As the body of believers grew in Jerusalem, problems occurred between the Grecian Jews, who were Hellenists and spoke only Greek, and the Hebrew Jews, who were Hebraists and spoke Aramaic. Apparently, the Grecian widows were overlooked when it came to the daily distribution of food, and this caused dissension between the two groups.
Knowing that their time needed to be spent praying and ministering, the twelve disciples assembled the believers and told them to select seven men to serve the people. Also, they were not to just choose anyone but men who were honest, wise, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
This request pleased the believers, and Acts 6:5 says, “They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch.” To solidify the selection the apostles laid their hands on them, prayed over them, and commissioned them for their task. Furthermore, preaching the Word continued, and the church grew with new converts and priests.
Stephen, one of the chosen seven who was a man of faith and power and did miracles and wonders, came into opposition with men fromthe synagogue of the Libertines, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, men of Cilicia, and Asia. These individuals found Stephen firm and unwavering in his belief; therefore, they disliked him and devised a way to destroy him. Unfortunately, they got false witnesses to lie and say Stephen was speaking blasphemous words against Jerusalem and the law and that Jesus would destroy Jerusalem and change their customs. This incited the people, elders, and scribes who had Stephen arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin council.
This chapter ends with the council members looking at Stephen’s face, which appeared angelic to them, and in the next blog covering chapter seven, I will share Stephen’s eloquent rebuttal speech. I close this blog with the following nuggets I gathered from chapter six:
When people are overlooked, they feel slighted.
Partiality should not be practiced among believers
Leaders are responsible for handling problems that arise in their midst.
Seek to foster unity and not division.
Know what you are called to do.
Prioritize prayer and the Word above everything else.
When a change needs to be made, make it.
Leaders can share their load with responsible persons.
Place persons filled with the Holy Spirit, good character, and wisdom in administrative positions.
The anointing on your life is recognizable.
Chapter five of Acts shares several serious events in the life of the apostles and early church, but the most striking is the death of Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit.
Believers in the early church were selling their property and bringing the remains to the apostles to meet the needs of fellow believers. However, Ananias and Sapphira decided jointly to keep some of it for themselves. Ananias, without Sapphira, came to the apostles and gave them the money. Upon receiving it, Peter said, “Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.’ Immediately, Ananias dropped dead, and the men prepared him for burial and buried him.
Three hours later, unbeknownst to Sapphira, what had occurred to her husband, she came to the meeting place, and Peter confronted her, and she responded untruthfully. Then Peter asked her,” How is it that ye have agreed to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.” Like her husband Sapphira dropped dead, and the men buried her by Ananias. Upon hearing what happened to Ananias and Sapphira, great fear came on all the believers, and the townspeople respected them. For the early church, the death of Ananias and Sapphira became an example of what could happen when you carry out falsehood, and they learned not to do so.
Nevertheless, the apostles continued ministering the word, healing the sick, and performing miracles. The demand for healing and deliverance was so great that people were laid in the streets, and they were healed as Peter walked by them.
As they did in chapter four, the Sadducees were distraught with the continued teaching and popularity of the apostles, so they once again had them arrested. Since it was night, they were imprisoned, but an angel sent from God opened the prison doors, freed them, led them out, and sent them back to the temple to minister.
When the religious leaders sent to the prison to have the apostles brought to them, they found the cells empty, which was hard for them to believe. Shortly after that, it was reported the missing apostles were back in the temple teaching, so the captain and his men went and got the men and brought them to the council.
The high priest questioned the apostles about disobeying the orders not to teach about Jesus and causing violence in Jerusalem over the death of Jesus. The spokesman, Peter, responded, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Also, he continued sharing the message of the resurrection of Jesus and Him being honored by God and made a Prince and a Savior, to which the apostles were witnesses.
This message made the council uneasy, and they discussed how to kill the apostles. Howbeit, the well-known , had the apostles removed. Then he reminded the council about Theudas and Judas of Galilee, who started an uprising, yet they and their followers did not last. He cautioned them to leave the apostles alone just in case the apostle’s ministry was of God and not of men. It would grow if it were of God; if it were of men, it would eventually come to nothing. Heeding Gamaliel’s advice, the council had the apostles beaten. Commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus and then released. Chapter Five ends by revealing that despite the council’s command, the apostles were undaunted by them. Happily, they suffered for Christ and daily taught and preached on the Lord Jesus in the temple and houses.
I close this blog with nuggets I gleaned from this chapter:
God sees and knows what you do in secret.
The heart must be kept pure lest Satan fill it with evil intent.
When you give to God, give willingly and without deception.
God will expose that which is done in secret.
Lying to God can be detrimental to your well-being.
Some judgments from God are immediate.
Don’t join your mate in sinning.
Sick people desire to be healed.
People will be found where miracles happen.
Healings can manifest through various methods.
Everyone is not in favor of the move of God.
When people see miracles happening around them, their faith builds up.
God does not want us to stop preaching and teaching about Jesus despite the opposition that may arise.
Respect and obey the Word of God above the words of men.
When given the opportunity share the gospel with men in authority.
Those in authority recognize when you have favor with the masses.
You can not fight God and win.
Chapter three opens with Peter and John, in accordance with their custom, going to the temple to pray at the ninth hour. Passing through the Court of the Gentiles into the middle court, which was accessible to the woman, they came to the gate of the temple called Beautiful, which was made of Corinthian bronze. Lying, there was a lame man who was laid daily in this place to beg for money. Unfortunately, this man has never walked up to that present time due to lameness from birth.
As Peter and John passed by, the lame man asked them for some money. Peter looked intently at the man and said, “Look on us.” Expecting to receive some money, the lame man obeyed the words of Peter, but Peter said to him, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Then Peter assisted the man in standing by taking his right hand and lifting him up. Instantaneously, strength came into the man’s feet and bones, and walking, leaping, and praising God, he accompanied Peter and John into the temple.
When the crowd saw the man, they recognized him as the lame man who daily sat at the gate Beautiful. Curious about what had happened to him, they gathered at Solomon’s porch, which was located on the east side of the temple. As he did in chapter two, Peter took the opportunity to share that God raised Jesus Christ, the Messiah whom the Jews willingly killed from the dead, and He was responsible for the lame man’s healing. Unlike them, the lame man by faith believed, and thus he was healed.
Conceding the Jews acted out of ignorance, Peter acknowledged the sufferings of Jesus, as prophesied in the Old Testament was in the plan of God. The Jews were to come to the full knowledge of Christ by repenting and receiving Him as their Savior, and with their positive response to the Word, times of refreshing and restitution would come from God.
In this chapter, we see the disciples following the instructions of Jesus to preach and heal the sick. And though many centuries have passed since Acts 3, we are responsible for doing the same as believers. Additionally, from this chapter, I gathered a few nuggets to share with you.
- Be mindful of those around you; someone may need ministry.
- When God does something for you, praise Him
- Acknowledge that the power to heal comes from Jesus, not from you.
- When the opportunity arises, share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Finally, I invite you to come back for my next blog in this series to see the religious leader’s response to this miracle.
In the spring, the Jews were required to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and assemble for two festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16). The first festival was the Passover, and forty-nine days afterward, the Feast of Weeks. The Feast of Weeks, the Greek name for The Feast of Weeks, is the setting of Acts 2 (Deuteronomy 16:9-10). At this time, Jerusalem was filled with people originally from seventeen nations: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, dwellers in Mesopotamia, Judaea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, parts of Libya, Cyrene, strangers of Rome, Cretans, Arabians, Jews, and proselytes. And it is at this appointed time God has chosen to manifest in a new way.
Following the instructions of Jesus, the believers, with one accord, stayed in Jerusalem for ten days in an upper room. The Feast of Weeks was beginning, for the day of Pentecost had arrived, and without warning, the room’s occupants heard the sound of a forceful wind that came from heaven and filled the house. Upon each of them sat what appeared to be cloven tongues like fire, and all were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them the words. Please note the occupants were filled first with the Holy Spirit, and then they had the ability to speak in another language. Also note in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon individuals such as Jephthah, Gideon, Othniel, Samson, and Saul; however, they did not speak in another language (Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:6; 1 Samuel 10:10)
This event became public for multitudes of people gathered when they heard the believers speaking the wonderful works of God in their languages. Amazed that the Galileans could speak in another dialect, some accused them of being drunk while others began to question what had occurred.
With the power to be a witness, Peter, becoming the spokesman for the believers, stood and took the opportunity to minister to the crowd. Using words spoken by the prophet Joel, he defined what had occurred. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.” Additionally, he shared four proofs of the resurrection of Jesus and a bit of end-time events that would happen during the tribulation and before the return of Jesus to the earth. Peter concluded with the prophetic quote of David concerning the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and he declared, “God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Psalms 16:8-10; 110:1)
Being convicted of their sinful actions, the crowd responded, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter responded giving his first salvation invitation, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
As Peter continued to witness, encourage, and exhort that day, three thousand souls gladly received his word and were baptized. The growing converts joined with the apostles and fellow believers as they fervently adhered to the apostle’s teaching. Furthermore, they consistently prayed, fellowshipped with God and each other in their homes and temple, shared meals and resources, and their numbers grew. The fear of God was on the people, and signs and wonders were performed at the hands of the apostles.
The promise to all that are far off that Peter spoke about in verse thirty-nine refers to us. God’s desire is that all should be saved and not perish, so He has provided the solution, which is to follow Peter’s instructions in verse thirty-eight. Therefore, I am now inviting you to become part of God’s chosen family. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and are reading this post like Peter, I encourage you to repent, be baptized, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Also, like the new converts in this chapter, it is essential that you connect with a church where you can be discipled and have fellowship with fellow believers. Finally, God bless and keep you as you progress in your Christian walk.
For the next several months, I will post my weekly blog on the book of Acts. As I post each chapter, I hope there will be principles for application and nuggets of inspiration for every reader. Please share the post with others and return for the next blog each week. For this week, I am giving a short introduction to Acts, and I will be posting chapter one next week.
Acts was believed to be written by the beloved physician Luke, a Gentile, to a prominent Roman named Theophilus. In the book of Acts, Luke, known to be a companion and fellow laborer with Paul, shares the manifestation and movement of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the apostles and fellow believers. He shares approximately thirty years of the history from Jesus’s ascension and the birth of the church at Pentecost through the two-year imprisonment of Paul in Rome.
The two main characters in Acts were Peter, who did home mission to the Jews, and Paul, who did foreign mission to the Gentiles. Luke also shares glimpses into the lives of Ananias, Sapphira, Stephen, Phillip, Cornelius, Barnabus, and others.
As my post will reveal, the commission of Jesus for His followers to minister to people in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the surrounding world was followed. The early church experienced mass growth, church conflicts, persecution, and deaths, but they continued to share the gospel willingly. Finally, these words of Paul recorded in Romans 1:16 describe the actions of believers in Acts, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believed; to the Jews first and also to the Greek.”
According to Acts 13:46 and Romans 1:16, it is believed the Dispensation of Grace, which extended grace to the whole world through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, started with Paul. Consequently, with the rejection of the gospel message by the Jews, Paul’s ministry was primarily to the Gentiles. Even so, during this grace dispensation, there are Jews who accepted Jesus as their Savior, but the majority of them are still awaiting their Messiah.
In Israel, the religious Jews want to erect a temple and offer sacrifices as of old; however, the continuous conflict with the nations and people that hate Israel has hindered them from carrying out their desires. Notably, this war with Hamas has fueled more animosity against Israel, and her enemies are rejoicing over it. And although the events of this last month in Israel have been disturbing, believers who understand end-time events realize these atrocities must happen.
Why do I say this? As the world turns its back on Israel, in the future, they will welcome an ally, and they will willingly sign a treaty with the antichrist. We can expect this to occur after the rapture of believers and the man of sin, the son of perdition, who is the antichrist, is revealed (1 Thessalonians 2:3).
As we watch and experience this dispensation coming to a close, and God’s attention and focus is on His chosen nation, don’t be alarmed over what you see or hear. God, who controls all, has a plan that existed from the beginning. Just remember all things work for the good of those who love God.
In everything, give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1Thessalonians 5:18
This week, I celebrated my seventy-sixth Thanksgiving. Most of my Thanksgivings was celebrated with my parents and siblings, but now my parents are no longer living; I celebrate Thanksgiving with my children and grandchildren.
My seventy-six years on earth represent a time in which I had many experiences. God has always been with me, whether the experience was good or bad. Plus, according to Psalm 91:11, God has given His angel charge over me to keep me in the way.
Here are some of the things for which I am thankful:
I am thankful that I was born in a family who had a relationship with God.
I am thankful that my mother taught me to read the Word as a child and instilled in me a fear of God.
I am thankful I accepted Jesus as my Savior at age ten.
I am thankful that I loved participating in religious activities as a youth.
I am thankful I was able to graduate high school and enroll in nursing school.
I am thankful I married a person of like faith.
I am thankful my husband and I raised our two children to believe in God and His Word.
I am thankful that I received grants and favors that paid for most of my undergraduate and graduate education.
I am thankful that all five of the surgeries that I’ve had were successful and without complications.
I am thankful that I have worked in ministry with my husband.
I am thankful that the Spirit of Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding, Might, Counsel, Fear of the Lord operate in my life.
I am thankful that God hears and answers my prayers.
I am thankful for the daily provisions that God has provided.
I am thankful I know and understand every moment I live; God has been kind and merciful to me.
Finally, I am thankful that I have been able to consistently post blogs since January 2, 2012.
This is what we see with the children of Israel. According to Exodus 12:40, the children of Israel sojourned in Egypt for 430 years. When they first arrived their relative Joseph the son of Jacob was Pharoah’s viceroy/prime minister and he took care of them. However, after Joseph died and the Israelites grew into a great nation the new Egyptian dynasty put them in bondage and enslaved them.
Showing Himself strong and displaying His love and concern for them God used Moses and a series of plagues to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians. Under God’s direction, the Israelites exited Egypt and went into the wilderness. It was there that God began to speak directly to them and Israel pledged their allegiance to Him.
Unfortunately, throughout their wilderness journey when they experienced hunger, thirst, and the absence of Moses’ presence they quickly forgot about the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God. They complained, rebelled, and even wished to be back in Egypt. God allowed them to suffer for their disloyalty and forgetfulness and surely He will do the same to us when we quickly forget.
