Acts

     Two weeks ago we pointed out that Luke addresses his Gospel account to a man named "Theophilus."
     "Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us," the writer explains in Luke 1:1-4, "just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word have handed them down to us, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught."
     In our arrangement of the New Testament, the Gospel of John is placed between Luke and Acts.  But, since Luke is also the author of Acts, the latter book is actually just a continuation of the first.
     "The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach," Luke begins in the book of Acts, "until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen."
     In fact, this is exactly what is being reported at the close of the Gospel of Luke.
     Before getting into the book of Acts, we should ask ourselves what it is that Jesus wanted to accomplish during His time on the earth.  Luke 19:10 quotes Jesus as saying that He has come to seek and save that which was lost.  An integral part of Christ's plan to seek and save the lost involves His kingdom, the church.
     Ephesians 1:22-23 describes the church as the body of Christ.  Chapter three, verse 10 claims that the "manifold wisdom of God" is made known "through the church to the rulers and the authorities in heavenly places."  Verse 23 of chapter five states that Jesus is the Savior of the body, or church.  Two verses later we read that Jesus gave Himself up for the church.
     In spite of these verses and many others, there are those who claim that the plans of Jesus were interrupted by His crucifixion and that He had to set up the church as a temporary measure until He could come back to complete what He had started by establishing an earthly kingdom.  Of course, this does not agree with anything we find in the New Testament.
     Among other things, we notice that Jesus Himself feels that everything is going according to plan.  "My hour has not yet come," He points out in the first part of His ministry.
     "There are some of those who are standing here," Jesus promises in Mark 9:1, who shall not taste of death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power."
     "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified," He claims in John 12:23 a short time before His crucifixion.
     "It is finished," the Christ says from the cross in John 19:30.
     From the beginning it has been God's plan to establish the church as Christ's kingdom after the crucifixion.  This event, which takes place on the day of Pentecost 50 days after the crucifixion, is recorded in the second chapter of Acts.
     Just as Jesus promises in Mark nine, the kingdom is truly established with power.  The twelve apostles, including Matthias who has replaced Judas, are given the ability to speak in foreign languages so all who are present can understand what is said.  Peter takes his stand with the other eleven and preaches the first Gospel sermon.  The first half of the book of Acts focuses primarily on the actions of Peter.  The second half switches to the efforts of Paul.
     Since the crowd present on the day of Pentecost consists of Jews, Peter makes reference to Old Testament prophecies which foretell of this very day.
     When Peter points out that they have crucified the same Jesus whom God made both Lord and Christ, they are pierced in the heart.
     "Brethren, what shall we do?" they cry out.
     "Repent," Peter replies, "and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
     There is another answer that Peter could have given the people.  We'll talk about that other answer after this song.

     When the people ask what they must do to be saved, Peter could have said, "I already told you."
     "And it shall be, that every one who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved," Peter instructs in Acts 2:21.  So what they have to do is call on the name of the Lord.  If we don't understand something, the best thing to do is ask for clarification.  When the people ask Peter what they should do after he has told them to call on the name of the Lord, he explains that they must repent and be baptized.
     Now the phrase, "Call on the name of the Lord" is very confusing in the religious world.  The religious world assigns all kinds of definitions to this action.  But, quite honestly, we don't care about the definitions of the religious world.  What we want to know is how the Bible defines calling on the name of the Lord.  Here the Bible says that calling on the name of the Lord involves repenting and being baptized for the remission of sins.  Does this definition hold up in light of other passages?
     "And now why do you delay?" Ananias asks Saul (or Paul) in Acts 22:16.  "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name."
     Let's observe two more things about Peter's statement in Acts 2:38.  He instructs the people to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins.
     Notice that repentance precedes baptism.  We know from other passages that this is not all that comes before baptism.  But repentance is the one that is mentioned here.  What does this tell us about so-called infant baptism?
     The other thing to look at is the purpose of baptism as given in Acts 2:38.  Peter, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says it is for the remission, or forgiveness, of sins.  That which is called baptism has many forms and many purposes in the religious world.  But the example here is baptism of repentant adults for the forgiveness of their sins.
     About 3000 people respond to Peter's sermon and the church is started.  Verse 47 says that the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.  How do we get into the church?  Do we add ourselves, do others vote us in or does God add us?
     Peter uses the occasion of the healing of a lame man to preach a second sermon in chapter three.  By now the Jewish leaders are becoming so worried that they send guards to arrest Peter and John.
     "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?" the leaders inquire in Acts 4:7.
     "By the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene," Peter answers in verse 10 regarding the healing of the man.
     "And there is salvation in no one else;" he adds boldly in verse 12, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved."
     How many ways, we might ask, are there to get to heaven?
     The leaders send the men out of the room so they can decide what to do.  Then the leaders call them back to order them not to speak any more in the name of Jesus.
     "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;" Peter replies in verses 19-20, "for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard."
     Meanwhile, the number of just the men in the church grows to about 5000, as we note in Acts 4:4.  By verse 14 of the next chapter, the converts are numbered as "multitudes."
     The Jewish leaders have the apostles placed in jail.
     "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name," they threaten in Acts 5:28.
     "We must obey God rather than men," Peter and the apostles answer calmly.
     Chapters six and seven contain the story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.  The great persecution which follows leads to the scattering of Christians.  But it also results in the expansion of the church.  The conversions of various people through the preaching of Philip are recorded in the eighth chapter.  It is interesting to examine carefully how people are saved in the book of Acts.
     Looking at the teaching of Jesus we already know that those who are taught, who believe, who repent, who confess Jesus as Lord and Christ and who are baptized are saved.  Guess what we find when we examine examples of conversions recorded in Acts?
     One famous conversion takes place in Acts chapter nine.  Saul the persecutor becomes Paul the preacher.  But when does his conversion take place?  Are his sins taken away when he sees Jesus on the road to Damascus?  Paul himself says in Acts 22:16 that he still had his sins three days later.
     Does Jesus simply zap Saul into a Christian, or does He send him to a man to be taught and then baptized?
     In chapter ten we meet Cornelius, a Gentile centurion who becomes the first non-Jewish convert.  At the beginning of the chapter God sends an angel to speak with Cornelius.  Does God save Cornelius or does He tell the centurion to send for a man to teach and baptize him?
     What makes us better than Paul or Cornelius?  Does God really expect us to be taught and be baptized in order to be saved?  If not, why not?
     Romans 1:16 points out that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation.  The Gospel is the truth.  And only the truth will set us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.lockman.org)