Acts (2010)

There was a positive response to the gospel message in Samaria. In Acts 8:13 Simon the sorcerer also believed. When Peter and John came from Jerusalem to lay hands on the believing Samaritans, they received the Holy Spirit. Simon thought this was great and offered money in order to profit himself from this phenomenon. Was Simon really saved? What did it mean when Peter told Simon he had neither part nor portion in this matter? How can we know that Simon’s belief was sufficient for his salvation?

Confusion around the Baptism of the Holy Spirit includes a definition, questions about when it happens, who is the agent who accomplishes it, how is it different from water baptism, is it an experience which can be felt, is it manifested by tongues, and how does it relate to relatively new Christian movements? Does the church age begin on a definitive date? If not, how does that relate to occurrences in Acts which seem different from doctrines in the Church age today? These questions and more are answered concerning the essential and important doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Syria under the Assad regime is clearly an enemy of the US and the west. However, there is much to this situation that is not explained in our media. Hear other dimensions to this problem in this class.

After Philip's successful evangelism in Samaria, Peter and John are sent by the apostles in Jerusalem to Samaria. Only then, after they have believed and received believer's baptism, do they receive the Holy Spirit. Why didn’t the Samaritans instantly receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation? Pastor Dean explains the four Pentecosts in Acts and the role speaking in tongues has, or may not have, in each. What is the purpose of speaking in tongues? How is it related to the Jews? Why was speaking in tongues not necessary at the Pentecost in Samaria?

Click here for the "Cruel Logic" YouTube video shown at the beginning of this class.

In Acts 1–7 we see the birth of the church, its growing pains and persecution by the Jewish leaders. By chapter 8, this persecution forces believers to leave Jerusalem and trust God to expand the church. The gospel spreads through Philip’s ministry. Saul is converted, but not trusted at first because of his history of persecution of the church. God leads Peter to the Gentile Cornelius who believed and received the Holy Spirit. Herod Agrippa instigates another reign of persecution but he soon dies and the Word of God “grew and multiplied.” It is God’s work to grow the church, not man’s accomplishment.

Passages in Stephen’s message are sometimes used by unbelievers as evidence of the Bible being full of contradictions. Inspiration and inerrancy of scripture is the cornerstone of belief in the Christian faith. Christians believe that the Bible is “God-breathed,” that the Holy Spirit supernaturally directed human writers in order that they “exhale” His Word exactly as God intended. This applies only to the original manuscripts. We no longer have these original documents, but Pastor Dean demonstrates how the discovery of what we do have can be discerned, compared and validated so that what might appear on the surface to be a discrepancy may be fit consistently with the inerrancy of the text without compromising the integrity of God's Word.