What an exciting moment! Because of jealousy with the religious leaders, “they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison” (Acts 5:18). I think the apostles had a very different view of prison than most of us in the West. They knew their purpose and they knew the power of God in them. Whether in prison or out, they were confident of the outcome. “During the night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life” (5:19-20).
Going right back into that hostile environment for most of us would be very intimidating. Having the angel of the Lord open those prison doors may have been a shock to the guards and rulers, but for the apostles it was a confirmation that God was with them. On top of that, the command to “GO” back and “speak to the people all the words of this Life” was another proof of the power of God through the Word of God. Confidence is never in ourselves, but in what God has given us in His Word and by His Spirit for doing His will. The apostles are challenged again before the council. Their authority to persevere was in the Word and the Holy Spirit. That is why they answered the council, “We must obey God rather than men” (5:29). This is followed by another reminder to the rulers of God’s purpose in the death of Jesus, and that through Him God will “give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him” (5:31-32). Are you a witness to the power on God by living “the words of this Life”?
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I know of nothing more important in ministry than knowing the power of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and the power of God’s word spoken in the power of the Holy Spirt. The Early Church understood this. The council that put Peter and John on trial “charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard”” (Acts 4:18-20). Notice where Peter and John saw final authority!
This injunction from the council did not stop these men! As soon as they were released, “they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them…they lifted their voices together to God” (4:23-24) – an on-the-spot prayer meeting! There was no hesitation in seeking divine help. But here is the critical point of this event. There was no prayer asking for God to move them to an easier place of ministry, or revenge on their oppressors. No feeling sorry for themselves or decisions to pull back from public witnessing. “And now Lord…grant to Your servants to continue to speak Your Word with all boldness…and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the Word of God with boldness” (4:29, 31). These are persons who knew the power of the Word from experience in their own lives and the Spirit’s power that sent them to preach in His power. When did you last pray for this kind of boldness? Questions often open doors for further questions and explanations. One thing I have learned over the years that has been so valuable to conversation on the Scriptures is to encourage persons to ask questions which I will usually answer with a question to either challenge them to think deeper or examine their own assumptions. After the lame man in Acts 3 is healed, Peter and John are brought before the religious council; “their rulers and elders and scribes…with Annas the high priest” (4:5-6). Their first question is; “By what power or by what name did you do this?” (4:7).
Peter is very careful to answer in two ways: 1) a direct answer – “by the name of Jesus Christ [the Messiah] of Nazareth [a despised place], whom you crucified [their own rejection], whom God raised from the dead [a witnessed fact that could not be denied]” (4:10), 2) and by a response from Scripture; “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone [head of the corner]” (4:11. Psalm 118:22). In other words, Peter is reminding these rulers that their rejection of their Messiah was foretold hundreds of years before. They now had a choice. They would either allow the prophetic word to stand true about them and be condemned by it, or they could let the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, arrest them and deliver them from sin and unbelief. My dear friend, the power of God’s Word will either seal your judgment or deliver from the past (whatever has held you in bondage) and give you freedom in Christ. Will you resist the Spirit or will you let His power in the Word set you free and place your life on the foundation of truth? What amazing power through convicting words! Peter and John had just come from the temple in Jerusalem where God heard them call on “the name of Jesus Christ” to heal a lame man. People seeing what took place “were filled with wonder and amazement…utterly astounded ran together to them” (Acts 3:10-11). With a crowd gathering like this, Peter is very wisely led by the Spirit to respond to their curiosity. It was not a time for another miracle.
To correct any misunderstanding the people might have had about this healing, Peter “addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk (3:12). This was a moment to proclaim the power of God and the truth that they had killed the “Author of life” - Jesus (3:15). Through their ignorance, what took place in the death of Jesus, “God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (Anointed One) would suffer, He thus fulfilled” (3:18). There can only be one response to the convicting words of Scripture: “REPENT…AND TURN BACK, THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT” (3:19). In a few verses later, Luke records that “many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of men came to about five thousand” (4:4). Peter was absolutely right in turning their attention from the miracle to the power of the Word. God uses miracles, but transformation of the heart comes from the power of God’s Word. Many emphasize miracles, but fail to realize that any miracle which is truly the power of God only happens so the heart is drawn to the person of Jesus and the Word of God. There is no question that the Holy Spirit filled the apostles and gave them power as they spoke the Word of God from the Scriptures. This brought transformation! Starting with this blog, I hope to write a mini-series reviewing some of the events in Acts where it is clear that this took place. I often wonder why churches today turn to gimmicks and man-made methods to allure people into church buildings and then give them a watered-down message that is hardly the pure gospel. What would happen in churches and mission endeavors if we returned to dependence on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God ONLY, for results?
That statement might seem harsh until you read the entire sermon given by Peter (Acts 2:14-36). The effectiveness of God’s Word through this apostle is evident in the response; “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”” (2:37). The conviction God brought to those listening was not a mental exercise, but a ‘cutting of the heart’. This is what the Word of God should be doing when it is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. Their question, “what shall we do?” shows they were not satisfied just to feel conviction, but the conviction in their hearts demanded action, a change of life. The Word of God and the Spirit of God in preaching the gospel will not leave us as we were. There must be transformation! Peter answers their question; “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (2:38). True repentance causes those hearing to identify immediately through baptism with the Person who saved them from sin and hell. Receiving the Holy Spirit is the immediate, God-given power to live transformed in a new relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Anything less is powerless and leaves persons where they were. As Paul spends time at Ephesus, a very important lesson is learned by some who were not seeking to learn anything. Some Jews who knew that “God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hand of Paul” (Acts 19:11), took it upon themselves “to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits” (19:13). This did not go well for them as they were “overpowered” by the man with the evil spirit. What made the difference between Paul and these men? They used the name of the Lord Jesus as Paul did. Wasn’t that enough?
There is a major difference between knowing a method and having a personal relationship with the Person whose name carries with it the power to accomplish a miracle. Paul knew the Person! They only wanted the fame from doing a miracle with a method. This stark difference is witnessed by those in Ephesus watching these things take place. “And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled” (19:17b). Notice carefully: Paul was not exalted by the people, but the Lord Jesus, even though God used Paul as His instrument. This must be the governing principle in every ministry – that the name of Jesus in lifted up, not the servant or instrument! I am becoming more and more captivated by the unique ways Paul went from one missionary trip to another with intense focus on preparing others to carry on his work. Leaving Antioch for his third push westward, he visits Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Antioch (Pisidia) for the fourth and last time. Previous trips to these places produced true disciples in Gaius (Derby), Timothy (Lystra), Titus (Antioch). On his second missionary trip, more disciples became part of his team; Aristarchus and Secundus (Thessalonica), and Sopater (Berea)*. It is very possible that some, if not all, of these men met Paul while he preached and taught in Ephesus. “He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). This met with stubborn unbelief which caused Paul to “withdraw from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning (included discussions) daily in the hall of Tyrannus” (19:9). Paul is unmoved by the public opposition. He is thinking long term by training and preparing disciples who will carry on the work after he is gone. The hall of Tyrannus becomes that place where these men and others are trained for two years (three years in Ephesus, the longest stay in any one place). What is the immediate benefits of Paul’s determination to press on in spite of difficulties? “All the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (19:10). This happened without any preplanned program, budget or mission board. That is a fruitful, effective ministry! What makes you press on in the face of difficulties? Before you answer that question, turn to chapter 18:9-10 and read carefully. *Edwards, Gene, Revolutionary Bible Study, SeedSowers Publishing, 2009, page 191. One of the goals of this ministry is to take persons in the church, whether they are already involved in ministry or not, and establish their souls on a biblical foundation so they can be more effective through knowing the Scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit.
There is an example of this in Acts 18 that illustrates this principle. Aquila and Priscilla had joined Paul and became very useful to him. On one occasion, they heard Apollos speaking and discerned that he needed to be discipled so his preaching would become more effective. Aquila and Priscilla “took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (18:26). This type of concern for others in the church requires several attitudes on both sides. · Aquila and Priscilla were willing to serve someone else and make them more effective in God’s work. · Though Apollos was “competent in the Scriptures” (18:24), he needed and was willing to receive instruction from Spirit filled disciple-makers. · We are not told how long the mentoring lasted, but Apollos was ready to take the time learning “the way of God more accurately”. What is the result of this time away from ministry? “When he arrived [in Achaia], he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus” (18:27b–28). Often, we meet resistance when offering to help persons return to the Scriptures. But there are some who see the need of assistance and open their hearts, so God the Spirit does a mighty work in them in preparation for what He will do through them. Whichever end of this spectrum you may be, I want to encourage you to be an Aquila, Priscilla or an Apollos. God is looking for teachable persons who can be equipped to teach those who are faithful in teaching others who are faithful… (2 Timothy 2:2). Over the years we keep returning to special accounts in Scripture that speak so clearly of the principles that God used in the Early Church and still wants to use today. One of those accounts is the apostle Paul. His conversion in Acts 9 yields insights that continually teach us of the ways God uses to expand the gospel. Shortly after Saul’s conversion, he remained “some days…with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogue, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed” (9:19b-20).
Saul had no formal training after his encounter with Jesus. There were not Bible Colleges or Seminaries to send him off to. “But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ” (9:22). Where did this power come from? How did he have such ability to speak with convincing evidence about Jesus when days before he was set on wiping out the name and those who followed it? There is one more element that is part of the answer. Ananias was very much opposed to Saul’s conversion because of his track record. But the Lord assured Ananias that this man was destined to be a powerful witness in unusual places. As Ananias receives this instruction from the Lord, he “departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road…has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (9:17). Saul would not be an effective and powerful preacher without the Holy Spirit filling him. Neither will you. We must renew our passion for Him in our lives, churches and ministry if we are going to expect God to do a fresh work through us in spreading the gospel. God is often behind the scenes, allowing events and circumstances to fulfill His purpose in the most unlikely places. This was especially true in the Early Church. About seven years after the Spirit came at Pentecost, and as the church in Jerusalem was seeing exponential growth, persecution hit them in unexpected ways. Stephen, a man “full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 7:3), preached a powerful, convicting message that resulted in his stoning. His convicting words inflamed “a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles” (8:1).
Unless you keep reading, you might think that this turn of events stopped the preaching of the gospel. Were the apostles the only ones who could faithfully and powerfully preach the gospel? Stephen was not one of the original apostles and he was killed for preaching. The natural reaction is that no one would dare risk their life after these events in chapter seven for fear of meeting the same end. But keep reading! “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word” (8:4). No formal education on how to evangelize or preach, no human appointments, and no directive from the church in Jerusalem. JUST GOD WORKING THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THEM! IT WAS SPONTANEOUS! I fear that, even in myself, we interpret difficult circumstances as a reason to stop or divert the work of God. Hearts that are yielded to the Holy Spirit will let His work continue spontaneously even in the most trying times. The result? “There was much joy in that city” (in Samaria) (8:8). |
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