It Was Necessary For the Messiah to Suffer And to Rise From the Dead - Acts 17 & 18

Today we see Paul's Second Journey continue, and we see the variety of responses and effects his work had. He's received well by some, not by others. Even though many Jews do believe, a group of Jews nearly everywhere impedes his work and causes him hardship. And nevertheless, the good news spreads, and leadership is established and re-visited later on. And behind the scenes (and sometimes on the scene), we see Jesus working things out so that Acts 1:8 will come true, all the way to Rome (by the end of Acts), and beyond.

Overall, I think it's important to notice this variety, because it's not like only certain types of cities received him well, or only Jews or only Gentiles or only the poor or only the influential. No. Christianity is God's new way of life in the Messiah for everyone.

Trust In The Lord Jesus and You'll Be Saved, and Your Household - Acts 15 &16

Acts is such a high powered narrative, that all you can do sometimes is immerse yourself in what's happening and take a look around.

Tension and anticipation must have been running high at the "Jerusalem Council." In a way, Paul's first missionary journey and Peter's episode with Cornelius all prepare us for dealing with the issue of whether or new converts must also embrace Jewish identity markers (food laws, Sabbath, circumcision, etc.). Interestingly, Jesus must not have made it a point during his public ministry (if we don't include Acts as his ministry :) ) to sort this out since it was apparently such a widespread and contentious issue. To be sure, Jesus showed how he and his people are forming the "new temple" of God where God's Spirit dwells, and by implication making the temple redundant and trust in him the new identity marker over Torah observance. Some scholars have pointed on that this shows evidence for a 1st century date for the Gospels since issues that were nearly irrelevant in the 2nd century, to be sure 3rd century, are addressed in them, whereas other issues more pertinent to the early Church are not. But that's a post for another day...

It's Necessary For Us To Enter Into God's Kingdom Through Many Hardships - Acts 13-14

One of the first things Jesus said about the converted Saul was, "It is I who'll show him how much it's necessary to suffer for my name" (Acts 9:16). We saw it previewed in Damascus, and now it's beginning.

As I said yesterday, starting here in chapter 13 we see the explosive spread of the good news about Jesus on its way to "the ends of the earth" as the Spirit picks Barnabas and Saul out for this work.

But God’s Word Kept On Growing And Increasing - Acts 11-12

So the issue we see here in Acts 11 is whether or not non-Jewish believers in the Messiah need to first become Jews in order to join the Church. So Peter tells his experience from the top in the detail, and really nothing else needs to be said. It’s almost bizarre that Luke tells the whole story in such detail, but maybe he’s trying to make a point. The admission of Gentiles into God’s people without taking on Jewish identity was central to the spread of the good news about Jesus.

Though a few significant details are added here. “Being saved” would be the result of Peter’s message, so Peter’s message wasn’t some addendum to a salvation Cornelius’ already had. Peter says the Holy Spirit fell “as he began to speak.” The Spirit is surprising and sovereign. And Peter mentions Jesus’ words about Spirit-baptism.

Go! Because This Man Is My Chosen Vessel For Bearing My Name In The Sight of Both Gentiles and Kings, and The Children of Israel - Acts 9-10

This section with Paul and Peter shows them being hit with just a total reversal of their former ways, yet not at the same time. Everything is confirmed, yet overturned dramatically. The old ways finish their role, and all promises find their "yes" in the person of Jesus. The implications of Jesus replacing and fulfilling what Torah couldn't do begin to be shown as God's Spirit is more and more freely given.

I can't imagine the mind-job Saul must've had on the way to Damascus. A glory appears to him, and he gets his chance to see at least a glimpse of the glory of the Lord he had perhaps meditated on and imagined countless times, and it turns out to be the face of Jesus, whom he's persecuting by persecuting Jesus' "body" (all Christians). Just try to image all the stories and Psalms and prophecies swirling in his mind and as they come together in a way that's obvious, yet unexpected. And very soon the man who kept the Torah as zealous as anyone and sought to destroy those who "defiled" it is transformed, in a way only the gracious God can do, into God's chosen instrument for sharing the Torah's fulfillment with those who never even knew of it! Does God have a sense of humor? An overly passionate ends-justify-the-means fanatical super-orthodox ultra-nationalistic Pharisee will bring the good news to the nations? God can work with anyone, and that's part of the point! This reminds me that someday I’ll stand before Jesus and go, "Oh…”

Something interesting struck me as I read about Ananias. Here we have a bit of biblical Inception, a vision in a vision. Ananias has a vision in which he's told about Saul having a vision of Ananias coming...a bit of a neat mind-bender.

So On That Day a Severe Persecution Occurred - Acts 6:8-8:40

Acts 6 reminds me of how certain people have the tendency to throw around “stock charges” at people who say things about the Bible they don’t expect or not in the way they’re used to hearing them…even if the sentence doesn’t have to do with the charges themselves, the tendency of many is to jump to that conclusion without hearing them. I feel this is what’s happening to Stephen. “This guy’s saying slanderous things against Moses and God! He’s saying Jesus will destroy the temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us!” Yes, we need to be weary of ferocious wolves who want to devour God’s flock, but we also need to humble be the Bereans who check the Scriptures to verify the truth. Instead of knocking down straw-men and using parodies of debate, we need careful and thoughtful listening and humble speaking.

Now, Stephen’s speech reminds me that primarily in the Bible God is giving us a story, not just abstract principles about how to get to heaven. 

If it’s from God, you won’t be able to put an end to them - Acts 5:1-6:7

The more I read Acts, the more compelling it is. I say this because here we see the first signs that the growth of the Church was pervasive, but it definitely wasn’t trouble free. There was persecution from without, and corruption from within.

From within we see the account of Ananias and his wife Sapphira testing and Holy Spirit by lying, and receiving swift judgment. Now, contrary to perhaps popular media opinion, this kind of swift judgment is quite rare in the Bible. Judgment is usually enacted against nations after long periods of time who have become hardened in their ways (Genesis 15:16 among others).

And from within we see the Hellenistic Greek speaking widows receiving different treatment that the native Palestinian Aramaic speaking ones. I’m reminded that the church is to be a single family. So yes, they share everything in common, and yes, they treat each other all with the same respect and love. Plus, this incident is a glaring hint to church leaders that two things are essential, giving people God’s Word and prayer.

It’s necessary for heaven to receive [Jesus] until times of restoration for all the things God spoke about through the mouth of his holy prophets of long ago. - Acts 3 & 4

This part of Acts seems to move energetically and purposely through what transpired in Jerusalem before corruption from within and persecution from without forced many Christians out and thus ignited the explosion of Christian missionary work and the spread of the apostle's message. I get pumped just reading through it.

When you look at Peter’s words to the people and the temple authorities, you don’t see dry speeches. He doesn’t give doctrinal dissertations, though teachings are certainly contained in them. And he doesn’t give motivational speeches intended to encourage people to just be more socially active and live moral lives while quoting “Old Testament examples” here and there, though living a holy life is part of it. In Peter’s words you see him telling the climactic event of the grand epic that Moses and the Prophets were all leading up to, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! Peter heals this man born crippled so that he can focus (the healing is called a sign) on telling the people and the temple authorities about what Jesus has done to restore all things (as he did this born crippled) and bring about promised the time of restoration.

God made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you all crucified! - Acts 2

Here it is, the biblical Pentecost. Now, this shouldn’t go without saying. Pentecost comes from the Greek word for 50, and is another one of the names for the “Feast of Weeks” (Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10), or Feast of Ingathering/Harvest/Reaping. This harvest was celebrated 49 days (7 weeks) after Passover (Easter), hence the 50. It celebrated the spring harvest as God’s people thanked him for his goodness for giving them the land as their inheritance, and as they didn't abuse what they had, but instead gave their first-fruits to the Lord in Jerusalem. The whole intricate system of Mosaic sacrifices is something I want to know more about. I agree with the venerable N.T. Wright (http://www.altervideomagazine.com/2011/06/08/old-testament-sacrifices/) that they were about more than just “penal substitutionary atonement,” though that's certainly a key element in at least some of them 

It just blows my mind sometimes when I consider how God worked out all the regulations and festivals in the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy) to prepare his people for Jesus the Messiah and illustrate beautifully what Jesus came to accomplish. The Pentecost festival itself was a “party-time” where people feasted and celebrated. How fitting is it that God chose in his plan and foreknowledge (2:23) to institute this festival and use it to harvest souls and start this multi-national (the list of nationalities shows there were people from all over that known world) explosion of getting the good news out about Jesus’ resurrection! And like I wrote on Sunday, Pentecost means Jesus rules, and he’s calling the world to acknowledge it and act accordingly by changing their ways (repenting) and being baptized for the forgiveness of sins so they can, too, become part of the people of God.

You Will Be My Witnesses - Acts 1

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As we roll into the book of Acts we see the beginning of these last days. We see the beginning of the age we're in. In grandiose scope, this book shows us how Jesus has begun his rule, his kingdom, over the world through his Spirit whom he has poured on his followers (call them Christians, members of The Way, Jews who trust in Jesus, believers, etc.).