The Acts of the Apostles 33

Subtitle: The Gospel Spreads to Samaria

Acts 8:1-8.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on January 29, 2023.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, "[Y]ou shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  The book of Acts can be outlined using these three geographical descriptions.

• Chps 1-7, The Gospel and Holy Spirit upon Jerusalem
• Chps 8-12, The Gospel and Holy Spirit upon Judea and Samaria
• Chps 13-28, The Gospel and Holy Spirit upon the nations

The phrase "ends of the earth" is not fixated upon a geographical point on the globe.  It is a picturesque way of describing all of the nations of the globe.  We see this supported in Revelation 5, particularly verse 9, where those worshiping God around the throne are "out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation."

The death of Stephen is presented as the transitional point for the Gospel spreading from Jerusalem into the surrounding area of Judea and Samaria (further north).  Luke shows through his book that the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8 happened as he said from roughly AD 30 to AD 62.  Of course, the book ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome, but spreading the Gospel. 

Obviously, the Gospel had not made it to the ends of the earth, but the burden is not upon him alone.  He hands the torch down to others.  In fact, far more happened in those thirty years by others to spread the Gospel.  This has led to the concept of an Acts 29 Christian, or an Acts 29 church.  It simply means that they recognize, we recognize, that we are continuing the witness to all the nations that the apostles started.

We will see today that persecution is one of the things that God uses to spread the Gospel.  It isn't necessary.  But, when it comes, it is used of God for the good of souls who need to hear.

Let's look at our passage.

A great persecution of the Church begins (vs 1-3)

In verse one, Stephen gives us a snapshot, summary, of this transitional point of the Church.  We have seen persecution upon individuals like Peter, John, and the apostles up to this point.  However, after Stephen's death a "great" persecution begins.

There are several words for persecution that are used.  This one emphasizes that the hunt is on and people are made to flee from pursuers.  Yet, we should know that the demeanor of those fleeing is not part of this word.  Some could flee in terror, but we do not see this in the book of Acts.  They do not flee in terror, but they do not want to be imprisoned or die.  Thus, they pragmatically move out of the sphere of danger.  They move on, but go forth victoriously- as we will see in the rest of this passage.

At this point, it begins to cost more to follow Jesus.  There is the question of whether you will stay or leave Jerusalem, but it also demands an answer to this question.  Is it worth it to keep following Jesus?  The heat is now on all believers in Jesus.

Luke tells us that this pursuit of anyone who was a Christian is what led to them being scattered throughout the region.  The word for "scatter" pictures the casting of seeds.  Each one of these Christians is a seed, or earthen vessel, containing the treasure of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit.  That seed and Spirit are capable of fruit in their lives, but also of life for others.

This is something that we need to get into our heart.  I might have a wart on the end of my nose and people tend to avoid me.  However, if I have the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, then there is a treasure in me that people need.  Of course, many who are very easy to look at are empty of any treasure.  May God teach us as believers in Jesus to remember that "he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him."  (Isaiah 53:2 ESV). 

What the enemy intended for evil, God turned to the good.  These believers went forth telling people about Christ and seeing others believe.

It is interesting to me that Jesus had told them that he wanted them to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  Yet, it took persecution to kick-start this part of the mission.  Were they being disobedient?  I do not think that Luke is showing this at all.  There does not seem to be any sense of this in the text.  I think the real point is that there is a proper timing of the Holy Spirit, and a proper way.  It doesn't always have to be because of persecution, but God was allowing Jerusalem to have as much grace as they would take.  They needed to hear the Gospel because the clock was ticking on Israel remaining as a nation.  Judgment was coming.  God gives them as much grace as they will take, and this persecution is basically the leadership pushing the grace of God out of Jerusalem.  Of course, they weren't able to push it all out.

Make sure that you don't miss this progression for us as individuals.  We need to receive the Gospel and the Holy Spirit within our own heart and mind, within our own family, which is our "Jerusalem."  As God teaches us and fills us with His Holy Spirit, He will then lead us forth to witness in our community and as far as the scope He has given us will lead.  We shouldn't rush it, but neither should we lag behind being dilatory or lazy.  God's heart is for the nations, and it begins for each one of us at the center of our hearts and minds.

Verse two shows us that Stephen is buried by his fellow Christians, "devout men."  It was considered an offense to publicly lament one who had been executed, especially for blasphemy.  However, these men make it abundantly clear that they are sorrowing over the death of Stephen.  He was a righteous man who did not deserve such a death.

This sorrow is understandable and should not be rebuked.  Though we do not sorrow as those who have no hope, we do sorrow nonetheless.  2 Corinthians 7:9-10 makes this point.  They weep because they are separated from one they love, and in a horrible way.  They weep for the loss of such a man who was used of God to heal people and set them free from evil spirits.  He fed widows and cared for the unfortunate.  We should weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15).

Yet, we do not want to become stuck in grief, and paralyzed by it.  Just as Stephen had served God faithfully to the end of his life, so too we must go on without him and serve God faithfully.  We do no one honor by walking away from God because of what happened to them.  Stephen's witness was that it was worth it to die for Jesus!  Grief has a natural cycle that is not exactly the same for each individual, but will definitely take as much as a year to fully absorb.

This hounding of Christians is lead by the young man Saul.  He seems to be zealous for removing Christians from Jerusalem.  Of course, he is being zealous to push the grace of God out of the city.  In such, we can become blind to the things that God is using in our life in order to bless us.  In our ignorance, we can push out the grace of God, bringing harm to ourselves and others around us.

Luke writes that Saul made a "havoc" of the Church.  The word has the idea of publicly shaming it by defiling their dignity, even causing a stigma to be attached to these Christians.  We see this with Saul entering "every house," and "dragging" them off to jail.  The dragging may or may not have been literal.  It is a word that is frequently used for arrests.  In many cases, it is clear that there is no actual dragging taking place.  It would be similar to a person today saying that, "They slapped him in cuffs and dragged him off to jail."  Again, it could be literal, but the language of slapping and dragging can be metaphorical.

Regardless, it was a difficult time for believers.

Samaria receives the Gospel (vs 4-8)

Saul is clearly trying to contain this "heretical sect," as he takes them to prison, but it doesn't work.  We should remember that there are at least 5,000 Christians in the city, and Luke has given several other summary verses where he describes the Church growing more.  Thus, we have a magnitude of thousands of Christians spreading out into the region.  This will cause the Gospel to spread out into Samaria and Judea as well- just as Jesus said.

It is interesting to me that Saul cannot seem to keep himself from doing the work of Jesus, whether he is trying to stop Jesus or help him.  Ironically, he is really bad at stopping the Church.  Everything he does only spreads it more.  This is the tragic fate of those fight against Christ and his purposes.  In the end, they only help us to do what God wants us to do.

Of course, the world is a lot better at trying to put out the fire of Christians today.  Yet, if you have your eyes upon Jesus, and are filled with his Holy Spirit, it is not that good!  We may be spiritually kicked in the gut and lose our breath, but the Breath of God will fill our lungs and enable us to catch our breath.  Just know that God is in control, not in that He is operating humans as marionettes.  However, His eternal purposes will always be accomplished in our lives and this world!  You can't lose on His side!

Luke then turns away from the persecution of Saul in order to give some stories of God powerfully working through these dispersed ones.

The scattered believers preached the Word.  Though the believers are scattering because of persecution, they are not keeping quiet.  They are using the Scriptures, the Word, to explain to people about the recent events in Jerusalem.  These are the Scriptures that talk about Jesus.  The Messiah had come, was executed, but then was resurrected.  He has now poured out the Holy Spirit upon those who believe.  Luke has already given us a taste of such preaching through Peter and Stephen's accounts in chapter 2 and chapter 7.  None of these events involve a pulpit or podium.  Preaching is not solely the work of a pastor.  It simply means to proclaim.

This brings us to Philip.  We know that this is not the Apostle Philip because verse 14 will tell us that the apostles were at Jerusalem when this happens.  Acts 6 describes the calling of seven men to be deacons in the early Church at Jerusalem.  Luke then went on to describe the ministry and martyrdom of the man who was first on that list of deacons.  Now, Luke shows us that the second deacon on that list, Philip, was powerfully used of the Holy Spirit as well.

As a side-note, the Apostle Philip is never specifically mentioned by name after Acts chapter one.  He is generally mentioned in the phrase "the apostles."  The Philip here is Philip the Deacon.  Of course, that ministry is not going to be able to continue with the scattering of the Church, at least not in the form that they had set up.  He will be later described in Acts 21:8 as "Philip the Evangelist, who was one of The Seven."  Saul had caused Philip to be promoted from a deacon to an evangelist, i.e., someone who has a ministry of telling others about the Gospel of Jesus.  For some reason, Philip goes to the city of Samaria. 

The city of Samaria is in the middle of the region of Samaria.  It had been destroyed several times through the centuries.  It was actually rebuilt and renamed by Herod the Great in the 1st Century BC.  It's new name was Sebaste, which is Greek.  Clearly, this was not a name that was popular with first century Jews.  This city was populated with around 6,000 people or more.  Note:  Here is a link to a map to help you picture where Samaria (Sebaste) is in relation to Jerusalem.  You may also note that Sychar is where Jesus ministered after speaking to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well.

Philip does not go to Samaria to hide.  He begins "preaching Christ" to them."  This is essentially the same as preaching the Word and we should not try to make a technical point out of these two phrases.  The early Church did not study the Word out of a mere desire to grow in intelligence.  They studied and taught the Word to know Jesus the Messiah better!  In fact, the word translated "preach" in both instances is different in Greek.  The first is literally to "Good News" someone.  The second is to proclaim, or herald, news that may or may not be good news.  It emphasizes the proclamation.  Jesus, the resurrected Lord who is in heaven pouring out the Holy Spirit on those who believe in Jesus, is good news that we should be proclaiming!

Notice that this deacon, now Evangelist, does miraculous signs by casting out demons, and healing people, specifically those who had paralysis and were lame.  He is not an apostle, but He is filled with the Holy Spirit and being led by the Holy Spirit.  There is no sense in the Bible that we have to have a title in order to be used greatly of God.  Any one who believes upon Jesus and is filled with the Holy Spirit can be used to do miraculous things.  Yes, God can do these things through us today.

There are seasons in which God gives signs or not.  However, we must be careful of using this as an excuse.  Maybe, they were far more desperate than we are as a people?  You can be cynical about God doing such things today.  However, it can also be our cynicism and lack of faith that leads to these things not happening right now.  Many in the Church, lean on everything, but God.  May we learn to lean upon Him and be in the place where He can do anything through us that He desires.  This calls for a person to be in prayer, in the word, seeking the leading of the Spirit, and then obeying His leading!

Luke mentions that the people paid close attention to what Philip had to say.  We do not know how many of these people were religious Samaritans.  Herod had brought people in to populate the city, and it had several pagan temples.  Still, the ministry at Sychar would have primed the pump in the area.  They would have known about Jesus and his disciples.  These inhabitants of Sebaste are transfixed at the message of Philip and the power of the Holy Spirit working through him.

This brings us to verse eight, which tells us that there was great joy in the city.  Think about the many people who are no longer demon-possessed, and those who knew them.   Think of a desperate parent who has tried everything to help their child, and now they are completely healed!  Think about those who can now walk, and are running around leaping and praising God!  Think about those who had been paralyzed showing everyone who will listen how they can now use their limb! 

How long had they gone without much in the way of God's grace, and then one day things changed.  Remember that about God.  We may be hyper-cynical about a move of God in our family, city, or Republic, but some days, God just changes things!  Maybe, He has been wanting to move for decades, perhaps centuries, but no one was in the right place spiritually for it to happen?  This day, Philip was in the right place with God.  Amen!

What a beautiful thing.  It was almost as if Jesus was back!  In truth, Jesus is back in us when we cooperate with and operate in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Yes, there are seasons to the work of God, but its foundation is a person who:  believes in Christ, seeks to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and asks Jesus each day what they should be doing for him.  We don't know if we are a generation that will experience what Jeremiah experienced, unbelief and the judgment of God upon the nation.  How can we know?  We can only know by being faithful like Jeremiah.  Even though it fills like he didn't do any good, Jeremiah lived a life of the Spirit of God and passed that torch on to the next generation.  He didn't fail, the people of Israel stuck in their flesh failed.  The faithful remnant is always victorious to accomplish exactly what God sent them to do!

You and I can be those people who are doing the will of Jesus and are ready for what he may have next.  We are Acts 29 Christians whether we use that phrase or not.  Until Jesus comes back, we aren't done working.  Let's get to work!

Samaria audio

The Acts of the Apostles 23

Subtitle: Taking Care of Widows

Acts 6:1-7.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on November 13, 2022.

Today, we will look at a passage that serves two purposes.  First, it helps us to see how the early Church dealt with conflict, and it also serves to introduce Stephen to us.  The second half of this chapter describes his arrest, and chapter 7 is a very long treatise from Stephen before the Sanhedrin.  We will talk more about this next week.

Conflict is not always a bad thing.  It may simply be the motivation to fix something that is not as it should be.

Let’s look at this passage.

Conflict arises vs. 1

There has developed quite a large group of Christians in Jerusalem, and it is hard to have a large group without any conflict.  Even two people will no doubt develop conflicts that they need to work out.  However, any time you gather a large group of people, the more likely you are to see conflict. 

Verse 1 tells us, “When the number of the disciples was multiplying…”  This multiplication is driven by the work and blessing of the Holy Spirit.  The fruitfulness of the Holy Spirit does not guarantee the absence of conflict.  Rather, it must be walked out in our natural life.  This is where the fruitfulness is evidenced, or seen.

We should not think automatically that conflict is a bad thing.  All groups who are trying to accomplish a mission will develop issues that bring passion to the surface.  The personality of people tends towards a Fight Instinct or towards a Flight instinct.  This gives us different components of the conflict.  There is the source, the responses, and the solution.  Each of these components are fraught with pitfalls, and “getting it right” in one component does not guarantee doing so with the others.

The main thing for Christians is to guard against being controlled by our natural responses.  God always has a purpose in conflict, even when the other person may be wicked.  In short, increased size will always bring increased conflict.  Your heart is your main concern throughout this.

In this conflict, there is a cultural issue at the heart of the conflict.  Two groups are introduced.  The Hellenes were those, whether Greek or Jewish, who lived according to Greek culture and mainly spoke Greek.  Hellenes was a name that the Greeks came to use for themselves, but by extension, it came to be used for anyone who adopted their culture.  This is not a reference to Helen of Troy, but to the mythological son of two flood survivors.

In contrast to these Christians who lived according to Greek culture, there was the Hebrews.  These Christians were Jews and converts who lived according to the culture of Judea.  They mainly spoke Aramaic and Hebrew, also having the dress and lifestyle of Israel in those days.  Ever since the return from the Babylonian Exile, this distinction existed among them, whether Greek culture, or Persian and Babylonian culture.

This is not an issue of salvation.  Both Hebrew and Hellenists were believing in Jesus, and joining the Church.

Now we can begin to talk about the conflict.  There were widows among these two communities who needed help with food and necessities, and so a daily distribution was started in order to care for them.  Of course, these were not rich widows who would have slaves and could care for themselves.  They would not be young widows who would often still have family and could remarry.  They were older widows who were left without a husband, without means, and without adult children who could care for them.

The Apostle Paul speaks about this type of situation in 1 Timothy 5:3-5.  Paul is not putting down those who remarry.  Rather, he is saying that a church should not be supporting those who already have familial supports around them.

We see this in the Law of Moses, where God threatens Israel not to mistreat widows and orphans (Exodus 22:22).  In Deuteronomy 10:18, God describes Himself as one who gets justice for the widow and the orphan.  Early Christians took this seriously, and cared for the widows in their midst who did not have natural family to care for them.  We do not know who was doing it, but there seems to have been no group plan.  It was just happening.

However, the fact on the ground is that some widows were being overlooked, and they were Hellenists.  This does not appear to be in dispute at all.  Now some conflicts happen over immoral issues, but there is no idea that this is being done on purpose, as a result of ethnic rivalry.  Some conflicts are simply logistical issues that require a better plan of operation.  Humans forget things and any plan that does not plan to cover for such moments is a plan that will have failures.

In this case, the source of the conflict does not have a moral failure.  This brings us to the next stage, the stage of response.  If we are easily offended, we tend to see purposeful actions in others, and ourselves as innocent.  This can affect our response, even sour it.  I can respond sinfully to a conflict that is not over a sinful matter.  Pause and think about that for a moment.

A solution is found vs. 2-6

As certain Hellenists speak among themselves about this problem, it comes to the attention of The Twelve.  They recognize that this needs to be solved publicly so that everything is done in the open for all to see.  This will make it easier to keep group unity down the road. 

Thus, they have all the Christians in Jerusalem gather.  This will not be a time for a sermon, or teaching, or even worship in song.  It is a time for ironing out a problem in the day-to-day operation of the Church.  Notice that in this conflict there are already cultural divides between the people.  It is wise to pay attention to such matters.

The call to gather is put in the mouth of “The Twelve.”  They were united on this issue and no one is credited with coming up with the solution.

Part of the solution is nipping in the bud the idea that the apostles should oversee everything that the Church does, or even do it themselves.  We do not know how many widows there were.  However, they are a large group, and they are under Roman occupation.  This may mean that there is a substantial number.

They state that “it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.”  “It is not desirable” has the idea of that which is fitting or proper, and thus pleasing, or desirable.  They are not saying it would be undesirable to them, but to God.  They had a calling on their lives that required being in the Word and spending time in prayer.  An enemy to reading the Word and prayer is often sinful tendencies, but it can also be other good things that need to be done and eat up our time.  There is a tyranny in the urgency of good things that take us away from better things.

Of course, everyone needs time in the Word and in prayer.  This is not only an issue for the apostles.  However, they are not the best ones to step up and fulfill this ministry.  Someone else needs to assist in this ministry.

The apostles tell the people to pick seven men to oversee this ministry.  Notice the qualifications that they advise the people to use.  Clearly, they do not see this ministry as something lowly that anyone could do.  It is not that this ministry is beneath them, but that it is not for them.  They have a different ministry to do.  They are to pick “men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business.”  Even something as menial as serving tables in the name of Christ should be taken seriously.  We all need the help of the Holy Spirit to do everything that we do, and not just the “great things.”

It has been suggested that the number seven basically puts one man in charge of each day.  It is speculative, but also quite reasonable considering that it was a daily distribution.  Many hands make light work, and light work makes for joyful work.  Learn to be joyful in the duties that you have.  God has a good blessing for you on the other side.

We should also notice that there is no election or electioneering mentioned.

Seven men are picked and they all just happen to have Greek names.  It may be a stretch to say that they were for sure all Hellenists, but it appears that way.  With all or most of them being Hellenists, there will be no question going forward that ethnic tensions are playing a part in any errors.  Stephen leads this list because he is the next focus of Luke’s account.

These seven men are only going “to feed widows,” but they are publicly commissioned to this task in front of the group by the apostles.  There will be no question that these men are the ones who will take care of the ministry and that they should deal with any further problems or issues.  It also is a reminder to the men that they are to do this ministry in the name of the Lord.  They will be the hand of the Lord to these widows in their time of need.

The apostles lay their hands upon them and pray over them.  This picture of placing a call of God upon others through prayer is a beautiful one.  Practical service is a spiritual service.  Just as God was using the apostles to lay a foundation for the Church, so he would use them to set the Church in order.  These men are not entitled deacons at this point, but the word for “serving” tables is the verb form of that title that we will find later in the New Testament.  These are the first deacons of the Church.

The effect upon the spread of the Gospel vs. 7

I am sure that the enemy was hoping to divide and conquer the early Church through this matter.  It is good to pay attention to the schemes of the devil.  If we will not buckle to brute force attacks against our faith, we may respond to divisions and conflict with fellow believers.

What we see here is a Spirit-filled response to a very practical problem, and it protects the work of God from being diminished, “the Word of God spread.”  Distraction and group squabbles can keep us from the mission of sharing the Good News with others.  It can put out the Spirit’s fire within our hearts. 

This does not mean that we do not pay attention and speak up when things are not right.  God used this to deal with a problem.  Some widows were not receiving the food and care that they should have.  No one should want that to go unnoticed for the appearance of group unity.  Leaders in a church should not emphasize unity so strongly that voices that bring up problems are squelched.  It is the unity of the Holy Spirit that we work for, and sometimes, the Holy Spirit wants something to be said.

We are also told that the number of disciples multiplied greatly.  It has already been multiplying greatly, so we can say that they continued in the blessing of God.  Feeding widows and proper conflict resolution are not the secret to growing the Church.  Rather, it is responding to issues that need to be addressed with spiritual maturity and grace.  It is too easy to let the chores go undone, and then go on about your life.  Sometimes God lets the roof leak so that you will get up and start doing something about it.  It is in an environment of taking one another seriously, and properly dealing with conflicts, that the blessing of growth in the believing community can happen.

Lastly, Luke mentions that “a great many of the priests” became believers in Jesus.  Not all of them were like Annas and Caiaphas.  They had grown up in a system of tradition and control that had taught them not to question what they saw.  It gave them a “correct understanding” of the law that was not actually correct.  It was not until someone, who knew the truth, started teaching and living out the truth in front of them that they were able to break free from the intellectual hold upon them.

This happens today in churches, denominations, nations, even in constitutional federated republics.  It is only by the grace of God by His Holy Spirit that we can break free from the lies that were taught to us by our fathers, often because they were taught them by their fathers.  Jesus is no lie!  The Holy Spirit is not a lie, and those who believe in Jesus will be filled with the Spirit in order to make a difference in their life.  God help us to be “serving tables” by helping those who have no help in this life.  However, let us not overlook the need of people to be served the Word of God, so that they can believe!

Widows audio

The Acts of the Apostles 22

Subtitle: Rejoicing in Persecution

Acts 5:40-42.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 23, 2022.

There are many things in life that cause people to rejoice.  We rejoice at weddings and at the birth of children.  We rejoice at graduations and getting that first job as an adult.  Of course, there are many similar things of lesser caliber that we rejoice over as well.

However, it is not common for people to rejoice when they are being persecuted by others for the sake of following Jesus Christ.  Yet, if we are truly following Jesus, we should be growing in our ability to do so, and far more Christians should be spiritually mature enough to do it.  I do not mean in theory, or in pretense.  I really do mean that we should internally and externally rejoice when we are persecuted for our faith in Jesus.

Today we are going to see the Apostles of Jesus rejoicing because they were being persecuted.  May God bless us with even half the joy that they had on that day!

Let’s get into our passage.

The Apostles are released (vs. 40)

The Apostles of Jesus were in a tough spot with the council angrily planning their death right in front of them.  It seemed that the same thing that happened with Jesus would now happen to them.  Yet, something unexpected happens.  Gamaliel, a rabbi with a lot of clout on the council, stands up and gives a speech strongly cautioning the group against putting the men to death.  This is where we left off last week.

In verse 40, we are told that his speech “persuaded them.”  He is a very learned man who knows this assembly well.  He cannot easily be dismissed by the high priest and the Sadducees on the council.  It is also possible that he has caught them off guard, and the are persuaded more out of a lack of preparation to resist his logic. 

All this notwithstanding, Gamaliel is not the hero here.  It really is God who has turned them from this path of executing the Apostles.  God often works through people, both the righteous who are willing to be used of Him and the unrighteous who are used unwittingly by Him.  Thus, it is God who has set them free.

We should remind ourselves of how God protected Daniel in the lion’s den.  He sent an angel who was clearly unseen by others.  How many times was Israel outnumbered by their enemies, but God sent an angel, or stirred them to fight one another, or pummeled them with hailstones, etc.  Many are the methods that God employs to help the righteous, and sometimes it involves using those who are unrighteous.  Yes, I am saying that Gamaliel is unrighteous.  He is resisting and standing against the clear leading of the Spirit of God in his day.

However, God does not always set His servants free from the hands of those bent on persecuting them.  Everyone of these Apostles would be heavily persecuted by their fellow Jews, and by the Gentiles.  Most of them would be executed for the sake of Jesus as martyrs down the road.

Jesus himself had warned Israel that he was sending them prophets and that they would persecute them.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”  Matthew 23:29-36 (NKJV)

They would become guilty of all the righteous blood shed on the earth because they were doing this over the top of the powerful light of God given in their generation.  Cain is the primary, or original, type of this.  He slew his brother even though he had been warned by God Himself.  He had great light and sinned against it.  There is a rejection of God and truth, and an embrace of wickedness.  We see the same thing with Mystery Babylon in the book of the Revelation of Jesus.  Revelation 18:24 says, “And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” 

The light and the glory of Jesus Christ has spread across this world, and many who would speak of Jews as Christ-killers will themselves become the greatest persecutors of his true followers.  It has been figured that, from AD 1540 to 1580, papal Rome had over 900,000 Protestants killed.  However, those numbers pale in comparison to what can be done today.  Perhaps we will see the days when Protestants themselves call for the death of those they disagree with.  I pray not.  Yet, the rise of Pentecostalism in the early 1900’s received much social persecution from the Protestant churches they were being kicked out of.  Perhaps even Pentecostals will join in the fray of persecution.  This is always the challenge.  Will we allow ourselves to make the institution an idol and persecute those who refuse to do so?  Or, will we allow Jesus to lead us along the path that he has chosen?

Friend, hear me.  You had better flee to Jesus and deliver yourself from this wicked and perverse generation.  No denomination can save you.  No church can save you, only Jesus can!  I pray that you as an individual, and this church as a local body, and the Assemblies of God will hold the line in standing with Jesus.  However, our faith is anchored in Jesus, and not in an institution.

We are told that they are beaten and ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus, but it would not stay that way for long.  God had a certain work that they had to accomplish, and no one could stop them, until they had accomplished what He had sent them to do.  Yet, they were able to make the apostle’s lives difficult.

In our generation, we do not like it when sinful people, even sinful “Christians,” make our lives difficult.  However, this is the call to all who would follow Jesus.  Following Jesus is not easy because he is headed to a cross, and he tells you to pick up and carry your own cross in following him.  Praise God that there is coming a day when Christ will come in his glory, and the sons of God will be manifested to a world that is not worthy of those whom God has sent!  It is not yet clear who we are, but God Himself declares that we are His children.  He will manifest it on that day!

We should now turn our attention to the response of the Apostles.

The response of the Apostles (vs. 41-42)

Imagine how you would respond to being hauled before the Snohomish County Superior Court judge, or the supreme Court of the State of WA, or the House of Representatives of these united States of America.  What if you were unlawfully detained, questioned, beaten, and then told to quit talking about Jesus or you would get worse?  I know that it seems an impossibility and hard to fathom.  Yet, this is what had happened to these men.  How did they respond?  Maybe we had better focus more on how we would respond?

We are told that they responded by rejoicing in their suffering.  No, they were not rejoicing that they were released, but that they had suffered for Jesus!  Why would they do such an odd thing?  We could chalk it up to the fact that they had failed before the cross to stand with Jesus.  Perhaps this was an opportunity to prove their devotion and love to their Lord after having failed so miserably before.  However, I believe it is more than that.

Jesus had prepared them for this moment as a part of their discipleship.  The Gospels record several places where Jesus addressed this.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Matthew 5:10-12 (NKJV)

Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.”  Luke 6:22-23 (NKJV)

They were not suffering because of living a sinful lifestyle, and rejecting the Word of God.  They were suffering shame for the name of Jesus and doing righteousness! 

Public humiliation, or public shame, is one of the ways that societies and governments have kept people in check through the years.  However, these men were more interested in pleasing Jesus than they were in pleasing people.  Leonard Ravenhill said it similar to this.  If we displease God, then it doesn’t matter if we please men, and if we please God, then it doesn’t matter if we displease men.  God help us to quit being people who are trying to please others at the expense of pleasing God.  God give us enough backbone to follow Him even when other Christians become our greatest persecutors and call us heretics, or accuse us of perverting the faith. 

This was the shame that these Apostles were suffering.  They were treated as traitors to Israel and to God.  They would be excommunicated and cut off as heretics accused of working for the devil.

I have saved the phrase “counted worthy” for last.  They were rejoicing, but Luke adds a sense of being counted worthy to suffer.

Do we have this whole issue of suffering backwards?  Do we think that the more we know God the less persecution we will encounter?  This is not an accurate understanding of a man like Daniel.  Yes, the lions did not eat him, and he was restored to his position.  However, Daniel was not protected from suffering persecution.  These men had laid in wait and used their power, position, and craft against him.  Martyrs are clearly suffering, but my point is that even the great examples of those who were protected by God (remember David?) suffered great persecution for standing with Him.

We may think that there is not as much persecution against Christians in America because we are far more civilized than those other nations.  We are somehow better and more righteous than they.  But what if we are not living lives worthy of suffering for Christ?  Maybe us pastors are living lives that do not have enough faith to preach the truth in the face of opposition?  Perhaps believers are afraid of what may happen if they get serious about warning others around them about a future without Jesus.  Or simply, maybe we are consumed with the lusts of our flesh instead of the eternal work of the Lord Jesus that the Spirit of God is calling us to?  O, friend, if you have ever sensed the Spirit of God before, then sense Him now.  Jesus is looking for workers in the fields, and those workers will encounter persecution to varying levels.  Will you answer His call?

We are told by Luke that the Apostles never stopped teaching and proclaiming the Gospel, that Jesus is the Messiah!  They did not surrender for even one minute!  They did not obey the unlawful command from the lawless authorities.  Rather, they continued to do what Christ had told them to do.  They preached Jesus as Christ to the people in his power and authority.  They declared him to be the Anointed one promised by God the Father.  This anointed one would be the savior of mankind, and he would have authority over all in heaven and on the earth.  He is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords!

I believe that Jesus is removing the middle ground here in America.  To our flesh, it is a scary day, just as the night of betrayal was to the Apostles.  But when you get on the other side of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gives you a vision of what lies ahead!  May God help us to be a people who are seeking to be fille with His Spirit.  May we be a people hearing the Holy Spirit, repenting of lethargy, and exercising faith in him through loving obedience.  In short, may we truly be his disciples and take on the image of Jesus Christ! 

Persecution audio

The Acts of the Apostles 21

Subtitle: The Reaction of the Council

Acts 5:33-39.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 16, 2022.

Last week we looked at Peter’s powerful defense of their actions, and their preaching of the Gospel of Jesus.  Peter ended with a powerful conviction of the religious leaders of Israel for murdering Jesus in the face of what God was doing- see last week’s sermon regarding why it is presented as murder.  This sets us up for the reaction from the Council.

It is easy to become angry with a human being.  Even the best believers have flaws that can be used to discount them, or even attack them.  However, we must always remember that this is unwise.  You will not be judged by Jesus on whether you were more flawless than those you disagreed with.  Rather, you will be judged by what the Spirit of God was trying to say to you, or through you.  Thus, we need to be careful in how we respond to one another.  This is a serious area in which we are easily tripped up by the enemy.

Let’s get into the passage.

They become furious (vs. 33)

Though Peter’s speech is much the same as it was the first time he spoke to the council (Acts chapter four), it seems that the council’s response is far more furious this time.  That makes some sense because this time they have disregarded the council’s earlier command.

Yet, it is not Peter that is bothering them, but rather, it is the Gospel Truth that Jesus has given to the apostles, the fact that they are faithfully speaking with boldness, and the clear presence of the Holy Spirit’s power.  They would have typically dispatched Galilean fishermen with ease, but these guys were not typical.

Some translations say that they were “cut to the heart.”  The word literally means “to be sawn in two.”  Any English speaker would recognize right away that the intent of the original language is far more vehement than “cut to the heart” elicits.  Thus, the term “furious” is used.  They have been forced to hear the truth that they have been avoiding with such shocking force that they are beside themselves with rage and indignation.

We should see a contrast between this reaction and the reaction of the crowd on the Day of Pentecost.  It is a contrast between Israel’s leaders and the average Judean (Jew).  In Acts 2, the word of God from Peter is more of a piercing of their heart, rather than a sawing in two.  Being pierced by God’s word stirs up remorse and godly sorrow within many in the crowd (of course not all). 

It is the same word that Peter is preaching, but it has a different effect on different hearts.  Of course, there is even a third response that can be described as apathy.  How am I responding to the Gospel Truth of Jesus Christ?  I am not just talking about sinners who are not believers, but also about those who are supposed to be believers.  There comes a time when God refuses to wink at sin any more.  He then sends a polarizing event, situation, or person to force us off of the fence, one way or another. 

This is where many in the council are.  They are responding with vehemence against the Gospel Truth.  They are on a course to do the same thing to the apostles that they had done with Jesus.  However, God had a different plan!  Yes, the apostles would give their lives for the Gospel, but not at this time.

The intervention of Gamaliel (vs. 33-39)

At this point, a respected teacher named Gamaliel steps in to dissuade the council from the direction that they are headed in.  So, what do we know about this Rabbi?

We do not have a lot of source documents from that time period to give us information on him.  He is mentioned twice in Acts and a couple of times in the Talmud (a collection of Jewish law and traditions).  He seems to have lived from about 10 BC to c. AD 55-65.  He served as the “Prince” (Nasi) of the Sanhedrin during these years and was a Pharisee, which means that he wasn’t aligned with the high priest.

In those days, there were two mainstream schools of interpretation referred to by their founding rabbis: Hillel and Shammai.  Gamaliel is the grandson of Rabbi Hillel.  It has been pointed out that Hillel and Shammai could have been present at the temple when the twelve-year-old Jesus was teaching and amazing them.  Of course, we cannot know this side of heaven.

Gamaliel had the honor of a familial connection to Hillel, but had also proven to be a wise teacher, having a respect on his own merits.

Gamaliel argues for leaving the apostles alone, which causes some to question why he didn’t do so with Jesus.  We do not have enough information to figure that out, so silent we should remain.  It is possible he was not able to attend the trial of Jesus for some reason.  It is also possible that he went along with the death of Jesus, but now feels executing 12 of top disciples- who were proving to be quite popular with a large number of people- is a bridge too far, and will cause riots.  This is all speculation.

Regardless, this story has more to do with God’s purpose for the apostles than it does with Gamaliel.  He simply becomes a means for God’s purpose to be worked out like Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, or even Judas.

Gamaliel has them put the apostles outside of the chamber so that they can discuss without being overheard.  It is interesting to note that Nicodemus would have most likely been there.  This account in Acts is the only surviving evidence of this trial.

When he is able to speak freely, Gamaliel warns the council that they need to be careful in what they do with these men.  The heated anger within the group was not carrying them in a good direction.  He argues against putting the men to death, which tells us what he didn’t want to happen.  However, an argument is always crafted to be persuasive to others, and doesn’t always represent the main thinking of the person making it. 

At the least, Gamaliel represents a cooler head, which is a hallmark of wiser notion.  Still, we should be careful of turning Gamaliel into more than he is.  He too was kicking against the goads of the Holy Spirit, along with his disciple Paul (see Acts 22:3).  He is trying to find a middle road in a situation in which God is not allowing there to be a middle road.  As I said earlier, there are times where God brings everything to a head and forces people to get off the fence.  He uses circumstances like a bulldozer to remove that fence out from under us.  How important it is for us to see that the issue is not wise sounding words, but knowing the Word of God, knowing what He is doing in the now.  In this case, not even Gamaliel had the wisdom of these fishermen and their friends, in the same way that Pharaoh did not have the wisdom of the slaves before him.

Gamaliel reminds the council of two recent examples of insurrections that were led by messiah-figures.  Each of these are of a person who gathered a large following, had a level of success, was struck down, and then their followers dispersed.  We have no evidence outside of the Bible for these two insurrections.  There are some passages in Josephus that are close, but they do not fit these details.  In fact, there were many insurrections and rising of messiah-figures within Israel.  The most famous of that period, other than Jesus, would come in AD 135 as the Romans crushed the Simon BarKochba Revolt.  He had been backed as messiah by Rabbi Akiva, the top Hillel scholar of that time.  So, it is little wonder that these two events, which were recent to the council at that time, would not be recorded elsewhere. 

The first example is of a man named Theudas.  He gathered up to 400 men, and yet, he was slain.  This sounds like a military death, so it seems likely they tested their metal against the Romans.  Regardless, his followers dispersed and nothing more came of it.

Similarly, a man named Judas (Judah) of Galilee rose up during the days of the census.  There were several censuses in those decades, but it is likely that “the census” is a reference to the census by Caesar Augustus during the birth of Jesus.  This Judas also rose up, drew many people after him, and then perished.  His followers dispersed and nothing more came of it.

Gamaliel’s argument comes down to this.  These apostles are either doing a work of men, a human source, or they are doing a work of God.  If it is a work of men, then it will fail and come to nothing, like the two examples he gave.  However, if it is of God, then they won’t be able to fight it because no man can fight God and win.

I would say up front that it would be reading too much into the argument to believe that Gamaliel was thinking God might be behind the apostles, though that is a possibility.  However, it seems most likely that he is logically boxing them into the course of action that he wishes them to take.  There is no way the council will accept that these men are doing God’s work- they were the ones “doing God’s work.”

There are two sides to Gamaliel’s argument.  The side about God is absolutely true.  When God is doing a work, not even the great armies of the world can stop it.  Yet, there is a fallacy on the human side.  Yes, all human endeavors done without God’s help will fail, but there are other factors.  How long will it take to come to nothing?  And, how much damage will it do until it fails?  What about Islam?  Does God want Arabs worshipping a false god in a false religion?  Of course, He doesn’t.  Yet, due to their choices, God has worked it into His plan.  There will come a day when Islam is no more.  What about Mormonism?  They have been quite successful in numbers of people and money spent on a mission that is not a work of God.  However, these things are worked into God’s plan as a judgment upon Christianity and its lack of fervor in His things.

We might also say that this is not the counsel of Jesus.  “Beware of false prophets…”  It is not the council of the Apostle Paul who jealously defended the churches that he started from false teachers and false prophets.  He didn’t just ignore them.

We must always understand that sometimes God brings situations that force us to make a choice.  It polarizes, and there is no middle position.  O Christian, let us be a work of God who is working with God in His work!  If we are only a Christian looking work of man, then we are of most people to be pitied, for we will one day stand before him and hear the fateful words, “Depart from me.  I never knew you!”

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