Acts (2010)

Paul and Barnabas Bear Witness to God’s Grace Fleeing Iconium one step ahead of a murderous plot against them, Paul and Barnabas arrive in Lystra. There they heal a crippled man. The pagan crowds see this and go wild, wanting to worship them as gods with parades and sacrifices. Paul seizes the opportunity to tell them the gospel. Since the people have no Jewish background, Paul must start at ground zero with their innate understanding of God through creation. This lesson answers many questions relevant to our lives today. What does Paul mean when he says this man was crippled from his mother's womb? Is he implying that life begins at conception? Why isn't everyone healed? How should the gospel be presented to those who have no background in reference to the true God? How can creation be used as a tool when we are talking about God to multi-cultural, multi-religious people like the ones we encounter in our daily lives?

As the church expands, we see a trend toward the future disconnect of Christian Jews as a sect meeting in the synagogue. The move is from a Jewish framework to a Gentile framework. Great multitudes of Jews and Gentiles in Iconium responded to Paul’s message in their synagogue. The Jews who were not obedient to the message of God’s grace stirred up a serious division. Paul and Barnabas had to flee to Lystra and Derbe where they continued to preach the gospel. Study all that is understood in the word believe. Is the word here for unbelieving the opposite of believing? How is this word translated in other passages?

As we see Paul focus on the gospel with the Jews in Antioch in Pisidia, we should be aware of some modern evangelistic challenges seen through a comparison of Lordship Salvation and Free Grace. Those in Paul’s audience knew the scriptures, so it was effective for him to string together prophesies pointing to Christ. Review many of these Old Testament promises and see the familiar terms imputation, justification, forgiveness, propitiation, righteousness, and Christ the Servant. How does the resurrection seal the fulfillment of the Messianic prophesies? Do these Jews respond to Paul’s message?

In this section Paul continues the gospel message to these Jews by shifting to the Davidic Covenant, a promise which was very familiar to them. Review the Davidic Covenant which is an elaboration of the seed promise in the Abrahamic Covenant. Walk back through numerous Old Testament Messianic passages that address Israel’s future hope in turning to God, His restoration of the Land and promise to David of an eternal kingdom through his seed. See how directly Paul addresses these Jews on the basis of their well-known scripture and the unquestionable ways Paul presents to them, through recognition of the promise of the Davidic Covenant, that these things are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Scripture has seen many translations. The study of the origins of these translations is key to understanding their accuracy related to the inspired text. Here Paul presents Jesus to a Jewish audience, weaving Old Testament promises through his message which are fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Could a fuzzy translation compromise the fact that these verses are meant to be Messianic? Take a careful look at the clarity of promise in these Messianic passages. Develop the meaning of begotten, the shared natures of God and His Son, the timing of the Messiah’s reign on earth and the imagery in these passages which present Jesus as Messiah and clearly show His relationship to the Father.

Paul is giving the gospel to Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the local synagogue. Paul addresses them within the framework of their familiar as he anchors his message deeply within scripture, stressing their understanding of forgiveness of sin and justification. If it were only that easy to approach an unbeliever today, one who had such a deep knowledge of scripture. This is highly unlikely. Our approach must confront the realities of their position. The optimal starting point is for us to be profoundly familiar with the Word and to have a developed relationship with our audience. Paul will show us how to deal with a variety of circumstances so that we will have a pattern from which to launch our own approach and the assurance that rugged roadblocks aren’t necessarily terminal.

The gift of prophesy still existed in Acts before direct revelation ceased after the Canon was complete. The Holy Spirit, in specific divine guidance, actually called out Barnabas and Saul (who certainly had this gift), to take the gospel to these destinations. Learn the meaning of Saul’s name and the significance of his new name. Travel their path; encounter their resistance and the positive response. Learn about how the synagogue functioned. See how Paul spoke to these Jews, encapsulating Jewish history and focus in few words and introducing its long-awaited fulfillment through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We learn that evangelism may be most effective when the presentation is specific to the hearer.

Our scene is in Antioch in a well-established, conservative congregation, about 15 years after Pentecost. Antioch thrives with commerce and the decadent culture of the times. It also has a large Jewish population, within which are Christians, viewed as a sect of Judaism. Teachers and prophets gather to minister to the Lord and fast. What does it mean to minister to the Lord? What does fasting accomplish? Today a fast can be an initiation into a weight-loss program, a systemic purge, a social protest or a mystical manipulation of God. What was fasting about as it was practiced scripture? Is it a prescribed ritual for us? Is Biblical fasting an anachronistic term in our modern culture. Should we fast?

Acts is a transition, a historical narrative that is descriptive, not a prescriptive pattern of what happens in the Church today. The phenomena of the church growth movement in the late 60s based church growth on sociological issues and stressed experience as a validation of the Bible. As is often the case with Satan’s plan, this method seemed to work. But understand fully the instruction Jesus gives Peter to feed His lambs while He builds the church. Jesus doesn’t tell Peter to manage an organization through techniques in church growth, but instructs him to proclaim and teach. Review Paul’s journeys and allow instruction from his many discourses to teach us how we can maximize our approach with the message of God’s Word to people in our lives with differing backgrounds. Also includes John 21:15-17

These Apostles fulfilled Jesus’ mandate to take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the world. The focus of our documentation of the church, after it spread from Jerusalem, was to the west. We lose access to documents from the Eastern Church, but there are ancient records with information that can be considered, but not always reliable. Follow the biographical information available for these Apostles from scripture and historical tradition. Learn what we can know of their lives, the area of their ministries, confusions that may have been caused by names, relationships and martyrdoms. Erase any doubt with the understanding that Judas Iscariot was not a believer. As church age believers, what is our mandate?

An apostle is someone who is sent. Some who were commissioned as apostles were sent out by congregations. We rely on scripture, historical sources, geographical sources, tradition and legend to map their routes and follow their personal stories. Find out which sources are more reliable and why. We DO know these martyred Apostles had a faith so certain that they were willing to give their lives to testify to its truth. Sort out each James to clarify his identity and his role in scripture: James, the brother of John; James, the son of Alpheus; James, the Lesser; and James, the brother of Jesus. What is it about Matthew that would make it out of the ordinary that he was so quick to follow Jesus?

Disciple is not always a synonym for believer. It’s also used for a committed believer and other times it’s used for the original twelve apostles. There are early, non-scriptural manuscripts that give us an idea about the apostles’ lives and their martyrdom. Andrew, the first apostle Jesus called, was Peter’s brother. After Andrew heard from John the Baptist that Jesus was the Lamb of God, he told Peter they had found the Messiah. Andrew was the quieter of the two, usually mentioned as Peter’s brother. Learn about Andrew’s travels east and possibly north, his crucifixion on an “X”-shaped cross, the disposition of his remains and his connection to Scotland. Finally, discover evidence of Bartholomew’s identification with Nathaniel, his travels to India and his martyrdom.

A commentary on the election presents the sad state of our republic and its worldview shift away from the purposes of our founding fathers. The realization is we have come full circle into the final cycle of civilization. The solution is not a shift of circumstantial issues but a crisis-driven hope in the truth of God’s Word to shine as a light in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation. The apostles lived in a degenerate, hostile environment, and except for John, lost it all, were tortured, and died as martyrs. Peter was a commercial fisherman, living on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He met Jesus through his brother Andrew. Peter’s home was the base of operation for Jesus in the area and many miracles took place there. Peter is representative of many men, impulsive, assertive, loyal and prone to get his eyes on circumstance. But Peter spoke profound truths and Jesus set him apart as a leader. Learn about Peter as the small rock and Jesus as the chief cornerstone, and about Peter’s travels to Babylo

It is Christ who builds the church through the Holy Spirit. If the pastor and congregation are obedient, the Church is protected. This doesn’t mean horrific things won’t happen. Our role in God’s plan is crucial and our focus may not always be clear, though His is. Our walk is one of faith. Our God will take care to preserve and protect us in spite of men’s accomplishments, personalities, methods and false success. As opposition to the Church in Jerusalem moves into the arena of government, look into the genealogy of the Herods, and how, in spite of their despicable rule and degenerate character, God grows His Church. The Church didn’t escape suffering, but in that suffering God performed miracles that gave no doubt who was in charge and who would persevere in Truth.

Our passage backtracks in time to the scattering of believers after the persecution of Stephen. It is God who expands His Church. Compare God’s progress report on the expansion of His early Church to today’s Church Growth Movement and the compromises necessary to post growing numbers as an indication of success. Is it human methodology or transforming Truth that grows God’s Church? Learn the history of Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch where the Jewish believers fled and evangelized to the Jews. Follow Barnabas, the encourager, sent from Jerusalem to Antioch where he summons Paul for help and where the followers of Christ were first called Christians. See how the Church supports its own when Jerusalem suffers famine. Understand the focus of real growth in God’s plan for His Church. Hear an answer to claims of those who have “been to heaven and back” and write a book about it.

Jewish religious practice at this time observed strict separation from Gentile culture, even though the Jews did have a level of missionary activity. To disrupt centuries of tradition was truly revolutionary. Peter’s encounter with Cornelius, carefully orchestrated and revealed by God, signals a complete change of direction from strict observance of the law exclusive to the Jew, to universal inclusion of the Gentile in Grace. Peter had to contemplate the enormity of this change, but lost no time in obeying God and going to Cornelius in Caesarea. Cornelius and his family responded to Peter’s revelation of Truth. See how Cornelius and his family acted to fulfill God’s sign to the Jew of a judgment to come for national rejection of their Messiah.

Follow the geographical route taken to fulfill God’s promise to Abraham that through him all nations will be blessed. In these cities Peter makes it clear he is healing in the power of Jesus Christ. Peter is establishing his credentials with the same sorts of commands Jesus used to heal. The result was, “Many believed in the Lord.” Must you also ask Jesus into your heart? Does the fact that Peter is staying with Simon the Tanner reveal anything about Peter that shows he is accepting changes that are moving away from Jewish ritual? Meet Cornelius: his occupation, his home, his spiritual status, and his response to the angel he encounters.

This section of Acts shifts focus to Peter and his preparation to present salvation to the Gentiles. See how and where God leads Peter into Gentile territory armed with his apostolic credentials. In whose name does Peter use these credentials? Look at parallel passages where Jesus heals and why the Jews should have understood these miracles as signs revealing Jesus as Messiah. How does healing in the Old Testament become another link connecting the signs the Jews refused to see? How does Peter’s vision in chapter 10 reveal a new direction from Law to grace in an entirely new focus that reaches out to Gentiles who want to know God?

The conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus is the historical account of an event that had enormous consequences for the Church. Paul’s entourage witnessed this event on their way to round up and persecute believing Jews. Saul was blinded, emotionally stunned, and intellectually challenged. Intense prayer and fasting were the result of Saul’s narrowed focus on the ramifications of this event. After strengthening with food, Saul immediately preached Christ in the synagogues. What does it mean to “preach Christ?” What is the difference between preaching and teaching? What was the response? What are the parallels in Paul’s message and the first message of Jesus when He taught in Nazareth? What is the importance of our physical and spiritual strengthening to the message the Church carries to the world?