THE SECRET TO THE EARLY CHURCH

The real power at work in Acts

Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose of activity is of human origin,
it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find
yourselves fighting against God. Acts 5:38-39
Author J. B. Phillips, after spending 14 years translating the New Testament, sat
back and reflected on his most lasting impressions. He kept returning to the book of
Acts and its portrait of an infant church. The sick are not merely prayed about, said
Phillips, they are healed, often suddenly and dramaticallyHuman nature is changed.
The fresh air of Heaven blows gustily though these pages.
The early church lived dangerously, but never before has such a handful of
people exerted such widespread influence.To put it shortly, the lasting excited which
follows the reading of this book is this: the thing works!
Who Was Behind the Success?
Why did it work? Acts points decisively to the power of God, through his Holy
Spirit. Luke carefully notes that every major decision of the young church was made
under his guidance. Indeed, some have suggested Acts should really be titled Acts of
the Holy Spirit because of his dominant role. Luke mentions the Holy Spirit 57 times in
Acts.
The disciples waited on the Spirit in Jerusalem before beginning to preach (Acts
2:4). According to Luke, the Holy Spirit fell on each new group of believers: on Jews
(Acts 4:31); then on Samaritans (Acts 8:17), then Gentiles (Acts 10:44), and finally John
the Baptist s disciples (Acts 19:6).
For Their Good
As the church grew, the disciples gradually began to understand what Jesus had
meant when he said, It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the
Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7). Although
Jesus himself departed, God became present in each one of them, making his activity in
the world more widespread than ever before.
The Spirit personally directed each major advance of the church. He sent Philip
into the desert to meet an Ethiopian (Acts 8:29), set apart missionaries in Antioch (Acts
13:2), guided the first big church council (Acts 15:1-28) and helped plan Pauls itinerary
(Acts 13:4; 16:6). As presented in Acts, the Spirit was no v ague mist but a living person,
who spoke, guided in decisions, and fueled the church with the energy of faith.
Lifes Question: How is the Holy Spirit active in your life?

RECRUITING FROM THE OPPOSITION

A former persecutor breaks through to the Gentiles
All those who heard him (Saul) were astonished and asked, Isnt he the man who
raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on his name? (Acts 9:21)
The history of the church is full of examples of notorious criminals whose lives
were transformed by the Good News. In our own day we hear testimonies from
murderers, members of street gangs, former terrorists, and criminals of every variety.
These converts tell of a Lord who dramatically rescued them from their rebellion
against Good, and of the Holy Spirit who remarkably transformed their lives. Their
conversions and powerful testimonies often bring wonderful growth to Christs church.
A Complete Turnaround
None of these miraculous turnarounds can compare to the story of Saul. When
the book of Acts introduces the most effective missionary of all time, he turns out to be a
former persecutor of Christians.
How did a tiny Jewish sect become the largest Gentile religion? The answer
traces back to the remarkable career of Paul, apostle to the Gentiles.
The personal conversion of Paul also became a kind of conversion for early
Christian church. Before Paul, the church was a struggling Jewish sect, with a few
committed followers but little or no impact on the world outside of Palestine. After Pauls
amazing career, the church was extended into every corner of the Roman Empire.
People from the lowest slaves to the emperor himself had been touched by the message
of Jesus.
Paul (formerly called Saul) made his first appearance in Acts 8:1, assisting the
brutal stoning of Stephen. Later, he led a gang of persecutors on a violent campaign
against Christian believers. But then came a miraculous turnabout on the road to
Damascus (Acts 9:1-9).
A Courageous Career
Acts is constructed like a drama that delays introducing the hero until the stage is
finally set. Beginning in Chapter 13, the spotlight in Acts moves from Peter to Paul and
follows him throughout the rest of the book. Other Christians, knowing Pauls old
reputation, were initially skeptical about his conversion. But he soon proved to be as
fiery and intense in preaching Christ as he had been in working against him.
Paul spearheaded the campaign to grant Gentiles full acceptance without
subjecting them to Jewish law. He had himself been liberated from bondage to confining
laws, and he insisted on a life based on Gods free forgiveness, not legalism.
During his journeys Paul wrote half the New Testament books, and in them he
laid the groundwork for much of Christian theology. All the while, he carried on a
courageous career despite jailings, beatings, and riots. He was perhaps the most
thoroughly converted man who ever lived.
Lifes Question: Has your life changed quickly and dramatically, as Pauls did, or slowly
and gradually?

On the Road With the Apostle Paul

Paul, both Jewish and Roman, took the gospel into the melting pot
But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, the shook out his clothes in
protest and said to them, Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my
responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. Acts 18:6
The book of Acts follows Paul on three distinct missionary journeys along the
northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Normally in the ancient world, travel
posed great hazards, with pirates, barbarian armies, and hostile border guards clogging
up the roads. But by Pauls lifetime, Rome had established absolute mastery over a vast
territory. Empire-wide peace, the famous Pax Romana a condition that existed only
twice in 700 years prevailed.
Roman engineers had crisscrossed the empire with a network of roads (built so well
that many still survive), and as a Roman citizen Paul had a passport to any destination.
Language, too, was unified. The Greek tongue, as well as the Greek style of thinking,
crossed ethnic barriers.
Pauls Strategy
In his missionary ventures, Paul focused primarily on chief trade towns, capital cities,
and roman colonies. Like modern cities today, these comprised a melting pot of diverse
cultures. From these places, the gospel message would be carried across the globe.
Usually, Paul began with a visit to a local synagogue, establishing contact with fellow
Jews. If they rejected his message, as often happened, he quickly turned to a nonJewish audience.
When a promising church was established, Paul stayed on, sometime as long as
three years, to teach and to direct its spiritual growth. His letters glow with affection for
the friends he developed in this way. (Acts 20 gives a glimpse of the intimacy he shared
with one such group.) On his second and third journeys Paul revisited many of the
churches he had founded.
Unusual Qualifications, Impressive Results
Pauls background uniquely qualified him for his adventures. A Pharisee who had
studied with the famous teacher Gamaliel, he fully understood the Jewish mind. Roman
citizenship gave him the status and respect he needed to gain official recognition and to
survive threatening legal scrapes.
Pauls mastery of languages helped him also. He used Aramaic to relate to the early
church leaders in Jerusalem, and fluency in Greek made possible a speech before
philosophers in Athens.
Sometimes Paul was used by God to work miracles. In one tragicomic episode, a
sleepy listener succumbed to Pauls all-night sermon and fell out a third-story window
(Acts 20:7-12); Paul raised him from the dead.
By the end of his eventful life, Paul had left a ring of burgeoning churches around the
ea stern Mediterranean. To make sure his work would go on, he trained such leaders as
Silas, Titus, Timothy, and the man who recorded much of what we know about Pauls life:
Luke himself.
Lifes Question: Why did God choose Paul to lead the early church? What special
qualifications do you have that God could use?

Pauls Legal Battles

470 Roman soldiers protected him from an angry mob
And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will
happen to me there. I only know that in e very city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison
and hardships are facing me. Acts 20:22-23
The drumbeat starts with the last verse in chapter 20: What grieved them most was
his statement that they would never see his face again. After this, wherever he went,
Pauls friends begged him not to go to Jerusalem. One of them bound his own hands
and feet with Pauls belt, publicly role-playing what was in s tore for Paul (Acts 21:10-11).
But Paul had survived shipwrecks, a stoning, beatings, and long nights in jail, and
fear had never stopped him. Besides, he knew that God wanted him to take his word to
Rome, and no disaster in Jerusalem could prevent that.
A Dangerous Revolutionary?
Thus, against all advice Paul went to Jerusalem.
missionary had spread, to such an extent that it took a

His reputation as a Christian

Luke details the process of Roman justice so thoroughly that some have speculated
he wrote Acts as a legal brief for Pauls defense. Was Paul a violent terrorist intent on
inciting revolt? Luke meticulously records that, no, Paul had no political ambitions and
consistently worked within Roman law.
4
Most of the time, Roman law found Paul innocent. An official in Corinth dismissed
charges against him (Acts 18:15), as did the town clerk at Ephesus (Acts 19:35-41). In
Judea Governor Festus and King Agrippa both concluded Paul might have been free
outright had he not appealed to Caesar (Acts 26:32).
The Beginning of the End
Pauls last days of freedom summarize his turbulent life. His friends fears regarding
Jerusalem proved well-founded. A murderous mob there assailed him with false
charges, and he had to be rescued bodily by soldiers.
In typical brazen style, Paul asked to address the unruly crowd, using the chance to
confront Stephen, the first Christian martyr, we killed. That violent scene was forever
etched in Pauls mind as a reminder of this former life. But another memory was even
more powerful: the blinding light on the road to Damascus. Ever after that event in
Damascus, Paul seemed determined to stun the human race as he had been stunned
on that desert roads. No matter how many nights in jail it cost him.
Life Questions: Acts 20 shows Pauls closeness to other Christians. What produced
such intense feelings? What could increase your closeness with others?

Rome at Last
Paul finally made it to the capital in chains
From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and
tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. Acts
28:23
Acts records 18 speeches in all, the last three of which were delivered before a very
select audience. Roman officials, intrigued by the most talked-about prisoner in their
corner of the empire, brought Paul out and asked him to perform, like a trained bear. As
a result of their inquisition, he got his long-awaited trip to Rome.
It is hard for us today to realize how completely the city of Rome then dominated the
world. All roads lead to Rome was more than a figure of speech. Like a center of
gravity, the city attracted all the roads and commerce, all the leaders and thinkers and
fortune-seekers of the empire. Political and military power fanned out from Rome. It
was the indisputable capital of the world. If Christianity was to gain a foothold anywhere,
it had to be in Rome.
A Missionary in Chains
Ironically, Paul, the greatest spokesman for the Christian fait, arrived in Rome as a
prisoner. He was exhausted, having just survived a harrowing shipwreck. In Rome,
Paul got hours of quiet solitude to work on fond letters to the churches he had left
behind.
In one sense. Acts ends anticlimactically, for Luke leaves Pauls life dangling. Most
scholars believe Paul was released from this imprisonment and expanded his ministry
into new frontiers. Luke records nothing of this period, and nothing about the trial of
Paul or his eventual fate. He ends with a single memory, frozen in time: Paul, confined
to his house, welcoming and preaching to all who come.
Paul could no longer choose his audience; they had to seek him. But boldly, in the
heart of mighty Rome, he talked of a new kingdom and a new king. Christianity had
made the journey, and the transition, from Jerusalem to Rome.
Lifes Question: Is it better for Christianity to be popular or unpopular?

The Killing of A King

Arrest, trial, and execution
What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ? Pilate asked. They all
answered, Crucify him! Matthew 27:22
In spare, unadorned language the last three chapters of Matthew draw together the
deep ironies of Jesus life. From the first sentence, Matthew has stressed that Jesus is the
Messiah, a true king. This Gospel is sometimes called the royal Gospel because it
refers so many times to kingship.
But at the end of his life, the man whom wise men had crossed a continent to
worship was sold, like a slave, for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus got a royal robe and
crown at last but as a cruel, mocking joke. Blood from the wounds on this back clotted
on the robe, and the crown of thorns streaked his face with more blood.
A short time before, he had rebuked the religious leaders with accusations. But
when they put him on the stand and accused him, his strong voice stayed mostly silent.
Jesus Self-Defense
Jesus enemies asked him two chief questions: Are you the king of the Jews?
and Are you the Messiah? He answered with a simple Yes, it is as you say,
confirming the major themes woven throughout Matthews book (27:11). Finally he was
executed with his crime being a king posted above his sagging body.
Jesus was indeed a king, but not the kind of king people expected. Even his
disciples, who had known Jesus intimately for three years, slipped away in doubt.
The story, however, doesnt end with the death scene in Chapter 27. Good Friday
would never have been called good without the miracle described next. The king came
back! And the writer who opened his book by tracing Jesus Jewish roots ends it with
Jesus stirring call to take the good news to all nations.
Life Questions: The people who crucified Jesus what did they hate in him? Is it the
same today?