Text for today:

Acts 1:1-5 (NLT) 1 In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. 4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 

Today we start a new series on the Book of Acts. We’ll cover the first five verses and answer the question: How should we act on the message of Jesus?

• A lot of people view Christianity as merely an ideology or a set of beliefs.
  • I just need intellectual assent to the right ideas, believe the right things
  • I go to church, read the Bible (occasionally) to learn these ideas
  • This is how a recent article struck me: Why I am now a Christian
    • Ayaan Hirsi Ali
    • Grew up Muslim in Kenya
      • “The most striking quality of the Muslim Brotherhood was their ability to transform me and my fellow teenagers from passive believers into activists, almost overnight. We didn’t just say things or pray for things: we did things. As girls we donned the burka and swore off Western fashion and make-up. The boys cultivated their facial hair to the greatest extent possible.”
    • Then became an atheist
      • “You can see why, to someone who had been through such a religious schooling, atheism seemed so appealing. Bertrand Russell offered a simple, zero-cost escape from an unbearable life of self-denial and harassment of other people.”
    • Eventually became a Christian. But why?
      • Because only Christianity has “an elaborate set of ideas and institutions designed to safeguard human life, freedom and dignity….”
    • This is true, but is this all there is?
      • For many “Christians,” yes
        • It’s a better ideology than atheism, Islam
        • But it’s more than ideology – it should cause us to act.

Trans: That’s what we’re going to learn today as we turn to the book of Acts

Acts 1:1-2

Acts 1:1-2 (NLT) 1 In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.

• In my first book
  • Acts is Part 2 of the Luke-Acts volume
    • (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) Luke-Acts being originally one work in two volumes, which sometime during the last part of the first century or very early in the second began to circulate as two separate works
    • (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) The Acts of the Apostles was originally written as the second part of a two-volume work, and its inseparable relation to Luke’s gospel must be kept in mind if we are to understand the work.
  • Luke 1:1-4 (NLT) 1 Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.
  • So the author was obviously Luke (the doctor)
    • Colossians 4:14 Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings…
    • Philemon 1:23-24 (NLT) 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. 24 So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers.
    • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Acts begins with a long, programmatic sentence in Greek (vv. 1-5), which looks back in summary fashion to the concluding scenes of Luke’s Gospel and prepares for the great events soon to be narrated.
  • Writing to Theophilus
    • Spiritual seeker trying to learn the truth about Jesus
    • With disciples, we find the answers by the end of the gospel:
    • Luke 24:44-45 (NLT) 44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 
      • It’s one thing to hear the message. It’s another thing to understand. 
        • Contrast with disciples on road to Emmaus
        •  Luke 24:27 (NLT) 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
      • That’s what we’re going to learn throughout this study.
    • 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 
      • The message about Jesus is one thing (v46)
      • Sharing the message is another thing (v47)
        • That’s the subject of the Book of Acts
    • 50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
    • Luke leaves us with a cliffhanger
      • As we’ll see, this passage overlaps with the beginning of Acts
        • See it for yourself side-by-side
        • Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1:3-5

Acts 1:3

Now we’re ready to turn back to Acts. Notice the overlap with the end of Luke: 

Acts 1:3 (NLT) 3 During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

• During the 40 days:
  • Luke is retelling the story from Luke 24
    • See above
  • How cool to have been there for Jesus’ 40-day workshop!?
• Appeared from time to time 
  • Jesus’ involvement (intermittent) vs. Holy Spirit’s involvement later (continuous)
  • Jesus’ role = die and rise; HS role = convict, move us
• Talked about the Kingdom of God
  • What Jesus was doing throughout the gospel of Luke
  • Now it was time for them to connect the dots
    • Understand, not just hear
  • This is what they would be doing in the Book of Acts
    • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Jesus’ teaching of the apostles qualified them in a unique sense to be the authoritative interpreters of Scripture for the earliest Christian communities and for subsequent generations of believers
    • Speeches in Acts = about ⅓ of the text! (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Evangelistic speeches convey the contents of the message presented by different characters in different situations. In this gospel-centred framework, Luke regularly uses the Greek noun logos (‘word’) to describe the actual message proclaimed by Jesus and his followers.
    • Understanding the “kerygma” – the core message of the Christian gospel, the essential elements preached by the apostles: Jesus + faith + Spirit + return
• Luke-Acts boils down to two things:
  • Seeking Jesus (this is what Luke is about)
    • Learning about his life, death and resurrection.
    • Responding in faith to it
    • Gaining entrance into his kingdom
  • Sharing Jesus – full circle (this is what Acts is about)
    • Being a servant in his kingdom
      • It’s not about him serving YOU
      • He gives the orders, you follow them
    • It’s our turn to get in the game and share the story
    • That’s the mission of the church
      • And Acts is the story of the church’s beginnings

Two more verses for today:

Acts 1:4-5

Acts 1:4-5 (NLT) 4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

• The gift he promised
  • Talking about the HS (God himself!)
  • Not just Acts of the Apostles. God is behind it all! Acts of the HS
    • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Luke’s special interest in the Holy Spirit is indicated by the 57 occurrences of the noun pneuma (‘Spirit’) in Acts alone.
    • John 16:7-8 (NLT) But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.
  • Baptized w the HS
    • Totally immersed
• In just a few days
  • Does this sound like the end of something or the beginning?
    • The beginning for sure! 
      • Yes, Jesus died… but that means the start of something, not the end
    • Cliffhanger, just like at end of Luke

Close

This brings us back to the question we started with: How should we act on the message of Jesus?

• Christianity is more than a solid ideology 
  • Yes, it’s a better ideology than atheism, Islam
  • But it’s not just something to learn about or read about
    • Not just a message about who Jesus is and what he did
  • We need more than intellectual assent to these beliefs
    • More than church attendance or reading the Bible
• It should cause us to act.
  • That’s why Luke didn’t stop at Luke
  • He went on to write Acts
    • The story of Christ-followers who didn’t just learn… they acted
      • by spreading the message of the Kingdom of God

Today we continue our study of Acts, covering Acts 1:6-11. Here’s the question we’ll answer as we look at the text: Does God favor one nation over another?

• This is an important question in today’s world
  • Issue of immigration
  • Christian nations vs. Muslim nations, etc.
• It was a question on the minds of the disciples in Acts 1
  • Jesus had just spent 3 yrs with them
    • Almost exclusively did ministry among Israelites
      • Matthew 15:21-24 (NLT) 21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.” 23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.” 24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
        • Note three things:
          • Jesus was silent!?
          • Disciples wanted him to send her away
          • Jesus was sent to help only Israel
        • Jesus ends up healing the daughter
          • But it was the exception, not the rule
          • Seems nationalistic, right?!
    • The point: disciples thought God favored Israel
      • Very nationalistic in their ideology
        • The “Chosen ones”
        • Deuteronomy 7:6 (NLT) For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.
      • Seems like American Christians today
        • We are the new chosen ones
          • We have the only true God
          • We have a better ideology
          • We are God’s favorites
      • But what does the Bible say about this?

Let’s warm up with a history lesson on Israel:

• Theocracy 
• First King – Saul
• United Monarchy (c. 1000–930 BCE)
  • King David (c. 1010–970 BCE) : David united the tribes of Israel and established Jerusalem as the capital.
  • King Solomon (c. 970–930 BCE) : Solomon, David’s son, built the First Temple in Jerusalem. After his death, the kingdom split into two.
• Divided Monarchy (c. 930–722 BCE for Israel, c. 930–586 BCE for Judah)
  • Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom) : Fell to the Assyrian Empire in 722 BCE.
  • Kingdom of Judah (Southern Kingdom) : Continued until it fell to the Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE.
• Assyrian Rule (c. 722–605 BCE)- The Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE, leading to the exile of many Israelites.
• Babylonian Rule (c. 605–539 BCE)- The Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar II, destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple in 586 BCE, initiating the Babylonian Captivity.
• Persian Rule (c. 539–332 BCE)- Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon in 539 BCE and allowed the Jewish exiles to return and rebuild the Temple (Second Temple period).
• Greek Rule (c. 332–167 BCE)- Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, including Israel, in 332 BCE. After his death, the region was controlled by the Ptolemies and then the Seleucids.
• Maccabean/Hasmonean Period (167–63 BCE) : The Maccabees revolted against Seleucid rule (part of the fragmentation of Alexander’s empire), leading to the establishment of an independent Jewish kingdom (the Hasmonean dynasty) in 142 BCE.
  • The period saw the expansion of Jewish territory, increased influence of Jewish culture, and the emergence of significant religious sects such as the Pharisees and Sadducees. The legacy of the Hasmoneans is still remembered, particularly through the celebration of Hanukkah.
• Roman Rule (63 BCE–330 CE)- The Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem in 63 BCE. 
  • Herodian Dynasty (37 BCE–4 BCE) : Herod the Great ruled as a Roman client king.
  • Jesus’ life, death, resurrection
  • In 70 CE, the Romans destroyed the Second Temple following a Jewish revolt.
  • Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–135 CE) : A significant but ultimately unsuccessful Jewish rebellion against Roman rule.
• Byzantine Rule (330–636 CE)- The Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) controlled the region until the early Islamic conquests.
• Islamic Caliphates (636–1099 CE)
  • Rashidun Caliphate (636–661 CE) 
  • Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE) 
  • Abbasid Caliphate (750–969 CE) 
  • Fatimid Caliphate (969–1099 CE) 
• Crusader Period (1099–1291 CE)- Crusaders established the Kingdom of Jerusalem, controlling the area intermittently until 1291 CE.
• Mamluk Sultanate (1291–1517 CE)- The Mamluks, based in Egypt, controlled the region following the Crusaders.
• Ottoman Empire (1517–1917 CE)- The Ottomans conquered the Mamluks in 1517 and ruled the region until World War I.
• British Mandate (1917–1948 CE)- After World War I, the League of Nations granted Britain the mandate to govern Palestine.
• State of Israel (1948–Present)- Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, and has since been a sovereign nation. The region has seen various conflicts and peace processes involving neighboring countries and entities.

Trans: And now, finally, we’re ready for the text.

Acts 1:6

Acts 1:6 (NLT) 6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

• has the time come… free Israel and restore our kingdom
  • There was a payoff that Israelites historically had in their minds, Israel-centric
  • Can’t blame them; It was even articulated by an angel to Mary:
    • Luke 1:31-33 (NLT) 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
  • And understood by the prophet Anna:
    • Luke 2:38 (NLT) She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.
  • Disciples were thinking of all of this in nationalistic and political terms
    • (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) The question the disciples asked reflects the embers of a once blazing hope for a political theocracy in which they would be leaders (cf. Mk 9:33-34; 10:35-41; Lk 22:24). Now the embers are fanned by Jesus’ talk of the coming Holy Spirit. In Jewish expectations, the restoration of Israel’s fortunes would be marked by the revived activity of God’s Spirit, which had been withheld since the last of the prophets.
    • Longing for the return of the glory days of King David and Solomon

Trans: but Jesus is going to show them that it’s not about them….

• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Through the witness of Jesus’ apostles, ‘the kingdom’ would be restored to Israel, but not in nationalistic or political terms, nor immediately in the full and final sense outlined in biblical prophecy (cf. 3:19-26).

Acts 1:7-8

Acts 1:7-8 (NLT) 7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

• not for you to know
  • The disciples weren’t wrong about the big idea (God’s kingdom would come), they were wrong in many of the details
    • Next week: there are some things that are not for us to know, at least not yet. Can you handle that? 
      • End times – so many people want to know! YT is blowing up with videos
        • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Christians have to live with the tension of knowing that the work of the gospel is central to God’s eschatological plan, but never being able to calculate the exact date of the End.
      • Sickness – why won’t you heal this person?
      • Marriage – why haven’t you brought me “the one”
        • Ex: my friend who was obsessed with that, until he realized he needed to “get his house in order” and leave the rest to God
        • Ex: my daughter who saw her friends dating (and failing) has learned to trust God with those details
        • Ex: Adam was put to sleep and woke up to Eve!
    • Sometimes we’re like the kids in the backseat, pestering God with our questions. Sometimes it’s simply not for us to know. We need to trust his plan and his timing.
• But you will receive power
  • Gk “dunamis”, our word for dynamite!
  • Watch for this in the chapters ahead: power!
    • Power to do miracles, for sure
    • But even more importantly, power to speak out…
    • The promised Holy Spirit would give them power to speak out, not to destroy.
• you will be my witnesses
  • First, the apostles were eyewitnesses
    • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) As ‘eyewitnesses’ (Lk. 1:2; cf. Acts 1:3a), they guarantee the historicity of the major events in Jesus’ life, and as those uniquely instructed by him (Lk. 24:44-8; Acts 1:3b-5), they pass on Jesus’ own understanding of his person and work.
    • This is important, and it’s why we don’t need prophets/apostles in that sense today
      • See Does God Still Speak Through Prophets
  • Second, this is a calling on every Christian
    • And one of the main roles of the HS in our lives 
    • Being “baptized” = all in for Jesus
      • I grew up in a charismatic church
        • Taught that “baptism with the HS” was all about speaking in tongues
          • We’ll see why later in this series
      • But many pentecostals miss the main thing:
        • The Spirit empowers us to be witnesses for the Kingdom of God
  • It happened at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry
    • Luke 4:14-15 (NLT) 14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
    • The disciples already saw Jesus “tell people about him” by the power of the Spirit
      • Now it was their turn
    • Jesus promised them power through the Holy Spirit – but the purpose was to speak out, not to conquer. They would be witnesses, not warriors.
• in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth
  • This is the outline of the book of Acts
    • They’re starting in Jerusalem (Acts 1-7)
    • Then they’ll move to Judea and Samaria (Ch 8-12)
    • Then to the ends of the earth
      • Paul’s Journeys (Ch 13-21)
      • Paul’s Trials on his way to Rome (Ch 22-28)
      • The book will end on a cliffhanger:
        • Acts 28:30-31 (NLT) 30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
  • Notice the reverse symmetry with the gospel of Luke
    • Jesus started in Galilee of the Gentiles
    • Moved his way through Samaria and Judea
    • Ended up in Jerusalem for his trial and death
  • As we saw last week:
    • The gospel of Luke was about seeking Jesus and learning the truth about his life, death, and resurrection. 
    • In Luke’s sequel (Acts) the focus changes to sharing Jesus, specifically the message of his kingdom.

But here’s the point, and the answer to our question: Does God favor one nation over another?

• Answer: NO! 
• The shocker will be (spoiler alert):
  • The Kingdom of God was not just about Israel; it’s an invitation that must go out “to the ends of the earth”
  • Not the disciples’ nationalist and political agenda!
  • Isaiah 43:8-9 (NLT) 8 Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. 9 Gather the nations together! Assemble the peoples of the world!
  • Isaiah 43:10 (NLT) “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the LORD. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be.
  • Isaiah 49:6 (NLT) He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
  • God did not choose Israel for Israel’s sake
    • He chose them to be a light to the nations
    • Jesus didn’t want to conquer the nations, he wanted to bless them.
• One more thing: notice “you will be”
  • Not, “you must be” like a command
  • It’s more of a statement of inevitability; a prediction; a promise
    • God’s Word will go out, his Kingdom will be established
    • The only question: will you be a part of this movement?

Acts 1:9-11

Acts 1:9-11 (NLT) 9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

• he was taken up
  • The Luke account of this was a cliffhanger; in Acts it’s a turning point
    • Jesus had to leave so they could take the baton
    • Now it was their turn to bring the message to the world
  • Transition to the ministry of the Spirit
    • Jesus wouldn’t visit them “from time to time” to teach them
    • Now that would be the HS’s job, a continuous presence
• “Men of Galilee,”
  • Interesting that they called them that
    • A reminder of where Jesus first invited them to follow him: on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (of the Gentiles!?)
      • Luke 5:10 (NLT) “From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”
      • Q. But what KIND of people?
    • History of Galilee
      • The Assyrians deported many of the native Israelites and brought in people from other parts of their empire, which increased the Gentile presence in Galilee. (2 Kings 15:29, 17:24-27)
      • Following Alexander the Great’s conquests, Hellenistic culture spread throughout the Near East, including Galilee. This influence further contributed to the region’s mixed population.
      • By Jesus’ day it was a crossroads of trade and culture, which allowed the message of Jesus to spread more easily to both Jews and Gentiles.
    • The point: Galilee was NOT just about Israel
      • Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever…. but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
• why are you standing here staring into heaven?
  • Hilarious!
  • Reminds me of so many modern Christians
    • Love to worship God, go to conferences, study eschatology
    • Never go beyond “staring into heaven”
• someday he will return
  • Bookends: Christ’s ascension and his return
    • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) In effect, the introduction lays down ‘the eschatological framework within which the Christian story is to unfold’. The church lives between Jesus’ exaltation into heaven and his return and its life is determined by these boundary markers.
    • In between: we need to get to work
      • He’s on the throne in heaven, resurrected, alive
      • He’s still overseeing the whole project 
      • And he’s coming back when time is up

Close

But this picture gives us our answer to the question we started with: Does God favor one nation over another?

• Answer: No
  • The Kingdom of God is not about national boundaries
    • Not about earthly kingdoms that come and go
  • The Kingdom of God is already established in heaven. It’s permanent, and Jesus is on the throne. No nation is favored; every nation is invited.

Revelation 7:9-10 (NLT) 9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

Today we’ll answer a basic, yet important question: Q. What is the real gospel? 

• What is the “Good News” that the church should offer to the world?
• Churches have corrupted it since the beginning!
  • Galatians 1:6-7 (NLT) I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
  • These were the Judaizers in Paul’s day, already corrupting the simple message of Jesus.
    • Said you had to become a Jew first, and then a Christian
    • Works gospel = God wants you to save yourself
• Today there are too many false gospels to count, but I’ll mention a few:
  • Prosperity gospel = God wants you to be healthy and wealthy
  • Woke gospel = God wants you to be YOU 
  • Red/Blue gospel = God wants you to be a Republican/Democrat
• The true gospel has been hijacked by televangelists, secular humanists, and political parties, but to rediscover it we simply need to re-read the first sermon ever preached in the church age. 
  • That’s what we’ll do today.

Let’s turn to Acts 2.

Last week we saw part one of Peter’s sermon

• The day Moses longed for and Joel predicted had finally come! 
• Now the HS was available to everyone
• That’s what they were seeing in real time – historic!

Today we’re looking at the second part of the sermon

• This is the first time we see the bare essentials of the Christian message
  • Peter didn’t sit down days earlier and write this out, but…
    • His mind was opened to understanding the Scriptures (Luke 24:45)
    • He had been trained by Jesus for 40 days on the “Kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3)
    • He had just been “baptized with the Holy Spirit” and empowered! (Acts 1:8)
  • These three things combined to produce the first sermon ever preached
    • And the basic elements of Peter’s message will be repeated throughout Acts
      • See 3:13-26; 4:10-12; 5:30-2; 10:36-43; 13:23-41
    • And these bare essentials have never changed.

The gospel is all about Jesus.

Acts 2:22-24 (NLT) 22 People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.

• First part of Peter’s sermon was about HS (last week)
• But the meat of the sermon was about Jesus; already the false gospels get it wrong
  • Works gospel: Jesus + works
    • LDS: “We are saved by grace after all we can do.”
    • Galatians 3:2 (NLT) 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.
  • Prosperity gospel: Jesus + stuff (what’s in it for me)
    • Benny Hinn: “God will begin to prosper you, for money always follows righteousness.”
    • In other words, to become a Christian, in this way of seeing things, is to have all the same desires you had as an unregenerate person—only you get them from a new source, Jesus. And He feels so loving when you do. (Piper, John. Brothers, We Are Not Professionals (p. 25). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.)
    • Philippians 3:9-11 (NLT) For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
  • Woke gospel: Jesus + affirmation
    • Matthew Vines: “God created you and loves you just as you are. Your sexual orientation is not a sin, and you are not broken. God’s love for you is not contingent on you becoming someone else, but on you embracing who you truly are.”
    • This is a corrupted view of Jesus: Jesus loves you just as you are
      • That sounds nice, but to come to him requires repentance
        • The opposite of sin: trusting and acting on your own opinions and feelings instead of on God’s truth
        • we’ll see this next week when we look at the response to the gospel
        • Acts 2:38 (NLT) 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God…”
• For now let’s summarize Peter’s, gospel = Jesus + nothing
  • You’re not going to see any of these things endorsed in Peter’s sermon
    • Saved by works 
    • Motivated by prosperity
    • Affirming of sinful lifestyles
  • Just this: “God publicly endorsed Jesus”
    • No other endorsement needed!

But let’s zoom in a little more:

The gospel requires the cross.

Acts 2:23 (NLT) But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.

• Jesus had to suffer and die.
  • Some churches try to minimize this
  • Temptation to whitewash the gruesome details
  • But it was required to absorb the wrath of God
• Who was behind the crucifixion? Peter gives 3 answers:
  • Lawless Gentiles
  • Religious Jews
    • “Christ is King” controversy with Candace Owens
      • I don’t know how Owens meant it, but…
      • It’s not anti-semitic to make that claim 
    • The truth: Jews and Gentiles put Jesus on the cross
      • That includes you and me. Our sin put him there. 
      • But look back at the text for the biggest insight…
  • God himself (this was God’s plan all along)
    • 1 Peter 1: (NLT) 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began…

The gospel is proven by the resurrection.

Acts 2:24 (NLT) But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.

• Without the resurrection, there is no gospel (good news)
  • 1 Corinthians 15:14 (NLT) And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
  • Jesus was raised to life first; His followers will be next
• In the next verses, Peter proves the resurrection in two ways
  • It was prophesied in the OT (v25-31)
    • Acts 2:31 (NLT) 31 David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.
  • The apostles saw it for themselves
    • Acts 2 (NLT) 32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this.”
• The resurrection proves the supernatural plan of God
  • It defies logic and the laws of nature
  • If you can’t believe this ultimate miracle, you can’t be saved
  • 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NLT) 18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

The gospel declares Jesus is Lord

Acts 2 (NLT) 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 

• His Kingdom is already established, and Jesus is already on the throne!
• It’s not an earthly kingdom like you thought it would be; it’s better than that!
  • Oh yeah and it comes with a gift: the promised HS!
  • When you make Jesus Lord of your life, the you get the HS as a permanent gift!
    • We talked about this last week, but many gospel presentations miss it.

36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

• Jesus is Messiah – we’ll see that preached to Jewish audiences
• Jesus is Lord – preached to both Jews and Gentiles
  • Bold statement to Jews
  • He’s more than you thought the Messiah would be!
  • (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) The title “Lord” was also proclaimed christologically in Jewish circles, with evident intent to apply to Jesus all that was said of God in the OT
• This is Peter’s summary statement, makes most sense in context of earlier verse:
• Acts 2:21 (NLT) 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.

Close: 

The gospel is an invitation.

• Will you call on the name of the Lord? His identity is no longer secret. It’s Jesus! 
  • Who died on the cross for our sins
  • Who rose from the dead to prove he’s the Messiah
  • Who reigns even now at the right hand of the Father
• Every other “gospel” is a cheap fake
  • Trying to sell you something that won’t satisfy
  • And won’t save
• The real gospel is all about Jesus
  • Have you accepted the invitation to make him Lord of your life?

Here’s a question: When Should You Reject Spiritual Authority?

• Some of you may say, Always
  • No one wants to submit these days…
    • Judges era: “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes”
    • General lack of respect for spiritual authority
      • So much hopping around from church to church
      • Not a “sense of awe” that we saw at the end of book of Acts
  • But see Is Spiritual Authority a Thing Anymore?
  • Quick answer: Yes!
    • Spiritual leadership in the church flows from Jesus’ authority, and obedience to godly leaders benefits the soul. 
    • Hebrews 13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
• So I’ll ask again: When should you reject spiritual authority?
  • Because you shouldn’t blindly follow it
  • There are times you should reject it, as we’ll see in the text today
  • We’re covering Acts 4:1-22
    • We’ll get there in a minute, but first…

Examples from History

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

• 1507: Ordained as a priest.
• 1517: On October 31, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, challenging the Catholic Church’s practice of selling indulgences and other corruptions. This event is often marked as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
• 1520: Published three key works: “To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation,” “On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church,” and “On the Freedom of a Christian,” outlining his theological views and criticisms of the Church.
• 1521: Excommunicated by Pope Leo X in January. In April, he was summoned to the Diet of Worms, where he famously refused to recant his writings, saying, “Here I stand, I can do no other.” Declared an outlaw by the Edict of Worms.

William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536)

• 1523: Sought permission to translate the Bible into English, but was denied by the Bishop of London. Fled the next year to Germany to work on his translation.
• 1525: Completed the New Testament in English, printed in 1526 in Cologne and Worms.
• 1526: The first printed copies of Tyndale’s New Testament were smuggled into England, where they were banned and burned by the Church.
• 1536: William Tyndale was executed by strangulation and then burned at the stake on October 6.

Jan Hus (c. 1372-1415)

• 1400: Ordained as a priest.
• 1411: Excommunicated by Pope John XXIII for his opposition to indulgences.
• 1415: Jan Hus was burned at the stake on July 6 for his teachings and refusal to recant.

John Wycliffe (c. 1330-1384)

• 1376: Began criticizing the wealth and corruption of the Church, calling for reform.
• 1377: Pope Gregory XI condemned Wycliffe’s teachings, issuing five papal bulls against him.
• 1380: Wycliffe started translating the Bible into English, believing that scripture should be accessible to all believers. His translation was completed by his followers after his death.
• Wycliffe is often called the “Morning Star of the Reformation” for his early calls for reform within the Catholic Church.

But 1300 years earlier, the ragtag followers of Jesus were the first Christian reformers. And that story begins in Acts chapter 4 

• the first clash between the apostles and the Jewish religious authority. 
• In the Gospels, Jesus was the one clashing with the spiritual leaders. but now in the church age the battle will be waged between the followers of Jesus and the religious establishment. 
• Chapter 4 gives us our first glimpse at the changing of the guard. the church has been born, but in its infancy it’s unclear to the apostles how they will relate to the temple and its leaders. This chapter begins to reveal the answer… 

The Showdown

Acts 4:1-2 (NLT) 1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. 2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead.

• Who did these guys think they were? Uneducated!!

Acts 4:3-4 (NLT) 3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. 4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.

• Jesus: “I will build my church….” 

Acts 4:5-7 (NLT) 5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. 7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”

• Same as Jesus’ trial: Luke 20:2 (NLT) 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

Acts 4:8-10 (NLT) 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, 9 are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.

• Boldness to point people to Jesus
• But it gets even more bold…

Acts 4:11-12 (NLT) 11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ 12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

• Last chapter: Acts 3:22-23 (NLT) 22 Moses said, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ 23 Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’
• We’re about to see this prophecy fulfilled in the religious leaders. They would be cut off, not the disciples!
• Notice the exclusive claim: salvation in no one else
  • This would have been offensive to Jewish ears
  • Blasphemous to the leaders’ ears
  • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Members of the Sanhedrin would have agreed that the God of Israel is humanity’s only true saviour (cf. Ex. 15:1-11; Is. 43:11-12; 45:22; Ps. 96:1-5). But Peter now insists that the name of Jesus is the exclusive means by which God’s saving power can be invoked and experienced.

Changing of the Guard

Acts 4:13 (NLT) 13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

• Irony: these guys were nobodies, and the educated guys were blown away by their understanding of the OT
• They had “been with Jesus”. That’s all the training they needed

Acts 4:16-18 (NLT) 16 “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. 17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” 18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

• This was their exercise of spiritual authority

Acts 4:19-20 (NLT) 19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

• This was the changing of the guard. Old Israel was done. New Israel had begun, led by a bunch of misfits and nobodies.
• Peter and John rejected their religious authorities, because those authorities rejected Jesus. 

Close

So, When Should You Reject Spiritual Authority?

• Not talking about the Reformation, because the evangelical church at large doesn’t need that
• But it’s a “mini-reformation” question: when should you find a new church? 
• The answer is easy: when it corrupts any of the core teachings of the early church:
  • Jesus is Lord (do they get Jesus right?)
  • We are saved by grace (do they get salvation right?)
  • We’re on a mission (do they get disciple-making right?)

Close with a challenge: think twice before you reject authority

• Too many people hop from church to church and lack authority
• Hebrews 13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

How Should Christians Respond to Bold Opposition?

• Define bold opposition: enemies of God, the cross
• Threats against our values, the truth of the Bible
• Olympic ceremony’s ‘Last Supper’ sketch

• The segment… resembled the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his apostles sharing a last meal before crucifixion and featured drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer
• Hugo Bardin, whose drag queen character Paloma took part in the tableau, was disappointed Paris 2024 had felt compelled to apologise. “An apology means recognising a mistake, recognising that you deliberately did something to harm, which was not the case,” Bardin said. “What bothers people isn’t that we’re reproducing this painting,” Bardin continued, “what bothers people is that queer people are reproducing it.”
• Other examples in recent years:
• Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ (1987): controversial photograph depicting a crucifix submerged in urine
• Authors like Richard Dawkins [The God Delusion (2006)] and Christopher Hitchens [God Is Not Great (2007)]
• Comedians like George Carlin and Bill Maher
• Criticism of Christian stances on social issues (such as LGBTQ+ rights, abortion, and contraception) has often been accompanied by mockery, portraying Christians as outdated or intolerant.
• Philippians 3:18-19 (NLT) 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
• Bold enemies of the cross. Getting bolder every year. This makes me mad. How should we respond to this?
• We are told to be tolerant, inclusive, kind – yet we are mocked for our belief in Biblical values and our desire to follow Jesus
• Many Christians want to curse them: pray for their destruction, call down God’s judgment like James and John did in Luke 9
• Summarize story: Luke 9:51-54 (NLT) 51 As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. 53 But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. 54 When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”
• They thought this was God’s MO
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) This flagrant image appeals to the precedent of Elijah, who called down fire to destroy companies of soldiers sent to him by King Ahaziah of Israel (2 Kgs 1:10, 12)

Trans: And Elijah wasn’t the only one who called for God’s judgment…

The OT example

Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-19)

• Backstory: Assyria, the world power at the time, attacked powerless Israel during the reign of King Hezekiah.
• Assyria’s King Sennacherib taunted Hezekiah
• The odds were stacked against Israel
• Hezekiah was one of the few good kings
• 2 Kings 18:5-6 (NLT) 5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. 6 He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses.
• 2 Kings 19:10-11 (NLT) 10 “This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. 11 You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different?”
• 2 Kings 19:15-16 (NLT) And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. 16 Bend down, O LORD, and listen! Open your eyes, O LORD, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.”
• 2 Kings 19:19 (NLT) “Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O LORD, are God.”
• Note: He prayed for deliverance
• 2 Kings 19:35 (NLT) That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere.

Trans: This was the OT way. Seemed approved by God. But then Jesus showed up, and things started to change…

Jesus’ Teaching

Famous sermon on the Mount, packed with new interpretations:

Matthew 5:43-45 (NLT) 43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”

• Notice the quotes there: only “love your neighbor” has them
• That’s because it’s the only biblical part!
• Scripture doesn’t teach “hate your enemy” – that was a teaching of the religious leaders, an addition
• Basically the same religious leaders who had killed Jesus and were now persecuting his followers
• The ones who called themselves “children of the Father”
• Yet Jesus is saying the true children act differently
• They love their enemies and pray for them!?

Trans: Jesus taught this kind of stuff all the time. Was it just hyperbole? Was he just trying to make a point?

• Actually, no. This is how he wanted his followers to live. Acts 4 was their first test after his ascension….

The Believers’ Prayer

Acts 4:23 (NLT) 23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said.

• First opportunity to respond to persecution
• Similar to the Hezekiah situation; leaders rejecting God

Acts 4:24 (NLT) 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—”

• Reminiscent of how Hezekiah started his prayer
• Trusted in God’s sovereignty, God’s planning behind it all
• He’s big; his enemies are small
• Just exactly how I feel about the Olympic drag queens

Acts 4:25-26 (NLT) 25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? 26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the LORD and against his Messiah.’

• This is a quote from Ps 2
• (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) Sometime just prior to the Christian period, Ps 2 was beginning to be used within some Jewish circles as a messianic psalm, and the early Jewish Christians knew of this usage, approved it, and applied it to Jesus
• “Gathered together” –
• That’s what it feels like today – the whole world has lost it’s mind and has become an enemy of Christ
• This is why we need to gather together with other believers! We need community if we are to stand firm against the enemies of the cross

Acts 4:27-28 (NLT) 27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.”

• Incredible (and offensive) understanding of Ps 2
• “The kings of the earth” = Herod + Pilate
• “The Messiah” = Jesus
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The surprising fulfillment of the psalm is that Herod and the people of Israel aligned themselves with foreign nations and their rulers in opposing the Lord and his Anointed One
• Again, notice their understanding of God’s sovereignty

And here’s the payoff, the answer to our question…

Acts 4:29-31 (NLT) 29 “And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

• They didn’t pray for deliverance from enemies or judgment on enemies
• Prayed for boldness to preach the word
• Preach it to each other
• The “preached the word of God with boldness”
• But no one else was there
• It’s almost like they were practicing on each other
• Men’s group: how encouraging is it to hear the truth plainly and boldly spoken
• Podcasts as well, including men’s podcast
• Preach it to your kids at home
• talk about our biblical values clearly and boldly – but with love toward the enemies of Christ
• Preach it to the world
• Don’t be afraid to open your mouth, even though you might be mocked or shamed
• But do it in love, and remember that it’s not your job to save anyone

Close

Back to James and John’s request…

Luke 9:54-56 When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 So they went on to another village.

• But Jesus rebuked them
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The word for “rebuke” (Gk. epitiman) is intense, usually reserved for the rebuke and exorcism of demonic forces.
• Then they just moved on.
• To the next village, the next group to hear the gospel

Q. How Should Christians Respond to Bold Opposition?

• A: Share the truth in love and boldness, and pray that God would open their eyes to it.
• Go on to another village if they don’t.

Is there a right way to organize a church?

• But seriously, lots of debate on this over the centuries
• Elders, deacons, pastors, bishops, etc.
• Are these different positions in the church?
• Today I’ll show you that there are only two “offices” in the church when it comes to positions of leadership
• But is there only one prescribed, God-ordained way to organize?

Acts 6:1 (NLT) 1 But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

• Church growth brings it challenges!
• Greek speaking vs. Hebrew speaking – Warning against cliques in the church, us vs. them mentality, contrary to the unity Jesus calls us to have and the unity that will show the world we are his disciples

Acts 6:2-4 (NLT) 2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

• Division of labor
• Apostles weren’t discounting the importance of meeting physical needs. The apostles were teaching “everything they had seen and heard” ( We have seen this phrase used earlier in the book of Acts).  They couldn’t just pass that responsibility on to people who hadn’t walked with Jesus.  They didn’t have Bibles available for the average believer.  They were teaching what Jesus had taught them, both prior to his crucifixion and between his resurrection and ascension.
• The church should be looking for opportunities to meet physical needs of others, particularly other believers. (1 John 3:17, James 2:15-16)
• Philosophy of ministry to have elders/pastors whose only role is teaching the Word of God. Teaching the Word of God is extremely important, but we do have a different context today.  Believers do have access to the Bible. They do have access to other believers, commentaries, etc.
• Notice the requirements don’t mention anything about the charisma, wealth, talents of the individuals being put forth for consideration.  It is about their character, wisdom, and being Spirit filled.
• Note also the importance of prayer.  The apostles were intentional about making room in their schedule for prayer.  This is critical in ministry.  Something I certainly fall short in at times.

Acts 6:5-6 (NLT) 5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

• Everyone liked this idea – maybe the biggest miracle in all of scripture!!
• Process: men selected from the people, presented to apostles who released them for ministry
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) In the history of exegesis and church government, Acts 6 with the appointment of Stephen and six others was always seen as relevant to diaconal definition and identity. But they are not actually called deacons using the Greek word diakonos. That word refers to a “servant” in various senses and capacities in Paul’s twenty-one uses of the word.

Let’s break down “diakonos” (servant, minister, deacon) in Paul’s writings:

• General uses: Not referring to official positions in a local church
• Rom 15:8 – Christ has become a servant
• 1 Cor 3:5 – Apollos and Paul are servants
• Col 1:7, 4:7 – Epaphras and Tychicus are ministers
• 2 Cor 11:15 – Satan has servants
• Office of deacon in local church: Only 3 times!
• Phil 1:1 (NLT) I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.
• Philippians written around 60-62 AD
• 1 Tim 3:8-12 In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity….
• 1 Timothy 62-66 AD
• Romans 16:1-2 (NLT) 1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.
• Some people debate whether this is referring to an official role in the church or just a general statement like the earlier list.
• May be the first reference to the office of deacon. Was the concept even yet formalized in the early church or in the mind of Paul? We don’t know.
• Romans written around 57–58 AD
• (Stephen selected 30-36 AD)
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Even if Acts 6 and the appointment of seven men to assist in serving widows is brought into the discussion, it may be surprising how little is known from the NT sources about specifics regarding the office of deacon. Much of what we think we know today likely stems from projecting back into early NT history the roles of deacons with which we are familiar from traditions that can be attested in full only much later. This does not mean contemporary discussion of deacons cannot make appeal to these (and other) Scriptures. It is simply to underscore that the explicit sources are quite limited. Applications made from them deserve to be careful and as modest as the amount of definite information available.

In summary, here’s what we can say for sure from the Bible:

• The office of overseer (elder, pastor) is different from the office of deacon (minister, servant).
• Paul appointed overseers in churches (around 50 AD): Acts 14:23 (NLT) 23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
• The office of overseer was open to men only. The office of deacon appeared to be open to both men and women.
• Some churches debate this
• Alpine is committed to this. Overseers, pastoral team is made up of godly men who carry the burden of spiritual authority in the church, to include church discipline, etc.
• Some overseers are already functioning in “pastoral care” roles, including hospital/prayer visits, baby dedications, and even performing weddings.
• Appointment to either of these offices was a serious thing, and both overseers and deacons were expected to be whole-hearted followers of Jesus.
• We’ll see this with Stephen next week…
• 1 Timothy 3:9 (NLT) 9 They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.
• Stephen was, even died for his faith. Guess who was there witnessing it: Paul, the guy who later wrote 1 Timothy!
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Historians can only speculate on how this incident might still inform Paul’s thinking on the character of deacons decades later.
• However it’s organized, the church should proclaim and protect the gospel. (So it’s for Christians and non-Christians.)
• We’ve seen proclaim over and over in the book of Acts
• Soon we’ll see protect… as false teaching creep in
• That’s a major role of the overseers

Close

The result of a well-organized church was growth!

Acts 6:7 (NLT) 7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

• Many of the Jewish priests were converted – Who would have guessed that during Jesus’ earthly ministry?  Who would have guessed it right after his resurrection?  It would have seemed hopeless.  They were the chief source of opposition.  They hung Jesus on the cross.
• God is a God of miracles.  He brings dead things to life.  He makes beauty from ashes.
• Who in your world have you given up on because you think it’s no use?  They’re a lost cause.  I hope this would encourage you to keep praying for them.  Keep witnessing to them.  Keep sharing the love of Christ with them.
• The priests were mostly of Sadducean persuasion. They didn’t believe in a resurrection. What a turn around!
• One of the things that helped God’s message to spread was winning as a team.  More people were getting involved in the work of the ministry (Ephesian 4:11-12, Core Value #3).

Today we’re covering Acts 7, the story of the first Christian martyr. We were going to ask the question, “Do Christians still get stoned?” (haha), but instead we want to take this story to another place.

What do you do when the truth challenges tradition?

• We all do it: we grew up believing one thing, handed down through the generations
• Often difficult to rethink these things, ingrained
• Many times it had good roots, a tradition based on truth
• But the tradition veered off course, gets legalistic
• Became more man-made, and pretty soon the truth it was based on is no longer in sight.
• Example: religious traditions
• Not drinking alcohol
• dressing up for church
• Example: irreligious traditions
• Drinking alcohol
• Football on Sundays (missing church)
• Boating on weekends

To be clear: there are times when truth aligns with tradition

• We’re certainly not saying that tradition always loses, or that new should always replace old
• In fact, these days we need to embrace traditional family values, like:
• Marriage is one man, one woman, for life
• God made man and woman; gender is not fluid
• All human life is precious to God, including the unborn
• One more: Sex should be saved for marriage
• The key is to know where to find the truth, and then align with it
• In the examples above, old-fashioned tradition aligns with the truth
• We find it clearly in the Bible
• These are truths that should not change with each new generation
• But there are other examples where tradition actually misses the truth
• You think that by following the tradition you’re following God
• BC it’s what your parents did
• And it’s what their parents did
• But when you trace it back, somewhere it got disconnected from the truth
• So now everyone’s doing it for tradition’s sake
• And these kinds of people can be INTENSE

Today we’ll see an alarming example of truth vs. tradition

• The Jewish religious leaders grilling Stephen
• He’s challenging their traditions as he teaches about Jesus
• They think he’s missing the point bc they’re steeped in tradition
• But ironically they’re the ones missing out on the truth
• We’ll see their response to the truth-teller
• They reject the message and kill the messenger
• It’s a warning to us when we’re challenged…

Let’s get to the text:

The Setup

Acts 6:8-10 (NLT) 8 Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. 9 But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

• Reminder from last week: Stephen wasn’t just a behind the scenes servant!
• Truth is available to anyone
• Not just the traditionally elite
• This is how Christianity started, and it’s still true today!

Acts 6:11-15 (NLT) 11 So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” 12 This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. 13 The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. 14 We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” 15 At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.

• Point: when you’re more committed to tradition than truth, you’re willing to lie about it!
• Irony: this undermines the very Moses tradition they were supposedly committed to
• “Thou shalt not bear false testimony”
• Gut check: are you willing to be brutally honest about the traditions you’re elevating over truth?
• Back to my example: I didn’t want to be wrong about alcohol
• Tempted to bend the truth, gaslight myself

Acts 7:(NLT) 1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”

• Pay attention to how Stephen responds to this question.
• Remember, they’re false accusations. But Stephen doesn’t care!
• He’s not insecure. He knows the truth. He doesn’t even defend himself.
• He was raised in the same tradition as these guys. But then he met Jesus and everything changed.
• Instead of defending against these accusations, he shares the gospel with these guys!!
• Makes me think of Olympic opening ceremony scandal
• So many Christians offended by scandal
• And they should be!
• But what’s your response?
• “God will not be mocked! Paris must burn!”
• Stephen’s response was to share the gospel
• Care more about the people who offended him

Acts 7:2-4 (NLT) 2 This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. 3 God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.

• Remember the accusations: “Stephen says Jesus wants to change the customs Moses handed down to us…”
• But Stephen starts the story well before the Law – goes to father Abraham
• Wants to show God’s heart for his people, the very context for the Law (they forgot)
• The point: Truth goes to the heart of God’s Word. It doesn’t cherry pick verses and take things out of context. 

Then Stephen continues with the history lesson

• Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon…
• This must have been so offensive to the spiritual leaders! How dare he instruct them?!
• They were the experts on history and tradition! But his point is that they were missing the key all along. This is easy to do when we get so focused on tradition and lose sight of the truth.
• John 5:39-40 (NLT) 39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.”

Acts 7:37-39 (NLT) 37 “Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’ …  39 “But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt.

• There it is. He’s showing them their place in the story. They’re not the good guys. They’re the ones who are failing to listen (shema) to Moses. (The very accusation against him.)
• Q. Why did they refuse to listen to Moses?
• Comfort zone

Acts 7:51-53 (NLT) 51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”

• What a moment! He’s calling out the religious leaders
• How will they respond?

Acts 7:54 (NLT) 54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage…. 57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Acts 7:59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

• Shows his heart for them.

Q. What do you do when the truth challenges tradition?

• Their response to the truth-teller:
• eliminate the source of discomfort
• reject the message and kill the messenger
• It’s a warning to us when we’re challenged…
• What we should do:
• Go to God’s Word, the source of truth
• Embrace the truth, even if it’s uncomfortable
• The HS convicts, not us.
• And the HS allows us to respond when truth challenges tradition.

Today we’ll look at the first part of Acts chapter 8. We’ll do a “threat assessment” on the early church as we answer this question: What Are the Church’s Greatest Threats?

• (Alpine is 23 years old today!)
• First public service held Sept 9, 2001
• Two days later the twin towers fell and the world changed
• Threat of terrorism
• Threat of global war
• Threat of losing American way
• But Alpine continued to grow, and today…
• Eight campuses, and growing!
• Opening service at the Syracuse building
• Where will God take us in the next 23 years?
• And what threats will we have to endure?
• Today we’ll look at three threats that the early church faced (persecution, power, and division) and one bonus threat that seems unique to us today (apathy).
• We have a lot to cover, so let’s get straight to the text…

The Threat of Persecution

Acts 8: (NLT) 1 Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.

Acts 8:1-3 (NLT) A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) 3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.

• The External Threat
• Pay attention to the language here, and how different it is from what we’ve seen so far in our study of Acts
• First, let’s review the memories (honeymoon stage)
• Growth: Acts 2:41 (NLT) 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
• Miracles: Acts 3:7 (NLT) 7 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened.
• Community: Acts 4:32 (NLT) 32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.
• Freedom: Acts 5:42 (NLT) 42 And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”
• Now we have all new language:
• “Great wave of persecution”
• I remember standing in the ocean with my kids when they were young, the power of the waves
• That’s nothing compared to the tsunami that hit Japan
• March 11, 2011
• They call it “3/11”
• The church experienced this external threat
• A tsunami of persecution
• scary
• “all the believers … were scattered”
• So much for community!
• And then this:
• “Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church”
• This guy’s personal mission!
• I’ve seen some of these guys on YouTube…
• Atheists
• Christian haters
• Deconstructionists

But here’s the thing with God: a threat is just an opportunity.

Acts 8: (NLT) 4 But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.

• Don’t you love it!?
• Genesis 50:20 (NLT) You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. (Like the Esther story with Haman)
• In fact, this was God’s plan all along: that the next stop after Jerusalem would be Judea and Samaria. Let’s put some verses side-by-side:
• Acts 1:8 (NLT) 8 …And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
• Jesus’ final words before his ascension
• Acts 8:1 (NLT) …and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.
• Bad thing, right? Not quite…
• Acts 8:4 (NLT) But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.
• What the enemy meant for evil….

Then Luke gives a specific example…

Acts 8:5 Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. 6 Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. 7 Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

• How did all of this start? With persecution in Jerusalem.

And that’s where our bonus threat comes in…

The Threat of Apathy

Q. Does the church face the threat of persecution today?

• In some countries, yes. Ex: Iran
• Iran was number nine on Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.
• Sheep Among Wolves Vol 2 documentary
• Incredible persecution among Christians in Iran
• Yet the church is growing, gospel is spreading
• Underground!
• According to scholar Shay Khatiri of Johns Hopkins University, “Islam is the fastest shrinking religion in there [Iran], while Christianity is growing the fastest”, and in 2018 “up to half a million Iranians are Christian converts from Muslim families, and most of these Christians are evangelicals.” He adds that “recent estimates claim that the number might have climbed up to somewhere between 1 million and 3 million”.
• But what about America, where there is no true persecution?
• Iranian Christian couple was able to move to the US. But after being in US, wife began to plead with husband to take her back to Iran.
• “There’s a satanic lullaby here. All the Christians are sleepy, and I’m feeling sleepy.”
• Spiritual apathy is a greater threat than persecution.
• Lulled into our comfortable lives
• Not caring about the lost
• Not serious about our pursuit of God
• Because we feel like we don’t have to be

As we read on, Luke describes another threat in the early church, one that still exists today.

The Threat of Power

Acts 8:9-11 (NLT) 9 A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. 10 Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” 11 They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic.

• Think of him as a popular secular influencer

Acts 8:12-13 (NLT) 12 But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.

• Simon had magic, Philip had miracles
• To the outside observer, might not have looked different
• Notice the similarities in the crowds reactions:
• Astounded with his magic
• Amazed by his miracles
• Even Simon the sorcerer is impressed
• He believed
• He was baptized
• Remember this as we hear the rest of the story…

Acts 8:14-17 (NLT) 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there. 15 As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

• (New Bible Commentary) It is, of course, delightful that John, who once wanted to call down the fire of judgment on a Samaritan village (Lk. 9:54), was one of those who was now calling down the Holy Spirit!

But here’s where the threat comes in…

Acts 8:18-19 (NLT) 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. 19 “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!”

• Simon was thinking in terms of magic power and influence
• And he wanted to buy this influence
• This came to be known as “Simony” – named after this passage!
• Simony is the act of buying or selling spiritual things, particularly church offices or roles
• In medieval Europe, the church was often intertwined with the feudal system. This led to church positions being treated as hereditary titles, sometimes sold or exchanged for political support.
• The sale of indulgences, closely related to simony, became a central issue leading to the Protestant Reformation.
• Here’s what the threat might look like today: desire to be an “Apostle”
• Or bishop or prophet… or whatever you call it
• The person who holds the keys to the kingdom
• Making a claim to this kind of power when it’s not up for grabs
• Mormon idea (and other groups like Catholics, New Apostolic Reformation): apostles still exist and authority is conferred by laying on of hands (apostolic succession)
• According to Joseph Smith’s account, the first major instance of the laying on of hands took place on May 15, 1829. Joseph Smith and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery, were translating the Book of Mormon when they had questions about baptism and authority. In response to their prayers, John the Baptist appeared to them as a resurrected being. John the Baptist laid his hands upon Joseph and Oliver, conferring upon them the Aaronic Priesthood, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, the gospel of repentance, and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. John instructed them to baptize each other and gave them the authority to do so.
• Shortly after the conferral of the Aaronic Priesthood, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery reported that Peter, James, and John laid their hands upon Joseph and Oliver, conferring upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood. This higher priesthood includes the authority to lead the Church, bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, and perform other sacred ordinances. This priesthood is also believed to include the authority to administer the Church’s sacraments and other spiritual gifts.
• But here’s the truth: We don’t have apostles anymore in the foundational sense (See Unveiling Mormonism Episode 70). Only offices in the church are elder or deacon (See two weeks ago in the Acts series).
• Maybe even more important to understand: even in the NT the apostles didn’t have exclusive rights to give the HS.
• In Acts 9, Ananias (not an apostle) laid hands on Saul and he received the HS
• In Acts 10 the HS was given to a group of Gentiles without the laying on of hands. Given directly by God
• In Acts 2 the same thing happened for the disciples – given directly by God, no laying on of hands (Jesus could’ve done it before his ascension if it was always a thing.)
• The point: HS is God’s gift to give, not man’s. He can give it through apostolic laying on of hands (Acts 8, 19) or not (Acts 2, 9, 10)
• (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) Neither baptism nor the laying on of hands conveys any status or power of itself, though Simon with his shallow spiritual perception thought they could.
• Generally, the New Testament teaches that all who put their faith in Jesus receive the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2, Ephesians 1:13). This indwelling is not dependent on the physical laying on of hands but is the work of the Holy Spirit in response to faith.

So why did God wait to give his HS through Peter and John? Why not just do it himself without the involvement of the Jerusalem apostles? The reason: it could have created the threat of division.

The Threat of Division

• (Zondervan Bible Commentary (1 Vol.)) Why did the Spirit not ‘fall upon’ the Samaritan believers as He did later on the Gentiles who received the word in Caesarea (10:44–48)? It must be remembered that the Samaritans had maintained a Jehovistic worship for centuries, divorced from Jewish witness, God’s channel of salvation (Jn 4:22). The believers ‘in the name’ might have desired to run their own show, carrying the schism over to the church.
• God wanted two things:
• To show the Samaritans that the apostles were the real deal.
• This was the foundation of one church
• To show the apostles that the Samaritans were the real deal.
• They were fully accepted by God, just like they had been
• They received the same HS!
• Were it not for this, there would be division in the church
• Remember: still mainly a Jewish thing
• In this chapter the door opens to the Samaritans
• Soon enough the door will open to the Gentiles

Close

So what are the threats facing the church today?

• Persecution
• Apathy
• Power
• Division

And so many more – maybe you can make your own list with your family, small group, or mentor. But I think it would be good to end this section where Luke does:

Acts 8:25 (NLT) 25 After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. And they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.

• Threats will come. Our job is to preach the Good News in every generation.
• Mat 16:18 (NLT) I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

• Starting the speed round: taking one chapter a week
  • Focusing in on one element in the chapter
  • You’ll have to go back and read the whole chapter on your own
• Today: we’ll examine a certain kind of person we see in Acts – so profound, his name still carries a reputation
  • There’s a name for this: a generic trademark or proprietary eponym. This happens when a brand name becomes so widely recognized that it’s used to describe a general product or category rather than the specific brand.
    • tissue paper = Kleenex
    • adhesive bandage = Band-Aid
    • Cola = Coke
    • lip balm = ChapStick
    • cotton swab = Q-tip
    • slow cooker = Crock Pot
    • hook-and-loop fastener = Velcro
• Today: Q. What are the trademark qualities of a “Barnabas”? 
  • Barnabas = Encourager
  • We’re going to drill down to identify 5 qualities of a “Barnabas” 

1. A “Barnabas” gives more than takes. 

• We already saw this in ch 4
• Acts 4:32 (NLT) 32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had…. 36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
  • “Tribe of Levi”
    • These were the priests, the givers
    • They were supposed to serve the people
    • “The Lord was their inheritance”
  • Joseph had that kind of heart
    • Giver, not a taker
    • Do you know someone like that? (SG question this week)

2. A “Barnabas” sees the best in people.

• We saw this in ch 9 with Saul after his dramatic conversion
• Acts 9:26-27 (NLT) 26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! 27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.
• Barnabas miraculously appears to vouch for Saul
  • He saw the best in him
  • Paid attention to his changed life 
    • rather than judging him on his past life
  • Do you know someone like that? (SG question this week)

3. A “Barnabas” embraces the chaos.

• This is where we get to today’s text, ch 11

Acts 11:1-3 (NLT) 1 Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. 2 But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. 3 “You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said.

• Some people – even Christians – can be like this
  • God is on the move, but it means change and chaos
  • Natural reaction for some: I object!
• The news of what God had done in Cesarea got back to Jerusalem before Peter did.  Even before the internet and social media, scandalous news traveled fast.  From a Jewish perspective, this was scandalous.  The Jewish believers are already facing persecution from the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.  A big part of that persecution was that this movement called Christianity was causing Jewish believers to disregard the law and abandon Jewish customs.  Peter’s decision to go in and fellowship with Gentiles and share a meal with them, would have just added more fuel to the fire and would have been evidence that the accusations made by the religious leaders were valid.  
• Peter recaps his experience from ch 10. To the credit of Jerusalem believers, they rejoice:
  • Acts 11:18 (NLT) 18 When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”
  • If only church conflict could be so simple!
    • But wait… we’re going to see in Acts 15 that there was a contingent of Jewish converts who weren’t so sure that salvation could be so easy. They wanted Gentiles to become Jews first!?
    • (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Acts 15 reveals that the underlying issue raised in v. 3 was not settled for some. Could Gentiles really become the beneficiaries of the New Covenant without conforming in some way to the demands of the Mosaic law? The impression is given in Acts 11 that the majority were persuaded of the rightness of Peter’s actions in preaching to Cornelius and his household and then baptising them into Christ.
  • Jerusalem believers rejoiced about Gentile conversion, but interestingly they did not participate in yet!? Instead…

Acts 11:19 (NLT) 19 Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.

• These were Jerusalem-based believers. Still only went to Jews. 

Acts 11:20-21 (NLT) 20 However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. 21 The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.

• Some of them preached to the Gentiles
  • These were Cyprus- and Cyrene-based believers. 
  • Remember where Barnabas was from? Cyprus!
  • These were the Barnabases!
    • They were willing to embrace the chaos that comes with revival
    • All these new believers coming from strange backgrounds
• Think about what was happening here:
  • Christianity was moving to the big city!
  • (IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition) The Jesus movement shifts from a predominantly rural movement in Galilee to an urban movement in Jerusalem to a cosmopolitan movement in Antioch.
  • (IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition) Antioch on the Orontes in Syria was the third (or possibly fourth) largest urban center of the Roman empire (after Rome and Alexandria), though population estimates range from one hundred thousand to six hundred thousand.

Now look at what happens next:

Acts 11:22-24 (NLT) 22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.

• They didn’t send the apostles this time. They sent Barnabas
  • They knew he was an encourager.
  • They knew he would embrace the chaos
    • …and many people were brought to the Lord
  • Do you know someone like that? (SG question this week)

And as we read on we see the fourth trademark of a Barnabas:

4. A “Barnabas” takes the backseat. 

• In the midst of all the chaos and conversion, Barnabas doesn’t need to be at the center of it all. He’s willing to team up with others and fade into the background.
• This is typical of the “Barnabas” type. I love these guys.

Acts 11:25-26 (NLT) 25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

• Saul had been a Christian for several years. Was back in his hometown. 
• Barnabas went and got him, bc he knew that this was Saul’s mission.
  • And the rest of the book of Acts is about Paul’s missionary journeys. 
    • Barnabas is an add-on. Fades to the BG.
    • He’s OK with it. Do you know someone like this? 

And it’s during these missionary journeys that we learn the fifth trademark of a Barnabas:

5. A “Barnabas” believes in second chances. 

• One of the most well-known conflicts in the New Testament occurred between Barnabas and Paul over John Mark. John Mark, who had accompanied Barnabas and Paul on an earlier missionary journey, had abandoned the mission partway through. When Paul and Barnabas planned another journey, Paul refused to take John Mark along, citing his earlier failure. 
• Barnabas insisted on giving John Mark a second chance (Acts 15:36-41).

Acts 15:39-41 (NLT) 39 Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. 40 Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care. 41 Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.

• How embarrassing for Paul
  • He was the chief of sinners! 
  • Barnabas saw the best in him, vouched for him.
  • Now Barnabas is the only one doing this for John Mark
  • Because a Barnabas believes in second chances.
• Do you know someone like this?

Q. If You Keep Knocking, Will God Open the Door?

• What did Jesus mean when He told us to ask, seek, and knock?

Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT) 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

• Is this a promise or a principle?
• Ex: Prov 22:6 “train up a child…”
• Clearly a principle

So: If I Keep Knocking, Will God Open the Door?

• Let’s go to Acts to find our answer…

Acts 12:1-2 (NLT) 1 About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. 2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword.

• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) King Herod in this context means Herod Agrippa I (reigned AD 41-4), who was son of Aristobulus and grandson of Herod the Great (reigned 37 BC – 4 BC).
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) son Agrippa II in Acts 25:13—26:32. Agrippa I also had two daughters, Drusilla, who is mentioned in 24:24, and Bernice, who is mentioned in 25:13.
• James dies. First apostle to go.

Acts 12:3-4 (NLT) 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter…. 4 Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover.

• Sound familiar?
• John 21:18-19 (NLT) 18 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

Acts 12:5 (NLT) 5 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.

• Here we go. Prayer works!
• Acts 12:6-8 (NLT) 6 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.
• Acts 12:9-10 (NLT) 9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. 10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
• Acts 12:11 (NLT) 11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”
• Acts 12:12-14 (NLT) 12 When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. 13 He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”
• This next verse is the one that sheds light on prayer:

Acts 12:15 (NLT) 15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”

• Did you pick up on the insight?
• The believers couldn’t believe it when Peter was rescued.
• Let me say it another way to make sure you get the point:
• The church prayed very earnestly for Peter… and then couldn’t believe it when their prayers were answered.
• IOW: they weren’t expecting this outcome. They were shocked.
• Doesn’t seem very earnest, does it?
• Where was their faith?
• One of two possible answers:
• Either: They weren’t praying for his rescue, just for strength
• They probably knew what Jesus had said about him, how he would die.
• Or: They were praying for his rescue, but with weak faith
• Obviously, or they would have all run to the door at the sound of knocking

Acts 12:16-17 (NLT) 16 Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. 17 He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.

• A couple of random notes:
• “Tell James”
• James the bro of Jesus, not the martyr from above (Gal. 1:19; cf. Mk. 6:3; 1 Cor. 15:7)
• An indication that James was a leader in the church (see also Acts 15)
• Another place: left Jerusalem?
• Now Peter fades away in Acts (shows up one more time in ch 15)
• From here we follow Paul and his ministry
• But for today’s question:
• Peter kept knocking… they finally opened the door.
• Some of us feel like this with prayer
• We’re the ones knocking… will he ever open?
• Is Mt 7:8 a promise or a principle?

Both! The answer can be found in one more verse:

1 John 5:14 (NIV) 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

• “Approaching God”
• This is the principle: prayer is about connecting to God
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The NIV translates pros auton as ‘in approaching God’. It is better translated ‘in his [God’s] presence’ (cf. John 1:1: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God [pros ton theon])’.
• Prayer is about God, not about what he can give us.
• This is what the early disciples were learning
• Peter wasn’t the central focus of the story; Jesus was
• Too many people “ask, seek, knock” for their own selfish purposes.
• “Knock and the door will be opened” is an invitation to relationship.
• “According to his will”
• This is the promise part: God’s will WILL be done
• That’s for sure!
• The point: the more we are “with God”, in his presence, the more we can ask “according to his will”. And those are the prayers that get answered.
• James 4:3 (NLT) 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
• “Knock and the door will be opened” is about God’s will, not ours.

So, Q. If You Keep Knocking, Will God Open the Door?

• Absolutely, because he wants a relationship with you.
• So keep knocking, keep seeking, keep asking
• But like the disciples, what you find when the doors gets opened… might not be what you expected.

Today we’re going to spend some time studying Paul’s first missionary journey. Tracing his travels through Acts, we can break his travels into three parts:

• First Missionary Journey (Acts 13-14): Paul, along with Barnabas, traveled through Cyprus and parts of modern-day Turkey, including cities like Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
• Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36-18:22): This journey began after a disagreement with Barnabas. Paul traveled through regions of Asia Minor and then to Europe, including cities like Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth.
• Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:23-21:17): Paul revisited many of the places he had previously established churches, such as Galatia and Ephesus, and continued his ministry in Macedonia and Greece.

Today we’ll answer this question: Q. What Are the Marks of a Biblical Missionary?

• Today we’ll identify Three Marks.
• First: What is a missionary?
• Defn: A “sent one” who goes to a different culture to share the good news about Jesus.
• “Missio” means to be sent. Implication: sent on God’s mission.
• In the case of Paul & Barnabas: sent by the Holy Spirit, but through the local church (13:1-3)
• Comes from Great Commission:
• Matthew 28:19 (NLT) 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• Why does this question matter?
• Not all missionary efforts are biblical!
• Our church: do these missionaries actually make disciples?
• Think of it like an investment…
• Goal: make money
• If it didn’t make money, would you keep investing?
• At some point, NO!
• Back to biblical missions:
• Goal: make disciples
• If it didn’t make disciples, would you keep investing?
• Example: missionaries in Spain
• Living like they were retired
• No fruit, no disciple-making
• Our church: evaluating our investments
• Individually, too

So let’s get to the text, the first-ever Christian mission

• To discover Three Marks of Biblical Missionaries
• Three things that were true back then
• They’re still true today

Mark 1: Biblical missionaries proclaim the gospel. (14:1-7)

• Easy to forget this and make the focus “doing good” for society
• Some famous missionaries and their humanitarian impact:
• John Eliot (1604–1690)
• Known as the “Apostle to the Indians,” Eliot was an English Puritan missionary who focused on converting Native Americans in New England.
• Eliot advocated for the rights of Native Americans, often opposing colonial injustices and working to protect their interests.
• William Carey (1761–1834)
• An English missionary known as the “father of modern missions,” Carey was a key figure in the founding of the Baptist Missionary Society and dedicated his life to spreading Christianity in India.
• He advocated for social reforms, such as the abolition of practices like Sati (the burning of widows) and the promotion of education for women.
• David Livingstone (1813–1873)
• A Scottish missionary and explorer, Livingstone is known for his extensive travels in Africa.
• Exploration and Mapping: His explorations helped map large parts of Africa, providing valuable information about the continent’s geography.
• Anti-Slavery Advocacy: Livingstone’s writings raised awareness of the horrors of the slave trade, influencing public opinion in Britain and contributing to the eventual abolition of slavery in many parts of Africa.
• Healthcare and Education: He established missions and medical clinics, promoting education and healthcare in local communities.
• But each of these missionaries had the same focus: sharing Jesus
• Impacting culture was a byproduct of this, not the main focus
• This is the first mark of biblical missions
• Comes from Jesus himself:
• Acts 1:8: “you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere…”
• Compare Matt 28: go make disciples of all nations”
• Survey of Paul’s first missionary journey:
• Acts 13:38-39 (Pisidian Antioch) “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight – something the law of Moses could never do.”
• Acts 14:1 (Iconium) “…Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers.”
• Acts 14:15 (Lystra) “…We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God…”
• As seen in ch 13 and 14:
• Some people respond joyfully to the message of Jesus,
• while others respond antagonistically
• That’s not up to the missionaries
• Their part is to share the good news about Jesus
• Humanitarian impact is good, but it’s not ultimate.
• Biblical missionaries must proclaim the gospel
• That’s the first mark we see from Acts 14

Here’s the second one:

Mark 2: Biblical missionaries contextualize the gospel. (14:8-20)

• Every culture has its own context.
• Explain what culture is: how a group uniquely organizes its normative behaviors and ideas
• Thailand: don’t pat a child on the head;
• Malaysia & India: don’t eat food with left hand; etc. (google it)
• Ethics and values are part of culture: what a society assumes is good & right
• Can’t assume people everywhere think like we do / value what we value
• Acts 1:8 = “in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
• On surface, it looks like a geographical expansion
• Partly it is, but more significantly, a cultural expansion
• Jerusalem → my hometown
• Judea → the region surrounding: culturally similar
• Samaria → geographically near, but culturally distant
• Ends of the earth → geographically and culturally distant
• Worldview is also part of culture: what is assumed about reality, including role of supernatural
• In the missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, this crossing of cultures is marked by the inclusion of Gentiles along with Jews
• Last week (ch 13): Paul preached to the Jewish community in Antioch of Pisidia
• When the Jews began to oppose their message, Paul and Barnabas turned to the non-Jewish people
• From now on, we see a deliberate outreach focus on non-Jewish people
• IOW: Paul & Barnabus seeking to communicate with people NOT like them
• As missionaries cross the barriers of culture, the challenge of communicating the gospel increases, so MISSIONARIES CROSS THE BARRIER OF MISUNDERSTANDING (14:8-20)
• People who are presented with the gospel (or any message) make sense of what they hear in light of what they already believe
• You can see the misunderstanding in (8-13)
• In other situations, healing underscored the message of Jesus (see v.3)
• But in this case, the healing interpreted in light of cultural understanding of God
• Paul knew what to do → frame the gospel starting with those peoples’ worldview
• (Verses 14-17) – didn’t start with Jewish scriptures, as he did in Pisidian Antioch
• Would have made no sense to these rural pagans
• Started with common ground of natural revelation: the God who made everything, who provide common graces like rain and crops
• Examples from cultures where Alpine sends missionaries?
• Note: contextualizing the gospel shouldn’t change the gospel

Acts 14:8-10 (NLT) 8 While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was sitting 9 and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed. 10 So Paul called to him in a loud voice, “Stand up!” And the man jumped to his feet and started walking.

• Jesus, Peter, now Paul.
• Why? To legitimize their message.

Acts 14:11-13 (NLT) 11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” 12 They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. 13 Now the temple of Zeus was located just outside the town. So the priest of the temple and the crowd brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to the town gates, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to the apostles.

• Greco-Roman culture: lots of gods and legends
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Since the people were shouting in the Lycaonian language, the missionaries were at first unaware of the honour that was being paid to them.

Acts 14:14-17 (NLT) 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, 17 but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.”

• Notice what Paul is doing here: contextualizing the gospel
• To a Jew: “Good News” in context of OT promises to Abraham
• To a Gentile: “Good News” in context of God’s generosity in general
• In both cases there’s a call to faith and repentance
• Faith in a good, sovereign God
• Repentance: turning from sin to God
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) What we have here is not evangelism in the normal NT sense of proclaiming Christ and his saving work. However, it is a biblical foundation for evangelism in a culture where fundamental presuppositions about God and nature and the meaning of human existence need to be challenged.
• That’s what we try to do in The Pursuit series:
• Lesson 1: God is for you, not against you
• Lesson 2: The Bible can be trusted for truth
• Lesson 3: Biblical principles are the foundation for a moralistic worldview.
• These three lessons provide a foundation for sharing Jesus with people in post-modern world
• Then we go on to the basics of the gospel:
• L4: What is sin?
• L5: Who is Jesus?
• L6: Responding in faith
• Paul is laying the foundation for sharing the basics of the gospel
• But they don’t have ears to hear it…

Acts 14:18 (NLT) 18 But even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them.

• He shared the gospel
• But he couldn’t make them receive it
• Section ends with Paul getting stoned and drug out of the town
• But he gets up and moves on to the next town

So we’ve seen two marks of biblical missionaries so far:

• They proclaim the gospel
• They contextualize the gospel

And here’s the third thing we notice in the text:

Mark 3: Biblical missionaries make disciple-makers. (14:21-25)

Acts 14:21-23 (NLT) 21 After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, 22 where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. 23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

• Went back to cities where preached the gospel
• Took steps to strengthen and encourage the new believers there
• Discipled them: taught them about the nature of God’s kingdom / how to live as Xian
• In this case: how to handle suffering
• Appointed elders in every church → leaders to care for the people
• “Church” implies: believers were gathered into a specific community
• Paul and Barnabas were itinerant, but no missionary will be anywhere forever
• The goal is to develop a church that is not dependent on outsiders
• The “Three-Self” ideal: Self-governing / Self-supporting / Self-propagating
• IOW: a church that is making disciples who make disciples who make disciples
• Sometimes this means establish disciple-making churches
• Share example from Victory church: “make one disciple”

Close:

• We’re all called to all three of these things, not just missionaries.

Q. Should Serious Christians Ever Compromise?

• Might seem like a weird question
• Maybe you know Christians who never compromise
• Draw hard lines everywhere on everything. Totally unbending
• Ex: Halloween
• Ex: Tattoos
• The Fundamental Law of Legalism: Drawing a hard line in gray areas weakens the hard lines we draw in the black and white.
• So we have to be smart about compromise!
• Parents: could win the battle but lose the war
• Our strategy: don’t make a big deal of these gray areas (even though we still drew boundaries) – so our kids would take us seriously when we drew the line on serious issues
• A strange paradox:
• Biblical Christians draw hard lines in some areas
• And then they turn around and compromise in other areas
• Today: We’ll see the first time the church wrestled with this
• It was such a big question, they gathered in Jerusalem
• First church council
• Everybody was there! Peter, Paul, Barnabas, etc.
• To answer: When do we fight vs when do we compromise?
• I want to start at the end: where they landed
• In the words of Paul, later, to the church at Corinth
• It’s a great summary, and it shows you this is a thing
• Compromise, that is, for serious Christians
• Cause Pauls was serious, unbending
• Yet look at where he landed on this ?

1 Corinthians 9:19-21 (NLT) 19 Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. 20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ…. 21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.

• Hypocrite? No way!
• Jesus-centered vs. rule-centered
• Just wanted to point people to Jesus
• Therefore willing to compromise
• Heart issue
• Pointed Jews to Jesus by using the law of Moses
• Pointed Gentiles to Jesus without using the law of Moses
• All along obeyed the higher law “of Christ”
• Ie, not free to do whatever we want (antinomianism)
• compromising on the Lordship of Christ

Last week: Acts 14, Paul’s first missionary journey

• Proclaimed the gospel
• Contextualized the gospel for Gentiles
• Made disciples and commissioned them to make disciples
• Returned to home base, Antioch

Now we have a blended church, and with that came questions…

Acts 15:1-2 (NLT) 1 While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question.

• This isn’t a secondary issue. This is a core, doctrinal issue – how can one be made right with God?
• There are times when we can agree to disagree – color of the carpet, how often to celebrate communion, what type of worship music to play – but there are essential doctrines that are worth fighting for.  We need to protect and proclaim the Gospel.
• There was a desire of the church in Antioch for truth.
• If they were just looking for the answer that was most convenient or matched up with their feelings, they wouldn’t have sent a delegation to Jerusalem.  They would have just said, “Paul and Barnabas preached that it is by faith in Jesus that we are made right with God and that’s all we need.”
• They wanted to make sure they weren’t in error and so they sent them to appeal to the apostles and elders.
• Do we desire truth?  Are we willing to invite other, more mature, believers in to weigh in on questions and give us advice?  Are we willing to follow the evidence, or do we put more stock in our feelings?  Jeremiah 17:9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

Acts 15:4-6 (NLT) 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them. 5 But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.” 6 So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue.

• This was a legit issue, they all wanted clarity
• First Peter shares
• Acts 15:8-11 (NLT) 8 God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us… 11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”
• Peter reminds the believers that they couldn’t keep the law, their fathers couldn’t keep the law, their grandfathers couldn’t keep the law.  No one could.. It isn’t just Gentile believers who are saved by grace, the Jewish believers were also saved strictly by God’s grace.  Even though they had the law and practiced the law and traditions, that isn’t what saved them.
• Then Paul (and Barnabas) shares
• Acts 15:12 (NLT) 12 Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
• Even though the dispute was sharp and the debate heavy, the believers were willing to listen to the evidence brought forth.  We could learn many lessons from this.  This is such a stark contrast to the way most disagreements are handled today where opposing sides just continually try to shout over one another or cut the other side down.
• This is what’s amazing about Paul. He had been so zealous as a Pharisee!
• What could have happened to him to change his whole outlook?
• He really met Jesus. Total transformation.
• This is the only hope for anyone struggling with the Fundamental Law of Legalism. Jesus changes people.
• Then James has the final word
• James, the brother of Jesus, declaries in verse 14 that God has taken a people for his name from among the Gentiles.  The significance of this statement is probably lost on us.  That is what Israel was supposed to be.  Israel was the people God had taken for his name.  James is confirming the previous testimony that God has also called a people for himself from among the Gentiles.  This would have been such a shift in thinking for a Jewish believer and the believers who were Pharisees were having a difficult time accepting it.
• James quotes Amos 9:11-12 – core value #1 We look to God and his Word in all we do. God’s Word would be the standard upon which the decision would be made. We should be able to point to God’s Word for the positions we take on any issue.  For all of the hot topics of today; abortion, transgenderism, premarital sex, pornography, divorce – God’s Word is the framework from which I take my position.
• Fallen tabernacle of David – Jewish nation
• It will be rebuilt and restored
• Why? – so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord.  The so is the reasoning here.  God’s plan all along was to use the nation of Israel to draw people from all nations unto himself. Amos is arguing that if we would just take the time to really look, we’d see that God has made his intentions known since long ago. It’s always been the plan!

Acts 15:19 (NLT) 19 “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”

• “We should not make it difficult”
• Legalism makes it difficult
• Matthew 23:13 (NLT) 13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.”
• No compromise on the good news
• Saved by grace through faith, period.
• But the next verse seems confusing
• Maybe not what you expect:

Acts 15:20-21 (NLT) 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. 21 For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”

• What?! This seems legalistic! These things don’t save!
• Two things help us understand this list:
• ONE: It was an honoring God issue (no compromise)
• These things were all related to pagan temple festivals
• This represented their old life, idolatry
• 1 Corinthians 10:14 (NLT) 14 So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.
• Following Jesus means we live a new kind of life!
• TWO: It was a unity in the church issue
• Unity in the new Jew/Gentile church would take some compromise
• Value: We give up things we love for things we love more, including preferences.
•  Are we willing to give up preferences for harmony within the body?
• Do I complain or grumble when decisions are made that are contrary to my preferences?
• (Enduring Word Commentary) These three commands had to do with the eating habits of Gentile Christians. Though they were not bound under the Law of Moses, they were bound under the Law of Love. The Law of Love told them, “Don’t unnecessarily antagonize your Jewish neighbors, both in and out of the church.”
• This is where serious Christians must compromise
• Imagine the chaos that would have erupted during table fellowship (sharing of meals) if the Gentile Christians insisted on celebrating their freedom in regards to all of the Jewish dietary laws.  In a setting that was to promote unity and fellowship, only division and hurt feelings would have been sown.

1 Corinthians 10:31-33 (NLT) 31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. 33 I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

Q. Should Serious Christians Ever Compromise?

• No, when it comes to the essentials of the gospel
• We are saved by grace through faith
• That salvation means a changed life
• Yes, when it comes to helping people pursue God
• Free to give up our preferences for the sake of love

Q. Is Your Culture Keeping You from God?

• Last week (ch 16) we looked at households of faith
• parents create an environment for faith or disbelief
• Generational blessings and curses
• The greatest generational blessing: salvation
• Today: we zoom out from the household to the culture at large
• Here’s the thing: Cultures also create an environment for faith or disbelief
• Countries, regions, cities
• Also religions, churches, faith traditions
• Today we’ll look at 3 different cultures
• As Paul continues his second missionary journey
• And shares the Good News in 3 different towns
• Two of these cultures kept people from God
• First: Religious culture in Thessalonica
• Shocking to think that a religious culture can keep you from God!
• But that can definitely happen
• Legalism
• False religion
• Second: Popular (secular) culture in Athens
• Remember, the gospel was just now going out to Gentiles
• Today we see it reach Greece for the first time
• Athens was home to some of history’s greatest philosophers:
• Socrates (469–399 BC)
• Plato (427–347 BC)
• Plato founds the Academy in Athens (c. 387 BCE), the first institution dedicated to philosophy and scientific study.
• Aristotle (384–322 BC)
• Cicero (106–43 BC): Roman statesman, orator, philosopher, and writer. A pivotal figure in transmission of Greek philosophy to the Roman world.
• The Academy was closed by Emperor Justinian in 529 AD, marking the symbolic end of Athens as a center of ancient philosophy.
• The point: Athens was the center of pop culture by time of Acts
• And would be for a long time
• America is even influenced by this
• Opposite ends of the spectrum
• Pause and think about the culture that most influences YOU
• Is it religious culture?
• Or is it popular culture
• And is this culture building your faith or destroying it?
• Let’s get to the text

Thessalonians: Religious Culture

Acts 17:1-4 (NLT) 1 Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

• Trying to reach Jews first
• Notice: women mentioned again!
• Some people were open to the message and found God

Acts 17:5-6 (NLT) 5 But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. 6 Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too.”

• Look at what these religious people were doing:
• They attacked
• Who? Businessmen (marketplace) and politicians (city council)
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The designation of these bad men (andras ponērous) as ‘marketfolk’ (agoraiōn) is interesting (NRSV ‘some ruffians in the market-places’; ESV ‘some wicked men of the rabble’). In the ancient world, the term agoraioi designated common labourers, artisans, and people who traded in the town centres. In terms of social status, they were regarded as ‘people of low birth . . . contrasted with the nobility or upper classes.’
• They twisted truth
• Accused Paul and Silas of being trouble-makers
• But they were the trouble-makers!
• Still happens today
• Christian ideology is a blessing, not a curse!
• But the world will twist this, gaslight
• Ex: abortion
• Ex: gender
• Ex: sexuality
• Here is a group of spiritual seekers in Thess who did NOT find God
• We’ve seen this a lot already in Acts
• Religious Jews who rejected Jesus
• Let’s give this a name so we can generalize: Dead Religion
• Here’s a defn: Dead religion is any belief system that leads people away from Jesus.
• Don’t misunderstand: it can still appear very fervent, sincere, even faithful
• But if it leads people away from the One Way, it’s a dead religion
• Here’s the point: People in dead religions think they’ve found God, but they’re wrong.
• Islam – Approximately 1.91 billion followers
• Hinduism – Approximately 1.2 billion followers
• Buddhism – Approximately 507 million followers
• Christian Cults
• If this sounds exclusivistic, it is.
• There’s only one way to heaven, and it’s through Jesus
• That’s what Paul preached in Thessalonica, and that’s why he was rejected.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 (NLT) 15 For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity 16 as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins.

Let’s skip to the bottom of the chapter to find our next culture

Athenians: Popular Culture

Acts 17:16-17 (NLT) 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. 17 He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.

• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The verb paroxynō in the passive means ‘become irritated, angry’ (BDAG, cf. 15:39, paroxysmos, ‘irritation, sharp disagreement’). In the imperfect tense, the verb expresses ‘not a sudden loss of temper but rather a continuous settled reaction to what Paul saw.’
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The pain or anger which Paul felt in Athens was due to ‘his abhorrence of idolatry, which aroused within him deep stirrings of jealousy for the Name of God, as he saw human beings so depraved as to be giving idols the honour and glory which were due to the one, living and true God alone.’

Acts 17:18 (NLT) 18 He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”

• The Epicureans were followers of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher (341–270 BCE), whose school of thought emphasized the pursuit of a happy, tranquil life characterized by peace of mind and freedom from fear. They valued the absence of pain (both physical and mental) and advocated for a life of simple pleasures, friendship, and reflection rather than indulgence in material excess.
• Were materialists and believed that everything, including the soul, is made of atoms and ceases to exist at death. They argued that the gods exist but do not interfere with human affairs, so people should not fear divine retribution or an afterlife.
• The Stoics were followers of a school of philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium around 300 BCE. Stoicism emphasized living in harmony with nature, accepting events outside one’s control, and cultivating inner virtues as the foundation of a good life.
• Believed in a divine, rational principle governing the universe (often identified with “Nature” or “Logos”). They viewed the universe as a single, interconnected organism guided by divine reason. Stoics saw life as a training ground for virtue, with each event part of a greater rational order.
• While Epicureans focused on achieving tranquility by minimizing pain and pursuing simple pleasures, Stoics emphasized cultivating virtue and accepting life’s challenges as part of a larger, rational order. Epicureans pursued personal peace by avoiding public involvement, while Stoics actively engaged in society, seeing virtue and duty as integral to a meaningful life.

Acts 17:19-21 (NLT) 19 Then they took him to the high council of the city (Areopagus). “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said. 20 “You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” 21 (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)

• Sound familiar? Back then it was called the Areopagus (Hill of Ares, or Mars Hill)
• Ares being the Greek god of war, while his Roman counterpart is Mars
• Today it’s called entertainment, social media, podcasts
• The place we discuss latest ideas
• But these are all empty philosophies of man
• Our best guess at how to think about the world

Acts 17:22-23 (NLT) 22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.”

• Contextualize!
• He goes on to explain the God of the Bible in a way the pagans could understand
• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) …sounds more like a reflection on the opening chapters of Genesis (even though no text is actually cited), moving from a proclamation of the one true Creator, to an assertion of his purpose for humanity, and concluding with a declaration of universal accountability before God as judge.
• For today we’ll skip to the end…

Acts 17:27 (NLT) 27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.”

• (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The verb psēlaphēseian (‘to look for something in uncertain fashion, to feel around for, grope for’, BDAG) expresses the idea of ‘groping for God in the darkness, when the light of special revelation is not available.
• Special revelation comes in two primary ways:
• Reading Scripture (see Bereans)
• Hearing the Good News
• This is why Paul was sharing in the marketplace!

Acts 17:32 (NLT) 32 When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.”

• Two groups of people in popular culture
• Mockers of the Good News
• Those who want to hear more

That brings us to our final group of seekers…

Bereans: Seeking God through His Special Revelation

Acts 17:10-12 (NLT) 10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. 12 As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.

• more open-minded – Not what you think it means
• Today that means follow your heart, anything goes, all roads lead to heaven
• For the Bereans, it meant they were willing to challenge their dead religion
• They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth
• This is the key to seeking and finding God
• Searching the Scriptures
• Submitting to the Scriptures

Close

Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT) If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Q. When Should You “Shake the Dust” and Move On?

• We’re going to see this in action in the text today, but first we need to back up and see where it comes from in the Christian ethos
• Jesus’ teaching to His disciples when He sent them out to preach:
• Luke 9:5 (NLT) 5 “And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
• This symbolic gesture was meant to demonstrate that the messengers had fulfilled their duty and were no longer responsible for the people’s rejection.
• It was a sign of divine judgment, indicating that those who refused to listen were accountable for their own spiritual condition.
• Ouch. This seems harsh! But maybe you’ve been there:
• A family member who has rejected Jesus
• A co-worker you’ve tried to share with
• Someone with a stubborn, rebellious heart on hot topics
• Abortion
• Gender, sexuality
• Today we’re going to answer two questions:
• When should you move on?
• When should you stick around and invest?

The Tentmakers

Acts 18:1-3 (NLT) 1 Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. 3 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.

• Acts 2 mentions there were Jews from Pontus on the day of Pentecost who were converted. Perhaps Aquila was one of them.
• Aquila was a tentmaker by profession. Probably had a lot of experience living in his product in his travels. Add them all up, he traveled over 4,500 miles. That’s crazy in that day.
• Romans 16:3-5 (NLT) 3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. 5 Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home.
• What did he do in all those travels?
• Worked a regular job (he was a tentmaker)
• Shared gospel
• The Point: it was normative to make disciples in the early church
• Not just for the “professionals” like Paul (who btw wasn’t a professional!?)
• And not just MEN, either! Priscilla is mentioned first 4 out of 6 times
• women made disciples too!

So everyone needs to pay attention to this next part.

• Since we’re all supposed to be “sent out”, we all need to know when to move on

Shake the Dust

Acts 18:4-6 (NLT) 4 Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. 5 And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”

• This clearly comes from Jesus’ teachings, as we said at the top
• But here’s the crazy thing: it has Jewish roots
• Jews would shake the dust off their feet when leaving Gentile territories before entering the Holy Land to avoid bringing “unclean” contamination back with them. It symbolized a separation from those perceived as outside the covenant of God.
• But Jesus took this Jewish idea and flipped it on its head!
• His disciples were sharing the Good News with Jews
• So he was telling them: if the Jews rejected his message…
• treat them like Gentiles!?
• Put this in the context of what we’re learning in Acts
• A new community of God is being formed
• Jews + Gentiles – unthinkable!
• Even more unthinkable: More Gentile than Jewish!
• Not because God is against Jews, but because Jews are rejecting God
• So Paul takes a Jewish thing: shake dust from Gentile territories
• And flips it on it head:  shake dust from Jewish territories… and go to Gentiles!
• It answers our question: When Should You “Shake the Dust” and Move On?
• When the person has a stubborn heart, unwilling to listen
• God won’t force his truth on anyone, neither should we
• This is so difficult when it’s someone we love
• This is why Jesus always said, “he who has ears to hear, let him hear…”
• Those are the people Jesus invested in. We see it in a guy named Apollos…

The Apollos Factor

Finish the sermon by skipping to end of the chapter and looking at Apollos

• This is an example of a guy who’s ready to be invested in
• It’s because of a quality he has that we’re just going to call “The Apollos Factor”
• See if you can spot it

Acts 18:24-26 (NLT) 24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25 He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. 26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.

• Had incredible gifting
• eloquent speaker
• knew the Scriptures well
• taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy
• Who wouldn’t want those giftings!? Some call it the “IT” factor.
• But it’s not the Apollos factor that made him worthy of investment
• The Apollos Factor: he had a teachable heart (ears to hear)
• For all of his gifting, he missed something important
• “he knew only about John’s baptism”
• Not exactly sure what this means. Maybe didn’t understand that believer’s baptism is different.
• P and A called out the deficiency, and he listened.
• No shaking dust, no moving on, instead two things:
• they took him aside (didn’t throw rotten tomatoes during his sermon)
• explained the way of God even more accurately
• The point: Apollo had the heart attitude to receive instruction
• That makes a person worth investing in
• What about YOU?

Close

We need to finish with one more observation about shaking the dust and “moving on”

• It symbolizes ownership and accountability
• I took ownership and did my part, shared the truth
• You are now accountable for rejecting it
• It sounds so final, so harsh
• Doesn’t sound like the Jesus I know

So check this out…

Acts 18:19-21 (NLT) 19 They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. 21 As he left, however, he said, “I will come back later, God willing.”

• This is the guy who shook the dust from his clothes and said, “From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” (v6)
• 13 verses later he’s back in the synagogue, sharing with Jews again.
• This reflects the heart of God for people. He wants everyone to hear. He keeps giving people chances.
• Truth is, we never fully “move on,” even with…
• A family member who has rejected Jesus
• A co-worker you’ve tried to share with
• Someone with a stubborn, rebellious heart on hot topics
• God can always change a heart
• That’s why we don’t burn bridges, even after we’ve said all that we can.

Paul said it later like this:

2 Corinthians 5:20 (NLT) 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Q. What Is the Right Response to Sin?

• We all sin; it’s our response to sin that matters most
• See 10 Sinful Responses to Sin
• Minimizing Sin: “It’s no big deal.”
• Rationalizing Sin: “He deserved it.”
• Blame-Shifting: “She made me.”
• Codifying Sin: “It’s a condition, not a sin.”
• Worldly Grief: “Sorry I got caught.”
• Today in our text (Acts 19) we’re going to see two groups of people
• Who were confronted with their sin problem and had a choice to make
• One group is an example of what to do
• The other group, what NOT to do
• The context for the chapter is one particular sin: sorcery
• But the lessons apply to everyone, everywhere

The Set Up

Acts 19:11-12 (NLT) 11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.

• We’re in Ephesus, a renowned center of occult practices in the ancient Greco-Roman world.
• To the secular world, miracles look like magic
• We saw this with Peter and his shadow (Acts 5), Philip and Simon Magus (Acts 8)
• The point: Jesus>magic (understatement)

Acts 19 (NLT) 13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!”

• Note: they weren’t followers of Jesus, but they were using his name as an incantation.
• Reminiscent of the “Ephesian Letters” (Greek: Ἐφέσια γράμματα, Ephesia grammata) – a set of words or symbols believed in antiquity to possess magical power. These were often inscribed on amulets, statues, or other objects.
• The exact content of the Ephesian Letters is debated, but ancient sources suggest they were a group of six mystical words: Askion, Kataskion, Lix, Tetrax, Damnameneus, Aisia
• These words were considered meaningless in everyday language but were thought to hold esoteric significance, potentially tied to ancient rituals or the invocation of supernatural powers. Some scholars believe they were connected to the worship of Artemis of Ephesus, the city’s patron goddess.
• These Jewish exorcists were using Jesus’ name like it was one of these six mystical words.

Acts 19:14-16 (NLT) 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.

• The Sons of Sceva attempted to invoke the name of Jesus without genuine faith in Jesus, treating it as a magical formula for their own gain. They did not believe in Jesus or recognize His authority as Lord; instead, they saw His name as a tool to enhance their reputation as exorcists.
• Essentially “taking the Lord’s name in vain” (from the Third Commandment, Exodus 20:7)
• Acts 19:17 (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The ignominious defeat of the Jewish exorcists by the demon showed the Ephesians that ‘Jesus’ is a power that cannot be controlled: ‘he will not act as a lackey for anyone who calls on his name.’

So that’s the backdrop for our two groups today. Magic vs. Miracles in Ephesus. Let’s meet our first group.

The First Group

Acts 19:17-19 (NLT) 17b A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. 20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

• Acts 19:18 (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Apparently they were moved by the exposure and overcoming of the exorcists to realize that their own previous involvement with the magic arts now needed to be acknowledged. Perhaps they had kept scrolls in which spells were written as an insurance policy, in case their new-found faith proved to be inadequate in some situation! Burning the scrolls was a way of repudiating what they contained and represented a greater trust in God to deliver them from trouble and supply their needs.

Let’s summarize this group’s response to sin:

• They feared the Lord.
• We talked about this back in Acts 4: The fear of the Lord is a reverent awe of God.
• (acknowledged power and sovereignty)
• They confessed and disclosed their sin.
• I know the NLT say “confessed”, but the original Gk expands on it:
• exomologoumenoi kai anangellontes, ‘confessing and disclosing’
• Confessed = to say the same thing (as God)
• Disclosed = exposed it to the light, truth. They didn’t…
• Minimize it: “It’s no big deal.”
• Rationalize it: “He deserved it.”
• Codify it: “It’s a condition, not a sin.”
• Blame-Shift: “She made me.”
• They disclosed it. Admitted it. Put it out there.
• They destroyed their old ways.
• Militant! This is war!
• Burned the incantation books in a bonfire
• These might have been the mysterious and magical “Ephesian Letters”.
• Wasn’t just Worldly Grief: “Sorry I got caught.”
• They did something about it.
• I have decided to follow Jesus… No turning back, no turning back.

The result:

Acts 19:20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

• The word of the Lord grew
• Mightily
• And it prevailed.  It overcame.  It tore down strongholds.  It grew.  It spread.

The Second Group

The second group we meet begins in verse 24.

Acts 19:23-27 (NLT) 23 About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. 25 He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows: “Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. 26 But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province! 27 Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!”

Notice their response:

• Instead of fearing God, they feared losing money.
• Instead of confessing their sin, they pointed fingers.
• Paul’s the problem, not us
• Paul persuaded and turned away…….
• Instead of disclosing their sin, they defended it.
• Vs 27  Temple of the great goddess, Artemis will be regarded as worthless and be dethroned if we don’t do something
• Instead of destroying their old way, they worshiped it even more.
• Acts 19:28 (NLT) 28 At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
• Took action to maintain idols rather than destroy them.

The result:

Acts 19:32 (NLT) 32 Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there.

• In Gk: “The assembly was in confusion”
• Assembly = ekklēsia
• Same word as church elsewhere in Acts!
• When you respond to sin with more sin…
• you join a different group, a different “church”: the world
• They have their own beliefs, values etc
• They go against God’s word, and anything goes
• The result: confusion

Close

Q. What Is Your Response to Sin?

• Like the second group:
• Pointing fingers
• Defending your sin
• Ending up confused and in the world
• Or like the first group:
• Fearing God
• Confessing and disclosing your sin
• Destroying your old way
• Experiencing the “powerful effect” of the message of Jesus

Q. How do I know if a church is healthy?

• This is a question we get all the time when people are moving to a new area
• What should you look for in a church? How do you know it’s functioning biblically?
• To be sure: there is no perfect church out there
• Today’s message is not intended to be overly critical
• But there are healthy churches and there are unhealthy churches
• And the litmus test is easier than you think
• Note: We answered this the first time back in Acts 2
• The question for that lesson was: How Do You Grow a Church?
• The basic idea was that healthy things grow
• The seven marks of the early church, a healthy, growing church: baptisms, biblical teaching, authentic community, commitment to prayer, financial generosity, friendliness to outsiders, and dependency on Christ. Acts 2:42-47
• Today we’re going to answer the question again
• This time almost 30 years later
• The events in Acts 2 take place around 30 AD, the year of the Ascension.
• The events in Acts 20 take place during Paul’s third missionary journey, which occurred around 53–57 AD.
• Paul is sharing his final thoughts with the elders in Ephesus. We’ll extract 5 marks of a healthy church.

Acts 20:16-17 (NLT) 16 Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival of Pentecost. 17 But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.

• Didn’t want to be delayed by the church, but sent for elders
• I get it! Hard to get out of church sometimes because of all the relationships!
• So he sent only for the elders
• In a hurry: Probably because he was bringing offering for the believers in Jerusalem
• Paul wrote Romans from Corinth during the timeframe of Acts 20
• Romans 15:25-27 (NLT) 25 But before I come [to Rome], I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there. 26 For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. 27 They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially.
• Pentecost marked the birth of the church (Acts 2)
• But it probably also brought on hardships for Jewish Christians
• So the Gentile believers wanted to bless them!

Acts 20:18-20 (NLT) 18 When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now 19 I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. 20 I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.”

• V20 gives us the first sign to look for in a healthy church: preaching that is committed to speaking the truth, even when it’s unpopular.
• 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NLT) 3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
• Many churches these days buy into popular, progressive ideology and take a low view of scripture. Watch out for these signs of progressive (woke) “Christianity”:
• The Bible is treated as a historical document shaped by human biases rather than as the inspired, authoritative Word of God.
• Traditional biblical teachings on sexuality are dismissed as outdated or oppressive.
• Hell, judgment, and exclusivity of Christ are often softened or denied.
• Evangelism is seen as arrogant or colonialist rather than a biblical mandate.
• “Deconstruction” of faith is encouraged, leading many to abandon core Christian beliefs.
• Paul didn’t fall for this, and neither should we.
• Acts 20:26-27 (NLT) 26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.
• At Alpine:
• That’s why we did the “Kingdom Politics” series
• At Alpine we’re committed to speaking the truth, even when it’s unpopular.
• That’s the first mark of a healthy church

Here’s the second mark: preaching that invites a response to the gospel.

Acts 20:21 (NLT) 21 I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

• Look at how simply Paul enumerates the two-part response to the gospel: repent and believe.
• This has been the simple gospel invitation for 2,000 years.
• Go back through all the sermons we’ve studied in Acts, and you’ll see this repeated:
• Peter’s first sermon (Pentecost): Acts 2:38 “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God….”
• Peter’s second sermon (temple): Acts 3:19 “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.”
• Peter to Cornelius: Acts 10:43 “…everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
• Paul’s first missionary journey: Acts 13:38-39 (NLT) We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do.
• Paul’s second missionary journey (in Athens): Acts 17:30 (NLT) 30 “God… commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.”
• Biblical preaching doesn’t just offer information. It invites transformation through a simple response to the gospel message of Jesus.
• Repentance = right attitude toward God
• “Change of mind” – I want to go his way now
• Many churches avoid this, never call out sin
• Make it a social club
• Change the focus instead to prosperity
• Here’s what’s in it for you…
• Faith = trusting that Jesus is LORD
• Jesus is Messiah – preached to Jewish audiences
• Jesus is Lord – preached to both Jews and Gentiles
• Bold statement to Jews
• He’s more than you thought the Messiah would be!
• (Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition (2 Volumes)) The title “Lord” was also proclaimed christologically in Jewish circles, with evident intent to apply to Jesus all that was said of God in the OT
• Preaching that invites a response to the gospel – that’s the second mark of a healthy church
• If your church never invites people to repent and believe, find another church!

The third mark expands on this:

Acts 20:24 (NLT) 24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

• The third mark is preaching that elevates the power behind the gospel: grace.
• It’s too easy to get the wrong idea that salvation is to our own credit.
• That we can work for our right standing before God
• Almost every other world religion teaches some form of this
• Ex: In Islam, the concept of scales (Mīzān, ميزان) is central to the belief in divine justice and accountability on the Day of Judgment (Yawm al-Qiyāmah). The scales symbolize the weighing of a person’s deeds—both good and bad—to determine their eternal fate.
• Surah Al-Qari’ah (101:6-9) “Then as for him whose scales are heavy [with good deeds], he will be in a pleasant life. But as for him whose scales are light, his refuge will be the Abyss.”
• Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
• The power behind the good news of the Bible is God’s grace. Pure gift. All credit goes to him.
• This is what Paul preached increasingly in his ministry!
• Acts 20:32 (NLT) 32 “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.”
• It’s the essential third mark of a healthy, biblical church.
• If your church doesn’t preach it, find another church.

The first three marks were about preaching. The last two marks are about leadership.

Acts 20:28-30 (NLT) 28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. 29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.

• The fourth mark is healthy church leadership that is committed to doing their job: shepherding the flock and protecting it from false teachers. Acts 20:28-30
• Legalism on one side: 1 Timothy 4:1-3 (NLT) 1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. 3 They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods.
• Liberalism on the other: 2 Timothy 3:1-2 (NLT) 1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
• Health church leadership protects the flock from both extremes.

The final mark of a healthy church has to do with how leaders handle money:

Acts 20:33-34 (NLT) 33 “I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. 34 You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me.”

• The fifth mark is church leadership that stewards finances well.
• This doesn’t mean you can’t pay your pastors.
• 1 Timothy 5:17-18 (NLT) 17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”
• It does mean that your pastors shouldn’t be in it for the money.
• 1 Timothy 6:9-11 (NLT) 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
• This is a warning to all Christians!

Close

Q. How do I know if a church is healthy?

• Look for these five marks:
• preaching that is committed to speaking the truth, even when it’s unpopular.
• preaching that invites a response to the gospel: repentance and faith.
• preaching that acknowledges the power behind the gospel: grace.
• leadership that is committed to shepherding the flock and protecting it from false teachers.
• leadership that stewards finances well.