Introduction: Our study this week is the church after
Pentecost. Is it a model for us today? It is certainly
different than the church today. What lessons can we learn?
The early church called on sinners to repent. What does that
mean? If we see different opinions, and one side resorts to
threats rather than persuation, what should we conclude? Let’s
plunge into our study of Acts and see what we can learn!
- Days of Awe
- Read Acts 2:42-43. What activity is missing from
this daily calendar? (Working! They are eating,
praying, being taught, having fellowship, and
observing miracles. It is a great time, but it does
not seem like a “workable” long-term plan.) - Can you think of any parallel today? (In one of
my religious liberty cases, I defended the wife
of a “Black Hat” (ultra-conservative) Jewish
man. I was only supposed to speak to him, not
directly to her. Because of this strange (to me)
situation, I became aware that only she worked.
He spend his days studying and discussing the
Torah.) - Read Acts 2:44-47. What is the solution to the
financial problem of eating and not working? (They
sold their possessions when the need arose.) - I don’t recall seeing this model anywhere else
in the Bible. Some have suggested this is how
Christians should live today. What do you think?
(This is a voluntary program. However, when
governments take the property of those who have
it and give it to those who do not, eventually
they run out of “other people’s money” and the
situation gets much worse. In the absence of
divine intervention, this is not a long-term
plan.) - If this is not a model or a long-term plan, why
is it described, why is it recorded in the
Bible? (Pentecost, this “retreat” time of
prayer, study, miracles, fellowship and eating,
is special. Perhaps its unique nature is the
reason why it is described?) - Have you ever experienced anything like it?
(“Campmeeting” reminds me of this. A
special time of the year for spiritual
teaching, fellowship and eating with
friends. I loved those times.) - Days of Healing
- Read Acts 3:1-4. Why didn’t the man automatically
look at Peter and John? (No doubt begging was
demeaning. He did not look into the eyes of those
who gave him money.) - Look back at Acts 2:46. If the new believers had
everything in common, and they passed by this
crippled beggar every day, why didn’t they take
him into their group, and share their food,
fellowship, and teaching with him? - Read Acts 3:5-8. What solution does Peter prefer?
(They could have taken him in. Perhaps they did
later, but Peter heals him through the power of God
so that the beggar can take care of himself.) - Look again at Acts 3:6. Did Peter truly not have
any money? He certainly must have had access to
money if Acts 2:45 is understood literally – and
I understand it literally. What are we being
taught here? (This makes us look deeper. A
shallow approach to the texts we have read
concludes that “rich” people should just give
their property to those in need. While the Bible
says a lot about charity, it almost never
endorses indiscriminate giving, or what we today
call “random acts of kindness.” The Bible
encourages work ( Leviticus 19:9-10), worthiness
( 1 Timothy 5:9-10), and compassion (Proverbs
28:27 & Exodus 22:25-27).) - Read Acts 3:9-12. What additional motive does this
suggest for this man’s healing? (We saw the same
thing with Jesus – miracles were the basis for
gaining people’s attention and then teaching them
the gospel.) - Skim over Peter’s sermon on Jesus in Acts 3:13-18.
Read Acts 3:19-21. What call to action does Peter
make? (He calls on them to repent.) - Repent of what? (The sermon that we skimmed over
had to do with their rejection of Jesus as the
Messiah. The call to repentance is the call to
accept Jesus.) - I have long wondered about what it means to
“repent.” When I was young, I was led to believe
that I must remember and confess every sin. If,
somehow, I missed a sin, then I was not saved
because I had an unconfessed sin. Today, this
seems to me to be another form of righteousness
by works. This time the work is tracking down
and confessing each sin. If I don’t get it
right, I’m not saved. Is the idea of recalling
and confessing every sin consistent with Peter’s
call to repentance? (Peter is asking his
audience to accept Jesus and repent from
rejecting Him.) - Read Hebrews 6:1. How does this describe repentance?
(It calls repentance an “elementary teaching about
Christ.”) - Read Hebrews 6:4-6. How many times can we repent?
(The writer of Hebrews says it is “impossible” after
“fall[ing] away.” This sounds like something that we
do once.) - Let me ask you a personal question. Do you find
yourself confessing (repenting) of the same sin
over and over again? (I know I do that, and that
makes me think what I was taught as a child
about confessing sin is wrong. Repentance is a
change of mind, a decision to accept Jesus as
your Savior.) - Read Acts 3:19, Acts 5:31, and Luke 24:47. Are
repentance and forgiveness of sin two different
things? (The result of repentance is that our sins
are “wiped out.” At the same time, they seem to be
two different things.) - Read Acts 26:20. How are actions connected here to
repentance? (If you have changed your mind, changed
your attitude, then you should act differently.) - Read Luke 11:2-4. How often does Jesus say that we
should pray this? (“When you pray.” That suggests
this is a regular prayer. We say it frequently.) - Why is forgiveness of our sins linked to us
forgiving others? (This is what makes me think,
once again, that repentance and confession of
sin is likely more of an attitude, than a
chasing down of every sin. Do I forgive those
who sin against me? If I have that attitude,
then Jesus employs that same attitude towards
me.) - Note to the reader: I included these questions
about repentance and confession to spur your
thinking on the subject, the matter is not yet
resolved in my mind. - The State Strikes Back
- Read Acts 4:1-4. What is the message that troubles
the Jewish authorities? (“In Jesus [we have] the
resurrection of the dead.”) - What do you think this means? (I doubt that
resurrecting the dead was a burning issue.
Rather, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead
was the point of controversy.) - Read Acts 4:5-6. Why is the issue of Jesus’
resurrection of concern to this group? (They are the
leaders who pressed to have Jesus’ crucified. If
Jesus is resurrected, and I think they knew this,
their problem has just gotten worse, not better.) - Read Acts 4:7. What is the specific question given
to Peter and John? (By whose power did you heal the
crippled beggar?) - Read Acts 4:8-10. Is this the answer the Jewish
leaders were looking for? (It is just the opposite.
Peter’s argument, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is
that Jesus’ resurrection is proved by the miraculous
healing of the crippled beggar!) - Read Acts 4:11-12. What is the claim made for Jesus?
(Think about this. This statement means that the
entire Jewish system of worship is without any value
when it comes to the issue of salvation. This is a
frontal challenge to the Jewish leaders.) - Read Acts 4:13-14. What defense do the Jewish
leaders have to this courageous challenge? (What
could they say? The proof was standing in front of
them!) - Read Acts 4:15-18. What does this tell you about the
spiritual goals of the Jewish leadership? (They have
now decided to leave the truth behind. Threats take
the place of proof and argument, because threats are
all they have left.) - Read Acts 4:21-26. What is the first basis on which
they praised God in their prayer? (That He is the
Creator! Accepting creation is central to
acknowledging the power of God. If God can speak the
creation into existence, He can take care of all of
the lesser things we need in life.) - Friend, will you examine your life? Will you see if
there are areas in which you hold opinions that are
contrary to the evidence before you? Please ask the
Holy Spirit to align your views with the revealed
power of God. - Next week: The First Church Leaders
