Review:

• 1) The division in the church based upon who was better (Paul, Apollos, etc.) – Answer was message is greater than the messenger.
• 2) Worldly wisdom vs spiritual wisdom
• 3) Walking according to the flesh vs walking by the Spirit
• 4) True apostles vs false apostles
  
  

THE FAITHFUL MANAGER
1 CORINTHIANS 4
1 A person should think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of the mysteries of God. 2 In this regard, it is required that managers be found faithful. 3 It is of little importance to me that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I don’t even judge myself. 4 For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me.

• The point is, he is devaluing that which is merely human judgment.
• And it’s in that light that he says, “I don’t even judge myself,” which hardly means that he doesn’t periodically take stock of what he’s doing and how he’s doing it, but in the sense of the ultimate Judge, the only one who can declare things to be as they truly are.
• He realizes that his conscience could be clear, and yet that would not necessarily acquit him in God’s eyes.
• “A clear conscience was a sign of a faulty memory.”
• And if we were honest, we would all say that that’s true, unless we’re speaking of the conscience that is clear because we know we’ve been forgiven for our sins by Christ.[1]

5 So don’t judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.

• Our task is not to do God’s rewarding and condemning work for Him;
• Of course we are to judge others in the sense of assessing but not in the sense of the ultimate judgment reserved for God.
• We can leave the master to do His job. We can be faithful stewards.[2]

 
THE APOSTLES’ EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY
6 Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.”

• If anyone can understand this popular proverb that Paul is quoting, it would be Paul himself.
• The man who not only knew God’s law but he also knew the oral law.
• But in light of the context, Paul is speaking about add-ons to the Gospel message.
• Jesus alone

The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another. 7 For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it?

• I have a seminary degree… that doesn’t make me any better than…
• Don’t you realize that everything you have was given to you by God?

8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us—and I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you! 9 For I think God has displayed us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die: We have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; 12 we labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage.
 
PAUL’S FATHERLY CARE
14 I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children. 15 For you may have countless instructors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

• In a culture of honor and shame, the perception that Paul would have been intentionally shaming the Corinthians would have been a very serious charge; though, because of his special relationship with them, he had the right.[3]

16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 This is why I have sent Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

• Any believer, after a number of years and life experiences and growth in Christianity, should be able to say to a young Christian or someone exploring the possibility of faith, “You want to see how a Jesus-follower lives? Watch me. Better yet, “Come, stay with me.
• Watch me 24/7, not because I am perfect in my behavior—but perfect in my Spirit.”
• Paul’s made that point powerfully. “Watch me repent.
• Watch me apologize when I have to and seek forgiveness and pick up the pieces and move on.”[4]

18 Now some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk, but the power of those who are arrogant. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21 What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?[5]

• The power of the Kingdom of God is love and a spirit of gentleness.
• It is the love and gentleness that earns you the audience to hear the truth.
• Paul has earned the right to speak truth and judgment to the church at Corinth.
• Ephesians 4 talks about speaking the truth in love, and historically, Christians have not always done well with both halves of that mandate.
• Perhaps they have spoken the truth but not done so lovingly, or perhaps they have been very loving but recoiled from speaking the entire truth.[6]

 
IMMORAL CHURCH MEMBERS
1 CORINTHIANS 5

• These are difficult topics.
• These are topics that would’ve been very difficult for Paul to address in a Graeco-Roman world, where there were very few sexual taboos.
• They’re very difficult issues for us to address today as well, and the most that we can hope to do is to be faithful to Scripture as best as we understand it, recognizing that, on many controversial topics, other well-intentioned and godly believers will take different approaches.[7]

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated among the Gentiles—a man is sleeping with his father’s wife.

• The specific case at hand is a kind of incestuous behavior.
• The fact that Paul speaks of a man having his father’s wife suggests not his biological mother but probably a stepmother, and because second wives—even at times, first wives but certainly second wives—in the ancient Graeco-Roman world were often considerably younger than their husbands, it’s very possible that this is a woman who is closer in age to the father’s son than to the father himself, which could explain a sexual attraction between the two.[8]
• “Not even tolerated”
• What does our society tolerate?

2 And you are arrogant! Shouldn’t you be filled with grief and remove from your congregation the one who did this?

• The Corinthian church has not reacted, not reacted properly.
• In fact, they have reacted profoundly improperly by being proud of the fact that this is going on.
• By what contorted logic could they see this as a matter of pride?
• “Love is love.” = I can do whatever because it is love. (agape, philo, eros, etc.)
• TV – Lucy & Ricky, Soap, Cuties…
• What do we tolerate?
• And probably, it has to do with an issue that will come to the fore in chapter 6—namely, their misunderstanding of freedom in Christ.
• Paul will quote what appears to be a kind of a Corinthian slogan in 6:12 when he says, “All things are lawful.”
• And there is a sense, in the age that is not now under the law the way the old covenant or Mosaic period was, that that’s true, but it needs qualification as 6:12 also does: “Not all things are expedient.… Not all things build others up.”
• Clearly, this is an example that is far from a healthy exercise of any kind of Christian freedom.[9]

3 Even though I am absent in the body, I am present in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who has been doing such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 hand that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

• Ancient communities were so tightly knit that formal ostracism of a disfellowshipping or even excommunicating nature was often such a shock to the system that it caused people to repent when nothing else did the trick.[10]
• Isolation

6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little leaven, leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as indeed you are. For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.

• If it becomes “accepted behavior” it then comes with an agenda.
• The agenda will infect the whole bunch.
• One agenda here… among perfect believers who sometimes display imperfect behavior.
• Jesus

8 Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

• So then the question is asked, if we all still sin, how can we “turn one over to Satan”?
• 1 Corinthians 4:5 - So don’t judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts.
• It is a matter of the heart.
• I personally believe the difference is repentance.
• Is Jesus the agenda or is your sexuality?
• Is Jesus the agenda or is self-indulgence?
• Is Jesus the agenda or is greed?

 
CHURCH DISCIPLINE
9 I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.

• It’s here also that we learn for the first time that there was a previous letter that Paul had sent to the Corinthian church.
• We don’t know its contents beyond what is disclosed in this paragraph, and it may have been a very short letter dealing only with this topic, and because it becomes clear that it was misunderstood and corrected in what we call 1 Corinthians, it may have seemed unnecessary to anyone to save that original letter.[11]

10 I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. 11 But actually, I wrote you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.

• The fact that he uses the language that he does in this context of people who are certain things, as opposed to just specific actions, suggests that he is not talking about a one-time offense.
• He is not even talking about periodic lapses, possibly over a lifetime, but a prolonged and characteristic and persistent and unrepentant celebration of an overall lifestyle that involves the various sins mentioned here.
• This, he says, is utterly inconsistent with any profession of Christian faith.[12]
• Even when Paul commands disfellowshipping, he is not referring—as the church sadly has sometimes interpreted it—to a total breaking off of contact with a given individual.
• That rarely is rehabilitative, and it rarely was in the ancient world.[13]
• I have friends who practice worldly behaviors and I am still able to say, “I love you” to them.
• I can still eat a meal with them.
• I still try to have an impact on their lives even though I don’t agree with their practices.
• How would they ever hear about the goodness of the Gospel if we totally isolate them?

12 For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? 13 God judges outsiders.

• I have friends who practice worldly behaviors and I am still able to say, “I love you” to them.
• I can still eat a meal with them.
• I still try to have an impact on their lives even though I don’t agree with their practices.
• How would they ever hear about the goodness of the Gospel if we totally isolate them?

Remove the evil person from among you.[14]

• Deuteronomy 17:7 – You must purge the evil from you.
• Quoting the story of Sarah with her slave Hagar and her son by Abraham, Ishmael, when they were sent out into the wilderness, Paul speaks of expelling the wicked from among you.
• These are difficult words to apply.
• Complete disassociation usually fails utterly.
• The removal of an offender from a leadership role, even as we tell them we want to be involved in your restoration, is probably the best that we can hope for, in hopes that they will sense our love as well as the seriousness of the situation and be willing to exhibit profound sorrow and a change of behavior over time.[15]
• If we see this simply as a matter of a way to be rid of a troubling person or a troubling issue, we’ve missed the point.
• The point is God’s care for individuals, His concern for restoration.
• Certain issues have to be addressed but in ways that, from the very outset, make it clear that those addressing it want the best for the person who’s being confronted and have thought through a process of restoration, of repentance, of reinstatement into fellowship, perhaps, if appropriate—sometimes it may be, sometimes not—for those in ministry, a restoration to ministry, and maybe that will be in the same congregation;
• Maybe it will be in a different one.
• These aren’t absolutes—one size fits all.
• So much depends on the issue on who has already been affected and how the offending party responds.[16]
• We mourn the sin
• We judge the sin
• We remove the sin
• We  love the person.

[1] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[2] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[3] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 4:1–21). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[7] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[8] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[9] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[10] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[11] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[12] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[13] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[14] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 5:1–13). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[15] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[16] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

GALATIANS 1
NO OTHER GOSPEL
Galatians 1:1-5 – Paul explains his authority
Paul expresses his anxiety:
An example of what the Church in Galatia might have heard:
Dear brothers of Galatia, we greet you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! We have heard how through the ministry of Brother Paul you have been converted from the worship of dumb idols to serve the true and living God of Israel. We are glad you have made such a good beginning, but we are afraid that there are some very important things about the gospel Paul has omitted to tell you. We ourselves come from the church at Jerusalem which is directed by the very apostles Jesus called and ordained. Paul though is an upstart. Why, he never even knew Jesus while he was on earth and was certainly never commissioned by him as an apostle. True, Paul did visit Jerusalem just after he stopped persecuting us, and there he learned the ABCs of the Christian faith from the true apostles. But the message he now preaches bears no resemblance to theirs. I don’t imagine he even told you about circumcision! Why, this is the very way God has made it possible for you Gentiles to become a part of the New Israel. Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Circumcision is just as important as baptism—nay, more important, for it will introduce you to a higher plane of Christian living. If you will observe this holy ordinance of the law, God will be pleased with you. We are just now forming a new association of law-observant churches, and we would love for Galatia to be represented! We are the true Christians. Jesus, our great example, pleased the Father by fulfilling the law and so can you![1]
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--

• Astonished, surprised, marveled
• The Galatian believers were not simply “changing religions” or “changing churches” but were actually abandoning the very grace of God!
• To make matters worse, they were deserting the very God of grace!
• God had called them and saved them; now they were deserting Him for human leaders who would bring them into bondage.
• We must never forget that the Christian life is a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
• A man does not become a Christian merely by agreeing to a set of doctrines;
• He becomes a Christian by submitting to Christ and trusting Him (Rom. 11:6).
• You cannot mix grace and works, because the one excludes the other.
• Salvation is the gift of God’s grace, purchased for us by Jesus Christ on the cross.
• To turn from grace to Law is to desert the God who saved us.[2]
• What about James 2? – Faith without works is dead.

7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort (pervert – to reverse) the gospel of Christ.

• The term Judaizer refers to people who zealously promote a Jewish lifestyle according to the law and Jewish tradition.
• Paul insisted that a gospel of legalism which adds work to faith is not the same kind of gospel that he preached and by which they were saved.[3]
• In this case, they were persuading the Galatians to practice circumcision (6:12), as well as observe food laws (2:12) and certain calendar cycles (4:10).[4]
• We not only are saved by grace, but we are to live by grace (1 Cor. 15:10).
• We stand in grace; it is the foundation for the Christian life (Rom. 5:1–2).
• Grace gives us the strength we need to be victorious soldiers (2 Tim. 2:1–4).

 

• Baptism – Say an oath or sign a commitment to church membership.
• Why wouldn’t the evil one use something that seems good and right to defeat the Church.
• Why isn’t this “grace message” proclaimed more widely?
• Nothing delights the devil more than to disrupt and destroy, insofar as he can, a true work of God.
• Whenever there is a genuine moving of God’s Spirit or a major advance in missionary outreach, we can be sure that Satan and his minions will have a vested interest in casting doubts, sowing discord, and wreaking havoc. [5]

Paul exposes his adversaries:
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! 9 As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!

• To be anathematized then means far more than to be excommunicated.
• It means nothing less than to suffer the eternal retribution and judgment of God.
• The GNB comes close to capturing the essence of Paul’s tone in this passage, “Let him be condemned to hell!”[6]
• How do you know if you are hearing a different Gospel?
• Grace always leads to peace, but the believers had deserted grace and therefore had no peace in their hearts.
• Grace enables us to suffer without complaining, and even to use that suffering for God’s glory (2 Cor. 12:1–10).
• When a Christian turns away from living by God’s grace, he must depend on his own power.
• This leads to failure and disappointment.[7]

10 For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

• Paul was being accused of easing the requirements of obedience to the law for Gentile believers (non-Jewish people who believed in Jesus).
• For example, while circumcision was a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen 17), Paul did not require that Gentile believers be circumcised.
• This made his message more appealing to Gentiles while opening him to the charge of seeking to appease people.[8]
• if the apostle had wanted to please men, he would have remained a zealous Pharisee and promoter of the Law rather than becoming a servant of Christ.[9]
• The test of a man’s ministry is not popularity (Matt. 24:11), or miraculous signs and wonders (Matt. 24:23–24), but his faithfulness to the Word of God.[10]
• “Become all things to all people” - He was willing, if not always happy, to make such adjustments and concessions whenever the missionary situation required that kind of flexibility so long as the foundational principles of the gospel were not being compromised.[11]
  
  
• I make decisions every day about this ministry. That is what a leader does.
• I am not really concerned about what people are thinking or saying about me.
• It’s not that I don’t hear it. I just don’t give it any attention.
• But I will not be distracted by nay-sayers and negative people.
• This is only a distraction by the evil one.
• Churches today market specific groups
• Marketing

I have one thing to promote… Jesus is enough.
 

1. Paul’s early Christian experience and his first encounter with church leaders in Jerusalem (1:11–24)
2. The summit meeting between Paul and the Jerusalem leaders over the scope and sphere of his missionary work (2:1–10)
3. The confrontation with Peter at Antioch leading to the central pronouncement of justification by faith (2:11–21).[12]

PAUL DEFENDS HIS APOSTLESHIP
11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.

• “I want to make this perfectly clear”

12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

• Paul’s enemies pointed to his nonconformity as proof that his message and ministry were not really of God.[13]
• Paul did not write the Gospel
• Nor did Paul receive the Gospel from men.

13 For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.

• Acts 22 1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” 2 When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter. 3 He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail, 5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

PAUL’S TESTIMONY

• “As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
• “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
• “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’
• “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus. 12 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there, 13 came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth, 15 since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
• “After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’
• “But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in you imprisoned and beaten. 20 And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood there giving approval and guarding the clothes of those who killed him.’
• “He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”[14]

• Paul was like a modern day hip hop artist who radically came to understand the saving grace of Jesus.
• Everyone was skeptical!
• But the believers were pretty excited!

 
15 But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace,

• The OT prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah described their callings in similar ways (Jeremiah 1:5 - I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.; Isaiah 49:1 - The Lord called me before I was born. He named me while I was in my mother’s womb.[15]).

was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.

• What I have preached, I have experienced myself.
• This is the true Gospel and any other is counterfeit.
• God did it.
• God did it by grace. (not man’s effort or character)
• God did it through His Son.
• God did it for the sake of others.

17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus.

• Paul is offering support for his claim that the apostles did not teach him the gospel in Jerusalem; rather, his revelation of the gospel came directly from Jesus Christ.[16]

18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.

• James became the leader of the Church in Jerusalem.
• The point of Paul’s declaration is clear.
• He formed his theology not by consulting with others, but independently as he sought God’s guidance.[17]

20 I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you.

• Acts 9
• When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. 27 Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.[18]

 
21 Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

• Syria lies directly north of Galilee and includes the cities of Antioch (Acts 11:19–30), Damascus (Acts 9:1–19), and Caesarea Maritima.
• Cilicia is the region west of Syria, and includes Paul’s home city of Tarsus.[19]
• Acts 9
• Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the brothers found out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.[20]
• Historians have concluded that he remained there perhaps seven years, until Barnabas recruited him for the work in Antioch (Acts 11:19–26).

22 I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ. 23 They simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.”

• Modern-day “Judaizers,” like their ancient counterparts, reject the authority of Paul and try to undermine the Gospel which he preached.
• In Paul’s day, their message was “the Gospel plus Moses.”
• In our day it is “the Gospel plus” any number of religious leaders, religious books, or religious organizations.
• “You cannot be saved unless …” is their message (Acts 15:1); and that “unless” usually includes joining their group and obeying their rules.
• If you dare to mention the Gospel of grace as preached by Jesus, Paul, and the other Apostles, they reply, “But God has given us a new revelation!”[21]

24 And they glorified God because of me.[22]
This was a telling blow to the false teachers. The Jewish Christians in Judea rejoiced in the same gospel the Judaizers sought to undermine.[23]

[1] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, pp. 95–96). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 683–684). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Campbell, D. K. (1985). Galatians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 590). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 1:7). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[5] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 90). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[6] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, pp. 98–99). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 684). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 1:10). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[9] Campbell, D. K. (1985). Galatians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 591). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 684). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 101). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, pp. 105–106). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 686). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 22:1–21). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[15] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Is 49:1). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[16] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 1:18). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[17] Campbell, D. K. (1985). Galatians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 592). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[18] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 9:26–27). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[19] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 1:21). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[20] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 9:28–30). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[21] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 689). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[22] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 1:1–24). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[23] Campbell, D. K. (1985). Galatians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 592). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books

Acts 14 ( 47-48 AD)
GROWTH AND PERSECUTION IN ICONIUM

• As the blood dries on their backs, Paul and Barnabas travel 90 miles southeast to the frontier town of Iconium. (still modern Turkey).
• This is roughly a five-day walk.
• The two men take the Roman military road called the Via Sebaste (Sebastian Way), which will eventually lead them to Lystra and Derbe.[1]
• The Via Sebaste was built under Augustus in 6 BC. It connected six military colonies, including Antioch of Psidia.

1 In Iconium

• Greek city that speaks Greek & Phrygian.
• Some Romans had begun to settle here.

they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they stayed there a long time and spoke boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace by enabling them to do signs and wonders.

• Faith is not based on miracles.
• Miracles support faith.

4 But the people of the city were divided, some siding with the Jews and others with the apostles.

• As the apostles continued their witness, the city became more and more polarized into those who supported them and those who opposed them.
• It is noteworthy that Luke used the term “apostle” here to refer to Paul and Barnabas.
• Here and 14:14 are the only places where he applied the term to anyone other than the Twelve disciples.[2]

5 When an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat and stone them,

• This was more a mob mentality rather than an official city decision by authorities like in Antioch.

6 they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside. 7 There they continued preaching the gospel.

• Another “church” was started in Iconium.

 
MISTAKEN FOR GODS IN LYSTRA

• Paul and Barnabas take the Via Sebaste and travel eighteen miles southwest to a Roman colony called Lystra.
• Lystra is a very primitive town that is built on a small hill.
• The old Lyconian language is still spoken here, as well as Greek.
• Since Lystra is a Roman colony, the language of the courts and the Roman soldiers is Latin.
• There is no synagogue, indicating there are hardly any Jews present.
• There is an old legend that says that the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes once visited Lystra (as told by the poet, Ovid).
• They appeared as humans looking for a place to stay.
• After they were rejected by the people, an elderly couple took the gods into their home.
• The gods turned their home into a palace.
• That palace became the temple of Zeus.[3]

8 In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. 9 He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.
11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes (herald, messenger of the gods), because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.
14 The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting: 15 “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own way, 17 although he did not leave himself without a witness, since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.” 18 Even though they said these things, they barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them.
19 Some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.

• 2 Corinthians 11:24-25 - Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea.[4]

20 After the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went into the town.

• Timothy being one of those who watched and gathered.
• 2 Timothy 3:10-11 - But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, 11 along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured—and yet the Lord rescued me from them all.[5]
• Timothy’s faith came through his mother Eunice and his Grandmother, Lois.
• 2 Timothy 1:5 - I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also. [6]
• These women are both Jews but Timothy’s Dad is Greek.
• Acts 16:1 - Paul went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman, but his father was a Greek. [7]
• Paul was miraculously healed but deeply scarred.
• Galatians 6:17 - From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.[8]​
• If the Bible says, “the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy.”, it doesn’t matter if it is referring to the Pharisees or the evil one.
• The intent is to “steal, kill and destroy” with the root of that evil coming from the evil one.
• Paul is doing all things good (sharing the Gospel) but comes to the edge of death.
• Miraculously he survives… but the scars remain.
• Ever been there?
• Do you have scars as a result of your goodness?
• Maybe you’re still in the midst of being wounded.
• Maybe you’re in the midst of healing.
• Don’t ever give up on your faith, your calling… your goodness that comes from the Lord.
• Near death… miraculously healed… got up and went and got their “stuff” and then…

The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

• Another “church” was started in Lystra.
• The two apostles head 60 miles southeast to a tiny frontier town called Derbe.

 
CHURCH PLANTING
21 After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples,

• A convert is made in the town whose name is Gaius. (mentioned in Acts 20:4)
• Another “church” was started in Derbe.
• After preaching the gospel in Derbe, Paul and Barnabas retrace their steps.
• Despite the fact that they have been driven out of these cities.

they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” 23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

• In each city, they meet with the church briefly to strengthen, encourage, and warn them of the trials that lie ahead.
• After prayer and fasting, the apostles identify the older men in each church that have matured the most.
• They acknowledge these men as “elders.”
• After commending each church to the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul and Barnabas depart.
•  If we take into account their travel time, Paul and Barnabas spend only three to five months planting each Galatian church.
• This is a pattern that holds throughout Paul’s entire ministry.
• He will spend a short amount of time laying a solid foundation for an infant church.
• Then he will abandon it for a long period of time without human headship or designated leadership.
• Two years will pass before Paul will return to see the Galatian believers.
• Most of the converts in South Galatia are heathen Gentiles.
• There are some God-fearers and some Jews among them.
• The new converts in South Galatia do not have any Bibles. The NT has not been written yet.
• Possibly a Jew in one of the four churches has one or two scrolls of some OT Book. But it is highly doubtful that any of the churches in South Galatia have a complete OT.
• Yet even if every convert had an entire Bible, it would profit them little. For only five to ten percent of the population in the Roman Empire are literate.
• Letter writers, stenographers, occasional poets, and legal scribes make up only four percent of the population at best.
• Those who can write become farsighted by the age of forty. Thus they will need a secretary that serves as a professional scribe to pen their letters.
• For this reason, Paul needed a scribe to write his epistles (e.g., Romans 16: 22). Yet with his own hand he would sign the last part of each letter to confirm its authenticity (Galatians 6: 11; 2 Thessalonians 3: 17; 1 Corinthians 16: 21).
• The average life expectancy for a male is 45. The average life expectancy for a female is 38. (Of all humans born in the Empire, half die before age five.)
• Women usually marry in their early teens and raise families until they have passed child-bearing age. Very little birth control is practiced.
• Twenty-five percent of babies do not survive their first year.
• Half do not live past the age of ten. Three of every ten Jewish children die before the age of eighteen.

24 They passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 After they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

• Now 49 AD

27 After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they spent a considerable time with the disciples. [9]

• Meanwhile, back in Rome, Emperor Claudius issues a decree expelling all the Jews from the “Eternal City” (Rome).
• According to the historian Seutonius, the Jews are rioting over their various views about Christ.
• Since Christianity is viewed as a sect of Judaism in the eyes of the Greeks and Romans, all Jews—including Christian and non-Christian—are forced to leave the city.
• Many of the banished Jews flee to the Greek city of Corinth.
• A Roman Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla are among them.
• Because Rome has expelled all Jews, Gentiles in all the Roman colonies throughout the Empire regard Jews with even greater suspicion and disfavor than they had before.

 

• For most of the population, first-century Galatia is a thankless, loveless, horrible place to live.
• This is the world into which two apostolic workers from Syrian Antioch come to establish the church of Jesus Christ.
• Keep in mind that these new Galatian churches are surrounded by Gentile immorality and idolatry. Also, there are Jews in their towns who hate the new faith.
• After their brief revisiting trip, the new Christians in Galatia will not see the hair of an apostle for almost two years.
• But the gospel that Paul and Barnabas preach will be rich and high enough to cause the Galatian churches to survive without any outside help.
• What Paul and Barnabas preach cause these once heathen, superstitious, selfish, miserable Gentiles to fall in love with one another, to sing, to smile, and to glow with the joy of Jesus Christ.
• Like the Twelve before them, they were called, trained, and sent.
• And they preach an indwelling Christ that will sustain them through the pressures of life.
• They eat together, work together, greet each other with a holy kiss, raise their children together, take care of one another, and bury one another.

It is this joy and love that the Galatian Christians have one for another that will shake the Roman Empire to its very foundations.[10]

[1] The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Gide to Understanding the New Testament, Frank Viola, Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2004. Chapter 9
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 311). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Gide to Understanding the New Testament, Frank Viola, Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2004. Chapter 9
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Co 11:24–25). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Ti 3:10–11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Ti 1:5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 16:1). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 6:17). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 14:1–28). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Gide to Understanding the New Testament, Frank Viola, Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2004. Chapter 9

• Peter (in Joppa) had just come out of his trance where God told him 3 times about making all the animals clean enough to eat.
• Peter’s understanding changed from the Jews being clean and the Gentiles unclean to both the Jews and the Gentiles had been made clean by God.
• This meant the Gentiles didn’t have to become Jews before they became believers.

 
Acts 10
PETER VISITS CORNELIUS
17 While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, right away the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate.

• “Deeply perplexed” – processing in his mind… At this point Peter already had the mind of Christ.
• God’s timing… perfect… sovereignty.

18 They called out, asking if Simon, who was also named Peter, was lodging there.

• The other Simon… besides the tanner who owns this house.

19 While Peter was thinking about the vision (processing), the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you.

• An angel appeared to Cornelius.
• God clarified to Peter with a voice from heaven 3 times.
• Now the Spirit is speaking to Peter.
• God is making Himself known.

20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.”

• God has given Peter orders.
• He has to hear them first…
• Then he has to obey.
• Hearing is difficult but easier than obeying.
• Peter went in confidence… He trusted God.

21 Then Peter went down to the men and said, “Here I am, the one you’re looking for. What is the reason you’re here?”

• Did Peter really not know what his role in this situation was?
• Peter was always prepared to share the Good News.
• Maybe he was just trying to piece together what the Lord was doing with his vision and the appearance of these men at the right time.

22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who has a good reputation with the whole Jewish nation, was divinely directed by a holy angel to call you to his house and to hear a message from you.” 23 Peter then invited them in and gave them lodging.

• Did you say, “Good reputation with the Jewish nation? Come on in!”
• Peter invited Gentile men in to come stay with him.
• The division between Jews and Gentiles was beginning to end.
• Cornelius had told these men his story. Surely they told Peter the whole story.

The next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him. 24 The following day he entered Caesarea.

• Peter took 6 Jewish men with him. (Acts 11:12 - The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.)
• It took them 2 days to travel 25-30 miles north to Caesarea.

Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

• Have you ever prepared your house for someone special to come stay there?
• It’s a big deal… You want your whole family there to share in the excitement.

25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.

• This was out of respect… due to the nature of Peter’s reputation among the Jews as an apostle and also an angel setting the stage for this moment.

26 But Peter lifted him up and said, “Stand up. I myself am also a man.”

• Peter was humble in his response and would have nothing to do with making himself (a Jew) better than Cornelius (a Gentile).

27 While talking with him, he went in and found a large gathering of people.

• Strolling into the house together.

28 Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner, but God has shown me that I must not call any person impure or unclean. 29 That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for.

• Peter briefly explains his vision about all animals were made clean and this was God telling him that the Gentiles were just as clean as the Jews.

So may I ask why you sent for me?”

• But Peter is still not sure what Cornelius’ purpose was in calling him to his house.
• I’m not even sure Cornelius had a clue why he was to invited Peter to his house other than an angel told him to.

30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. Just then a man in dazzling clothing (an angel) stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered in God’s sight. 32 Therefore send someone to Joppa and invite Simon here, who is also named Peter. He is lodging in Simon the tanner’s house by the sea.’ 33 So I immediately sent for you, and it was good of you to come. So now we are all in the presence of God to hear everything you have been commanded by the Lord.”

• Cha-ching! Ah… Peter is just supposed to do what he has been called to do… Share the Good News… but now with the Gentiles.

 
GOOD NEWS FOR GENTILES
34 Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, 35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

• The past 48 hours is beginning to make sense to Peter.
• You can still be obedient to the Father without knowing the whole plan.
• Peter saw that God does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnic background, looking up to some and down on others.
• But God does discriminate between those whose behavior is acceptable and those whose attitude is not acceptable.
• Those who reverence God and practice what is right are acceptable to him (v. 35; cf. Luke 8:21).[1]
• It is a judgment of one’s heart… not their production.
• Their production is typically a good indicator of their heart.

36 He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.

• “Peace”… this isn’t about civil rest.
• There is a big difference between our human peace and the peace of Jesus.

37 You know the events that took place throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the devil, because God was with him. 39 We ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, and yet they killed him by hanging him on a tree.

• Deuteronomy 21:22-23 - “If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, 23 you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.[2]

40 God raised up this man on the third day and caused him to be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by us whom God appointed as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

• A bodily resurrection would have been a new concept to the Gentiles.

42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.”

• Jesus forgave all sin on the cross.
• It is not our sins that separated us from God… it was our sinful nature.
• Our sinful nature produced sin naturally.
• Our new nature (which replaced the old) produces works from a new heart.
• As believers today, we are learning to live out of our new heart.

 
GENTILE CONVERSION AND BAPTISM
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message.

• The miracle of repentance and forgiveness occurred before he could even extend the invitation, and the Spirit sealed the event.[3]
• Peter didn’t get to ask people to bow their heads, say a prayer and then raise their hands!

45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in other tongues and declaring the greatness of God.

• The expression here seems more likely related to worship, since there is no need for Cornelius and those with him to speak a human language that would have been otherwise unknown to them (see 1 Cor 14:1–25).[4]

Then Peter responded, 47 “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

• Again, Peter is proclaiming no differentiation between what the Gentiles have just received and what the Jewish Christians already  have.

48 He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days. [5]

• These Gentiles were not saved by being baptized; they were baptized because they gave evidence of being saved. [6]

 
GENTILE SALVATION DEFENDED
Acts 11
1 The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

• It was easy for Peter to accept the Gentiles as part of the faith because it came straight from God.
• Now Peter had to be the one to convince the Jewish Leadership.

4 Peter began to explain to them step by step: 5 “I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. 6 When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 7 I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’
8 “‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’
10 “Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven. 11 At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house. 13 He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 14 He will speak a message to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’
15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning. 16 I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?”

• Peter dropped the “But God…” phrase on them.

18 When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”[7]

• Sure… it sounds like the Jews were accepting of the Gentiles coming to the same faith in Jesus, but…
• They still had the circumcision and food restrictions to negotiate.
• In later years, God would use the letters of Paul to explain the “one body,” how believing Jews and believing Gentiles are united in Christ (Eph. 2:11–3:12).
• But at that time, this “mystery” was still hidden; so we must not be too hard on those saints who were uneasy about the place of the Gentiles in the church.[8]

[1] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 260). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Dt 21:22–23). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 263). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 10:46). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 10:1–48). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 447). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 11:1–18). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 448). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Acts 6
SEVEN CHOSEN TO SERVE
1 In those days,

• If Jesus was crucified and Pentecost occurred in 30 AD, we can read through Acts and pinpoint general dates of Luke’s writings.
• This particular event probably occurred around 33-34 AD.

as the disciples were increasing in number,

• Disciples, learners, of who?
• Disciples of Apostles who were learning about Jesus and the Good News.

there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

• The Jerusalem Christian community had witnessed considerable growth; and as is so often the case with rapid increase, administrative problems developed.
• The particular difficulty involved a complaint from the Greek-speaking Christians against the native Aramaic-speaking Christians that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food (literally, “the daily ministry”).
• We may assume that at this point the Christian community consisted exclusively of Jews.
• The only exceptions would be the “proselytes,” like Nicolas (v. 5), who were Gentiles who had converted to Judaism.
• The Gentile mission as such had not yet begun.
• The Hellenists (“Grecian Jews,” NIV) were more than likely Jews who had come from the Jewish dispersion and settled in Jerusalem.
• Their language and probably many of their ways were Greek.
• They had their own synagogues (cf. v. 9), and funerary inscriptions excavated in Jerusalem attest to their extensive presence there.
• As so often with ethnic groups, they tended to associate with those who shared their language and cultural background.
• As the church increased and came to include more and more of these “Hellenist” converts, it is only natural that they would have formed close associations with one another, perhaps even meeting in home fellowships together.
• There is no reason to picture a breach or separation in the total Christian community—only the sort of “distancing” created by natural linguistic and cultural differences.
• Where the “distancing” manifested itself was in the very practical matter of the community’s charity.
• The Hellenist widows were being overlooked—certainly not deliberately neglected but inadvertently left out.
• There may have been a considerable number of such widows. Dorcas (9:39) probably was one of them, and 1 Tim 5 attests to the large numbers of them in the Pauline congregations.
• In Jewish society widows were particularly needy and dependent, and the Old Testament singles them out along with orphans as the primary objects of charitable deeds.
• The Hellenist widows may have been a particularly sizable group.
• Diaspora Jews often moved to Jerusalem in their twilight years to die in the holy city.
• When the men died, their widows were left far from their former home and family to care for them and were thus particularly in need of charity.
• Many of them may have been attracted to the Christian community precisely because of its concern for the material needs of its members.
• The Jews had a weekly dole for resident needy, called the quppah. It was given out every Friday and consisted of enough money for fourteen meals.
• There was also a daily distribution, known as the tamhuy. It was for nonresidents and transients and consisted of food and drink, which were delivered from house to house where known needy were dwelling. [1]

 2 The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables.

• The word “table” was characteristically used as a metaphor for a meal or for a table from which money was distributed.
• Either practice could have been followed by the church, just as both are found in the tamhuy (food) and quppah (money) of Judaism.[2]

3 Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty.

• The apostles, however, laid down basic qualifications which the seven had to meet.
• First, they were to be “full of the Spirit,” i.e., they were to have manifested a special degree of allowing the Spirit to work in them.
• Then they were to be known for their “wisdom,” probably referring to the kind of practical know-how necessary for the proper management of the charitable funds.
• One would assume that the seven would take over the administration of the charity among the Hellenist Christians and the apostles would continue to do so among the others.

4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

• Verse 4 concludes the apostolic proposal. By selecting the seven, the apostles were free to carry out their primary responsibilities of preaching and bearing witness to Christ.[3]

5 This proposal pleased the whole company.

• Church problems also give us an opportunity to exercise our faith, not only faith in the Lord, but also faith in each other.
• The leaders suggested a solution, and all the members agreed with it.

So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon,
 Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch.

• Stephen was named first. He met the qualifications, being full of faith and the Holy Spirit. That Luke listed him first is no accident. He would be the primary character in the following narrative (6:8–8:4).
• Next came Philip. He too would be a major figure in the story of the expanding Christian witness (8:5–40).
• The other five play no further role in Acts, and we have no reliable additional information on any of them.[4]
• The assembly selected seven qualified men, and the Apostles set them apart for ministry.
• The church was not afraid to adjust their structure in order to make room for a growing ministry.
• When structure and ministry conflict, this gives us an opportunity to trust God for the solution.
• The Apostles were not afraid to share their authority and ministry with others.[5]
• Expectations of the “church” as an institution have grown in our culture due to government requirements and the many programs churches/institutions have added to their structure over the centuries.
• Hospital visitation, weddings, funerals, small groups, age group ministries, training, meetings, committees, budgeting, record keeping, marketing, Sunday Morning service productions.
• That list doesn’t even include the two things we are talking about… teaching the Word of God and meeting the needs of the people.
• My hardest jobs 1) knowing what to teach and 2) protecting my schedule.
• My biggest issue is giving up control and trusting.
• The plan was to “select 7 men among yourselves.”
• Small group leaders at Leavener arise organically and are chosen among you by your attendance.

6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

• Dr. Luke describes the climax of the ministry in Jerusalem, for the persecution following Stephen’s death will take the Gospel to the Samaritans and then to the Gentiles.
• It has been estimated that there were 8,000 Jewish priests attached to the temple ministry in Jerusalem, and “a great company” of them trusted Jesus Christ as Savior![6]
• The story of the community’s struggle to overcome internal divisions begins and ends with the growth of the Church (Acts 6:1). [7]
• In the rest of Acts, nothing is made of their administrative duties. What one finds them doing is bearing their witness, even to martyrdom.[8]
• So the Word of God spread… causing their numbers to increase.
• Not marketing… not programs… not events.

 
STEPHEN ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY
8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

• Faith, wisdom, grace, power, and above all the presence of the Spirit were the personal qualities that equipped him for the ultimate witness he would soon bear.
• The Spirit and power are closely linked and led him to perform signs and wonders among the people.
• He was the first other than the apostles to be described as working miracles.[9]

9 Opposition arose, however, from some members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, and they began to argue with Stephen.

• Luke named it the Synagogue of the Freedmen, which indicates that many of its members formerly may have been slaves or were the descendants of former slaves.
• Its membership included Jews from the north African and Asian Diaspora.[10]

10 But they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

• If you are unable to stand up against a man’s wisdom… history has shown that you just kill them.
• They just did this with Jesus.
• So watch the same pattern occur.

11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

1. They hired false witnesses to testify against Stephen.

12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; so they came, seized him, and took him to the Sanhedrin.

1. They got the “crowd” to buy into what they were selling.
2. They took him to the Sanhedrin to face trial.

13 They also presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the law. 14 For we heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”

• Stephen saw himself as facing the same predicament that Jeremiah had faced.
• Jeremiah 7:1-8 - 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Stand in the gate of the house of the Lord and there call out this word: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who enter through these gates to worship the Lord.
• “‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Correct your ways and your actions, and I will allow you to live in this place. 4 Do not trust deceitful words, chanting, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” 5 Instead, if you really correct your ways and your actions, if you act justly toward one another, 6 if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow and no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods, bringing harm on yourselves, 7 I will allow you to live in this place, the land I gave to your ancestors long ago and forever. 8 But look, you keep trusting in deceitful words that cannot help. [11]

15 And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel. [12]

• Interesting that Stephen’s accusers mentioned the named of Moses in the previous verse.
• It was not even necessary for Stephen to speak in order to give witness, for the very glow on his face told everybody that he was a servant of God.
• Certainly the members of the Sanhedrin would recall Moses’ shining face (Ex. 34:29–30).
• It was as though God was saying, “This man is not against Moses! He is like Moses—he is My faithful servant!”[13]

 
Acts 7
1 “Are these things true?” the high priest asked.[14]

• As presiding officer in the Sanhedrin, the high priest followed the proper protocol and allowed the accused to respond to the charges.
• “Are these charges true?” “How do you plead, guilty or innocent?”[15]

[1] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 180). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 180). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 181). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 181–182). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 429). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 430). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 6:7). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[8] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 183). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[9] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 184). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 184). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Je 7:1–8). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 6:1–15). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 430). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 7:1). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[15] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 187). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Acts 5
IN AND OUT OF PRISON
17 Then the high priest (Caiaphas – not Annas) rose up. He and all who were with him, who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy (passionately).

• Acts 23:8 - 8 For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and neither angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all.[1]
• Jealous because the crowds were listening and following the uneducated men rather than the educated men of the Sanhedrin.
• But they were doing this to “defend their faith”
• The council was educated, ordained, and approved, and yet they had no ministry of power.
• The Apostles were ordinary laymen, yet God’s power was at work in their lives.
• The council was trying desperately to protect themselves and their dead traditions, while the Apostles were risking their lives to share the living Word of God.
• The dynamic church was enjoying the new; the dead council was defending the old.[2]

18 So they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

• Not just Peter & John this time… all of the apostles.
• Peter & John had not adhered to their instructions by the Sanhedrin in Acts 4 – Shut up!
• One should not miss the irony of their being placed in the public jail, i.e., openly and for everyone to see.
• Soon they would be unable to find these very ones who were so openly placed in jail.[3]

19 But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple, and tell the people all about this life.” 21 Hearing this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.

• Luke explains the breakout more in the next verses.
• The apostles received instructions from God via the angel.
• “Go and stand in the temple, and tell the people all about this life.”
• Somebody in here please show me what this looked like for them!

 
THE APOSTLES ON TRIAL AGAIN
When the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin—the full council of the Israelites—and sent orders to the jail to have them brought.

• This was the next morning and they had no clue what had occurred during the night.

22 But when the servants got there, they did not find them in the jail, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing in front of the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

• The guards were standing so they were not sleeping.
• Clearly it said the angel opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.

24 As the captain of the temple police (the “sagan” - 2nd in line to the High Priest) and the chief priests heard these things, they were baffled about them, wondering what would come of this.

• Not how did this happen but now what is going to happen?
• How will they be perceived?
• People have a tendency to not be concerned about specifics of a situation but more concerned about how it affects them personally.

25 Someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

• Timing here is everything.

26 Then the commander went with the servants and brought them in without force, because they were afraid the people might stone them.

• Not only did they bring them in without force because they were scared… but obviously the apostles went willingly.
• Why wouldn’t they? They get to stand before the Sadducees and tell them how they got out of jail… Angels!
• One more opportunity before the Sanhedrin to proclaim the miracles of God.

27 After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked, 28 “Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

• The high priest as presiding officer began the interrogation, charging the apostles with two offenses.
• First, they had broken the interdiction of the Sanhedrin and continued to preach “in this name.”
• Second, they were determined to lay the guilt for “this man’s blood” on them, the Jewish leaders.[4]
• What the High priest avoided saying was:
• 1) Anything about their escape by an angel
• 2) He never would say Jesus’ name.

29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people.

• This is a dangerous saying that has been quoted over by many people over the years.
• Most of the time it has been misappropriated and taken out of context.

30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had murdered by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted this man to his right hand as ruler (prince/pioneer – ushering in a new set of rules) and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him (not based upon how we act… but based upon a new nature that has transformed us into naturally obeying God.)”

• In their defense they presented the Gospel one more time to the Sanhedrin.
• The High Priest was worried that the Sanhedrin might even be killed because they were being accused of killing Jesus.
• But Peter & the Apostles were more concerned about saving the High Priest & Sanhedrin than getting them killed.
• The apostles give the Jewish leaders one more opportunity to repent.

 
GAMALIEL’S ADVICE
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

• Seeking the death penalty. – The Sadducees.

34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered the men to be taken outside for a little while.

• Gamaliel was a Pharisee who probably did not want to see the Sadducees win any victories.
• He was a scholar highly esteemed by the people, rather liberal in his applications of the Law, and apparently moderate in his approach to problems.
• Paul was trained by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).
• Gamaliel’s “counsel” was unwise and dangerous, but God used it to save the Apostles from death.
• That the Sadducees would heed the words of a Pharisee shows how distinguished a man Gamaliel was.[5]
• He didn’t think he needed much time to convince them… thus the “little while”.

35 He said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful about what you’re about to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas (they-dus) rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and attracted a following. He also perished, and all his followers were scattered. 38 So in the present case, I tell you, stay away from these men and leave them alone. For if this plan or this work is of human origin, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even be found fighting against God.”

• God will work out His will.
• Gamaliel used logic rather than emotion.
• He associated Jesus with two rebels which means he rejected all the evidence given by the apostles.
• Jesus was just another troublemaker to him.
• But the rebels never resurrected like Jesus did.
• “There is nothing to see or worry about here… it will dissolve on its own.”
• Gamaliel also refused to that we live in a fallen world and sometimes lies can prevail over Truth.
• But the Truth actually did prevail here.
• Gamaliel is recognized by the Jewish leaders as a distinguished scholar… but this doesn’t necessarily make him wise.
• Why didn’t he take what he knew (prophecy) and match it to what has already occurred right in front of his eyes… The evidence… again and again.

They were persuaded by him.

• They listened to Gamaliel and compromised.

40 After they called in the apostles and had them flogged, they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them.

• Deuteronomy 25:1-3 - 1 “If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court, and the judges will hear their case. They will clear the innocent and condemn the guilty. 2 If the guilty party deserves to be flogged, the judge will make him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes appropriate for his crime. 3 He may be flogged with forty lashes, but no more. Otherwise, if he is flogged with more lashes than these, your brother will be degraded in your sight.[6]
• 2 Corinthians 11:24 - 24 Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews.[7]

41 Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name.

• How did the Apostles respond to this illegal treatment from their nation’s religious leaders?
• They rejoiced!
• Jesus had told them to expect persecution and had instructed them to rejoice in it (Matt. 5:10–12).
• The opposition of men meant the approval of God, and it was actually a privilege to suffer for His name (Phil. 1:29).[8]

42 Every day in the temple, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.[9]

• In the temple… they proclaimed the Good News (preached).

In the homes… they taught the Good News.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 23:8). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 425). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 166). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 168). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 426). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Dt 25:1–3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Co 11:24). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 427). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 5:1–42). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.