Scripture
Timeless Truth: He is risen—spread the news!
What could turn a group of gutless deserters into courageous,
outspoken evangelists willing to be imprisoned and even die for their
cause? They had witnessed the
resurrected Christ. He had proved Himself alive for forty days to various
people in a variety of circumstances and places. Just before His ascension, Jesus told the
disciples to wait for the promised power of the Holy Spirit so that they could
be witnesses to His resurrection in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth. Ten days later on the
day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit stormed in like tongues of fire. He empowered each disciple to declare the
gospel. Peter became the first
mega-church preacher and that day three thousand new believers were baptized. This new community of believers embraced
teaching and fellowship and enjoyed the favor of nearly all the people. All but the powerful Jewish rulers, that
is.
The new church continued to grow rapidly. The apostles were even able to perform
miracles similar to those Jesus had done!
As the apostles spread the word of the resurrection in Jerusalem, they
incited outrage and opposition from the Jewish rulers. Peter refused to be silenced and continued to
speak in spite of orders to stop. Even a
severe flogging could not curb his zealous proclamation that Jesus was the
Messiah. Stephen’s scathing sermon before the Sanhedrin showed how the Jews had
repeatedly rejected God’s prophets and resisted God’s Spirit. The Sanhedrin dragged him outside of
Jerusalem to stone him. He saw a vision
of Jesus standing at the right hand of God and entrusted himself to the
Lord.
Sparked by the martyring of Stephen, persecution drove Christians
like Philip out of Jerusalem and into outlying areas like Samaria. While the
opposition grew, so did the spread of the gospel message. A Pharisee named Saul made it his personal
mission to defeat this movement once and for all, but his blinding
come-to-Jesus moment on the road to Damascus really “opened his eyes.” Meanwhile, God prepared Ananias to deliver God’s
marching orders to Saul: he had a mission to be God’s witness to the
Gentiles. As Ananias laid his hands upon
him, Saul’s sight was restored, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Within a few short days, this persecutor of
Christ became a preacher of Christ.
Needless to say, his turnaround was met with suspicion and doubt, but
trusted Barnabas vouched for him to the apostles in Jerusalem. Saul soon found himself on the receiving end
of death threats, so he too was sent away from Jerusalem. The church spread throughout Judea and Samaria
as God used even persecution to achieve His Upper Story purpose of spreading
the news that Jesus is the risen Messiah.
God’s next move was so radical that He had to prepare both Peter
and Cornelius for this new revelation.
While an angel told Roman centurion Cornelius to send for Peter, Peter
was given a vision of unclean animals on a sheet. A heavenly voice instructed
him to eat this meat that was definitely not kosher. What Peter called impure,
God now called clean. As Peter was
trying to interpret the meaning of this vision, Cornelius’ servants arrived and
summoned him to their master’s home.
When he explained the gospel to a full house, the Holy Spirit was poured
out on these Gentiles too! The Holy
Spirit was now available to all who believed! Peter now knew his vision was not about food
but about God’s plan to declare all people “kosher” who would believe in
Christ. Peter’s ministry continued in Jerusalem where Herod Agrippa’s
persecution grew deadly. Peter was
imprisoned but even prison bars could not stop God’s plan. As his friends earnestly prayed for him, an
angel miraculously freed him. Kings,
rulers and prison guards all found themselves fighting against God and helpless
to stop His plan. While the Lower Story
of persecution drove believers away from Jerusalem, the Upper Story of
resurrection drove many to God. He alone
can redeem even the worst of circumstances.
After all, He alone is the God who raised the dead!
Questions
- Look up Ex. 3:2, 3:21, and 19:18. Why do you suppose the Holy Spirit was portrayed as tongues of fire that came to rest on each believer at Pentecost and how does His relationship to believers change after this event?
- According to Peter’s Pentecost sermon (p. 325 or Acts 2:22-24, 36), who was responsible for Jesus death? As a group, discuss the tension we experience between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will.
- What marked the community life of the believers (p. 326, 328)? Discuss ways your church and small group help foster a similar community. Share what is most meaningful to you personally.
- The church grew rapidly from the beginning even in spite of growing opposition and persecution. What factors might account for such growth then?
- God the Father was the most visible person of the Trinity in the Old Testament. Jesus, God the Son, was most visible in the gospels and now God the Holy Spirit becomes prominent in Acts. For most Christians, the Holy Spirit is the least understood person of the Trinity. List all you learned about the Holy Spirit from this chapter. What did you learn about the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for your own life?
- How did Stephen’s martyrdom help fulfill God’s mandate of Acts 1:8 (p. 323) beginning with Philip? If you are comfortable, share an example from your own life of God fulfilling an Upper Story work out of a Lower Story tragedy.
- What accounts for the dramatic change in Saul of Tarsus from persecutor to preacher? Do you know anyone personally who has gone from being a Christ-hater to a Christ-follower?
- God intended to teach Peter something even more profound than a lesson about foods through the vision of unclean animals (p. 333-334). What was it and why was Cornelius’ conversion such a big turning point in the life of the early church? (See Acts 11:1-3, Acts 11:15-18, Rom. 10:12-13 and Eph. 2:11-13 for further insight.)
- What did you learn about suffering from Peter’s flogging (p. 329-330) and imprisonment (p. 334-336), and Stephen’s martyrdom (p. 330-331) that you could apply personally?
