the time of fulfillment.

The ascension was visible, victorious and authoritative. The ascension expanded Christ’s ministry through His followers who were given the Great Commission to witness of Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and throughout the earth. The ascension showed Jesus’ restoration to His exalted position in Heaven at the right Hand of God where His executive power is ever acting on behalf of believers everywhere.

Jesus began to rise from their midst and visibly lift from their presence. A cloud received Him out of their sight. A cloud was often manifested as a visible sign of God’s presence. The cloud by day and the fire by night had protected the Israelites after their release from Egyptian bondage. Is it any wonder, that after seeing Jesus visibly go up and disappear into a cloud that the disciples were so rapt they could not move from the Mount of Olives? Two men clothed in white raiment (angels) came to speak to them, asking a pointed question: “Why do you thus stand gazing into heaven?” And then they repeated the promise Jesus had made to them: “As you have seen Him go into heaven, He will come again in like manner!” The awe, amazement and wonder of the disciples must be turned to practical work to bring about the spiritual kingdom Christ had commissioned them to tell about and be involved in bringing in. The incarnation of God (Emmanuel, God with us) had been successfully accomplished in Jesus Christ the Son. The two messengers gave the believers assurance that Jesus would indeed return as He had gone into Heaven. This is a great motivation for Christians to be involved in service to the living, reigning, ascended Lord. Those gathered on the Mount of Olives to see Jesus ascend into Heaven, marvelous as the experience was, had work awaiting them. We, too, have work to do while we await His return. May we be found faithful!

Wait for the Promise of the Father

“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many
proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”-Acts 1:1-4 (ESV).

The book of the Acts of the Apostles has as its purpose to give a selective history of the early church and the spread of the gospel following Jesus resurrection. Its theme is the witness of those who received the Holy Spirit and were compelled to share the good news of Jesus Christ to all, beginning in Jerusalem. In the introduction, the “I” is belived by scholars to be Luke, who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. Both the Gospel of Luke and Acts are addressed to Theophilus, a name which means “friend of God.” Speculation about the unknown Theophilus holds that he might have been one who was in high political standing and was a benefactor of the apostles and the early church; other scholars hold that Theophilus was a generic term meaning, as the name implies, any who are friends of God.

Luke himself is not mentioned either in his gospel or in Acts, but we learn about him in the three places Paul names him in his writings (Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11 and Philemon 24). He was present with Paul on occasion and he was a physician. The name Luke is Greek, and he wrote both his gospel and Acts in excellent Greek. The date usually accepted for the writing of Acts is about 70 to 80 AD. Luke’s knowledge of the Old Testament as often reflected in his writings. This shows that he was well acquainted with the Hebrew writings of the law, the prophets and the wisdom literature, and that he may have been first, before becoming a Christian, a Gentile convert to Judaism who regularly worshiped in a synagogue. Or, through study, he could have gained this knowledge after he became a Christian. Dr. John B. Polhill who wrote the study helps for Acts in the English Standard Version Study Bible (Crossways, 2008, p. 2077) states: “The book of Acts is a small anthology of individual literary genres. The list includes hero story, adventure story, travel story, conversion story, and miracle story. Drama also figures prominently; there are 32 speeches in Acts.” He notes that a common pattern is repeated throughout the Acts account of early church beginnings: (1) Christian leaders preach the gospel; (2) listeners hear, are converted, and are added to the church; (3) opponents begin to persecute Christians; (4) God intervenes to rescue leaders or to protect the church (Polhill, p. 2077). Acts is an exciting account of God’s work. It is fitting that, after the introduction, Luke tells of how the apostles are to “wait in Jerusalem for the projmise of the Father.” Note name change from disciples (learners) to apostles (those who had been with Jesus and were sent on a mission).

The “promise of the Father” for which the apostles were to wait was the Holy Spirit. They were to be “baptized” with the Spirit soon. Jesus had promised the disciples on many occasions that the Holy Spirit would come upon them and be with them. One of the notable promises is found in John 14:16-17: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” In his post-resurrection appearances, and especially at his ascension, Jesus promised His disciples again that the Holy Spirit would come upon them. I can imagine the anticipation, the eagerness, with which the disciples awaited the “baptism” by the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had announced it (see Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16 and John 1:33).

It is significant that they waited for the promise of the Father, the imbuement of power by the Holy Spirit. To be “baptized” by the Spirit can be interpreted as being completely immersed by the Spirit, to have one’s life directed by Him and propelled forward by Him in the work God intends. The disciples did not have long to wait. On the Day of Pentecost the Spirit would descend in their midst as Jesus had promised. In the meantime, there was the period of preparation, of expectantly waiting, and of prayer.

Post-Resurrection Appearances: The Great Commission to the Disciples

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”-Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV).

Some scholars equate this appearance of Jesus on the mountain in Galilee as being the same as what Paul the Apostle wrote about in I Corinthians 15:6: “Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.” With this explanation, those who “doubted” in the group would not have been Jesus’ inner circle of eleven disciples, but others in the crowd who doubted, even seeing Him, that He had arisen from the dead. But this appearance is crucial, and giving the Great Commission is recorded in Mark 15:15, Luke 24:47-48 and Acts 1:8. It was the disciples’ “marching orders,” their command from the Lord to make known to all nations the Truth revealed and entrusted to them to be made known to all people. All who have become Christians since that day when Jesus gave this great commission to His disciples in Galilee have been blessed to be bearers of the good news. It came to us on the way to others; we still are subject to obey and proclaim the wonderful news of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Jesus had the authority to give such a commission. Through His life, His death, His burial and resurrection, and especially through His fulfilling the Father’s will to be the bearer of grace and restoration to all mankind, Jesus had the power to order His disciples to be message bearers. We may obey Him without fear. Many have been called out and commissioned since that wonderful day in Galilee when Jesus first assigned his disciples the joyful task of going and telling all people about Him. The very nature of the Christian faith is to want to share it. Well do I remember, at age nine when I met the Lord in forgiveness of sins and commitment of my life to Him, how I wanted to tell others. At school the next day after my decision in revival meeting, I shared with several how happy I was that I was a Christian. I really didn’t know very much about witnessing, because I had not had classes in it, having been a Christian less than a day. But I could share the peace and joy I felt in my heart, and how I knew without a doubt that Jesus had accepted me as one of His own! Some of my cousins and friends to whom I talked at recess at school also accepted the Lord in that same revival. When our pastor led the converts later into the cold waters of the Nottely River to receive believers’ baptism, (for we didn’t have a baptistry at that time in our church), there were twenty-three of us lined up to follow the Lord in baptism. Adults and children alike were in that long line of believers. And as we attended and were taught by faithful teachers in that church, we grew in faith and knowledge of the Word. I have been grateful since that long-ago time when I became a part of a missions-believing church that God has led me to seek to follow the Great Commission through love of others who need to hear, and through giving and going. When I was seventeen years of age, at a Christian encampment, I heard and responded to the call of Christ on my own life to dedicate myself to His service. The Great Commission was made so personal as we heard a challenging speaker, Miss Sarah Stephens, give the claims of Christ on those who would “go and tell,” that I thought surely the Lord was calling me to foreign mission service. But in the course of time His will for me was to marry a minister of the gospel. Instead of going as career missionaries to a foreign land, we were to stay in the states and “hold the ropes” for others to go by promoting mission causes, encouraging others to go, and seeking to lead the churches Grover pastored and the associations he led as director of missions to be more involved in missions. Looking back over many decades of thus serving the Lord, I can only rejoice that when I was very young He called me to be a Christian and to be aware of His claim on my life. When I have been tempted to turn aside from His personal Great Commission for me, the Holy Spirit has wooed and prodded me to get back into the will of God for my life. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, a notable preacher of the last century, told about visiting a group of ladies once a week to read and study the Bible with them. He read from Matthew’s gospel: “And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.” He said to them, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise?” And a wise lady responded, “Preacher, that’s not a promise, that’s a fact!” Yes! It is a fact that Jesus is with us when we faithfully bear His word and witness to others!

Post Resurrection Appearances: Three Questions and a Commission for Peter

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ He said to him a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to Him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him ‘Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.’ (This He said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God) And after saying this He said to him, ‘Follow me.’”-John 21:15-19 (ESV).

Peter was with the seven disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee) to encounter the resurrected Jesus. But following breakfast, the Lord had some important questions to ask Peter. “Do you love me, Peter?” Three times he asked Peter the same question. The first two times He used the Greek verb agapao for love. This is the deepest kind of love, a love that is completely giving and unconditional. The third time, Jesus uses phileo, from which we get our idea for ‘brotherly love.’ In answering, Peter uses phileo. The question asked three times by the Lord no doubt reflects back on Peter’s denial of Jesus three times the night of his arrest. Jesus had predicted that Peter would do so, and the prediction came true. Peter probably had spent much time regretting his cowardly denial in the courtyard of the high priest when Jesus was on trial. When Jesus asked, ‘Peter, do you love me more than these?’ He could have been asking if Peter loved him more than the other disciples loved Jesus, more than Peter loved the other disciples, or more than Peter loved his fishing occupation and all that went with it. After all, Peter had just been fishing all night before Jesus appeared to them at the Sea of Galilee.

Would he go back to his old job? Peter needed restoration and redirection. His life was at a precarious place and he needed to make a serious decision about where his loyalty and his work would lead him. Jesus’ pointed questions to Peter were geared to help him see what he should do.

With Peter’s positive answer, “Lord, you know that I love you,” came the Lord’s commission for Peter. “Feed my lambs.” “Tend my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.” “Follow me.” Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was assigning to an under-shepherd, Peter, an important ministry: To feed His lambs, tend His sheep, and feed His sheep. And this would be accomplished as Peter truly determined to follow the Lord in all things. He wanted Peter’s love for him to be demonstrated through the work he had to do, practical work like shepherding the flock of the Living Lord. The Lord was not just interested in a profession of love, although that is important; but love must show itself in deeds and in actions. We know from his subsequent work, his powerful sermon on the Day of Pentecost when over 3,000 were saved, from his shepherding of the new converts, and from his two general epistles written to encourage the churches that Peter took to heart Jesus’ commission for him. He writes about being a shepherd of the churches in I Peter 5:2-4: “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversightk, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; fot for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” Then the Lord told Peter the way would not always be easy. “Stretch forth your hands” was an expression to indicate death by crucifixion. Accounts have been told that Peter himself met death by crucifixion and requested that he be placed upside down on the cross, for he did not consider himself worthy to be crucified in the same position as his Lord. Forgiven, restored, commissioned, loving-the-Lord, Peter gave his life in service to the Lord to the very end.

Post-Resurrection Appearances: Going Fishing; To Seven Disciples in Galilee

“After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathaniel of Cana of Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as the day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’ they answered Him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish…Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.” –John 21:1-6,12, 14, ESV (Read John 21:1-14).

“After this” possibly refers to the two appearances to the disciples while they were still in Jerusalem and after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a week-long activity connected with the Feast of the Passover. Jesus had instructed the women to tell the disciples to go to Galilee where He would meet them. And here are seven of them, Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James and John, and two others whose names are not given. Peter, who had been called from his occupation of professional fisherman to follow and work for Jesus, said, “I'm going fishing!” Much supposition has been given about why Peter decided to go back to fishing again. The old and familiar was probably calling him, something he knew how to do. And like many in the course of life, he probably had bills to pay and support to seek. These with him might have been former fishermen, too. And their work for the Lord seemed not to be shaping up. How could they do what He had commanded them when He was no longer with them in the flesh, and His kingdom was not established? There they were at night with the fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee, but catching nothing for their efforts. Had they so soon forgotten that Jesus had said to them, “Without me you can do nothing?” (John 15:5).

Just at daybreak, Jesus was on the shore, but they did not recognize him at first. He asked a simple question: “Do you have any fish?” Why did he address them as ‘children’? Some scholars have seen in this the disciples’ status, like children tossed about, not knowing in which direction to go. Here to experienced fisherman, the Lord of the sea and all that is in it told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. Success was immediate. John even tells how many fish were in the net: 153!

Impetuous Peter, recognizing the Lord, plunges into the water to swim toward Him, leaving the others to tow the full net and bring the boat to shore. And then Jesus, who had already made a fire and had fish grilling and bread, invited the seven to breakfast. Imagine breakfast by the Sea of Galilee with Jesus! What a welcome respite after a hard night of work, sleeplessness and no luck with fishing until Jesus came on the scene! Jesus had told the fishermen disciples when He called them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). This rendezvous on the shore of the Sea of Galilee was needed by the disciples for new direction about their work of fishing for the souls of men. The conversation with the seven over breakfast is not recorded in the gospels, except that the Lord singled Peter out for special questions and instructions (which we will examine tomorrow). Here was Jesus with them, at Galilee, as He had promised. We can imagine how these seven men must have remembered, ever after, how the Lord fed them early in the morning, both physically with the bread and fish and spiritually with His presence and redirection. And what lessons for us to learn from the fishermen’s lives. They did not mind hard work. They have courage and faith to “go out into the deep.” If one method does not work to bring in the catch, they are willing to follow Jesus’ direction to “cast the net on the other side.” Thank God for the lessons we learn from this early morning meeting!

Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus: To Disciples with Thomas Present

“Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.’ Eight days later His disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”-John 21:24-29 (ESV).

John is the only one of the gospel writers who records the story of what we have termed “Doubting Thomas.” But when we think about it, Thomas was not different from others of the disciples, for when Mary Magdalene and the other women went to tell the disciples they had seen the risen Lord, they, too, doubted until He had appeared to them and they had seen Him with their own eyes. Because of Thomas’s doubt, and having to see for himself that Jesus was indeed risen from the dead, he precipitated from the Lord a blessing on subsequent disciples, even to us who believe today and to those who will believe after us: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Thomas needed seeing to believe, he thought. Yet when Jesus offered His nail-scarred hands and his rent side for Thomas to touch, the doubting disciple could only cry out with great reverence and belief: “My Lord and my God!” Scholars say that Thomas’s confession is one of the strongest texts in the gospels—or anywhere in the New Testament—to the diety of Jesus Christ. His statement links back to the beginning of John’s gospel when the beloved disciple writes, “”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth...And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”(John 1:1-2, 14, 16). There among his friends and fellow disciples, and in the presence of the living Lord, Thomas declared a great faith: “My Lord nad my God!”

We cannot help but wonder why Thomas was not with the ten disciples a week earlier, on the first day of the week—the day of Christ’s resurrection—when He appeared first to the gathered disciples. Was Thomas so despondent he wanted nothing to remind him of the days they traveled about the Judean countryside absorbing all that Jesus said? Were his hopes so crushed that he wanted no reminders of what they hoped for but what seemed terminated by the cruel death on the cross? We can only speculate as to Thomas’s whereabouts or his emotional and spiritual condition. But we do know that solitude feeds self-pity. We need support of friends at times when we are in a deep morass of disappointment or disillusionment. They can often lend the support we need to get us on the right track again. We also should not neglect the gathering of ourselves together for spiritual instruction, worship and fellowship. For whatever reason, Thomas did join the disciples eight days after the resurrection. He was present when Jesus appeared suddenly to the gathered group the second time. The others had kept telling Thomas that they had seen Him alive. And so Didymus, Thomas (both words in Greek mean “twin”) joined the other ten, and perhaps other believers besides the disciples, on the Lord’s Day—the first day of the week—a week after the resurrection. "Shalom! Peace to you!" was Jesus’ greeting to Thomas. Immediately Jesus saw Thomas’s problem—his unbelief. In Hebrews 3:12 we read about such unbelief: “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an eveil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” And we also read in Hebrews what we as Christians are responsible for doing in helping our fellow believers to avoid the pitfalls of disbelief: “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13, ESV). If we are faithful in our witness and true to the doctrines of Scripture, we can help those who are weak and doubtful, and, as was Thomas when he saw the Lord, we can hear them proclaim convincingly the wonderful declaration: “My Lord and my God!”