Well, I must say, Juanita, that was some kind
of introduction to glorious things of thee are
spoken. Actually, it was a, I think it was a
Mendelssohn sonata, wasn't it? At least that's
what John Benham told me. I would never have
known otherwise, except that I know I liked it.
Acts chapter 1. We begin today a series. which
will take us verse by verse through the book
of Acts. One will find no more dramatic, exciting,
and stimulating history anywhere in literature.
The book of Acts contains a main character, which
disappears from sight in the first few verses
of the book. and yet who acts to change the world
through his band of followers. In this book you
find the beginning of the most significant movement
in all of history, the Christian church. You
will find in these pages the conversion of a
leading opponent of the faith to become the leading
exponent of it in the last half. You find in
the book of Acts the growth of what was initially
a small tremor to become a ten -point earthquake
that shook the Roman Empire. This account of
the early church is not dry, dusty stuff, but
rather it is relevant to our day. in this 20th
century society in which we live. I quote the
words of Ray Steadman. Dr. E .M. Blakelock, longtime
professor of classics at the University of New
Zealand, has said, of all the centuries, the
20th is most like the first. Steadman continues,
despite the obvious technological differences,
which are certainly superficial, The truth of
Dr. Blakelock's statement can be demonstrated
in several ways, including the position of the
church in the world today. Twentieth -century
Christians confront a thoroughly secularized
and pagan world, just as the first -century Christians
did. Persecution of Christians in the twentieth
century is far more widespread and at least as
violent as it ever was in the first century.
The seeds of restless discontent have been widely
sown among the nations in our day, and people
everywhere are crying out for relief from the
sense of emptiness and despair which a widespread
materialism has produced. I believe that he is
right. And as a result of that, what the book
of Acts has to say regarding the first century
church is relevant and applicable to where we
are today in our lives. No book in the New Testament
is more critical to understand than the book
of Acts. You need to get a handle on what this
book is all about. Why, you say, do I need to
do that? Let me give you three reasons. These
reasons will be in the form of descriptions of
the book. As you understand these descriptions
of the book of Acts, it will be explained to
you why it is so important for you to get a handle
on the book. In the first place, the book of
Acts can be described as a book of history. Let's
turn to chapter 1 in the book and read the first
three verses. The first account I composed, Theophilus,
about all that Jesus began to do and teach until
the day when he was taken up, after he had, by
the Holy Spirit, given orders to the apostles
whom he had chosen. To these he also presented
himself alive after his suffering by many convincing
proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty
days and speaking of the things concerning the
kingdom of God. The book of Acts is, in the first
place, a book of history. The writer says, the
first account I composed. The word account means
narrative. The writer of the book is claiming
that this is a record and accounting, a narrative
of events. It is a book of history. It is a book
that was written by Luke, the physician, to...
a man by the name of Theophilus. Luke was not
only a physician, but he was a Gentile as well,
as is indicated in Colossians chapter 4, verses
11 through 14, where he is not listed as one
of the circumcision, that is, the Jews who followed
Paul. Rather, he was a Greek. It is likely that
he was converted through the ministry of the
Apostle Paul, perhaps in Paul's hometown of Tarsus
in Cilicia. I say that because there were only
three universities in that day where one could
receive medical training. They were Alexandria
in Egypt, Athens in Greece, and Tarsus in Cilicia,
where Paul was from and where he ministered for
a number of years quietly. And so it is likely
that during that period of time, he came across
this Gentile by the name of Luke and led him
to faith in Jesus, the Messiah of the Jews, the
Christ. Luke pens this history to one Theophilus,
who is unknown to us beyond what is said here
and in the first few verses of the Gospel of
Luke, which was also written to him. His name,
however, means dear to God or friend of God.
In Luke, Dr. Luke addresses Theophilus as most
excellent, which is a title used in the book
of Acts, again by Luke, of other Roman governors.
For example, Felix and Festus. Check out Acts
23, 26, 24, verse 3, and 26, verse 25. In those
cases, the same title is used of a governor,
and thus we think that Theophilus was likely
a Roman official of some sort, and perhaps a
new convert. In writing the book, Luke is recording
for him what happened in the early church. he
may well also be pinning an apologetic or a defense
of Christianity to the Roman government. For
there were those who tried to convince the Roman
government that the Christians were a force which
they should fear. And so Luke may well be writing
this book to assure the Roman government that
in fact Christians are loyal citizens of the
nation where they live. that is seen throughout
the book. Luke was a careful historian. In this
book, he records certain events in the lives
of certain apostles. He does not record all of
the events that occurred in the early church,
nor does he say anything about all of the apostles.
The book might better be called, as it is in
some Greek manuscripts, Acts of Apostles, rather
than The Acts of the Apostles, which implies
that it's complete. It is not. In fact, in this
book, there are only four apostles who are even
mentioned. Peter, of course, is one of the main
figures in the early chapters. John is mentioned
as being a companion of Peter, but he is never
recorded as having said anything. James is mentioned
briefly as having been martyred in Acts chapter
12. And then the bulk of the book is about the
Apostle Paul. And so those are the four apostles
who are mentioned in Acts of the Apostles. Although
this book is only a fragment of the total record,
within itself it is thorough, concise in exploring
its purpose. and well organized it is in fact
a brilliant recording of events by dr luke what
are luke's sources for writing this book where
did he get his information on chapters 1 through
15 it is likely that he interviewed people like
peter and paul and others and perhaps he took
advantage of existing church documents in those
days The Spirit of God led him in those interviews
so that in collecting his material, what he finally
wrote down is the infallible Word of God. And
then in chapters 16 through 28, Luke himself
was an eyewitness of many of the events. And
what he did not observe personally, he could
easily have learned from the Apostle Paul. Luke
became, as you probably know, a companion of
Paul in part of his missionary journeys. The
book of Acts is commonly divided into three parts,
chapters 1 -7, 8 -12, and 13 -28. The first division
centers around Jerusalem and Judea, where the
gospel was first preached by the apostles. Chapters
8 through 12, the gospel is preached to a broader
circle, encompassing Samaria especially. And
then in chapters 13 through 28, the gospel is
taken to the uttermost parts of the earth, as
our Lord commanded in chapter 1, verse 8. In
the first division, the gospel is given to the
Jews. The second division, chapters 8 through
12, it is given to half Jews. Half -Gentiles,
that is, the Samaritans. They were the descendants
of the northern kingdom of Israel who intermarried
with those who were brought into their land after
that northern kingdom went into captivity to
Assyria. So they were half -Jews, half -Gentiles,
rejected by the Jews in particular. And then
the last half of the book deals with the gospel
going primarily to the Gentiles. C .H. Turner
suggests a division of Acts which is a little
different. He says that there are six panels
of history, each of which concludes with a progress
report on how things are going. I want you to
follow this with me as we move through the book.
He says chapter 1 through chapter 6, verse 7
is the first panel, and it deals with what happened
at Jerusalem plus the preaching of Peter. And
notice how he ends this section, chapter 6, verse
7. Here is the progress report, which Turner
suggests. And the word of God kept on spreading,
and the number of the disciples continued to
increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many
of the priests were becoming obedient to the
faith. Then Turner suggests that beginning with
verse 8, there is a second panel of history.
which includes the spread of Christianity through
Palestine, the martyrdom of Stephen, followed
by the gospel being proclaimed in Samaria. And
he says the second panel concludes with chapter
9, verse 31. And here we have another progress
report. So the church throughout all Judea and
Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace being built
up. And going on in the fear of the Lord and
in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued
to increase. Isn't that interesting? And then
he says, beginning with the next verse, there's
a third panel, which covers the conversion of
the Apostle Paul, an extension of the church
to Antioch in Syria, and the conversion of the
Gentile Cornelius. And it concludes again with
a progress report in chapter 12, verse 24. But
the word of the Lord continued to grow and to
be multiplied. And then beginning with verse
25, there is a fourth panel of history which
talks about the gospel going into Asia Minor.
And it too concludes with a progress report in
chapter 16. Verse 5, so the churches were being
strengthened in the faith and were increasing
in number daily. In verse 6, there begins the
fifth panel of history, talking about the gospel
going to Europe and the great metropolitan areas
of that day. The summary is found in chapter
19, verse 20. The progress report here says,
so the word of the Lord was growing mightily
and prevailing. And the final panel then begins
with the next verse and concludes with chapter
28, verse 31, where it says that Paul was welcoming
all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of
God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ
with all openness unhindered. So I think that
is another interesting view of how the book fits
together. So why do we need to understand the
book of Acts and get a handle on it? Because
in the first place, it is a book of history.
It is a reminder to us that our faith has deep
historical roots. We do not follow some cleverly
devised tales, but rather we follow in the steps.
of some of history's most important and influential
people. And what we read furthermore in the history
of the early church stimulates us to desire for
God to work in mighty power in our day as this
age draws to its culmination and its close. As
we study the book of Acts, I believe our hearts
will begin to cry out and we will say, God, bring
this age to a close as you began it with the
church in victory and in the mighty power of
the Holy Spirit. There's a second reason it's
important for us to get a hold of the book of
Acts because of a second description of the book.
It is not only a book of history, it is also
a book of continuity. Go back with me now to
the first verse of the book. Notice how Luke
phrases this sentence. The first account I composed,
Theophilus, about all Jesus began to do and teach.
And so he says, Theophilus, the first book I
wrote, in other words what we call the Gospel
of Luke. Matthew, Mark, Luke, that book, the
third gospel. He says, the first account I composed
about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.
And so he implies that what he is about to write
now is only a continuation of that same theme
found in the gospel of Luke. In other words,
that the book of Acts, as we call it, is a continuation
of the ministry of Jesus Christ. And I'd like
to suggest to you this morning that it is, in
fact, a continuation of his ministry in three
aspects. It is a continuation of his working.
He says here, all that Jesus began to do is in
the gospel. Now I'm going to go on and talk about
what he is doing. It is a continuation of...
Jesus' teaching. He says here in the gospel,
I wrote, what Jesus began to teach. Now I'm going
to tell you more. And it is in the third place
a continuation of Christ's kingdom. Because in
verse 3, he talks about Jesus after his resurrection
continuing this theme of the kingdom of God.
Now let's think about those three aspects. of
the continuity between the book of Acts and the
gospel of Luke. Number one, it's a continuation
of Jesus' working, his working through the Holy
Spirit. And thus, the best name for the book
of Acts would probably be the Acts of the Holy
Spirit and not the Acts of the Apostles. For
it is the working of the Holy Spirit directing,
the apostles, and the people of God. It is the
work of the Spirit of Jesus doing miracles through
His people and disciplining those that He loves.
Let's follow this theme just briefly, and I'll
show you what I mean. The book of Acts is a continuation
of the working of Jesus Christ in the world.
Look at chapter 1, verse 24. One of the first
things the apostles were confronted with was
the absence of one of their own number, Judas,
who had killed himself. They felt the pressure
to have 12 apostles, and therefore they began
to seek out who that one might be that should
be added to their number. And in verse 24, they
prayed and said, Thou, Lord... who knowest the
hearts of all men, show which one of these two,
the two listed in verse 23, Joseph and Matthias,
thou hast chosen, which of them, to occupy this
ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned
aside to go to his own place. And they drew lots
for them, and the lot fell to Matthias, and he
was numbered with the eleven apostles. And so
what do the apostles claim here? It is Jesus
working now to fill that empty slot. They say,
Lord, you direct us as to who should be the one
to fill Judas' place. And the lots fell upon
Matthias, and they took that as the working of
the Lord, though Jesus was back in heaven. Look
over in chapter 3, verse 6. Peter and John are
entering the temple, and there is a beggar there,
a crippled man. Peter said, I do not possess
silver and gold, but what I do have I give to
you. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene,
walk. And the result was the man was healed.
And so what takes place here? It is the working
of Jesus Christ. It is in the name of Jesus Christ
this man was healed. Look in chapter 4, verse
10, where this incident is being talked about.
Let it be known to all of you and to all the
people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ
the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, by this name, this man stands
here before you in good health. And so what are
they claiming before these religious leaders?
That it was Jesus Christ who healed this man.
A similar thing is said in verses 29 and 30.
They're praying here and they say, And now, Lord,
take note of their threats and grant that thy
bondservants may speak thy word with all confidence
while thou dost extend thy hand to heal. And
signs and wonders take place through the name
of thy holy servant Jesus. And so what are the
apostles saying? What is taking place is the
continuation of the working of Jesus Christ in
the world. You see, there's a continuity here.
Look in chapter 5, verses 4 and 5. Here we come
to a situation where two people have hypocritically
lied regarding what they were giving to the church.
We'll cover that in detail, but notice verses
4 and 5. While it remained unsold, did it not
remain in your hand, said Peter? And after it
was sold, was it not under your control? Why
is it that you have conceived this deed in your
heart? You have not lied to man but to God. And
as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and
breathed his last. And great fear came upon all
who heard it. And the same thing happened a few
moments later to his wife. What is taking place
here? It is the working of the Lord Jesus Christ
disciplining His people. Disciplining His people.
Turn with me to verse 12 of chapter 5. And at
the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders
were taking place among the people. What is taking
place here? It is the continued working of Jesus
Christ through His apostles. Look in verse 16.
And also the people from the cities in the vicinity
of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people
who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits.
And they were all being healed. That's interesting.
They were all being healed. You'll want to circle
that. All who were coming were being healed.
What is this? The gift of healing? Yes. And they
were all being healed. It is the continuation
of the ministry, the work of Jesus Christ. We
could go on, but time forbids. It was Jesus who
confronted Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.
And through that, he was converted and was commissioned
by Jesus as his apostle. So you see, the book
of Acts is a book of continuity. There's a continuity
between what Jesus began to do in the Gospels
before his death and resurrection and what he
continued to do then after his ascension back
to heaven. Now secondly, it is a continuation
of his teaching. And I mean this in two ways.
I'm not going to take the time to look at the
specific verses, but you can tell quickly just
by reading through the chapters. that the theme
of all of the preaching and all of the teaching
and all of the confrontation was Jesus Christ
and primarily His resurrection. There continued
to be the teaching about Him. He was the focus
of it all. But not just the teaching about Him,
there was also teaching from Him which continued.
Now, you see, in the gospel, we have the direct
teaching of Jesus to his disciples. He gave them
direct revelation. And there are certain aspects
in which that revelation continued into the book
of Acts after Jesus had gone back to heaven.
An example of that is in chapter 10 when Jesus
appeared to Peter in a vision and said, Peter,
arise and eat what you see. And Peter's response
was, no, Lord. And yet Peter concluded ultimately
that he should arise and eat. Jesus insisted
that he do so. And the whole vision was all about
Jesus trying to communicate to Peter that the
Gentiles were no longer to be considered unclean.
That they were just as clean as the Jews, or
unclean, however you wish to look at it. That
there was no longer this difference of clean
and unclean between Jew and Gentile. That was
a new revelation. And so new and so astounding
was it that Peter had a very difficult time receiving
it. And so do you see my point? There is a continuation
of Jesus' teaching in the book of Acts. The teaching
about him, but also direct teaching from him
in this book. It is a book of continuation. And
then the book of Acts is in a third way the continuation
of his kingdom. The kingdom of God was the chief
theme in Jesus' teaching in the Gospel of Luke.
Go back to the Gospel of Luke for just a moment
and look in chapter 4. This is very near the
beginning of his public ministry. And in verse
43 of Luke 4, Jesus said to them, I must preach
the kingdom of God to other cities also, for
I was sent for this purpose. What purpose? To
preach concerning the kingdom of God. And over
30 times in the Gospel of Luke, you will find
that phrase, the kingdom of God, used by the
Lord Jesus Christ. That was the theme of his
teaching in the Gospel of Luke. The kingdom had
become the chief expectation of Jesus' followers.
That's why the crucifixion seemed so strange
to them. They could not put together how the
kingdom and the crucifixion could possibly work
together. And even after his resurrection from
the dead, the kingdom of God was their chief
expectation. For example, in the very passage
we read in Acts chapter 1. Don't lose Luke, by
the way. We're going to go back there in a moment.
But in Luke, or rather in Acts chapter 1, Jesus
was speaking to them concerning the kingdom of
God, verse 3. And in verse 4, in gathering them
together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem.
But to wait for what the Father had promised,
which he said, you've heard from me. For John
baptized with water, but you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
And so when they had come together, they were
asking him, saying, not, Lord, when is the Holy
Spirit coming? What is this baptism you're talking
about? What is the promise of the Father? But
notice what they're asking him about in verse
6. Lord, is it at this time you are restoring
the kingdom to Israel? You see, they expected
the visible, literal, messianic kingdom to be
established even after Jesus' death and resurrection.
That was their first thought regarding all that
he had taught them. Jesus responds to them in
verse 7, It's not for you to know the times or
epics which the Father has fixed in his own authority.
Notice Jesus didn't say, Fellas, you got it all
wrong. There is no kingdom. He didn't rebuke
them for the question. He simply said, men, that's
really not a concern of yours. That's the Father's
business. But he said, you will be witnesses
unto me. You will receive the Holy Spirit. And
he brings them back to the theme of the coming
of the Holy Spirit and what they were to do in
their ministry. And so he doesn't... try to undermine
his message about the kingdom. He doesn't say,
fellows, you misunderstood what I was saying
about the kingdom. But he simply says, that's
not your chief focus right now, the visible,
literal kingdom. At this point, the disciples
still did not understand that in his coming,
Jesus had, in fact, established a kingdom. Not
the one they were expecting, not a political
entity, which would throw off the yoke of Rome
and deliver them from their bondage. Not that
kingdom. But Jesus had established a kingdom
in their hearts. An inner kingdom. An invisible
kingdom, if you please. And they began to understand
that in the book of Acts. And thus their preaching
began to be regarding the kingdom of God. They
began to understand that it was not immediately
going to become visible to them, but that an
invisible heart kingdom had been established
by Jesus. Now let's go to chapter 8, verse 12.
I want you to look at the preaching here of Philip.
It says, They believed Philip, preaching the
good news about the kingdom of God and the name
of Jesus Christ. You see, Philip continued this
theme now, the kingdom of God. They understood
the transition, that the kingdom of God was not
going to come literally and visibly at this point.
but that nonetheless there was an invisible kingdom
that had been established in this world. And
so they began to talk about the kingdom of God
that was. Chapter 14, verse 21. And after they,
this is Barnabas and Paul, after they had preached
the gospel to that city and had made many disciples,
they returned to... Lystra and to Iconium and
Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples,
encouraging them to continue in the faith and
saying, notice what they were saying, through
many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of
God. And so they also were talking about the
kingdom of God. Chapter 19, verse 8. And he entered
the synagogue, this is Paul, and continued speaking
out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading
them about the kingdom of God. Chapter 20, verse
25. Now, behold, I know that all of you among
whom I went about preaching the kingdom will
see my face no more, says Paul to the Ephesian
elders. And then finally to chapter 28, verse
23. When they had set a day for him, they came
to him in his lodging in large numbers, and he
was explaining to them by solemnly testifying
about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade
them concerning Jesus from the law of Moses and
from the prophets. And then the book concludes
in verses 30 and 31. And he stayed two full years.
in his own rented quarters and was welcoming
all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of
God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ
with all openness. And so I'll get my point.
The book of Acts is a continuation of the kingdom
of God. Jesus teaching about that. It is changed
somewhat. But Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom
of God, and in the book of Acts we have a continuation
of the kingdom of God. Not the kingdom in its
visible, literal form, that is still yet to come,
but the kingdom that was invisible and inward,
in the heart. In this sense, the kingdom of God
can be defined as God entering the world and
reigning over a redeemed people, a new race of
mankind. And that is his kingdom today. You are
his kingdom. You do not possess political power.
You are invisible to the world around us. But
you who are redeemed by Jesus Christ in this
age are a form of his kingdom in the world. Now
someday, his literal and real kingdom will be
established upon the earth. But even now, His
kingdom is here in the person of Jesus Christ
who reigns over the hearts of his redeemed people.
You say, why do we need to know this, that the
book of Acts is a continuity? Because, folks,
we need to realize that although Jesus Christ
is not visible to our eyes, that does not mean
that he is unreal. He wasn't seen in the book
of Acts either by most of the apostles and converts
after his ascension. And yet he dynamically worked
in his people. In one sense, and follow me closely
here by what I really mean, in one sense the
book of Acts is still being recorded today. Not
in the inspired sense. as these 28 chapters,
not in that sense, but in the sense that what
we have today is a continuation of his work and
his teaching and his kingdom in the world. We
flow directly out of chapter 28 of the book of
Acts. It is a book of continuation. It is important
that we get a handle on it. Now there's a third
reason why it's important, and this too is found
in a description of the book. The book of Acts
is not only a book of history, a book of continuity,
but it is, number three, a book of transition.
The book of Acts is a bridge. Picture it, if
you will, in your mind as a bridge between two
mountains. Two mountains of revelation. The one
mountain is the mountain of the Gospels, Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John. The other mountain is the
epistles, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians,
Ephesians, Philippians, and so on. These are
the two mountains of Revelation. The book of
Acts is a bridge between the two. On this one
side, we have the record of the historicity of
Jesus Christ, the facts about his earthly work.
And by the way, going back to Acts chapter 1,
we find several aspects of his earthly work mentioned
here. Notice how concisely Luke incorporates
these things. In verse 3, he talks about his
suffering, his work on the cross, where he paid
for your sins and mine, his suffering, his passion
for us. That's his earthly work. He mentions
also his resurrection from the dead. Notice that
he talks about really three categories of proof
of the resurrection. You see in verse 3 where
he says, By many convincing proofs, he showed
himself alive. That is an interesting word. Convincing
proofs is one Greek word, and it's a medical
term. It's a medical term. It's the term that
a physician like Luke would use for a medical
conclusion based upon the evidence. In other
words, you give the tests, you ask the questions,
you examine the patient. And on the basis of
that, you make your conclusion. In logic, it
was used as a demonstrable proof of something.
Now here, the writer uses that same word referring
to the resurrection. He says, here are some conclusive,
convincing proofs. He talks in the first place
about his appearances. He says he presented himself
alive. The word present there means to place
beside. The idea is that Jesus Christ in his
resurrection glory placed himself beside his
disciples. It was not something which was simply
told to them. He himself was there. He placed
himself beside them. It says that he appeared
to them in verse 3. He appeared. That is the
root word for our word optical. or ophthalmologist.
They saw him with their eyes. So he placed himself
beside them. They saw him. The first category
of proof that he rose from the dead, his appearances.
Secondly, his conversations with them. Notice
that Luke says he spoke with them concerning
the kingdom of God. If he were but an apparition
or an hallucination. it would be very difficult
to carry on a conversation. I think you understand
that. And so he is saying, Jesus spoke with them.
They carried on conversations. The second category
of proof that he literally was alive. The third
category of proof is suggested in verse 4, where
it says he gathered them together. And that word
literally means to eat salt with. And it was
a word that was used in those days in talking
about a meal, or perhaps even with a person living
with you for a period of time. And so the third
category is that of personal fellowship with
Jesus, the meals that they shared together. So
Luke talks about his resurrection and the proof
of his resurrection. And then he talks about
his post -ministry. Post -resurrection ministry.
He says for 40 days Jesus appeared to them. By
the way, this is the only time in the New Testament
that we learn how long it was from the resurrection
until the time of his ascension. And then finally
he does talk about his ascension in verse 2.
He talks about the day when he was taken up.
He was taken up. This is the same word that's
used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament
when it talks about Elijah. And 2 Kings chapter
2 being taken up. And so in a similar fashion
to what happened to Elijah, the idea is Jesus
Christ was taken up in his ascension. And so
the one mountain of truth on this side is all
of the history about Jesus Christ. His coming,
his life, his suffering, his resurrection, his
post -resurrection ministry, his ascension back
to heaven. That's this mountain. Now on the other
side, we have the epistles penned by Paul and
Peter and James and John and Jude. That's the
next mountain of revelation that we have in the
New Testament. How do you tie the two together?
The answer is that the book of Acts is the bridge.
Acts is a transitional book. Just for a moment
in your mind, imagine its absence. Just take
away the book of Acts in your mind and skip directly
from the Gospels over to the Epistles. Here are
some of the questions you would be asking yourself.
Paul the Apostle to the church at, who is Paul
the Apostle? The churches, where? How in the
world did these churches get started? And by
the way, what are they anyway? What happened
to the 12 apostles? Where's Peter? Where's James?
John? Why is there all of this activity other
than in Jerusalem? What happened to the emphasis
on temple worship? Why aren't these people worshiping
toward the temple? How does this teaching in
these epistles relate to Moses' law, which is
talked about in the Gospels? What are all of
these Gentiles doing within the bonds of God's
family? How did such a small group of people
over here in the Gospels Become so many, as referred
to in the epistles. The Holy Spirit indwelling
every believer? What is that all about? That
wasn't back here in the Gospels. How did this
message regarding the kingdom of the Messiah
broaden to include a period of time which precedes
the kingdom? Those are all questions that you
would be asking, if you did not have the book
of Acts. The book of Acts is a bridge between
the earthly life of Jesus in his physical body
and his resurrection life through his spiritual
body, the church. It is a transition between
Jewish -centered religion and one that makes
no distinction between Jew and Gentile. You say,
why is this so important to know? That it's a
book of transition. Simply because it tells you
who you are and what you're a part of. And furthermore,
without the knowledge of what is contained in
the book of Acts, you are left to poor biblical
interpretation. With the book of Acts, you have
help so that you can interpret the Bible properly.
You must keep in mind as you look at the book
of Acts in particular that it is a book of transition.
Hear me carefully. It is dangerous to base any
doctrine upon a passage solely in the book of
Acts. It should also be undergirded by a passage
There are many things that take place in the
book of Acts that were for that period of time
alone, that transition period. They are not intended
by the Lord to be the usual, customary, normal
things that would happen throughout this whole
age. And so it is important to understand that
this book is a book of transition. We need to
get a handle on it. It is a book we need to know
because its main character is the Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of Jesus. The Spirit is referred to
some 60 times in this book, 40 times as the Holy
Spirit. Is it not true that the reason that our
love is so often cold, our work so often without
fruit, our witness so frequently without power,
and our character too much without Christ -likeness
because He, the Holy Spirit, is not the main
character in our lives. Is that not true? If
we would know something of the experience of
the early church, something of it, it will take
a personal inventory by each of us, followed
by an honest... and brokenhearted confession
of ignorance of the Holy Spirit, of our failure
to recognize Him, learn of Him, and depend upon
Him. Do you know the empowering work of the Holy
Spirit in your life? Will you, as we study through
the book, and even this morning, ask the Holy
Spirit to do a new and deeper work in you? Are
you willing personally to deal honestly with
any sin, any hindrance in your life, so that
the Holy Spirit can be the main character in
your book of Acts, in your life? Let's pray.
Lord, I pray that you will not only give us understanding
of the content of the book, of its flow, of its
main characters, of its events. But in fact,
as we study this book, I pray that you will do
a new and deeper work in our lives regarding
the ministry of the Holy Spirit to us. And we
are aware, Lord, that that work can take place
beginning this morning, as we're willing to be
honest, to take inventory. To confess, to repent.
Break our hearts with those things in our lives
that break your heart. May we truly be grieved
by those things that grieve your spirit. May
we be cognizant of that which quenches the Holy
Spirit. Show us, Lord, why we are so powerless.
fruitless, loveless, perhaps so much unlike the
Lord Jesus. And when we understand why, correct
us. With our heads bowed and our eyes closed,
I wonder if right where you're seated, the Spirit
of God is ministering to you at this moment,
whispering to you. reassuring you of His love,
inviting you to appropriate His power, His fullness,
reminding you of that which prevents Him at this
moment. What is that? What is that hindrance?
Where is the root of that coldness, that lethargy,
that weakness? Can you focus on it yet? Has he
been able to get your eyes open to the point
that you can see what it is? If so, will you
right now talk to him about it? Will you agree
with him regarding what he's telling you, that
it's wrong, it needs to be corrected, that you
need to change your mind about that activity
or that thought? process, that group of friends,
that habit, that language. Lord, open our eyes,
not just so that we can see ourselves, though
it must start there, we know. And as painful
as that is, it's good for us. but open our eyes
to the point that we see not only ourselves,
but we see Jesus. Jesus desiring to continue
his work in our lives today. And I pray that
we'll depart from here being as obedient as we
are given to understand to be today. Help us
to be honest and make whatever decisions are
necessary that we might be brought to that place
of obedience and thus fullness of blessing. Amen.