Posts: Acts

Acts

Peter announced to a huge crowd, “Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know – Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and pre-planning of God, you by lawless hands have crucified and put to death, whom God raised up, having destroyed the birth pangs of death.” (Acts 2:22 – 23) Peter relied on the commonly known events of the time to prove that Jesus was the Messiah and that His death was a victory, not defeat. On this Christianity stands.

Luke summarized the latter part of Peter’s sermon as “Be saved from this perverse generation.” (Acts 2:40) Decades later, Peter wrote, “…having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4) Most people realize that this world is broken. They just do not know how to deal with it, so they let it control or demoralize them. One of Christianity’s great draws is its claim to being able to make the faithful able to find peace and joy in this life despite the chaos.

“Now all who believed were together and had all things in common…ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:44 – 47) The early Christians shared. That attitude was made possible by the fact that they were happy and that their faith was straightforward. These characteristics caused the populace to view them favorably. Unfortunately, the modern church has the reputation of being judgmental and complicated. A return to simplicity and a family atmosphere would be a good start.

The earliest Christians could have blamed the Jewish authorities (and the crowds they had manipulated) for the death of Jesus. Certainly, both participated in an unjust execution. But Peter said to the crowd, “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.” (Acts 3:17) Often, those who have chosen badly are presumed to have done so intentionally. Peter takes the optimistic view. Those who killed Jesus were not inherently bad; they just weren’t paying attention. The modern church needs the same positive outlook.

“When the disciples were multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.” (Acts 6:1) Even in the earliest church, ethnic prejudice caused problems. The Jewish Christians of Palestine considered those who had adopted Greek culture to be traitors to their traditions, so would not have anything to do with them. The apostles had to fix this problem several times. The lesson to the modern church is that problems are normal. Trust God; do not divide.

As Jesus was being executed, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34) As Stephen was being crushed with large stones by an insanely angry mob, he said, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” (Acts 7:60) One of the essential characteristics of each member of the family of God is love, doing what is best for another without regard to the effect on me. We accept that Jesus was that way. But the early Christians were the same, never resorting to hatred or even unkind responses. These people were intense.

Shortly after becoming a Christian, Saul of Tarsus (later called Paul) debated with Jews in the synagogues of Damascus about the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. Not being able to deny his logic, they sought to kill him. Similar debates with Greek-speaking Jews in their synagogues in Jerusalem brought the same reaction (Acts 9:20 – 29). Similar violence occurs to this day when entrenched religious ideas cannot deal with evidence to the contrary. The faithful seek those who will discuss rationally.

In Acts 10, God arranged the meeting of Peter with a Roman centurion. Peter was not comfortable with sharing the gospel with non-Jews, so was resistant to the idea. The centurion, during his deployment to Palestine, had come to appreciate the God of Israel, but was kept at arm’s length by the Jews. God used multiple methods to convince Peter that he should not consider non-Jews “unclean.” And, God provided evidence to the centurion that Peter spoke for God. The modern church needs to learn the same lessons: equality and evidence.

In Acts 11:1 – 18, Peter was accosted by Jewish Christians who had heard he had eaten with Gentiles. To their credit, they listened as Peter explained the situation, how God had miraculously overcome Peter’s own hesitancy. They concluded that they had been wrong to oppose what Peter had done. The modern church needs the same patience and open-mindedness to listen. Certainly, some differences should be opposed. But when the other side can demonstrate superhuman transformation of character, my preconceptions may need re-thinking.

In Acts 11:27 – 30, prophets told the church in Antioch of Syria that a famine would soon affect the region, which happened in 44 – 47 AD. Although Antioch was only a little more than 300 miles north of Jerusalem, the Christians of Antioch determined to send famine relief to Jerusalem before the famine occurred, although the famine would likely affect both cities. The church is a big family that does what is best for the others without regard to the effect on me (which is the definition of love).

In Acts 12:1 – 19, Peter was imprisoned and would likely soon be executed. The congregation was praying about that situation. An angel released Peter from the prison. Once outside, Peter went to where the Christians were gathered praying. Those inside did not believe the servant girl who answered Peter’s knock at the gate, thinking she either was deranged or had seen a ghost. When prayers are answered, are we willing to see that answer if it happened in a way we did not expect?

When Paul and Barnabas preached in Lystra (in central Turkey), they healed a lame man. This caused such a stir that the people surmised that the gods had come down to visit them. With difficulty, Paul and Barnabas restrained the crowd from sacrificing to them, assuring the crowd that they were just men like themselves (Acts 14:8 – 18). People tend to elevate individuals who do remarkable things. Christianity should not suffer from that problem, since Christian leadership is based on service and humility. But, it has happened before.

Many expect Christianity to bring them a life free from great discomfort. Yet, while visiting several newly-established congregations, Paul’s messages were summarized as, “We must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:19 – 22) Later, Peter wrote, “Do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you.” (1 Peter 4:12) The faithful are not immune to natural or governmental disasters, and should expect persecution. If life goes smoothly, the faithful should check if they may have inadvertently surrendered.

What to do with the Law of Moses was a recurring debate among the early Christians. (Acts 10, 11:1 – 18, 15:1 – 35, Romans 6, 10 – 11, Galatians 3 – 4, Hebrews 8 – 10, and others). On many occasions, the debates turned violent. God put an end to the observance of the Law of Moses by destroying the Temple in 70 AD, since all the ceremonies and sacrifices were required to be in the Temple only. Yet, many want to keep arbitrary bits and pieces of the Law, overlooking that the Law was designed for and given to only the nation of Israel.

Paul cast a demon out of a fortune-telling servant girl. “When her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone,” they took Paul and Silas to court and greatly exaggerated their charges. As a result, Paul and Silas were beaten with rods (like hoe handles) and locked in stocks in a dungeon. “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.” That is an unusual reaction to their plight. Paul and Silas so impressed the other prisoners that no one tried to escape when the prison was rocked by an earthquake. The faithful should be that remarkable.

Paul wrote about obeying the civil authorities. But he did not let them control him. When he and Silas were unjustly accused, punished, and imprisoned, God released them with a miraculous earthquake (Acts 16:16 – 40). Paul did not leave it there. He demanded and received a public apology from the authorities. The faithful are humble, law-abiding, and kind. But they do not let evil take control. Quiet confidence coupled with a little creativity frightens evil.

In his travels, Paul often faced violent opposition. In Thessalonica, those who rejected his evidence resorted to mob violence and false accusations. Paul and Silas quickly left town (Acts 17:1 – 10). To stay in such a situation, in which the only way to survive would have been to manipulate God into miraculously saving them, would have been tempting God. The faithful trust God, but they do not back themselves into a corner first. Leave God as many options as possible, since we are not likely to have all the information about what is best.

When the Jews of Berea heard Paul’s presentation about Jesus, they “searched the Scriptures daily, whether these things were true.” (Acts 17:11) The gospel was presented with substantial physical evidence. For all audiences, the prediction and accomplishment of Jesus’ resurrection was the paramount proof. For Jewish audiences, the predictions of the prophets were a second major evidence. Many times, those entrenched in their own beliefs could not defend their positions logically, so resorted to violence. The fair-minded checked the references.

“Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.” (Acts 17:29) In American culture, we have difficulty imagining that someone would actually worship an idol. But in much of the world, many do. Why? In general, life for many is too hard and too confusing, so they are willing to set aside reality for a false sense of control. For many, reality is just too depressing. But the truth is that God loves and will rescue those who will trust Him.

“When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this.’” (Acts 17:32) The promises for the faithful recorded in the New Testament include several obviously superhuman events, resurrection being one. Some mocked. Who can reassemble the decomposed parts? The difference between the two groups was that one would investigate the superhuman, the other dismissed it. One concluded that something bigger than us built this place, so has the ability. The others think it has always been.

Paul and company had had such success in spreading the gospel in Ephesus that the market for little silver replicas of the goddess Diana had shrunk significantly. So, the silversmiths staged a rally to promote their goddess. The rally quickly devolved into a riot. “Some cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together…All with one voice cried out for about two hours, ‘Great is Diana of the Ephesians.’” (Acts 19:32 – 34) This technique for opposing reality has been used to this day.

In his last meeting with the elders of Ephesus, Paul told them, “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20: 29 – 30) Paul predicted that, at least in Ephesus, the church would be divided by its own leadership, not through attacks from the outside. This happens when well-meaning people leave no room for their own fallibility, but rather insist they possess the truth.

“Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the Temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.” Paul and the apostles continued to observe the rituals of the Law of Moses decades after the sacrifice of Jesus. Why? Because they were Jewish. They did not abandon the Law because of the gospel, but rather let God handle it, which He did in spectacular fashion, as predicted by Daniel and Zechariah, in 70 AD.