Call to Commitment

  

Chapter 7:36-45 

Resistance to God in the wilderness and the Promised Land 

      36.  He brought them out, after he had shown 
     wonders and signs in the land of Egypt,            and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness           forty years.

37. "This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, 'THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN. HIM YOU SHALL HEAR.'
38. "This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to
him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give
to us,
39. whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back
to Egypt,
40. saying to Aaron, 'MAKE US GODS TO GO BEFORE US; AS FOR THIS MOSES
WHO BROUGHT US OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT
HAS BECOME OF HIM.'
41. And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the
works of their own hands.
42. Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in
the book of the Prophets: 'DID YOU OFFER ME SLAUGHTERED ANIMALS AND SACRIFICES DURING FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL?
43. YOU ALSO TOOK UP THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH, AND THE STAR OF
YOUR GOD REMPHAN, IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP; AND I WILL CARRY YOU AWAY BEYOND BABYLON.'
44. "Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed,
instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen,
45. which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David

 

Acts 7

      1.      Then the high priest said, "Are these things so?" 

2.      And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 

3.      and said to him, 'GET OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY AND FROM YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME TO A LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.' 

4.      Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. 

5.      And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. 

6.      But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. 

7.      'AND THE NATION TO WHOM THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I WILL JUDGE,' said God, 'AND AFTER THAT THEY SHALL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.' 

8.      Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.  

Good preachers often make the point that the Greek word, which is translated witness, is martus, from which we get our word for martyr. I have noticed in traveling to other countries that some of their versions of the New Testament, choose the word martyr in their translation, instead of witness. It is sound principle in gospel teaching that the Christian is to be a witness unto death, therefore a martyr. This chapter 7 in Acts, tells the story of the first Christian martyr, Stephen, who is a wonderful example of this principle.

 I often try to show, as I will again, that the title for Stephan’s message is found in his own words in verse 51, “You Always Resist the Holy Spirit.”  I will try to show how he does this throughout his presentation to the Sanhedrin and the Synagogue of the Libertines. I do not want to convey the idea that the all of the Old Testament people, of whom he spoke, were generally disobedient or unfaithful. That is not the case, but they were flawed human beings, whom God corrected and gave faith, so to accomplish His purposes through them. The high priest opens the door for Stephan to defend himself (v. 1) and he begins by addressing those present as brothers and fathers, his fellow Jews, and their God as the God of glory. He goes all the way back to their patriarch, Abraham, giving a reminder of their entire national history (v. 2). Genesis 11:10-26 gives us Abraham’s genealogy and you will notice that his father, Terah, moved the entire family from Ur of the Chaldeans and crossed the Euphrates into Haran (Ge. 11:29).

 Joshua took his generation back to the beginnings of their race to an idolatrous people up to the time of Abraham’s father, Terah, named Abraham and his brother, Nahor, and showed that they served other gods. Israel’s roots were idolatrous and they included father and sons (Josh. 24:2). God, gloriously revealed Himself to Abraham, in His mysterious way and called him out of paganism. Jamison-Faucett-Brown comments, “The conversion of Abraham is one of the most remarkable in Bible history.” 

 

Daily food distribution

      1.      Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.   

      2.      Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 

      3.      Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 

      4.      but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." 

5.      And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 

6.      whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. 

7.      Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.  

We have studied the phenomenal success and growth of the church, the first and only church at this time, as it forms in Jerusalem. The number grew to at least 5,000, which some would count to be over 8,000, depending how we interpret Acts 4:4. Was five thousand the total number of Christians or were 5,000 added to the original 120 disciples and the 3,000 converted and baptized on the day of Pentecost? I will leave it for every reader to decide for himself, although the language use of the text seems to me to favor that five thousand was the total number.

 The last verse of chapter 2 declares that “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved,” to the point that “believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (5:14). It is no wonder that the Jerusalem council was greatly disturbed (4:2) and attempted to oppose it, “so that it spreads no further among the people” (4:17). They made no attempt to believe the Galilean leaders, although miracles from heaven accompanied the preaching of the gospel. They, unanimously and violently, opposed the movement until in this chapter that we are studying, we will see that many of the priests relented and came into faith. 

 Along with the great success, for the first time, we see problems emerging from the inside, adding to the opposition from the outside. Up until now, we read of unity, of the disciples being of one heart and one mind. This not only happened in Jerusalem; it is a common occurrence in the church throughout the ages to the present day. It gives us a principle that determines that it is harder to live with success than with humble beginnings. John Wesley comments: “Ah Lord, how short a time did pure, genuine, undefiled Christianity remain in the world!”

 

Chapter 5:1-11

Judgment falls on Ananias and Sapphira

1.   But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 

2.      And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. 

3.      But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 

4.      While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 

5.      Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 

6.      And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. 

7.      Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 

8.      And Peter answered her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?" She said, "Yes, for so much." 

9.      Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." 

10.  Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 

11.  So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. 

 This account continues from the end of the last chapter, where Luke again hears the first-hand declaration of those, who experienced the first church in Jerusalem. Those, who had lands and properties, they reported, met the needs of all the Christians, especially the Galileans, who had migrated from the north, and the Jews and proselytes, who lived previously outside Israel. These lacked the basic needs of life and Christianity demanded generosity and brotherly love, to the extent of self-denial, towards them. Those, who sold houses and lands, brought the proceeds to the apostles, who distributed to the needy. This was a step beyond the Old Testament law, which instructed the citizens to alleviate the poor, leaving parts of their harvest for them to glean. Other laws commanded that people restore the rights and losses of relatives and, especially, the Year of Jubilee returned properties to all that had lost them, during the previous fifty years. In the Christian spirit, the saints in Jerusalem, who had houses and lands shared with those, who did not.

 It is very obvious, as we study the Gospels, that the earthly manifestations of the Kingdom of God were not perfect. Jesus taught parables that spoke of tares among wheat, leaven in loaves, good and bad fish caught in a net, and virgins, wise and foolish. Not all motivations were pure and in chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira give us an example of carnal pride and a quest for recognition among peers. It was not that the selling of their land was evil, but their motivation was not, principally, to help the needy (v. 1).

Chapter 4:1-4

 Progress through opposition

         1.      Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 

      2.      being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 

      3.      And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 

      4.   However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 

On the human level, the preaching of the gospel was a threat to the Jewish leadership. They had a military force, perhaps better defined as a police force, inside the temple, led by a captain.  Among the Sanhedrin were the Pharisees and Sadducees, but the Sadducees were especially agitated, because they did not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection, which the disciples emphasized. They appear now to bring an end to the preaching and the phrase, “came upon them,” describes the violence of the interruption (v. 1). They do not arrest the two gently, when they imprison them.

 The teaching of Peter and John was a challenge to the status quo, in which the leadership found their authority and positions. The apostles’ authority is found “in Jesus,” not in themselves, and they are His mouthpiece, now that Jesus has left this world and gone into heaven. The leaders are greatly disturbed at this earth-shaking development (v. 2).

 Chapter 3:1-12

  

The Healing of a Lame Man

1. Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
3. who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.

4.  And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." 

5. So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 

6. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 

7. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 

8. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 

9. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 

10. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 

11. Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. 

12. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 

 God had commanded His people, through Moses, before their entrance into the Promised Land, that He would choose a place, where they would worship. Once this place was shown to them, they could only worship there: “Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; but in the place which the LORD chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and, there you shall do all that I command you.” (It would be good to read the entire portion in Deuteronomy 12:5-14 to see the strict rule concerning worship at that place.)

  

38. Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

39. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." 

40. And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." 

41. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 

42. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 

43. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 

44. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 

45. and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 

46. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 

47. praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. 

 I believe that it is necessary to repeat and reemphasize, the fact that Peter declared that the promise of God was universal, concerning the Holy Spirit. What had happened on the day of Pentecost was not only for Peter’s audience of Jews and proselytes from many different areas of the known world. When he said that it was for their children, he must have been referring to the following generation, many of whom stayed behind and did not make the long journey from their homes in different lands to Jerusalem. 

The astounding part, that the reader of Acts must consider, is that the latter part of the statement, is God’s promise to “all who are afar off.” His promise crosses every border and stretches across the globe, restricting no area nor any people. It is a universal call. The first apostles were commissioned to go into all the world, preach and open the door of the gospel to the world’s population. This was the call to all people, “as many as the Lord our God will call." The apostle John continues with the call at the end of the New Testament canon: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rv.22:17). 

Acts 2:14-39

14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of
Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.

 

 

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit

1.      When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 

2.     And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 

3.     Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 

4.      And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

5.     And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 

6.     And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 

7.     Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 

8.     And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 

9.     Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 

10.  Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 

11.  Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 

12.  So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” 

13.  Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”  

The expression, “When the day of Pentecost was fully come,” described the counting of 50 days from the Feast of Firstfruits, marking the fact that the required 50^th day had arrived since Firstfruits. I will attempt to show the entire law, concerning this Old Testament feast day, as a background to our present study of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost (Gr. Fiftieth) was the Greek term, for which the Hebrews called the Feast of Weeks. The purpose of the feast was a joyful celebration for the first fruits of the wheat harvest.

 You may study the sequence of events leading up to Pentecost in Leviticus 23:5-16. Passover took place on the 14^th of the first Jewish month, The day after Passover, the 15, was the Feast of Unleavened Bread and on the following day, the 16^th of the month began the counting of seven weeks, or 49 days, and the following day after the seventh week, the 50^th day, was the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost.

 Several times, the Old Testament mentions that every Jewish male must be present in Jerusalem three times a year… “All your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles” (Dt. 16:16). According to our calendar, these feasts occurred in March, May and September. 

  

The ascension and promise of His return

6.  Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 

7.     And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 

8.     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." 

9.     Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 

10.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 

11.  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." 

 The disciples were preoccupied with the question posed in verse 6 the entire time that they followed Christ..."Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" For that reason, James and John asked to sit on His right and left hand in His glory (Mr.10:37). It expressed the same concept, which the Jews, in general, had concerning the coming of the Messiah. They thought that He should be a great Prince of Peace, who would deliver Israel from the oppression of their enemies, especially the Romans, who ruled over them, during His time on earth. After He fed 5,000 men, plus women and children, there was a strong contingent among the people, who wanted to make Him king: “Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone” (Jn.6:15). He refused to walk the road that led to popularity and for that reason, He commanded those, who had experienced His miraculous power, that they should restrain from publicizing the good that had been done to them.  

 Why then have these good deeds been publicized in our Bibles and commonly proclaimed among the nations? The reason is clearly understood by the command given to Peter, James and John, as they descended from the Mount of Transfiguration: "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead" (Mt.17:19). The admonition not to declare His supernatural works was a matter of timing, not principle. His immediate mission was a cross, not a throne. His physical reign would come in the Millenium; at the time of the book of Acts, He was beginning to develop a spiritual kingdom. One composer wrote, “He surveyed His kingdom from a cross.”

 

KJV    1611

Infallible proofs of the resurrection

1. The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

2. until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 

3. to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 

4. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 

5. for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."  

Luke wrote both of his books to an acquaintance, whom he addressed, in his introduction to the Gospel of Luke, as the most excellent or most noble Theophilus.  Because the name means, Friend of God, some think that Luke used the name symbolically to address the reader of his books. However, the common believer is never given such a highly dignified title as most excellent, so I am sure that Theophilus was a member of the nobility, a high Roman or Greek official. Both Felix and Festus were addressed identically. Theophilus had been converted and Luke wrote his accounts to him, personally, to establish him in the faith.

 

Today, we begin a study, which is of utmost importance to every true Christian in the 21^st Century. It is an expositive consideration of the book of Acts. I say it is of supreme importance, especially in these days, because the church is living in an age, prophesied by the apostle Paul, when he wrote the second letter to his son, in the faith, Timothy: “Know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves… having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 T. 3:1, 2, 5).  

First of all, I want to point to the word power, reading from the Amplified New Testament: “For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it.” The word power, of course, is the same word we read in Acts 1:8… “You shall receive power…” The Greek dictionary, Strong’s, defines it: Dunamis… gr. Force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): ability, abundance, meaning, might… and Strong’s continues with a full page of definitions, due to the common usage of the word.

 At the time, when humanity comes to the end of its history, there will be a period that is especially dangerous. Now, let’s look at the word perilous in 2 Timothy 3:1 (NKJV). Curiously, this word is only used here and one other time, in Matthew 8:28, in the New Testament. Strong’s defines the Greek word, chalepos, difficult, that is dangerous, or (by implication) furious: - fierce, perilous, and Matthew uses this word to describe the Gadarene demoniacs.  

 One of the reasons that this time will be dangerous or fierce is because “men will be lovers of themselves… having a form of godliness but denying its power.” It is typical that in the formality of his religion, an individual will not abandon it, but in a practical sense, what he or she believers, becomes inert and dead. However, the faithful members will continue to defend it, violently and fanatically, as the prophets of Baal before Elijah on Mount Carmel (1 K.18:25-29).

 There is a good deal of teaching these days, which could easily bring believers to that state, by assuming that miraculous power ended with the apostles and today, the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit have been annulled. They teach the book of Acts, as purely historical. And precisely for that reason, I want to begin a study of this book, to see it as something more than history, as it relates to the works of the apostles, but as a model to show, what the church should be anywhere, at any time.