Table of Contents
Introduction
A Cripple Healed and Apostles Arrested (Acts 3-4)
1)A Lame Man Healed (Acts 3:1-10)
Adversity
Boldness
In Jesus' Name
2)Peter's Second Sermon (Acts 3:11-16)
Adversity
Boldness
3)Peter and John Arrested; the Church Grows (Acts 4:1-22)
What Power or Name
Peter's Answer
Stop or Else (Acts 4:13-22)
4)The Prayer (Acts 4:23-31)
5)The Church Thrives (Acts 4:32-37)
6)Principle
God provides the opportunity and ability for affective witness.
7)Illustration
8)Applications
How many spiritually lame people do you pass by each day?
What have you been able or willing to offer them?
What do you do when you encounter obstacles in your Christian walk? Who do you take them to? Do you ask for them to be removed or for strength to continue doing God's will?
Internal and External Conflict (Acts 5)
1)Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)
2)The Second and Third Arrest (Acts 5:12-39)
3)Suffering, Rejoicing, and Preaching (Acts 5:40-41)
4)Principle
Nothing can inhibit God from accomplishing His will.
5)Illustration
6)Applications
How would you rate your integrity in the small issues of life?
The First Deacons and the First Martyr (Acts 6-7)
1)The First Deacons (Acts 6:1-7)
2)The First Martyr (Acts 6:8-7:60)
3)Principle
A believer experiences peace, even in death, because of God's presence.
4)Illustration
5)Applications
How has God deepened your faith through adversity?
How has God used a trial in your life as an opportunity to glorify Him?
What potential future events cause you to fear? Will you bring those fears to God?
Conclusion
Introduction
I heard a radio ad this week advertising a company that will come into your church or ministry, collect data on various aspects of your church and the demographics of the communities surrounding where your church meets, and then they would provide valuable insights in to strategies for growing your church or ministry. This is the twenty-first century mindset in regard to growing a church.
I wonder what would happen if the church today employed God's strategy for church growth as seen in the first century church? A strategy that include multiple arrests of the pastoral staff, strict church discipline when sin was present, fervent prayer to remain in God's will despite the political and religious climate of the day, fear of God and a desire to be holy because He is holy, equipping the saints in God's word so that they might be Spirit-filled, affective messengers of the Gospel message to the lost, etc.
God's mission for the church has not changed in the twenty-first century. It is our responsibility to remain true to that mission no matter what the cost.
A Cripple Healed and Apostles Arrested (Acts 3-4)
1)A Lame Man Healed (Acts 3:1-10)
Jesus probably passed this man, after all, he spent most days outside this gate. But Jesus didn't heal him.
If Peter and John had had money, what good would that have done this man in the long run? His problem was lameness, not poverty, even though he probably had that too.
Adversity
The temptation to address the man's temporal needs and neglect what he really needed. For all we know, this man may have been a man who had a deep faith and love for the Lord. But the illustration we can take from his physical condition is useful in illustrating all of humanities' spiritual condition.
We covered such things in our lesson this week: inability to do anything to remedy his situation
The danger in our day is to meet the physical needs of those around us, but neglect the more important fact of the spiritual needs. Man has an eternal soul that, apart from a work of God, is eternally lost.
Humanity is lame spiritually and incapable of remedy. If you and I merely meet the needs of a beggar and have no concern for his soul, we accomplish nothing of value and may in fact aid in his derelict state.
Boldness
But Peter and John, when faced with the adversity, looked beyond the outward condition of the man. They looked him in the eye and treated him like the man that he was rather than as the beggar. And they gave him what he needed.
John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Acts 3:4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 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!”
In Jesus' Name
There is a recurring theme in these chapters that we see over and over. It is the idea of asking or speaking or even not speaking in the name of Jesus.
In our thinking, we often consider a name as a label for a person. I am Mike, you may be Bob or Charlie. But when Luke (or Peter) talks about the name of Jesus, he is referring to everything that name stands for. The person of Jesus. The eternal Son of God. The Divine second person of the Trinity.
And when he asks for something or does something in His Name, it is done according to His will and by the power of the holder of that name.
We often tend to be pretty loose with that thinking in our day. I have caught myself on occasion closing a prayer “In Jesus' Name...” Without really even considering what that means.
We can't just tack Jesus name to something and consider that to be what “in His Name” refers to. There is no magic formula to be had by baptizing in his name or closing a prayer in his name or running a ministry in his name.
It is far more than some add-on to say “in his name”. The primary purpose Jesus mentioned in the John 14 is that the Father would be glorified in the Son.
I this is a great test. The next time I consider doing something or asking for something in the name of Jesus, consider whether or not that something will in fact bring God glory.
2)Peter's Second Sermon (Acts 3:11-16)
It would have been quite a spectacle to see this man walking, jumping, and praising God. Especially if you were used to passing him on the way into Temple each day. But that is what the crowd saw.
And the people ran to Peter, John, and the man.
Adversity
There are a couple of potential adversities in this section. One would be to take some of the credit for what has happened to the man. The other would be to water down the Gospel message since you were now out in the open within the Temple courts and possibly subject to arrest.
[Illustration from India]
Boldness
But we see a God-centered acknowledgment of the truth from the lips of Peter:
Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it [the running crowd] he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
He not only gives full credit to God, but he uses the opportunity to share the Gospel message at the same time:
God of our Fathers (not some new or unknown god)
Glorified His Servant (evokes remembrance of Isaiah and other prophets)
You denied him before Pilate
You killed...God raised from the dead
We are witnesses to the fact.
Faith in Him is what gave this man perfect health
He calls them to repent and receive the Christ, even Jesus
All those who refuse Him will be cut off
The message from Peter is sharp, to the point, even politically incorrect, but it is the truth. God has no plan B for salvation, it is found in Jesus. And this was not something foreign or new, at least not in content if it was new in understanding: the prophets and Moses had spoken these things.
3)Peter and John Arrested; the Church Grows (Acts 4:1-22)
Peter and John are taken into custody. This becomes a theme throughout Acts. The authorities often pulled people aside, away from the crowds in order to determine what they are doing and to charge them to be silent.
But while they were arresting them, many in the crowd that had just heard Peter's sermon, had come to faith and repentance in the risen Jesus. And Luke tells us that the number of men grew to about 5000.
What Power or Name
The leaders were in authority and they had the authority to question these men and challenge them in regard to matters of Scripture.
They brought them in, not because they didn't know what they were doing, they knew of the healing. They just wanted to have their stamp of approval on anything that dealt with spiritual matters.
They wanted power and even though they were the OT legal authorities and they knew the Scriptures, they didn't know the author, at least not most and not yet.
Peter's Answer
Once again, Luke points out that the words that come from the apostle are prompted by the Holy Spirit (4:8). This is a direct fulfillment of what Jesus told them would happen:
Matthew 10:19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.
20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Acts 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Not only is Jesus the power behind the healing, but the healing is just an illustration of the real power, the power for salvation. And even more than that, the exclusive power for salvation.
What a bold statement. Not exactly what these guys wanted to hear, but is wasn't foreign to them at all. These were things that Jesus had spoken to them on numerous occasions during his encounters.
Stop or Else (Acts 4:13-22)
They have a small huddle to determine how to treat these guys. They can't refute any of the evidence that was presented (what hard hearts they have!). No denying that this man was the same lame man that everyone had seen over the years.
Undeniable Evidence
This was not a setup where the lame was actually only partially lame or a lame man made to hobble a couple of steps. This was a complete work of restoration of a man crippled from birth.
Hard Hearts
The indictment against them, as rejecting the capstone, was apparently not discussed. They didn't care about what these guys said, as long as they could get them to shut up about this name.
The name kept coming back to haunt them. And for anyone who rejects this name, they too are not free from it. Everyone will one day stand in His presence and give an account of their lives.
But they just want to silence the message.
Who Should We Obey
And I love Peter and John's response. In essence, “It isn't our message or our choice to stop. We can't stop doing what God has given us to do”.
The leaders would have been the first to acknowledge that they wanted the people to obey God. Well, that is what Peter and John put forward. Obeying you would be to go against God and we can't do that.
4)The Prayer (Acts 4:23-31)
Just a quick note on this prayer meeting that happened after Peter and John return.
They had just encountered the religious authorities who were against them and ultimately against God.
But when they address God, they acknowledge Him as their true authority. He is the Sovereign Lord, able to accomplish His will, despite and even through wicked men.
They also pray according to God's will as laid out in Scripture.
And they don't ask God to remove the obstacles (the threats) but to give them what they need in order to persevere. They want boldness when human nature would tell you to cower.
I wonder what would happen to the church in America if believers began to ask God for boldness to speak the Gospel in love?
If we chose to speak the truth rather than being silenced by society?
If we remained true to the Gospel message rather than trying to make it less offensive?
[Upcoming “Sharing the Gospel” Seminar]
5)The Church Thrives (Acts 4:32-37)
This was a healthy church in the first century!
Not only did they obey Jesus' great commission – the very commission you and I have to this day – preach the Gospel, but they met together in unity and were selfless. They gave for the good of others.
6)Principle
God provides the opportunity and ability for affective witness.
7)Illustration
I can either miss an opportunity because I have not been looking (or praying) for the opportunity.
Or, I can see the opportunity but am not depending on God. I am not filled with His Spirit. So I am not affective (or bold) when I should be (when the opportunity arises).
Or, I can see the opportunity and boldly share the Gospel.
8)Applications
How many spiritually lame people do you pass by each day?
What have you been able or willing to offer them?
What do you do when you encounter obstacles in your Christian walk? Who do you take them to? Do you ask for them to be removed or for strength to continue doing God's will?
Internal and External Conflict (Acts 5)
1)Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)
I am not sure what the motivation was, but for some reason, they [Ananias and Sapphira] decided to hold back some of the money for the sale of land.
In itself, this is not a wrong thing to do. They had every right to do what they wanted with the money. And they certainly could have brought the money to give and said this is part of what we sold and that would have been fine.
But where we are unable to see the motivation, God saw clearly. He saw that there was deceit involved in this situation.
And so on the pretense of complete generosity, they kept some of the money for themselves (not that giving part would have been less than generous)
And the Lord points out the he holds people accountable for not only their actions but the underlying attitudes that drive those actions.
These people wanted others to notice them for being givers. They were seeking their own reward from what others' thought. Or they were driven by greed. But ultimately, they were not fooling where it really counts and that is with God.
And they paid with their lives.
But it also had an affect inside and outside the church. There was a fear. There was a stark reminder of the character of God. That He is a God of truth and integrity.
And I'm sure it caused many to evaluate their own motives for doing things.
2)The Second and Third Arrest (Acts 5:12-39)
The reason I call this section the second and third arrest is due to the fact that God shows the authorities that they have no authority to arrest without God allowing it.
Even under arrest, the apostles are freed to continue preaching, as the angel tells them.
But it's interesting that the reason Luke gives for their arrest is the same reason for them hating Jesus as seen in the Gospels. They were jealous of Jesus and hated him. Here they are seeing the group of believers getting larger and larger and people everywhere getting healed, all due to this man Jesus whom they hate.
And not only do they hate Jesus and want these men to stop speaking about and in his name, but they don't like the idea that they are being held responsible for his death. But this is the very fact that everyone has to face if they would enter the kingdom of God.
A few items to consider from this passage:
Those who hate God will oppose those who are obedient to God (5:17,18)
God knows no obstacles to accomplishing His will (5:19,20)
There must have been a lot of stones in the temple area (John 10:31; Acts 5:26; others)
Unbelievers often misrepresent the intentions of believers (“bring this man's blood upon us”) (Acts 5:28)
It's not wrong to repeat the Gospel in the same way to the same group of people (Acts 5:29-32)
3)Suffering, Rejoicing, and Preaching (Acts 5:40-41)
The council didn't like the thinks that were being said, in fact didn't like is mild. They hate what they heard and they knew it was true. At least the part that held them responsible. But they didn't agree with the part stating that Jesus was raised by the Father and that He is the Savior of His people – the recipients of the Holy Spirit from God.
Notice the way God is presented: The Father sent the Son, who is the Savior, and the Spirit is sent as the witness to that truth.
Well, whoever said the Christian life is easy probably lived in America in the 20th or 21st century and wasn't very obedient to Jesus call.
After the council convened, they brought the apostles in and had them beaten. And once again charged not to speak in that name again.
[And the disciples left, humiliated, discouraged, and disheartened that they had not been able to convince the religious leaders] NO!
They were filled with joy. They rejoiced, not because they enjoyed a good beating, but because they loved their Lord who had endured infinitely more suffering than that for them.
And rather than cower in a corner or start to be very discrete about witnessing, they continued to meet in the very place they always met. Preaching the same message of salvation found only in Jesus the Christ.
4)Principle
Nothing can inhibit God from accomplishing His will.
5)Illustration
We hear a lot of bad things in the media relating to clergy in our day. And none of these things, if they are true, go unheeded by God.
We may tend to think that these are the primary reasons why Christianity is having so little affect on the culture.
But I believe it is less the slander of the media and failings of the clergy and has more to do with the true church not taking their calling seriously. Not being obedient to Christ out of a love for him.
If we were to be filled with the Spirit. To be bold in our witness. To love the brethren. The Gospel would spread. And even if it didn't, the results of our labors would still be the Spirit's responsibility. And we would reap the reward of “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
6)Applications
How would you rate your integrity in the small issues of life?
If I can't get the small issues in order, how can I ever expect to get the big issues in order?
The First Deacons and the First Martyr (Acts 6-7)
1)The First Deacons (Acts 6:1-7)
Churches sometimes split over silly issues. And sometimes they divide over legitimate issues. But whatever the reason, the conflicts that can emerge in a church are never easy to handle – they always require wisdom and discernment on the part of God's people.
And in the case of the first church, there were legitimate needs, especially as the church grew. The primary needs of the people were to be spiritually fed. They needed sound teaching in the truth because as fallen creatures, we are never far from heresy and doctrinal delusion.
There are times when too much is asked of church leaders. And this was one such time. The apostles knew their call, preach the word and prayer. But if they started leading efforts to meet the physical needs of the church, when would they have time to put enough effort into their studies. The answer is, they wouldn't.
So they acknowledge the need for help and propose the qualifications for those that can help out: good reputation, Spirit-filled, and wise.
Notice that they were looking for people that had experience in food pantry administration. God was fully able to enable them with whatever skills they needed. In fact, He specializes in making something out of nothing.
But they had to be of good reputation. They didn't want anyone who was know for being divisive or a gossip.
He also wanted men who were pure in God's sight. Not perfect, but those who were sold out to God. Who were serious about acknowledging and confessing their sin before God. Not quenching the Holy Spirit but submitting to His leading.
And finally, those who were known for Godly wisdom. Able to discern God's will and carry it out.
The apostles didn't dictate who was going to be the deacons. They put forward the qualifications but the whole congregation picked those who would carry out the work.
2)The First Martyr (Acts 6:8-7:60)
Stephen, as Luke points out, met the qualifications of a deacon, but he also carried His Christian faith out into the market place, so to speak. He was not silent about what he believed because what he believed was true.
And because he was obedient to Christ by sharing the Gospel, he was a victim of persecution – to the extreme.
There were false charges against him, claiming he was a blasphemer against Moses and against God. These were the most serious charges one could bring against a person.
This plot against Stephen was a way to get back at the Christians for continually bringing this convicting (and annoying) message about Jesus into the public square. And so he was brought in front of the same council that had tried and beaten Peter and John.
When I first read Stephen's response to the charges, I thought, wow, all these things are true, but do they really address the charges.
What they do address is the motives behind the charges and at the same time, display the insights God gave him to the truth of the Law of Moses.
As you read the account of Israel's history, several themes jump out at you:
God is Sovereign – He is the One continually carrying out the events of redemptive history (Abraham, the Patriarchs, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus)
There have always been God's people of faith
There have always been those mixed in with God's people of faith who resist God and His ways
God is always faithful, even in the face of out and out rebellion
But the kicker to the council (who was most likely nodding and saying “preach it brother” as he recounted in detail the truth) was when he points out the truth of their current actions.
They were clearly rebelling against the Spirit of God and resisting Him. They were trying to set him [Stephen] up on false charges. They were bearing false witness against him because they could not bear the truth of the wickedness within their own hearts. They wanted to silence the message and the messenger because it exposed who they really were. And they were rotten, just like all men who are without Christ.
None of us in this room can claim we are any better than they were. Apart from Christ, you and I were as lost as this council. But for God's grace that changed us by opening our eyes to see the truth of the Gospel. To have faith in Jesus. To turn away from sin in repentance. All of this is from God, through exposure to the truth of His word, and by the work of the Holy Spirit.
But they didn't want to hear it and so in an effort to stop the noise, they attacked the mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit.
Their very actions validated the indictment against them. And they tore into him like a pack of wild animals.
Thanks for sharing "God provides the opportunity and ability for affective witness." Already, the Holy Spirit has invited me to boldly share His Good News with family and friends. Stephens disertation and yur lecture inspire and empower me to become a bolder witness for Jesus.
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