Sometimes the book of Acts is said to be an introduction to Paul, the greatest missionary ever to live. Well, the book certainly has a lot to say about Paul, but that is not what the book is about.
In fact, if the book of Acts is chopped up into little pieces or partial passages, say about Ananias and Sapphira and some lesson about lying to God, the real message of the passage is missed.
In this 5 day series we will see a theme emerge that is unmistakable. If we miss this theme, we will never win the world to Christ with the gospel. The gospel, unlike any other topic, is offensive to the world. It is narrow. It is unpopular (and always will be). But the gospel is all we have. Absolutely all we have. But it is eternally sufficient.
So, here is the first day's study in the book of Acts.
Many people remember Acts 1 where Jesus is taken up into
Heaven. At least a few remember that Mathias replaced Judas as a disciple.
Acts chapter 2 is probably the best known (if one of the
most misinterpreted) passages in the book. That’s Pentecost, where the crowd of
diverse origin heard the apostles in their own languages.
In chapter 3, Peter heals a crippled beggar and preached the
gospel. That “preached the gospel” part is key. Peter was using the Old
Testament to prove to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
Chapter 4 tells us that when the religious leaders heard this,
they accosted Peter and John, asking by what power or name they dared to preach
this “blasphemy.”
Peter immediately preached the gospel to the religious
leaders!
Have you ever noticed how very arrogant and mean spirited
religious leaders can be? These priests and Sadducees knew the scriptures Peter
was using very well. They knew that Jesus had perfectly fulfilled them all.
That both threatened them and caused them to be indignant.
So they confronted the apostles with threats of their own. For what?
For preaching the gospel. Look back in paragraph 3. I told you this part is
key. It will become more key as the book progresses.
Some readers of Acts remember the believers’ prayer and the description
of the believers’ sharing with each other. And they might remember Barnabas,
Son of Encouragement.
Most readers remember the account of Ananias and Sapphira and
draw all sorts of imagined conclusions from it, although what it really means is that following Jesus demands our all, and Ananias and Sapphira were unwilling to give that. Some might remember the healing
in chapter 5 as well.
But the longest part of chapter 5 deals with the response of
the high priest and all of his associates, the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Levites. They were jealous of
the apostles and had them jailed. But the apostles got out with the help of an
angel.
The apostles went right back to preaching the gospel, and when they
did, they were called before the Sanhedrin. “We gave you strict orders not to
teach in this (Jesus’) name.” To which Peter replied, “We have to do what God
told us to do and not what you guys tell us to do” (paraphrase). And they
preached the gospel to the Sanhedrin!
The Sanhedrin had the apostles flogged, told them again to
stop preaching the gospel and let them go at the urging of Gamaliel.
Some readers remember Acts 6 when seven men were chosen to minister
to the widows. And they remember that Stephen and Philip were chosen, along
with others. Guess what they did. They preached the gospel!
For that, according to chapter 7, Stephen was seized and put
on trial. In the middle of the trial, guess what Stephen did. He preached the
gospel to the Sanhedrin!
These guys had a one track mind. While there were plenty of
social ills, while there was much immorality, while there were crimes on every
hand, what did the apostles do? The preached the gospel! That’s the only
message they preached.
Well, the religiously pious bean-heads had finally had
enough. They had Stephen stoned to death.
The book tells us that Saul was
present giving approval to Stephen’s death.
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