As Christians were scattered because of persecution, they carried the gospel with them and by God’s grace made many new disciples. However, in our passage we witness something different, a church on mission. We learn that worship and praying fueled the mission. The Spirit and the church affirmed the mission.
King Herod launches a public assault on the leaders of the church in Jerusalem, killing James and imprisoning Peter, but he ultimately cannot stop the advancement of Christ’s kingdom. Christians from every age will face conflict if seeking to advance the gospel. However, we can face such conflict with unshakable assurance that Christ will win.
The church in Antioch – not the mother church in Jerusalem – changed the world. The Jerusalem church was wonderful, and it should be appreciated for its uniqueness and power, but it had its challenges when it came to evangelizing non-Jews. Antioch, by contrast, was an international church. Luke describes in a small summary how the church in Antioch flourished.
In order to convert Cornelius, and to show the Jewish Christians the gospel was for everyone without distinction, God had to “convert” Peter – not to Christianity but to the implications of Christianity. Peter had to be convinced that the gospel is for everyone, including those completely outside the Jewish nation.
In order to convert Cornelius, and to show the Jewish Christians the gospel was for everyone without distinction, God had to “convert” Peter – not to Christianity but to the implications of Christianity. Peter had to be convinced that the gospel is for everyone, including those completely outside the Jewish nation
In Acts 9, we read of perhaps the most famous conversion in the history of Christianity. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus is actually one of the most important events – aside from Jesus’ resurrection – in the history of the world. Saul’s conversion plays a monumental role in the advancement of the kingdom across nations and centuries.
Already the church is advancing across ethnic and social lines when Philip, having established the mission to the Samaritans, becomes involved in an even more far-reaching missionary breakthrough. His witness to this Ethiopian man reveals the global nature of God’s offer of salvation and the gift of seeing a servant living out God’s mission.
Luke describes how the gospel was spreading through ordinary people in various situations. Despite the brutal murder of Stephen, God continued his mission of redeeming a people for himself – a people from every tribe and tongue. In fact, God uses persecution to launch His people into Samaria of all places.
Luke describes Stephen’s Christlike character, ministry, and death. To be like Jesus does not mean simply gathering facts about Jesus’ life and then copying them. As Christians, we must realize that we can pursue likeness to Jesus because we have been united to Jesus. Through that union with Christ, we can live out Christlike lives.
In Acts 6 Luke describes the blessings and the challenges facing the rapidly growing body of Christ in Jerusalem. We see that gospel-centered growth brings blessing, challenges and opportunities. Luke goes on to describe how the early church handled the challenges and continued to advance the mission.
Faithful gospel ministry results in both blessing and opposition. As the apostles continue to minister to the people in word and deed, it was enriching the poor in spirit and enraging the prideful. Persecution intensified and their opponents moved from threats, to floggings and eventually it will escalate to death. However, this energized the church as they rejoiced and continued proclaiming the gospel.
Luke uses two stories to highlight the kindness and severity of God at work in the church. As a whole, these two stories illustrate the nature and importance of unity. In the first story, we see how unity is established by the gospel and is displayed through generosity. In the second story, we see how unity can be threatened by hypocrisy. May God make us a people known for gospel-saturated generosity and not evil hypocrisy.
Peter knew what it was like to cower and fear. However, there is something different about Peter at this point in his story. As Peter and John are standing before the same religious powers that had just arrested, tried and murdered their Lord, Peter response in boldness. They were bold because they had the Holy Spirit and they personally knew the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth. We have the same Spirit to embolden us in sharing in the mission of redemption.
Luke describes how the apostles continued Jesus’s ministry in word and deed. In healing the lame man, the miracle served the gospel message. We learn that it is not about the power and godliness of Peter and John. It is not about the faith of the lame beggar. It is about Jesus, who is the glorified servant of the Lord, the source of life, the Holy and Righteous One, who causes redeemed sinners to dance in His presence with joy.
God builds His church by His word. Just as God spoke creation into existence in Genesis, He speaks this new creation – this new community – into existence through his mighty Word. The Church is God’s plan. That plan is bigger than the random conversion of individuals. Jesus is saving a people for himself, to be His people, His bride. Luke tells us what characterized the early Spirit-filled church – what made it healthy, dynamic and alive.
Peter addresses the crowd in explaining the promise of the Holy Spirit that God kept. In Peter’s explanation, we see how the Spirit works to accomplish his primary purpose: exalting Jesus. We learn that we have the necessary equipment to be faithful witnesses because we have the Word and the Spirit. Thus, we can speak with confidence, knowing that the Spirit empowers us and convicts people of sin and leads them to repentance.
In the Old and New Testament, God promised to pour out His Spirit on all of His people. In Act 2, we see the promise kept at Pentecost. In the coming of the Holy Spirit, there are three miraculous signs. These signs caused the crowd in Jerusalem to be amazed and perplexed. We learn that the gospel changes everything and is for all nations.
Everything in Acts chapter 1 is preparation for the great outburst of Holy Spirit. Over a period of forty days, they had listened to the teachings of their Lord Jesus. They had received His commission of advancing God’s global kingdom, and they had been given the promise of the Holy Spirit to empower them. After the ascension there was noting left to do but to wait in prayer. In that time of waiting in prayer and reading Scripture, we see the Lord working.
In the ascension of Jesus, the disciples were limited in their thinking of the restoration work of the Messiah. Jesus rocks their world as he tells them that the plan is not the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, but the global kingdom of God that will cross geographical and cultural barriers. They will play an essential part in it. They were to be witnesses of it.