Amazing Grace

The Church was characterized by JOY, SIMPLICITY, and UNITY. These wonderful descriptive words ought to characterize every Church and as I have been praying for us these past weeks, these words have become what I pray God would develop and protect in our Church.

Dr. Luke includes two historical events that allow us to place Acts on the timeline. In chapter 11 we have a prophecy regarding a great famine during the reign of Claudius (11:28) and in chapter 12 we have the unforgettable death of Herod (12:23). These events frame yet another imprisonment of Peter and a -- how shall we call it -- faithless prayer meeting. Since Christ died somewhere in the years 32-34 AD, that means that Luke has covered the first fifteen years of the Church.
He has introduced Stephen, Saul and Phillip into the narrative. Saul, who is named Paul by chapter 13, becomes the major focus of the second half of the book of Acts. We will cover four chapters of material this morning as we follow God’s pursuit of this man of Tarsus. By all definitions a religious fanatic; a zealot; or in our modern vernacular: a terrorist.

Graceless Unbelief [8-9]
We are introduced to this man at the stoning of Stephen with a simple sentence: he approved of the stoning and held the mob’s coats, while they murdered a man - unlawfully. He is then described as “ravaging the Church” (8:3), which causes gospel multiplication. Saul asks for letters to find anyone “of the way” in Damascus. Here is a man foaming at the mouth against the Church (9:1). There is no faith. There is no grace. He is blinded to the grace of God in Christ.

Unbelievable Grace [9-13]
And then the road to Damascus. He is pursued by Christ and stopped dead in his tracks. “Why do you persecute me?” This proud, angry, zealous man is reduced to a shaking, bewildered heap. His recorded response? “What do you want me to do?” He is left blind and dependent upon the courage of Ananias - a follower of the way in Damascus - to come and touch his eyes. Verse 18 describes him regaining his sight as: “scales fell off his eyes.” Isn’t that the truth? He has been blind, but now he can see. He stands up and the first thing he desires is to be baptized. To testify to the change that Christ made in his heart.
Luke adds that he “immediately” preaches Christ in the synagogues. And here is the irony: the persecutor is now persecuted… he has to flee Damascus… at nightfall and in a basket let down along the outside of the city wall. The Jews want him dead. He is even persecuted (spiritually) by the Apostles, who don’t trust his conversion. In Jerusalem, he preaches to the Greeks and they want to kill him. So he is sent to Caesarea and eventually he ends up in Tarsus.

Paul shares his testimony with his disciple in 1 Timothy 1:12-17.
It is God’s unbelievable grace that saves this graceless unbeliever and it is spectacular… perhaps the greatest miracle recorded in Acts. The persecutor of Christ becomes the persecuted for Christ. And God still saves today… even in modern, graceless, unbelieving western society. Do you believe that?
Pray for it. Expect it. Don’t pray like the Church prayed for Peter to be released from prison… saying the words, but not expecting God to do more than we ask or pray.

When God wants to change something

The Church was characterized by JOY, SIMPLICITY, and UNITY. These wonderful descriptive words ought to characterize every Church and as I have been praying for us these past weeks, these words have become what I pray God would develop and protect in our Church.

Dr. Luke has introduced Stephen, Saul and Phillip into the narrative. Saul is framed by these two witnesses and will become the major focus of the second half of the book of Acts. Before we can turn our attention to the greatest missionary this world has ever known, we need to notice a major change in the development of the Church. Luke devotes a lot of space to two major transitions in the multiplication of the gospel witness. It is Peter that takes center stage and the Church will never be the same.

A Church in Samaria [8]
It was Phillip’s work that introduces the gospel to Samaria. Chapter 8 captures his ministry in just a few verses (5-8) and shifts the focus back to the Apostles, who hear about this developing Church in Samaria. They decide to investigate - not to denounce what is going on, but to confirm what has happened. Peter and John are sent and recognize God’s work among these Jews-Arab believers. Without any recorded discussion Peter and John pray that God would allow these brothers and sisters (notice the emphasis in verse 12) to receive the Holy Spirit.
Simon, the sorcerer - a recent convert - asks if he can have this power. Was he really converted? That is a source of major discussion and we just really don’t know enough information to answer that. Peter’s rebuke is very instructive though and warns against the commercialization of the Holy Spirit. The prosperity gospel movement and faith healing ministries should pay special attention to this rebuke. Do not commercialize the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Peter does not mince words and the narrative closes with the Apostles returning to Jerusalem and evangelizing “many Samaritan villages.” It does make me wonder whether John visited the same village he has asked Jesus if he could call fire down upon for their rejection of Jesus. What a change of heart!

Faith in Caesarea [10-11]
Peter is recorded as traveling around - it seems in the footsteps of Phillip, the evangelist - in Judea. He heals a paralytic in Lydda and raises Tabitha from the dead in Joppa. What is significant about these events are verses 35 and 42… people believe in the Lord! Peter is being used by God in mighty ways in the villages of Judea.
Then everything slows down. The pace of Acts has been fast - one story after another, leading to more and more exciting things. And now 48 very repetitive verses tell us about the Centurion. He has a dream (or a vision), Peter has a dream (or a vision) - in fact Peter has three… he needs some convincing! Luke takes a lot of tiem to develop that this is God’s doing… He is bringing these men together.
Peter goes with them to Caesarea and the Centurion repeats his dream and Peter draws his conclusion in verse 34: God is doing away with the division between clean and unclean. Then he shares the gospel and when He gets to Christ and the forgiveness of sins -while Peter is still speaking - they receive the Holy Spirit and start speaking in tongues. God is the one that has initiated everything here and the Jewish believers are astonished… and here is their conclusion: the Holy Spirit has come upon them too! Peter asks if there can be any objection to their baptism, which there is not.
In Acts 11 Peter is called to defend this Gentile salvation experience. He does by recounting everything for us again! He focuses on what God has done and what Scripture says.


So why did the baptism of the Spirit not come right away? Many have read 8:17 and said that the baptism of the Holy Spirit only comes through the laying on of hands. A simple comparison of four texts show that this is not true (2, 8, 10, 19), but does indicate that twice the Holy Spirit does not come until a Apostle “authorizes” it. And here it is Peter in Samaria and Caesarea that is present when new boundaries are crossed… to the half-Jews and to the Gentiles. Why Peter? Perhaps because he was singles out by Christ is feed and watch over the sheep. What is significant is that these events lead to the unification of the Church and not the fragmentation and development of separate Churches. God shows the Jews that are present every single time that God has moved across this line and is welcoming these believers into the fold.

Transition… or let’s just call it change… is hard. We learn two lessons from Peter and we ought to do as He did:
Obey God’s revealed will.
Now I used the word ‘revelation’ on purpose. God revealed through a dream/vision to Peter, but God has revealed much, much more to us in the Word of God. In Bible Study on Wednesday night we learned there were many partial revelations that came during this transitionary period in the Church’s history, but that it would be replaced by a complete revelation (that is: everything that God wants us to know): the Word of God. (2 Tim. 3:16, 1 Pet. 1:3) Now here it is… are you obeying what God has already revealed in Scripture?
Be sensitive to God’s leading.
Peter was ready to acknowledge where God was working. Now we should never follow feelings or liver shivers… through prayer we remain connected to God’s will and then we learn to see where God is working and how He is moving us. We ought always, however, submit what we see and feel to what God’s work says… which is where Peter ends up when he is called to defend himself in Jerusalem (11:16)

Learn to trust your unchangeable God as He uses changing circumstances to move you into His eternal plan.

** Eerste 5 minuten van de preek zijn niet opgenomen. **

Dangers for a Growing Church

Dr. Luke presents the growing testimony of Christ and a pattern emerges in Acts: this testimony is received with FAITH by some and ANIMOSITY by others. This multiplication of the witness to Christ has its affects inside and outside the walls of this young Church. In chapters 2-6 we encounter descriptions of these young believers that encourage and challenge us and we can mark a few very real and present dangers for a growing Church.

Marks of the Believers [2-4]
In two passages this young group of believers in Jerusalem is described: 2:41-47 and 4:31-37. It is significant to note how this new group of believers is characterized: JOY, SIMPLICITY, UNITY. These are surely concepts that every Church would like to include in the words that describe us.
>> Studying Scripture [2:42a, 4:33] They remained devoted to studying Scripture. This verb captures a continued effort (present, active) and means to remain faithful to something or someone.
>> Fellowship and Prayer [2:42b, 4:31] They devote themselves to assembling together and a thread through all of Acts is that the believers pray together continually.
>> Generosity [2:44-45, 4:32, 34-35] These believers share one another’s physical burdens. They are even willing to sell property to share in the needs.

Dangers for the Believers [4-6]
The latter chapters describe some dangers for this group of believers. In Chapter 5 we read the well-known account of Ananias and Saphira. A couple that decides together they will lie to the Apostles - and to God - and try to make themselves look better than they are. Then at the back end of chapter 5 all the Apostles are rounded up and thrown in jail. And in chapter six a conflict rears its ugly head regarding the daily distribution of food to the needy.
There where believers are committed to Scripture and obeying God´s Word, the temptation will come to take the shortcut and pretend to be spiritual. There where prayer unites the Church around common goals, circumstances will try and tear us apart and keep us from each other. There where strong spiritual community develops, the enemy will sow seed of dissent to break the common bond.
God shows in His swift judgment of A&S that sin is still a serious problem and should not be trifled with. God shows that He is still in sovereign control and that even when the leaders are captured, His will will prevail. God grants wisdom to the Apostles to "keep the main thing the main thing" and teaches the Church to delegate these opportunities for service.

Five Lessons we may learn from this Growing Church:
>> Be committed to Corporate Bible Study
>> Long for Fellowship in Prayer
>> Increase your Generosity
>> Fear the consequences of hypocrisy
>> Entrust Church tasks to God-fearing believers.

This multiplies OBEDIENCE, UNITY, COMMUNITY, FRUITFULNESS, and SERVICE.

Acts chapter 2 is a familiar passage to us. We generally return here every year at Pentecost and celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. So, I don’t want to belabor the text this morning, but I don’t want to gloss over it either. There are a few significant matters that I want to note about verses 1-13.

Pentecost in the Old Testament
Pentecost comes from the Greek word for fifty and follows the count of 50 days after Passover (Leviticus 23). The Feast of Weeks is the second of three Pilgrim feasts. Pentecost comes at the end of Barley harvest to thank God for His care and provision.
In Exodus 19 we read that the Israelites reached Mount Sinai in the third month after leaving Egypt. Rabbi’s calculated that God gave the law, then, during the Feasts of Weeks. One of the Jewish sacred texts (Jubilees) describes how the thanksgiving during the Feast of Weeks was expanded to include gratitude for God’s care and provision in giving the law.
Finally, according to Jewish oral tradition (the Midrash), when God gave the law on Mount Sinai the people saw sound waves of fire spread over the people and rest above their heads to personally give the law to each Israelite. God also spoke in 70 languages, to indicate it was meant for all peoples. Now, it is not significant whether this truly happened, because it is not described in Scripture. What is significant is that God-fearing Jews (the people present on this day in Acts) would have known this oral tradition and this is how we should approach the text.
The God-fearing Jews would have made connections between the giving of the law and what was happening here… God is giving us something.

He comes into dwell in Hearts [2:1-13]
The coming of the Holy Spirit is spectacular. It begins VISUALLY. There is the sound of rushing wind. I find it noteworthy that the sound is emphasized, not the wind. Perhaps this is a reference to John 20 when Christ teaches His disciples about the Comforter and blows on them. Perhaps the significance is in the sound.
Then there is the fire. Fire signifies the presence of God in the Old Testament, the burning bush, the pillar of fire and the fire that burns the peak of Mt. Sinai (Ex. 3, 13, 19). But God makes the giving of the Holy Spirit visual, so that everyone might know what He is doing: the fire divides and rests above every believer and they are FILLED with the Holy Spirit. Just like Jesus said they would be. The Comforter is given to each of His disciples in that upper room. Then He VERIFIES the giving of the Holy Spirit with an unmistakable sign: speaking in foreign languages. This is a point that cannot be argues any other way… the disciples spoke known languages that were unknown to the speaker. Why does God do this? He enables His disciples to explain what is happening to the God-fearing Jews in their own tongue. This could not be misunderstood. Paul quotes Isaiah in 1 Corinthians 14:20-22 that God would speak to His people in foreign tongues because they did not listen to the prophets’ warnings. This is what He does here.
The New Covenant comes into focus here: God promised that He would establish a new covenant with His people, giving them a heart of flesh, sending His Spirit to dwell within His people and write His law upon their hearts. This is exactly what takes place… God’s Spirit comes to dwell in human hearts. That requires a change of heart and God would forgive their sins (Jeremiah 31:33-34, Ezekiel 11:19-20, 36:26-27). The New Covenant - in His blood - is fulfilled at the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Is this PREscriptive or DEscriptive? There are some that say that faith is followed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and that you must speak in tongues as the external evidence. They teach Acts 2 is prescriptive. The context argues against this, though. People ask what they should do and Peter tells them to repent and be baptized and they will receive forgiveness of sins and the promise of the Holy Spirit. That is New Covenant language (forgiveness and the Spirit). Nowhere does the text say that the converts speak in tongues. Verse 41 underscores that the signs are performed by the apostles and not the new converts. There is an external sign given of internal faith: baptism.

He comes to work in Hearts [2:14-4:31]
WITNESS. Peter preaches three times in the following chapters and each time He centers the response on repentance. This brings us to an important question: is baptism necessary for salvation? It appears that Peter makes this point in 2:38. Linguistically this doesn’t work, but perhaps a comparison with his other sermons will help us. In 4:19 he gives the same invitation, however this time he says nothing about baptism. In speaking to the High Priest he centers his defense on the need for repentance and does not mention baptism. Baptism does not lead to anything, except a public declaration and witness of God’s New Covenant work in your heart.

FAITH. After Peter’s first sermon 3000 believe. After Peter’s second sermon they stop counting everyone and only mention 5000 men. This is a matter of days or weeks and the circle of believers is multiplying. After his second sermon Peter is being taken away in handcuffs and people still get saved. The Holy Spirit not only empowers His disciples for witness, He is changing the hearts of hearers and taking up residence there as well.

Peter appears before the same men that questioned and arranged Christ’s crucifixion six weeks earlier. This is where Peter denied Christ… and now - filled with the Holy Spirit - Peter gives an incredibly bold witness to Christ. And - I love this reaction - they notice that they had been with Christ (4:13). Now that is where this became personally convicting for me. Should I not walk in the Spirit in such a way that our opponents recognize that I have been with Christ?

Psalm 110
Matteus 22:42-45
2 Petrus 3:8-14