Tag: Book of Acts

Acts Articles – Witnes 02-3

On By BrianIn Book of Acts

Throughout the book of Acts, we see the early church proclaiming the gospel.  But what is the gospel?  One probable reason for the many evangelistic sermons recorded in Acts is to help us better understand the gospel and so better share the gospel.  John Stott in his commentary on Acts gives four categories of the content of the evangelistic messages, and so four categories we must include when sharing the gospel.  His four categories are: gospel events, gospel witnesses, gospel promises, and gospel conditions.  Here I want to apply his categories to the messages in Acts 2 and 3, and then to the message we share:

  • Gospel Events:  We must tell others about what Jesus has done that our salvation is based on.  In Acts 2, Peter speaks of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension.  In Acts 3, Peter focuses on Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.  We too must tell others what Jesus has done to save us – especially his death and resurrection.
  • Gospel Witnesses: In both Acts 2 and 3, Peter gives two witnesses to what Jesus has done.  First, he appeals to Scripture, quoting numerous Old Testament passages that point to Jesus doing exactly what he did.  Second, he appeals to his own witness of Jesus’ resurrection.  This was an essential part of being an apostle – that they had seen the risen Christ.  And the apostles have recorded their witness for us in the New Testament.  So when we share the gospel, we should use the Bible.  The prophecies and eye-witness accounts point to the truth of our message.
  • Gospel Promises: In Acts 2, Peter focuses on forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit.  In Acts 3, Peter rewords them as the blotting out of sin and times of refreshing (a reference to the Holy Spirit?), and then adds another: the return of Jesus for the restoration of all things.  And of course there are many more gospel promises we could mention: reconciliation, justification, new life, adoption, sanctification, and on the list goes.  When we share the gospel, we should include some of the gospel promises that would attract that person or group of people to Jesus.
  • Gospel Conditions: Finally, we need to tell people how they can receive these gospel promises made possible by the gospel events as given to us by the gospel witnesses.  In Acts 2 and 3, Peter calls the people to repent, to turn from their rejection of Jesus, and as such to believe in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior and King.  We too must call people to turn from their sin to Jesus, to repent and believe.

Gospel events, witnesses, promises, and conditions.  This is the gospel presented in Acts that we present to others.

Acts Articles – Spirit 02

On By BrianIn Book of Acts

In Acts 2:1-21, we see Jesus send the Spirit to the 120 disciples.  It is Pentecost, 50 days after Passover, and all the disciples are together. 

Suddenly there is the sound of a mighty wind, and what appears to be fire sits above each one.  We often see wind and fire when God comes down in the Old Testament, suggesting that we should see this event as a theophany.  God has come down among his people. 

They are all filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in other tongues.  Crowds begin to gather, and the disciples spill out of the house.  Jews from all over the Roman Empire are there, and they hear the disciples speaking in their tongues, and they are amazed.  Peter gets up and begins to explain what is happening from the book of Joel. 

From his explanation, we can glean at least three reasons that the coming of the Spirit is important for us today:

  • New Relationship – God has poured out his Spirit on all of the disciples (v17, 18).  Not just a few receive the Spirit as in the Old Testament, but all of his people.  God now dwells with us.  Jesus is with us through his Spirit.  We can always enjoy a relationship with God because the Spirit dwells in us. 
  • New Purpose – The disciples were waiting for the Spirit so they could go and be Jesus’ witnesses (1:8).  Now that the Spirit has come, that is exactly what they are doing – they are being witnesses to Jesus Christ.  And so the Spirit empowers us to fulfill this new purpose – to share the good news with others.
  • New Era – The Spirit’s coming is directly related to the last days (v17) before the Day of the Lord (v20).  Since the coming of the Spirit, we are living in the last days awaiting the return of Jesus.  He is coming, and we need to be ready.

Acts Articles – Prayer 01A

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Church Life, Habit of Prayer

Yesterday I suggested two applications from the example of 120 disciples who devoted themselves to praying in one accord for the Spirit to empower them as witnesses.  But are we supposed to follow their example?  Is this recorded for us to imitate or is it recorded simply to tell us what happened?

Alan Thompson in his book, The Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus, suggests one helpful way forward.  He suggests that something mentioned once is probably to be taken as merely descriptive.  But if Luke mentions something repeatedly, that it is probably to be taken as prescriptive; that is, it is a pattern in the early church that should be a pattern for the church today (see p25-27).

So then, the 120 disciples were devoted to praying together for 10 days.  Do we need to devote ourselves to praying together for 10 days?  Probably not since this is the only occasion that we read of a 10 day period.  And indeed this ten day period between the Ascension and Pentecost (these two great works in salvation history) is unrepeatable.  That is not to say, we couldn’t commit to pray together for 10 days – it may be a great thing to do.  But it is not prescribed for us to do it.

But what about devoting ourselves to praying together apart from the 10 day length?  Is devoting ourselves to praying together merely descriptive, or should we take it as prescriptive.  Three patterns suggest that we should take this as prescriptive.

First, there is a pattern throughout Acts of Christians devoting themselves to prayer together.  It is clearly a regular practice for them.  Why would we think it shouldn’t be a regular practice for us?  And remember that Acts does not give us an exhaustive view of the early church.  Luke merely hits some of the highlights, and apparently Luke thought praying together was important enough to highlight, probably at least in part because he thought we should imitate their devotion to praying together.

Second, if you compare the gospels, the Gospel of Luke has the greatest emphasis on prayer.  Luke clearly wanted his readers to be instructed in prayer, and so it is reasonable that he would continue that instruction into his second volume – the Book of Acts.  Luke is instructing us in how we are to pray by recording for us the practice and teaching of Jesus and the practice of the early church.

Third, there is a perceptible pattern in Acts of the people praying together, the Spirit powerfully working, and the word going forth.  We see it in Acts 1-2 as the 120 pray, the Spirit comes in power, and the word is preached with 3000 people getting saved.  We see it again in Acts 4, as the church prays, the Spirit comes in power, and the people boldly proclaim the gospel.  In Acts 13, the church is praying, the Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas, and thousands will be saved through his missionary work. 

Perhaps we see few people saved today in many of our churches, because we aren’t devoting ourselves to praying together for the Spirit to powerfully work.  Not that we can force the Spirit’s hand, as if he has to act if we pray.  But if we don’t care enough to ask, why would we expect him to act?  If we try to do the ministry on our own without prayer, why would we expect God to bless our ministries?

These three patterns in Luke-Acts makes clear that devoting ourselves to praying together is prescriptive for us.  We are to follow the early church’s example.  What are we waiting for?

Acts Articles – Intro

On By BrianIn Book of Acts

In preparation for a new sermon series at my church, I have been studying the book of Acts.  It has been an exciting study so far.  I feel like I am breathing new air as I see what the church is called to be, what it should be, what it could be, what I hope it will be. 

In the following weeks, I want to explore several inter-related themes found in Acts.  These include Jesus, witness, Spirit, prayer, suffering, church, and the Word.  If we put all the themes together we find that the church is called to be witnesses pointing to Jesus through the Word in the power of the Spirit and in the context of prayer and suffering.  As the church fulfills this mission, Jesus is acting and speaking through us.  I look forward to unpacking this with you, as well as exploring a few other themes that come up along the way.