Bible Survey – Acts (Part 2)-PETER HAMMOND

[Nat Quinn]

BIBLE SURVEY – ACTS (Part 2)

The full message on part 2 of Acts as delivered to Livingstone Fellowship can be listened to here.

Peter and Paul
Luke focuses primarily on the Apostles, Peter and Paul. While both are distinctly different individuals, there are some startling similarities between the Apostles Peter and Paul:
They both were filled with the Holy Spirit.
They both preformed miracles.
They both saw visions.
They both presented powerful sermons.
They both proclaimed the Word of God with courage and boldness.
They both proclaimed the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.
They both suffered for the Faith.
They were both imprisoned and miraculously set free.
They both healed the sick.
They both cast out demons.
They both raised the dead.
They both declared God’s condemnation on false teachers.
They both refused worship.
They both died in Rome.

The Apostle Paul
Paul was ideal for the cross-cultural Mission to the Gentiles. Few men could have been better suited to bridge the gap between the Judaic traditions and the Gentile world. Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5). He was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee (23:6), thoroughly trained in the Law by the famous Gamaliel (22:3) and zealous for religion (Gal. 1:14). Yet he was brought up in the prominent Hellenistic University city of Tarsus (22:3) and would have been exposed to its cosmopolitan life and Greek philosophy and literature. Paul’s Roman citizenship (22:28) was a tremendous help in his Mission to evangelise and disciple the Gentiles.

Jewish Opposition
“But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ‘It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.'” Acts 13:45-46

Religious Racketeer
In Acts 8, we read of Simon, the sorcerer of Samaria. “And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the Apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.’ Then Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.'” Acts 8:18-24.

Simony in Sin
Here we see the dangers of counterfeit religion. The name it, claim it and frame it crowd who proclaim the heath and wealth gospel are actually guilty of the sin of simony, attempting to buy spiritual power, healing for wealth through money. The prosperity cult is a false gospel and needs the firm rebuke that Peter gave Simon: “Repent therefore of this your wickedness…”

The Demands of the Judaizers
Acts records that the main opposition to the spread of the Gospel did not come from the Gentiles, but from Jewish believers. The Apostle Paul was criticized for being a guest in the home of “uncircumcised gentiles” and for eating with them when on a mission to Caesarea (11:2-3). Some men from Judea caused division by telling the Gentile Church at Antioch: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (15:1). Some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisees demanded: “…It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses” (15:5). These challenges led to the Conference at Jerusalem (15).

Salvation is By Grace Not Race
Peter responded to the Judaizers by reminding them of the time when God had guided him to preach to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house: “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by Faith..” 15:8-9. If God had accepted the Gentiles on the basis of their faith without requiring them to keep the law, then who were they to do otherwise? “Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers, nor we, were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” 15:10-11.

God is Saving Gentiles
For their part, Barnabas and Paul answered the Judaizers by reporting on their work of planting churches amongst the Gentiles. The miraculous results showed that God approved of their direct Evangelism of the Gentiles and of their acceptance without being required to keep the Jewish ceremonial law (15:12).

Faith Alone
James concluded by showing that the acceptance of Gentiles as God’s people was prophesied by Scripture and he quoted from Amos 9:11-12 to show that all mankind will come to God, all the Gentiles whom He has called to be His own. This Jerusalem Conference was of supreme importance as it completely rejected the notion that circumcision was necessary for salvation. It accepted that salvation was by God’s grace alone and had nothing to do with observing the Jewish law. The Jerusalem Conference rejected the Judaizers and opened the way for the free access of Gentiles into the Church. A Gentile did not have to become a Jew in order to be a Christian. Acts records how Christianity moved from being a Jewish religion with some Gentile converts to the place where it is unquestionably a Gentile religion with Jewish converts. “…God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” 10:34-35.

Conversions in Acts
The Ethiopian treasurer was led to Christ through reading of the Scriptures (8:30).
Saul of Tarsus was confronted by Christ as a blinding light (9:1-19).
Lydia, the first convert in Europe responded to the proclamation of the Gospel (16:14). “…The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.”
The Philippian Jailer was struck in fear by the earthquake that struck the foundations of the prison. He fell down before Paul and Silas and asked, “Sirs what must I do to be Saved?” (16:25-31). “…So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household'” Acts 16:31.

The Kingdom of God Advancing
The Kingdom of God is spiritual in character, international in membership and relentless in expansion. The Disciples moved out with a zeal that could not be quenched and a courage that was unflinching. Salvation includes: Repentance from sin, Faith and Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, a public confession of Faith through baptism and daily discipleship, following, worshipping and obeying the Lord Jesus Christ.

Roman Peace and Roads
Culture does not have to be the missionary’s enemy; it can often be used as an ally. The Roman peace throughout the Empire gave the believers an unprecedented opportunity for cross-cultural Evangelism throughout the Mediterranean world. Under Roman rule, Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy and others could evangelise without the problem of tribal warfare or political borders. Acts also records several instances of Paul being protected from Jewish mobs by Roman officials (18:12-16; 21:31-32; 23:29-30). The Roman civilisation also provided the excellent roads that speeded up the spread of the Gospel message and the postal service that was used for the distribution of the Apostolic Epistles to the churches.

Greek Evangelism
So great was the influence of the Greek culture upon the Roman Empire that believers were able to use the Greek language to spread the Gospel and other Scriptures, throughout the civilized world. Not only was Greek one of the most widespread languages in the world at that time, but it was one of the best mediums for communicating Theological thought.

Synagogue Evangelism
Much use was made of the synagogues that diaspora Jews had established throughout the Mediterranean world. Paul used them as an initial base for many of his missions (e.g.: Pisidia, Iconium, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth, Ephesus and others) and the influence of the Hebrew religion prepared many people for the message of God’s Salvation through Christ.

Opening for the Gospel
Paul definitely became “all things, to all men” in order to win them to Christ. He was a Hebrew to the Hebrews, a Greek to the Greeks, a Roman to the Romans, a Gentile to the Gentiles. Paul turned the obstacle of culture into an opening for communication. One example demonstrates this very clearly:

The Plague
Three ancient writers, Diogenes Laertius, Philostratus and Pausanias record a plague, around 600 B.C. that struck the city of Athens, decimating the population. Even though the people of Athens offered sacrifices to their thousands of gods, begging them to intervene and stop the plague, the people continued to die in their thousands. In desperation, the elders of the city sent for a Greek hero, Epimenedes, asking him to help them.

Admitting Failure
Assessing the situation, Epimenedes concluded that there must be some other more powerful god who did not consider himself represented by the thousands of idols in the city. He also reasoned that any god who is great enough and good enough to do something about the plague would probably forgive their ignorance if they openly acknowledged their ignorance of him. He called the people to bring a flock of sheep to a sacred plot of ground in Athens, called Mars Hill and there sacrificed the sheep to “the unknown God.” All three writers confirm that the plague lifted immediately.

God Now Commands Every Man to Repent
“…’Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:” 17:22-23. In effect, Paul was saying ‘Foreign gods? No! The God I proclaim is the One who did what none of your thousands of futile idols could do – He saved Athens from that plague.” “God… now commands all men everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30

Let the Earth Hear His Voice
Acts boldly proclaims that Christianity is for all cultures, every race and nation. It shows how culture can be an obstacle and how it can also provide an opening to the communication of the Gospel across all the various cultural barriers of Samaria, Syria, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Pamphylia, Crete, Macedonia, Greece, in fact “to the ends of the earth.” Acts is an unfinished Book as Christ continues to build His Church by the power of His Holy Spirit working through His disciples and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. When the Great Commission is fulfilled Christ will return to Judge the living and the dead. Luke documents the irresistible force as Christ Jesus builds His Church and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.

The Gospel in Acts

Peter at Pentecost:
a. Preached a Person. A Christ-centered message, emphasising His death and glorious Resurrection.
b. Proclaimed a Gift. The gift of forgiveness, of the Holy Spirit, of adoption and reconciliation with God.
c. Looked for a response. Repentance, Faith in Christ and baptism.

Gospel Messages in Acts Include:
a. The Incarnation. “God has come right into our midst”. A Historic and unique event.
b. Forgiveness of sins. Striking at the heart of our problems.
c. The Cross. God has acted. The Lord Jesus has been crucified. He is our Atonement, guilt- bearer and propitiation of our sins.
d. The Resurrection. Christ Jesus is alive! He is Lord and reigning on High.
e. The evangelists preached Christ. A Person, not a system. An experience of vital relationship to Christ is needed.

The Gospel in Acts Emphasises:
a. The Person and Character of Jesus Christ as God incarnate.
b. The Teachings of Jesus Christ on God, life, the Kingdom and human destiny.
c. The Death of Jesus Christ as the Atonement for sin.
d. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is our living Lord.

Paul in Athens Proclaimed:
God is the Creator of the whole world and everything in it (17:24).
God created all the races of mankind (17:26).
God will Judge the whole world (17:31).
God now commands all men everywhere to Repent (17:30).

The full message on part 2 of Acts and other Books of the New and Old Testament, as delivered to Livingstone Fellowship are available on audio CD from: Christian Liberty Books.

The Old Testament Survey is available in book format and consists of 284 pages and includes 37 pictures, maps, charts and chronologies. The Old Testament Survey Audio and Data MP3 boxset (42 audio sermons & 39 PDF sermon notes – 28hrs & 18min) is also available.

The New Testament Survey is available in book format and consists of 304 pages and includes 14 pictures, maps and charts. The New Testament Survey Audio and Data MP3 boxset (31 audio sermons & 1 PDF book).

These are available from Christian Liberty Books, PO Box 358, Howard Place 7450, Cape Town, South Africa, Tel: 021-689-7478, Fax: 086-551-7490, Email: admin@christianlibertybooks.co.za and Website: http://www.christianlibertybooks.co.za. Prices exclude postage.

Dr. Peter Hammond | Chairman Gospel Defence League PO Box 36129 | Glosderry | 7702 | Cape Town | South Africa Tel: +27 21 689 4480 peter@frontline.org.za

 

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To view the PowerPoint Lessons Learned from the Old Testament Survey, click here.

To access other Bible Survey articles, in English and Afrikaans visit http://www.livingstonefellowship.co.za.

 

To View or print out the latest GDL newsletter with pictures, click here

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