Acts 11

ACTS 11

v. 1-3 Peter faces the storm of criticism
Peter is moving into a new realm of spiritual revelation the other believers have yet to experience and do not understand or believe to be valid.

It is an unfortunate reality that as we move into greater revelation in the Holy Spirit, those who have not had the same experience will criticize!

God is not interested in comforting the comfortable! He loves to upset the ‘status quo’ in order to produce in us a deeper sense of awe and greater dependency upon Him!

v. 4 Peter explains what has happened

v. 5-17 Recap and conclusion

Peter defended his activities by describing his ministry experience rather than by arguing theology.

The glory is in the story!

Peter’s most convincing argument is that the new Gentile believers were empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues. (vs. 17)

v. 18 The criticism becomes acceptance which leads to praise

v. 19-21 Application of revelation

19 – Initial target: Due to persecution in Jerusalem, the church spreads the Gospel to Jews in Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch.

Antioch was the capital of Syria. Third largest city of Roman Empire, approximately 500,000 people. Antioch was in modern-day Turkey and now carries the name Antakya. (See map) Wealthy commercial city filled with beautiful streets and marvelous architecture. About 25,000 Jews lived there. The Gentile part of Antioch had fallen into moral degradation. This was due in part to the large numbers of people held in demonic bondage to worship of Diana and Apollo.



20 – Second target: ‘to the Greeks also…’

21 – Results:
1. “The Lord’s hand was with them…” – signifying supernatural power from God! See Acts 4:30, 13:11
2. Great numbers turned to the Lord

Acts is broken up into three sections that fulfill Jesus’ prophecy in Acts 1:8

Part 1: Acts 1-6 – To Jerusalem and Judea
Evidence of supernatural power: 2:4, 43, 4:30, 5:12

Part 2: Acts 6-8 – To Samaria
Evidence of supernatural power: 6:8, 8:6

Part 3: Acts 9-28 – To the ends of the earth
Evidence of supernatural power: 9:33-34, 40-41, 15:12

v. 22 Barnabus sent to investigate

v. 23 Barnabus gives his blessing based upon the evidence

v. 24 Barnabus joins in the work

v. 25-26 Barnabus gets Paul to join with him in the work

v. 26b “Called Christians” for the first time
A term of derision from the Romans.
Literally means ‘little Christ’
Only used three times in the New Testament (9:26, 26:38, 1 Peter 4:16)

Easton’s Bible Dictionary: “the name given by the Greeks or Romans, probably in reproach, to the followers of Jesus. It was first used at Antioch. The names by which the disciples were known among themselves were "brethren," "the faithful," "elect," "saints," "believers." But as distinguishing them from the multitude without, the name "Christian" came into use, and was universally accepted.”

v. 27 Prophets from Jerusalem arrive on scene
Spiritual gifts are in full bloom and functionality

Gift of prophecy – 1 Corinthians 12:10
Office of prophet – Ephesians 4:11

v. 28 Specifics of the prophecy

v. 29-30 Response to the prophecy

Acts 10

ACTS 10

The Tale of Two Visions

MEET CORNELIUS – v. 1-8

v. 1 Caesarea - a city on the shore of the Mediterranean, on the great road from Tyre to Egypt, about 70 miles northwest of Jerusalem, at the northern extremity of the plain of Sharon. It was built by Herod the Great (B.C. 10), who named it after Caesar Augustus. It was the capital of the Roman province of Judaea, the seat of the governors or procurators, and the headquarters of the Roman troops. It was the great Gentile city of Palestine, with a spacious artificial harbor. It was adorned with many buildings of great splendor, after the manner of the Roman cities of the West.

v. 1-2 Cornelius
What did he do?
What was his ethnicity?
What was his character?

God-Fearer: When they went to synagogue meetings, the God-fearers had to meet in a separate place. They could not enter the worship area of the synagogue itself because they were Gentiles, and as us, were regarded by the Jews as unclean. John Stott says: “It is difficult for us to grasp the impassable gulf which yawned in those days between the Jews and the Gentiles. No orthodox Jew would ever enter the home of a Gentile, even a God-fearer, or invite such into his home.”

v. 3-6 Cornelius’ vision
When did it happen?
What does this say about Cornelius’ priorities and passions?
Who was in the vision?
What did he say?

v. 7-8 Cornelius’ response
What specific things did Cornelius do in response?

PETER’S TRANCE – v. 9-16

v. 9-10 Peter experiences a trance
What is going on in Peter’s life just prior to this?
Fasting removes obstacles to hearing the voice of God.

v. 11-12 Specifics of the trance

v. 13 Instructions

v. 14 Peter’s initial response
Why would Peter respond this way?

v. 15 Instructions and explanation
What does this mean?
What did it mean to Peter the Jew?
What does it mean to YOU the American?

v. 16 A third time
Why repeat it so many times?


THE APPLICATION

v. 17-20 Immediate Application
What was it in this case?
When God grants revelation, keep watch for what happens next!


THE VISIONS COLLIDE

v. 21-23 Peter goes to Joppa

v. 24 Cornelius prepares for Peter’s visitation
What does Cornelius do in preparation?

v. 25-28 Equality in Christ
What does this do for Peter? For Cornelius?

v. 29-35 God does not show favoritism

v. 36-43 Sharing the Gospel

v. 44-48 Pentecost comes to the Gentiles!
This is the ultimate example of God’s acceptance. The Holy Spirit comes into the lives of the ‘unclean’ and purifies, fills and empowers them!


“If you want to win this world to Christ, you are going to have to sit in the smoking section. That is where lost people are found, and if you make them put their cigarette out to hear the message they will be thinking about only one thing:
‘When can I get another cigarette?’”
Neil Cole Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens

Acts 9:19-31

Acts 9:19-31

The Life of a New Believer
19b - Intentional discipleship
20 - Immediate ministry involvement
21 - Authentic results

Why is it vital that the new believer immediately be discipled and involved in ministry?

What kind of church environment can provide this?

What are the results seen in Paul’s life?

22 - Growing in power
See Galatians 1:11,12
- Proving that Jesus is the Christ – How?

23-25 - Prophecy fulfilled – see 9:16

Three-year gap between verse 25 and verse 26
Galatians 1:15-18 – Was Paul preaching to the Arabs?

Back to Jerusalem
26-28 - Stuck between a rock and a hard place

The Jews saw Paul as a traitor
The Believers saw Paul as an untrustworthy persecutor

Barnabas – ‘son of encouragement’ validates Paul to the believers.

Trouble, again
29-30 - See Acts 22:17-22

“Paul recognized that the gospel was ‘for the Jew first’ (Romans 1:16), but he never did particularly well in evangelizing Jews. He was called as an apostle to the uncircumcision, and this word of Jesus in the Temple was a further confirmation of that call.” – C. Peter Wagner

Say goodbye to Paul for 10 years!

Church growth without Paul
31 - It seems that the Jerusalem church was better off not having Paul there than having him there on this early visit. Why would that be?

Acts 9:32-43

Acts 9:32-43

Healing the Lame and Raising the Dead

The emphasis shifts from Paul to Peter

v. 32 Lyyda – a Jewish town in the region of Benjamin. Located between Jerusalem and Joppa

“saints” – a church had been established in this town. Possibly by Philip.

HEALING THE LAME

v. 33 Aeneas in Lyyda – paralyzed for eight years

Is this a healing – or – a miracle?

See 1 Corinthians 12:9 & 10

v. 34 The miraculous healing

What is Peter’s approach?
What doesn’t he do?
How could Peter be so bold?

v. 35 Results

Is ‘all’ to be taken literally or figuratively?

People movements towards Christ are not that uncommon in other parts of the world.

A tiny village in Bhutan turns to Christ

What's a missionary to do when God says "go", but the government says "no"? Gospel for Asia missionary Benita listened to God, and thanks to her faithfulness there are nine new Christian households in Bhutan.

Benita and fellow missionary, Rana, were working with believers in a fellowship group Benita had planted in a southern Bhutan village. Both of these women sensed a strong burden to share the love of Christ with the people in a tiny neighboring village. There are only nine families in this next-door village, but reaching out to them would not be simple. Benita and Rana's activities had already drawn the attention of local government officials, who had the two women arrested.

The Gospel is perceived as a threat to the country's majority Buddhist religion, and even to its indigenous identity. Freedom of religion is written into the country's laws, but Buddhism is the official, recognized state religion, and it is illegal for a Buddhist to become a Christian. It is illegal to build a Christian church, and Christians are only allowed to practice their faith at home. Christian missionaries are barred from entering Bhutan.

Benita and Rana were released from police custody with strict orders to stay out of the neighboring village where they so desperately wanted to share the Gospel. Government officials continued to harass the women, who reluctantly made the decision that it was time to discontinue their joint ministry. Benita continued to serve the small fellowship in Dagana. Rana headed west, back to her home state of Samtse in southeastern Bhutan. In spite of the trials, God blessed each woman's individual ministry.

Benita and Rana continued to be burdened for that one small village where they were now forbidden to travel. The two women continued to lift the village up in prayer, seeking a way to share the Gospel with these nine households.

In October, Benita decided that she had waited long enough. She boldly sneaked into the village, where she was met by shocked but excited faces. These villagers were ready to hear about Jesus! For two days Benita shared the Gospel with these nine households. Every single person in the village received Jesus as their Savior during those two days! More than 25 are following up with public professions of their new faith.

That may sound like a small thing, but in a country that has only an estimated 3,000 Christians, it can be considered a major victory for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. GFA's Bhutan leaders ask for prayer for the spiritual nourishment of these new believers who do not have a pastor to shepherd them. They also ask for prayer that God will continue to use Benita and Rana in their individual ministries.

Source: Gospel for Asia - http://www.gfa.org/

Key: The deeds of Peter demonstrated in a very public manner the power of God.

RAISING THE DEAD

v. 36 Joppa – a city of Jews in the region of Dan about 30 miles north west of Jerusalem. The preeminent seaport of Judea.

Tabitha/Dorcas – a very godly and widely respected Christian woman who was active in ministry to the poor.

v. 37 Died

v. 38 The believer’s in Joppa sent for Peter who was in Lyyda, a distance of about nine miles.

Why did they send for Peter?

v. 39 A scene of grief and mourning.
v. 40-41 Peter sends everyone out of the room following the example of Jesus when He raised Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37-40).

Knelt and prayed – why?

Gave a direct command – why?

She gets up and Peter takes her to the believers.

v. 42 Results of the miracle

What do we learn from seeing the dead raised?

1. Raising the dead is a Christian ministry – Matthew 10:8

2. Raising the dead is only a partial victory over death.

3. Satan is ultimate cause of death – Romans 6:23

4. Death is not a part of God’s original intent for humans and it is not a part of the fullness of the Kingdom of God – 1 Corinthians 15:26, Revelation 21:4

5. Raising the dead is a ‘sign’ of the Kingdom of God

6. The ultimate purpose of raising the dead is salvation – Acts 9:42

Acts 9:7-20

ACTS 9:8-20

Review
ß 1-2 Saul’s intent
ß 3-5 Christ’s intent
ß 6-7 Christ’s instruction


v. 8-9 Blindness

“What a reversal of events! Paul, who desired to dash the believers to the ground, is lying face down on the ground. He, who wished to bring prisoners bound from Damascus to Jerusalem, now is led as a prisoner of blindness to Damascus… He, who came to triumph over the Christian faith, now submits to the Captain of the faith.” – Simon Kistemaker

v. 10 Meet Ananias
ß “disciple”
ß “highly respected” – see 22:12

v. 10b-12 Ananias’ vision

ß What does the simple fact that Ananias had a vision tell you about Ananias?
ß Specifics of the vision:
o Place
o Person #1
o Person #2
o Activity of Saul
o Expectation of Saul

ß The Bible speaks of over 50 different people receiving visions!

ß God STILL speaks and communicates through visions!
o Acts 2:17
o Joel 2:28
o Vision – ‘horasis’ – an appearance divinely granted in an ecstasy or dream.

ß Are we listening?
o Isaiah 28:27
o Isaiah 50:4-5
o Isaiah 30:18-21


v. 13-14 Ananias’ initial response


v. 15 Christ’s instruction

ß “my chosen instrument…” – Christ’s selection
ß “to carry my name…” - Christ’s pre-eminence
ß “before the Gentiles… kings and people of Isreal…” – Christ’s purpose

v. 16 Christ’s warning

ß 1 Corinthians 4:9-13
ß 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, 12:10

v. 17-19 Ananias encounters Saul

ß “placed his hands on Saul” – Mark 16:18
ß “Brother Saul” – Acceptance
ß “see again” – Healing
ß “be filled with the Holy Spirit” – Empowerment

ß What had Paul been doing for three days that helped to prepare him for this?
o See vs. 9 & 11

ß “baptized” – Paul identified with the very Body of Christ that he had been trying to destroy!

v. 19b-20

ß “several days with the disciples in Damascus…”
ß What do you imagine happened during that time?
ß “At once he began to preach…”

Acts 9:1-6

ACTS 9:1-6
Saul meets Jesus

v. 1 & 2
Saul has become a full-time persecutor of the Messianic Jews, even to the point of traveling to Damascus (approximately 100 miles) to reign in and arrest any Jews from the Jerusalem area.

“The Way” has become a common descriptive term for the earliest Christians.
(See Acts 19:9, 23, 24:14, 22)

His desire is to arrest and return them to Jerusalem, where the Sanhedrin had jurisdiction and the ability to punish.


v. 3-5 The Damascus Road Meeting

The story of Paul’s conversion is told three times in the book of Acts:
9:1-6
22:6-16
26:13-15

Paul’s conversion is an awesome display of God’s power in human affairs.
The display includes:
ß Supernatural light
ß Vison
ß Falling under the power of the Spirit
ß Hearing (audibly) the voice of God
ß Spiritual rebirth

SUPERNATURAL LIGHT

A visible manifestation of the glory of God!

Matthew 17:2

Pastor Jack Hayford tells the story of early in his ministry at Church on the Way, when he was struggling with a complacent congregation of about 100 people and then one Saturday he went into the sanctuary alone and saw it filled with a silvery mist. He says, “No earthly dust had the glowing quality that this mist possessed as it filled the whole room, even where the sunlight was not shining.” God had filled the sanctuary with His glory and a church growth phenomenon began that has built the Church on the Way to be one of the most influential churches in America. (See Glory in Your House, Jack Hayford ©1991 Chosen Books)

2 Corinthians 4:4-6
When a person comes to experience the light of Christ, suddenly we have a desire for others to experience Him too!

See John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-16


VISION: Seeing the Risen Christ!

Acts 9:17 has Ananias speaking prophetically about Paul’s encounter.

9:27 ‘seen the Lord’

1 Corinthians 9:1

1 Corinthians 15:8

Acts 22:17-18


FALLING TO THE GROUND

The phenomenon of falling to the ground under the power of the Holy Spirit has become quite common in today’s churches. It is also known as ‘resting in the Spirit’ or being ‘slain in the Spirit’.

In my limited experience, I have come to discover that when this happens, it is a time of intense love accompanied by an overwhelming sense of the Holy Presence of God.

Think about it this way: When a person is being touched by the Power of Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe – doesn’t it make sense that there would be PHYSICAL manifestations of that touch?

John the Apostle’s experience:
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.” Revelation 1:17


“I lay on my face, a quivering mass of adoring jelly. I, therefore, am unable to dismiss what I see of certain phenomena in the present, or what I read about in the past.” John White When the Spirit Comes in Power, InterVarsity Press ©1988

Revelation 5:8, 14, 7:11, 19:4, Psalms 72:11, Matthew 2:11, 1 Chronicles 29:20,
2 Chronicles 7:3, Psalms 95:6

HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD (Audibly) 9:4-5, 22:7, 27:14

The voice of God was clear enough to quote directly!
The voice of God was spoken in Paul’s language. If someone asked Paul why he became a missionary, he could easily say: “Because God told me to!”

God still speaks today. He has not been silenced. He has not gone mute. He loves to talk to His children.

Even a man as conservative as Dr. Henry Blackaby – a Southern Baptist – said in his book Experiencing God that: "If you have trouble hearing God speak, you are in trouble at the very heart of your Christian experience."

The point is this: All believer’s should be able to discern God’s voice – whether it is audible or not! And, if you cannot, there is no need to be ashamed, or to feel guilty, but, there is need to improve your intimacy with Him!

That said, there are times that this can be abused. People with pure motives, or not, can misunderstand and/or misappropriate what they believe is God speaking. Therefore, when one says: “God told me…” you had better be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that God did indeed tell you!

Again, I refer to the wisdom of Jack Hayford:
“As I say, ‘God spoke to me,’ I am being even more specific than referring to general revelation or to private inner impressions. I reserve these words intentionally for the rare, special occasions when, in my spirit, I have had the Lord speak directly to me. I do not mean, ‘I felt impressed’ or ‘I sensed somehow.’ Instead, I mean that a given moment, almost always when I least expected it, the Lord spoke words to me. Those whose have been so distinct that I am virtually able to say, ‘And I quote.’” Glory in Your House, Jack Hayford ©1991 Chosen Books


The Spoken Word of God is not equal to the Scriptures. In fact, all spoken words must be tested by the Scripture.

Here’s a three-stage filtering process:

Stage One: Was it a true word? Did the person hearing from God confuse a personal thought with the voice of God? Was more emotion than revelation involved? Each one should be humble enough to admit that these are always possibilities.

Stage Two: Was the impression accurate? Even if the words were correctly heard, care needs to be taken in extracting the meaning, especially when the word is in poetic or parabolic form.

Stage Three: How is it to be applied? Should all, or any, of what God has said be communicated to others? If so, to whom? What is God’s timing for the application?


SPIRITUAL REBIRTH

v. 5-6 The question: “Who are you, Lord?”

Saul says: “Lord” because there is no question in his mind of the superiority of whoever it is that is talking with him. The only question is that of identity. And Jesus’ response is precisely what Saul needed to hear: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Acts 8:26-40

ACTS 8:26-40

v. 26 Angelic Revelation

Angels are God’s messengers, sent to give instruction. In this case, the instruction to Philip is extremely specific!

It’s important to know that when you are dedicated to doing God’s will, He is more than able to provide you with all the specifics you need, exactly when you need them. See Acts 16:6-10

How do angels bring revelation?

The desert road that Philip was sent on was desolate and empty. In fact, there was another road to Gaza that went through more populated areas – which seemed to be the more likely and ‘natural’ course to take. But God has an ‘divine appointment’ for Philip on the less traveled passage.


v. 27 Obedience before Appointment

What does Philip DO? Why is this important?

Meet the Appointment:

Ethiopian – Ethiopia, a northern Africa country, was considered to be one of the meanest and most brutal nations on earth.

Eunuch – Not necessarily physical, ‘eunuch’ was also used to describe a person given the role of ‘head of the household’ or ‘steward of the house’.

A person of great authority.

Spiritually hungry. Possibly a convert to Judaism.


v. 28 Reading Without Understanding (also v. 31)


v. 29 Spirit direction

v. 30 Looking for the connection point

v. 31 “How can I understand?”

See Romans 10:14-15

v. 32-33 Isaiah 53:7-8

Why didn’t the Ethiopian understand this verse?

What does this verse really mean? And, how would it lead to sharing the Gospel?


v. 34-35 The Gospel made clear


v. 36 What prevents me?


v. 37 Why is verse 37 missing?

What is the prerequisite for baptism?

v. 38 Mission Accomplished

v. 39-40 Spiritual Transportation and Further Expansion

Acts 8:9-25

ACTS 8:9-25

v. 9-11 Simon the Sorcerer of Samaria

- Long time occult leader in Samaria
- Great abilities to function in the power of the occult
- Regarded by people of Samaria as possessing ‘God-like’ powers

“To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying,
This man is the great power of God.” Acts 8:10, KJV

Levels of Spiritual Warfare:

- Ground level warfare – casting demons out of people – Acts 8:7

- Occult level warfare – dealing with satanic powers of magicians, witches, New Age channelers, fortune-tellers, palm readers, shamans, etc. – Acts 8:9-11 (Simon)

- Strategic level warfare – principalities, powers, territorial spirits – Ephesians 6:12

v. 12-13 Salvation comes to Samaria

- The Message is accepted because of the Miracles! (v. 13)
The Samaritan’s were not required to go to Jerusalem to be saved!

v. 14 Apostolic awakening: Is this the real deal?

- Peter and John – the two primary leaders of the Jerusalem church are sent to investigate the ministry and impact of Philip in Samaria.

v. 15-17 Saved – without the Holy Spirit?

- Peter and John impart the baptism of the Holy Spirit upon the people through prayer.

- Notice: Unlike Pentecost (Acts 2) and Cornelius (Acts 10), there is no mention of the people of Samaria receiving the gift of tongues. This doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen – but for whatever reason, Luke doesn’t say one way of another.

- The Pentecostal movement of early 20th century taught that tongues is a clear sign of being baptized in the Holy Spirit, and in fact, without tongues, you have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Later Pentecostals have moved away from that position.

- Jack Hayford in his book The Beauty of Spiritual Language, writes: “As readily as I want to honor my Pentecostal forebears for preserving the testimony of tongues and for generating a passion for Spirit-fullness among millions, at the same time I confess that I believe an unintentional but nevertheless restrictive barrier was built,” referring to tongues as the initial evidence requirement. At the same time, Hayford strongly encourages the gift of tongues for all Christians, a position that I validate and believe.

- Other evidences of being baptized in the Holy Spirit include:

- New intimacy with the Father
- Falling in the power of God
- Power gifts to heal the sick and cast out demons
- Power gifts to prophecy
- A driving passion to win the lost

v. 25 Peter and John begin to evangelize Samaritans!


v. 18-24 Simon

ß Simon offers money for the gift of the Holy Spirit. This shows that while Simon may be saved, he still has a lot of fleshly behavior and attitudes in him that need changing.

- Peter’s rebuke:

1. May your money perish with you.
2. No part in the ministry – because of an improper heart.
3. Repent and seek forgiveness.

- Simon’s response:

Conviction and repentance.

What can we learn?

- Samaria was fascinated by power.
- Satan had demonstrated his limited powers.
- Philip brings the issue to a head with a power encounter.
“Philip’s dramatic exorcisms and healings of the possessed, paralyzed and lame gave incontrovertible proof of Satan’s subjugations and hence of the certainty of the Kingdom of God with Christ as Lord.” Susan Garrett The Demise of the Devil
-Peter’s rebuke against Simon (v. 20-23) is a public announcement that God’s power is demonstrably greater than Satan’s power!

Acts 8:1-8

ACTS 8:1-8

1-3 The Persecution Spreads

• The more the Jewish leaders thought about the implications of Stephen’s message, the angrier they became.

• The persecution initially targeted the leaders (Peter, John, etc.), but now was aimed at the entire body of believers.

• See John 16:33, Matt. 13:5, 20-21

• “ALL” scattered does not mean ‘all’ it means ‘many’. Possibly the Hellenistic believers, not the Hebrew believers.

• V. 2 – The death of Stephen was a serious loss and was deeply felt.

• V. 3 – Saul’s persecution heats up.

1 Corinthians 15:9 (also Philippians 3:6)

Galatians 1:13 ‘tried to destroy it…’



8:4 The Gospel Message Spreads

“What seems, at first glance to be a setback for the Church is used by God for His glory and the spread of His Kingdom.” Wagner


8:5 – Philip goes to Samaria

The possibility of a Samaritan becoming a Christian without first becoming a full-fledged Jew had never occurred to the earliest Christians. The racial divide was too deep.

Philip – the first cross-cultural missionary.

• Acts 21:9
• Acts 7:5
• Two primary spiritual gifts:

EVANGELIST: The gift of evangelist is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to share the gospel with unbelievers in such a way that men and women become Jesus’ disciples and responsible members of the Body of Christ.

MISSIONARY: The gift of missionary is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to minister whatever other spiritual gifts they have in a second culture.


8:5-8 EVANGELISM BY WORD AND DEED

• WORD: “Proclaiming Christ” – what are the key elements to proclaiming Christ?

• DEED: “Miraculous signs” – what signs and wonders are evidenced in Philips ministry in Samaria?

• WHY did the Samaritan people listen carefully to Philip?

• DOES this same criteria apply today? If so, does it mean more in certain parts of the world than others?

• RESULTS:
1. Paid close attention to the message.
2. Great joy broke out in the city.


• What good are signs, wonders and miracles?
“Ministries of the miraculous, where paralyzed people walk, deaf people hear, and demonized people are freed, never saved anyone. Healings bring glory to God, but even the most dramatic ones are at best temporal. They do no impart eternal life. The deeds only prepare the way for the Word.” Wagner

But prepare the way they do – and quite well! The whole Gospel of John is organized around seven miracles of Jesus!

Changing water into wine 2:1-11
Healing a boy 4:46-54
Healing a crippled man 5:1-15
Feeding 5,000 6:5-14
Walking on water 6:15-21
Healing a blind man 9:1-41
Raising a dead man 11:11-45


The point…
“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

Acts 6-7 - Meet Stephen

ACTS 6-7

6:5-10 Meet Stephen

5 - Characteristics

8-10 - Ministry

• Great leader
• 1st time miraculous works are attributed to someone other that the Apostles
• Signs and wonders drew great attention

What makes a person able to do ‘great’ signs and wonders?

6:9, 11-14 The Opposition

Synagogue of the Freedmen

• Congregation of Hellenistic Jews living in Jerusalem.
• Older, wealthy retired Jews who had moved to Jerusalem.

Why would Stephen (in particular) upset these folks?

• Emotional Reason – upsetting the retirement community!
• Theological Reason – blaspheming Moses and the Temple!

Note vs. 13 about the quality of the witnesses.

The Real Issue

• From a Jewish perspective, the Gospel is UNPATRIOTIC!
• From a Biblical perspective, the Gospel demonstrates that God is Sovereign over the entire universe! Psalms 99:2

Stephen was teaching that you don’t have to become a Jew to get to know God.

John 4:21, 24

This teaching is extremely threatening to the Status Quo.

6:15-8:2 Stephen’s Speech and Aftermath

:15 Godly confidence


ISRAEL’S HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL

Verse Reference
2-4 --- Genesis 12:1ff
5 --- Genesis 23:4
6 --- Genesis 15:13
Exodus 12:40-41
7 --- Genesis 15:14-16
8 --- Genesis 17:9-14
9 --- Genesis 37:4ff
10 --- Genesis 40:40ff
11 --- Genesis 41:54
12 --- Genesis 42:1ff
13-14 --- Genesis 45:1ff
15 --- Genesis 46:3-7
Genesis 49:33
16 --- Exodus 13:19
Joshua 24:32
17-19 --- Exodus 1:7-22
20-22 --- Exodus 2:1-10
23-25 --- Exodus 2:11-12
26-29 --- Exodus 2:13-15
30-35 --- Exodus 3:1ff
36-37 --- Exodus 12:41
38-39 --- Exodus 19:3ff
40-44 --- Exodus 32:1ff
45 --- Joshua 4:11-14
46 --- 1 Samuel 16:1-13
47 --- 1 Kings 5:1ff
48 --- 1 Kings 8:27
49-50 --- Psalms 11:4
51 --- Exodus 32:9
52-53 --- 2 Chron. 36:16
Matthew 21:33-46
54 --- Psalms 112:10
55-56 --- John 14:3
Hebrews 1:3, 8:1
57-58 --- Zechariah 7:11
59-60 --- Acts 2:21, Romans 10:12-13,
Psalms 31:5, Luke 23:46

Acts 6:1-7

Acts 6:1-7

RESTRUCTURING THE CHURCH

V. 1 Numerical Expansion

“plethuro” – to multiply or abound
similar to ‘plethora’ – super abundance

HOW many Christians at this time?

“It has been conservatively estimated that at this time the total number of the disciples was between twenty and twenty-five thousand.” R.C.H. Lenski

In 2006 there are an estimated 2.1 billion Christians

The world population as of 2/21/06 is estimated to be 6,493,444,238 (www.geography.about.com)

The current annual rate of growth is 1.3% – resulting in 12 billion people by 2054

Missiologists estimate that 180,000 become Christians daily – an annual growth rate of 65,700,00 new Christians.

CHRISTIANITY: WANING OR GROWING? by Rick Wood

Have we entered the post-Christian age? Is the Christian church on the decline? Much is said in the news and on TV today about the decline of moral values and the decline of the church's influence in the world. The question then arises: Is it true that Christians are losing the battle to other faiths and other forces in the world?
Instead of declining, the number of evangelical Christians has been growing rapidly. The number of Christians has been growing at more than three times the rate of world population growth. Between 1950 and 1992, Bible believing Christians went from just 3% of the world population to 10% of the population. This is a jump from 80 million to 540 million.
While the West was busy fighting the Cold War, Bible believing Christians were quietly but dramatically winning the battle of ideology all over the world. Today in the Russian Republic, biblical Christianity is being taught openly in every school of the land.
Many other areas of the world have seen spectacular growth of the Christian church. The number of African Christians has grown from just 3% of all Africans in 1900 to 46% today. Asian Christianity has grown from 16 million to 75 million in just the last nine years. The evangelical movement in Latin America is currently growing at three times the general rate of population. When the Communists took over in 1949 there were only around 1 million Christians in the China. While under intense and severe persecution, the number of Christians in China has grown to over 60 million believers today.
This growth trend, while accelerating dramatically in recent years, has been continuing relentlessly for almost 2,000 years. In 100 AD there were an estimated 360 non-Christians for every Christian. Today there are only 6.8 non-Christians (Those who do not claim to be Christian) for every evangelical Christian.
God's initiative since AD 100 displays determined and increasing activity to build His Church. Note: It took 18 centuries for evangelicals to go from 0% of the world population to 2.5% in 1900, only 70 years to go from 2.5% to 5% in 1970, and just the last 22 years to go from 5% to 10% of the world population. What this means is that now, for the first time in history, there is one evangelical for every 9 non-evangelicals world-wide.
According to Dr. Ralph Winter of the US Center for World Mission, "Despite the rapid increase in world population, the number of faithful Bible-believing Christians is increasing faster than any other large movement or religion. It is doubling every ten and a half years."
Source: http://www.missionfrontiers.org

V. 1b A bi-cultural church

The apostles were all Hebrews and didn’t yet know how to bridge the cultural gap that was beginning to exist in the church.

There were two distinct groups in the Jerusalem church:

ARAMAIC SPEAKING JEWS GREEK SPEAKING JEWS
Hebrew Jews Hellenistic Jews
Had been with Jesus Had not been with Jesus
Considered themselves ‘pure Jews’ Mixed well into the culture at large
Lower and middle classes or ‘working’ tradesmen, fishermen, etc. Affluent, older retired business people who had come to Jerusalem to live out their ‘golden years’
Spoke the language of the ‘Bible’ Spoke the language of Business


V. 1c The Widow problem (the conflict is brewing)

• The majority of widow’s that we in need of aid were the Greek speaking Hellenists.
• They were separated by great distance from their adult children and families.
• At the same time, a great deal of the churches money came from the wealthy Hellenists.
• Yet, the leadership of the church was entirely Hebrew.

V. 2 & 4 Conflict Resolution

• Call a meeting of the people
• State the problem:
Perceived problem: Inequity of food distribution
Real problem: For the apostles to focus on this is misplaced energies.



V. 3 Solution: Select additional leaders

‘seek out’ – a process of intentional efforts to find new leadership

Not an election!
But a recognition of the emerging leadership within the church family.

‘from among you’ – the best leadership comes from within.

‘full of the Holy Spirit’
Fruit: Galatians 5:22-23
Power: Acts 6:8, 8:6-7

‘full of wisdom’ – practical people who make good decisions

V. 5a Acceptance of idea

When leadership is anointed, godly people receive decisions with joy.

V. 5b-6 The New Leaders

Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, Nicolas


ALL GREEK NAMES!
These men were Hellenists!

V. 7 Positive Outcome of Shared Leadership

“The Hellenist believers immediately became more content and they stopped their murmuring. They were no longer under the leadership of Aramiac-speaking Hebrews who had hillbilly roots in Galilee. Their new leaders were, from their perspective, cosmopolitan, well-educated, affluent and spiritual Christians who could easily understand their problem not only with widows but also anything else that would arrive. They now felt liberated and, therefore, they could be more enthusiastic about serving God and extending His kingdom. Things always go better when people are happy.” C. Peter Wagner


Priests came to Christ!

Acts 5:17-42

Acts 5:17-42

v. 17-18 Back to Jail: Not just Peter and John, but possibly all 12 apostles

Two Reasons:
1. Witnessing to the resurrection (4:33) which was in direct contradiction to the Sadducee’s teachings that there is no such thing as life after death. (Acts 23:6-8)

2. Fear of social disruption through the power of the emerging church.


v. 19-21 An Angelic Visitation: Miracles can be done by non-human agents of God

God gives the command – via the angel – to disobey the ruling officials.


v. 22-26 Busted Again: No force used this time – v. 26


v. 27-28 Reaching the city for Christ: “filling Jerusalem with your doctrine…”

T
he cities of America are dark and broken places. It is in these areas where darkness intensifies. We must seek to have God's heart for the city and not to abandon it; to go into the darkness and there let the light of the Gospel shine. In doing this we must continually come back to the Gospel in dependence so that we might go forth in power. Not to be entertained or entrapped by the city, but to engage the city for Christ.
We must therefore posture ourselves in a special way toward the city. We are not to despise the city and thus withdraw from it, nor are we to reflect the city in a complete blending like a chameleon without distinction to the environment, nor are we to simply use the city, but rather we are to love and serve the city as good neighbors and aliens.

v. 29-32 Civil Disobedience
1. Obey God rather than man
2. The Message is a direct challenge to false authority


v. 33-40 The Verdict
Gamaliel – chief mentor to Saul of Tarsus (Paul the Apostle) – Acts 22:3

Let God determine the authenticity of their message. V. 37-39
Flogged and silenced and released

v. 41 Reaction of Apostles
Matthew 5:10 Romans 5:10 1 Peter 4:13-16 Hebrews 12:2

v. 42 Uncompromising Sense of Purpose

Acts 5:12-16

Acts 5:12-16
REVIEW:
The Signs of the Kingdom
Luke 4:16-19, Isaiah 61:1-2
1. Preaching the Gospel to the poor
2. Healing the brokenhearted
3. Delivering captives
4. Recovery of sight to the blind
5. Releasing the oppressed
6. Proclaiming God’s favor

Luke 7:20-23
7. Healing the sick
8. Casting out evil spirits
9. Making lame people walk
10. Cleansing lepers
11. Restoring healing to the deaf
12. Raising the dead

Mark 16:15-18
13. Speaking in new tongues
14. Safely picking up serpents (Acts 28:3-5)
15. Immunity to poison

5:12-42 ANOTHER SIGN OF THE KINGDOM: POWER MINISTRY

Although the Church and the Kingdom of God are not one and the same, churches that do display the signs of the Kingdom bring the two together here on earth.

Matthew 12:28 – How do we know that the Kingdom of God is really among us?

QUALITY QUANTITY
Acts 1: The believers dedicated to prayer Acts 2:1-41: The Day of Pentecost results in some 3000 coming to Christ
Acts 2:42-47: The church continues true to the faith and shares material goods Acts 3:1-4:22: The lame man is healed and the church grows to 15,000.
Acts 4:23-5:11: Believers pray and share material possessions. Acts 5:12-42: Signs and wonders point the way to salvation for many.
Acts 6:1-6: Reorganization of the church. Acts 6:7: Many priests are converted.


5:12-16 Miracles and Wonders

2:4 → 4:31 Filled w/ Holy Spirit
2:2 → 4:31 Tangible signs: Sound and Shaking
2:45 → 4:32 Material sharing
2:47 → 5:14 Numerical growth

This is Acts 1:8 in action.


Paradigm shift – A new way of seeing.
Most of us have to go through paradigm shifts in order to adjust our thinking, our attitudes and our ministries to what for us is a new spiritual reality.

Helpful tools from those who have gone down this path before us:

Power Evangelism & Power Healing – John Wimber
Christianity with Power – Charles Kraft
How to Have a Healing Ministry in Any Church – C. Peter Wagner
Surprised by the Power of the Holy Spirit – Jack Deere

The Facts About Signs and Wonders in Acts 5
1. Power ministry was common – v. 12
2. Power ministry attracted people to the church – v. 16
3. People were healed even by Peter’s shadow – v. 15
See 2 Kings 13:21 (And also Ezekiel 37:1-14)

This is John 14:12 in action.

What is the purpose of miracles?
What it isn’t:
1. A circus act
2. For personal status
3. Christian ‘magic’
4. Psychosomatic

What it is:
1. Evidence of God’s Kingdom being present
2. Expression of God’s compassion for the sick
3. Evidence of Christ’s power to save – v. 14

5:16 – “All” as in ALL?
In this case, all means all.

- But what about when people don’t get healed?
- Dare we risk asking?
- Is there more harm than good?
- What are the benefits of praying believing – when healing doesn’t come?

Do only the APOSTLES have healing power?
- Apostles – 2:43, 4:33, 5:12
- Seventy-two – Luke 10:1-2, 9
- Stephen – Acts 6:8
- Philip – Acts 8:6
- Jesus expects that all believers will participate in healing ministry! – Mark 16:18
- “Gifts of healings” – 1 Corinthians 12:9

Acts 5:1-11

Acts 5:1-11

4:36-37 BARNABUS – Describe the quality of his faith.


5:1-11 Read


What was the sin of Ananias and Sapphira?

Godly options: (v. 4)

1. Keep the property for self.
2. Give a partial donation of your choosing.


What was the cause of their sin?

“The devil made me do it?”

v. 3 They followed the temptation of Satan.

Resistance isn’t futile – it’s effective! James 4:7 and 1 Corinthians 10:13

James 1:12-19

12 – Blessing and rewards

13 – God is not the source of temptation.

14 – The source: being drawn away by our lusts

15 – Conception that leads to death

16 – Warning!

17 – Reminder of God’s provision

18 – The Word of Truth

19 – Listening, speaking and doing. The right order and speed.


Although the powers of darkness can influence health, loved ones, material passions and peace, moral decisions are strictly the responsibility of the individual. Satan can deceive us, but he cannot make our moral choices for us.



v. 3-4 How did Peter know that Ananias was lying?

Prophetic word was given – 1 Corinthians 14:24-25


v. 5-6 Why death? (Also v. 9)

God decided.
God hates hypocrisy.
Job 27:8
Matthew 23:27-29

v. 7-8 Sapphira’s choice

What does it mean to ‘test the Spirit of the Lord’?

v. 9-10 Sapphira’s conclusion


v. 11 The church’s response

‘great fear’ – a wholesome and beneficial fear


“The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was, that they were ambitious of being thought eminent disciples, when they were not true disciples. Hypocrites may deny themselves, may forego their worldly advantage in one instance, with a prospect of finding their account in something else. They were covetous of the wealth of the world, and distrustful of God and his providence. They thought they might serve both God and mammon. They thought to deceive the apostles. The Spirit of God in Peter discerned the principle of unbelief reigning in the heart of Ananias. But whatever Satan might suggest, he could not have filled the heart of Ananias with this wickedness had he not been consenting. The falsehood was an attempt to deceive the Spirit of truth, who so manifestly spoke and acted by the apostles. The crime of Ananias was not his retaining part of the price of the land; he might have kept it all, had he pleased; but his endeavouring to impose upon the apostles with an awful lie, from a desire to make a vain show, joined with covetousness. But if we think to put a cheat upon God, we shall put a fatal cheat upon our own souls. How sad to see those relations who should quicken one another to that which is good, hardening one another in that which is evil! And this punishment was in reality mercy to vast numbers. It would cause strict self-examination, prayer, and dread of hypocrisy, covetousness, and vain-glory, and it should still do so. It would prevent the increase of false professors. Let us learn hence how hateful falsehood is to the God of truth, and not only shun a direct lie, but all advantages from the use of doubtful expressions, and double meaning in our speech.”
Matthew Henry Commentary

Acts 4:32-37

Acts 4:32-37

REVIEW
These are exciting times for the Jerusalem church. Just like Jesus promised (Matthew 16:18), the Gates of Hades are shaking against the forces of God’s Kingdom! Christ has manifested Himself physically in the shaking of the room where the believers were gathered (4:31) And ‘they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” just like at Pentecost.

4:32-33 SIGNS OF THE KINGDOM

Two vitally important parts of the Christian lifestyle:
1. Generous sharing of material goods.
2. Witnessing about the resurrection with power.

The results of these two characteristics was: “much grace was upon them all…”

WHAT ARE THE “SIGNS” OF GOD’S KINGDOM?

Matthew 24:14
Mark 6:10

God’s Kingdom does not have geographical or political boundaries.

God’s Kingdom is present in a community of believers who:
1. Recognize that Jesus is Lord.
2. Encourage the signs of the Kingdom to characterize their behavior, both individually and collectively.

The Signs of the Kingdom

Luke 4:16-19, Isaiah 61:1-2
1. Preaching the Gospel to the poor
2. Healing the brokenhearted
3. Delivering captives
4. Recovery of sight to the blind
5. Releasing the oppressed
6. Proclaiming God’s favor

Luke 7:20-23
7. Healing the sick
8. Casting out evil spirits
9. Making lame people walk
10. Cleansing lepers
11. Restoring healing to the deaf
12. Raising the dead


Mark 16:15-18
13. Speaking in new tongues
14. Safely picking up serpents (Acts 28:3-5)
15. Immunity to poison

4:34-5:11 THE SHARING OF MATERIAL GOODS

Kingdom Principle: Matthew 6:19

“The Kingdom principle is not to do without material goods. The principle is that we should not prioritize material goods. We should prioritize unselfishly loving our fellow believers and also our wider circle of neighbors whether they are Christians or not.”
C. Peter Wagner The Acts of the Apostles

4:34-35

“Although in fact and in law they continued to own their goods, yet in heart and mind they cultivated an attitude so radical that they thought of their possessions as being available to help needy sisters and brothers. The amazing results was that no poverty existed in the church.” C. Peter Wagner

Deuteronomy 15:4

4:36-37 THE EXAMPLE OF BARNABUS

What did he do?

How did he do it?

Why did he do it?