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).[1]

- Paul’s first fight for Christian liberty was at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1–35; Gal. 2:1–10); his second was at a private meeting with Peter (Gal. 2:11–21). [2]
-  Paul had already returned from Antioch and 1st Missionary Journey with Barnabas when reports about all the Gentiles being “saved” returned to Jerusalem.
 - The Jewish leaders were upset with what they heard and went to Antioch and began telling the Gentile believers that they needed to become Jewish first (circumcision) before they became Christians.
 - The Jewish leaders had forgotten the true purpose of circumcision.
 - The new believers had a circumcision of the heart.
 - They did not need a physical operation.
 
GALATIANS 2
PAUL DEFENDS HIS GOSPEL AT JERUSALEM
1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.

• Titus was a Greek Gentile and companion of Paul.
• He is mentioned to demonstrate that the leaders of the church in Jerusalem did not pressure him to be circumcised.
• This would have discredited any claim that the leaders in Jerusalem required that Gentiles be circumcised.[3]

 
2 I went up according to a revelation and presented
(make clear to you) to them the gospel I preach among
the Gentiles, but privately to those recognized as
leaders. I wanted to be sure I was not running, and had
not been running, in vain. and wonders.

• They met privately with the 3 pillars
• “According to a revelation” – The Lord told Paul to meet privately with these 3.
• Peter, James & John
• James is Jesus’ half-brother.
• The other James (brother of John) was killed by Herod in Acts 12.
• Attests to Paul’s motivation for traveling to Jerusalem.
• He was responding to God’s direction, not human invitation.
• He was concerned with aligning his ministry to the Gentiles with the work of the Jerusalem apostles.
• In essence, he was not the rogue minister that his accusers claimed he was.[4]
• Paul wanted to provide a “united” front in the public meetings.
• If the “pillars” sided with the Judaizers, or tried to compromise, then Paul’s ministry would be in jeopardy.
• He wanted to get their approval before he faced the whole assembly; otherwise a three-way division could result.[5]
• Paul was being proactive rather reactive.
• This is an awkward situation… so let’s fight through the awkwardness.
• The Spirit will lead you to be proactive… your delay causes you to be reactive.

3 But not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you.

• Titus was 100% Gentile. Didn’t need to be circumcised (It was obvious from his behavior that he was a believer).
• Timothy – Was 50% Gentile and 50% Jewish. He needed to be circumcised so as not to bring confusion to the Jews he was trying to reach with the Gospel.
• Paul’s concern was “the truth of the Gospel” (Gal. 2:5, 14), not the “peace of the church.”
• The wisdom that God sends from above is “first pure, then peaceable” (James 3:17).
• “Peace at any price” was not Paul’s philosophy of ministry, nor should it be ours.

6 Now from those recognized as important (what they once were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, 8 since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles. 9 When James, Cephas, and John—those recognized as pillars—acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

• Ever since Paul’s time, the enemies of grace have been trying to add something to the simple Gospel of the grace of God.
• They tell us that a man is saved by faith in Christ plus something—good works, the Ten Commandments, baptism, church membership, religious ritual—and Paul makes it clear that these teachers are wrong.
• It is a serious thing to tamper with the Gospel.[6]
• This act of “giving the right hand of fellowship” indicates the acceptance of Paul’s apostleship and gospel message by the apostles in Jerusalem, as well as the recognition of their partnership as ministers.
• If the Galatians were formerly concerned that Paul might be a rogue apostle, they no longer needed to be.[7]

10 They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I had made every effort to do.

• Correct doctrine is never a substitute for Christian duty (James 2:14–26).
• Too often our church meetings discuss problems, but they fail to result in practical help for the needy world.
• Paul had always been interested in helping the poor (Acts 11:27–30), so he was glad to follow the leaders’ suggestion.[8]
  ​
  

FREEDOM FROM THE LAW
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch,

• Antioch was 300 miles north of Jerusalem (Syria)
• During the New Testament period Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and boasted a population of more than half a million.
• Peter came to Paul’s home turf.
• The Jewish community formed a significant segment of the city’s population, numbering some sixty-five thousand during the New Testament era.[9]

I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James.

• These were not the same men mentioned in 2:4 (false teachers).
• These men were sent from Jerusalem by James.
• They ate differently (law vs no law) – piety
• It wasn’t the fact that he was just eating with the Gentiles.
• He ate like the Gentiles… forgetting Jewish rituals that he practiced with the Jews.
• How does this differ when Paul says, “Be all things to all people.”?
• When the Judaizers came along, they expected the Gentiles to eat like them.

However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party.

• What did Peter have to be afraid of? Intimidation?
• Power of sin working on Peter… He was the one who had authority… not James’ men.
• Peter’s fear was robbing him of his freedom.
• Proverbs 29:25 - 25 The fear of man is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.[10]

13 Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

• That speaks of the influence that James had back in Jerusalem.
• Or how strong Jewish rituals were taught.
• Paul used two very strong words in his public condemnation of Peter and the other Jewish Christians at Antioch who had separated from their Gentile brothers and sisters: playacting and crooked walking.
• The word in v. 13 translated “hypocrisy” (hypokrisis) comes from the world of the theater, where it refers to the act of wearing a mask or playing a part in a drama.
• By negative transference it came to mean pretense, insincerity, acting in a fashion that belies one’s true convictions.
• Here is the brunt of Paul’s charge against Peter: He should have known better!
• Peter was not guilty of an honest mistake, nor was there any evidence that he had changed his mind about the extension of salvation to the Gentiles.
• Peter had donned a mask of pretense; he was shamefully acting a part contrary to his own true convictions.

What Paul rebuked was the inconsistency of his conduct.[11]

[1] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, pp. 105–106). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 689). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 2:1). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 2:2). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 691). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 692). 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 (Ga 2:9). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 693). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 170). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Pr 29:25). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 177). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Peter Visits Antioch

• Peter pays the church in Syrian Antioch a visit.
• While he is there, he enjoys table-fellowship with the Gentile believers. When the church in Jerusalem discovers that Peter is eating with Gentiles, some of the circumcision party in Jerusalem head to Antioch to visit Peter. The circumcision party arrives in Antioch with approval letters from James (the Lord’s half-brother). The members of the circumcision party are legalists. They are Judaizers—outrageously zealous to keep the Jewish customs and the Law of Moses and to persuade others to do the same.
• When they arrive in Antioch, Paul is not present.
• The Judaizers persuade Peter to no longer enjoy table-fellowship with his Gentile brethren. They tell Peter the following: “We in Jerusalem have heard that you are habitually having table-fellowship with Gentiles. This is causing a huge scandal to our more conservative brethren in the church. It is also becoming common knowledge outside the church, and it is seriously hindering our attempts to evangelize our fellow Jews. More seriously, your actions are putting the other apostles in Jerusalem in danger, since the militant Jews in Jerusalem view any fraternization with Gentiles to be the conduct of traitors.”
• Fearful of offending his brethren in Jerusalem, Peter begins to eat exclusively with the Jews. The rest of the Jews in Antioch follow suit.
• Even Barnabas, who had originally come to Antioch from Jerusalem, stops eating with the Gentiles.
• When Paul returns and takes note of the situation, he is angered and publicly rebukes Peter for his hypocrisy.

 
The Judaizers Visit Galatia

• Peter returns to Jerusalem and shares the incident with some in the church. He also gives the church a report on the new Gentile churches that Paul and Barnabas have planted in South Galatia.
• Upon hearing this, some of the Judaizers in Jerusalem head out to Galatia and visit all four churches that Paul and Barnabas planted.
• The Judaizers are headed up by one unnamed man.
• Galatians 5:7-10 - You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. 10 I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty.[1]
• Paul will later refer to this man as his “thorn in the flesh.” On three separate occasions, Paul will ask God to remove this “thorn” from his life. The Lord will respond by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” That is, the Lord chooses not to remove the thorn from Paul’s life, but He will deliver Paul through all the suffering that it will bring him. The thorn—this unnamed Judaizer who will seek to destroy Paul’s work—is given to Paul to keep him humble amid the glorious revelation of Christ that he has received.
• When the Judaizers arrive in South Galatia, they introduce themselves as brothers from the Jerusalem church.
• They tell the new converts in Galatia the following:
• 1) Jerusalem is the center of God’s work on earth. The twelve apostles are the only authority for what the true gospel is, and they were commissioned by Christ Himself.
• 2) Paul did not come from Jerusalem, and he was not commissioned by Christ. Paul visited Jerusalem shortly after his conversion and spent some time with the apostles there. The apostles instructed him in the basic principles of the gospel and authorized him to preach the gospel he had learned from them. But when he left Jerusalem and returned to Cilicia, Paul modified his gospel to make it more acceptable to Gentiles.
• 3) Paul’s gospel is deficient. The Jerusalem leaders believe in the God-given practice of circumcision and observing the Law and the traditions. These are the “hard” parts of the gospel. Because Paul is a man-pleaser, he is preaching a gospel that omits these parts. This Law-free gospel that he proclaims is not supported by the apostles or the Jerusalem church. Believing in Jesus coupled with obeying the Law of Moses justifies and sanctifies a man before God.
• 4) Peter is the chief apostle among the Twelve. Paul had the arrogance to rebuke the apostle Peter to his face! This proves that Paul is a freelancer who is engaging in an independent work apart from the ministry of the Twelve.
• 5) Paul is inconsistent in his views. While he does not preach circumcision to the Gentiles, he preaches it to the Jews. Paul is a trimmer. He adapts his gospel to his environment.
• When the Judaizers leave, the Galatian converts are troubled and confused. Some of them depart from the gospel that Paul gave them and seek to be justified by the Law.
• Some in the church write a letter to Paul asking him why he failed to tell them the “whole gospel,” which includes circumcision.
• Paul, who is still in Antioch, Syria, receives the letter from the Galatian churches. The news from Galatia both angers and perplexes him.

 
PAUL WRITES GALATIANS
Year: A.D. 49
From: Antioch of Syria
To: The churches in South Galatia: Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (these churches are between 1-2 years old)
Provocation: This is the first piece of Christian literature ever penned.

• The letter is a monumental statement against legalism. Paul answers every argument that the Judaizers used to persuade the Galatians into following the Law of Moses.
• Galatians is the Magna Carta of the Christian faith.
• Justification and sanctification are by grace through faith and not by the works of the Law.
• In this letter, Paul will connect with the Phrygian slaves who populate the Galatian churches. He will use the word “slave” (or its derivative) a total of sixteen times. Many of his metaphors contrast with freedom: “bondage,” “confinement,” “custodianship,” “minor child,” and “slavery.”
• Further, Paul will remind the Galatians that they are free from all Law and are holy in Christ without blemish in His sight.
• In Paul’s zeal to preserve the Law-free gospel of Jesus Christ, he writes this letter using bitter metaphors and scathing indictments against the Judaizers. (Example: Paul describes circumcision as being “severed” from Christ and adds his wish that those who insist on circumcision “mutilate” themselves!)
• It is evident that Paul is angry when writing this letter, for he omits the thanksgiving prayer that marks all of his other letters.
• Paul is confident that the Galatians will receive the letter and “adopt no other view.”

 
Sharpening the Focus:

• Most letters are written on sheets of papyrus. (Those who are too poor to afford papyrus write on broken pieces of pottery called ostraca.) Papyrus is a light and tough material made from the stalks of the papyrus plant woven and pressed together. A normal sheet is about the same size as a standard sheet of American paper.
• For longer documents, the papyrus sheets are glued side-by-side on a stick to form a roll (also called a scroll). Once the scroll has been written upon, it is rolled up and tied with pieces of thread. One roll is called a volume (from the Latin volumen, “something rolled up”) and is typically 35 feet long. (Authors write to fit volumes. Luke will produce a two-volume work called Luke-Acts.)
• Important documents are normally sealed with hot wax on top of the threads. Then a seal is placed on the scroll to reserve its contents for its proper recipient.
• Parchment is also used for letter writing (see 2 Timothy 4:13). Parchment is made from animal skins and is more expensive than papyrus.
• While most or all of the New Testament authors will use scrolls, a few of them may use codices (plural for codex, a book with pages bound together in the modern style).
• Writers use a reed pen and black ink that is made of soot, gum, and water. Words are usually written in all capital (uncial) letters.
• Word divisions, punctuation marks, chapters and verses are all lacking in the original writings (these will be added to the NT by editors much later).
• Ordinary people cannot use the imperial postal system. Thus they must rely on messengers who can deliver their letters to their recipients.
• Paul’s letters (as well as the rest of the NT) are written in Koine Greek—the common trade language of the Roman world used by the masses, the merchants, and the marketplace. [2]

 
GALATIANS 1 (49 AD)

• Written before Romans but considered to be a “short Romans”.

GREETING

• As you begin to read Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians, you can tell immediately that something is radically wrong, because he does not open his letter with his usual praise to God and prayer for the saints.
• He has no time! Paul is about to engage in a battle for the truth of the Gospel and the liberty of the Christian life.
• False teachers are spreading a false “gospel” which is a mixture of Law and grace, and Paul is not going to stand by and do nothing.
• From beginning to end its six chapters of 149 verses bristle with passion, sarcasm, and anger.
• True, there is a touch of tenderness as well; once in the midst of the letter Paul referred to the Galatians as his “dear children” (4:19).
• In frustration he dubbed them, as J. B. Phillips translates it, “my dear idiots” (3:1 – “foolish Galatians”).[3]
• How does Paul approach the Galatian Christians in his attempt to teach them the truth about the Gospel? In these opening verses, the apostle takes three definite steps as he prepares to fight this battle.[4]

Paul expresses his authority:
Paul’s ministry:
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead--

• There is an abruptness about the opening words which plunges the reader immediately into one of Paul’s major concerns, namely, that his apostolic credentials had been challenged.
• Though not one of the original Twelve, Paul claimed equality with them as an apostle.
• The word apostolos connotes authority and refers to a person who has a right to speak for God as His representative or delegate.[5]

2 and all the brothers who are with me:
To the churches of Galatia.
Paul’s message:
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.

• Thus Paul had already drawn the lines of battle by touching on two vital concerns.
• He had affirmed his own apostleship and…
• had declared that the basis of man’s salvation lies solely in the work of Christ and not in any human works.[6]

Paul’s motive:
5 To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 5:7–10). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Viola, Frank. The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Guide to Understanding the New Testament (pp. 82-86). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.
[3] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 22). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 682). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] 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. 589). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] 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.

THE CHURCH IN ANTIOCH
Acts 11

• Antioch Map
• 41 AD

19 Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except (Hellenistic/Grecian)Jews.

• Antioch of Syria is located on the Orontes River and sits 300 miles north of Jerusalem.
• According to Jewish historian Josephus (A.D. 100), Antioch is the third largest city in the Roman Empire, following Rome and Alexandria.
• The city is known as “the queen of the East,” “Antioch the beautiful,” and “the third city of the Empire.”
• Antioch is the center of political, military, and commercial communication between Rome and the Persian frontier.
• It is a wealthy city and the only one that has streetlights at this time. Its main east-west street is paved with polished stone and there are colonnades on both sides.
• Antioch’s population is estimated between 300,000 and 500,000. The Jewish population is large and vigorous, standing between 22,000 and 50,000.
• In the years to come, Syrian Antioch will become the cradle of Gentile Christianity.

 

• Antioch of Syria is typical of all Greco-Roman cities of the first century. It is a pesthole of infectious disease. Sickness is highly visible on the streets.
• Swollen eyes, skin rashes, and lost limbs are readily seen in public.
• The city is populated with recent newcomers so it is peopled by strangers.
• The city is filled with misery, danger, despair, fear, and hatred.
• The average family lives in filthy and crowded quarters.
• At least half the children die at birth or during infancy.
• Most children lose one parent before reaching maturity.
• There is intense ethnic antagonism which breeds hatred and fear. This problem is worsened by the constant influx of foreigners.
• Crime is rampant, and the streets are unsafe at night.
• What Christianity will bring to this city and all others is a new culture capable of making life in Greco-Roman cities more tolerable.
• The community of Jesus Christ—the church—will bring joy, hope, charity, a sense of family, and social solidarity to such cruel conditions.[1]
• There were at least sixteen Antiochs in the ancient world, but this one was the greatest.
• Antioch was a wicked city, perhaps second only to Corinth.[2]

20 But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.

• Acts 21:16 - Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and brought us to Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to stay.[3]

21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.

• The church in Antioch is quickly becoming a church full of Law-free Gentiles.

22 News about them reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas (originally from Cyprus) to travel as far as Antioch.

• Although this could certainly be seen as a sort of “supervision” by Jerusalem, in each instance the Christians of Jerusalem enthusiastically endorsed the new work and gave it their stamp of approval.
• The church leaders in Jerusalem had a responsibility to “shepherd” the scattered flock, which now included Gentile congregations as far away as Syria.
• Apparently the Apostles were ministering away from Jerusalem at the time, so the elders commissioned Barnabas to go to Antioch to find out what was going on among the Gentiles.
• This proved to be a wise choice, for Barnabas lived up to his nickname, “son of encouragement”[4]
• The Church in Jerusalem has great confidence in Barnabas.

23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And large numbers of people were added to the Lord.

• Barnabas had a natural relationship with the Hellenists.
• As a native of Cyprus, he most likely was fluent in Greek.
• On the other hand, he did not seem to have originally belonged to their group but rather to have had ties from the beginning with the non-Hellenist church in Jerusalem and particularly with the apostles.
• He participated in exemplary fashion in the church’s practice of sharing (4:36f.).
• Barnabas was a “bridge-builder,” one who was able to see the positive aspects in both sides of an issue and to mediate between perspectives. [5]

 

• 42 AD

25 Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul, 26 and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

• Why not send to Jerusalem and ask the deacon Nicolas who was from Antioch? (Acts 6:5)
• Because Barnabas knew that God had commissioned Saul to minister to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; 22:21; 26:17).
• You recall that Barnabas befriended Saul in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26–27), and no doubt the two of them often talked about Saul’s special call from God.
• In Antioch, Saul lives with Simon of Cyrene (also called Simeon), his wife, and his two sons, Rufus and Alexander.
• Simon’s wife cares for Saul and acts like a mother to him. (Simon carried the cross of Christ.)
• The believers are first designated “Christians” (Christ’s people) in Antioch.
• They do not call themselves Christians, nor is this name given to them by the Jews (for the Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Christ—the Messiah).
• It is rather given to them by their Greek-speaking neighbors.
• The reason? The believers are constantly talking about their Lord, just as Jesus constantly talked about His Father.
• The Christians in Antioch are consumed with Jesus Christ, and out of the abundance of their hearts their mouths speak.
• The new movement is also called “The Way”—a term the Christians use for the way of salvation and the way of life.
• In Palestine, the Christians are known as “Nazarenes.”
• There are two men in the Antioch church who will play a key role in the story: Luke and Titus.
• Titus will one day become an apostolic worker (church planter), but only after he has had time to develop spiritually in the church.
• Luke is a Gentile itinerant (traveling) physician who plies his trade in places like Troas and Philippi.
• Titus is Luke’s younger brother.[6]

 

• What Barnabas did for Saul needs to be practiced in our churches today.
• Mature believers need to enlist others and encourage them in their service for the Lord.[7]

 
FAMINE RELIEF

• 43 AD

27 In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. This took place during the reign of Claudius (Roman Emperor from 41-54 AD)

• In Jerusalem, King Herrod Agrippa, grandson of the Herod the Great, is ruler.

29 Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea. 30 They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.

• Ancient writers mention at least four famines: two in Rome, one in Greece, and one in Judea.
• The famine in Judea was especially severe, and the Jewish historian Josephus records that many people died for lack of money to buy what little food was available.
• The pattern for Christian giving today is not Acts 2:44–45 and 4:31–35, but Acts 11:29, “every man according to his ability.”
• It is this pattern that Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 8–9.
• The practice of “Christian communism” was found only in Jerusalem and was a temporary measure while the message was going “to the Jew first.”
• Like God’s care of the Jews in the wilderness, it was a living exhibition of the blessings God would bestow if the nation would repent and believe.
• The word elders in Acts 11:30 has not been used before in Acts, except to refer to the Jewish leaders (Acts 4:5, 23; 6:12).
• In the church, the elders were mature believers who had the spiritual oversight of the ministry (1 Peter 5:1; 2 John 1).[8]

 
JAMES MARTYRED AND PETER JAILED

• April, 44 AD

12 About that time King Herod violently attacked some who belonged to the church,

• This evil man was the grandson of Herod the Great, who ordered the Bethlehem children to be murdered, and the nephew of Herod Antipas, who had John the Baptist beheaded.
• His father, Aristobulus, had been executed in 7 b.c. by his grandfather for fear that he might usurp his throne.
• After his father’s death, while still a child, Agrippa was sent to Rome with his mother, where he was reared and educated along with the children of the Roman aristocracy.
• These childhood friendships eventually led to his ruling over a Jewish kingdom.
• In 37AD, the emperor Caligula gave him the title of king and made him ruler over the territories formerly ruled by his uncle Philip, lands in the Transjordan and the Ten Cities (Decapolis) north of Galilee.
• In 39AD, Caligula extended Agrippa’s rule by giving him Galilee and Perea, the territory of his uncle Antipas, who had been sent into exile.
• Finally, when his former schoolmate Claudius became emperor in 41AD, he was given rule of Judea and Samaria, which had been under Roman jurisdiction for thirty-five years.
• He was truly “king of the Jews” now, ruling over all of Judea, Samaria, Galilee, the Transjordan, and the Decapolis.
• Though king, Agrippa was hardly secure. Much of his good fortune was due to his friendship with Caligula, and Caligula had not been a popular emperor with the Romans.
• In fact, Agrippa could not count on always being in the good graces of Rome.
• It became all the more important for him to win the loyalty of his Jewish subjects in order to give him at least a firm footing at home.
• Everything Josephus said about Agrippa would indicate that he made every attempt to please the Jews, particularly currying the favor of the influential Pharisees.
• His “Jewishness,” however, seems to have been largely a face he put on when at home.
• When away, he lived in a thoroughly Roman fashion.
• Why persecution of the Christians was particularly pleasing to them at this time is not stated. Perhaps the acceptance of uncircumcised Gentiles as related in chap. 11 had something to do with their disfavor.[9]

2 and he executed James, John’s brother (sons of Zebedee), with the sword. 3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

• James is the first of the Twelve to be martyred.
• James and John, with their mother, had asked for thrones, but Jesus made it clear that there can be no glory apart from suffering.
• “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” He asked (Matt. 20:22).
• Their bold reply was, “We are able.”
• The martyrdom of James is told with the utmost brevity.
• Luke did not want to dwell on it but used the incident to set the stage for his main emphasis—God’s deliverance of Peter.[10]

4 After the arrest, he put him in prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

• Herod would not risk his favor with the Jews by executing Peter during this time, since that would be considered a desecration.[11]

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him.
 
PETER RESCUED
6 When Herod was about to bring him out for trial, that very night Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison.

• That Peter could sleep so soundly the night before his trial is perhaps indicative of his calm assurance that he was in God’s hands.[12]
• But the main cause of Peter’s peace was the knowledge that Herod could not kill him.
• Jesus had promised Peter that he would live to be an old man and end his life crucified on a Roman cross (John 21:18–19 - “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God.)[13]
• Peter simply laid hold of that promise and committed the entire situation to the Lord, and God gave him peace and rest.
• He did not know how or when God would deliver him, but he did know that deliverance was coming.[14]

7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 “Get dressed,” the angel told him, “and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Wrap your cloak around you,” he told him, “and follow me.”

• This was the end of the Passover week.
• The Passover was a week long rememberance of how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt.
• Now God is delivering Peter from the hands of King Herod.

9 So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what the angel did was really happening, but he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 After they passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and suddenly the angel left him.
11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.” 12 As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many had assembled and were praying.

• Since it was the prayers of God’s people that had helped to set him free, Peter decided that the best place for him would be in that prayer meeting at Mary’s house.
• Furthermore, he wanted to report the good news that God had answered their prayers.

13 He knocked at the door of the outer gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. 14 She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the outer gate.

• Rhoda had been praying for a week for Peter’s release but when it actually happened, she did not have enough faith to open the door.
• She couldn’t believe God answered their prayers.
• We must face the fact that even in the most fervent prayer meetings there is sometimes a spirit of doubt and unbelief.
• We are like the father who cried to Jesus, “Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
• These Jerusalem saints believed that God could answer their prayers, so they kept at it night and day.
• But, when the answer came right to their door, they refused to believe it.[15]

15 “You’re out of your mind!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true, and they said, “It’s his angel.” 16 Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.
17 Motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Tell these things to James and the brothers,” he said, and he left and went to another place.

• Where Peter went when he left the meeting, nobody knows to this day!
• It certainly was a well-kept secret.
• Except for a brief appearance in Acts 15, Peter walks off the pages of the Book of Acts to make room for Paul and the story of his ministry among the Gentiles.
  
• 1 Corinthians 9:5 tells us that Peter traveled in ministry with his wife, and 1 Corinthians 1:12 suggests that he visited Corinth.[16]

[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 8
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 449). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 21:16). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 449). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 272). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[6] The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Gide to Understanding the New Testament, Frank Viola, Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2004. Chapter 8
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 449). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 451). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 277–278). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 278–279). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[11] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 279). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 280). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[13] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 21:18). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[14] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 453). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[15] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 454). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[16] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 454). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

• 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.

• With Paul home in Tarsus, the narrative focuses once more on Peter.
• He last appeared in connection with the Samaritan mission (8:14–25).
• 1) Someone being healed is a pretty big deal!
• 2) Someone raising from the dead is even a bigger deal.
• 3) Someone coming to salvation in Christ is the biggest deal!

 
Acts 9
THE HEALING OF AENEAS
32 As Peter was traveling from place to place (itinerant ministry), he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.

• Believers in Lydda possibly because Phillip passed through to Caesarea. (Acts 8:40)
• The Christians are referred to as “saints” in both accounts (vv. 34, 41), a point the NIV obscures by using “believers” in v. 41.
• “Saints” is a rather rare designation for believers in Acts.[1]

33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed,” and immediately he got up.

• Peter took the initiative.
• Peter’s first miracle was healing a crippled man in Acts 3.
• Who healed Aeneas? Jesus
• What healed Aeneas? Faith in Jesus
• “make your bed” – Couch or mat – Similar to what they would have prepared for dining at the table.
• Indicating Aeneas had retained enough sustenance to regain his strength.

35 So all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

• Lydda was located in the fertile coastal plain of Sharon, which extends north from Joppa to Mt. Carmel.[2]​

 
DORCAS RESTORED TO LIFE
36 In Joppa

• modern Joffa in Tel Aviv, 10 miles west of Lydda)
• Same place Jonah fled to when escaping God after he was told to go to Ninevah.
• But also the same place Peter receives his calling to go to the Gentiles.

there was a disciple named Tabitha = Gazelle (which is translated Dorcas). She was always doing good works and acts of charity.

• When the Church body loses a helpful saint, it greatly impacts the fellowship.
• Today, marks the month of one year without Todd Dolbeer.

37 About that time she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs.

• It was Jewish custom to wash the body and prepare for with spices for burial.

38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who urged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.”

• At this point, the apostles had never raised anyone from the dead… only Jesus.
• So why call Peter? Because of their faith in Jesus.

39 Peter got up and went with them.

• Who had the greater authority? The people? Or Peter?

When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

• Tabitha/Dorcas cared for the widows.

40 Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her stand up.

• The account of Peter’s raising of Dorcas should be compared with the account of our Lord’s raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:34–43).
• In both cases, the mourning people were put out of the room; and the words spoken are almost identical: “talitha cumi: little girl, arise; Tabitha cumi: Tabitha, arise.”
• Jesus took the girl by the hand before He spoke to her, for He was not afraid of becoming ceremonially defiled.
• Peter took Dorcas by the hand after she had come to life.
• In both instances, it was the power of God that raised the person from the dead, for the dead person certainly could not exercise faith.[3]
• Peter copied exactly what Jesus had taught him.

He called the saints and widows and presented her alive.

• The distinction between saints and widows is only the fact that Tabitha/Dorcas ministered specifically to the widows and they were the most grateful of all the saints.

42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed for some time in Joppa with Simon, a leather tanner.[4]

• It is significant that Peter stayed in the home of a tanner, because tanners were considered “unclean” by the Jewish rabbis (see Lev. 11:35–40).
• God was moving Peter a step at a time from Jewish legalism into the freedom of His wonderful grace.

 
CORNELIUS’S VISION
Acts 10

• We see Peter using “the keys of the kingdom” for the third and last time.
• He had opened the door of faith for the Jews (Acts 2)
• and also for the Samaritans (Acts 8),
• and now he would be used of God to bring the Gentiles into the church (see Gal. 3:27–28; Eph. 2:11–22).
• This event took place about ten years after Pentecost. (Roughly 40 AD)[5]
• The Gentile mission was not an easy step for the Jewish Christians to take.
• It involved two major issues.
• 1) The question of whether Gentiles had to become Jews in order to become Christians, i.e., should they undergo Jewish proselyte procedure when they were converted to Christianity?
• This would have required the circumcision of male converts and the adoption for all converts of such Jewish legal distinctives as the kosher food laws.
• Because God granted the gift of the Spirit to the Gentiles in Cornelius’s home without their subscribing to proselyte procedure, Peter became convinced that such Jewish conversion procedures were not necessary for the Christian mission to the Gentiles (cf. 15:7–11).
• The second major issue involved the question of table fellowship between Jewish and Gentile Christians.
• Since Gentiles did not follow kosher practices, Jewish Christians like Peter were exposed to a real situation of compromise when they associated with them.
• Both questions were answered for Peter in the experience with Cornelius because he was convinced that God accepted Gentiles without circumcision and that he could himself in good faith enjoy table fellowship with his Gentile-Christian brothers and sisters.
• The issues were not, however, fully settled for the Jewish Christians as a whole.
• Both issues resurfaced at the Jerusalem Conference (chap. 15) after Paul and Barnabas’s successful mission to the Gentiles, and a compromise solution was agreed upon at that time.

 

• Acts 10:1–11:18 is the longest single narrative in all of Acts. This in itself witnesses to the great importance Luke placed on the incident.

1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God.

• Caesarea is sixty-five miles northwest of Jerusalem and thirty miles north of Joppa (Jaffa).
• At that time, Caesarea was the Roman capital of Judea and boasted of many beautiful public buildings.
• Caesarea was a Hellenistic-style city with a dominant population of Gentiles.
• Originally a small town named Strato’s Tower, it was rebuilt on a grand style by Herod the Great, complete with a man-made harbor, a theater, an amphitheater, a hippodrome, and a temple dedicated to Caesar.[6]
• Show 1st minute of Israel ’18 Video.
• Cornelius, the Roman centurion, whose heart had tired of pagan myths and empty religious rituals, and who had turned to Judaism in hopes he could find salvation.
• Cornelius was as close to Judaism as he could get without becoming a proselyte.[7]

3 About three in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.”

• Cornelius was keeping one of the three traditional Jewish times of prayer, the afternoon hour of 3 p.m., which coincided with the Tamid sacrifice in the temple.[8]

4 Staring at him in awe (fearful respect), he said, “What is it, Lord?”
The angel told him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

• Cornelius’ sacrifice of prayer & charity were pleasing to the Lord.

5 Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him.

• Somewhat secretive but also needed men he could trust.

8 After explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
 
PETER’S VISION
9 The next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the roof about noon. 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he fell into a trance.

• Noon was not the normal eating time, mid-morning and mid-afternoon were.
• So Peter might have missed the mid-morning brunch.
• 3 meals a day was not normal until the industrial revolution (1700’s)

11 He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth.

• Roofs were often covered with awnings. Perhaps that or the glimpse of a distant sail at sea provided the vehicle for the vision Peter had.

12 In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. 13 A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.”

• What the voice requested was strictly against the law.
• Never had he eaten anything defiled and unclean.

15 Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.” 16 This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven.

• The voice ignored his protest, reissuing the command and adding, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
• The command came three times; each time Peter objected and fell into further confusion.
• It is simply not possible to fully accept someone with whom you are unwilling to share in the intimacy of table fellowship.
• The early church had to solve the problem of kosher food laws in order to launch a mission to the Gentiles.[9]

[1] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 246). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 246). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 444). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 9:1–43). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 444). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 252). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 444–445). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 252–253). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[9] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 256). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Acts 5
LYING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property.

• Ananias means “God is gracious,” but he learned that God is also holy; and Sapphira means “beautiful,”[1]

2 However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

• Nosphizomai – Greek word to describe his action in holding back part of the money.
• The verb means to pilfer, to purloin, to embezzle.
• One does not embezzle one’s own funds but those of another, in this instance those that rightfully belonged to the common Christian fund.[2]
• Same Greek word used Joshua 7 when Achan took from the fund of Jericho that was devoted for sacred use.
• Achan received the judgment of death from God.

3 “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land?

• How did Peter know?
• The Church was of one heart and one mind (Acts 4:32)

4 Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.”

• They were not required to sell the property; and, having sold it, they were not required to give any of the money to the church.
• Their lust for recognition conceived sin in their hearts, and that sin eventually produced death (James 1:15 - Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. [3]).[4]

5 When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him.

• Only prophets and kings were buried within Jerusalem and few of those.
• Burial was generally outside the walls, where the corpse was laid in a cave, which explains why the young men could complete the procedure so quickly.[5]

7 About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

• Ananias was dead and buried, and Sapphira did not even know it!
• Satan always keeps his servants in the dark, while God guides His servants in the light (John 15:15).[6]
• In both his Gospel and in Acts, Luke paired women with men, particularly in contexts of witness and discipleship.
• Here perhaps he was showing that along with discipleship goes responsibility; and this applies to all disciples, female as well as male.[7]

8 “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the land for this price?”
“Yes,” she said, “for that price.”
9 Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

• Peter’s role was to confront… not judge.
• This is the first Sapphira heard of Ananias’ death.

10 Instantly she dropped dead at his feet.

• Now she lay at Peter’s feet, in the place of her money.
• The same place that Ananias had laid the money.

When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband.

• He was letting everybody know that He would not tolerate deception in His church.
• If the Church is God’s temple, where He dwells… why wouldn’t Satan want to enter into the Church?
• The church is safe so long as Satan is attacking from the outside, but when he gets on the inside, the church is in danger.
• The Church as a flock
• If Satan cannot defeat the church by attacks from the outside, he will get on the inside and go to work.[8]
• Acts 20:28–31 - 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.[9]
• The Church is God’s army.
• 2 Timothy 2:1-4 - 1 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
• Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer.[10]

11 Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things.

• This is the 1st time the word “Church” (Ekklesia) is mentioned in the Bible.
• The people of God gathered in a religious community.
• By the power of this spiritual presence in its midst, the young community worked miracles, witnessed fearlessly, and was blessed with incredible growth.
• The Spirit was the power behind its unity, and its unity was the power behind its witness.
• The church can only thrive as the people of God if it lives within the total trust of all its members.
• Where there is that unity of trust, that oneness of heart and mind, the church flourishes in the power of the Spirit.
• Where there is duplicity and distrust, its witness fails.[11]

 

• Often it is said that the pair died of psychological fright.
• This can be neither proved nor disproved from the text, and it well may have been the case; but it does not alleviate the strong judgmental note of the text.
• Peter knew and told Sapphira beforehand that she was about to be carried feet first out the door.
• When all is said and done, there is no “comfortable” solution to the passage.
• It is a unique story. There is nothing like it elsewhere in Acts, or for that matter in the New Testament.
• It’s as if God treated the early Church as an infant.
• Their death did not necessarily involve their loss of salvation.
• Still, the judgment that befell Ananias and Sapphira was severe, and one is all too aware that today’s churches would be much emptier if such standards were consistently applied.
• The same Spirit that gave the community its growth also maintained its purity.
• This seems to have been Luke’s point, for the Ananias and Sapphira story is bracketed by an emphasis on the unity of the community (4:32–35) and the power of the Spirit in its midst (5:12–16)[12]

 
APOSTOLIC SIGNS AND WONDERS
12 Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles.

• This was God’s way of authenticating the apostle’s ministry.
• Not only for God’s glory but His stamp of approval.
• We find no miracles performed in Genesis, but at the beginning of the age of Law, Moses performed great signs and wonders.
• Elijah and Elisha were miracle workers at the beginning of the great era of the Prophets, and Jesus and the Apostles performed signs and wonders when the Gospel Age was inaugurated.
• Each time God opened a new door, He called man’s attention to it.
• It was His way of saying, “Follow these leaders, because I have sent them.”
• Remember in John 14:13-14 when Jesus said you will do even greater works than these you have seen?
• When Jesus performed miracles during His ministry on earth, He had three purposes in mind:
• (1) to show compassion and meet human need;
• (2) to present His credentials as the Son of God;
• (3) to convey spiritual truth.
• For example, when He fed the 5,000, the miracle met their physical need, revealed Him as the Son of God, and gave Him opportunity to preach a sermon about the Bread of Life (John 6).
• The apostolic miracles followed a similar pattern.
• Peter and John healed the crippled beggar and met his need, but Peter used that miracle to preach a salvation sermon and to prove to the people and the council that he and John were indeed the servants of the living Christ. One[13]

They were all together (unified) in Solomon’s Colonnade.

• This is probably in reference to the apostles only so as not to contradict the next verse.
• Pictures of Temple & Cory at Colonnade.
• Crisis in the Church – Come together and wait for God to work.

13 No one else dared to join them, but the people spoke well of them.

• There was intimidation after what just happened with Ananias & Sapphira.
• The people were not only talking about them… they were watching them closely.

14 Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers—multitudes of both men and women.

• For the 1st time Luke includes women in his reference to salvations added.
• Luke is consistent in including women as part of the growth of the Church.
• This was not normal in that day.

15 As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

• Whether or not they were healed by Peter’s shadow Luke did not explicitly say, but the note underlines the strength of the apostle’s healing reputation.[14]
• Acts 19:11 - God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, 12 so that even facecloths or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.[15]

16 In addition, a multitude came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

• At this point the apostles were still confined to Jerusalem.
• The people came to them from the outlying villages.
• Only later would they go forth from Jerusalem and take their gospel and their healing ministry into the villages of Judea.[16]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 156). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 1:15). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 156). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 20:28–31). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (2 Ti 2:1–4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 160). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 161–162). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 423). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 164). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[15] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 19:11–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[16] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 164). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Acts 4
PETER AND JOHN ARRESTED
1 While they were speaking to the people,
 

• Peter was interrupted in the middle of his message.
• “they” implies John was speaking too.

the priests, the captain of the temple police,

• “Sagan” - The sagan had extensive duties, which included assisting the high priest in all ceremonies and serving as his alternate in such capacities.
• Ranking second in the priestly hierarchy, he was always chosen from one of the families of the priestly aristocracy.
• Serving as sagan was viewed as a stepping-stone to appointment as high priest.
• The sagan’s involvement in this scene is particularly appropriate since he had ultimate responsibility for order in the temple grounds and had the power to arrest.[1]

and the Sadducees confronted them, 2 because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

• The Sadducees of the first century represented the “conservative” viewpoint.
• They rejected the oral traditions of the Pharisees and considered only the written Torah of the Pentateuch as valid.
• They considered the concepts of demons and angels, immortality and resurrection as innovations, believing in no life beyond this life[2]

3 So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening.

• The religious leaders were not only disturbed at the apostles’ teaching, but likely offended that they were instructing the people in the first place.
• The priests and Sadducees, along with the Pharisees, typically occupied the role of teachers, and the apostles have usurped that status—with great success.[3]

4 But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
 
PETER AND JOHN FACE THE JEWISH LEADERSHIP
5 The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family.

• Annas was the high priest recognized by the Jews
• Caiaphas (son-in-law) was the high priest recognized by the Romans when Annas was deposed.

7 After they had Peter and John stand before them, they began to question them: “By what power or in what name have you done this?”

• Their question was legal, but they did everything they could to avoid admitting that a miracle had taken place (Acts 4:14).
• They were evasive and merely referred to the miracle as “this.”
• They were probably scornful as well, so that their question might be paraphrased, “Where did common people like you get the power and authority to do a thing like this?”[4]

8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them,

• The Holy Spirit was telling Peter what to say.

“Rulers of the people and elders: 9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man, by what means he was healed,

• They asked for a name but Peter redirects them to the healing of the lame man whom they all probably contributed to many times over the years.
• Then he gives them the name they dread to hear.

10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is
the stone rejected by you builders,
which has become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22)

• Peter made it clear that Jesus was the stone that was rejected by the builders (Sanhedrin).
• “Cornerstone” may refer to:
• (1) the stone in a new building laid first with great care and ceremony so as to ensure a straight and level foundation;
• (2) the interlocking cornerstones that join and strengthen two connecting walls;
• (3) the capstone at the top corner of a wall; or
• (4) the keystone of an arched door or gateway, the center and topmost stone that joins the two sides and supports the arch itself (the most important stone in which the name of the city, the ruler, and builder were often carved).[5]
• This metaphor is picked up again by Peter (1 Pet 2:4) and Paul (Rom 9:32–33; Eph 2:20). Jesus cites this psalm in Matt 21:42.[6]

12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

• Peter’s message usually ends with an appeal to receive Jesus… not here.
• Their decision to believe would rest in their verdict.

 
THE BOLDNESS OF THE DISCIPLES
13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.

• This does not imply that Peter and John were ignorant, but that they lacked formal training in the law of Moses.[7]
• When you are filled with the Holy Spirit… He will give you the words to say.
• “I don’t know what to say…”
• “I can’t teach…” At camp… “that was the best class”

14 And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

• Peter’s testimony was the healed man “standing” there and Jesus’ name!

15 After they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign has been done through them, clear to everyone living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that this does not spread any further among the people, let’s threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.”

• In this instance they were at something of a loss.
• They really had no charge to lay upon them.
• Further, the accused were popular with the people, for the news about healing of the lame man had already spread throughout Jerusalem.
• There was only one thing they could do—they could threaten.[8]

18 So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

• Peter was not intimidated by the council.
• The response was much the same as that given by Socrates to his Athenian accusers who warned him to desist from his teaching.
• The saying had become quite proverbial, however, and was widely used by Jews and Greeks.
• It would seem a bit ironic if these unlearned and common men (v. 13) were throwing the words of the Greek philosopher at them.[9]

21 After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done. 22 For this sign of healing had been performed on a man over forty years old.

• The council did not want the Gospel message to spread, and yet that is exactly what happened!
• From 120 praying men and women in Acts 1, the church increased to more than 3,000 on the Day of Pentecost; and now there were more than 5,000 disciples in the fellowship.
• In the days that followed, “believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (Acts 5:14; and see 6:1, 7).
• Satan’s attempts to silence the church only led to a stronger witness for the Lord.[10]

 
PRAYER FOR BOLDNESS
23 After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David your servant:
Why do the Gentiles rage
and the peoples plot futile things?
26 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers assemble together
against the Lord and against his Messiah. (Psalm 2:1-2)
27 “For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

• They did not pray to have their circumstances changed or their enemies put out of office.
• Rather, they asked God to empower them to make the best use of their circumstances and to accomplish what He had already determined.
• They did not ask for protection; they asked for power.
• They did not ask for fire from heaven to destroy the enemy, but for power from heaven to preach the Word and heal the sick.
• Their great desire was for boldness in the face of opposition.
• The emphasis is on the hand of God at work in the life of the church, not the hand of man at work for God.
• God’s answer was to shake the place where they were meeting and to fill the people once again with the Spirit of God (Acts 4:31).[11]

 
ALL THINGS IN COMMON
32 Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.

• Perfect picture of the Church.
• This was said many times at camp this week.

33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. 34 For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.[12]

• We also learn that Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus.
• Levites were not supposed to own land, but that no longer seemed to apply in Barnabas’s day.
• Jeremiah, a priest, owned land (Jer 32:6–15).[13]
• Possibly could have meant land outside of Palestine… Cypress was not in Palestine.
• Barnabas mentioned 25 times in verses to come.

[1] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 139). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 139). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 4:2). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 416). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Swanson, D. M. (2000). Cornerstone. In D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers, & A. B. Beck (Eds.), Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (p. 285). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[6] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 4:11). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[7] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 4:13). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[8] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 146). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[9] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 146). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 417). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 419). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 4:1–37). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 154). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Acts 3
HEALING OF A LAME MAN
1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.

• Peter did all the speaking and acting, with John merely standing in the background.
• John’s presence is sometimes explained as based on the Jewish law that at least two witnesses are necessary to confirm any testimony (2 Cor 13:1).
• The practice may be traced to Jesus’ sending his disciples out on mission by pairs (Luke 10:1), a practice that still retains its wisdom and validity.
• John was his intern?
• Peter and John are often found together in Scripture.
• They were partners in the fishing business (Luke 5:10); they prepared the last Passover for Jesus (Luke 22:8); they ran to the tomb on the first Easter Sunday morning (John 20:3–4); and they ministered to the Samaritans who believed on Jesus Christ (Acts 8:14).
• Now that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the Apostles were no longer competing for greatness, but were at last working faithfully together to build the church (Ps. 133).[1]​
• There were various accesses to the temple, some of which involved a descent.
• Whether one actually ascended or descended to the temple, the customary idiom was to “go up” for worship there.
• The time of the apostles’ visit was the “ninth” hour, three in the afternoon, i.e., the hour of prayer.
• It was also the time of the evening Tamid, one of the two sacrifices held daily in the temple.
• These had become prescribed times of prayer, and people would come to the temple at the sacrifice times to observe the ceremony and pray.
• The largest crowds would thus have been found at the times of sacrifice, as Peter and John must have been well aware; for they went to the temple for prayer and for witness.[2]

2 A man who was lame from birth was being carried there. He was placed each day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so that he could beg from those entering the temple.

• The rabbis taught that there were three pillars for the Jewish faith—the Torah, worship, and the showing of kindness, or charity.
• Alms giving was one of the main ways to show kindness and was thus considered a major expression of one’s devotion to God.
• With their minds set on worship, those who entered the temple for the evening sacrifice and prayer would be particularly disposed to practice their piety by generously giving alms to a lame beggar.[3]
• Almost placed there as “an opportunity”
• This man had been lame for over 40 years according to Acts 4:22.

3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for money.

• This sounded like a broken record.
• Repeated his begging hundreds of times a day for years.

4 Peter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.”

• The beggar gave them his total attention.
• He expected something in return.

5 So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold,

• They had already given their resources to the community in Acts 2:44-45

but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” 7 Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. 8 So he jumped up and started to walk, and he entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.

• To invoke the name of Jesus is to call upon his authority and power.
• In a real sense, then, Jesus through Peter continued his healing ministry.
• With a healing touch common to miracle narratives, Peter grasped the man’s right hand and lifted him up.
• It is almost as if at this point the man needed all the encouragement he could get.11
• The man felt the new strength surging through his feet and ankles.
• He jumped to his feet and began to walk.
• With his increasing awareness of the miracle that had happened to him, he entered the sanctuary with Peter and John.
• Before, as the lame beggar, he sat in the court of the Gentiles at the gate to the sanctuary.
• Day by day he sat there at the threshold to the place of worship, but he could not enter.
• He was lame, blemished, and denied access to the inner courts (cf. Lev 21:17–20; 2 Sam 5:8).
• At this time not only had he received physical healing, but he had found spiritual acceptance as well.
• For the first time he was deemed worthy to enter the house of worship.
• This theme will repeat itself in Acts.
• Those who were rejected as unworthy for worship in the old religion of Israel found full acceptance in the name of Jesus, whether a lame beggar, an Ethiopian eunuch, a woman, or a Gentile.[4]

9 All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

• Luke (the narrator) has already established the familiarity of local people with the once lame, but now healed, man.
• The people in the temple clearly grasped that a miracle had taken place; there was no doubt about its authenticity.[5]

 
PREACHING IN SOLOMON’S COLONNADE
11 While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astonished, ran toward them in what is called Solomon’s Colonnade.

• Show Map of the Temple
• A shaded area along the eastern wall of the Court of the Gentiles. It was used for commerce, teaching, and conversation. Acts later records that Christians sometimes gathered there (5:12).[6]

12 When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied before Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer released to you. 15 You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.

• This was just about 8 weeks ago.

16 By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.

• In his sermon at Pentecost, Peter had to refute the accusation that the believers were drunk.
• In this sermon, he had to refute the notion that he and John had healed the man by their own power.
• (Paul and Barnabas would face a similar situation after healing a lame man. See Acts 14:8–18.)
• Peter immediately identified the source of the miracle—Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
• Wisely, Peter said that this was the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.[7]
• As at Pentecost, Peter was addressing people who knew the Scriptures and were acquainted with the recent events in Jerusalem (see Luke 24:18).
• It was not a group of ignorant pagans with no religious background.[8]
• There must be conviction before a sinner can experience conversion.
• Unless a patient is convinced that he is sick, he will never accept the diagnosis or take the treatment.
• Peter turned the temple into a courtroom and laid all the evidence out for everybody to see.
• How could two ordinary fishermen perform such a great miracle unless God was with them?
• Nobody would dare deny the miracle because the beggar stood there before them all in “perfect soundness” (Acts 3:16; 4:14).
• To accept the miracle would have been to admit that Jesus Christ is indeed the living Son of God and that His name has power.[9]

17 “And now, brothers and sisters, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your leaders also did. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had predicted through all the prophets—that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, 20 that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah.

• But Peter did not leave the people without hope.
• In fact, he almost seemed to defend them by pointing out that they had acted in ignorance (Acts 3:17) while at the same time they had fulfilled the Word of God (Acts 3:18).
• In the Old Testament Law, there is a difference between deliberate sins and sins of ignorance (see Lev. 4–5; Num. 15:22–31).
• The person who sinned presumptuously was a rebel against God and was guilty of great sin.
• He was to be “cut off” from his people (Num. 15:30–31), which could mean excommunication and even death.
• The defiant “high-handed” sinner was condemned, but the person who sinned unwittingly and without deliberate intent was given opportunity to repent and seek God’s forgiveness.
• Ignorance does not remove the sinner’s guilt, but it does mitigate the circumstances.[10]
• The call to repentance is always included in the gospel message.
• Acts emphasizes the essential place of repentance in embracing the salvation Christ offers. See 2:38.[11]

21 Heaven must receive him until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about through his holy prophets from the beginning. 22 Moses said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers and sisters. You must listen to everything he tells you. 23 And everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be completely cut off from the people.
24 “In addition, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, have also foretold these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring. 26 God raised up his servant and sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways.”[12]

• Having announced the crime, presented the evidence, and explained the nature of their sin, Peter then offered them pardon!
• What a strange thing for the prosecuting attorney to become the defense attorney and the pardoning judge!
• Peter’s burden was to encourage his people to trust Christ and experience His gracious salvation.[13]
• What Peter was concerned to do was to convince his Jewish hearers that God’s covenant with Abraham was fully realized in Jesus.[14]
• What was true for the Jews in Solomon’s Colonnade still holds true today.
• Only in receiving the Christ of God by repentance and turning to him is there forgiveness, refreshing, and restoration.[15]
• It may have taken the apostles some time to fully realize the implications of the missionary imperative, but there it is.
• Peter was primarily concerned with the Jews.
• The gospel was preached to them first.

Soon it would reach far beyond the boundaries of Judaism “to all the peoples on earth.”[16]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 412). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 125). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 126). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 128). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 3:10). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[6] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 3:11). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 412). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 3:19). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 3:1–26). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 137). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[15] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 135). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[16] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 137). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

The Date: The book of Acts closes with Paul in prison for two years in Rome (acts 28:16, 30-31).

• The apostle Paul was taken to Rome as a prisoner about 61-62 AD.
• It is likely the book was written at the end of Paul’s two-year imprisonment (63-64 AD), which was a little over 30 years after the crucifixion of Christ.

 
PENTECOST
Acts 2
1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place.

• Pentecost - Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks
• The Hebrew is shah-voo-oat, but it is also correct to say Shavuos (shah-voo-ohs).
• Shavuot means weeks.” The Greek word for this holiday is Pentecost, which means “50th.”
• Shavuot in the Old Testament (see Leviticus 23:15-21)
• Shavuot occurs 50 days or seven weeks after Passover. In the month of Sivan (May/June)
• It is a harvest celebration commemorating God’s provision for and sustenance of His people.
• Shavuot shares two important characteristics with the holidays Pesach (Passover) and Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles):
• All three holidays involved a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
• All three holidays involved firstfruit offerings at the Temple.
• Passover, in early spring, included firstfruits from the first harvest, barley.
• Shavuot, in late spring, included firstfruits from the wheat harvest.
• Among the many offerings given, was a “wave offering” of two loaves of leavened bread. This was the firstfruits offering.
• Sukkot, in the fall, was the final harvest and included firstfruits of olives and grapes.
• Jerusalem is less than 1 square mile
• Population of 60,000
• 125,000-500,000 show up for Pentecost
• According to Jewish tradition, Moses received the Law from God at Mount Sinai during Shavuot.
• Jewish tradition also suggests that King David both was born and died on Shavuot.
• The Ten Commandments are read to commemorate the giving of the Law.
• Some Jewish people stay up all night studying the Torah (Law) to “re-live” the revelation at Mount Sinai.
• Jewish people traditionally decorate their homes and synagogues with flowers and greens.
• An older tradition prescribes that two loaves of leavened bread be baked; some say they represent all of humanity (one loaf is the Jewish people, the other Gentiles), while others see them as representing the two tablets Moses brought down from Sinai.

 
Shavuot in the New Testament

• (see Acts 2)
• Peter seemed to know the tradition that King David was born and died on Shavuot as he gave his sermon. He used the prophecies of David in the Psalms to speak of the resurrection of Jesus, the Son of David.

 
Prophecy fulfilled

• Peter pointed out to the crowd that what they were witnessing was a fulfillment of prophecy from the book of Joel (Joel 2:28).
• An experience of revelation and community
• A mighty revelation occurred that day as 3,000 Jewish people understood the truth of Peter’s words and became followers of Jesus.

 
Shavuot in the future: the harvest festival to come

• Just as there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit so that Jewish people heard and accepted Jesus in a supernatural way on Pentecost, so an even greater outpouring is predicted by the prophet Zechariah: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).
• Yes, there will be mourning when all of Israel finally realizes who Jesus is, but after the mourning and the repentance there will be great joy. Yeshua said this regarding the end-time harvest of souls:
• “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest”
• Matthew 9:37, 38[1]

 
2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind (pnoe –no-eee) came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.

• The picture is that of one great flame representing the Spirit, which separates into many tongues of flame with one resting on each individual.[2]
• The tongues of fire symbolized the powerful witness of the church to the people.
• They were able to speak with Jewish pilgrims of many languages from all over the Mediterranean world.[3]
• There would be two changes: the Spirit would dwell in people and not just come on them, and His presence would be permanent, not temporary[4]

5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven.

• Jews of the “diaspora” (dispersion; cf. James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1) were … in Jerusalem for the feast.
• Perhaps they were bilingual, speaking both Greek and their native languages.
• They were dumbfounded to hear Jews from Galilee speaking the languages of peoples surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.[5]

6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”

• Note that the believers were praising God, not preaching the Gospel, and that they used known languages, not an “unknown tongue” (Acts 2:6, 8).
• Luke named fifteen different geographical locations and clearly stated that the citizens of those places heard Peter and the others declare God’s wonderful works in languages they could understand.[6]
• Show Middle East Map
• Here for the first time appears a motif that runs throughout Luke-Acts—in itself, without the element of personal faith and experience, even the most profound aspects of the good news are not self-confirming but can lead to skepticism and even rejection (cf. Luke 24:11; Acts 17:32; 26:24).[7]

 
PETER’S SERMON
14 Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them: “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this to you and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning.

• The joyful worship of the believers was not the result of too much wine; it was the evidence of the arrival of God’s Holy Spirit to dwell in His people.
• Orthodox Jews did not eat or drink before 9 a.m. on the Sabbath or on a holy day, nor did they usually drink wine except with meals.[8]

16 On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 And it will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all people;
then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18 I will even pour out my Spirit
on my servants in those days, both men and women
and they will prophesy.
19 I will display wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below:
blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 Then everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.

• Peter did not say that Pentecost was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28–32, because the signs and wonders predicted had not occurred.
• When you read Joel’s prophecy in context, you see that it deals with the nation of Israel in the end times, in connection with “the Day of the Lord.”
• However, Peter was led by the Spirit to see in the prophecy an application to the church. He said, “This is that same Holy Spirit that Joel wrote about. He is here!”
• Such an announcement would seem incredible to the Jews, because they thought God’s Spirit was given only to a few select people (see Num. 11:28–29). But here were 120 of their fellow Jews, men and women, enjoying the blessing of the same Holy Spirit that had empowered Moses, David, and the prophets.[9]

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. 23 Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. 24 God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death.
 
25 For David says of him:
I saw the Lord ever before me;
because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad
and my tongue rejoices.
Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me in Hades
or allow your holy one to see decay.
28 You have revealed the paths of life to me;
you will fill me with gladness
in your presence.
29 “Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.
32 “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. 33 Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says:
The Lord declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’

• But Peter told them the truth: Jesus of Nazareth had indeed been raised from the dead, and the Resurrection proves that He is the Messiah!
• Peter gave them four proofs of the resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and then he called on them to believe on Christ and be saved.

 

1. His first proof was the person of Jesus Christ (vv. 22–24). Peter’s audience knew that Jesus was a real Person from the town of Nazareth and that He had performed many signs and miracles. (On “Jesus of Nazareth,” see Acts 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 10:38; 22:8; 26:9; also 24:5.) It was clear that God’s hand was on Him. They had heard Him speak and had watched His life. They had even seen Him raise the dead, yet they could find no fault in Him—and these things were not “done in a corner”! (Acts 26:26)

 
       2. Peter’s second proof was the prophecy of David (vv. 25–31). He quoted Psalm 16:8–11, verses that obviously              could not apply to David who was already dead and buried. Being a prophet of God, David wrote about the                Messiah, that His soul would not remain in hades (the realm of the dead) or His body in the grave where it would              decay. 
       3.  The third proof was the witness of the believers (v. 33). After His resurrection, Jesus did not appear to the                      world at large, but to His own followers whom He had commissioned to give witness to others that He was                     alive (Acts 1:3, 22).

• But were these people dependable witnesses? Can we trust them? We certainly can!
• Prior to Christ’s resurrection, the disciples did not even believe that He would be raised from the dead; and they themselves had to be convinced (Mark 16:9–14; Acts 1:3). They had nothing to gain by preaching a lie, because their message aroused official opposition and even led to the imprisonment and death of some of the believers.
• A few fanatics might be willing to believe and promote a lie for a time, but when thousands believe a message, and when that message is backed up by miracles, you cannot easily dismiss it. These witnesses were trustworthy.
  
• 4. Peter’s fourth proof of the resurrection of Christ was the presence of the Holy Spirit (vv. 33–35). Follow his logic.
• If the Holy Spirit is in the world, then God must have sent Him.
• Joel promised that one day the Spirit would come, and Jesus Himself had promised to send the gift of the Holy Spirit to His people (Luke 24:49; John 14:26; 15:26; Acts 1:4).
• But if Jesus is dead, He cannot send the Spirit; therefore, He must be alive.
• Furthermore, He could not send the Spirit unless He had returned to heaven to the Father (John 16:7); so, Jesus has ascended to heaven!
• To back up this statement, Peter quoted Psalm 110:1, a verse that certainly could not be applied to David (note Matt. 22:41–46).[10]

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
 
CALL TO REPENTANCE
37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1. Surrender… raise a hand… help!
2. Receive repentance
3. Receive forgiveness
4. Receive the Spirit
5. Be baptized

• From this point on in Acts, the gift of the Spirit became a normal connection of becoming a Christian believer (2:38).[11]

39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!”

• Peter said, “Look around you… there is a lot of corruption going on around you that is accepted and be normalized. Turn from what is sucking you into a worldly view and be ready to be opposed because the corruptness cannot understand it.”
• There is a new view with the help of the Spirit who has come to live your life for you.

 
A GENEROUS AND GROWING CHURCH
41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

• The stuck around to be taught by the Twelve and become their disciples.

43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.

• Can you see the “awe” of God?
• Have you ever experienced the “awe” of God?

44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. [12]

• The selling of property and the common possession of the proceeds may imply that the early church expected the Lord to return soon and establish His kingdom.
• This may explain why the practice was not continued.
• Holding everything in common was not socialism or communism because it was voluntary (cf. 4:32, 34–35; 5:4).

Also their goods were not evenly distributed but were given to meet needs as they arose.[13]

[1] https://jewsforjesus.org/newsletter-jun-2005/newsletter-jun-2005/newsletter-jun-2005/shavuot-the-feast-of-weeks/
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 98). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Bond, S. (2003). Pentecost. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1273). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 407). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 357). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 408). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 104). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 409). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 409). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 409–410). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 98). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 2:1–47). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 360). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Friends are an interesting notion.
What determines a friendship? What causes one to continue and another to cease?
I believe a friend is an acquaintance you choose to be your friend. I don’t think it is contingent upon their agreement, but solely on your decision to be their friend.

When you see the word ‘love’ in the Bible, it can have a number of meanings based on the underlying Greek work. Two of the more frequently used ones are ‘Phileo’ and ‘Agape’.
Phileo is the same root for the city of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Phileo is the love of a brother or friend. Agape’ is this sort of love beyond most of our understanding and experience. It is an unfiltered, pure, unconditional love. It is God’s sort of love.
I have seen in people with Down’s Syndrome and my dog. But beyond that most will show glimpses of it, but there always seems to be a condition here or there.

My friend, Pete, is the topic of discussion today! Pete has been on my mind for years. He was probably in his mid-late teens when his life began to influence mine. He is an extroverted personality, a bit in your face, which isn’t normally someone I would migrate towards. As a matter of fact, his personality in his younger days was strong enough, I would have had to breath in and out slowly to even be in the room with him.

But he had an encounter with Jesus which revolutionized his world view and personality. His story reminds me to give room to friends and acquaintances even if they happen to disappoint you.
I don’t know if any of you have ever crossed paths with Pete, but I suppose several have.
The fact is, I haven’t ever met my quasi-friend, but I know enough about him to call him friend. He is also known as Simon Peter!

I may not have the sequence of events exactly right, but they are close.
It turns out Peter’s brother Andrew is the one who kicked the whole story into gear. Jesus’ cousin, John or John the Baptist was an eccentric soul. He lived in the wilderness and was a holy man. He encouraged people to repent of sin as the kingdom of God was near.
John had followers who the Bible call disciples. One of John’s followers was Andrew.
One day Andrew was hanging with John and Jesus was there. John pronounced Jesus the Messiah and Andrew quit following John and began following Jesus. Jesus began expressing His heart to Andrew and he was so excited he went and told his brother, Peter, ‘I have found Messiah!’ When Peter approached Jesus, He identified Peter and told himhe would now be called Cephas. And that is how Peter became interesting!!

There friendship must of have developed reasonably quickly as there is a familiarity described in the Bible. (John 1:40-42) Peter was probably in his late teens or early 20s and a newlywed. One of Jesus’ early ministry activities was in the city of Capernaum. One day after reasoning with the local Jewish people, He stopped by Peter’s house. Peter’s mother-in-law was there sick with a high fever. Jesus rebuked the fever, healed her and went about His ordinary business. (Matthew 8:14,15)

Another example of their familiarity was one day after fishing Peter was cleaning his nets and Jesus was trying to get some space away from the crowds who were mesmerized by his miracles and healing. He saw two boats and got into one of them which turned out to be Peter’s and asked him to take it out away from land a bit. Peter went along with the
plan.
After He was done speaking with the people, He told Peter to let his nets down into the water. Peter explained to Jesus, it wasn’t a good fishing day. They had been out all night and caught nothing. BUT I will do as you say and let the nets down. When he did this he caught so many fish the nets began to break! They signaled to their partners in other boats who quickly came and filled their boats with fish! They caught so many fish the boats began to sink! (Luke 5:2-11)

After this miracle, Peter and Andrew left everything and followed Jesus!
Keep in mind, Jesus’ public ministry was only about 3-3.5 years long. So this friendship began and deepened quickly!
And through the months of following Jesus, Peter and the other disciples watched up close as He lived in their presence and they were even sent out to tell others the Kingdom of God was at hand. Through this living together effort He instructed Peter and the others they would receive rejection and hatred, but to not be afraid of those who could destroy their bodies, but not their souls.

Can you imagine a friend emphasizing these sorts of thoughts to you as a teenager?
Shortly after John the Baptist was beheaded and Jesus fed 5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish, He was worn down physically and emotionally. He sent the disciples ahead of Him in the boat across the Sea of Galilee while He sent the crowd away, rested and prayed. And then as the evening was situated, be began walking towards the disciples on the water. (Matthew 14:26-31)

As you could imagine on a stormy night at sea, seeing a human walking across the water would terrify just about anyone. The disciples were no different, they were freaked out. They were crying and thought He was a ghost. He finally told them to take courage as it was Him.

As the situation was winding down, Peter yelled out, “Lord, if it is you, command me to walk out to you!’ Imagine that! Have you ever been on rough water in the dark? Would anything possess you to leave the relative comfort of the boat to step onto the water? Peter did it! He literally walked on water, until he didn’t! Then he yelled, ‘Lord, save me!’
And immediately, Jesus did. (Matthew 10:24-28)

Think about Peter. What would stir him to get out of the boat? What would Jesus think about Peter wanting to get out of the boat? Did the entire group laugh about that event at later gatherings? What was the conversation like --- ‘that one time when Peter walked on water…’

Once the boat landed and they went about their way, they probably had one of those pow wows. It seems like this might have been the time they were sitting around a campfire in Caesarea Phillipi talking about life and Jesus was sensing where the men were mentally with the whole thing of hanging out with God Almighty.

Then He began a deep conversation, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And after listening to their answers, He asked the pointed question ‘but who do you say I am?’ In all four gospels, the answer to the question was only recorded for Peter’s opinion. He said, ‘You are the Messiah!’ (Matthew 16:15, 16)

Jesus complimented him for his correct answer and told him only the Father could have revealed it to him. Jesus told Peter upon that proclamation, that Jesus is Messiah, He will build His church. Then He did something amazing to Peter, He promised to give him the keys to the kingdom of heaven! THE KEYS!!! (Matthew 16:19)

Shortly after the keys are promised, Jesus explained to the disciples how he would suffer and die. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him for his prophecy. Jesus said, ‘get behind me satan’ in response to Peter’s proclamation. Can you imagine Peter’s thoughts at such a situation?

A week later took Peter, James and John on a mountain to pray. While they were there this supernatural event, called the transfiguration, happened. Jesus’ face shined like the sun and his clothes were as white as light. And while this happened all of a sudden Elijah and Moses were present. And the voice of God said, ‘This is my Son with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him!’ What do you suppose those 3 disciples were thinking at this
moment? (Matthew 17:1-3)

After a time settling into their new normal, Jesus continued to teach ideas to the disciples about His way of life. One day Peter asked Him, ‘How often shall I forgive my brother who has sinned against me, seven times?’ Jesus said at least seventy times seven times. Peter’s head had to be spinning processing this declaration. (Matthew 18:21, 22)

Before long the disciples are following Jesus to the Last Supper. They dined and discussed the days ahead. Then Jesus took up a towel and bent down to wash the disciples feet. As you might guess, Peter told Jesus He would never wash his feet. Jesus powered up and explained to him this either had to happen or his part with Jesus was over! So Peter said ‘wash my entire body!’ Jesus said, ‘nah’. (John 13:5-10)

While at the Last Supper the disciples got into an argument over who was the greatest. Can you imagine? The greatest ever was sitting in their presence, prepared to do the greatest act of love known to mankind and these guys are arguing which of them is the best! (Luke 22:24)(Matthew 22:26-30)

Jesus points out they have all just hung with God for three years and will have some long term privileges due to their friendship. Then He transitions to satan’s view of who is the greatest among them. HE also helps them know Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends. Jesus tells Peter, ‘hey, satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. Once you repent, you are going to strengthen your brothers!’ How’s that for switching the topic from
the greatest. Who knows what Peter was thinking at this point. (Luke 22:31)

Peter then declares his loyalty to Jesus, stating he will go to prison and even die for Jesus. Jesus thanks him for his thoughts and points out he will deny Him 3 times before the rooster crows. (Matthew 26:33-35)

After dinner they head over to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is stressed to the point He sweats drops of blood and simply asks His friends including Peter to stay alert and pray for Him. When He repeatedly checks back with the disciples they are sawing logs. Jesus had to roll His eyes at their weakness. (Mark 14:33-41)

And as Judas betrays Jesus the crowd of nearly 600 comes to arrest Him. Peter is ready to die for Jesus and cuts the ear off of one of the 600. Jesus picks it up and heals it and offers Himself humbly to fulfill His mission. (Mark 14:47, John 18:10, 11)

Peter follows Jesus into the mock trial and watches from a distance. There isn’t much evidence of any of the other disciples sticking so close to the action. In this effort Peter was close enough he could be repeatedly accused of being a follower of Jesus. He was able to deny Jesus three time just as the rooster crowed. Peter wept bitterly! Can you imagine the inner turmoil brewing inside young Peter? (Matthew 26:69-75)

After the crucifixion and resurrection, Peter ran to the tomb to see if it was true. He had to be winded and probably had no idea what this amazing feat meant or how to reconcile it in his mind. But Jesus took care of that and found the disciples and began to explain some of the things they needed to know. They had to be amazed, overwhelmed and blown away! (Luke 24:12)

As Peter tried to process all of this, he told the other disciples, I’m going fishing. Several said, ‘we’re going with you!’ It makes all the sense in the world, Peter returned to what he knew. What? Was he 22-25 years old and just witnessed world history first hand!! Guess what they caught that night? NOTHING!!! (John 21:2-13)

Jesus was on shore grilling some breakfast for the boys. He yelled out at them, ‘hey, I’m betting I know what you caught! NOTHING! Cast your nets on the other side!’ Of course He did. What HAPPENED? They caught so many fish they couldn't bring the net in!! Peter threw himself in the sea and swam to Jesus!! They had a feast!!
After breakfast Jesus asked Peter 3 questions! (John 21:15-17)
1) Do you agape’ love me?
2)Do you agape’ love me?
3)Do you phileo love me?
Peter was grieved and this was their story!

Here is my take on their friendship. Peter was a loose cannon. He would try, say or do anything to show Jesus he was all in. But he was weak. He lacked a power you and I possess; God’s Spirit. Peter would waffle back and forth in his efforts.

So when this final dialogue about Peter’s love happened. I believe it was Jesus validating Peter. Peter you were proud and did things from your own strength throughout this entire ​story. But here you have finally realized agape’ love is outside your power. You wouldn’t promise me something which you couldn’t fulfill.

Peter knew Jesus laid down His life to be his friend. That was agape’ and it was impossible for him without something else. He was able to honestly answer Jesus!! You are a loyal friend. You will agape’ love me, but it won’t happen until Pentecost when my Love is poured out in your heart! Then agape’ will be your normal way! I am proud of
you, my friend!