Hope in the book of Acts

In the book of Acts, the word ‘hope’ is consistently emphasised in the context of the resurrection of Jesus, the restoration of God’s people, and the future return of Christ. 

The apostles and early Christians express their hope not as a vague wish, but as a confident expectation grounded in God's promises and the reality of Jesus's resurrection.  This assured hope is emphasised in several contexts.

The resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection is the central point of Christian hope, confirming Jesus's identity as the Messiah and securing the future resurrection of believers. 

Acts 2:25–28: In his sermon at Pentecost, Peter quotes Psalm 16, connecting David's prophecy to Jesus. He explains that David spoke "of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption" (Acts 2:31). Peter declares that God has raised Jesus up, providing a basis for a new, living hope.

Acts 23:6: While on trial before the Sanhedrin, Paul defends himself by asserting, "I am on trial concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead". He aligns himself with the Pharisees who believed in the resurrection, using this shared hope to create division among his accusers.

Acts 24:15: Before the Roman governor Felix, Paul reiterates this theme, stating, "I have a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust". 

The promise to Israel

The apostles frame their message of hope within the context of God's ancient promises to Israel, which they believe were fulfilled in Jesus. 

Acts 1:6–11: The disciples' initial hope was for the immediate political restoration of the Kingdom to Israel. However, Jesus redirects their focus to the coming of the Holy Spirit and their mission to be his witnesses "to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Their hope is reshaped to understand that the kingdom will come in two stages: the spiritual reign beginning with the Spirit, and Jesus's bodily return.

Acts 26:6–7: In his defense before King Agrippa, Paul states that he stands trial for his "hope in the promise made by God to our fathers". He connects his hope directly to the long-held expectation of the twelve tribes of Israel for the Messiah and the resurrection. The fact that he is accused by Jews for holding this fundamental Jewish hope highlights the absurdity of the charges against him.

Acts 28:20: While under house arrest in Rome, Paul clarifies to the Jewish leaders that he is in chains "for the hope of Israel". This refers to the Messianic hope of God's kingdom, which, for Paul, is embodied in Jesus. 

The Holy Spirit and the message of hope

The Holy Spirit is presented as the down payment of the future hope, empowering believers in the present and signifying the start of the "last days". 

Acts 1:8: Jesus promises his followers they will "receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" to witness to him. This promise of empowerment to enable christians to live effectively as Christ’s representatives is a central aspect of their confident expectation.

Acts 2:38: In his Pentecost sermon, Peter offers a message of hope, inviting people to "repent and be baptized... and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." This reception of the Spirit is linked to the hope of forgiveness and salvation.

Acts 28:26–28: At the end of Acts, Paul quotes from Isaiah to explain the stubborn refusal of some Jewish leaders to accept Jesus as the Messiah, fulfilling prophecy about spiritual blindness. This moment of rejection, however, also sets the stage for the fulfilment of the hope for the Gentiles, as Paul declares that God's salvation has now been sent to them. 

How hope is sustained in Acts

Despite persecution and hardship, the early church's hope remains steadfast through several factors:

Encouragement: Leaders like Barnabas and Paul consistently strengthen the disciples, urging them to "continue in the faith" despite many afflictions (Acts 14:22).

Miraculous signs: Healings and miracles were performed by the apostles especially early in their ministry. Thus the healing of the lame man in Acts 3, serves as confirmation that God is at work, reinforcing their message of restoration and judgment.

Community: The communal life of the early believers, described in Acts 2 and 4, demonstrates their collective hope. They share possessions and devote themselves to fellowship and teaching, showing that their future hope shaped their present actions.

Suffering: Paradoxically, suffering for the sake of the gospel becomes an evidence of their hope. Their willingness to endure hardship shows that their ultimate reward lies beyond their earthly struggles (Acts 5:41). 

In summary, the book of Acts is permeated with the unshakable hope of the early Christians. This hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit, which fulfils the ancient promises to Israel and opens salvation to the Gentiles. It fuels their witness and resilience in the face of persecution. 

The Centrality of Jesus and the Resurrection in Acts

In the book of Acts, Jesus and his resurrection are mentioned in nearly every sermon and chapter, with Jesus's resurrection being a central theme of the entire book woven throughout the entire narrative. The book itself is essentially the story of Jesus continuing his work through the Holy Spirit and his apostles, with the resurrection as the validating event. 

Where Jesus and his resurrection are mentioned

The following key passages illustrate the persistent focus on these themes. 

Chapters 1–7 (In Jerusalem)

Acts 1:2–3, 9–11: The book begins with the resurrected Jesus appearing to his disciples before his ascension and promising his return.

Acts 2:24, 31–32: Peter's Pentecost sermon declares that God raised Jesus and connects this to prophecy.

Acts 3:15, 26: Peter preaches that God raised Jesus, the "Author of Life," whom the Israelites killed.

Acts 4:2, 10, 33: Peter and John testify to the Sanhedrin about healing in the name of the resurrected Jesus, and the apostles continue preaching the resurrection.

Acts 5:30: Before the Sanhedrin, Peter states that the God of their ancestors raised Jesus, whom they killed.

Acts 7:55–56: The dying Stephen sees a vision of the resurrected and ascended Jesus. 

Chapters 8–12 (In Judea and Samaria)

Acts 9:1–9, 17, 20: The resurrected Jesus appears to Saul (Paul), leading to his conversion.

Acts 10:40–42: Peter tells Cornelius that God raised Jesus on the third day and appointed him as judge. 

Chapters 13–28 (To the ends of the earth)

Acts 13:30–31, 37: Paul preaches in Antioch that God raised Jesus to fulfill prophecy and prevent decay.

Acts 17:3, 18, 31–32: In Athens, Paul preaches Jesus and the resurrection, stating God proved judgment by raising him from the dead, which garners mixed reactions.

Acts 23:6: Paul declares he is on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.

Acts 24:21: Paul again states his offence was proclaiming the "resurrection of the dead".

Acts 25:19: Festus explains to King Agrippa what he understands to be fundamental in the accusations against Paul saying, “Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.”

Acts 26:22-23: Paul explains to King Agrippa that his teaching about the Messiah was both prophesied in the Old Testament and had actually now occurred. “I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen, that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

The significance of Jesus and his resurrection in Acts

The constant focus on Jesus and his resurrection in Acts highlights key aspects of early Christian belief: 

A historical fact: The resurrection is presented as a real event with eyewitnesses.

Divine validation: It proves Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God.

The basis for salvation: The resurrection is linked to forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Fulfilment of prophecy: The apostles show how Jesus's suffering and resurrection fulfill Old Testament prophecies.

The Source of the Holy Spirit: Jesus's ascension after the resurrection allows for the sending of the Holy Spirit. 

Was Paul Baptised in the Spirit?

When the first Christians were baptised in the Spirit, this event was associated with dramatic signs.  They were all together when they heard the sound of a violent wind blowing through the house where they were.  Then what seemed to be tongues of fire came down to rest on each of them.  They then began to speak in foreign languages.  The sound, probably of the wind attracted a large crowd of the foreign visitors, who were in Jerusalem for the Pentecost celebrations, came to see what was happening.  Then the Christians started talking with them in their own languages.  What is important is what they talked about:

“Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?  Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”  Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Acts 2:8-12

They shared with foreigners the ‘wonders of God.  This fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about God’s people declaring God’s glory to the nations

 “And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.  I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.” Isaiah 66:18–19

God has always intended his people to be a missionary people

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:1-3

What precisely did the Christians talk about when discussing the ‘wonders of God’?  Surely they would have explained how god intervened to save his people repeatedly in the past and had now definitely intervened in world history by entering his world himself in the form of Jesus.  Throughout the Bible these are the wonders of God.

Here are some other passages that reflect the same idea of declaring God’s mighty works or wonders.  Moses had reminded God’s people of the mighty acts of God in saving them in Deuteronomy 11:2–7

Jesus’ followers already had a tradition of celebrating God’s wonders.

“. . . the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.” Luke 19:37

This is what Christians do when celebrating Holy Communion.  We remember that it was through the death of the Lord Jesus, through his corpse and his shed blood that our sins have been taken by him.  Jesus said ‘This do in remembrance of me’, and by participating we are reminded of the wonderful story of our redemption.

Saul’s conversion

When Saul, later to be called Paul, met Jesus in flashing glory on the road to Damascus he fell to the ground and then heard a voice:

“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Acts 9:4

Saul was utterly confused asking,

“Who are you, Lord?”

This question was answered clearly,

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:6

The significance of this verse is easily overlooked.  Becoming a Christian will involve doing something for the Lord Jesus.  It will also involve obedience to what God says.  For three days, surely a significant number for Saul, he was blind, he was in the dark, until ananias bravely went at God’s command to speak with Saul.  He was told that he was praying and was expecting a man named ananias to visit him.  Ananias was told,

“This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. . . “ Acts 9:11

This Ananias bravely did.

“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptised,” Acts 9:17-18

Baptism is a public acknowledgment that Jesus is Lord of all and therefore my Lord.  It begins a new life, living with and for the lord Jesus. He could not only see physically but gradually everything about he gospel began to make sense.  After spending several days with Christians in Damascus an immediate change was seen:

“At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.  All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”  Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.” Acts 9:20-22

Saul was teaching an evidence based faith, that people must be Christians because it is true that Jesus is God’s Messiah, prophesied about in the Jewish Scriptures who had risen from the dead.

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit’s coming was marked by tongues of fire and a desire to tell others about the wonders of the gospel.. In Acts 9 Paul received the Holy Spirit through Ananias.  His immediate response was a longing to share the gospel with others, a sure mark of the holy Spirit’s presence.  This is still the case today:

“For we were all baptised by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”  1 Corinthians 12:13

Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit at his conversion (Acts 9:17), similar to other believers in Acts. While his experience lacked the dramatic outward signs of Acts 2, the dramatic internal work of the Spirit was clearly present.  Openly acknowledging the rule of Jesus in our lives is evidence that we have been born again by God.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10

We must be careful to distinguish what a real initiation into the work of the spirit involves.  It may or may not be associated with emotional experience, but it will always be followed by a longing to live for the Lord Jesus, to live closely with him for life and to share the gospel with others.  We are blessed when we are given the Spirit of God that results in these two features both of which centre on our Lord:

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” Psalm 89:15

BVP

Philip, a young personal worker

Some people seem to think that the answer to the church’s problems is to be more modern and use modern technology.  ‘Let’s get into the twentieth century; let’s computerise, the internet is the answer to everything,’ is the cry.

A vicar decided to use a word processor for his work.  In his service sheets for funerals he used the ‘Find and Replace’ instruction to change the name of the deceased.  He did this for funeral after funeral and was pleased with the time he was saving.  One week he changed the name from Mary, who had been buried the previous week, to Edna and printed out the service sheets.  All went well in the service until they came to the Apostles’ Creed.  Everyone was aghast when they read,

“Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Edna.”

Technology certainly has its place but there are no easy ways to be effective for Christ, and win others for him.  It is personal work and personal workers that are needed.  God could achieve his ends through a whole variety of means but he has chosen to use his people, acting as His representatives.  We are His body, our feet are His feet and our tongues are His!  As Paul said,

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though Christ were making his appeal through us.”  (2 Cor. 5:20).

Philip is a beautiful example of a young but well trained personal worker in the Bible.

Background  Acts 8:4-8

After Pentecost the early church hardly stopped in their efforts to share the gospel with others.  They were flogged and ordered not to speak about Jesus by the civil authorities but nothing could restrain them.

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.”  Acts 5 v. 42

The apostles found this ‘ministry of the word of God’, the preparation and the teaching so time consuming that they needed others to help them organise the day to day running of the church.  So they chose seven people, ‘full of the Holy Spirit’.  (Acts 6:3)

Today there is a lot of misunderstanding about what this means - to be full of the spirit.  Surely it is a shorthand way of saying that their spirits were completely under the control of God’s Spirit and consequently their words were his words and their actions were for him.

“Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires”  Romans 8:5

The chosen seven were therefore recognised as being men who were ‘living for God’ but were also wise, having the sense that was needed to organise a church.  Stephen and Philip were the first two on this list.

Isn’t this a lovely example of senior people in a church longing to be free for Bible teaching and evangelism, leaving the more junior deacons to do the administration.  So often today it is the opposite.  Today all too often the Bishops choose to do the administration leaving the less experienced and often less trained to do the Bible teaching and evangelism.  In some ways the bishops have become the deacons and the deacons have become the bishops!

Then came the martyrdom of Stephen and the subsequent persecution of the young church in Jerusalem by the Jewish authorities.  (Acts 8:1)

The Christians were scattered, ousted from their homes and jobs.  The Stalin or Milosevic of those days was a man called Saul!  The effect must have seemed to be disastrous to the early church leaders.  The church structure was destroyed.  People could no longer attend the Christian training sessions safely.  The organisers were no longer needed as there was no longer a church structure to organise.

But wait a moment, God changed this seeming disaster into something wonderful.  It is thrilling to see how He could turn an apparent defeat and make it into a victory!  The key was simple, those scattered “preached the word” wherever they went.

What a church!  They were truly ‘full of the Spirit’, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ.  The evidence for this was that they were primarily about the Lord’s business.  Jesus himself faced such tensions over priorities.  People came to him in their hoards to be healed, and this would undoubtedly make him very popular with the masses but that was not his priority.  He told his disciples that he must move on,

“So that I can preach there also.  That is why I have come.”  Mark 1:38

Philip was in all likelihood one of those church members who were scattered by the persecution.  He also ‘preached the word’ wherever he went (Acts 8:4).   The next verse says that he went up to Samaria to do this.  What does this shorthand phrase ‘preach the word’ really mean?  The answer is in verse 12.

“He preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.”

In other words he was teaching what we have described as the ‘potted gospel’, saying that no-one need remain in the ‘kingdom of Sin’ but they can transfer to become God’s people, in God’s Kingdom, by putting themselves under the authority of Jesus.

Something else was interesting about his approach.  He obviously taught that a public response to Jesus was necessary.  He didn’t leave them feeling comfortable by just telling them about the love of God. No, he explained that the only way they could be comfortable before God is to respond positively and openly to his Son, Jesus.  He did not worry who he talked to, both men and women needed to respond to God’s Son.  Both men and women responded and were baptised  (Acts 8 v. 12).  The phrase ‘both men and women’ is very striking, it was surely included because it was so remarkable.  (If you read John the Baptist’s Sermon in Luke chapter 3, the illustrations are all to do with men, see verses 11,12 and 14)

Philip obviously longed for and expected both men and women to respond to this gospel.  It is interesting what criteria Philip looked for in those he baptised.  In Acts 8:14 it says that “they had accepted the word of God”.  This would have meant accepting both the divine authority of Jesus, the ‘Word of God’ and consequently the teaching of Jesus.  A person is not yet a Christian until they have accepted this authority over their lives.

So far so good.  Philip understood,

1. That the word of God was central.

2. The significance of Jesus for everyone.

3. That a response to Jesus was needed.

It is interesting however that, although he knew all about the empowering of the Holy Spirit, he did not stress that the Samaritans could also be gifted in the same way, to empower them to live for Jesus.  Possibly this was because they were Samaritans, and he was unsure whether such people could be fully accepted by God as equal members of His church.  This was remedied when Peter and John came and accepted the new Christians as their equals and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit in the same way that they had.

It is encouraging that in spite of this misunderstanding in doctrinal matters, God used Philip mightily.

Now let us see from Acts chapter 8 what happens next, and learn from the story how we also can be effective for Christ even when there are many pressures on us.

Philip saw the example of the church leaders   Acts 8:14-25

How important this point is.  If the leaders are not living examples of people who are all out for Christ, it is unlikely that their churches will be.  Acts 8:25 reads:

“After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.”

This shows that these church leaders were open examples of men who,

1. Testified, that is they told others what they knew,

2.   Openly taught others the ‘Word of God’.    

It is probable that Philip was still young and single, yet he was a man of the Spirit.  He was a great man because he trusted and obeyed a great God.  He, like his teachers, longed that others should hear and respond to the gospel.

There was an Anglican Church in London that was growing very fast.  Its services were full.  They had the choice of expanding their own church building, having additional services, planting another church nearby.  They decided to plant a church on an estate one and a half miles away.  Unfortunately this was in another parish. The news got out and the local bishop received complaints.  The vicar and his churchwarden, a retired army Brigadier were summonsed to a meeting with two local bishops.  The Brigadier kept calling the bishops ‘General’, but even this approach did not prevent the bishops expressing their concerns forcefully.  In the end the Brigadier said to the senior bishop,

“General, let me get this clear.  We are trying to preach the gospel.”  He paused momentarily,  “And you are trying to stop it.”

Mouths dropped, but the church plant went ahead.

How desperately we need the senior people in our churches to have this passion for Christ, this passion for sharing the gospel with others and teaching them God’ word, just as those early church leaders did. This is how to set the standards for the next generation.  I have been greatly influenced by Leith Samuel who was a great Christian leader of the last generation.  At his funeral today David Jackman said of him,

“Whether in the pulpit, or in the train going up to the Westminster Fellowship, in the open air, or one to one in the arm chair at home, it is my conviction that Leith was never happier than when he was sharing the gospel and declaring the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Philip was open to God’s leading.    Acts 8:26-40   

We are not told exactly how the angel spoke to young Philip.  It could have been in a dream or vision, it could have been through other Christians or church leaders, but he recognised it as coming directly from God.  I love the association between verses 26 where Philip is told ‘GO’, and verse 27 where it says ‘SO’.  God directs so Philip immediately responds.  (If you look at the early chapters of Mark’s version of the gospel, you will note how often it is stressed that people responded immediately to Jesus.)

The proof that Philip lived to please his Lord is his obedience to the commands of God.  If you want real proof that someone is full of the Spirit look to see if they are obedient to the ‘word of God’.

When I first read this story it appeared that God had lead Philip into the wilderness and Philip was uncertain what it was all about, perhaps waiting for something to happen.  Further study makes it seem more likely that Philip was on his way to Gaza, where the Palestinians (then called Philistines) lived, in order to teach the gospel to them.  In Acts 8:40 he arrives at Azotus, which was the contemporary name for the Old Testament city of Ashdod.  This was one of the five great Philistine cities, which was only 15 miles from Gaza.

There are some Christians who seem to be active Christians for their own sakes.  They make good friends, they are respected and admired in the church fraternity.  Philip was not like that.  He was willing to put himself out to please his Lord, even if it meant doing things for God that others might not notice.  It is people such as Philip that God uses.

A Coincidence Happens!     

Philip was walking along the road that leads down from Jerusalem to Gaza when he is overtaken by a slow moving chariot.  Contemporary pictures show these chariots as having four wheels.  Can you imagine the scene as Philip looks up and sees an important man behind his charioteer, probably wearing fine clothes.  There might also have been some outriders.  It is likely that this Ethiopian eunuch was a man of integrity.  He appears interested in knowing God’s ways and he was trusted enough to be the official in charge of the Candace.  Candace was the traditional title of a Queen Mother, who used to run the country on behalf of her son, the king, as he was reckoned to be too sacred for such mundane tasks.  It was at this point in the story that the coincidence happened.  Was it just a coincidence?  William Temple was an Archbishop of Canterbury and he was asked why he bothered to pray. He replied,

“I find it strange that when I pray, coincidences happen, when I don’t pray coincidences don’t happen.’

Philip hears the man in the chariot reading a scroll. You might think that the chariot would be standing still in a lay-by, as it would be difficult to read racing along and scrolls were rather too expensive to risk being torn when they went over a bump, but further investigation makes this unlikely.  Verse 30 says that Philip had to run to catch the chariot up and verse 38 says that the Ethiopian ‘gave orders to stop the chariot’. It seems likely therefore that the chariot was moving along at walking speed.

You and I might be overawed by such an important person, but not young Philip.  He recognised that people such as this also need to hear the gospel. They are only human after all.  A rector was driving in an undertaker’s car to take a funeral.  They drove past a very rich house in his parish and were admiring it when the undertaker exclaimed,

“You know vicar, they all look the same when they come to us!”

Philip was alerted when he heard what the Ethiopian was reading. In those days all reading was done out loud.

“He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a lamb before his sheerer is silent, So he did not open his mouth.”

Can you imagine the excitement that Philip felt as he recognised that passage from the word of God, from Isaiah 53?

In those days there would not have been a vast choice of scrolls that the eunuch could have bought in the Jerusalem bookshop, as everything had to be written out by hand, but it was still an amazing coincidence.  Philip obviously knew Isaiah 53 well.  He probably also knew that Jesus had taught that that chapter was about himself. Jesus had said,

“It is written, ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’ and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me.”  (Luke 22 v. 37)

The Ethiopian was reading about Jesus!  No wonder Philip was excited.  This coincidence was too strange for words.  He must have felt that God was behind this.

Do you ever feel like that, when something that someone says or does, demonstrates that they have an interest in the things of God, and you are prompted to stay around as an opportunity to speak for Christ may appear?  Philip could not restrain himself.  He runs up to the chariot.  It seems likely that his boldness came from his recognition that God was in this coincidence.

The next point in the story is very important for us if we are to learn to be really effective for Christ.

He asked a direct question

If you have not learnt to ask questions of people you will miss out on so many opportunities.  As Philip runs up to the chariot he asks the eunuch,

“Do you understand what you are reading?”  Acts 8:30

Some may think this rather forward and rather risky.  It could result in his being snubbed or ridiculed by this important man.  The ruler could have said,

“Who are you, you young Jewish man to approach me in this manner whilst I am relaxing?”

Philip’s motto seems to have been,‘Nothing venture, nothing gain.’

The question he asked is brilliant.  He did not say a casual “Good scroll that!” or “I’ve read that”.  Instead he asks a personal question,

“Do youunderstand what you are reading?”

An urgency is also implied in this question as if he were asking “Do you understand that – it really does matter!”

How important it is for all of us to learn to ask polite but real questions.  When we meet people who are going through problems we can sensitively ask,

“Do you have a faith that helps you at a time like this, or aren’t you sure?”

When talking to someone about religious matters you can ask,

“Are you a Christian yourself, or are you still uncertain?”   

“Are you certain you are right with God and going to heaven or are you a bit unsure?”

There are many such questions.  Giving people alternative answers does prevent us from cornering people and allows them to admit that they are uncertain and so lead on to further conversation.  If you have not learnt this secret of effective personal work, please do learn it from Philip.

“Do you understand what you are reading?”

As so often happens after asking a direct question, the reply opens up a very profitable conversation.

“How can I, unless someone explains it to me.”

How Philip must have been thrilled as the Ethiopian asked,

“Would you mind explaining to me who the prophet is talking about?  Come up and join me in my chariot.”

Do you know this thrill of being in such situations?

Let us be clear, evangelism is explaining the story and significance of Jesus.  We are not evangelising if we are not talking about him!  Some people think that talking about their religious experiences is enough, but this is not true.  Our role is to explain to others who Jesus is and what he has done.

He knew his Bible well

Firstly he was able to recognise those verses from the prophet Isaiah and was able to explain the significance of that chapter to an inquirer.  More than that he was able to show from multiple passages in the Old Testament that these books were all about Jesus.  (Acts 8:35)  How many young Christians today could do that?

The interesting question to ask is how did he learn to do this?

The answer must be that he had been to training Bible Studies where the emphasis was to learn what a passage means and be able to explain and apply it to people we meet.  They would not be studies where leaders were content to ask,

“What do you most like about this passage?”

They must have spent considerable time learning the words and meaning of God’s word to us.  It is relevant that after Pentecost, when 3000 people were converted, the new Christians, “devoted themselves to the apostles teaching”.  Surely this is how he knew that Jesus had said that Isaiah 53 was about himself, because Peter and John and the other apostles had taught them what Jesus had said at the last supper.

Those early Christians were undoubtedly ‘people of the Word’.  They expected Christians to do some prep!  Thus Peter taught

“Always be prepared to give an answer . . . ” 1 Peter 3:15

Paul said to Timothy

“Be prepared in season and out of season . . .”    2 Tim 4:2

“Be Prepared” may be the motto for the scout movement, but it should also be that of the church.  Let us all encourage each other to spend time doing our Christian homework or prep, learning the Bible well and learning how to explain these things to others.

There is a hint of something else important in the manner in which Philip talked to the eunuch.  He did not immediately jump up and recite a sermon to him that he had learnt by heart.  He appears to have entered into a two-way dialogue with question and answer.  There is an inference of this polite relationship in verse 34 –

“Tell me please, who is the prophet talking about?”

Philip had obviously learned to:

“Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect.”  1 Peter 3:15

Just as Philip had been taught the ‘Word of God’ as part of his early Christian training, so now he is teaching it to others.  This is the essential cycle of the church.  As in a relay race, we pass on the baton of knowledge of God’s Word to others.  After his resurrection Jesus met his disciples in the upper room and what did he do then?

“He opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures”  Luke 24:45

In Samaria, Peter and John:

“. . . proclaimed the word of God”  Acts 8:25

When Philip was talking with the Ethiopian, he:

“ . . . began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus”  Acts 8:35

Chris Richardson gave up a very good job, with excellent prospects for promotion, in order to share this gospel with others full time.  He now works with overseas students in Sheffield.  He met a Chinese scholar who appeared totally ignorant of the Christian gospel.  After a discussion he and his friends were invited to a Bible study.  They had never seen a Bible before that week.  Chris asked for them to prepare by reading the first three chapters of Genesis and the first chapter of John’s gospel.  At the study, after looking at the Genesis chapters for half an hour Chris asked this Chinese man, “How does God communicate with humans?”  After a pause he replied, “I think God communicates with humans by sending Jesus”.  In such a short time he had grasped that the message of the whole Bible is essentially about Jesus.

He taught that an open response to Jesus is needed

Philip was not satisfied to tell the message about Jesus, he explained that a response must be made to this message.  This response can only be “Yes, I accept him” or “No, I don’t want him”.  A response of “I understand” may be encouraging but it is inadequate.  The only response that God finds acceptable is:

“Yes, I want to be committed to Jesus”.

The Ethiopian obviously understood this.  He asked:

“Why shouldn’t I be baptised?” Acts 8:37

There and then that is what happened.  He symbolically died to his old life by going under the water and rose again from it to live a new life.  It is also a picture of his being washed of the sin of his old life and the beginning of a new holy life, lived with and for Jesus.  Philip must have taught him that the prime object of life was to become right with God and then live close to him.  It is not primarily ‘join the church’ and live in harmony in the Christian community – these things are secondary.  It is possible to be involved with a church and not have a personal relationship with Jesus for ourselves.  It was Martin Luther who stressed that Christianity consists of personal pronouns. Saying

“Many religious people can say, “Jesus is Lord”.  Only those right with God can say “Jesus is my Lord””!

After his meeting with the Ethiopian, the Lord took Philip away.  They probably never met up again in this life.  Yet it is said that the Coptic Church developed from that one man.  How could that happen?  What did the Ethiopian have to help him after his conversion?  There were probably few other Christians around.  The answer must be that he had the Bible and God’s Spirit to help him.  There is certainly no indication that the Ethiopian was daunted over the possible problems he would face.  Verse 39 says,

“He went on his way rejoicing”.

He had understood the answer to life.  He was right with God because of Jesus. This joy is a common mark of true conversion.  A few chapters later the jailer of the prison in Philippi became a Christian.

“He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family.”

His circumstances changed but not his priority

It would be easy to think that this is the story of an idealistic young man who was able to behave in this way because he had the enthusiasm of youth and few responsibilities.  There is evidence however that Philip did not change in later years.  This is slightly speculative but this passage states that Philip:

“. . . traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea”.  Acts 8:40

Caesarea was sixty miles north of Gaza.  What is it that normally causes a young man to settle down like this?  It is likely  that he met a young lady and got married. There is some evidence to support this.  Twenty years or so later, the apostle Paul was returning from his second missionary journey and he arrived by boat at Caesarea.

“We reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.  He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied” Acts 21:8-9

This means that Philip’s daughters were probably in their late teens.  It therefore seems probable that, in spite of his responsibilities of a wife and large family he still longed that others should come to know Jesus.  It is only at this time that he is given the title ‘Philip the Evangelist’.  This is so encouraging, a different situation, a large family but Jesus is still his priority.  That is the mark of a Christian.

BVP

The Message of Paul’s First Recorded Sermon

Paul’s sermon at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:16–41) was his first recorded sermon and a key moment in his missionary work. He delivered it in a synagogue to both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. Its structure is similar to that of Peter’s first sermon at Pentecost and this suggests there was a common outline of the preaching of the early church.  His main points can be summarised as follows:

1. God’s Faithfulness to Israel’s History (vv. 16–22)

Paul begins by reviewing Israel’s history to connect with his Jewish audience:

God chose the people of Israel in Egypt.

He delivered them from slavery.

He gave them the land of Canaan.

He gave them judges and then kings, including David.

This beginning surely aimed to reassure his listeners that the Christian message about the coming of the /messiah was a fulfilment of the Jewish Scriptures and establish a continuity with Jewish history.  He showed that God had always been actively working toward something greater.

2. Jesus Is the Promised Saviour from David’s Line (vv. 23–25)

“From this man’s descendants (David’s) God has brought to Israel the Saviour Jesus, as he promised.” (v. 23)

He confirmed that Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s promise to David.

He reminded them that John the Baptist prepared the way and pointed people to Jesus.

In this was he showed how how Jesus is the Messiah in fulfilment of prophecy.

3. Jesus Was Rejected and Crucified, but God Raised Him (vv. 26–31)

The people and rulers in Jerusalem did not recognise Jesus.

Though innocent, He was condemned and crucified.

God raised Him from the dead, and many witnesses saw Him.

He established the resurrection was proof of Jesus’ identity and authority.

4. Jesus Fulfils Old Testament Prophecy (vv. 32–37)

Paul quotes Scripture to show the resurrection was foretold:

Psalm 2:7 – “You are my Son…”

Isaiah 55:3 – The sure mercies of David.

Psalm 16:10 – “You will not let your Holy One see decay.”

Thus he proved from Scripture that Jesus was the risen Messiah.

5. Justification Comes Through Faith in Jesus, Not the Law (vv. 38–39)

“Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin…”

Paul now stresses that salvation is not found in belonging to a group of people but only in a personal relationship with Jesus, who is God’s Son who has entered his world.  He emphasise forgiveness and justification come only through faith in Christ, not through the Law of Moses or Judaism.

6. Warning Not to Reject This Message (vv. 40–41)

Paul ends with a warning from Habakkuk 1:5:

“Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish…”

There is a personal appeal to make a decision about Jesus and he urged them not to reject God’s offer of salvation.

This sermon lays the foundation that now all people, both Jews and Gentiles can be included in God’s eternal kingdom because of the Gospel about Jesus.

Application of these lessons in Paul’s sermon to today

When any Christian is trying to explain the gospel to others it is very important to find a bridge that links you and what you have to say to your listeners.  Paul started by reaffirming their common Jewish heritage and builds on that.

1. Trust God’s Faithfulness in History

Just as Paul recounted how God had guided Israel through history, we’re reminded that God is sovereign and faithful across generations.  He reminds them that God has a plan and purpose, even when we don’t see it.  He encourages them to live with confidence that His promises still hold true today.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

2. Know and Proclaim the Gospel Clearly

Paul preached that Jesus had been publicly crucified and had then risen.  His message was evidence based and was given with clarity, boldness, and Scriptural support. We must be ready to do the same.  We also must learn how to explain the Christian Gospel clearly, having learn supportive Scripture to back our message so we can share it clearly.  It is vital that we keep Jesus at the centre of our message, not morality or religion.

Salvation can never be found by our religious affiliations, by our good works, or family tradition, it can only be found through having a personal; relationship with Jesus Christ himself.

3. Rely on the Resurrection as the Foundation of Faith

Paul centreed his sermon on the resurrection of . It’s not optional — it’s essential.  His resurrection both proved his claim to be the Son of God but also signifies that we, Christ’s followers have been given a new power to live a very different life with Jesus at the centre.  Our would is a world full of despair and death and we can share the hope of resurrection live with any who will repent and turn back to live God’s way.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile . . .” – 1 Corinthians 15:17

4. Emphasise that Justification is only by Faith, Not Works

Paul said,

“Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin…” Acts 13:39

No-one can win God’s favour through the way we live.   Salvation is a gift for those who turn to Christ and we can rest in the freedom of this fact.  We, like the apostles and early church need to share this freeing truth with others stuck in legalism or guilt.

5. Understand That Some Will Reject the Message

Paul ends with a warning: don’t scoff at or dismiss God’s offer of salvation.  The decision people make will affect their eternal destiny.  Our job is to proclaim the gospel clearly, the decision is theirs.  We should not be discouraged by rejection - it’s an inevitable part of Gospel ministry.  We should stay faithful, even when people resist or oppose us.

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing . . .” 1 Corinthians 1:18

6. Recognise that the Gospel Is for All People

Though he spoke in a synagogue, Paul’s message was also given the Gentiles that were present, showing that the Gospel is for all people, whatever their nationality or religious background.  The church today should also cross ethnic, cultural and social boundaries with the Gospel God has commissioned us with.  No one is beyond God’s reach.

Paul’s sermon challenges us to boldly declare the Gospel, to trust God’s faithfulness, and to live in the freedom and power of resurrection hope.

BVP

Acts 4:1-31 Only One Way

In October 2025, 20 surviving Israeli hostages were released, as were 1900 Palestinians, many of whom had been associated with the violent Palestinian organisation, Hamas.  It has been widely said that their freedom has been brought about by the drive of one man, Donald Trump.  People everywhere are talking about Trump, would he do the same for Ukraine?  Whatever you think about him he is undoubtedly a major factor, he has power.

Yet there has been an even greater rescue in the history of the world that one man has achieved, yet there is much pressure on people not to talk about him.

Today you often hear people say,

“We are not allowed to talk about Christian things at work”

Astounding, this is in a country with laws about freedom of religion and free speech.

Throughout the book of Acts the one central defence of Christian leaders, which arraign ed before the authorities, whether Jewish or secular was ‘What we are teaching is true, really true’

This account is of the first public examination of what the church was teaching.  Note what had happened.  Peter and John had just healed a man, over 40 years old, who had been a paraplegic since birth.  Onlookers were astonished and gathered in the Court of Gentiles of the temple to hear Peter explain that this miracle was done through Jesus.  He didn’t mince his words:

“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.  You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” Acts 3:13-15

He finished this talk with an appeal:

“Anyone who does not listen to him (Jesus) will be completely cut off from their people.” Acts 3:23

That is blunt and uncompromising.  In the listening crowd were a group of Sadducees, the rulers of Israel who controlled the Sanhedrin.  They did not accept there was a resurrection or an after-life.

“They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.” Acts 4:2

What was even worse was that people were believing what Peter and John were saying:

“But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.” Acts 4:4

The Sanhedrin felt something had to be done so they had Peter and John arrested and kept in prison until a hearing before the full Sanhedrin took place the next day.  Remember this was the body that had had Jesus crucified just 7 weeks before.  There was no charge, just a question:

“By what power or what name did you do this?”

Did they mean ‘preach publicly’ or did they mean ‘heal the paraplegic man’? They already knew the answers to both.  Peter did not need a permit to speak in the Court of Gentiles.  They wanted to see if Peter would crumble under extreme pressure and deny Jesus.  Instead Peter gives a remarkably bold uncompromising response emphasising the exclusivity of the Christian message.

The audience - the Sanhedrin

Amongst these rulers was Caiaphas, the ruling High Priest between 18-36 AD.  He had been responsible for the execution of Jesus.  Annas was also there (v.6).  He was a fascinating powerful figure.  He had been the High Priest between 6-15 AD and was now father-in-law of Caiaphas.  Four of Annas’ sons had been made High Priest and now it was his son-in-law’s turn.  This dynasty reeked of nepotism.  They were all Sadducees.

The trial took place in the temple, the centre of Judaism.  This place represented the presence of God, it was where people sought God’s pardon through the sacrificial system.  The temple was meant to be where God’s truth was declared to the people and it was in this very place that Peter talks boldly about Jesus.  The core of his answer is seen in verse 12:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

There can be no doubt what they are doing.  They are boldly saying to the rulers of Israel:

“You have made a terrible mistake in not recognising who Jesus is”

Note the audacity to speak like that before this audience.

The defence - the Truth

Peter’s defence was to tell the truth so he pinpoints Jesus, ‘the bête noire’ of the Sanhedrin.  Look at what he says:

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!  If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.” Acts 4:8-10

Note how wise the Christians were.  They had arranged for the healed man to come as a witness and he was standing there with them.

The word ‘healed’ can also be translated ‘saved’.  Salvation was the purpose of the temple.  The temple had been built so that salvation and peace with God could be obtained.  The temple was the centre for teaching how God wanted his people to live.  However now all this was being changed.  Jesus the man they crucified had risen from the dead to show that he had now replaced their religion.  New wine cannot fit in old wineskins. He is now the only way to be saved, it is only through Jesus that can people find peace with God.  It is now through Jesus and his apostles that we know how he wants us to live.

Christianity is not a religion, the means by which we try to satisfy God.  The word ‘religion’ is derived from the Latin ‘re-ligare’ to try to tie ourselves back into God’s favour.  Religion is what we do to try and satisfy God but whatever we do can never satisfy him.  All of us have sinned and fall short of his glory.  Our only hope is if God himself can come and pay the price for our sin.  That is what Jesus has done.  The Christian faith is not a philosophy like Hinduism or Buddhism, it is not a symbolic idea, it is not a set of rules..

Christianity is the only religion that is based on the work of one man, Jesus - God’s Messiah, or God’s Chosen King who lived and died on that cross so we can be put right with God.  He did miracles and rose from the dead to prove his claim.  No-one else has done that.  Furthermore he fulfilled all those 330 Old Testament prophecies about the future Messiah. Christianity is based on one man who lived and died at a fixed time in the world’s history.

This is why Peter pinpoints Jesus.  Jesus is the heart of his speech.  It is significant that he quotes from Psalm 118:

“Jesus is “the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else . .”   Acts 4:11-12, Psalm118:22

This Psalm is one of the famous Messianic passages in the Old Testament.  It was one of the psalms sang by pilgrims as they walked towards Jerusalem for one of the festivals., it would have been recently sung as they approached Jerusalem for the recent ‘Feast of Pentecost’. This is what it says:

“I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.

The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  From the house of the Lord we bless you.” Psalm 118:21-26

Peter is saying that Jesus has fulfilled this prophecy about the Messiah.  Remember what the crowd shouted on Palm Sunday?  Jesus has come to save us.  This should be a day of great rejoicing, not condemnation.

Did you notice a subtle change in the quote Peter used?  Psalm 118 says ‘the stone the builders rejected’ whereas the bold Peter said, ‘The stone you builders rejected’.  This is remarkable, to talk about your judges in this way.  They could only get away with it if it was true.

In ancient large buildings everything depended on the massive ‘cornerstone’.  It was immovable and gave security to the whole building.

Peter is actually saying to the High Priest and the other dignitaries present:

“The death and resurrection of Jesus fulfils the Old Testament prophecies and proves that Jesus is Lord of all.  More than that, he is now the foundation stone on which God is building the future.  In Jesus alone are all of God’s eternal blessings.  Reject Jesus and you prove yourself to be outside of God’s eternal purposes.”

To talk like that takes guts, but God’s Spirit had emboldened him, just as he emboldens all of us to speak about Jesus.

The temple had represented God’s revelation to man, it was where sacrifices were offered to satisfy God but now Jesus had taken these role to himself.  He was the ultimate sacrifice.  Within a generation that temple was destroyed, and never rebuilt. However Jesus had said early in his ministry:

“Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days.” John 2:19

Neither the Jews nor the disciples had understood this but later John wrote:

“But the temple he had spoken of was his body.  After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said.  Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.” John 2:21-22

Jesus is the only means by which men and women of any nation or religion can be saved.  This is the substance of Peter and John’s defence.  He is asking the Sanhedrin to come to Jesus.

Come to Jesus, Jesus is God’s revelation

Come to Jesus, come under his rule, take his yoke upon you

Come to Jesus and receive God’s pardon for all your sin

Come to Jesus, he and now his Spirt are God’s presence

Come to Jesus and receive God’s eternal blessing.

A 10 year old schoolboy asked his form teacher,

“Sir, have you ever seen God?”

The teacher wisely replied,

“No, but if I had lived in Israel 2000 years ago I could have done.”

That is what Jesus and his apostles taught us.  It is never what we do, our moral behaviour, our commitment to our religion that can put us right with god, it is what God has done in Christ to save us.

The Outcome

This story is full of irony.  In it the power and authority of the temple and its rulers are gradually slipping away.  It was similar to what happened at the Berlin Wall in 1990.  Gorbachov’s Soviet Union  was collapsing because of the boldness of those who believed in democracy.  Similarly it was the boldness of the Christians that caused the power of Judaism to ebb away.  History shows that truth always wins eventually.  Look t the sequence:

v.13  The elite are astonished at the disciples courage, ‘They took note that these men had been with Jesus.’

v.14  They were silenced because of the evidencc.  The healed man was standing there.

v.16  They were forced to admit defeat, ‘What are we going to do’

v.17-18  They resorted to the abuse of power, ‘Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.’

As the Christians speak up about the truth of Jesus so opposition withers.  Peter and John’s reply was magnificent:

“Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20

Were the disciples arrogant?

How dare these formally uneducated men stand up against God’s chosen authorities in the land?  These disciples are insisting that there is a higher authority and that is God’s truth.  The facts about Jesus, his crucifixion and resurrection could so easily have been investigated and witnesses called for.  But if confirmed it would mean everyone would have to recognise Jesus’ claim to be God’s only son, the Messiah.  His claim to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin, who carried on that cross God’s judgment, would mean that Judaism as a religion was finished.  No, it wasn’t truth that mattered to the authorities it was political expediency.

In Jesus we have the final revelation from God for mankind.  He is our one true ruler:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Graciously speaking the truth is never arrogant.

Today there are many who suggest that all religions are essentially the same.  The Baháʼí temple near Chicago is a nine-sided structure with nine doors that symbolize the Baháʼí belief in the unity of all religions. The temple is designed to be a place of worship for people of all backgrounds and religions.

Some Christian cathedrals and churches have even organised multi faith services.  Doesn’t truth matter any more to Christians?

Henry Martyn (1781-1812), Anglican missionary, was the guest of a Muslim friend for dinner. His host described for him a painting he had seen of Jesus bowing down before Muhammad.

“I was cut to the soul at this blasphemy.  Mirza Seid Ali perceived that I was considerably disordered and asked what it was that was so offensive? I told him

‘I could not endure existence if Jesus was not glorified; it would be hell to me if He were to be always thus dishonoured.’

The Muslim was astonished and again asked ‘Why?’ Martyn replied,

‘If anyone pluck out your eyes, ‘there is no saying why you feel pain; it is feeling. It is because I am one with Christ that I am thus dreadfully wounded.'”

We are not arrogant to graciously insist that Jesus be highly honoured because the evidence shouts that he really is God’s one and only Son who entered his world.  No other religion recognises Jesus to be God who came to be the only Saviour of the whole world.  They are all opposed to the deity of Jesus and to deny this difference is simply wrong.

The authorities told Peter and John not to talk about:

“Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!  As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20

Christians must be bold

The Sanhedrin recognised the reason Peter and John could answer them with such boldness:

“. . . they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

They threatened the disciples again, giving them one last chance to obey them, but they had to let them go as undoubtedly a miracle had been performed that everyone knew about, the previously paraplegic man was standing there healed.

Today there is great pressure on Christians from the secular elite and from other religious groups for us to keep quiet in spite of the laws of this country.  They want to silence the claims of Jesus, claims that are so challenging.

When Peter and John related these events to others in the young church, they reminded each other that this opposition was to be expected.  They reminded the believers of Psalm 2.  Note that even in this early days, the Word of God was the foundation of the church:

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.”

Yet the Psalm goes on:

“The one enthroned in heaven laughs . . .” Psalm 2:4

Notice their reaction to these threats, a reaction that should be ours today.  They all prayed:

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” Acts 4:29

As they prayed the place where they were meeting was shaken. God blessed them all:

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

Hugh Latimer once preached before King Henry VIII. Henry was greatly displeased by the boldness in the sermon and ordered Latimer to preach again on the following Sunday and apologise for the offence he had given. The next Sunday, after reading his text, he thus began his sermon:

"Hugh Latimer, do you know before whom you are this day to speak? To the high and mighty monarch, the king's most excellent majesty, who can take away your life, if you offend him. Therefore, take heed that you do not speak a word that may displease. But then consider well, Hugh, don’t you know from where you came - upon Whose message you are sent? Even by the great and mighty God, Who is all-present and Who sees all you do and Who is able to cast your soul into hell! Therefore, take care that you deliver your message faithfully."

He then preached the same sermon he had preached the preceding Sunday--and with considerably more energy. 

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

“As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” Acts 4:20

Do you remember the words the Lord said to Joshua that keep being repeated in the Bible,

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

So let us all determine to leave here determined to be bold and courageous on behalf of our Lord and Saviour.

BVPalmer

Acts 19:21-41 Is Christianity a Threat?

This is a real problem for many.  They feel threatened by Christianity and feel it causes problems.  This passage addresses this issue.  In many societies Christians are persecuted as if they were the vilest of foes.

Luke wrote the book of Acts to encourage Christians to remain convinced that their faith does come from God and all will work out well in the end if they persevere.  To help in this he defines the content of the Christian message, he defends the credibility of the gospel and he encourages all Christians to publicly declare the message to others around them.

The difficulty is that although Christians should always be the most loyal members of society, they do this because they are God-fearing.  Truth should never upset anybody but the truth is that people often do get upset when their ideas are challenged.  The Christian faith is God’s solution for disrupted societies yet often it is these very societies that reject Jesus and his message.

Christianity is intellectually and spiritually intolerant

As the Christian ‘good news’ advanced in the first century its advocates quickly faced opposition.

a. Conflict with the Sanhedrin

In Acts 5 Peter and John were arrested on the orders of the High Priest and on trial before the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews in Jerusalem, because of their popular teaching about Jesus and the healing of a paralysed man.  The Lord miraculously freed them during the night and then told them,

“Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.” Acts 5:20

At daybreak the next morning they ‘did as they had been told’ and they again taught the people in the temple courts.  Meanwhile the Sanhedrin had gathered and they called for Peter and John from the prison cells.  They found there were sentries still standing in the prison and the prison doors were still locked but there were no longer any prisoners.  When they heard that the apostles were back preaching in the temple courts they immediately had them rearrested and brought to the Sanhedrin.  There the high priest told them,

“We gave you strict orders not to teach nay more in this name, yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Acts 5:28

At this Peter and the other apostles responded with remarkable bravery, especially as this very same Sanhedrin had orchestrated to execution of Jesus,

“We must obey God rather than men!  The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead – whom you killed by hanging him on a tree,  God exalted him to his right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Wow!  The Sanhedrin immediately wanted to put the apostles to death and they were only saved by the wise intervention of the wise old man, Gamaliel.  Consequently the apostles were flogged and    again ‘ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus’ and let them go.

“The apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.  Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 5:42

b.  Conflict in Philippi

Paul’s first major stop in Europe was in Philippi.  Paul was being hassled by a slave girl who had a ‘spirit by which she foretold the future’.

“She earned a great deal of money for her owners through fortune telling.” Acts 16:16

Paul eventually commanded this spirit to leave her but she lost her powers and her owners were furious when ‘they realised that their hope of making money was gone.’  They seized Paul and took him before the magistrates with the accusation,

“These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practise.” Acts 16:20-21

A crowd then gathered to attack Paul and Silas so the two were flogged and put in prison.  They were again miraculously freed from this difficult situation but they stayed to explain the gospel to the jailer who was overwhelmed.  The magistrates then asked them to leave the city

c.  Conflict in Thessalonica

Their next stop was Thessalonica and there they first went to the synagogue and for three successive weeks Paul,

“ . . . reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.  ‘This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’” Acts 17:2-3

Paul was unashamed and bold in telling people about Jesus.

“But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the market-place, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.” Acts 17:5

They could not find Paul and Silas so Jason, the owner of the house where they were staying and some other Christians were taken to the city officials,

“These men who have cause trouble all over the world have now come here. . . They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” Acts 17:6-7

Again Paul and Silas had to flee.

d.  Conflict in Berea

The next stop was Berea and as usual they went to the synagogue to tell them about Jesus, their Messiah.

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character that the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11

Although many Jews in Berea were convinced and turned to Christ, trouble followed Paul,

“When the Jews in Thessalonica heard that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too,, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.” Acts 17:13

So Paul had to flee for his life and instead he taught the Gentiles of Athens about Jesus.  Wherever the gospel advances there is trouble but there is no need to be ashamed!

e.  Conflict in Athens

Paul later spent three years teaching the gospel in Ephesus.  Paul started in the synagogue but was only tolerated there for a short time, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.  But some of them became obstinate.

“Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.  But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.” Acts 19:8-9

So Paul took the Church into a secular building for the next two and a half years.  The church was growing rapidly, so much so that Demetrius, a local silversmith decided to stir up trouble.  He and his colleagues had had a good income making silver shrines of the local goddess Artemis but now their pockets were threatened.  He told his colleagues together and said,

“And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia.  He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.” Acts 19:26

So again there was a riot basically because their pockets were being affected but as so often happened, this was couched in religious terms.  Demetrius continued,

“. . . the temple of our great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshipped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” Acts 19:27

They felt that it was up to them to stop the church, and so admitting that their God was impotent.  Many radical Muslims think similarly but the Christians weapon is never the sword but through teaching the truth and persuading people both by argument and by the lives we live.

“Take . . . the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17

“For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane Peter decided to use a real sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the High priest’s servant.  This has a significance as whenever Christians try to use force such as anger to defend themselves they actually stop people listening to the gospel - their ears become closed.

How to defend Christianity

A Christian was travelling in a taxi in London and the driver was talking about the spread of pornography in society,

“What I once saw in one place, in Soho, is now common place across all the city – public sexual acts and incapacity because of alcohol or drugs.”

The clergyman asked why he thought this was happening but got no answer so he suggested,

“Might it be because we are distancing ourselves from the Christian faith?”

“Oh no mate!  Christianity causes trouble!”

This is a common idea.  Is Christianity really bad for society.  Are Christians bad people?  Should Christianity be banned?  People tend to think that encouraging people to think about the claims of Jesus is the cause of trouble but in fact it is the acrid reaction of those who hate the message that is the problem.  People hate having their views opposed and will go to great extremes to prevent this happening.

In the rest of the book of Acts, Luke describes how Paul defends the Christian faith confidently and robustly with the aim of encouraging other Christians to do the same in their societies.

Demetrius recognised that the gospel was impacting his pocket and those of his friends.  His love of the religious practices of Ephesus was not based on the concept that their faith was true but that their tradition benefitted them and their lifestyle.  This point keeps being emphasised,

“A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen.” Acts 19:24

“There is a danger not only that our trade will lose its good name but also that . . .” Acts 19:27

The gospel was challenging the way they thought.  The numbers attending the temple were going down.  The temple prostitutes were becoming restless.  All they cherished, their man made philosophies were being challenged.

Artemis was the Greek goddess of hunting.  She was the daughter of Zeus and Leto.  Although a virgin she was said to help women in childbirth and on the first night of their marriage.  The temple built for her was on a rocky outcrop above Ephesus and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  There were three classes of priestess.  Their annual festival was one long orgy.  It is therefore no surprise that the Christian message was a direct challenge to their promiscuity.  Demetrius understood this well when he summarised the conflict.

“He says that man-made gods were no gods at all.” Acts 19:26

Surely anyone should be able to see the flaw in Demetrius’ argument.  How can something man has made be worthy of worship?  How can this idol have created this universe and tell us how we should live?  The idea is absurd that a silver temple bought in a gift shop should be revered.   Yet this faith was widespread.  In the film ‘Gladiator’ Maximus is shown on his campaign carrying around a little silver shrine.

The temple of Artemis and its statues were all made with human hands.  Even the meteorite that was a central feature came from within this creation!

This is the root question, ‘Which faith is true’.  This should be a matter for discussion about the evidence, not violence or hatred.  The same can be said today.  Some Muslims feel that the way to promote their religion will only be achieved through violence. What should be discussed is whether it is true.  There is now much evidence to show that it was a late invention, well after the time of Muhammed.

Does Christianity cause trouble and threaten how people live?

Surely the answer should be,

“I do hope so.”

Whenever people are devoted to what is neither true nor beneficial they should be encouraged to reject these intellectual and spiritual counterfeits.  The true God is deeply offended when we give our worship to something that is not God – he regards it as treason.  The first of the Ten Commandments is,

“ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart . . .” Deuteronomy 6:5 and Matthew 22:37

When people live in ways that are contrary to the creator’s wishes and designs, this causes immeasurable damage to individuals and humanity.  People can so easily devote their lives to shallow ambitions.  An ardent Manchester United fan filled her home with club memorabilia.  At a memorial service for he a friend said,

“She gave her life for a club that didn’t even know she existed!”

That is idolatry.  Others may give their lives following a career in an organisation which devours them and their family.  To give your life for a worldly ambition is also idolatry.

Just because there are few physical idols in Britain we are still idol worshippers.  The Oxford dictionary defines an idol as,

“Any object or thing that is the object of obsessive devotion -  a mental image.”

There are two particular idols we worship today:

1.  The idolatry of human freedom

People want to be autonomous and to live and do as we please.  This notion comes from the so-called ‘Age of Enlightenment’.  The writer Os Guinness speaks of ‘A free people’s suicide’ when discussing the idolatry of freedom,

“Order without freedom may be a manacle, but freedom without order is a mirage.”

Freedom is never free.  Living as you like causes wretched damage to families and individuals and usually results in a totalitarian government restricting people’s freedoms.  The choice is either to encourage people to accept internal controls that come from conviction or external controls of an authoritarian government.

2.  The idol of scientific materialism

People want to explain this universe and its creation from within itself.  They think the laws of science can explain how the universe began and how nothing became something.  They have failed to realise that laws can only be made by a mind, science cannot make the laws.  The laws of nature should really be called the laws of God.

To such idolatry, whatever its form, Jesus reminds us all that there is a God, a real, living God.  He entered this world in the form of Jesus, who is a wonderful, gracious and kind god who is always willing to accept rebels back into his family.  Contrast him with a man made idol built around a meteorite!

Effects of Christianity

There are countless accounts of the beneficial effects that becoming a Christian has on peoples’ lives.  There is less devotion to idols but this will come at a price.

William Wilberforce, the great Christian behind the abolition of the slave trade and much else wrote,

“Whatever the practical and moral arguments in favour of the abolition of the slave trade there is no doubting that a wide range of vested interests were certain to defend it, ship owners and traders in Liverpool and Bristol, above all the owners of plantations in the West Indies for whom slavery was fundamental to their wealth.”

He goes on to list a whole number of people in Parliament who stood up to oppose the abolition of the slave trade - all had vested interests like Demetrius.

Yes Christianity is intellectually and spiritually intolerant – it insists that it is God’s truth for God’s world.

Christianity is socially, politically and legally profoundly tolerant

Christians believe in freedom of speech.  Totalitarian societies such as many modern countries today want to restrict the freedom of speech but allowing people to express their opinions is the best way to prevent the abuse of power.  Christians do not advocate the use of violence or anger as these eventually work against the rule of the living God.

The main street in Ephesus was a long broad highway, ideal for processions.  It had impressive colonnades either side and was paved in marble. At the end was a huge theatre, that could seat 20,000 people.  The whole city was fanned into uproar against the Christians.  People were shouting,

“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians’ Acts 19:28

Significantly Luke adds,

“The assembly was in confusion: some were shouting one thing, some another.  Most of the people did not know why they were there.” Acts 19:32

Two leading Christians were dragged to this arena where the rioting mob congregated.  Paul, in his characteristically robust way wanted to address the mob, doubtless to try and explain the truth, but both the Christians and the city authorities, who we are told were ‘friends of Paul’ would not allow this.  Eventually the City Clerk was allowed to speak and he told the crowd that Christians do not constitute a danger to the state, with a plea that they should be treated with toleration in their pluralist society.  If any Christians have acted illegally then properly constituted charges could be brought against them before a court.

How should Christians answer those who think Christianity cause trouble.  One answer would be,

“Do you think there might be such a thing as good trouble?”

Have there been any improvements in wretched situations without people standing up and speaking against the evils that are going on.  There is such a thing as ‘good trouble’.  Thank God that we have a sense of pain.  That pain stops much worse things happening to us.  People with leprosy lose their hands and feet because they have lost their sense of pain.

Are God’s commands to all of us still valid?  Jesus summarised these with the words,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

Could it be that our culture advocating a selfish freedom is what is causing the damaging world we are now living in?  Doesn’t this world without God need challenging?

BVP

This article is heavily reliant on the talk given at St Helen’s Bishopsgate by the Rev William Taylor

Acts 15:36 - 16:15 The Lord Leads His Church

The only biography of the late Queen that she authorised was published by the Bible Society.  She called the book, ‘The Queen who Reigns and the King she Serves’.  It is a salient reminder that whatever we do and plan, it is God himself who remains in charge.   It is a very important question that we should all ask, ‘Who rules me, who is my King?’

Paul and Barnabus have completed their first missionary journey to Cyprus and the cities of Galatia.  They returned to Antioch where there was tension between the religious Christians who came from Jewish backgrounds and the Gentile Christians.  The questions had to be resolved so a council of Apostles and other church leaders in Jerusalem was called together.  They concluded, on the basis of what Jesus had said, what the Lord had told Peter and Paul during their evangelistic exploits and on what Scripture clearly teaches that it was not right to put unnecessary hurdles in the way of Gentiles coming to Christ. Jewish rules and rituals were not necessary for the Gentile Christians as they had Jesus to follow, which is better than rules.

The Purpose of Mission

The first missionary journey had been so exciting and Paul decided to embark on a second missionary journey to consolidate the work they had started.  They were clear what their mission was for,

“Some time later Paul said to Barnabus, ‘Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of God and see how they are doing.” Acts 15:16

What an important reminder this is.  The ‘Word of God’ is shorthand for both Jesus (see John 1:1) and the message about him given in the Scriptures.  The prime purpose of the church is to teach people the word of God and encourage them to live by what God says.

The Problems in Mission

The next short section is surely included to remind us all that there will inevitably be personality tensions between church members at ties.  Paul is the decisive go-getter.  He knows what needs to be done and does not want this work to be handicapped in any way.  Barnabus is the caring pastor who clearly wants to keep encouraging young Mark and take him again with them, in spite of the fact that he had let the team down on the first journey.  It is a battle of wills,

“They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.  Barnabus took Mark and sailed for Cyprus.” Acts 15:39

Cyprus was where Barnabus owned property.  What is encouraging is that Paul later came to trust Mark implicitly.  When imprisoned towards the end of his life Paul wrote to Timothy and said,

“Only Luke is with me.  Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:11

This is so encouraging.  Tensions will inevitably happen between Christians, especially if some long for more to happen, but when, deep down everyone sees that the Lord is sovereign, then his purposes will bring people together again.

The decisive Paul ‘chose Silas’ to go with him.  He clearly felt they could work well together.  They returned through Syria, presumably passing through Paul’s home city of Tarsus and then went through Cilicia which was the region that is now South East Turkey.  They strengthened the churches they came to, which surely meant they taught the word of God and encouraged them to follow what it teaches.  This included the importance of the new Christians being emboldened to share the gospel with others, as Luke writes,

“So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.”

The team then passed back through Derbe and came to the town of Lystra.  There they met a young Christian named Timothy whom the local Christians spoke well of.  Paul decided that Timothy was of the right calibre to join the mission team, presumably as a trainee. He must have been a teenager as fifteen years later Paul described Timothy as still being a ‘young man’  (1 Timothy 4:12).  Timothy’s mother was a Jewish Christian (see also 2 Timothy 1:5) but his father was a Greek.  There is silence on the question of the faith of his father, so it is unlikely that his father was a believer.

What comes next is strange.  Paul has just won the theological battle at the council of Jerusalem that Gentile Christians did not need to become Jews but he now admits Timothy into Judaism by circumcising him;

“Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in the area, for they knew his father was a Greek.” Acts 16:4

The only reasonable explanation was that this was done as a matter of expediency.  His first contact, wherever he went was with Jews, usually in the local synagogues, so he did not want anything to get in the way of the group being accepted.  This is very different from the case of Titus when Paul refused to circumcise him because some were demanding this was necessary for salvation.

The next verse makes it clear that the doctrine had not changed,

“As they travelled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.” Acts 16:4

Nobody needed to adopt Jewish practices in order to be saved.

The Lord controls his mission

The group, Paul, Silas and now Timothy, travelled west through Phrygia and Galatia, now central Turkey.  Then something strange happened,

“ . . . having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” Acts 16:6

Asia, now west Turkey surely needed to hear the gospel.  Jesus had said, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel’ and yet here Paul is prevented by God from doing just that.  As they approached Mysia, which is what is now North West Turkey, they decided to share the Word of God with people in Bithynia, which is now northern Turkey facing the Black Sea,

“But the Spirit of God would not allow them to.” Acts 16:7

We are not told how the Lord steered them away from continuing to evangelise Turkey.  Perhaps the opposition was so strong that it became clear that they should not continue working there, Paul was often forced to move on because of such animosity. Perhaps one of them had a dream or vision or it may have been just an inner sense about what God wanted his people to do.  It is clear that we are not meant to derive a pattern for guidance from this passage.

Jesus had given his followers the agenda God he had for his church,

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

Jesus had not then retreated into heaven and left his people to this work on their own.  He remains intimately involved and is all controlling.

God still directs his people today.  David Livingstone, the African explorer who was really a missionary, originally tried to go to China but God sent him to Africa instead.  William Carey planned to go to the Polynesian islands in the South Pacific but God took him to India.  Gladys Aylward was a maid in London but God took her to China.  I thought I would always be a surgeon but he took me to be a Bible teacher and church planter.  We do our best, acting on what we know but the Lord still controls what happens.

In an atheistic world view everything is up to us.  There is no doubt that God particularly uses those who are trying to live for him.  Just as it is difficult to direct a bicycle that is not moving forwards, or steer a car that is not moving, so it seems that the Lord seldom leads those who are not intent to live for him.  Paul certainly was desirous to live actively for the Lord Jesus.  The team then came to Troas, the ancient city of Troy, which lies opposite Europe. There,

“Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him,’Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Acts 16:9

Here is Paul, uncertain where to go to and he has this vision.  There have been some who advocate that Christians should do nothing until the Lord makes it supernaturally clear what he wants them to do.  It can sound so spiritual to say, ‘The Lord told me to . . .’ but those speaking like this usually mean they had a good idea and they verbalise this in such a way as to appear particularly close to God!  Beware such people.  Even in the book of Acts, which covers thirty years of active mission there were only a few guiding visions.  It was much more normal, when decisions had to be made, for the Christians to read the circumstances and combine these with the convictions that come from the Bible.  This is then discussed with wise Christians and a decision is made, all the time knowing that God can change our plans if he so wishes.  You don’t often read of visiting angels coming after days of prayer or a long time of worship.  They knew what God wanted his people to aim for and they made decisions based on this, knowing that God can intervene if he has other plans.  He, after all, is ‘the king we serve’.

Even for a decisive man like Paul, the vision was not binding.  They discussed its significance together and together they made a decision.  One problem can arise if those we discuss such issues with are not really focussed on extending God’s kingdom. It is easy to tell what motivates people by seeing if what they do is geared to winning people for Christ and whether they actually bring people to hear the gospel.

“After Paul had seen the vision, we got up at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16:10

This small band of men were all gospel focussed and they made a corporate decision about what God wanted them to do.  The Lord could always step in and change things if they had got it wrong.

An excellent book on how to make the right decisions is Kevin de Young’s ‘Just Do Something’.  Passivity is not what God wants to see in his people.  There is too much ‘Waiting for Goddo’ in many churches.  We have been told ‘Go’ and our response should be ‘So we . . .’.  Jesus has told us,

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23

God does not want Christians to amble along, singing to him once a week.  He wants to see people who are intentionally gospel led all the time.

‘Captain Corelli's Mandolin’ is a 2001 war film based on the book by Louis de Bernières. The film pays homage to the thousands of Italian soldiers executed at the Massacre of the Acqui Division by German forces in Cephalonia in September 1943.  In one scene a soldier, who has been condemned to die, complains to his officer,

“Its not fair, I have done nothing.”

The reply was clear,

“If you have done nothing, you deserve to die.”

Help needed

Today when people hear of appeals from people in other countries for our help, they immediately think of famine relief with food parcels or digging wells or health care.  This small band had no doubt about what the Macedonians really needed, they had to be to be taught about Jesus.

“. . . concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16:10

This remains man’s greatest need.  Everyone will die and we will then come face to face with God in judgment.  What a disaster it will be for those if they have not heard of the grace and love of God that Jesus revealed.

The task is massive but help is given

They cross to Europe and travel to the main city of the area, Philippi, which was a Roman colony.  The city was very Roman and must have been somewhat intimidating.  The world view of Rome was that they controlled everything, their gods reflected the human appetites of people.  This little band had arrived to take on the might of Rome with the gospel, but they knew that the Lord was with them.  In their search for any who might be interested in hearing the gospel they discovered that there was no Jewish synagogue but heard that every Sabbath a group met to pray by the river that runs just outside the city gate.  They went there and did find a small meeting but those present were only women!  That made no difference to Paul and Silas,

“We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.” Acts 16:13

We are not told what they spoke about but it must have been the same message about Jesus and the forgiveness of sins through faith in him.  We are only told of one woman who responded,

“One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Acts 16:14

Purple cloth was worn by royalty so it is likely she was well connected in that Roman city.  Luke makes a poignant point about God’s sovereignty.  He clearly distinguishes our task, to speak about him, and our need to rest on God for results; it is God’s prerogative to give people his Spirit.  So much gospel work stresses how we do things.  Some think, ‘If only the evangelist was funnier or more emotional in the way he speaks then perhaps more would happen’.  Such gifts may help draw people to come and listen but they will never change people’s hearts.

“We sat down and began to speak . . . The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”

The translation ‘to respond’ is rather weak.  She wasn’t just ‘interested’, she was hooked by the gospel.  The same Greek word is used in the book of Titus and there it is translated as ‘addicted to’ and in that case it was to wine.  Lydia’s response soon became clear,

“When she and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home.” Acts 16:15

That is always the response God wants.  When we hear the word of God and the forgiveness he offers he urges us to accept it wholeheartedly and align ourselves publicly with him and his people.  The fact that her whole household joined her implies that she ensured that they heard this message too.  This new commitment had social consequences too.

“‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’ And she persuaded us.” Acts 16:15

Christian conversion should result in a real involvement with others in God’s church.  If this doesn’t happen we should ask ourselves,’Am I really a believer in the Lord, am I right with God, am I saved?’

What is very interesting is where Lydia came from - Thyatira.  This was in the area called Asia that Paul had been prevented form going to.  We do know that within the next twenty years churches were established in all the major cities there, including Thyatira, as they are mentioned in John’s book of Revelation, chapters 2-3.  The Lord knew what he was doing in taking Paul, Silas and Timothy to Macedonia.  He had people there who were going to be saved and go on to spread the gospel.

It is obvious that Lydia had received a new heart and had new priorities.  The prophet Ezekiel had foreseen that this would happen,

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” Ezekiel 36:26

Christian conversion is always God’s work. A time comes when we know the one true God is calling us to be his people and we open our hearts to him.  We were all spiritually dead and hopeless until God wakes us up and calls us to respond to him.

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient . . . But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace that you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:1-5

Our task

Paul and his small group faced massive problems but they persevered.  They were given real excitements as they saw God at work in people’s lives when they had simply passed on God’s message.  Paul, shortly before his execution reminded Timothy, that the priority of the church never changes.  He passed on this urgent charge,

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ‘Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine . . .” 2 Timothy 4:1-3

The role of every Christian is to ensure that those around them somehow hear the word of God.  They may simply be inviters and supporters, they should be able to explain what has happened to them, they may learn how to explain the gospel to friends or family and a few may become preachers, but all true Christians will have a heart for this gospel sharing ministry.  What a disaster it is when churches close their doors to outsiders by their notices, their rules and behaviour, their dress, their rituals, and the way they talk to outsiders.  As one non-Christian told me this week,

“What is needed is for someone to sit down and explain the Christian message to us in words we can understand.  That’s what I need.”

BVP 

Acts 17:16-34 A Passion for Christ

Why is it that the Christian message seems to be making so little impact in western societies?  This account of Paul’s first visit to Athens has much to teach us both about what our message is and about how to pass this message on.

Paul had had to leave Berea urgently because of the animosity of the crowds that was stirred up by Jewish authorities. He travelled down to Athens and was waiting for Silas and Timothy, who had remained in Berea, to join him.  As he looked around the city he was greatly distressed to see the many temples and idols there.  Following his usual practice he first visited the synagogue and ‘reasoned’ with them that Jesus is the Messiah foretold in their Scriptures.  He also went into the local market place where he met many people and there he discussed the Christian message with as many as possible.

Paul’s anguish

“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” Acts 17:16

The Acropolis is the rocky hill standing above the city on which the Parthenon sits.  This was built as a temple to the goddess Athena in 438 BC after a military victory over the Persians.  One writer has described this as,

“One vast composition of architecture and sculpture, dedicated to national glory and the worship of the gods.”

The area contained magnificent statues of Jupiter, Apollo, Mercury, Bacchus, Neptune and Diana.  Paul must have visited this site as he said,

“For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship . . .” Acts 17:23

No wonder he was so distressed.  Nothing motivates Christians so much as to see godliness prosper and Christ demeaned.  There is much benefit to be had  by reading the biographies of Christians who have gone before us.  Henry Martyn was a late teenager who was encouraged to consider the claims of Christ by his older sister who had become a Christian.  He became convinced and also committed his life to Christ.  He was very gifted academically and went to Cambridge University to read Mathematics when just seventeen years old.  He attended Holy Trinity Church where the minister was the great Charles Simeon who helped him get know and love the Bible.  At the end of his first year he became Senior Wrangler, the top student in Maths in the whole university.  He then changed to study Classics and in his final exams he again became the top student.  His hobby was studying linguistics.  He was ordained and became curate to Charles Simeon before being appointed as a Chaplain to the East India Company and he moved to India.  He had studied Hebrew and Greek and set about producing a translation of the Bible in Hindustani so that the local people could read about the gospel for themselves.  He then moved up to Persia and translated the Bible into Persian.  He then developed a fever and died aged thirty one in 1812 AD!

On one occasion he was invited to have dinner with a Muslim friend.  His host described a painting he had seen of Jesus bowing down before Muhammad.  Martyn tells us what happened next:

“I was cut to the soul at this blasphemy.  Mirza Seid Ali perceived that I was considerably disordered and asked what it was that was so offensive?  I told him, ‘I could not endure existence if Jesus was not glorified; it would be hell to me if He were to be always dishonoured.’  He was astonished and again asked, ‘Why?’ . . . ‘It is because I am one with Christ that I am thus dreadfully wounded.”

A similar feeling must have passed over Paul as he looked at the idols that were being worshipped.  He was indignant.  God had entered his world as Jesus, his son and people reject him.  He died on that cross so that people can be forgiven, but he is overlooked.  He loves us and longs to be known by all but most turn the other way.  Paul wasn’t willing for God to be misrepresented.

This love for Christ is the only thing that will cause people to speak out boldly for Christ at a cost to themselves.  It is an offence to God that he is so tarnished.  The great Bible teacher John Stott thought that this is why many churches are so week, saying:

“Why is it that in spite of the great needs and opportunities of our day, the church slumbers peacefully on, and that so many Christians are deaf and dumb?  Deaf to Christ’s commission, tongue-tied in testimony.  I think the major reason is this.  We do not speak as Paul spoke because we do not feel as Paul felt.”

It is the glory of god that drives us to speak to others, it is a deep care for people who are facing judgment that drives us to keep sharing the news about Jesus.

Paul’s message

Some have suggested that Paul’s message in Athens was different to that delivered to Jewish audiences.  This is not true.  Luke explains what he talked about in both the synagogue and when talking to secular people in the public square:

“Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.” Acts 17:18

He passed on the same teaching as Jesus and the other apostles.  He stressed that there is life after death and we will all be accountable to Jesus when we meet him in judgment.  Yet this same Jesus is the Saviour of all because he is the incarnation of god who died to pay the price for the sins of all those who choose to follow him.  This teaching was rational, its truth could be debated, and evidence for it powerfully presented.  Those who heard him realised that he was claiming that Jesus was a God:

“He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” Acts 17:18

Paul was actually only talking about one God so who was the other.  Some have suggested that they heard the word ‘Anastasis’, which means ‘resurrection’, and thought this was the name of another god!

Paul obviously made quite an impact.  Some local philosophers, that Athens was famous for heard him. The Epicureans had originally taught that man’s supreme goal is happiness but by paul’s time this had degenerated into a more sensual form! The Stoics on the other hand taught that people should live in harmony with nature whilst realising that they are masters of their own lives and must suppress unhealthy desires.  The problem was that by Paul’s time they were a proud group who considered themselves the elite.  These people loved debating new ideas.

These thinkers were intrigued enough to think that what Paul was saying deserved a public discussion so they took him to the debating centre of the city, the Areopagus.  This means ‘the hill of Ares’.  Ares was the Greek god of thunder and war; he was called Mars in Rome.  The Areopagus was located just west of the Acropolis, the ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens that now contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. In Paul’s time the Areopagus was the authority in areas of religion and morals.

It would seem these people were interested but sceptical.  They called Paul a ‘babbler’ which literally means a ‘seed picker’, a bird that picks up seeds here and there.  It came to refer to an idle person who picked up whatever ideas he could find without first digesting and sorting these out.  How easy it is for people to be ‘babblers’ today.  They pick up a few ideas and then speak as if they know it all!

Paul’s sermon

When Paul came to the meeting of the Areopagus they introduced him with the words:

May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears and we want to know what they mean.” Acts 17:20

Paul always wants to get to the subject of Jesus but he wisely gains the interest of his hearers to start with.  This account can only be the outline or sermon notes of what Paul actually said.  It is a brilliantly crafted sermon aimed to start by gaining their interest and then finsihing with their obligations.

Introduction

He begins politely by saying in a non confrontational way,

“Men of Athens!  I see that in every way you are very religious.” Acts 17:22

What a great lesson this is for those of us who long to be able to talk about Jesus to others.  Find some common ground, then get onto the subject of religion or church and show how much of this neither satisfies the facts or human longing.  Paul continued,

“For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.  Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Acts 17:23

God is Father of us all

He talks about God being our creator:

“The God who made this world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.” Acts 17:24

So far so good, he is asserting that there is just one creator God who is very great.  He is asking his listeners not to minimise God.

“And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” Acts 17:25

Nothing very controversial here either.  God is much greater than man and does not need us to help him.  He is refuting the authority of man by reasserting the authority of God. It is he who gives us life and sustains it so we should acknowledge him.  Paul then moves this round to the obligations all men have to God. His message then becomes very challenging.

Behind all human religion is the idea that God needs us.  He needs us to pray to him, sing to him, do things for him and his world.  What he primarily wants is our hearts.  He wants us to be forgiven members of his family who love him and are committed to living in a way that pleases him.

This one God is the creator he made all people and has all authority over nations so he must not be trifled with. Paul continues in an intriguing way,

“God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:27

This is now moving onto new ground.  Paul is asserting that this God can be known personally adding that he is within reach of us all.  Talks of God being a living Spirit,

“For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28

Paul wanted to show that this idea is not that novel, so he quoted two Greek poets,

“As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” Acts 17:29

The Cretan poet Epimenides (c. 600 BC) had said about God in his Cretica,

“In him we live and move and have our being.”

A Cilician poet Aratus (c. 315-240 BC) wrote in his Phaenomena,

“We are his offspring.”

Having laid this framework Paul begins to explain the implications of these facts.  God can never be reduced to metal or stone idols – that is clearly absurd:

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone – an image made by man’s design or skill” Acts 17:29

By using the pronoun ‘we’ he continues to align himself with his hearers even though the pressure is mounting.

Jesus is our judge

Next comes the punchline:

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30

The gloves are off.  To worship idols instead of the one true God is stupidity itself!  There is one true God, this God demands loyalty and therefore all people must return to live under his authority.  Notice that although earlier Jesus had been the focus of all Paul said in the market, here amongst the philosophers, he takes his time to get round to him, even though Jesus is still the subject that he must get to.  Paul continues with his theme that God cannot be trifled with by reminding people that there will be a judgment to come for all people when we will have to give an account for how we have lived before God.

“For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the hand of the man he has appointed.” Acts 17:31

The natural question that this would raise in people’s minds is surely, ‘Who is the judge?’  This is how Paul introduces Jesus and he gives evidence to support what he is saying,

“He has given proof of this by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:31

So Paul now returns to the subject of Jesus and his resurrection.  How we would love to know more of what he said about Jesus.  We have to read his other sermons in the book of Acts and his letters to the churches to get to know all he used to say about Jesus.

Jesus saves some

Whenever Jesus is mentioned people become polarised.  It is a remarkable fact that many are happy to talk about god in abstract but the name of Jesus causes great offence.  This may be why so many clergymen, and even Archbishops find it so hard to talk about Jesus.

“When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’ Acts 17:32

What a joy it is when people seriously want to investigate whether the story about Jesus is true.  The work for Paul was just beginning.  He had some bright people to convince.  Again it would be useful to have  a record of those discussion and the evidence Paul presented but some were convinced.

“A few men became followers of Paul and believed.  Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.” Acts 17:34

There is a later tradition that this Dionysius subsequently became bishop of Athens.  All we can be sure of is that this small group of people joined a Bible study group under the leadership of Paul and that they subsequently submitted to the leadership of Jesus.

Charles Simeon remembered Henry Martyn

Charles Simeon’s room in Kings college can be see from the main road,  His room was behind the large semicircular window on the first floor in the centre of the long block adjacent to Kings College chapel.  Some eighteen months after hearing of the death of his beloved former curate a portrait of him was delivered and placed above the fireplace in the main room.  Simeon used to have friends and students round and he loved to say to them, pointing at the picture,

“There! - see that blessed man!  What an expression of countenance!  No-one looks at me as he does – he never takes his eyes off me; and seems always to be saying, ‘Be serious – be earnest, don’t trifle, don’t trifle.’

Then smiling at the picture and gently bowing, Simeon would add, “And I won’t trifle, I won’t trifle.”

The lesson is clear.  We must never shrink God so that he becomes our puppet and suggest that God must be answerable to me. He is our judge and can also be not only our Saviour but the Saviour of the world.

BVP

Acts 4:23-31 Bold Christians

It is striking that wherever there are dictatorial regimes that the population find oppressive, the church tends to grow.  The message, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is thrilling for those under pressure.  Peter acknowledged,

“You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16

It is this affirmation that is the foundation of the church.

“ . . . on this rock I will build my church.” Matthew 16:18

Proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus is much more important than social activities, that rightly the churches does become involved with.

In his first book Luke emphasises who Jesus is, that he is a person who is also God.  He begins to demonstrate his kingly power by what he taught, by his miracles and especially by his resurrection.  ‘Jesus is Lord’ is his message.  This theme continues in his second book which is all about the ongoing word of the Spirit of Jesus at work, primarily through the Christians.  His power is demonstrated by the rapid growth of the early church amongst, at first, Jewish people.

After Peter’s first sermon at Pentecost many responded to the appeal to change the direction they were living their lives, to repent, and to go public in their commitment to Christ, to be baptised.

“Those who accepted the message were baptised and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:41

Those new Christians met together in the temple courts to be taught what Jesus had been saying by his apostles.  These Christians were open about their love of the Lord Jesus and they behaved well so their effect on society was not surprising,

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47

After healing a man crippled from birth who had been begging by the gate Beautiful in the temple, Peter explained to the resulting crowds that it was Jesus who had healed the man they could see prancing around with joy.  He explained the gospel that ‘Jesus Christ is the risen Lord’. Peter and John were arrested and tried before the same Sanhedrin that just a few weeks before had passed Jesus on to the Romans to be crucified.

“But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.” Acts 4:4

The new believers continued to meet together in the temple court and, although people were apprehensive about joining the church their impact was astounding,

“Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” Acts 5:14

The church grew through teaching.  The apostles were insistent, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord - therefore we must all repent.”  t the end of Peter’s pentecostal sermon came the plea,

“God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. . . . Repent and be baptised . . .” Acts 2:36,38

It is astounding to hear how, whenever the message, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is preached and lived out the church grows.  Peter Cameron Scott was one of the first missionaries to go to Kenya.  He landed at Mombasa with fifteen fellow missionaries.  Within a year only one was left, the others had either died or left.  My wife’s grandfather was went there as a missionary in 1920.  They stated boldly that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’.  Today there are around 50 million Christians in the country, which is about half the population.  It is a similar story in Nigeria,  The early missionaries had a tough time fighting malaria, other illnesses and local opposition.  Now there are over 20 million Christians in that country.

Unfortunately in Europe the picture is not as strong because the message of churches as a whole has been weaker, with some glorious exceptions.  Where is the urgent message, that people must repent because Jesus Christ is king, being preached passionately?  Many church leaders seem to feel more comfortable talking about political or social issues than Jesus.

Jesus has promised that he will build his church wherever the gospel about him being Lord of all is preached.  When Peter acknowledged to Jesus,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16

Jesus then went on to tell him,

“ . . . on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18

Jesus will build his church wherever the gospel is proclaimed and the essential message must be ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’.  Paul wrote to the Corinthian church,

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ is Lord.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

The phrase ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is repeated 13 times in the New Testament, it was obviously a catchphrase of the apostles.

Boldness of the early Christians

The boldness of Peter and John is remarkable.  After a man crippled from birth had been miraculously healed and Peter had explained that this had happened through the power of the risen Lord Jesus, both Peter and John were arrested and put on trial before the same Sanhedrin that had arranged for Jesus to be crucified.  It would be expected that they would be cowed into submission but the very opposite happened, they were emboldened.  Peter spoke out,

“If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.”  Acts 4:9-10

To speak out like that in such an oppressive situation takes guts!  Peter went on to quote an Old Testament prophecy that his judges would have recognised as being about the Messiah,

“He is ‘the stone you builders rejected which has become the capstone.’  Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to me by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11

The capstone of an arch is the final stone that holds everything tightly together.  The effect of this bold reply was impressed their judges,

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

Being with Jesus does fill people with courage to pass on the message that ‘Jesus is Lord’ confidently and boldly.  Peter and John were eventually released and commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  No christian could ever agree to that.  They replied,

“Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather that God.  For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

The High Priests and the Sanhedrin didn’t know how to punish them because all the people were praising god for what had happened so after threatening them again they released them.  Peter and John then went back to the church and reported all that had happened and then they prayed together.  Part of their prayer included a reaction to the threats given by the Sanhedrin,

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” Acts 4:29

The effect of this attitude and prayer was obvious,

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31

This phrasing is very significant.  They had previously been given the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He had come to dwell permanently in them.  But here they experienced an effect of the Spirit and were filled with a longing to please him.

This boldness to speak about Jesus and share what he taught is one of the proofs that a person really has the Holy Spirit within them – Christians love Jesus, they love his people, they love his word, they love his righteousness and love to share him.

This spiritual boldness comes from both the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God and a real work of the Holy Spirit.

Convictions about the Word of God

Early in their prayer the church was reminded of what god had taught in the Scriptures.  Psalm 2 is quoted from,

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.” Acts 4:25-26

They realised that this was precisely what the Sanhedrin had done, the ‘rulers gathered together against the Lord.”  the prayer continued,

“Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against you holy servant Jesus whom you anointed.  They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” Acts 4:27-28

They knew that the Scriptures were given to encourage the Christians by demonstrating that God knew how people would react to Jesus.  God is indeed omniscient and omnipotent.

Psalm 2 is a remarkable psalm as it powerfully describes how people even today respond to God and his Son.

1  Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.

8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

This psalm emphasises that God the Father is distinct from his son yet they share the same lordship.    God repeated these words loud at both Jesus’ baptism and his transfiguration.  The psalm starts with an analysis of what will happen – an open rebellion against God and his rule.  Yet God just laughs and scoffs at this.  His power and rule is in no way diminished by their rebellion.  He responds by saying that he will install his king in their place.  This chosen one or Messiah or Christ will rule on behalf of his Father.  His kingdom will extend throughout the nations.  This is why God insists that people must come to their senses and bend their knee figuratively before God and his Son.

It is laughable for a six year old child to take on and hope to win against their Head Teacher, but it is even more laughable for us to try to take on God.  The consequences of this rebellion will be disastrous.  The roof that such actions are stupid can be seen in the resurrection of Jesus.  The evidence that that really happened is extraordinarily strong.  The disciples were clealry convinced to have acted so boldly.  Subsequent generations of christians can testify that the power of god has changed them into becoming more like the Lord Jesus.

Experiences of the Holy Spirit

We have already seen that it was the personal experience of the holy Spirit that also motivated the Christians to witness boldly for Christ.  Undoubtedly the supernatural miracle performed by Peter and John did help to heighten people’s awareness about Jesus.

There are some who try to replicate this today but their miracles are not the same and too often are associated with theatrical showmanship!  It is significant that in the next chapter were are told who performed these miracles.  It was not the ordinary Christians.

“Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together . . .”  Acts 2:43

“The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.” Acts 5:12

The writer to the Hebrews says that even by that time miracles were a thing of the past,

“God also testified to it by signs and wonders and various miracles . .” Hebrews 2:4

Paul denigrated the role of miracles, saying,

“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.” 1 Corinthians 1:22

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, which was deeply troubled by false ‘super-apostles’ and false teaching, and he urges them only to follow true apostolic teaching.

“I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not the least inferior to the ‘super-apostles’, even though I am nothing.  The things that mark an apostle – signs, wonders and miracles – were done among you with great perseverance.”  2 Corinthians 12:11-12

The use of the past tense and the wording of these sentences make it clear that miracles were no longer occurring.  The true apostles had been ratified.

When I first became a Christian I understood that I must have been given the holy spirit because I had asked Jesus to come into my life.  His presence is far more than a doctrine.  His presence gives us a real experience.  If we do not have the experience of the Holy Spirit growing in our lives we should query whether we are real Christians.  Paul wrote,

“You however are controlled, not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9

How do we know we have the Holy Spirit living in us.  These will be some of the growing experiences we will have:

1.  We will increasingly love the Lord Jesus and be thrilled that he died for our sin and chose us to be one of his people.

2.  We will increasingly love God’s word, the Bible.  We will want to read it and know it more.

3.  We will increasingly love God’s people and want to meet up with them to both encourage them and be encouraged.

4.  We will increasingly love behaving in Godly ways and increasingly hate the sin that so easily crowds in on us and our society.

5.  We will want to find ways to share the gospel about Jesus with others by inviting them to come and learn what you have discovered.  Our boldness will increase.

6.  We will want to share all that goes on in our lives with our heavenly Father, we will pray.

7.  We will have our eyes focussed on going to live in heaven with our Lord.  Death will lose its sting.

With time, these should all be part of a Christian’s experience.

Further reassurances

God calls people to himself from all different backgrounds and gives all of us his Spirit. Consequently:

a.  We don’t need to be exceptional people for God to use us.  Peter and John were clearly ordinary uneducated men, but the members of the Sanhedrin noted that they had been changed through being with Jesus.

b.  It is not a special gift to be able to talk to people about the Lord Jesus.  This passage teaches us,

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31

Undoubtedly they wanted to learn how to get around to talking about Jesus when they met people and because of this longing they developed techniques for steering the conversation round to him.  All Christians have a duty to learn how to do this.  There is an unfortunate phrase that has been wrongly attributed to St Francis,

“Preach the gospel and use words if necessary!”

There is no evidence he ever said anything like this and he never would have done so as he was an ardent preacher who knew that people could only learn about Jesus and what he taught if words are used.  Obviously the impact of our words will be much greater if people can see our lives have been changed by the news we are sharing.  God communicates with us through his Word and we also communicate with others with words.

c.  Prayer is vital.  We can share the gospel with others but only a work of God will produce a lifelong change.  They knew their role was to persuade as many people as possible about their need for Jesus and the forgiveness he alone can offer but God needs to do his work.

Paul clarifies this apparent tension between God’s role and our role in his second letter to the Corinthian church.

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ is Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

That is our role, to let as many know as possible that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.  But then he goes on to explain that it is God himself who then applies this message and makes this message shine in people’s hearts.  It is God who enables us to grasp the significance of Jesus and so change the direction of our lives.

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

The Lord has given us, his people, the responsibility to pass on the message that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’.  It is a grave misunderstanding to think that we can leave the winning of people up to him and just pray that he will change people’s lives when we have not been sowing any seed!

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6

So in our prayers, let us focus on those we have talked with that week about the Lord Jesus, given Christian literature to, invited to church or to our Bible study group.  Let us pray how we may follow them up effectively and ask that God will step into their lives and give them his Spirit.  Let us not be so preoccupied about temporal problems, such as about Aunt Maud’s bad knee, that we forget people’s eternal needs,.  This is the primary work that Christ has chosen his people for.

What a joy it has been to hear from two people who have been involved in the present Christianity Explored group.  Both have been talking to others about what they have  learnt and one is bringing a friend to hear the news for himself.

BVP

Acts 11:1-18. What is Christianity?

A lady entered my clinic wearing a beautiful silver cross round her neck.  When we had been talking for some time, I asked her if the cross she was wearing meant she was a Christian.

“Yes,” she said hesitantly, but then added, ‘But I am not the practising sort!”

In the New Testament there is no such person as a non-practising Christian.  This chapter describes how the early church expanded into Gentile communities but it also gives us the features that mark out a real Christian.  It is significant that these four features that were central to the teaching of the early church are seldom the emphasis of some contemporary churches in the west and we should ask why!

1.  A Christ-centred message

Luke was a first rate investigative journalist.  His first book, the Gospel of Luke, describes the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  The second book, the book of Acts, describes the advance of Jesus’ kingly rule throughout the Roman world.  At the beginning of the book of Acts Luke writes,

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” Acts 1:1-2

This wording is significant, Jesus began his work when he walked on earth but he then continued his work through his apostles who continued to be taught and guided by the Holy Spirit.

By chapter 11 the scene has moved out from Jerusalem and Judea, through Samaria to reach, for the first time, Gentiles first in Caesarea and then in Antioch.  This required a dramatic reversal in the way Jews thought and this needed a supernatural intervention by God.  Peter had a dream, repeated three times, that all animals, even “unclean” ones, were now acceptable to God.  He realised that this was not just about Jewish dietary laws but that God’s love and concern was for people of all nations.  These dreams were reinforced by the arrival of three men from the Gentile centurion Cornelius who had also been told by God to call Peter to come and explain the gospel to them.  When Peter and six companions made the forty mile journey from Joppa to Caesarea they were greeted by a houseful of people eagerly waiting to be taught the gospel.  Peter does not hesitate to enter the Gentile home, even though Jewish law forbade this, and this is what he taught.  He describes the basic Christian message which centres on Jesus and this message is for all time.

“34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.  39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:34-43

In essence Peter taught them that the man Jesus is God’s king of all the earth, who was crucified but rose again on the third day.  This is very good news because it is now possible for people of every nation to be forgiven the sin that separates each of us from God.

Peter returned to explain to the other apostles the triple vision he had had of unclean animals coming down from heaven on a sheet, the subsequent visit of the men from Cornelius, how he had visited his home, how Gentiles had then ‘received the word of God’ and how ‘the Holy Spirit had come on them as he had come on us at he beginning’. The church leaders recognised that this new movement was indeed from God.

It is this same message about Jesus that all people in the church were passing on to those they met.  The Christians who had to flee from Jerusalem because of the persecution that followed Stephen’s stoning travelled widely, reaching as far as Cyprus and even Antioch, the third city of Rome.  Luke records,

“19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. Acts 11:19-21

Here was further evidence that this change in direction of the church into reaching Gentiles was the work of God.  These early Christians could not keep the news to themselves.  ‘The word’ they spread was ‘the good news about the Lord Jesus’.  How we need to rediscover this today.  Our message remains, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord of all, reject him at your peril!’

This account of Luke gives us three other clear descriptions of what makes a genuine Christian.

2.  They received the Word of God

Luke describes this cataclysmic change with these words,

“The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had received the word of God.” Acts 11:1

The phrase, ‘Word of God’  is found one hundred and twenty nine times in the Bible and fourteen times in Luke’s writings.  It is a technical phrase for God’s message to mankind.  The apostles recognised that it was their priority to teach people the ‘Word of God’, the message that Jesus had taught them (Acts 6:2)  When many Jews became Christians, Luke records this as ‘The Word of God spread’ (Acts 6:7).  When many Samaritans became Christians Luke uses a similar phrase, they ‘accepted the Word of God’ (Acts 8:14)  In our passage, when Gentiles first became Christians, Luke again describes this as having ‘received the Word of God’ (Acts 11:1).

In the New Testament, to become a Christian is to allow God’s word to be the authority of my life.  The essence of the Christian message has always been what Peter passed on to the crowd in Cornelius’ home,

“You know the message that God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ who is Lord of all.” Acts 10:36

Peter went on to describe the facts about the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Acts 10:37-41).  Then followed the explanation of these facts that makes Jesus relevant for all people,

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

This is why this ‘Word of God’ which should include the facts about Jesus, the meaning of his life and the implication for us, is highly relevant to all people today.

To become a Christian a person must first accept the body of truth, the ‘Word of God’, that has been revealed by God through his apostles.  The word ‘truth’ comes 137 times in the Bible and ‘true’ a further 123 times.   It is God’s truth, his Word, that sets us free, as Jesus himself said,

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

It is therefore a tragedy when Christians think they can pick and choose which parts of God’s word they will accept.  In a Radio 2 interview an Anglican said that ‘he liked the fuzziness of Anglicanism’.  He was then asked, ‘Where do you go to church?’  ‘I don’t go to church as they still say the creed and parts of that I cannot accept!’

The plumb-line of authentic Christian faith is an acceptance that God’s word is paramount over how I think and behave.  To be a Christian is not to be religiously inclined or belong to a church but to embrace and adhere to clear propositional truths that God’s prophets and apostles have passed on to us.

It is a sign of how some churches think when the leaflet welcoming people to a cathedral has much to say about the architecture but not a mention about the Word of Truth.  We will all keep discovering new understandings when we keep digging into the Bible and it will keep reminding us when we are going wrong.

Liberal Christianity offers a modern alternative but it is not Christian in that the authority of the Word of God is subjugated to man’s wisdom. Columbia University history professor Gary Dorrien, an expert on the subject, calls liberal Christianity, “a progressive, credible integrative way between orthodox over-belief and secular unbelief.”  We should be using modern scientific discoveries to help us understand how to read the text of Scripture, as all truth comes from God, but we cannot change what has been given to us, these are ‘the very words of God’ (Romans 3:2).  Once scissors are applied to parts of the Bible, such as is happening about sexuality, there is nowhere to stop.  Either the Bible is the Word of God or it is not.  Jesus and his apostles had no doubt where God’s people must stand.

The great victorian preacher, C.H.Spurgeon, recognised the problem some have when they vacillate on the authority of Scripture,

“I would recommend you either believe God up to the hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith at best. It is little better than a dry-land faith, and is not good for much.”

3.  They Repented

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Gentiles had become Christians they summarised the change in these words,

“God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” Acts 11:18

True repentance is a necessity for a person to be acceptable to God.  When John the Baptist began his ministry,

“He went into the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Luke 3:3

When Jesus began his public ministry proclaiming the gospel he said,

“The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” Mark 1:15

When accused of befriending sinners, Jesus replied,

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32

When Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep he says that the shepherd calls his friends and neighbours together and says,‘I have found my lost sheep.’  Jesus then explains,

“I tell you in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:7

The Bible is clear that there is nobody who is righteous.  What a shame it is that when people are asked “How are you?’ many now reply, ‘I’m good’!  Of course they aren’t good, no-one is good or righteous but God alone (Mark 10:18).

Jesus summarised the message of the Jewish Scriptures with these words,

“This is what is written,: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.” Luke 24:46-47

When Peter gave his first sermon at Pentecost, his listeners were ‘cut to the heart’ over the way they had treated Jesus and asked, ‘What shall we do?’

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.” Acts 2:38-39

When the apostles were questioned by the Sanhedrin, the ruling government of the Jews that had arranged for Jesus to be crucified, they were accused of continuing to teach about the death of Jesus.  Peter and the other apostles replied,

“We must obey God rather than men!  The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead – whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.  We are witnesses of these things., and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” Acts 5:29-32

The word ‘repent’ means to ‘rethink the direction of my life’.  It is a radical ‘about turn’ in which I stop living for myself but come under the command of my God and Saviour.  Naturally we are all on the ‘broad road that leads to destruction’, but we repent when we change direction, go through the narrow gate of repentance and start a new life living with and for the Lord Jesus.  It is only when we repent and turn to Christ that our wilful rebellion against God can be forgiven.

God tells us that this is the way to peace, joy and life eternal.  Satan will whisper in our ear that such teaching is wrong and that happiness is to be found in living for yourself and leaving God out of the picture.  Satan will say, ‘God is a spoil-sport’.  He said to Eve, changing the words of God,

“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?”

Eve corrected him by saying that it was only the tree of knowledge of good and evil that was prohibited,

“You must not touch it, or you will die.”

Satan then contradicts the Word of God,

“You will not surely die.” Genesis 3:1-4

Evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, and arrogance all seem to offer so much in the short term, but Jesus warns that these are the route to destruction.  We are unclean in God’s eyes when we fall for Satan’s lies and practice these sins (see Mark 7:20-23). These sins are all addictive and very harmful, both in our relationships with others and in our relationship with God.

Repentance will be seen in a new way of living.  Paul wrote to the troubled church in Corinth,

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were.  But you were washed, you were sanctified . . .” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

If a person who claims to be a Christian has not repented of their old godless way of life, the apostles are clear that they are not yet Christians.  We all fail but the genuine Christian will want to repent and start again, the non Christian won’t.  When we turn to Christ we start a new life which will affect my heart, my behaviour and my wallet.

Paul summarised this change,

“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. . . Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Christian speaker, Prof Henry Drummond told the following,

“Here comes a man, and he admits that he gets drunk every week. That man comes to a meeting, and wants to be converted. Shall I say, "Don't you be in a hurry. I believe in doing the work gradually. Don't you get drunk and knock your wife down more than once a month?" Wouldn't it be refreshing to his wife to go a whole month without being knocked down? Once a month, only twelve times in a year! Wouldn't she be glad to have him converted in this new way! Only get drunk after a few years on the anniversary of your wedding, and at Christmas, and then it will be effective because it is gradual!

Oh! I detest all that kind of teaching. Let us go to the Bible and see what that old Book teaches. Let us believe it, and go and act as if we believed it, too. Salvation is instantaneous. I admit that a man may be converted so that he cannot tell when he crossed the line between death and life, but I also believe a man may be a thief one moment and a saint the next. I believe a man may be as vile as hell itself one moment, and be saved the next.

Christian growth is gradual, just as physical growth is; but a man passes from death unto everlasting life quick as an act of the will -- "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life."

4.  They are given the Holy Spirit

This feature keeps being repeated so is clearly central to what is Christian.  As Peter was speaking in Cornelius’ home,

“ . . . the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.” Acts 10:44

“The circumcised believers who had come with with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.” Acts 10:45

Peter then said,

“Can anyone prevent these people being baptised with water?  They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” Acts 10:47

When Peter repeats this story to the apostles and others in Jerusalem he emphasises that the Holy Spirit had been given to the Gentiles,

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. . . . So God gave them the same gift as he gave us., who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ . . .” Acts 11:15-17

It is clear that the gift of the Holy Spirit, receiving the Spirit, the Spirit falling on them and being baptised in the Holy Spirit is the same as Christian conversion.  They occurred at the same time as the people opened their hearts to Jesus Christ.  This is the clear teaching of Scripture.  Paul wrote,

“Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish?  After beginning with the Spirit are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Galatians 3:2-3

We are given the Holy Spirit when we first believe.  There is no suggestion that we can receive a bit of him.  Either we have the Holy Spirit in us or we do not.  Paul wrote,

“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9

Paul again emphasised that we receive the Holy Spirit when we are saved,

“He saved us through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Titus 3:5-6

Shortly after I committed my life to Christ when an undergraduate I opted to be confirmed.  The bishop of Ely, in his confirmation sermon, told us that he was about to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit.  I very nearly walked out in protest as I knew that God had already given me the gift of the Holy Spirit.  I only stayed because I wanted the certificate!

Today there are Christians who teach a two stage Christian experience saying that those who have been baptised in the Spirit are more fitted for service of God.  This error is taught in both High Churches where it is said that a person receives the Spirit when they are baptised as an infant and fully receive the Spirit at confirmation.  In some charismatic circles it is held that the Spirit comes in a partial way at conversion but fully when they are subsequently baptised in the Spirit which is usually defined as being an emotional experience.

How does a person know if they have the Holy Spirit in their life?  His presence will be apparent from the way our life radically changes.  These are the sort of changes that will be apparent:

1.  A love for Jesus

2.  A love for God’s Word

3.  A love for God’s people

4.  A longing for righteousness

5.  A longing to pray

6.  A longing to evangelise

7.  A longing for heaven

8.  A joy and peace in all situations

9.  A perseverance in living with and for Christ whatever happens

The proof of the Spirit’s presence is that all these features will be growing within us – we cannot be selective!  People may have various gifts that mimic the presence of the Holy Spirit but not even be saved.  Jesus warned those church leaders who are relying on their gifts as proof of the presence of God,

“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me you evil doers!’” Matthew 7:21-23

It is significant that several of these features, such as evangelism, developing the church family and my own satisfaction depend on the ability to develop interpersonal relationships.  It is therefore no surprise that part of the fruit of the Spirit in a person will be those characteristics that help in this.  Paul wrote,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

The particular feature that was apparent in these Gentiles was that their experience was identical to that of the Jewish Christians at Pentecost - they ‘spoke in tongues’!  It was the same experience  that was given to the new Christians in Samaria (Acts 8:14-17) and subsequently in Ephesus. These were the three special occasions when the church broke new ground.

“When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.  There were about twelve in all.” Acts 19:6-7

It was vital that the church should hold together and for this reason the apostles were sent to give the new believers the gift of the Holy Spirit to demonstrate they were equal Christians and not second rate ones!

How was the new presence of God’s Spirit manifested?  In Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit first fell on the Jewish Christians people of every nation were made aware of God’s presence in his people, foreigners present said,

“We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own language.” Acts 2:11

There are two vital features to be recognised in this description. This is the only time where the effect of the receiving the Holy Spirit is fully explained.

1.  The first feature was that the new Christians prophesied or told others God’s message in a way others could understand.

2.  They did this in real intelligible languages that foreigners understood.

Today there are still some Christians who teach that ‘tongues’ is an unintelligible ‘gobbledegook’.  The Alpha course still teaches this.  This form of unrecognisable ‘tongues’ is found in other religions.  It was a feature of ancient mystical Greek religion and is seen today in some forms of Hinduism and Islam.  This is not the gift that the Bible describes.

In the Bible the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the equivalent to saying that people had become real Christians of equal standing with the apostles when they received the Word of God and repented of living lives independent of God.  The Bible knows nothing of a two-tier Christian experience.

The great Bible teacher, John Stott has stated,

“Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a universal Christian experience.  Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an initial experience.”

What a joy it is to be certain that if I have turned to Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Saviour, then I have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit.  God now calls on us to ‘keep in step with the Spirit’- that is our responsibility.

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature . . . But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.  The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:16-21

The Holy Spirit always points people to Jesus and illuminates him.  The Bible scholar, Jim Packer told this story,

“I remember walking to church one winter evening to preach on the words, ‘He will glorify me’ (John 16:14), seeing the building floodlit as I turned a corner, and realizing that this was exactly the illustration my message needed. When floodlighting is well done, the floodlights are placed so that you do not see them; in fact, you are not supposed to see where the light is coming from; what you are meant to see is just the building on which the floodlights are trained. The intended effect is to make it visible when otherwise it would not be seen for the darkness, and to maximize its dignity by throwing all its details into relief so that you can see it properly. This perfectly illustrated the Spirit's new covenant role. He is, so to speak, the hidden floodlight shining on the Saviour.

Or think of it this way. It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over our shoulder on to Jesus who stands facing us. The Spirit's message to us is never, ‘Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get to know me’, but always, ‘Look at him, and see his glory; listen to him and hear his word; go to him and have life; get to know him and taste his gift of joy and peace.’ The Spirit, we might say, is the matchmaker, the celestial marriage broker, whose role it is to bring us and Christ together and ensure that we stay together.”

The Holy Spirit helps us to keep living with and for Christ, whatever the circumstances. The Spirit always puts the focus on the Lord Jesus but never on a person.

The Greeks had a race in their Olympic Games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. I want to run all the way with the flame of my torch still lit for the Lord Jesus.

Let us work and pray that these four features will remain central in our churches teaching and we will never succumb to just trying to be popular.

BVP

Acts 11:19-26. The Church Militant

The early church in Jerusalem faced great persecution after the martyrdom of Stephen.  The Jewish hierarchy ostracised anyone who acknowledged Jesus to be their Lord from the Jewish community.  Friends would shun them, they couldn’t work or buy in the shops.  There was no option but to emigrate.  Most travelled north into Phoenicia, others sailed to Cyprus and some went further north to Antioch, the third largest Roman city.  Would this be the end of the followers of ‘The Way’?

They spoke out

Little has been more striking in western society than the rapid move away from the sexual ethics taught throughout the Bible; promiscuity and homosexual acts are publicly encouraged, in spite of the damage they cause.  The effective method of LGBT and its affiliates has been to encourage their advocates to speak out publicly.  Speaking out was exactly what the early Christians did.  Wherever they went they  shared the news about Jesus but at first they were careful who they talked with.

“ . . . telling the message only to Jews.” Acts 11:20

Public confession of a person’s commitment to following Christ is one of the first requirements.  After Peter finished his first sermon at Pentecost he was asked what his hearers, convicted of the sin of rejecting Jesus should do.  His reply referred to both a personal and a public act,

“Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Acts 2:38

A public baptism in the presence of the Jewish authorities just seven weeks after they had had Jesus crucified could not have been easy, yet three thousand people offered themselves.

Paul also emphasised the necessity of speaking out.  Personal faith is important but it is not enough for salvation!  He quotes Deuteronomy 30:14 where Moses taught what God’s people must do after turning back to the Lord.  Paul wrote

“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you.  It is in your mouth and in your heart’, that is the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Acts 10:8-10

The early church clearly did speak out, although at first it was just to their own people..

A greater work

Then something very significant happened.  We are told,

“Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.” Acts 11:20

What induced this change of mind?  It could be that they realised that God always intended that his people should be a blessing to all nations.  Abraham had been told,

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you . . . and all people on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3

“ . . . and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you obeyed me.” Genesis 22:18

Jesus himself had said

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . . .” Matthew 28:18-19

There have been those who think that this commission is just for the clergy or church leaders but Jesus continued to emphasise that this commission was for all subsequent believers,

“ . . . and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:20

After his resurrection Jesus continued to teach his followers what their life’s work was to be,

“ . . . you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

It seems that, in spite of this teaching, the early church at first limited their mission to fellow Jews.

In Peter’s second sermon he did remind his Jewish hearers in Jerusalem what God had said,

“He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all people on earth will be blessed.’” Acts 3:25

Later God reinforced this message when he gave Peter a vision of unclean animals coming down from heaven on a sheet and this was repeated for emphasis three times.  Peter was told three times,

“Get up Peter, kill and eat.” Acts 10:13

At first Peter understood this is terms of overturning Jewish dietary restrictions but as he was pondering the meaning of the visions, God told him that he was about to be visited by three men and he should not hesitate to go with them.  He went downstairs and there were three Gentiles who told Peter about a vision that their master, Cornelius a Roman centurion, had just had.  The new guests said,

“A holy angel had told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” Acts 10:22

Peter then did something that was extraordinary for a Jew to do,

“Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.” Acts 10:23

The traditional antipathy between Jews and Gentiles was being overcome.

Isn’t there also another lesson for us today?  The most effective way to advance God’s kingdom is to invite non-Christians into our homes and relax, perhaps over a meal, and chat with them.  ‘Hospitality’ is a doctrine strongly encouraged in the New Testament, the word occurring eight times.   Those who are most effective at winning people for Christ are almost always those who invite people into their homes.  In the New Testament, Jesus practiced hospitality and he received it. He ate with sinners and tax collectors. Accepting their hospitality was not just about sharing a meal, it was a way of identifying with them and making them a part of his community—a point the Pharisees both understood and reviled.

No church today will be effective at winning people for Christ if its church members are not enthusiastically talking to non-Christian people and inviting them into our homes and to bring them to where they can learn about Jesus. Speaking biblically, hospitality is treating strangers and friends alike. It is welcoming one another into our homes and lives. Hospitality is a sacred duty.

The story does not stop there.  Peter took six men with him and they walked the thirty three miles from Joppa to Caesarea and there they broke Jewish law by entering the home of Cornelius to be greeted by a house full of people waiting to hear the gospel.  Peter had by now understood the meaning of the vision he had had,

“You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him.  But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.” Acts 10:28

Peter went on to explain that he had come to understand that the gospel is for all people, not just Jews.

“I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.  You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” Acts 10:35-36

The message of salvation through faith in Jesus was no different, but now it was being understood that God loves all people and longs that they also should be able to enter his kingdom.

The Lord’s support

Luke adds another comment about why these young Christians were so successful in persuading people to acknowledge Jesus,

“The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” Acts 11:21

This is no empty phrase.  If anyone is to become a Christian for life, a supernatural work of God is needed.  Clever techniques and great oratory may draw the crowds but a lifelong change in direction is a much deeper work.

If individual Christians are not asking their Lord to use them for his glory then is it surprising that little happens?  Moses had told God’s people that when they become stablished in Israel they must still seek the glory of their Lord.

“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29

At the end of Moses’ life he sang a song that demonstrated what really mattered to him.

“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew. . . . I will proclaim the name of the LORD.  Oh praise the greatness of our God!  He is the rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.” Deuteronomy 32:4

Unfortunately God’s people did not follow their leaders example,

“You deserted the Rock who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. The Lord saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters.” Deuteronomy 32:18-19

Could it be that the main problem for the atrophy of so many British churches, that God is no longer blessing their work because they have lost their first love, much as the affluent church in Ephesus had.

“Yet I have this against you: You have lost your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:4-5

There is no church in Ephesus now!  Only 2% of the total population of England are regular worshippers in Anglican churches, even though 12 per cent claim to be its members. This had been the faith of the majority of people a century ago. Roman Catholics, in comparison, have slightly fewer members at 8%  of the English population, but they are twice as likely to attend services (41% versus 21%).  In his article for the Financial Times on the Church of England’s “fight to survive”, broadcaster Jeremy Paxman observed there are more members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds than there are regular churchgoers in the UK. What is more difficult to determine is what proportion of these people, claiming an affiliation with a church, are actively living for Christ.

The enthusiasm of the Christians to speak about Jesus, backed by the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting people of their need for forgiveness by God, is God’s chosen way for his kingdom to grow.

Further help needed

It was undoubtedly the example and leadership of Barnabus that helped bring this about.  He had been sent by the leaders in Jerusalem to teach these new Christians.

“When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.  He was a good man, full of the holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” Acts 11:23-24

Barnabus realised that he also needed help to lead this church and he personally travelled to Tarsus to recruit Saul, the previous persecutor of the church, who had become a Christian.  Barnabus seems to be an encouraging pastor/teacher.  Indeed the name, Barnabus, was a nickname meaning ‘Son of Encouragement’.  He was a Levite who had lived and owned property on Cyprus before joining the early church (Acts 4:36)

Paul, in contrast was a determined evangelist.  How often most effective church growth occurs when churches have evangelists in their leadership.  Roger Carswell, himself an evangelist, has commented that in his experience churches grow faster when they employ an evangelist instead of other roles.  This is probably why Barnabus head-hunted Saul  to join him in the ministry for Christ.   He recognised the need for his determination and gifting.  Paul was later the spearhead that helped to spread the gospel throughout the Roman world, even though he also eventually paid a high price for doing so.

Church history shines with other examples of Christian leaders who have witnessed to and then helped to train up future Christian leaders.  Thank God for men such as the young Cambridge undergraduate Thomas Bilney who won his lecturer Latimer for Christ and then helped to train him for his future, very effective ministry- by inviting him to join his Bible Study Group. He also greatly helped Cranmer, Ridley and Tyndale when they also joined the White Horse public house Bible Study Group.  They were all killed by being burnt at the stake for boldly proclaiming the apostolic faith but they had ignited a passion for the gospel in England and from there it spread to the rest of the world.

Evangelists are people who fearlessly proclaim the gospel to others and Paul was such a man.  How we need more such people in this country.  Their message is Jesus Christ and the need that all people have for him.  These early ‘Followers of the Way’ in Antioch clearly understood and they taught ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ so they were nicknamed ‘The Christians’!  What a wonderful title, even if it was first used in a derisory way.  There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is likely that this is because He is everything we need and beyond all that any one name could express.

BVP

Acts 8:4-40. Philip, a young personal evangelist

Some people seem to think that the answer to the church’s problems is to be more modern and use modern technology.  Let’s get into the twentieth century; let’s computerise is the cry.

A vicar decided to use a word processor for his work.  In his service sheets for funerals he used the ‘Find and Replace’ instruction to change the name of the deceased.  He did this for funeral after funeral and was pleased with the time he was saving.  One week he changed the name from Mary, who had been buried the previous week, to Edna and printed out the service sheets.  All went well in the service until they came to the Apostles’ Creed.  Everyone was aghast when they read,

“Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Edna.”

Technology certainly has its place but there are no easy ways to be effective for Christ, and win others for him.  It is personal work and personal workers that are needed.  God could achieve his ends through a whole variety of means but he has chosen to use his people, acting as His representatives.  We are His body, our feet are His feet and our tongues are His!  As Paul said,

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though Christ were making his appeal through us.”  2 Corinthians 5:20

Philip is a beautiful example of a young but well trained personal worker in the Bible.

Background

After Pentecost the early church hardly stopped in their efforts to share the gospel with others.  They were flogged and ordered not to speak about Jesus by the civil authorities but nothing could restrain them.

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.”  Acts 5:42

The apostles found this ‘ministry of the word of God’, the preparation and the teaching so time consuming that they needed others to help them organise the day to day running of the church.  So they chose seven people, ‘full of the Holy Spirit’.  (Acts 6 v. 3)

Today there is a lot of misunderstanding about what this means - to be full of the spirit.  Surely it is a shorthand way of saying that their spirits were under the control of God’s Spirit and consequently their words were his words and their actions were for him.

“Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires”  Romans 8:5

The chosen seven were therefore recognised as being men who were ‘living for God’ but were also wise, having the sense that was needed to organise a church.  Stephen and Philip were the first two on this list.

Isn’t this a lovely example of senior people in a church longing to be free for Bible teaching and evangelism, leaving the more junior deacons to do the administration.  So often today it is the opposite.  Today all too often the Bishops choose to do the administration leaving the less experienced and often less trained to do the Bible teaching and evangelism.  In some ways the bishops have become the deacons and the deacons have become the bishops!

Then came the martyrdom of Stephen and the subsequent persecution of the young church in Jerusalem by the Jewish authorities.  (Acts 8 v. 1)

The Christians were scattered, ousted from their homes and jobs.  The Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung Milosevic or Putin of those days was a man called Saul!  The effect must have seemed to be disastrous to the early church leaders.  The church structure was destroyed.  People could no longer attend the Christian training sessions safely.  The organisers were no longer needed as there was no longer a church structure to organise.  But wait a moment, God changed this seeming disaster into something wonderful.  It is thrilling to see how He could turn an apparent defeat and make it into a victory!  The key was simple, those scattered “preached the word” wherever they went.

What a church!  They were truly ‘full of the Spirit’, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ.  The evidence for this was that they were primarily about the Lord’s business.  Jesus himself faced such tensions over priorities.  People came to him in their hoards to be healed, and this would undoubtedly make him very popular with the masses but that was not his priority.  He told his disciples that he must move on,

“So that I can preach there also.  That is why I have come.”  Mark 1:38

Philip was in all likelihood one of those church members who were scattered by the persecution.  He also ‘preached the word’ wherever he went (Acts 8 v. 4).   The next verse says that he went up to Samaria to do this.  What does this shorthand phrase ‘preach the word’ really mean?  The answer is in verse 12.

“He preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.”

In other words he was teaching what we have described as the ‘potted gospel’, saying that no-one need remain in the ‘kingdom of Sin’ but they could transfer to become God’s people, in God’s Kingdom, by putting themselves under the authority of Jesus.

Something else was interesting about his approach.  He obviously taught that a public response to Jesus was necessary.  He didn’t leave them feeling comfortable by just telling them about the love of God. No, he explained that the only way they could be comfortable before God is to respond positively and openly to his Son, Jesus.  He did not worry who he talked to, both men and women needed to respond to God’s Son.  Both men and women responded and were baptized  (Acts 8 v. 12).  The phrase ‘both men and women’ is very striking, it was surely included because it was so remarkable.  (If you read John the Baptist’s Sermon in Luke chapter 3, the illustrations are all to do with men, see verses 11,12 and 14)

Philip obviously longed for and expected both men and women to respond to this gospel.  It is interesting what criteria Philip looked for in those he baptized.  In Acts 8 v. 14 it says that “they had accepted the word of God”.  This would have meant accepting both the divine authority of Jesus, the ‘Word of God’ and consequently the teaching of Jesus.  A person is not yet a Christian until they have accepted this authority over their lives.

So far so good.  Philip understood,

a.  That the written word of God was central.

b.  The significance of Jesus to everyone.

c.  That a response to Jesus was needed.

It is interesting however that although he knew all about the empowering of the Holy Spirit, he did not stress that the Samaritans could also be gifted in the same way in order to empower them to live for Jesus.  Possibly, this was because they were Samaritans, and he was unsure whether such people could be fully accepted by God as equal members of His church.  This was remedied when Peter and John came and accepted the new Christians as their equals and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit in the same way that they had.

It is encouraging that in spite of this misunderstanding in doctrinal matters, God used Philip mightily.

Now let us see from Acts chapter 8 what happens next, and learn from the story how we also can be effective for Christ even when there are many pressures on us.

Philip saw the example of the church leaders

How important this point is.  If the leaders are not living examples of people who are all out for Christ, it is unlikely that their churches will be. Acts 8 v. 25 shows that these church leaders were open examples of men who,

a.  Testified, that is, they told others what they knew,

b.  Openly taught others the ‘Word of God’.    

It is probable that Philip was still young and single, yet he was a man of the Spirit.  He was a great man because he trusted and obeyed a great God.  He, like his teachers, longed that others should hear and respond to the gospel.

There was an Anglican Church in London that was growing very fast.  Its services were full.  They had the choice of expanding their own church building, having additional services, planting another church nearby.  They decided to plant a church on an estate one and a half miles away.  Unfortunately this was in another parish. The news got out and the local bishop received complaints.  The vicar and his churchwarden, a retired army Brigadier were summonsed to a meeting with two local bishops.  The Brigadier kept calling the bishops ‘General’, but even this approach did not prevent the bishops expressing their concerns forcefully.  In the end the Brigadier said to the senior bishop,

“General, let me get this clear.  We are trying to preach the gospel.”

He paused momentarily,

“And you are trying to stop it.”

Mouths dropped, but the church plant went ahead.

How desperately we need senior people in our churches to have this passion for Christ, this passion for sharing the gospel with others and teaching them God’ word, just as those early church leaders did. This is how to set the standards for the next generation.  I have been greatly influenced by Leith Samuel who was a great Christian leader of the last generation.  At his funeral, David Jackman said of him,

“Whether in the pulpit, or in the train going up to the Westminster Fellowship, in the open air, or one to one in the arm chair at home, it is my conviction that Leith was never happier than when he was sharing the gospel and declaring the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Philip was open to God’s leading

We are not told exactly how the angel spoke to young Philip.  It could have been in a dream or vision, it could have been through other Christians or church leaders, but he recognised it as coming directly from God.  I love the association between verses 26 where Philip is told ‘GO’, and verse 27 where it says ‘SO’.  God directs so Philip immediately responds.  (If you look at the early chapters of Mark’s version of the gospel, you will note how often it is stressed that people responded immediately to Jesus.)

The proof that Philip lived to please his Lord is his obedience to the commands of God.  If you want real proof that someone is full of the Spirit look to see if they are obedient to the ‘word of God’.

When I first read this story it appeared that God had lead Philip into the wilderness and Philip was uncertain what it was all about, perhaps waiting for something to happen.  Further study makes it seem more likely that Philip was on his way to Gaza, where the Palestinians (then called Philistines) lived, in order to teach the gospel to them.  In Acts 8 v. 40 he arrives at Azotus, which was the contemporary name for the Old Testament city of Ashdod.  This was one of the five great Philistine cities, which was only 15 miles from Gaza.

There are some Christians who seem to be active Christians for their own sakes.  They make good friends, they are respected and admired in the church fraternity.  Philip was not like that.  He was willing to put himself out to please his Lord, even if it meant doing things for God that others might not notice.  It is people such as Philip that God uses.

A Coincidence Happens!

Philip was walking along the road that leads down from Jerusalem to Gaza when he is overtaken by a slow moving chariot.  Contemporary pictures show these chariots as having four wheels.  Can you imagine the scene as Philip looks up and sees an important man behind his charioteer, probably wearing fine clothes.  There might also have been some outriders.  It is likely that this Ethiopian eunuch was a man of integrity.  He appears interested in knowing God’s ways and he was trusted enough to be the official in charge of the Candace.  Candace was the traditional title of a Queen Mother, who used to run the country on behalf of her son, the king, as he was reckoned to be too sacred for such mundane tasks.

We do not know precisely why the Ethiopian eunuch had made this long journey other than the statement,

“This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship.” Acts 8:27

Did he not understand that in Jerusalem he would be a double outsider.  As a foreigner he could only be admitted to the Court of Gentiles – but to be acceptable to God a worshipper had to offer a sacrifice.  Even worse, as a eunuch he would not be admitted to the temple at all.  The Jewish law was clear,

“No-one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of God.” Deuteronomy 23:1

However when in Jerusalem he took the opportunity to buy at least one scroll of the Jewish Scriptures and he was reading this on the journey home, yet not understanding what it meant.

It was at this point in the story that the coincidence happened.  Was it just a coincidence?  Archbishop William Temple was asked why he prayed.  He wisely replied,

“I find it strange that when I pray, coincidences happen, when I don’t pray coincidences don’t happen.’

Philip hears the man in the chariot reading a scroll. You might think that the chariot would be standing still in a lay-by, as it would be difficult to read racing along and scrolls were rather too expensive to risk being torn when they went over a bump, but further investigation makes this unlikely.  Verse 30 says that Philip had to run to catch the chariot up and verse 38 says that the Ethiopian ‘gave orders to stop the chariot’. It seems likely therefore that the chariot was moving along at walking speed.

You and I might be overawed by such an important person, but not young Philip.  He recognised that people such as this also need to hear the gospel. They are only human after all.  A rector was driving in an undertaker’s car to take a funeral.  They drove past a very rich house in his parish and were admiring it when the undertaker exclaimed,

“You know vicar, they all look the same when they come to us!”

Philip was alerted when he heard what the Ethiopian was reading. In those days all reading was done out loud.

“He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a lamb before his sheerer is silent, So he did not open his mouth.”

Can you imagine the excitement that Philip felt as he recognised that passage from the word of God, from Isaiah 53?

In those days there would not have been a vast choice of scrolls that the eunuch could have bought in the Jerusalem bookshop, as everything had to be written out by hand, but it was still an amazing coincidence.  Philip obviously knew Isaiah 53 well.  He probably also knew that Jesus had taught that that chapter was about himself. Jesus had said,

“It is written, ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’ and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me.”  Luke 22:37

The Ethiopian was reading about Jesus!  No wonder Philip was excited.  This coincidence was too strange for words.  He must have felt that God was behind this. Do you ever feel like that, when something that someone says or does, demonstrates that they have an interest in the things of God, and you are prompted to stay around as an opportunity to speak for Christ may appear?  Philip could not restrain himself.  He runs up to the chariot.  It seems likely that his boldness came from his recognition that God was in this coincidence.

The next point in the story is very important for us if we are to learn to be really effective for Christ.

He asked a direct question

If we have not learnt to do this we will miss out on so many opportunities.  As Philip runs up to the chariot he asks the eunuch,

“Do you understand what you are reading?”

Some may think this rather forward and rather risky.  It could result in his being snubbed or ridiculed by this important man.  The ruler could have said,

“Who are you, you young Jewish man to approach me in this manner whilst I am relaxing?”

Philip’s motto seems to have been,‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’

The question he asked is brilliant.  He did not say a casual “Good scroll that!” or “I’ve read that”.  Instead he asks a personal question,

“Do you understand what you are reading?”

An urgency is also implied in this question as if he were asking “Do you understand that – it really does matter!”

How important it is for all of us to learn to ask polite but real questions.  When we meet people who are going through problems we can sensitively ask,

“Do you have a faith that helps you at a time like this, or aren’t you sure?”

When talking to someone about religious matters you can ask,

“Are you a Christian yourself, or are you still uncertain?”   

“Are you certain you are right with God and going to heaven or are you unsure about these things?”

There are many such questions.  Giving people alternative answers does prevent us from cornering people and allows them to admit that they are uncertain and so lead on to further conversation.  If you have not learnt this secret of effective personal work, do learn it from Philip.

“Do you understand what you are reading?”

As so often happens after asking a direct question, the reply opens up a very profitable conversation.

“How can I, unless someone explains it to me.”

How Philip must have been thrilled as the Ethiopian asked,

“Would you mind explaining to me who the prophet is talking about?  Come up and join me in my chariot.”  Do you know this thrill of being in such situations?

Let us be clear, evangelism is explaining the story and significance of Jesus.  We are not evangelising if we are not talking about him!  Some people think that talking about their religious experiences is enough, but this is not true.  My role is to explain to others who Jesus is and what he has done.

He knew his Bible well

Firstly he was able to recognise those verses from the prophet Isaiah and was able to explain the significance of that chapter to an inquirer.  More than that he was able to show from multiple passages in the Old Testament that these books were all about Jesus.  (Acts 8:35)  How many Christians today could do that?  The interesting question to ask is how did he learn to do this?

The answer must be that he had been to training Bible Studies where the emphasis was to learn what a passage means and be able to explain and apply it to people we meet.  They would not be studies where leaders were content to ask, “What do you most like about this passage?”  They must have spent considerable time learning the words and meaning of God’s word to us.  It is relevant that after Pentecost, when 3000 people were converted, the new Christians, “devoted themselves to the apostles teaching”.  Surely this is how he knew that Jesus had said that Isaiah 53 was about himself, because Peter and John and the other apostles had taught them what Jesus had said at the last supper.

Those early Christians were undoubtedly ‘people of the Word’.  They expected Christians to do some prep!  Thus Peter taught “Always be prepared to give an answer . . . ” (1 Peter 3:15) and Paul said to Timothy “Be prepared in season and out of season . . .” (2 Tim 4:2).  “Be Prepared” may be the motto for the scout movement, but it should also be that of the church.  Let us all encourage each other to spend time doing our Christian homework or prep, learning the Bible well and learning how to explain these things to others.

His manner

There is a hint of something else important in the manner in which Philip talked to the eunuch.  He did not immediately jump up and recite a sermon to him that he had learnt by heart.  He appears to have entered into a two-way dialogue with question and answer.  There is an inference of this polite relationship in verse 34 –

“Tell me please, who is the prophet talking about?”

Philip had obviously learned an important lesson from Peter:

“Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect.”  1 Peter 3:15

Just as Philip had been taught the ‘Word of God’ as part of his early Christian training, so now he is teaching it to others.  This is the essential cycle of the church.  As in a relay race, we pass on the baton of knowledge of God’s Word to others.  After his resurrection Jesus met his disciples in the upper room and what did he do then?

“He opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures” Luke 24 v. 45

In Samaria, Peter and John “proclaimed the word of God”  (Acts 8 v. 25).

When Philip was talking with the Ethiopian, he:

“. . . began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus”  Acts 8 v. 35

Chris Richardson gave up a very good job, with excellent prospects for promotion, in order to share this gospel with others as a full timeworker.  He now works with overseas students in Sheffield.  He met a Chinese scholar who appeared totally ignorant of the Christian gospel.  After a discussion, the scholar and his friends were invited to a Bible study.  They had never seen a Bible before that week.  Chris asked for them to prepare by reading the first three chapters of Genesis and the first chapter of John’s gospel.  At the study, after looking at the Genesis chapters for half an hour Chris asked this Chinese man, “How does God communicate with humans?”  After a pause he replied, “I think God communicates with humans by sending Jesus”.  In such a short time he had grasped that the message of the whole Bible is essentially about Jesus.

He taught that an open response to Jesus is needed

Philip was not satisfied to tell the message about Jesus, he explained that a response must be made to this message.  This response can only be “Yes, I accept him” or “No, I don’t want him”.  A response of “I understand” may be encouraging but it is inadequate.  The only response that God finds acceptable is “Yes, I want to be committed to Jesus”.

The Ethiopian obviously understood this.  “Why shouldn’t I be baptised?” he asked (Acts 8:37).  There and then that is what happened.  He symbolically died to his old life by going under the water and rose again from it to live a new life.  It is also a picture of his being washed of the sin of his old life and the beginning of a new holy life, lived with and for Jesus.  Philip must have taught him that the prime object of life was to become right with God and then live close to him.  It is not primarily ‘join the church’ and live in harmony in the Christian community – these things are secondary.  It is possible to be involved with a church and not have a personal relationship with Jesus for ourselves.  It was Martin Luther who stressed that Christianity consists of personal pronouns.  Many religious people can say, “Jesus is Lord”.  Only those right with God can say “Jesus is my Lord”!

After his meeting with the Ethiopian, God took Philip away.  They probably never met up again in this life.  Yet it is said that the Coptic Church developed from that one man.  How could that happen?  What did the Ethiopian have to help him after his conversion?  There were probably few other Christians around.  The answer must be that he had the Bible and God’s Spirit to help him.  There is certainly no indication that the Ethiopian was daunted over the possible problems he would face.  Verse 39 says,

“He went on his way rejoicing”.

As he read three chapters further on in the scroll of Isaiah he must have been thrilled as there was a passage that filled this new Christian with hope,

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant – to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure for ever.” Isaiah 56:4

He had understood the answer to life.  He was right with God because of Jesus. This joy is a common mark of true conversion.  A few chapters later the jailer of the prison in Philippi became a Christian.  We read,

“He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family.” Acts 16:34

His circumstances changed but not his priority

It would be easy to think that this is the story of an idealistic young man who was able to behave in this way because he had the enthusiasm of youth and few responsibilities.  There is evidence however that Philip did not change in later years.  This is slightly speculative but Acts 8 v. 40 states that Philip “traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea”.  Caesarea was sixty miles north of Gaza.  What is it that normally causes a young man to settle down like this?  It is likely  that he met a young lady and got married. There is some evidence to support this.  Twenty years or so later, the apostle Paul was returning from his second missionary journey and he arrived by boat at Caesarea.  “We reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.  He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied” (Acts 21 v. 8,9).  This means that Philip’s daughters were probably in their late teens.  It therefore seems probable that, in spite of his responsibilities of a wife and large family he still longed that others should come to know Jesus.  It is only at this time that he is given the title ‘Philip the Evangelist’.  This is so encouraging, a different situation, a large family but Jesus is still his priority.  That is the mark of a Christian.

B V Palmer

Acts 15:1-21. The Importance of Doctrine

A group were discussing what prevents people from going to churches.  The answers were interesting:

‘Its boring.’

‘They do the same liturgy each week and think that is worship.’

‘They spend so much time singing.’

‘They tend to be mindless and emotional.’

‘There is much theatrical pretence, we need reality.’

‘I am not convinced the Christian story is true.’

Most of these responses concern the trappings of church life. It was the last question that the apostles were particularly concerned to answer.  They were convinced that Jesus is ‘the truth’ (John 14:6), anything else is peripheral.

One of the major problems facing the early church was the tension over doctrinal issues.  There was a conflict between those Jews who had become Christians from a religious background and the Gentile Christians who had come from secular and often immoral backgrounds.  The Jewish Christians considered that all new Christians should adopt Jewish customs and practices as these had been ordained by God.  Furthermore those who do adopt these practices are helped in various ways:

1.  Their adoption proves their spiritual sincerity – it is not easy to be circumcised!

2.  They protect people from spiritual drift.

3.  They distinguish clearly the people of God from the others.

Perhaps these were the rationalised concerns of some but it is likely that most wanted to adhere to their old practices because that was their tradition and few find it easy to change their traditional ways of life.  We are all creatures of habit.

However Jesus and his apostles had taught very clearly that all people need to do to be saved and to become members of God’s eternal kingdom was to believe in the Lord Jesus and follow him.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36

The Philippian jailer was overwhelmed at the way God had freed Paul and Silas from their captivity in his prison and he asked Paul and Silas,

“‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’  They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.’” Acts 16:30-31

The message of the apostles was clear, people are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone and through the word of God alone.  Essentially this was the battleground of the Reformation that men such as Martin Luther and John Calvin fought for.  It was also the basis for the major battle of the early church.

The Historic Problem

Paul’s first missionary journey would have taken up to 10 months and he had returned to Antioch by the autumn of 48 A.D. They had faced much conflict with Judaisers throughout this first journey and the questions needed urgently to be addressed.  In Antioch they came across the same tension but this time from Jewish Christians.

“Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” Acts 15:1

Tensions were raised; there were two opposing camps, both with reasonable arguments.

“This brought Paul and Barnabus into sharp dispute and debate with them.” Acts 15:2

We learn from Paul’s letter to the churches he had visited on the first missionary journey that this problem was deep seated.  He tells them that Peter himself had visited Antioch about this time and  that even he had been muddled over this issue of Judaising the Christian faith.  Paul wrote,

“When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.  Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles.  But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.  The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabus was led astray.” Galatians 2:11-13

Paul did not weakly stay silent,

“When I saw they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.  How is it then that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs.” Galatians 2:14

It is clear that this fundamental error had permeated into the thinking of such senior men as James, the brother of Jesus and even Peter.

The issue is debated

Whenever there are such conflicts it is wise to get some godly adjudicators and this was what the church in Antioch decided on.

“So Paul and Barnabus were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.” Acts 15:2

As they travelled down to Jerusalem they encouraged the Christians that they met on the way and told them how Gentiles had been converted,

“This news made all the brothers very glad.” Acts 15:3

This joy was surely the work of God’s Spirit, Christians are always thrilled when others repent and become God’s people.  When they came to Jerusalem,

“ . . . they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.” Acts 15:4

However the theological issue yet again came to the fore,

“Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses.’” Acts 15:5

Such a fixed view had to be responded to and resolved.

Unfortunately, today, some church authorities try to take a conciliatory approach when facing such difficult problems and accept both irreconcilable views.  This is being seen over the question of sexuality – ‘Must marriage be between a man and a woman?’ ‘Is sex outside of marriage wrong?’ ‘Must people be Christians to be saved?’  Compromise and appeasement never works when dealing with such fundamental issues.  That lesson has been learned in dealing with Hitler, and again today with Putin, but when will church leaders understand what the early church realised?  God’s clear opinion must be sought in his Word and the issue settled.

“The apostles and elders met together to consider this question.” Acts 15:6

It is significant that it was Peter who helped the Council to think clearly.  He reminded the Council about how the Lord had given him a dream, repeated three times, emphasising that nothing God has created was now unclean. Immediately after having this dream there was a knock on the door where three men were standing, who had travelled the 35 miles down from Caesarea,.  They explained to Peter,

“We have come from Cornelius, the centurion.  He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people.  A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” Acts 10:22

As a result of both the vision and this extraordinary visit Peter did something totally against Jewish custom.  He invited the three as guests into the house where he was staying.  Then the next morning he and some Jewish Christians travelled with his guests to go to the home of a Gentile centurion.  Cornelius was expecting Peter; he called together a large group to hear what Peter had to tell them about how they could become right with God - how they could be saved.  Peter told the large gathering,

“You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him.  But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.” Acts 10:28

Cornelius then explained how God had told him to send to Joppa to ask Peter to come and speak to them.

“Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” Acts 10:33

So Peter explained the gospel of salvation through belief in Jesus.

“I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.  You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ who is Lord of all.” Acts 10:34-35

Peter then described how Jesus had gone around healing and preaching, was killed but rose from the dead.  Those who met him after the resurrection were commissioned to complete his work.

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:42-43

What happened next was eventually to change the thinking of the whole church throughout the world.

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.  The circumcised believers who came with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.  For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.” Acts 10:44-46

This gift of tongues or languages was defined earlier in the book.  People from many different nations, who spoke different languages, were present on that great Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem.  The visitors exclaimed,

“ . . . we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.” Acts 2:11

So now this gathering of Gentiles in Caesarea were filled with a love for Jesus, his people and his word and couldn’t stop speaking about him to others in their languages that they had not learned.  Peter ordered that they should be baptised in the name of Jesus.  He then stayed a few more days, undoubtedly to teach them further.

Peter now reminded the Council in Jerusalem of what God had done during that visit to Caesarea,

“Brothers you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.  God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.  He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.” Acts 15:7-9

Peter concluded his statement by sharing the obvious conclusion,

“Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?” Acts 15:10

Peter then shared the essential gospel truth that is just as relevant today as then,

“We believe that it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” Acts 15:11

Then Barnabus and Paul recounted what had happened to then and how they had been enabled to do miraculous signs among the Gentiles.

A conclusion is reached

The Chairman of the Council, James, the brother of Jesus, confirmed these arguments by reminding his listeners that this was precisely what the Old Testament Scriptures foresaw would happen, and he quoted some of God’s words given by the prophet Amos (Amos 9:11-12),

“The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written, ‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent.  Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things that have been known for ages.’” Acts 15:15-18

James concluded,

“It is my judgment, therefore that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” Acts 15:19

This decision controlled the direction the future churches were to take.  They had had the mind of God supernaturally revealed to them.  The message of the apostles was clear, people are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone and through the word of God alone.  This is so different to religion, where people are trying to ‘re-ligate’ or bring themselves into God’s favour by what they do. How important this is for churches today in a post christian country – we must not make it difficult for non-Christians to turn to Christ.

Undoubtedly there would have been some muttering from the Pharisaical Christians after this decision had been made.  One concern they would have is ‘Where is the clear identity of God’s people now that circumcision has stopped?’  This is surely why water baptism is meant to be a public event. Those who have become Christians publicly align themselves with Jesus Christ.  In those days it meant they would face opposition from Jewish or secular authorities.

Another concern would be  ‘Where is the security that those keeping the law now have?’  The security of the Christians is in Christ himself.  He has promised that those who believe and follow him will be saved. Now what can be more secure than the word of God?  Paul was later to write,

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

A third concern would be, If there are no rules, people will ask,’What is it that keeps God’s people living as he wants.’  The answer is the Spirit of God who he has freely given to every believer.  It is the Spirit that motivates us to want to be godly people who represent our Lord in his world.

No rules but important principles

The council recognised that the church was still evangelising effectively amongst the Jews and therefore, in spite of the freedom they have in Christ, they advised the Gentile Christians that they should place certain restrictions on how they live.

“Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from meat of strangled animals and from blood..  For Moses has been preached in ever city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” Acts 15:20-21

Abstaining from food offered to idols was to show the Gentiles that the Christian faith recognises only the one true God and this would help the Christians to be distinct.  Sexual immorality was everywhere in the secular Gentile world and again this would make God’s people distinctive.  The last two directives were to try and answer the concerns of the Jewish Christians, to show that all Christians, whether Jew or Gentile were to be distinctive.  These directives, for that is all they were, were to help the spread of the gospel into different groups.

Paul and Barnabus had gone to Jerusalem to ensure that what he was teaching the Gentiles was in accord with what the other apostles were saying.  They took Titus, a Gentile Christian, along with them.  Paul tells his readers, who were concerned about the Judaising problem,

“Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.” Galatians 2:3

Paul was adamantly against the circumcision party but he had earlier, on his first missionary journey, circumcised Timothy.

“He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.  The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.  Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.” Acts 16:1-3

There was no inconsistency here. Christian freedom caused Paul to resist Titus’ circumcision, this same freedom allowed him to remove the difficulty of Timothy’s lack of circumcision when sharing the gospel amongst Jews in those early days. Paul applied the principle he gave in another letter,

“To the Jews I became a Jew in order to win the Jews.” 1 Corinthians 9:20

The Council in Jerusalem recognised that their decision had to be explained to people so they decided to send some of their own men to accompany Paul and Barnabus back to Antioch to explain the Councils conclusions.  It is one thing to make a decision but another is the need to explain it to the churches so it can be implemented. Unity is tantamount.

Application for us today

This same issue of church rules keeps raising its ugly head today.  Rules can make Christian groups appear isolated from others in their society and keep others out, the very opposite of what God wants his people to achieve.  We must not make it difficult for non-Christians to turn to Christ.  Some Christian groups today demand that Christians take on some of the laws of Moses.  They stress that their Christians are special because they don’t eat shell fish or are vegetarians. Others insist that God can be worshipped in on Saturday, the Sabbath,  Some say that  to be really spiritual you won’t eat meat of Fridays.  Some will emphasise the need to go to confession and to mass regularly.  Others will whip themselves or wear hair shirts to help themselves to be spiritual.  How foolish all this is.

After taking a conference in Poland I was asked, at short notice, to help adjudicate a local evangelical church that was facing a split.  Apparently the elders were insisting that ladies should always wear hats to church.  Another small group of Christians in the Baltic States have been teaching that to be really spiritual you must be vegetarian.  Some Anglican and Roman Catholic missionaries to Africa insisted on exporting the same form of liturgical services with gowns, surpluses and stoles that they had in England. Is it surprising that more informal and often heretical cults are more attractive to the African mindset.  Rules and traditions can easily become more important than teaching and persuading people about the gospel.

Such rules are usually raised by well meaning people who want to protect their people from a pagan past and to make the Christians distinctive but in the long run they always undermine the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

All such rules are in fact adding to the gospel, which in spiritual mathematics, actually detracts from it.  To live under the authority of the Lord Jesus is a much higher standard that outward rules.  The rules may satisfy other people but they do not satisfy God.  Jesus had much to say to the Pharisees on this issue. Those who have been given the Holy Spirit live to please God in all they do, and every time they fail they come back to relying on this relationship not on rules or traditions.

Even in evangelical churches we can emphasise our rules or church practices.  How many outsiders find our many hymns and long prayers helpful?  In the early church it was the challenging teaching of the Scriptures that had priority.  Is this what we are known for?  Other churches use theatrical techniques to entertain people. This may help draw in the crowds but unless there is excellent Bible teaching that holds them, they will drift away.  People must become convinced about Jesus and the Bible, not just by the presence of friends and theatre.  When we read through the book of Acts the main emphasis of the apostolic band was on the teaching of the word of God – how we need to return to this priority today and not be so dependant on our traditions.

We must be careful however.  Although we are free, what we do may not be wise.  As Islam advances into England they consider that this country is utterly pagan because of how we behave.  Shouldn’t our young Christians be warned that kissing other youngsters in public, wearing short mini-dresses or minute bikinis is unhelpful and does not honour the Lord Jesus.  There is a time for Christians to abstain from alcohol when in a drunken society but there must be no rules,  Jesus drank alcohol and even produced it.  Jesus did things on the Sabbath that the religious disapproved of but he was not wrong.

Didn’t Jesus emphasise how radically different the message of the gospel is from religion,

“And no-one pours new wine into old wineskins.  If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, he puts new wine into new wineskins.” Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, and Luke 5:37-39.

The Council in Jerusalem understood this.  Political correctness may be a feature of some societies such as in Russia and China and increasingly in the West with its emphasis on Woke and LGBT practices but tradition must never control the church which must remain true to Scripture.  As Paul wrote,

“‘Do not go beyond what is written.’ Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.  For who makes you different from anyone else?  What do you have that you did not receive?” 1 Corinthians 4:6-7

It is by taking careful notice of what Jesus has said, that we read in Scripture, that will prevent churches and individuals from falling away,  Jesus said,

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.” John 16:1

BVP      

Hope in the book of Acts

In the book of Acts, the word ‘hope’ is consistently emphasised in the context of the resurrection of Jesus, the restoration of God’s people, and the future return of Christ. 

The apostles and early Christians express their hope not as a vague wish, but as a confident expectation grounded in God's promises and the reality of Jesus's resurrection. 

Where hope is emphasised

The resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection is the central point of Christian hope, confirming Jesus's identity as the Messiah and securing the future resurrection of believers. 

Acts 2:25–28: In his sermon at Pentecost, Peter quotes Psalm 16, connecting David's prophecy to Jesus. He explains that David spoke "of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption" (Acts 2:31). Peter declares that God has raised Jesus up, providing a basis for a new, living hope.

Acts 23:6: While on trial before the Sanhedrin, Paul defends himself by asserting, "I am on trial concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead". He aligns himself with the Pharisees who believed in the resurrection, using this shared hope to create division among his accusers.

Acts 24:15: Before the Roman governor Felix, Paul reiterates this theme, stating, "I have a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust". 

The promise to Israel

The apostles frame their message of hope within the context of God's ancient promises to Israel, which they believe were fulfilled in Jesus. 

Acts 1:6–11: The disciples' initial hope was for the immediate political restoration of the Kingdom to Israel. However, Jesus redirects their focus to the coming of the Holy Spirit and their mission to be his witnesses "to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Their hope is reshaped to understand that the kingdom will come in two stages: the spiritual reign beginning with the Spirit, and Jesus's bodily return.

Acts 26:6–7: In his defense before King Agrippa, Paul states that he stands trial for his "hope in the promise made by God to our fathers". He connects his hope directly to the long-held expectation of the twelve tribes of Israel for the Messiah and the resurrection. The fact that he is accused by Jews for holding this fundamental Jewish hope highlights the absurdity of the charges against him.

Acts 28:20: While under house arrest in Rome, Paul clarifies to the Jewish leaders that he is in chains "for the hope of Israel". This refers to the Messianic hope of God's kingdom, which, for Paul, is embodied in Jesus. 

The Holy Spirit and the message of hope

The Holy Spirit is presented as the down payment of the future hope, empowering believers in the present and signifying the start of the "last days". 

Acts 1:8: Jesus promises his followers they will "receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" to witness to him. This promise of empowerment to enable christians to live effectively as Christ’s representatives is a central aspect of their confident expectation.

Acts 2:38: In his Pentecost sermon, Peter offers a message of hope, inviting people to "repent and be baptized... and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." This reception of the Spirit is linked to the hope of forgiveness and salvation.

Acts 28:26–28: At the end of Acts, Paul quotes from Isaiah to explain the stubborn refusal of some Jewish leaders to accept Jesus as the Messiah, fulfilling prophecy about spiritual blindness. This moment of rejection, however, also sets the stage for the fulfilment of the hope for the Gentiles, as Paul declares that God's salvation has now been sent to them. 

How hope is sustained in Acts

Despite persecution and hardship, the early church's hope remains steadfast through several factors:

Encouragement: Leaders like Barnabas and Paul consistently strengthen the disciples, urging them to "continue in the faith" despite many afflictions (Acts 14:22).

Miraculous signs: Healings and miracles were performed by the apostles especially early in their ministry. Thus the healing of the lame man in Acts 3, serves as confirmation that God is at work, reinforcing their message of restoration and judgment.

Community: The communal life of the early believers, described in Acts 2 and 4, demonstrates their collective hope. They share possessions and devote themselves to fellowship and teaching, showing that their future hope shaped their present actions.

Suffering: Paradoxically, suffering for the sake of the gospel becomes an evidence of their hope. Their willingness to endure hardship shows that their ultimate reward lies beyond their earthly struggles (Acts 5:41). 

In summary, the book of Acts is permeated with the unshakable hope of the early Christians. This hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit, which fulfils the ancient promises to Israel and opens salvation to the Gentiles. It fuels their witness and resilience in the face of persecution. 

Jesus and the Resurrection in Acts

In the book of Acts, Jesus and his resurrection are mentioned in nearly every sermon and chapter, with Jesus's resurrection being a central theme of the entire book woven throughout the entire narrative. The book itself is essentially the story of Jesus continuing his work through the Holy Spirit and his apostles, with the resurrection as the validating event. 

Where Jesus and his resurrection are mentioned

The following key passages illustrate the persistent focus on these themes. 

Chapters 1–7 (In Jerusalem)

Acts 1:2–3, 9–11: The book begins with the resurrected Jesus appearing to his disciples before his ascension and promising his return.

Acts 2:24, 31–32: Peter's Pentecost sermon declares that God raised Jesus and connects this to prophecy.

Acts 3:15, 26: Peter preaches that God raised Jesus, the "Author of Life," whom the Israelites killed.

Acts 4:2, 10, 33: Peter and John testify to the Sanhedrin about healing in the name of the resurrected Jesus, and the apostles continue preaching the resurrection.

Acts 5:30: Before the Sanhedrin, Peter states that the God of their ancestors raised Jesus, whom they killed.

Acts 7:55–56: The dying Stephen sees a vision of the resurrected and ascended Jesus. 

Chapters 8–12 (In Judea and Samaria)

Acts 9:1–9, 17, 20: The resurrected Jesus appears to Saul (Paul), leading to his conversion.

Acts 10:40–42: Peter tells Cornelius that God raised Jesus on the third day and appointed him as judge. 

Chapters 13–28 (To the ends of the earth)

Acts 13:30–31, 37: Paul preaches in Antioch that God raised Jesus to fulfill prophecy and prevent decay.

Acts 17:3, 18, 31–32: In Athens, Paul preaches Jesus and the resurrection, stating God proved judgment by raising him from the dead, which garners mixed reactions.

Acts 23:6: Paul declares he is on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.

Acts 24:21: Paul again states his offense was proclaiming the "resurrection of the dead".

Acts 26:23: Paul explains to King Agrippa that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, bringing light to all people. 

The significance of Jesus and his resurrection in Acts

The constant focus on Jesus and his resurrection in Acts highlights key aspects of early Christian belief: 

A historical fact: The resurrection is presented as a real event with eyewitnesses.

Divine validation: It proves Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God.

The basis for salvation: The resurrection is linked to forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Fulfillment of prophecy: The apostles show how Jesus's suffering and resurrection fulfill Old Testament prophecies.

The Source of the Holy Spirit: Jesus's ascension after the resurrection allows for the sending of the Holy Spirit. 

Acts 1:1-11. A Thrilling Life of Power

A study of the faces of most Christians in church would suggest that most are bored to tears.  They may open their mouths when a hymn is sung but even then there is little else to suggest people are captivated by what they are involved with.  And what do they talk about during the week!

The book of Acts is a source book about the early church, it is the story of a rapidly spreading flame.  It is called ‘the Acts of the Apostles’ but most of the work was actually done by ordinary Christians inviting others to hear the gospel.  This is why some have called the book ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit’ or ‘the Acts of the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit acting through his church’.

In the gospels Jesus gives his life for us, in Acts he gives his power to us.

In the gospels we find the seeds of the church, in Acts we learn of the growth of the church.

In the gospels we learn of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, in the gActs we learn of his ascension and exultation.

In the gospels Jesus is the perfect man, in Acts imperfect men begin to live the Christian life.

The book of Acts is so important as it gives us the formula for satisfying, effervescent, relevant lives.  For any who want their lives to count, the book of Acts gives a new perspective.  A church leader admitted,

“I’ve been a deacon in my church for years.  I’ve built a building, I’ve raised funds, I’ve sat on committees but one thing the church never gave me was a relationship that would make my life exciting.”

Many Christian’s lives are as bubbly as a two day old glass of ginger ale!  The book of Acts tells us of a young, virile church that can take on the world.

The Beginning

The book of Acts is about what Jesus continued to do through his Spirit after he returned to be with his Father.  The book was addressed to Theophilus, just as Luke’s gospel was.  It is likely that Theophilus was a real Roman of note but the word significantly means ‘God Lover’ and on that basis the book is for all who are concerned about what God thinks of this world.  It is the same God who continues to act today as acted in Old Testament times and through Jesus:

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote all about what Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven . . .” Acts 1:1-2

Biblical authority

Luke then adds a very important phrase that explains why the apostles have been given by God, the authority they have in the church:

“ . . .after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” Acts 1:2

In the New Testament there are many references that support the idea that the authority of God was given to the apostles for the church to be built on.  God’s church, his city, depends on this authority, and what they taught is given to us in the New Testament.

“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:14

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16

“I (Paul) give you this charge: Preach the Word . . . For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:1-3

“I (Paul) have become its servant (the church’s) by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fulness . . .” Colossians 1:25

“For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword . . . it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

This is why all churches should make it their prime aim to teach the word of God in ways that people can understand and remember.

The Baptism of the Spirit

Jesus used to teach while eating meals with his disciples.  How parents should do the same when eating with their children.

“On one occasion, while eating with them, he gave them this command, ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you heard me speak about.  For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:4-5

The disciples must have been unsure what Jesus meant.  Would it be like the occasion when Jesus went to the river Jordan to be baptised and a dove flew down onto him and the voice of God was heard introducing Jesus as God’s own Son?  The Rabbis said that when Israel was restored there would be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Would there be a new political power or would they be able to walk through walls?  It is likely that they were full of a burning anticipation about what they were to experience.  Their thinking was still unclear because they then asked:

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel.” Acts 1:6

They realised that Jesus was God’s King or Messiah, but were still unclear about the nature of his kingdom.  Jesus then gives them some magnificent teaching, they were his final words to them on earth:

“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8

Jesus has come to establish the kingdom of God but this will only fully materialise in the future when he returns.  His church is here to prepare for this and we also have been given the Holy Spirit to enable us to continue with the task of establishing the kingdom of God both at home, in our environment and to the ends of the earth.

In the book of Acts, Chapters 1 to 7 are based in Jerusalem, chapters 8-12 are in Samaria and chapters 13 on concern the rest of the world.  Let us look at:

The Mission

The Mission’s extent

The Missions’ power

The Mission

“You will be my witnesses.” Acts 1:8

A local vicar told me of a recent survey revealing that over 80 per cent of church goers never talk about their faith or invite others to learn about it.  Yet here we have our commission.  It is similar to the Great Commission given at the end of Matthew’s gospel:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . .” Matthew 28:18-19

This is not optional.  The king has spoken, he has ordered and we must obey.  People all over the world need to hear the news.

But someone may say, ‘Isn’t that specifically said to the disciples who were trained and empowered by God for this task?’  No, that is not true!  All subsequent Christians have been baptised not just with water but with the power of God,

“ . . . baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19

What a shame it is that the initiation into the Christian life is so often considered to be just a formality.  We know this power was not just for the disciples because Jesus then continued,

“ . . . and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:20

Just as the disciples had to go and make disciples of all nations, so must subsequent believers, we must continue to fulfil the commission Jesus gave to his apostles and his church.  The noun ‘witness’ comes 13 times in the book of Acts.  The noun ‘to witness’ comes a further two times.  Indeed, “witnessing” should be something more than an intermittent church activity. It is the very essence of who we are as Christians.

Our Mission is to point people to the Jesus the apostles told us about, not to a modern prophet.  The Bible repeatedly warns against false prophets, both in the Old and New Testaments.  Today it is common to see smart young men about twenty years of age, wearing a white shirt and a conservative tie.  They are very pleasant.  They like to get into a conversation with someone, often discussing modern ethics, and then go on to say,

“Wouldn’t it be nice if there were still prophets today!”

Sounds all so reasonable until the teaching of the Mormons, the Latter Day Saints is gone into.  They began in the nineteenth century with a young man who had a vision of meeting an angel, Moroni by name, who told him where to find some buried golden plates.  By the plates were some gigantic eyeglasses which enabled him to read these plates, plates that nobody has seen.  Joseph Smith, the young man’s name, said he did copy the text of the plates which he said were written in ‘reformed Egyptian’, a language no-one knows of.  When this paper was shown to an Egyptologist he commented that it was a naive fraud, using signs of the Zodiac.  The Book of Mormon tells an incredible story, that the Aaronic priesthood still exists and that the lost ten tribes of Israel became the Nephites in America.  Of course there is no evidence that such an ancient people ever existed.  Although claiming to be a translation of these ancient plates, the so-called translation is plagiarised, using words from the Authorised Version.  The Mormon message is an incredibly complex system of works under the guise of being a form of Christianity, which it certainly is not.

The Christian message is about Jesus, the God who entered his world and allowed himself to be crucified as an atoning death for us.  He rose from the dead and then ascended back to heaven where he prays for his people on earth, a people who have been given a purpose for now and promised a future with him for eternity.  This message is so simple but utterly life-changing.  We have this message to present to the world, but to be effective the world must see that the gospel has changed us.

There are many people who tell stories about how the change in a person’s life led them to trust in the power of Christ.  Henry Morton Stanley was sent by the editor of the New York Times to find Dr David Livingstone who seemed to have disappeared in central Africa.  When he found Livingstone, he stayed with him a short time and was most impressed by his sincerity.  He wrote,

“If I had been with him any longer, I would have been compelled to have become a Christian and he never said one word to me about it.”

The apostolic flame spread across the Roman world because they not only spoke about their faith but they ‘walked the talk’.  Even the soldiers who were guarding Paul, when he was under house arrest in Rome, saw the difference.

“What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  As a result it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” Philippians 1:12-14

The gospel calls us to an absolute honesty that reaches to the depth of our personalities and to ask whether we are really substantiating the gospel by the way we live.  It is all too easy to have the talk but not the walk.

One way people can see our sincerity is not just that we love to talk about our Lord but we do so with passion.  When Peter spoke to thousands in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost he spoke with great passion, he ‘warned’ them, ‘he pleaded with them’ and as a result they were ‘cut to the heart’ and three thousand were baptised as followers of Jesus.  When Stephen spoke to the religious authorities just before he was stoned to death, he was gloriously passionate.  When Paul was defending himself before King Agrippa and the Roman Governor Felix, who could have had him executed, he again spoke with passion about Jesus.  Paul’s objective was clear as Agrippa responded to his defence,

“Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to become a Christian?” Acts 26:28

George Whitefield, the 17th century evangelist, was due to speak in Edinburgh at 5 am one morning.  A Christian noticed that the man walking beside him was the great philosopher, David Hume.  He was amazed, so he asked Mr Hume why he was there,

“I thought you didn’t believe the gospel.”

Hume replied,

“I don’t, but he does.”

Whitefield believed with all his heart, just as the apostles and so many of the early church were passionate about the Lord Jesus.

It leads us to ask, are we as passionate about our Lord today?  It is a mark of an authentic witness.  It is a great honour to be selected as one of His ambassadors, but he calls us to be faithful.

The Mission’s Extent

When the disciples were told the extent of their mission they must have been very worried.  Jerusalem was a hotbed where the anti-Jesus rulers had control.  Why witness here and not in safer Galilee? Samaria was the capital of a people who hated the Jews, why there?  The ‘ends of the earth’ was an awesome mission field - seemingly impossible for such a small band of people.  Yet within a generation the gospel had spread throughout the Roman world and beyond.

They did start in Jerusalem.  Then Philip went on a successful mission to Samaria where he confronted sorcery and magic.  Then he moved down to share the gospel with the Philistines.

Sergey Genadievich Nechayev (1847 – 1882) was an early follower of Karl Marx and a radical revolutionary communist.  He was convicted of murder but in reality the aristocracy were afraid of him and his followers.  Czar Alexander II was murdered by this group.  Nechayev wrote the famous ‘Revolutionary Catechism’ which describes how the Communists thought.  He said, just before he died in prison of tuberculosis,

“Revolutionary man is a consecrated man.  He has neither his own interests nor concerns, nor feelings, nor attachments, nor poverty, not even a name.  All for him was absorbed in a single exclusive interest and one thought and one passion, revolution.”

His beliefs and motives were wrong but surely we can admire his dedication to his cause.  Such dedication was seen in the apostles and early church.

The Mission’s Power

The book of Acts is all about the remarkable work of the Holy Spirit working through all sorts of people.  It is remarkable how most unlikely people become people of power.  Why does God use some more than others to expand his kingdom when all have been called to this role?

When Kent Hughes became a Christian at school he longed that others should come to Christ.  Their mid-week Bible Study was poorly attended.  So he prayed about this.  Then a schoolfriend joined him and he became a Christian.  Within two months the group grew from 15 to 90 and subsequently to 120!  There were only four nights, out of one and a half years, when someone did not become a Christian.

We had a small Christian Union in our college when I committed my life to Christ.  Over the next two years 60 students in our college made commitments to Christ.  It was such a joy to see the Christians praying for friends and getting close to them.  At dinner on Sunday evenings the Christians would not sit together in hall but dispersed themselves around the hall.  We would invite those around us back to our rooms for coffee.  We would then explain that we were going down to the evangelistic talk held in a local church and our friends would often come with us.  In those two years not a week went by without someone committing their lives to Christ.  What was striking was that nearly all of us were just young inexperienced Christians.

Look how God used the uneducated Gladys Aylward in China.  Read the story of D.L.Moody who became a Christian after his uncle reluctantly gave him a job as salesman in his shoe shop, but only on the condition that he attended church. His Sunday School leader, Edward Kimball, led him to Christ when he visited the shoe shop.  Moody then moved to Chicago with the ambition to sell shoes but there he started a Sunday School and worked hard to attract youngsters from all over the city and from all social strata.  It went so well that he was asked to start a church with himself as pastor.  He subsequently became one of the most successful evangelists, travelling widely.  God put his Spirit into D.L.Moody and used him mightily.

It is this same power that God gives today to those who urgently long to fulfil his commission.

BVP

Acts 26:1-23. The Heart of Christianity - Truth

It is becoming very apparent that many politicians are quite inept at politics. They repeatedly make promises, up to election day, but from that day on all we hear are excuses, excuses over the next four years.   Where has integrity gone?  Some know what the opposite of ‘integrity’ is.  It is ‘dis-integrity’ or ‘disintegration’.  When a person stops doing what is right before God their personal life begins to disintegrate, to fall apart, then the family disintegrates and finally that society disintegrates - all because people cannot live as God wants.

Jesus has a message from God that is both true and is evidence based, it is both credible and life changing.  True faith is always life-changing.

Background

When Paul visited the secular city of Athens on his second missionary journey (50-51 AD) he faced a problem.  The people loved debating issues such as politics and morality, much as our society does today, but they had no firm basis for how they should live, again much as in our society today.  When Paul walked around the city, he saw that it was full of idols to this god and that god, all of which were extrapolations of mans natural desires. (See Appendix 1). Then he saw something that made his subsequent discussions easy to introduce.  He told the men of Athens in the Areopagus:

“For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.” Acts 17:23

Debate with philosophers

He got into discussions with local philosophers but note what he wanted to tell them about, he always wanted to get to the facts about Jesus, his death and his resurrection.

“A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.”

Then he noticed another altar ‘To an unknown God’, and he used this in his discussions.  Note he didn’t start by attacking, first he wanted to find a bridge with his hearers.  So Paul said to the leaders of the people in the Areopagus debating area:

“For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.” Acts 17:23

Remember Paul had written a letter in 55 AD giving the basis for his teaching:

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

This passage offers the theological basis for his later courtroom arguments. He emphasises the resurrection's factual basis, listing multiple eyewitnesses to the risen Christ, including himself. He goes on to explains (1 Corinthians 15:12-19) that if Christ has not been raised, then Christian faith is ‘useless’ and believers ‘are still in your sins . 

Trials in Jerusalem - his essential defence

When Paul went to Jerusalem (55 AD), after his third missionary journey, riots were encouraged against him by the Jewish authorities and he was arrested. His defence at his trials and interviews was always the same.  Thus he said to Festus, the Roman Governor:

“What I am saying is true and reasonable.” Acts 26:25

If anyone wanted to verify the fact of the resurrection of Jesus they could have called up hundreds of witnesses to say they had seen the risen Christ after his death. Significantly the authorities never did that.  For them political expediency and suppressing the story about Jesus was the priority.

At his five trials that Paul faced he kept coming back to the question of the resurrection of Jesus. This was central to his message to the world as it proved his claim to be God’s Messiah.  Truth is always a good way to answer false accusations but it did also help in his legal strategy of dividing the Pharisees from the Sadducees. 

When Paul first stood before the Jewish high council, the Sanhedrin, he realised it was comprised of two rival factions: the Sadducees, who deny the resurrection, and the Pharisees, who believe in it. Paul leverages this division by declaring,

“Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I am on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead”.  Acts 23:6–10

This statement immediately triggered an angry dispute between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees, finding more in common with Paul on this point than with their rivals, defend him by saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man”. The conflict grows so violent that the Roman commander orders Paul to be taken into protective custody. 

Following his volatile hearing before the Sanhedrin, the Lord again appeared to Paul and said,

“Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome”.

What an encouragement this must have been to Paul.  This promise reinforces Paul's original encounter with the resurrected Christ and assures him that despite his imprisonment and many powerful enemies, his mission will continue and this must have given him great boldness.

Paul's defence centred on the resurrection of Jesus as a fulfilment of what the Jewish Scriptures teach, as the living proof of Jesus's identity, and the foundation of his Christian message that if we belong to christ we will be safe when we meet God in judgment after our resurrection.. 

In his trial before the Roman governor Felix, Paul connected his belief in the resurrection to the long-held hope of the Jewish people. He stated,

“I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked”. Acts 24:14–15

Speaking to King Agrippa and Governor Porcius Festus, Paul said that he was:

“. . . on trial because of my hope in the promise God made to our ancestors”. Acts 26:6–8

These are the promises of Scripture. He went on to say that his message was consistent with what Moses and the prophets predicted:

“. . . that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles”. Acts 26:22–23

The context

At this fifth defence Paul is standing before Herod Agrippa II and Bernice.  She was Agrippa’s sister but was widely thought to be in an incestuous relationship with the king.

Paul is defending not just himself but the Christian cause.

One of the reasons that headmaster’s summons naughty children to the Headmaster’s Study is that the venue of standing in front to the seated headmaster makes people feel uncomfortable.  It is the same in Courts of Law; they are deliberately formal and awe-inspiring so that people naturally feel uncomfortable.  Can you imagine the situation Paul was taken into:

“The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.” Acts 25:23

Paul, in chains, stood before the King of Israel and of a significant part of the Middle East and the Roman Governor.  Agrippa was a powerful figure, the son of Agrippa I who had had James, the son of Zebedee beheaded.  His grandfather, Herod the Great had overseen the massacre of the innocents as well as having some of his family killed.  Paul’s accusers wanted the death penalty for him.

This was at least his sixth formal interrogation and fifth trial since he had been arrested two years previously

1.  Before the mob 21:37 - 22:22

2.  Interrogation before Claudius Lysias. the Tribune in Jerusalem   23:18-35

3.  Before the Sanhedrin 22.30 - 23:10

4.  Before Felix, the Governor. 24:1-27

5.  Before Porcius Festus, the new Governor 25:1-12

6.  Before Agrippa II, Bernice and Festus. 25:23 - 26:32

This last defence is majestic.  He has had two years in prison to think about this  (24:27).  After Porcius Festus became governor he was offered a trial in Jerusalem but knowing the hatred of the Jews for him, he had opted to be tried in Rome before Caesar. (25:11-12)

Standing now before Agrippa and Festus he has little to lose so he gives a careful defence of the Christian faith.

His defence was that everything he has been saying is true, really true.  In the book of 2 John, John also wants to protect the true faith against imposters and says that truth will both be evidence based but will always be associated with love. The God that truth talks about is a God of love so those who have the spirit of God in them will share this love for truth and demonstrate the truth of love.

Key Question - Is there a resurrection?

Today there are many who think that the Christian faith is irrational, and doesn’t make sense.  Some thinks we have lost our marbles to think that the next world matters more than this.  The key question is ‘Is there a resurrection?’  Significantly this is the heart of Paul’s defence.  He argues that because Jesus did rise from the dead, there must be an all-powerful God.  God alone can break what we call the‘Laws of Science’ though if you think about it science cannot make laws.  In science we learn about the laws God uses to make his universe work.

In the resurrection of Jesus we learn that death has been conquered.  Jesus is that God and is the first fruits of a real resurrection.

Paul then goes on to say that the Lord Jesus had personally appeared to him on the way to Damascus and God gave him the commission to announce to the world who Jesus is and that he did indeed rise from the dead.  He refers to this realisation as ‘the switching on of the light’.  There is a real God.  There is therefore an absolute truth, there is a final accountability. All of us will have to stand before God, shamefaced for the way we have lived. Yet there is the possibility of receiving salvation from our sins.  Look at Acts 26:17-18 where we are given a clear summary of the Christian message that we have to proclaim

“I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:17-18

As a result of people hearing the message about who Jesus is, about his death to pay for our sins and about his resurrection to prove who he is, a radical change can take place in people:

1. Darkness becomes light

2. The power of Satan that destroys people’s lives is defeated by the power of God

3. Our sins are forgiven.

4. We are empowered to live very different godly lives. We are taken from where there is no relationship with God to join a people who are being changed into the likeness of Jesus.

If you go up into our loft at night you wouldn’t see much, but turn the light on all my rubbish can be clearly seen.  When we turn back to God the light goes on and all the rubbish of our lives becomes painfully apparent.  Things are seen for what they are.  Forgiveness is on offer, so we too can be sure that we will be resurrected to be with God in heaven

Agrippa understood what Paul was trying to do:

“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”i Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” Acts 26:28-29

I suspect that Porcius Festus was also puzzled.  Perhaps he tried to ease the situation for Agrippa. He suggested, as some try to do today, ‘You have lost your marbles.’

“At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defence. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.” Acts 26:24

Festus recognised that Paul was very intelligent and educated but what he was saying did not fit in with his experience of life. The same sort of responses to the idea of resurrection are seen today.  Yet most people do instinctively recognise that some decisions we have each made have not been in tune with either what God wants or with our consciences,  We sometimes lie, steal covet, lust and certainly don’t love the Lord with all our hearts and minds.  So some try to justify the rejection of God by saying that faith is not rational and try to overlook their inborn consciences. Paul continues and urges his listeners to engage their minds and check other facts.

“I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable.” Acts 26:25

It is a key question, is “Christianity rational?  Must people abandon reason to be a Christian?  Is it a blind leap in the dark?  Paul argues the very opposite by giving people the reasons why the christian faith is really true

Pauls usual way of helping others understand the gospel

Paul would have been well able to discuss the evidence for Jesus being the Messiah as he had spent many years teaching this material.

It seems that, on his second missionary journey, Paul was only able to stay in the city of Thessalonica for three to four weeks.  Following his normal practice he went to the local synagogue each Sabbath and taught the Jews and God-fearers there.  As they revered the Scriptures that was where he started.  It seems that on the first Sabbath he showed, from the Scriptures, that the Messiah had to suffer and die because of our sins.  On the second Sabbath his theme was that the Scriptures teach that the Messiah would rise from the dead.  On the third Sabbath he told them how Jesus fulfilled all these prophecies.  He would tell them all about Jesus, his death and resurrection and how he and many others had met him after his resurrection.

“As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. ‘This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,’ he said.  Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.” Acts  17:2-4

Paul and Silas then moved down to the city of Berea and again made the synagogue their first port of call.  Presumably he used the same approach, trying to convince people, starting from where they were.

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.  But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.” Acts 17:11-13

So in his defence of the Christian faith before Agrippa Paul also argued that he is speaking true and rational words.  The evidence he gave could be substantiated.  It could be tested.  Nothing is hidden.

Paul Barnett (PhD, London University) is a visiting fellow in ancient history at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.  He has written a number of superb books on the historicity of the Christian faith and has famously said,

“The historicity makes the Christian gospel unique.”

Sadducee beliefs

The Sadducees were a conservative group primarily made up of the wealthy and priestly aristocracy in Jerusalem.  They controlled the Sanhedrin, the temple and all its business functions.  They only accepted as authoritative the first five books of the Bible, the Torah.  They rejected the authority of other books in the Old Testament as well as the traditions the Pharisees accepted.  As the Torah does not specifically mention that there is a resurrection or an afterlife they rejected this doctrine all together.  According to the historians Josephus the Sadducees believed that the soul perishes with the body at death and there are no rewards or punishments after death.  This led them to focus on worldly power and success which they viewed as a sign of divine blessing.

However there are several clues in these first five books of the Bible that there will be a Messiah and there is an afterlife.

In Genesis 3 we are told about the coming of one who will crush Satan’s head.  God said to Satan

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15

Jesus did defeat Saran on the cross.

At the end of the book of Genesis Jacob blesses his sons but kept a special blessing for Judah.  King David and Jesus were both of that tribe:

“The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” Genesis 49:10

The Passover story given in Exodus 12 reminds people that God alone can save his people from the destruction that will come to many. This ceremony is explained in Leviticus:

“. . . because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins.” Leviticus 16:30

In Genesis 25:8, after describing Abraham's death, it is said that he “was gathered to his people”. This phrase, used again for Isaac (Genesis 35:29) and Jacob (Genesis 49:33), is separate from the description of the physical burial  and suggests there was a reunion in a spiritual realm after death.  Similarly when God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the promise was not fully fulfilled in their lifetimes. So in order for God to keep his promise, there must be a resurrection of the patriarchs to experience the fulfilment of that promise.

The Sadducees had missed what the Torah is saying, God has always wanted his people to get to the Promised Land.  Just as in John Bunyans ‘Pilgrims Progress’ there were many problems on the way. Similarly in the Old Testament a few did make it through to the promised land.  You may remember the ditty:

“Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb, the son of Jephuneh were the only two who ever got through to the land of milk and honey.”

Pharisees belief in the resurrection

The rest of the Old Testament is abundantly clear that there is a resurrection.  Elijah and Elisha both raised the dead to show that this was God’s work.

Job, possibly the oldest book in the Old Testament was clear when he said:

“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Job 19:25–27

The Psalms are full of confidence in an afterlife:

“For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol [realm of the dead] or let your holy one see corruption.” Psalm 16:10

“Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Psalm 49:14-15

“You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.” Psalm 71:20

Isaiah had no doubts that God raises the dead:

“Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!” Isaiah 26:19-20

Of particular note is the great chapter Isaiah 53.  It is the clearest description of what the Messiah was gong to do in his life and through his death and resurrection.  He would die as a substitute for the sins of many.  Yes this prophecy goes on to say:

“Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see [light] and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:10-11

The prophet Daniel was clear

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:2–3

Daniel recognised those who have died will be raised from death to face God’s judgment.

Hosea was sure:

“Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” Hosea 6:1–2

The book of Jonah taught that after 3 days in the stomach of a great fish, new life appeared.  No-one entering into a fishes belly survives more than a few minutes let alone three days.

“And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. . . . Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. . . . I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.” Jonah 1:17–2:2, 6

The first evidence Paul goes to are the Old Testament prophecies about the resurrection.  I have little doubt he would have explained these prophecies in detail to the assembled court.:

Although the Pharisees recognised there is a spiritual promised land and a judgment to come they had failed to understand the message of the Talmud that a Messiah was coming who alone would be the way into this promised land.

Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah

I don’t suppose Paul would have missed the opportunity to remind the dignitaries gathered there that the Old Testament prophesied much about the Messiah, God’s chosen King who would enter his world to free and empower his people.

The Bible is clear that sin is ultimately not an offence against others or even myself but is against God.  That is why we need God’s forgiveness.

The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, the city of David:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2

He will be killed by crucifixion.  This prophecy was written by David around 1000 BC, long before crucifixion was used!

“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.  All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” Psalm 22:16-18

There are several prophecies saying that the Messiah will be a direct descent of King David.  This passage if often read at Carol services:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

This human child would be called Mighty God and live for ever!

I can’t imagine that Paul would not have reminded his hearers about Isaiah 53.  This extraordinary chapter was the one that convinced my friend David Roberton, who lived in this road, about Jesus. It is a detailed description of what God’s Messiah would do for us. 

He ‘was despised and rejected by men’, ‘we esteemed him not’, yet:

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:4-11

Here the Old Testament prophet describes in great detail the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, even to the point of his being buried in a rich man’s tomb.

Daniel also foresaw the coming of a Messiah, a man who would also be equal to God and who would rule for ever..  This is a staggering prophecy particularly when you remember that Jesus ascended into heaven through the clouds.

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14

Agrippa, as King of the Jews was now in a quandary. The Sadducees, who were in power, did not believe in an afterlife or the resurrection of the dead. This was one of the core theological differences that separated them from the Pharisees during the time of St. Paul and Jesus. He clearly saw that he was being forced to make a rational decision about whether Jesus fulfilled all these Old Testament prophecies.

“The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” Acts 26:26-27

Paul was on trial for believing the Scriptures and, like the other apostles, for saying that he had seen the risen Christ.  Yet his faith was rational and consistent.  This teaching resulted in Paul and other Christians living selflessly, serving and teaching others, because they knew they also would one day experience a resurrection and will have to face the judgment of God.  They relied on the sufficiency of the death of Christ to pay for their sins.  They were forgiven because of Jesus.  It seems as if it is now Agrippa on trial.

The difference between Christianity and religion.

The difference between Christianity and any other religious system is that it is based on core facts about real people living in a real place that were witnessed by many.  Jesus was an extraordinary person.  He did remarkable miracles, he turned water into wine, healed the sick, raised the dead, fed 5,000 with two fish and five loaves, and walked on water.  He was crucified because what he taught was hated by the Jewish leaders.  He then rose from the dead and was again seen by many, on one occasion 500 saw the risen Messiah.  Then he was seen to rise supernaturally through the clouds.  If any are honestly unsure please read through John’s gospel and look at the evidence he gives about Jesus.  He was the disciple Jesus loved.It is this evidence that should convince a sincere person.

I was pleased to hear that  the book ‘Stepping Stones’ was on display at Knights Templar school this week.  This book reviews the convincing evidence that there is a God who has revealed himself in Christ, starting from where many are today, They know they have values they think are real, they are looking for a purpose and basis for their lives but are unsure where to look.

The story about Jesus in the Torah, the Talmud and in the apostles writings are so different to those of other religions.  Most religions start with a self-proclaimed prophet who tells witnesses what he has received but this not open to being tested.  All faith should be evidence based.

For any today who are unsure there are four gospels and the book of Acts which were written during the lifetime of those who had experienced Jesus and the beginning of the church so any mistakes in historical details would be obvious and those opposed to would be sure to highlight any errors.

The Bible is not just full of public fact but there is prophetic hope

Paul is certain that these prophecies are all about Jesus:

“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” Acts 26:27

This repeats what Paul had said earlier:

“. . . so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26:22-23

It is significant that he stresses the books of Moses, the Torah which are the only ones the Sadducees accept as authoritative.  Open the Bible anywhere and it looks forward to the coming of God’s Royal king, the Messiah.

Just your interpretation?

At a supper party some sceptical guests repeatedly said to the Christian speaker:

‘This is just your interpretation.’

Paul has confidently rebutted such accusations.  No-one could doubt his sincerity but sincerity alone can be mistaken.  However anyone rejecting his conclusion needs to find a way to reject what the Scripture say about the Messiah and explain how so many contemporary people, first hand reliable witnesses, were will to say they had met the risen Jesus. The Christian faith is definitely evidence based.  I have tried to give more of this evidence in the books ‘Cure for Life’ and ‘Stepping Stones”

In the Bible we are given a consistent pattern of prophecies, events, promises and warnings.  This week I was talking to a group about the evidence for Christ.  The response of a solicitor was striking

“I am not really interested.”

Our society and individuals need  a cause to live for, a real cause that is evidence based,  We do need forgiveness, we need an answer to death and most have an innate desire to find answers to almost anything.  Yet when it comes to what must be the most important questions we can face in our short life this is many people’s response.

Paul was unashamed in making clear to King Agrippa and all the dignities present just what the demands of Jesus, our future judge, are.  This has always been the Christian message, Jesus is our only hope but faith has implications:

“I preached that they should repent of their sins and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.” Acts 26:20

True faith will always be marked by obedience to Jesus Christ, (See Appendix 2)  Often it is this realisation that prevents people from accepting Christ’s forgiveness.

King Agrippa clearly understood the implications of what Paul had explained:

“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”     Acts 26:28

Paul replied, confirming that that was exactly what God demand of all people everywhere,

“Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” Acts 26:29

The Lord loves each one of us and longs for each of us to respond to his offer.  The decision is ours. 

Joshua said to all those who heard him speak:

“Yield your hearts to the Lord.” Joshua 24:23

The people replied:

“We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.” Joshua 24:23

Appendix 1     The Roman Gods and what they represented

Desire for love and sex

A group of deities called the Erotes represented the complexities of love and desire. 

Aphrodite: The goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation, Aphrodite ruled over all aspects of physical desire and attraction. In one story, she possesses a magical girdle that makes anyone who wears it irresistible.

Eros: A son or companion of Aphrodite, Eros is the god of love and sexual desire. He used his bow and arrows to make mortals and gods fall madly in love, often with chaotic results. He is most famously known through his Roman counterpart, Cupid.

Himeros: The god of sexual longing and intense desire, Himeros is a companion of Aphrodite and often appears alongside Eros.

Pothos: Personifying passionate yearning and longing, Pothos is the god of unfulfilled desire.

Anteros: The god of reciprocal love, Anteros avenges those who suffer from unrequited love. 

Desire for power and victory

Ares: The god of brutal, raw warfare and violence, Ares personifies the desire for bloodshed and conflict. In contrast to his sister Athena, who represented strategic warfare, Ares represented the more destructive and untamed aspects of battle.

Zeus: The king of the gods was notorious for his insatiable lust and desire for power, leading to numerous affairs with goddesses and mortal women. His repeated unfaithfulness demonstrated a desire to exert his patriarchal authority. 

Desire for knowledge and order

Apollo: A complex god, Apollo was associated with truth and prophecy, poetry, and reason. He represents the human desire for knowledge and divine revelation, as embodied by the Oracle at Delphi.

Athena: As the goddess of strategic warfare and wisdom, Athena represents the desire for rational thought, skill, and justice, balancing out her brother Ares's violent urges. 

Desire for ecstasy and release

Dionysus: As the god of wine, festivity, and ritual madness, Dionysus embodies the human desire to abandon inhibitions and experience ecstatic release. His worship, centered on wine and frenzied rites, offered a temporary escape from the mundane.

Pan: This rustic god of the wild embodied primal, lustful desires, as well as the wild, instinctual aspects of human nature. He was known for his lust for nymphs and his association with unrestrained fertility. 

Appendix 2                The Obedience of Faith

The concept of the "obedience of faith" is taught throughout the Bible, most explicitly in the book of Romans. It emphasises that genuine, saving faith is not a passive belief but an active trust in God that results in a transformed life of obedience.  Without this devotion to live a Christ asks, any outward faith is spurious.  These are some key passages although this is the message of the whole Bible.

Book of Romans

Romans 1:5: Paul states that he received his apostolic commission to bring about “the obedience of faith among all the nations”. This connects his mission of proclaiming the gospel to a faith that actively obeys God's commands.

Romans 16:26: Concluding his letter, Paul reiterates that the mystery of the gospel was revealed to all nations "for the obedience of faith". The gospel is not simply to be believed intellectually but to be obeyed as an act of faithful submission to Christ.

Romans 2:6–7: Paul explains that God will give "eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality," clarifying that faith is demonstrated through a pattern of obedience.

Romans 10:16: Here, Paul contrasts belief with disobedience, stating, "they have not all obeyed the gospel". This implies that believing the gospel is an act of obedience. 

Jesus own teaching

Matthew 7:21:  In this section of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns about false leaders who, in spite of their words, do not really obey him. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

John 14:15: Jesus tells his disciples, "If you love me, keep my commandments." This verse links genuine love for Christ with a willingness to obey his teachings.

John 14:23: Jesus again emphasises the need for obedience in true discipleship, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

John 3:36: This verse presents belief and disobedience as opposites. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who "does not obey the Son shall not see life". 

1 Peter

1 Peter 1:2: This verse describes believers as chosen "for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood". This highlights that obedience is the very purpose for which Christians are set apart by the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 1:14: The apostle calls believers to be "obedient children," urging them not to conform to their former ways but to live holy lives. 

1 John

1 John 2:3–4: John indicates that keeping God's commandments is how believers know they have come to know Him, implying that not doing so means someone is untruthful in their claim of knowing God. 

Related passages on faith and works

James 2:14–26: James uses examples to show that faith must be accompanied by actions, stating that "faith without works is dead". Works demonstrate the reality of saving faith.

Hebrews 11: This chapter provides examples of individuals who demonstrated obedient faith through their actions, such as Abraham who left his home as God commanded.

Matthew 7:21: Jesus states that not everyone who calls Him "Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of His Father. 

BVP

Acts 2:1-13. A New Power

Today there are megachurches in some parts of the world that take in millions of pounds each year.  They are large corporate organisations and the pastors need MBAs to run them.  Some years ago the magazine ‘Business Week’ had as its front page headline,

“Evangelical America – Big Business – Explosive Politics”

Inside was a feature article that discussed this issue.  At the end it said,

“For all their seemingly unstoppable success, evangelicalism must contend with powerful forces in United States society.  The ranks of Americans who express no religious preference have quadrupled . . . Despite the megachurch surge, overall church attendance has remained fairly flat and if anything popular culture has become more vulgar in recent years.”

It is a great concern that ethical standards amongst those who attend church are so similar to those who do not.  These problems are being seen throughout the world.  What is the answer?

Jesus must have taught his disciples the importance of the prophecy in Ezekiel 36 because they keep referring to this:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:25-27

The gift of the Holy Spirit is not to give experiences but to enable us to live effectively for God.

This chapter in Ezekiel ends with a promise that God will step in and hear his people’s prayers,

“This is what the sovereign LORD says: ‘Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep.” Ezekiel 36:37

Jesus’ followers waited patiently in the upper room with a sense of expectation.  Doubtless they studied the Scriptures and prayed.  They knew what Jesus had commissioned them to do but were unsure what would happen next.

It is the Holy Spirit who changes how people live and enables them to stand when the pressures are great.  It is he who who transforms lives.  He revives us and deepens our experience of God.

This passage in Acts chapter 2:1-13 describes the seminal event that was for the whole church, The Holy Spirit comes on every believer and ushers in the new age of the Spirit of God.

Acts 2:14-41 is Peter’s sermon in which he describes the meaning of what had happened at Pentecost.  He emphasises Jesus and his death on the cross and that the Holy Spirit has been given so that others may know the great news about him.

Acts 2:42-47 then explains the effect the Holy Spirit had on the 3000 new believers after they were baptised.

1.  The need for the Holy Spirit tv. 1-4

Why are many churches in Britain closing down?  Why are so few people attending?  It is easy to blame the quality of the preaching, the quality of the leaders, the emotionalism or the lack of it, the quality of the music or the lack of that.  All these may be factors but essentially the problem is that Christians today do not, as a whole, have a singleminded desire to live their lives for Jesus.  How we need this same spirit that the early Christians had, the Holy Spirit.  If our churches today are going to reverse the present trends, we must open our lives to God again.  We must receive him.

The first disciples had been taught the significance of of Joel’s prophecy,

“And afterward,  I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Joel 2:28

In the Old Testament God’s Spirit was only given to a few individuals to enable them to do a particular work for God.  Joel foresaw the day when all God’s people would be gifted with the Holy Spirit.  Peter explains in his sermon what the effect of this would be, all people would share openly with others what the Word of God is about.

These prophets foresaw the day when God would revive and restore his people.  He would take out their callous hearts and replace then with sensitive hearts in which God’s law is written.  This means that God’s people would be intuitively keen to minister to the whole world.  This is what the early followers of \Jesus were praying for in the upper room.

Churches may have good technological skills and good business sense but still be lacking the power that only the Holy Spirit can give.

We cannot organise revival, just as we cannot control God.  Revival occurs when God is active in the hearts of people.  Our role is to be genuinely open to what he wants to do with us.

Let us test ourselves, do we have this appetite and longing to put god first and do what he says.  Is my commitment to God that deep?  Our prayer life will mirror how we really think.  If we want to be sovereign we will cannot have a deep experience of the Holy Spirit.  If we hunger and thirst for him and his pleasure, if we seek to please him above all else then the door is open for us to know again his power.

We evangelicals are often good at our theology but not so good at our intimacy with God.  Love for God is always demonstrated by our obedience.  Hadn’t Jesus repeatedly said to his disciples in the upper room:

“If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” John 14:21

“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” John 14:23

How can we obey if we do not know God’s commands given in Scripture.  It is a disaster to dissociate the guidance of the Holy Spirit from Scripture.  The word of God was given to guide us.  It is a strange concept of churches to have prayer meetings ‘to seek the mind of God’.  We know how God thinks from Scripture.  The Quakers in this country fell for such a dichotomy and look what has happened to them.  We must prayer to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God, to commit ourselves to achieving what God has already told us.

How do we experience the power of God again today.  It is in the same way that we became Christians.  We say to God, ‘I want you to forgive my rebellion against you and take over again.’  We return to that same sense of need and dependance on God.  We cannot find this power by ourselves.

The church at Laodicea was similarly to many modern churches.  The church members were relatively affluent but self satisfied.  God saw their hearts. Their lukewarm commitment to him made him sick!  Jesus said to them,

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’  But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor blind and naked.” Revelation 3:17

That church was challenged to open their eyes to see their spiritual poverty.

The remedy was to go back to the beginning, and remember how they became Christians,

“So be earnest and repent.” Revelation 3:19

John goes on to explain that they need to allow Christ back into the centre of their lives,

“Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, |I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20

The members of the church at Ephesus were hard working, theologically sound and had kept going but there was one major problem.

“Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first.” Revelation 2:4

They also need to go back and remember how they started the Christian life,

“Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” Revelation 2:5

There was an urgent need to change direction,

“If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:5

Surely God is saying to us today, start again and commit ourselves to humbly obey and live for our Saviour.

The Wind and Fire

The young church was all together on the Day of Pentecost, presumably hearing the Scriptures read and explained and praying together.  This day was also called the Feast of Harvest of Day of Firstfruits.  It is no coincidence that God chose this day to empower his people so that they could go our and win fruit for Christ.  Then,

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting” Acts 2:1

In the Old Testament ‘breath’ or ‘wind’ was a symbol for the Spirit of God. When Ezekiel given a vision of a valley containing many dry bones, he was told by the Lord to preach to them and say,

“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.” Ezekiel 37:10

Then, using the same Hebrew word for both wind and Spirit (ruach), God says,

“I will pour my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land.” Ezekiel 37:14

Fire was also a symbol for God’s presence.  Moses met God at the burning bush.  The Israelites were let during the exodus by a pillar of fire at night.  John the baptist had prophesied,

“But after me will come one who is more powerful that I . . . He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Matthew 3:11

This fire is the fire of judgment,

“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:12

It is also the light that shows people the way to harmony with God as well as the way to live.

It is also the fire of passion that makes our message so attractive.  It is the light of this fire that warms people to Christ.

John Wesley was asked,

‘Why do so many people come to hear you preach?

He replied,

“People just come to see me set myself on fire and burn in front of them!”

The Spirt of god does more that keep us as faithful believers who work for Christ.  He gives us that fire and that urgency that the early church had in Acts, that longing to see others won for Christ, that state where all the people in the church, young and old, male and female, are living in the world for Christ’s glory.

2.  The need of the nations  v. 5-11

When the Holy Spirit comes to us, whether as a church or as individuals, we witness to the whole world.

What is our message?

It is not to talk about the experience we have had.  After Pentecost the church did not talk about the sound of wind or the tongues of fire they had experienced.  Instead they used their voices to to declare the mighty deeds of God to everyone in Jerusalem.  God is not to be trifled with.  They pointed everyone to the power of God and the coming of his Son.  He is great and good and loves all and longs that we should repent and live with and for him.

This is our message today.  It is not primarily how people will find happiness or healing of their ailments, it is about Christ who is God and whom all must serve.

For whom is the message?

It is for the whole world.  At that time the world was thought of as the Roman world, which was amply big enough as a mission field.  Fifteen Roman empire areas are mentioned, divided into five regions, moving from east to west.  Since the various dispersions of Jews caused by the Assyrian (8th century BC) and Babylonian (6th and early 7th centuries BC) Jews were now dispersed throughout the Roman empire and had set up synagogues where, to begin with, the early Christians could proclaim the message that Jesus is the Jews Messiah.

What is the language of our message

Although many of the people attending the Pentecost celebrations in Jerusalem would be Jewish and would probably speak several languages, God chose to speak to them in their own languages.

“. . . we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.”

Probably most would speak Hebrew, many Greek and Latin but it was local languages that were given.  The message is probably that God’s message comes to people where they are.  It is not a Roman, Greek or even Hebrew message, it is God’s message for people where they are.

The Lollard revival in the 14th century that spread through England and Europe was associated with a translation of the Word of God into English.  It is no coincidence that the revival in Germany in Luther’s time was associated with a translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible into German.

There are more that 7117 languages in the world.  In the 1950s, 220 had the Bible in their own language.  By September 2020 the full Bible has been translated into 704 languages, the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,551 languages and Bible portions or stories into 1,160 other languages.  This must have an impact.

One of the features of a real revival is that it affects all classes and all nationalities in any area.  The kingdom of God is truly international.

This is very different from other religions.  To become an orthodox Jew today a person has to accept the codes and practices of an ethnic group.  To become a sincere Moslem also means entering an Arabic culture.  No Moslem accepts that the Qur’an can be properly translated into other languages!  Notice the similarity in dress and the beards of devout Muslims.

When God’s Spirit enters a church there comes a new power to break down barriers.  There is a remarkable unity amongst those in Christ.  The gospel reaches into local communities to transform them to live for Christ.

‘Tongues’, is another word for ‘languages’.  The early church was given the supernatural ability to explain the gospel in unknown languages. This gift is not mentioned in any writings of the early church fathers as being a feature within mainline Christian churches.  Augustine did refer to the occurrence in the very early church.  Some people were suggesting that the gift of speaking real foreign languages was still necessary evidence for the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Augustine strongly refutes this,

“How then, brethren, because he that is baptised in Christ, and believes on Him, does not now speak in the tongues of all nations, are we not to believe that he has received the Holy Ghost?  God forbid that our heart should be tempted by this faithlessness . . . . Why is it that no man speaks in the tongues of all nations?  Because the Church itself speaks in the tongues of all nations.  Before, the church was in one nation, where it spoke in the tongues of all.  By speaking then in the tongues of all, it signified what was to come to pass; that by growing among the nations, it would speak in the tongues of all.”

Many religious groups in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism as well as some groups in ancient Greece have claimed that the ability to make ecstatic noises is an indication of the presence of God and some call this ‘the gift of tongues’.  This is not what is happening in Acts 2.  In Acts an extraordinary miracle occurred in which the Christians were endowed with the gift to speak other languages and people from other nations understood the gospel from what was said.  Are those speaking were largely Galileans!

This change is amazing.  In Acts 2 there are several words used to describe the reaction people had to what they saw and the gospel they heard - bewilderment, utterly amazed, amazed, perplexed.  It was after this that Peter spoke and gave a summary of this gospel.

How we need to pray for the empowerment of God’s spirit today, but, as the churches of Laodicea and Ephesus were told, this would require a radical return to making Jesus Christ the priority of our lives.

BVP

Acts 2:4-14. The Marks of a Pentecostal Church

This title may seem confusing but it is not meant in denominational terms but in a spiritual sense.  In history all new church groupings need a title such as Lutheran, Wesleyan, Methodists or Brethren.  However most of these titles should apply to all try Christian Groups.  For example:

Catholic – all Bible-based churches should be catholic or universal as they all have the same foundation.  It is significant that David Yonggi Cho, the Korean religious leader and Christian evangelist who founded (1958) the Yoido Full Gospel Church (YFGC) in Seoul, which he presided over the megachurch until 2008 insisted that they say the Creed at every service to show that though in the Pentecostal denomination they are very much part of orthodox Biblical Christianity.

Society of Friends – all churches should be communities of friends of Jesus

Brethren Assemblies – similarly this title should be applicable to all biblical churches

Baptists – even this title should be one that all churches who follow the teaching of Jesus follow.  It is not the means of baptism that matters but that people make a public confession that Jesus has washed them of their sins and that they are dead to the old life and are now living a new life with and for Jesus.

Lutheran and Wesleyan – Luther reminded the church that people are saved by faith alone and not be church affiliation.  Wesley woke up churches to this message and taught all types of people what this meant.

There are many marks of a Spirit-filled or pentecostal church that this passage in Acts 2 reminds us of.

1.  The chief mark is preaching

It is striking that immediately after the church receives the Spirit of God we have a sermon!  Indeed 65% of the verse in this Pentecostal chapter are a sermon, an explanation of the Christian gospel.  Whenever the Spirit of God comes, people speak.

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak . . .” Acts 2:4

“We hear them declaring the wonders of God . . .” Acts 2:11

“Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd.” Acts 2:14

“Men of Israel, listen to this . . .” Acts 2:22

“When the people heard this . . .” Acts 2:37

Teaching, sharing with words that describe what God has done is a vital feature of the Spirit-filled Christian and church.

After 3,000 people had become Christians, what they most needed was to be taught the Word of God.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching . . .” Acts 2:42

Truth should matter to all people, whether they have become Christians or not.

Some modern churches have tried to divorce the work of the Spirit from the teaching of the Word of God.  In Scripture they are combined.  The ‘sword of the Spirit is the Word of God’ (Ephesians 6:17).  In this chapter the Spirit came and men spoke.  Jesus associated the work of the Spirit with teaching God’s truths.

“But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things.” John 14:26

“When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.  And you also must testify.” John 15:26-27

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on his own . . .” John 16:13

“When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” John 16:8

The Holy Spirit teaches the mind about the truths of God and this will impact people’s conscience.  The Spirit of conviction is the Spirit of truth.  This is what happened to the 3000 who responded to Peter’s teaching of God’s message.

There are some who think that Christian truths are too complicated and difficult for ordinary people, so their message changes.  A young Christian attended a local evangelistic mission but after three days he felt he couldn’t continue to support it as the message seemed to be, ‘If you want to be happy, step forwards.’  In contrast, the Christian message is serious, it is about life and death and both the words used and the passion with which the message is delivered must portray this.  The ‘tongues of fire’ today must similarly be tongues passionately on fire as we pass on God’s truth.

Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, the great preacher in the mid twentieth century in London, coined the phrase for what preaching should be, ‘Logic on fire.’  A good talk must have content with passion, not just good theology that has no fire!

2.   Evangelistic concern for outsiders

The Holy Spirit has been given, not for private praise but for public proclamation.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses to . . .” Acts 1:8

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak . . .” Acts 2:4

It is obvious that these people spoke real local languages to their hearers.  The Greek word, translated ‘tongues’ simply means ‘languages’  They were surely given this audio-visual aid to remind them of what Jesus had repeatedly said, their message was for all people of all races.

There had been several hints that this was always God’s intention.  God said to Abraham,

“ . . . all peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3

Jonah was sent as a missionary to Nineveh.  Jesus himself had gone up to the Syro-Phoenician and the Gentile Gadarene areas and shared the gospel there.  However this must have been hard for those raised in first century Judaism.  When Peter had a vision of eating unclean animals he was appalled, but this was a prelude to his being taught that he was to go and explain the gospel to a |Gentile occupying soldier, the centurion Cornelius (Acts 10:45).  When Paul was allowed to  explain himself to the Jewish crowd in Jerusalem we read,

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.  The crowd listened to Paul until he said this.” Acts 22:21-22

The Jews felt they had exclusive privileges and God needed, by his Spirit, to change this way of thinking.  His people were to love not only those inside the church but those outside too.

The Australian evangelist, John Chapman, was asked by a new pastor to come and lead a mission in his American church, aptly called, ‘The Good Shepherd church.’  The minister was having a difficult time with some of the old guard in the church.  At a reception John Chapman asked one of the old guard what they found difficult and was told,

“It’s all these new people coming to our church!”

Apparently John gave a curt Australian response!

How ironic it is if Christians are not geared up for and seeking to win the lost.  Didn’t Jesus say to Zacchaeus,

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

If we belong to Jesus then this must be our ambition too.  Is this our personal prayer and is this what the church is praying for at the prayer meetings?

The great preacher, James Denney, once said,

“I have not the faintest interest in a theology that doesn’t help you evangelise.”

Whenever Jesus preached the Word of God, people understood and many were ‘cut to the heart’.  This is what we should be praying for today.

A young man working with young people on an estate was talking about the local vicar and said, ‘He debunks the word’  He then went on to say that he never visits the estate.  This is not surprising because if someone rejects what the Bible teaches they will surely reject the idea of working hard to save people.  The two go together.

The question we need to ask is whether the world or our country or our region or even our town can be reached by the clergy.  God has a better answer:

3.  Every believer is a missionary

I was taken by a friend to go and watch Spurs play at White Hart Lane.  There were around 60,000 people there and I wondered, ‘How many of these people will be saved?’

Peter reminded his hearers of something the prophet Joel had said:

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” Acts 2:17-18

In the Old Testament dreams and visions were the normal way for God to communicate with his special representatives or prophets.  Today God still uses this way when reaching out to people in lands were there is no or limited gospel ministry.  Many people in Muslim lands have said that a dream was how they first began to think about spiritual matters.  Occasionally this happens here in the United Kingdom.

We had a telephone call from a Jewish man who had represented Great Britain at football in the Maccabean Games.  He wanted some help and he came for a meal.  He was a tough man but he told us this story.  He was a salesman who came from a non practising Jewish background in the east End of London.  Suddenly everything in his life began to go wrong.  His wife left him so he bought a flat with a heavy mortgage.  The value of the flat then dropped and he was caught in a negative equity trap.  Furthermore, redundancy loomed.  He didn’t know what to do so talked to a friend at work. That friend had recently become a Christian, so his suggestion was that he tried praying.  This was a problem for David as he had never prayed before.  The friend suggested he get a book on how to pray and do what it said!  This David did, he went to his room to follow the directions given in the book.  He emptied his mind and was told to say whtever came into his mind, but he couldn’t think what to say.  It was at this point that he saw Jesus standing there in front of him.  Jesus didn’t say anything, so David blurted out,

‘You’ve got it wrong.  I’m Jewish!’

When he asked his work mate what he made of all this, his friend was flummoxed but said he would ask someone in his church, which was down in Thame.  It just so happened that the man he talked to at his church had been in my year at college. We had become close friends and he had become a Christian there.  On hearing that David lived in Letchworth my friend suggested that he phone us up and David had the courage to do this.  He came for a few meals and joined us at the Friday Group, a Bible Study we run in our home. Within a few weeks he had understood the gospel and he committed his life to Christ.  He had no more visions, God now spoke to him through the Bible.  David went on to become a full time Christian worker.

V.J Menon was brought up as a Hindu in India but came to work in London.  One Tuesday he saw a crowd of people going into an old church in the city and assumed this was to hear a musical concert.  He sat down and was soon boxed in.  It was only then that he realised he was in a church for a midday service.  The sermon was simple and challenging.  For the next week VJ had vivd dreams that were all about Jesus and the gospel.  When he went to meet the preacher, Dick Lucas, he mentioned these dreams.  Dick said he had never heard such a clear understanding of the gospel from someone so untaught.  VJ joined a Bible Study group and had no more dreams.  He is still an active worker for Christ.

God is not limited in the ways he communicates with people to start with, but he quickly leads us on to hear him speak through his Word.  His usual way of speaking to people is through a Christian friend.

What is important is that now all of God’s people are the channels by which God’s message is spread.  No longer will it just be a few professionals. Now it is both young and old, men and women, people of all social ranks who will be the bearers of God’s message – all Christians will be given this power or ability.

The evangelist John Chapman was led to Christ by a boy in his class at school.

Isn’t it sad that so many in our churches do not know what they have been chosen by God for!

BVP