Author: Chris Marshall

Acts 20 records another amazing miracle Paul performed in Troas. The miracle was the resurrection of Eutychus from the dead. He wasn’t sick but was sitting in an open window as Paul preached. Apparently, the message didn’t hold his attention, so he fell asleep, and then fell out of the window and to the ground below.  He was dead, but Paul brought him back to life in Jesus’ name!  While the remainder of the chapter isn’t nearly as dramatic, it contains Paul’s last encounter with the elders of the Ephesian church.  Paul made it clear to those elders that he had spoken the truth of Jesus in the love of Jesus to the extent that he was “innocent of all men’s blood.”  What does that mean? It’s a reference to the prophet Ezekiel, whom the LORD told was to be the watchmen for a coming invasion.  The LORD told Ezekiel if the enemy came and he cried out to the people, but they didn’t get up, their blood would be on themselves, but if the enemy came and he did not cry out, their blood would be on him.  Paul was saying he had proclaimed the gospel clearly, so if anyone didn’t respond their blood was on themselves.  Paul also noted he had taught them in the marketplace and from house to house.  This is in Acts 20:20, so some have called this Paul’s 20:20 vision: presenting the gospel in large groups (marketplace) and small groups (house-to-house).  Paul also quoted Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” a powerful statement that we don’t find in any of the gospels, so Jesus either spoke it directly to Paul, or one of the apostles told Paul and he spoke it to the Ephesian elders as a reminder.  One final point we must take from Paul’s final words to the Ephesian elders: Paul said after he left “wolves” would come in and seek to attack the “sheep.”  The wolves were false teachers, and the sheep were the people.  Paul reminded the elders they were “shepherds” (which is the word from which we take our word pastor), and they must guard the sheep.  If we fast-forward to Revelation 2, we find the Ephesian elders being commended for being faithful in maintaining the purity of the truth but reprimanded for losing their first love.

Acts 21 records Paul’s journey to Jerusalem.  Paul had wanted to go there for Pentecost, but the trip turned out to be filled with turmoil, as the church leaders in Jerusalem realized Paul’s reputation preceded him, and many would not appreciate this “Gentile-loving” leader among them.  We don’t read those words, but we see that the church leaders had Paul take some actions that would show he was a faithful “Jew.”  The plan didn’t work, and Paul was attacked by some Jews, and then arrested by the Romans, because the Jews were beating him.  As the chapter ends Paul is ready to make his defense to the crowds.

Acts 22 records Paul’s defense, which was Paul offering his testimony of his conversion to the crowd.  They listened until Paul told them the LORD had sent Him as an apostle to the Gentiles.  At that point they wanted to kill him.  The Roman soldiers decided to flog him, but Paul pulled the “I’m a Roman” card, and the Roman soldiers backed off.  They kept him in protective custody until the next day, at which time Paul was given the opportunity to go before the Sanhedrin to testify.

Acts 23 records Paul’s defense before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling body.  Paul used the strategy of setting the Sanhedrin against itself, because he knew some of them were Pharisees (as he was) and believed in the resurrection, while some where Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection, (which is why they were sad-you-see!) Anyway, Paul said he was on trial because he believed in the resurrection of the dead.  This led to such an intense argument that Paul was in danger of being torn in two.  The Romans took him back to protective custody, and eventually decided to send Paul to Caesarea where he would be examined by the Roman governor.  As Paul slept one night the LORD spoke to him in a vision and told him as he had spoken before the people in Jerusalem, he would speak before the leaders in Rome.

As we return to Matthew 8, Matthew records a number of healing miracles of Jesus.  Jesus healed a leper, a Roman centurion’s servant, many people in Capernaum, including Peter’s mother-in-law, then He calmed a storm, and healed two men who were possessed by demons.  This final account is quite similar to the account of Jesus healing the one man, who was called Legion, in Mark 5.  Most biblical scholars agree this is the same account, but Matthew lists two men and Mark only one.  This seems like a significant detail, but the point of both accounts is the same: Jesus overcame the power of Satan and cast many demons out of a man or men.  This produced the “Kingdom of Heaven” on earth in that moment.  That’s what Jesus came to do: to demonstrate what it’s like when the Kingdom of Heaven is in and among us! 

In Acts 17, Paul and Silas went first to Thessalonica, then to Berea.  Some of the Jews and Gentiles received the message of Jesus, but many didn’t, so Paul and Silas had to leave the city and go to Berea.  We’re told the Bereans were of more noble character, and they examined the Scriptures to see whether what Paul said was true.  This is always the best course to take: examine the claims of Jesus to see whether they are true.  They are!  At the end of the chapter, Paul has some time alone in Athens, while he was waiting for some of the others to come.  He took the time to speak to the philosophers there.  The end result of their dialogue is a few people trusted Jesus.  Paul shows us how to meet people where they are and lead them to Jesus through reasoned conversation.

In Acts 18, we read of Paul’s time in Corinth.  It was a time of building up the church and mentoring individual leaders.  The Lord gave Paul a personal message of encouragement while he was there, letting Paul know he had many people in the city. 

In Acts 19, Paul visits Ephesus.  While in Ephesus, Paul performed many signs and wonders in Jesus’ name.  As a result, seven sons of a Jewish priest decided to cast out demons in Jesus’ name.  One of the men from whom they attempted to cast out a demon “in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches,” responded “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”  At that point he attacked and beat the seven sons severely.  The news of this caused many to respond to the gospel.  As the gospel gained traction in Ephesus, a silversmith realized their business would be impacted greatly if people stopped worshiping idols and started worshiping the invisible God of the universe.  He couched it in religious terms, but convinced the people to riot against the gospel, because of the implicit attack it made on their “gods.”

As we return to Matthew 7, Jesus closes out the Sermon on the Mount.  In this chapter Jesus reminds us how crucial it is to always put Him first.  In a number of different ways, Jesus reminds us when we pray in faith to the Lord, He responds, when we cry out, “Lord, Lord,” we better be following the Lord, and at the end of the day every “tree” is known by its “fruit.”  The end result of Jesus’ message was the people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one with authority, and not as the teachers of religious law.  In every era, the teachings of Jesus carry an authority not found in any other type of speech.  Jesus was and is the Son of the living God.  His words are the word of God.  That means when we speak them in His love, they still compel people.  Of course, anyone can reject their truth and authority, but the truth remains they are the word of God, and when we respond to them appropriately, they change us from the inside out, and advance the cause of God’s Kingdom.

In Acts 14, we read of Paul and Barnabas’ continuing missionary journey.  They went to places such as Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.  Wherever they went, the people’s response was divided.  Some believed, while others didn’t.  In Lystra, Paul ministered to a crippled man, who received complete healing.  As a result, the townspeople tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as “gods.”  When Paul and Barnabas realized what was happening, they convinced the people to worship Jesus and not them.  But no sooner had they quieted the crowd than folks came from the previous towns where they had ministered and convinced the people to stone Paul.  They took him outside the city and stoned him.  They left thinking he was dead, but after they left Paul got up and moved on to the next town.  The challenge of facing such persecution everywhere they went didn’t stop Paul and Barnabas from carrying out their mission in Jesus’ name.

In Acts 15, we read of the first “council” of Jesus’ followers.  It took place in Jerusalem and focused on the growing division among the believers over whether a Gentile had to become a “Jew” before he or she could become a Christian.  Some believed it necessary to follow all the laws of Jews, before becoming a Christian, but Paul, Barnabas and Peter, to name a few, believed Jesus had freed the Gentiles from such rules.  After much discussion and debate, James, who presided over the meeting made a vital statement, ¹⁹“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.“Acts 15:19 (NIV) What a powerful statement!  With that statement, the early church made it possible for Gentiles to follow Jesus without all the encumbrances of the Jewish law.  After the meeting ended, Paul and Barnabas were ready to head back to the “mission field.”  They had a problem, though.  John Mark wanted to go with them.  Paul said, “No,” because he had deserted them on a previous journey.  Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance.  Finally, the disagreement became so heated that Barnabas took Mark, and Paul took Silas and they went their separate ways.  This shows us that disagreements happened even among the closest of Jesus’ followers.  The end result, though, was the churches were strengthened.

In Acts 16, Timothy joined Paul and Silas, and Paul’s mentoring relationship with Timothy began.  It would eventually become so close, that Paul called Timothy his son.  As the chapter continues, Paul has a vision of a man in Macedonia calling him to come and help him, which caused Paul to travel in that direction.  While they were traveling, they came to Philippi, and there Lydia became a convert, because the Lord opened her heart to hear the message.  In addition, Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned in Philippi.  During the night, while they were singing praises to the Lord, the Lord sent an earthquake, which freed Paul and Silas from their imprisonment.  The jailer, thinking all the prisoners had escaped was about to kill himself, because as a Roman jailer, he would have been responsible to take the punishment for any escaped prisoners.  Paul called out to him not to harm himself, because everyone was there.  The jailer found this to be true.  He took Paul and Silas home and cared for their wounds, and then asked the most important question ever, “What must I do to be saved?”  Paul and Silas led the entire family to the Jesus, and they were all baptized that night!

As we return to Matthew 6, we come to the portion of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught about giving, prayer, fasting, and living a worry-free life, through seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.  This chapter offers us the Lord’s Prayer, as well as Jesus’ admonition not to store up treasures on earth, but in heaven.  He also tells us no one can serve two masters and boils it down to this: you cannot serve both God and money.  Such a reminder is so vital for us who live in an era when many people believe money is the answer to all life’s problems.  The truth is Jesus was, is, and will always be the only answer to all of life’s problems!

In Acts 12, King Herod arrested James and had him put to death.  This pleased the people, so Herod arrested Peter and was going to have him put to death as well.  The night before Herod was to have Peter executed, an angel appeared to Peter and the chains with which he was bound fell off him.  The soldiers with him slept as Peter got dressed and left the prison, whose gates opened as he walked out. When this had all happened, Peter found himself in the street and realized it had all taken place.  He had thought it was a dream.  He returned to the house of John Mark and was welcomed with great rejoicing.

At the close of the chapter, we’re told of King Herod’s death.  The king went to Caesarea to address some matters of dispute and gave a speech which was acclaimed by the people.  They said his voice was that of a god and not a human being.  As a result of his not correcting this error, the LORD struck him dead.  While the account sounds hard to believe, we have seen throughout the Book of Acts that powerful things for good and for harm took place as a result of the Holy Spirit’s work.  When I say powerful things for “harm,” I mean the harm of those who seek to deny God’s presence and power, and the work of His Spirit.  Ananias and Sapphira were examples in Acts 5, and now King Herod is the example in Acts 12.

In Acts 13, we read of Saul (Paul) and Barnabas and several others meeting in Antioch for a time of worship, prayer, and fasting.  In the midst of it, the Holy Spirit selected Saul and Barnabas to go out in mission.  As they travelled, they followed the same strategy wherever they went: they went to the synagogue first and shared the good news there. If, and usually when, it was rejected, they went to the Gentiles.  They faced challenge and persecution from the Jews.  They offered signs, wonders, and the powerful testimony of Jesus’ salvation.  Their work was always challenged, and always fruitful!

As we return to Matthew 5, we return to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  This collection of Jesus’ teaching covers Matthew 5-7, and is the most extensive section of teaching in the four gospels. Jesus offered the beatitudes, the image of His followers being salt and light, a number of teachings that showed His power to add to the Law of Moses, including teachings on murder, lust, divorce, and vows.  He also spoke about the importance of loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. Matthew 5 ends with Jesus’ admonition for us to be “perfect” even as our Father in heaven is “perfect.”  Of course, none of us can fulfill this command apart from the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.  The folks who heard the message as Jesus presented it, must have been overwhelmed at the high expectations He placed on them. Only after He died and rose again from the dead, returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit would any be able to be consistent in fulfilling the teachings presented here.

Acts 9 offers us one of the most amazing accounts in the entire book.  Saul, who had been persecuting the church vehemently, was on the way to Damascus from Jerusalem to arrest Christians there.  While He was on the way, Jesus appeared to Him in a vision.  He asked, “Saul, Saul. Why are you persecuting me?”  Saul responded, “Who are you, Lord?”  (Saul’s response shows he knew this was no natural experience!)  Jesus answered, “It is Jesus whom you are persecuting.”  Through the experience Saul became blind.  The folks in his group led him to Damascus.  In Damascus, Ananias, a believer in Jesus, was also visited by God in a vision.  He was told to meet Paul and pray for his healing.  Ananias wasn’t keen on that idea, because Saul’s reputation had preceded him.  Ananias was faithful, and as a result Saul was healed, baptized and started preaching that Jesus is the Christ in the synagogue in Damascus.  Talk about an amazing conversion!  Saul taught in Damascus until the Jews there set their sights on him.  Saul left and wanted to go to the Church leaders in Jerusalem, but they were wary lest Saul was seeking to trick them.  Barnabas, a trusted leader among the believers, vouched for Saul, so the rest accepted him.  As a result of Saul’s conversion, the believers in the region experienced a time of peace.

We also read of Peter carrying out a couple of powerful miracles at the end of Acts 9.  He healed a paralytic named Aeneus and raised a woman named Dorcas from the dead!

As we move to Acts 10, it is Peter’s turn to experience something amazing.  We’re told at the beginning of the chapter a Roman centurion, named Cornelius, who was a devout follower of God was told in a vision to send for Simon called Peter.  He sent messengers to find Peter, and when they did, they asked Peter to come to Cornelius’ house.  Ordinarily, Peter, who was still following the ways of Judaism in addition to following Jesus, would not have obliged the request.  But Peter had also experienced a vision, the same vision, three times. The vision was of “unclean” animals, being dropped down from heaven, and his being told, “Rise, kill and eat.”  Peter argued that he had never eaten an unclean animal, but the LORD told him not to call what He called clean, unclean.  Peter understood the vision to be an affirmation of his call to visit with Cornelius.  He took other Jewish believers with him, and to their amazement, when Peter was preaching to Cornelius, his family and friends they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit.  This caused a ripple through the church that continued to be discussed in Acts 11.  The result of the incident is the believers glorified God for giving the Gentiles the opportunity to receive salvation, too.

Matthew 4 offers us the account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan.  This occurred immediately after Jesus’ baptism and His being affirmed by His Heavenly Father.  This reminds us that sometimes after a major victory or blessing in our lives, we are open to temptation.  It seems counterintuitive, because such times seem to be times when we would be stronger than ever.  But at such times we are also susceptible to pride.  Jesus’ victory over Satan came because He remained focus on His Heavenly Father, and He didn’t seek to argue with the devil.  He quoted Scripture in response to each temptation.  This shows us how important it is for us to learn and live God’s word. After passing the temptation test, Jesus started His ministry in Galilee.  He called people to repent because God’s Kingdom is at hand.  He called the first four of the twelve disciples and offered them the opportunity to “fish” for people instead of fish.  He also healed many people, showing us that the evidence of God’s Kingdom being present is our wholeness in body, soul, and spirit.

In Acts 7, Stephen offers his defense before his Jewish accusers by recounting much of Jewish history. They listened to Stephen until he got to the part about Jesus being the Messiah.  Then they stoned Stephen to death.  We’re told as this was taking place, a young man named Saul was watching over their coats and nodding with approval.  This young Saul was soon to have his own encounter with Jesus as we will see tomorrow! 

Acts 8 tells us after Stephen’s death a great persecution broke out against the church.  Much of it was led by Saul.  The good news in the midst of the persecution was it forced the believers to leave Jerusalem.  Phillip went first to Samaria, where he led people to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.  One of the new converts was a “sorcerer” name Simon.  Peter came over from Jerusalem when he heard the news and when they laid hands on the Samaritans, they received the Holy Spirit!  This was big news, because the Samaritans had been considered “half-breeds” by the Jews.  We’re also told Phillip witnessed to an Ethiopian eunuch, who received the good news with great joy, and was baptized immediately.  The Holy Spirit took Phillip away to another place after this. 

As we return to Matthew 3, we read of John the Baptist’s ministry and his baptizing Jesus.  The chapter is short, but it sets the stage for Jesus’ entire ministry.  John’s proclamation was, “Repent! (or turn away from your sins and back to God) The Kingdom of God is at hand.  This would become Jesus’ message as well.  While John and Jesus were radically different in their methods, their message was the same.  

Acts 4 records the conclusion of Peter and John’s healing of the lame beggar.  It caused such a stir that the Jewish religious leaders had them arrested and put in jail overnight.  Then they brought Peter and John before them to examine them for what they had done.  We’re told Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit before he responded.  This is a vital point, because Jesus promised when we are brought before the authorities for His sake, His Spirit will tell us what to say.  In any case, Peter’s response is classic.  He tells the Jewish leaders if they are being brought to trial for a good deed done to a crippled man (interesting point to put on the matter!), the explanation is simple: the miracle was done in the name of Jesus.  Peter went on to say there is no other name under heaven given among us by which we must be saved.  The religious leaders wanted to punish Peter and John, but they couldn’t deny a great miracle had been done, so they warned them not to preach any more in Jesus’ name, and then let them go.  The two went back to the rest of the believers and testified to what God had done among them.  Then they cried out to God and prayed for…boldness!  We might have thought they would have prayed for protection, but it was boldness for which they asked.  

In Acts 5 we read the sobering account of a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who sold some property and brought a portion of the proceeds to the apostles, but said it was everything.  As a result, they DIED. Yes, they died. They didn’t die, because they didn’t bring a 100% of the proceeds of the sale to the apostles.  They died for lying about what portion they brought.  We’re told this brought fear to the church.  The apostles continued to perform incredible miracles in Jesus’ name, and eventually they were all brought before the Jewish religious leaders again and punished for their activities. Nevertheless, they continued to live powerfully in Jesus’ name.

In Acts 6, we read of one of the first problems in the early church: the Hellenistic or Gentile widows weren’t being treating equally in the distribution of food.  When the problem was brought to the apostles, they didn’t say it wasn’t a problem, but they did say they wouldn’t be solving it themselves.  They weren’t going to give up their ministry of prayer and devotion to the Word of God to “wait tables.”  The solution was to select what we call “deacons,” who were godly men to take care of the situation.  The result was the church was strengthened, and even a number of Jewish priests became obedient to the faith.   At the close of Acts 6, Stephen, one of the deacons, is arrested by the Jews and put on trial for his faith.  We’ll read the conclusion of the matter tomorrow.

As we return to Matthew 2, we read of the coming of the wise men to see Jesus, and the slaughter of the babies and toddlers who were two years of age and under in and around Bethlehem by King Herod.  The slaughter was Herod’s effort to kill Jesus, and to stop Him from ever threatening his throne.  Jesus escaped this attempt, because an angel appeared to Joseph and led him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt.  Thus, Jesus spent His early years as a refugee in Egypt.  When Herod died, an angel told Joseph to return to Israel, but because another Herod was ruling, Joseph moved the family to Nazareth in northern Israel.

Today we turn to the Book of Acts for the first time.  The full title is often “The Acts of the Apostles,” but some have contended a better title would be “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.”  The Holy Spirit is the central actor in the book.  From start to finish, we see how different the presence of the Holy Spirit in every believer’s life makes humanity.  As we saw so often in the Old Testament, only a select few received the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  The masses followed these anointed leaders. Now, from Acts 2 forward, every believer has the opportunity to be led by the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 1, Luke introduces his second book to Theophilus.  He tells us the first book (the Gospel of Luke) told all that Jesus had done and taught.  This second book starts after Jesus had risen from the dead.  Indeed, in chapter 1, Jesus has his final meeting with the apostles before returning to heaven.  In that meeting, He tells the apostles they will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from that moment.  He also tells them once they receive the power of the Holy Spirit they will be His witnesses “…in Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)  The “formula” is: Wait.  Receiver Power.  Go.  How vital it is for us to keep that order in our minds and hearts.  Unless we wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit, we won’t have any power to carry Jesus’ mission forward in the world.  There’s no sense going without that power.  In the remainder of chapter 1, the apostles choose a replacement for Judas.  The interesting thing about that is we never hear about the replacement again, because Jesus already had a replacement in mind–more about that in future chapters of Acts. 

Acts 2 offers us the record of the first “Christian” Pentecost, often considered the “birthday” of the Church.  That’s because Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit was fulfilled that day.  120 believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and witnessed to the thousands of Jews who were in Jerusalem for what was at that moment the Jewish holy day of Pentecost.  Through their ministry 3,000 people responded to the Good News, and the Church was born.  In Acts 3, we see the amazing power God gave to His children through the Holy Spirit as Peter and John received power to heal a lame beggar.  The account is amazing and joyous as we see a man released from a lifetime of being unable to walk.  He not only walks, but he also leaps and runs and praises God.  Peter uses this opportunity to tell the people gathered in the Temple where the miracle took place, about Jesus.  More people responded to the Good News and additional thousands were added to those who believed. 

As we return to Matthew 1, we read again the genealogy of Jesus as well as the account of His birth.  Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth contains different details than Luke’s, as we would expect. After all, Matthew’s heritage was Jewish, and Luke’s was Gentile.  That means Matthew was quite concerned about how Jesus, as the Messiah, fulfilled the Jewish Scriptures.  Luke, on the other hand, was more concerned about how Jesus’ coming fulfilled God’s overall plan for humanity.

John 19-21 record Jesus’ death, resurrection and the events that took place after His resurrection before He returned to heaven.  In John’s record of Jesus’ crucifixion, we read of the soldiers piercing Jesus’ side, rather than breaking His legs as had been done to the others who were crucified beside Him.  This holds significance, because the Old Testament tells us not a bone of the Messiah’s body would be broken.  Even though He was brutally beaten and crucified, His bones weren’t broken.  John is the only gospel writer who gives us a detailed record of Jesus appearing first to Mary Magdalene after He rose from the dead.  The meeting is so poignant, because Mary doesn’t recognize Jesus at first, thinking He’s just the gardener, but all He has to do is say, “Mary!” and at once she recognizes Him.  In the final chapter, Jesus reinstates Peter by asking Him three times, “Simon, Son of John do you love me?”  Each time Peter answers in the affirmative.  Jesus tells Peter he will one day give up his life in serving Jesus, which must have been a great comfort, after his previous denials of Jesus. As we know, Jesus’ grace is always greater than our sin or failure, but John 21 shows us that so powerfully. 

John 16-18 moves us through Jesus’ final time of teaching and prayer with His disciples, and then to His arrest and trial before the Jewish religious leaders, and the Roman governor, Pilate.  Jesus made it clear to the disciples they would be hated because of their relationship with Him, that they would be filled with sorrow, because of their loss of Him, but their sorrow would turn to joy.  In chapter 17, we read “The high priestly prayer” of Jesus.  It received that title, because in it, Jesus prayed to His Father on behalf of His followers, but not only for the disciples, but for all who would follow Him in the future–including us!  Jesus’ heart for us is we will remain faithful and overcome the challenges we face in serving Him, and we will be one as He and His Heavenly Father are one.  Some have taken this “oneness” prayer of Jesus and used it to show He is not God, or that we are to become “gods,” but it doesn’t lead us to such a conclusion.  That Jesus prays for our oneness to be like that of He and His Father means He wants us to let the Holy Spirit bring a supernatural unity to our lives and fellowship. Chapter 18 shows us Jesus had been right all along, when He prepared His disciples for this moment of being rejected by people, and when the religious leaders would hand Him over to be crucified.  The crucifixion doesn’t happen in chapter 18, but the way is laid for it to take place.  Peter’s denial of Jesus might have been the most painful experience He faced in this experience.