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Showing posts with label Great Commission. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Great Commission. Show all posts

Saturday, December 3, 2022

3 JOHN+—An Illustrated Summary of Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible by G. Campbell Morgan

"On every page of the God-breathed writings are many thoughts that stretch out like long, clear arms of light across the darkness, discovering things otherwise hidden and illuminating wider areas than those of the immediate context. They are searchlights. I have selected one in each chapter of Scripture, for at least one central thought in every chapter should arrest the mind and affect the life," wrote G. Campbell Morgan, a skilled, wise, warm-hearted Bible teacher who conducted a classic 3-year study called Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible. Here is the fruit of that research—summarized, illustrated, and amplified with useful details—on all 66 books of the Bible.


3 John 1:6 "In a manner worthy of God." In Second John the apostle deals specifically with those to whom no hospitality should be extended and why, but in Third John he commends hospitality and shows what its nature should be. This letter also includes one of the most beloved Bible verses by parents, of both children and disciples in Christ: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" (verse 4). The disciples described in this letter are those who "have gone out for the sake of the Name" (verse 7) to obey the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19). John says, "You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.... We ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth" (verses 7-8). What does it mean to send people in a manner worthy of God? Two interpretations have been given. One is that these disciple makers were to be treated as messengers of God. The other is that those who offered them hospitality were to do it as God Himself would. Both speak truth, but the second is especially in keeping with the whole spirit of this letter. What kind of a host is God? How does He treat His guests? God gives His best, He gives lavishly, and He gives out of pure delight. He is always concerned about the highest well-being of His guests. He opens His home to them, spreads His table before them,  engages in familiar conversation with them, and He places at their disposal His wisdom and the other riches of His grace. If we are to show hospitality in a manner worthy of God, we are to seek to follow His example. This kind of hospitality is one of the things that constantly cheer and help those who go forth for the sake of the Name.

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Friday, November 19, 2021

ACTS+—An Illustrated Summary of Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible by G. Campbell Morgan

"On every page of the God-breathed writings are many thoughts that stretch out like long, clear arms of light across the darkness, discovering things otherwise hidden and illuminating wider areas than those of the immediate context. They are searchlights. I have selected one in each chapter of Scripture, for at least one central thought in every chapter should arrest the mind and affect the life," wrote G. Campbell Morgan, a skilled, wise, warm-hearted Bible teacher who conducted a classic 3-year study called Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible. Here is the fruit of that research—summarized, illustrated, and amplified with useful details—on all 66 books of the Bible.



Acts 1:8 "You shall be My witnesses."  Dr. Luke begins his second New Testament Book like this: "The first account I composed [the Gospel of Luke] was about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day He was taken up to heaven. To the apostles He had chosen He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, appearing to them over a period of 40 days and teaching about the Kingdom of God." On their last day with Him they asked if He would set up that Kingdom immediately. His answer reveals what we already know by experience—it will take awhile: "It is not for you to know the times or epochs that the Father has fixed by His own authority." Instead, this is what they needed to know: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea, in Samaria, and in the remotest parts of the earth." Dr. Luke called this second Book Acts, sometimes called the Acts of the Apostles or the Acts of the Holy Spirit. It tells how the apostles did exactly what Jesus said they would do. It also reminds us that the question we do well to ask ourselves is, Am I consistently living by my thoughts, words and deeds in ways that the risen Lord Jesus may be seen, heard, and known? Acts is a brilliant and encouraging Book that reveals the Gospel and God's Kingdom will inevitably advance no matter the obstacles.

 Acts 2:4 "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit."  This is how Christ's disciples would accomplish the worldwide commission He had given them to be His witnesses. When the Lord was with them, He knew they would be sad at His leaving, but He told them the counter-intuitive truth that it was better for them—and us—that He did. In His body He, like us, was in one place at one time, but in His Spirit He makes His home within each believer everywhere!  The day of the Holy Spirit's promised arrival was unequivocally clear to all, believers and unbelievers alike, for He came with wind, fire, and speech about the mighty works of God in the languages of everyone gathered for the Day of Pentecost in crowded Jerusalem. Peter preached a powerful sermon that day that added about 3,000 souls to the growing church, a striking contrast to the first Pentecost, during which 3,000 people died after the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai 50 days after the Exodus from Egypt. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit now belongs to each member of the Body of Christ as a gift. The apostle Paul, writing years after this unique event of Pentecost, explains what happens to believers now: "By one Spirit we [believers] were all baptized into one Body [the Church, the Body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:13]." The baptism of the Spirit is a one-time spiritual event at the moment of salvation, but being filled by the Spirit is different from that baptism, for it is an ongoing command: "Be careful how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your time.... Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of the Lord ... and being subject to one another in the fear of Christ" (Ephesians 5:15-21). In a parallel passage, the command to be filled with the Spirit is equated with letting the Word of Christ richly dwell within you, "with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another" (Colossians 3:16-17). Acts 2 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. It tells about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and how suddenly people from many different countries were hearing the Gospel in their own language and coming to a common faith in Christ as Lord of all. Diversity is the natural state of Christ's Church, which is unified in the Word of God. 

 Acts 3:6 "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have, I give to you."  Those are not words of apology. What Peter and John were about to give this man crippled from birth made money seem like stones by comparison. It is good to give money to people in need if that is the best you can do, but it only maintains them in their ongoing need. Peter and John gave the crippled man the strength to walk, which sent him free from the need to beg. That is the difference between Christianity and all merely humanitarian efforts for the relief of the incapable. Humanitarians help make the conditions of continued inability somewhat bearable, but the service of godly Christians to individuals and society is of the highest. It deals not so much with conditions as with causes. By doing so it necessarily deals with conditions also, as Jesus did in showing kindness to the poor, but the focus is on spiritual transformation. Apart from Christ, humanitarian efforts deal with surroundings, but cannot touch the man. Humanitarian effort plants a garden around a man and leaves him to spoil the garden; Christ remakes the man, who is then enabled to plant a garden. 

 Acts 4:13 "They took note that these men had been with Jesus."  This is referring to members of the Jerusalem high council, taking note of Peter and John, whom they arrested  for preaching a powerful sermon that brilliantly explained from the Scriptures how the risen Christ healed the man born lame, and the grave implications of that for everyone. Peter confronted the crowd with the blood on their hands: "You denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.  To this we are witnesses." Then he offered hope: "Brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back that your sins may be blotted out.... Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brothers [the Jewish people]. You shall listen to Him.'" Over 5,000 of those present believed that saving message. Now before the council, Peter spoke with the same boldness and scriptural precision: "By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified—whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders that has become the chief cornerstone [a reference to Psalm 118:22]. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven ... by which we must be saved." At this point the council, seeing "the boldness of Peter and John, and perceiving that they were common, non-scholarly men, were astonished and recognized that they had been with Jesus." They instantly reminded those rulers of Jesus, which is perhaps the truest definition of what it is to be good witnesses for Him. May we who are witnesses for Him today consistently remind others of Jesus in all we say and do.

 Acts 5:41 "Rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name." The  council members Peter and John addressed were in a tight spot, saying privately among themselves, "What shall we do with these men? That a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it." The only logical options open to them were repenting and believing the Gospel or doubling down in opposition despite the facts. They notoriously decided to double down, but carefully at first for fear of outraging the populace, so they ordered Peter and John not to preach about Jesus anymore. The apostles honorably responded, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we must speak of what we have seen and heard." They continued preaching "and more than ever believers were added to the Lord—multitudes of both men and women." At the same time, many were being healed. "Filled with jealousy," the high priest and his crew arrested the apostles and put them into prison, but an angel miraculously opened the doors and let them out, ordering them to continue preaching "the words of this Life" boldly in the temple. Now most of the Jewish council members, faced with this new opposition from God, panicked to the point of becoming enraged and wanting to kill the apostles. The esteemed Pharisee Gamaliel, however, counseled this: "Keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this activity is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" The council listened to his advice—for now—but vented their murderous feelings by having the apostles beaten and again ordering them not to preach about Jesus. Notice above that the apostles did not rejoice in the suffering itself, but that God counted them worthy to suffer for Christ in a way similar to how He suffered for them and all His people, including us. May we have the same attitude when we suffer any persecution for being faithful witnesses and, like the apostles, "not stop teaching and preaching that Jesus is the Messiah," the one and only Savior of the world.

 Acts 6:3 "Men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom."  In Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost, we learned that the Holy Spirit came with power to indwell each true member of Christ's Church from every nation and language. Diversity is indeed the natural and desirable state of the Church, but as we keep reading through the Book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament, we see that much of the conflict within the early Church was based around ethnic differences. This great feature of the Church has always been exploited by Satan to bring about disruption. The beauty of diversity and the struggle to maintain that beauty are both as old as the Church itself. We shouldn’t therefore be surprised or discouraged when such things pose a challenge today. Notice how the apostles responded to their immediate challenge: rather than be sidetracked from their main priorities of "prayer and the ministry of the Word," they set high standards for those who would handle the financial and business affairs of the Church with fairness and integrity towards all: 1. A good reputation, 2. A godly, Spirit-filled life, 3. A life marked by practical wisdom and skill in their area of service. Those priorities and standards are just as useful for churches around the world today.
Acts 7:55 "I see ... the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"  When some of the Greek-speaking Jews in the early Jerusalem church complained that their widows were being neglected, Stephen was one of 7 men chosen to solve the problem. He was a man full of the Holy Spirit, strong in faith, gifted in working miracles, and brilliant in debating with opponents of Christianity. Being a Greek-speaking Jew himself, Stephen went to the synagogue for Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem to try to turn his fellow Jews to Christ. But instead, they turned against him. Stephen understood that Christianity was not simply remodeled Judaism. The Jewish laws, ceremonies, temple, and priesthood had fulfilled their purpose and were no longer necessary. When Stephen preached those things, the Jews accused him of blasphemy and brought him before the council. In defending his preaching, Stephen gave a breathtaking outline of Israel’s history demonstrating two main points: 1. God has never limited Himself to one location. 2. The people of Israel had consistently rejected God’s messengers. He boldly proclaimed that the council's rejection of Christ was like the stubbornness of their forefathers. Furious at Stephen’s words, the mob rushed upon him, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him to death. Stephen was the first Christian martyr.  Before he died, he was granted the striking vision of Christ standing at the right hand of God the Father. Elsewhere the Lord Jesus is described as "seated at the right hand of the throne of Majesty." Those two figures of speech remind His people of His finished work of redemption for them and His current standing with us in our trials. That vision encouraged Stephen to pass from this life as did his Lord: praying for God to forgive his persecutors. May we never go through what he did, but let us follow his example in faithfulness, boldness, and Christ-likeness.

 Acts 8:4 "The believers who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went." The violent passions that brought Stephen to his death spilled over onto the Jerusalem church at large, which until this point had stayed together to grow in their new faith. Now under these difficult circumstances they would be sharing what they had learned with others in the power of the Holy Spirit, just like Jesus said they would as His witnesses to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. In this chapter we see God using Stephen's fellow laborer Philip to bring the Gospel to the Samaritans and to a high Ethiopian official. Throughout the Book of Acts we see God working in wondrous ways to advance the spread of His Church, but an important principle we learn is that description is not prescription. Acts and the 4 Gospels are historical narrative accounts of events that occurred. They describe miracles, demonic activity, and the coming of the Holy Spirit in ways that do not happen today. The descriptive accounts are not intended as a manual prescribing directions for Christians today. The rest of the New Testament, however, is filled with practical prescriptive instructions on how Christians of all times and places are to live, speak, and think for the glory of God. Another important principle we learn here is that persecution of the Church, as horrible as it is, does not hinder the Gospel. Instead, the lesson of Church history through the past 2,000 years is that only by patronage do the enemies of the Gospel weaken God's people. Persecution compels Christ's witnesses to a fuller dependence on their Lord and a fuller realization of His grace and strength. That more conforms us to His perfect likeness, and our witness continues in the growing beauty of lives lived for Him.
Acts 9:15 "He is a chosen instrument of Mine." How unexpected and exceptionally wise are the elections of God! This chapter begins with "Saul breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" and builds up to the exalted Christ personally speaking to Saul from on high and describing him as "a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My Name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel." Saul was his Hebrew name and Paul was his name in Greek. He was born a Roman citizen in the important imperial province of Tarsus, but was a "Hebrew of the Hebrews" educated under the most renowned rabbis in Jerusalem in the strict Pharisaical sect. His youth had been clean, he was free from hypocrisy, and he was intense in his devotion to what he believed. This is perhaps the supreme instance in the New Testament of how natural gifts and abilities are taken under new management by the Holy Spirit, and made to bear effective witness to Christ. All those elements which made him the most powerful antagonist of Christianity became the forces that super charged his ministry as the superlative protagonist. This was now a critical hour for the Church. From a human perspective, critical hours are full of uncertainty and great peril. From God's perspective, however, they mark certain victory: He always finds the right man or woman, for His wisdom is final and unclouded.

 Acts 10:34 "Truly I understand that God shows no favoritism."  As Acts 9 explains, Saul/Paul became the chosen vessel to proclaim Christ to the Gentiles. We know from other Scriptures that he went to Arabia and then to his hometown of Tarsus for training before undertaking the great work he was called for. Meanwhile, in this chapter we learn how God prepared his fellow apostle Peter to understand the wider implications of the Gospel. Peter's outlook naturally was narrow. He lacked full understanding of God's love for the Gentile, but was brought to see by a vision and then a visitation to a Roman centurion named Cornelius, who gathered together everyone he cared about to hear what Peter would tell them. The first thing he told them is he now understood that God shows no favoritism. Because he saw God in this new light, he also saw Gentiles in a new way. Lifted to a new height, the horizons were set back and people who were considered outside the range of divine grace were seen bathed in its glory and transfigured by its power. This and the obvious salvation of all his Gentile hearers made such a powerful impression on Peter and fellow Jewish eyewitness who went with him, he later reported back to Jerusalem: "Who was I that I could stand in God's way?" When his fellow apostles and the others heard this momentous news that would change centuries of Jewish-Gentile prohibitions, "they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, 'Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life'" (Acts 11:17-18). This experience prepared Peter for fellowship in that work to which Paul was especially called. As God works with all, all are enabled to work together.

 Acts 11:20 "Men of Cyprus and Cyrene." Who were they? They remain anonymous, yet it was their action that prepared the way for Paul's missionary journeys. When the church scattered from Jerusalem because of persecution following Stephen's martyrdom, we are told in this chapter of those who went to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch in Syria, sharing the Gospel only with fellow Jews at first, but these brave men began sharing with Gentiles. Their ministry in Antioch was so fruitful and its effects so far-reaching, the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to investigate. When he came and saw the grace of God so obviously at work, he was glad and remained to strengthen this new church. As a result, "a great many people were added to the Lord." Barnabas knew he needed help so he "went to Tarsus to look for Saul/Paul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians" (Acts 11:24-26). That church became second to Jerusalem in prominence. Then and now God raises up people whose names become widely known, but when our Lord returns, many names unknown and unpublished will be made known who advanced His purposes all the same. As Jesus Himself said, what brings the greatest joy is knowing "that your names are written in heaven."

 Acts 12:24 "But the Word of God grew and multiplied." That but drives us back to the preceding words, which are gruesome: "Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him [Herod Agrippa I] down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died." This chapter opens with that wicked king laying "violent hands on some who belonged to the church." He had the apostle James executed to curry favor with the corrupt religious authorities, and then arrested Peter, but the Lord sent an angel to break Peter out of jail. Then Dr. Luke mentions other political matters regarding Herod and briefly gave the account of his tragic end. No matter the corrupt political and religious maneuverings then and now, the Word of God continues to grow and multiply. Every force arrayed against Christianity attempts to weaken or destroy it with its own areas of expertise, but those same lines lead to its own undoing and destruction. To apprehend these truths is to be delivered from panic when outward appearances suggest that the Word of God is in danger. It is not. All that oppose, however strong and subtle, pass  or perish in the forward momentum of a world that remains in the hands of God.

Acts 13:3-4 "They sent them off. So they being sent by the Holy Spirit..." This chapter is the launching pad to the missionary journeys of Paul and company, which led to the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. Paul and Barnabas were sent by the Holy Spirit and the Church, working closely together. Spirit-led church leadership is the key to successful missionary work. We are told in verse 5 that John Mark came with them as an assistant, but for an unstated reason he returned home to Jerusalem before Paul and Barnabas came to an important city with the same name as that of their sending church: Antioch, called Pisidian Antioch to distinguish it from the one in Syria. Entering the synagogue there, they were invited to speak and Paul was ready. He gave a masterful summary of God's work among His people from the Exodus to the time of King Saul and King David, focusing on what God accomplished through David's descendant Jesus, the promised Savior of the world. He concluded, "By Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the Law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish, for I am doing a work in your days that you will not believe, even if one tells you.'" Many believed, but many also scoffed, especially the synagogue leadership because of jealousy. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly: "Since you thrust aside the Word of God, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" That great work continues today.

 Acts 14:21 "They returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch."  That return displays great love and courage when considering what happened in those places. After being driven out of Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas preached very effectively in Iconium, but the same thing happened as before and they were driven out by jealous religious officials who worked hard to poison minds against the evangelists. From there they ministered powerfully in the surrounding cities of Lystra and Derbe. After healing a man in Lystra who was born lame, they could scarcely hold back the Greek denizens from worshiping them as gods. Shockingly, however, that same adoring crowd soon turned murderous when agitators from Antioch and Iconium persuaded them to stone Paul and drag him out of the city! Nevertheless Paul arose and went on with Barnabas to Derbe, where they preached the Gospel and made many disciples, probably including Timothy, who would become Paul's beloved protégé. On their way back to their sending church in Syrian Antioch, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch to strengthen the new churches there. This reminds us that Paul and Barnabas were more than evangelists and missionaries; they were pastors. Subsequent teaching is essential to confirm the faith of new disciples and help them become more like Christ in the nurture and order of church life. That is just as true now as it was then.

Acts 15:28 "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us." Here we have another instance of the conscious cooperation between the Church and the Holy Spirit that characterized those early days. Despite the Gospel being brought to the Gentile world in obedience to the risen Christ, some Jewish Christians began teaching that Gentiles had to observe the Mosaic Law and Jewish customs to be saved. Since that teaching clearly contradicted the fact that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, the apostles and church leaders held the first Christian council, the Jerusalem Council, to settle the issue. Peter spoke powerfully: "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice ... that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the Gospel and believe. And God ... made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will" (verses 7-11). Then everyone "listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles" (verse 12). James, the half brother of Jesus and an important church leader, concluded the council to the satisfaction of all by pointing out that this outreach to the Gentiles was prophesied by Scripture, and by suggesting practical guidelines to promote peace between different groups of Christians. Those guidelines are not all applicable today, but the principle of promoting peace between brethren is timeless, and is how the Holy Spirit continues to lead God's people.

 Acts 16:6-7 "Forbidden by the Holy Spirit.... The Spirit of Jesus did not allow them." These are almost startling words in their context: two men, commissioned by their church to proclaim the Word of God, being forbidden by the Spirit of God to do so in two separate instances. What happens next gives the explanation. The plan of the Spirit was for them to venture into Europe via Macedonia, so they were guided by hindrance. This apparently is when Paul and his fellow evangelist Silas met Dr. Luke and invited him to join them, for we encounter the first "we passage" in Acts: "During the night a vision appeared to Paul. A man from Macedonia stood and urged him, saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us!' When he saw the vision, he immediately sought to go over into Macedonia for we reckoned that God had called us to tell the good news to them" (16:10). That they  memorably did in the prominent city of Philippi, named after the father of Alexander the Great, who famously aspired to make the world one empire, but now God was using Paul and his companions to spread the everlasting Kingdom of God. They were hindered from bringing the Gospel into Asia for a time, but would later be led back there to Ephesus and the other of the 7 city churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. We need not fear hindrances in ministry. God's outlook is greater than our own. We may always leave matters with Him and soon enough, we shall learn the wisdom of His ways.

 Acts 17:30 "Now He commands all people everywhere to repent." This chapter is a helpful model on how to explain the Gospel to people who are familiar with the Bible and also to those who are not. When Paul and company came to Thessalonica in Greece, we are told that Paul went into the synagogue, "as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, 'This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.'" He was an effective Christian casemaker. When Paul went onto Athens, he spoke in the open marketplace, where he attracted the attention of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, who asked him to present his teaching to them. He started not with Scripture but like this: "Men of Athens, I perceive that ... you are very religious. For as I ... observed the objects of your worship, I found an altar with this inscription: To the unknown god. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you." He cited some of their own poetry, emphasizing that God is not the made but the Maker, that He has guided history, and that although He has made man in a way that gropes after Him in the darkness, the days of ignorance are past. In Christ the full blaze of the knowledge of God has come, and an ultimate Day of Judgment will follow. Life is neither a progress to extinction, as the Epicureans thought, nor a pathway to absorption to God, as  the Stoics believed. It is a journey to the judgment seat of God, where Jesus Christ is Judge. The proof of this is Christ's resurrection from the dead. Therefore, God rightly commands all people to repent of their sins and believe the Gospel, "proving their repentance by their deeds" (Acts 26:20). The call to repentance is a call to reconsideration, to new thinking, to testing all things by these facts.

 Acts 18:10 "I have many people in this city."  In this chapter we are introduced to the admirable couple Aquila and Priscilla, who both helped the gifted Apollos to be the excellent apostolic assistant and teacher he became. We also meet the Roman proconsul Gallio, who made an important decision that has rippled through the centuries for the good of religious freedom. "If it were a matter or wrongdoing or vicious crime," he said to the jealous religious officials troubling Paul, "I would have reason to accept your complaint. But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things." The Lord Jesus, knowing all the drama to come in the key Greek city of Corinth, personally encouraged Paul that he would have a fruitful ministry there. Jesus knew many Corinthians would be receptive to His Gospel. He saw them, while as yet they did not see Him, so He directed His servant to remain there, promising him protection and companionship. What an unparalleled privilege it is to proclaim the saving message that, when heard and believed, will bring to Christ experientially and by outward confession, those whom the Lord already knows! In whatever city we are working, the Lord has people there too. We need to be faithful to proclaim His Gospel and watch with eagerness as those people come to know Him truly and fully. As Paul would later write, "Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me" (Colossians 1:28-29).

 Acts 19:21 "I must also see Rome."  In the last chapter Paul was in Corinth, where he probably wrote his letter to the church at Rome. Now he is finally ministering in Asia, where he had longed to go and is conducting a powerful teaching ministry in the city of Ephesus spanning over 2 years, but he still has Rome on his mind. As the Lord Jesus Himself said about Paul, "He is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings" (Acts 9:15). The Gospel message he is teaching about came to be nicknamed "the Way," which is a term long used in Scripture for God's truth. God Himself reinforced this foundational teaching with "extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul." Those miracles, including the almost comical humbling of traveling exorcists,  "became known to all the residents of Ephesus.... Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled." Many of those who were now believers came forward publicly, confessing and denouncing their past preoccupation with the magical arts. Among them were people who chose to burn their magic books in the sight of all, recognizing them for the vile, enslaving things they were and wanting to protect others by warning them. The result was "the Word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily." Many Ephesians  stopped participating in idolatrous practices, which threatened the idol merchants, who therefore instigated a large riot in Ephesus. As Dr. Luke shows us, God used that riot for good in establishing this all-important fact from the lips of a sensible government official: "These men here have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly." Obedient Christians are law-abiding citizens whom God does not want government hindering from proclaiming His truth.
Acts 20:22 "Not knowing what will happen to me."  Paul speaks those words to the beloved elders of the Ephesian church in a way that demonstrates even suffering and death means nothing to him compared with accomplishing the task Jesus appointed for him. That is the attitude of all who are obeying Christ: we know whose we are and whom we serve. We will follow His will for us and be content with not knowing what we don't need to know yet. Before Paul met with those elders, he and his fellow ministers packed in at least a year of ministering to other churches in Macedonia and Greece. Those churches entrusted them with funds to help the church in Jerusalem. On their way back, we get an eyewitness account in the city of Troas of what an early Christian service was like. It twice speaks of breaking bread together, and even includes an all-nighter since Paul and company were leaving the next day after a week's stay. In the middle of the night, an eager yet careless young listener named Eutychus fell asleep by a third-story window and had a fatal fall, yet the Lord worked a miracle through Paul "and they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted." Since by sea voyaging Paul was trying to reach Jerusalem by a set time, he arranged for the church elders from Ephesus to meet him in the port city of Miletus for what he expected might be the last time he would see them in this life. In his moving farewell speech he reminds them that he had taught them faithfully and completely, and had lived independently as an example of this otherwise unrecorded saying of Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Paul's instructions to the Ephesian elders apply to all church leaders now: to lovingly shepherd flock of God and to protect them from false teaching.

 Acts 21:13 "I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die ... for the Name of the Lord Jesus."  Paul was still aiming to reach Rome, but his immediate goal was Jerusalem. He had now reached Caesarea, and friends were attempting to dissuade him from going up to Jerusalem since the prophet Agabus had foretold that Paul, when he got there, would be bound and handed over to the Romans. Paul's reply to them above reveals his devotion to obeying Christ's call on his life. He would stay on the path of duty regardless of what experiences he might pass through. This says more about the greatness of the duty than of Paul himself. Nothing can compare with the privilege of proclaiming the Name. When the Name of Jesus is to us what it is to God, the Name above every name, the cost of proclaiming it disappears in comparison. Paul and company were lovingly greeted by the church leaders in Jerusalem, and worked together to maintain a good testimony to their fellow Jews in the Temple setting, but Paul's devotion to duty would soon be put to the test.

 Acts 22:10 "The Lord said to me, 'Get up and go into Damascus.'" Paul was now in the midst of the uproar Agabus and others had foretold. He was a prisoner of the Romans, who rescued him from being torn apart by an enraged Temple mob. Having obtained permission to speak to the mob to diffuse the explosive situation, Paul immediately succeeded in quieting the crowd by using the Hebrew language to tell how the Lord intervened in his life. When, to his amazement, he found that Jesus was alive and speaking to him from heaven, he immediately submitted to Him, asking, "What shall I do, Lord?" Then he received his first order, which was simple: go into Damascus and wait. The risen, ascended Lord works in a similar way with all whom He commands. He indicates the next step and tells us to wait for further instruction. Jesus soon gave Paul the big picture of his future ministry to the Gentile world, but like us day to day through the years, Paul proceeded one step at a time. What a gracious and beneficial method this is! If we could be told ahead all the detailed experiences we would pass through, would we dare face them? This chapter also provides an encouraging example of how God equips His people for how they will serve in that Paul's Roman citizenship opened doors for him that God knew he would need to go through.

 Acts 23:11 "The night following, the Lord stood by him." Paul had passed through two tremendous days: the bitterness of his enemies was such that no limit would be set on what they would do to him if they could. The Roman commander was so afraid they would tear Paul in pieces, he rescued him by force and secured him deep within Jerusalem's Fort Antonia. Paul was bold, courageous and fearless during the day, but imagine what he was feeling like now, alone at night. The Lord Jesus, however, did not need to imagine; He knew and encouraged him, saying, "Be of good cheer, Paul! As you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome." Paul had long before declared his conviction that he must see Rome. Perhaps a form of despondency was threatening him that night that he might never do so. Loyalty to the blessed Name of Jesus will often bring His people people into days of stress and nights of foreboding. But He always comes, and even if not manifestly, yet He always stands by. 
Acts 24:25 "He reasoned with him about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come."  After the riot in Jerusalem and the uncovering of a plot to assassinate Paul, Paul was sent under heavy guard to Felix, governor of Judea, in Caesarea. Paul's enemies hired an orator to argue against him before Felix, but then Felix nodded for Paul to speak for himself. He decided to put off Paul's enemies and show some favor to Paul in his wait for justice. Having some knowledge and curiosity about the Christian faith, Governor Felix came with his Jewish wife, Drusilla, to "hear him speak about faith in Christ Jesus" (verse 24). The highlighted verse tells us what Paul explained to Felix. Paul was a true doctor of divinity: he not only knew the faith, but also how to preach it to meet the spiritual needs before him. His diagnosis and prognosis of Felix's condition were accurate. Felix was immoral, so Paul reasoned of righteousness. He was swayed by his passions, so Paul spoke of self-control. He was rebellious against authority, so Paul reasoned with him about the judgment seat before which he must ultimately give account. Through faith in Jesus Christ Felix learned he could find the power for righteousness, the strength for self-control, and the ability to stand innocent before Final Judgment. Surely it is a terrifying faith, for it rebukes sin, but the terror it awakes is the inspiration of new life in Christ. Sadly, Felix shut his eyes to the terror and sent Paul away, delaying justice for Paul and ultimately condemning himself.

 Acts 25:11 "I appeal to Caesar."  Paul was left with Governor Felix's replacement, Porcius Festus, to deal with.  Festus was a man of action, contrary to Felix, and wasted no time getting to know the chief rulers from Jerusalem, the capital of his new province. Those rulers want Paul dead, so they try to manipulate the new governor to achieve their purpose. Festus, however, is no fool, but neither is he virtuous. Paul boldly tells him, "To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. If I ... have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing in their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar." That was Paul's right as a Roman citizen. His shrewdly exercising that right freed him from his enemies' clutches. We have every right to avail ourselves of the administration of justice vested in earthly governments by the will of God, as Paul wrote about later in his letter to the Romans. By God's design, Paul's appeal came at the perfect time for him to have an audience with two visiting dignitaries, before whom he testifies in the next chapter at the invitation of Governor Festus, who needs their help knowing what to write Caesar about Paul's legal case before he sends Paul to Rome.

Acts 26:29 "... except for these chains."  That phrase represents the central victory of grace in Paul. He had been talking to the notorious king Herod Agrippa II and his consort, Bernice, striving to win them for his Master. When Herod sneered at him, saying, "In such a short time, do you think you can persuade me to be a Christian?" Paul adroitly replied that he desired all who heard him would become as he was—except for the chains on him at this Roman legal briefing. He would give them his freedom but not his chain; his joy, but not his pain. Contrast that with the man Paul or Saul of Tarsus once was, "breathing threats and murder." He was a new man in Christ. Paul's desire for those opposing him was not that they should be imprisoned, but that they should be free; not that they should be put to death, but that they should find life. This is always the result of fellowship with Christ, a deep compassion in which holiness is never lost sight of, but that takes responsibility and bears suffering so that holiness may be realized in others, even the most unworthy.

 Acts 27:25 "I believe God."  Paul is finally on his way to Rome to appear before Caesar! Dr. Luke is aboard ship with him, and in this chapter demonstrates his mastery of nautical terms and high-sea narrative. At least 3 and maybe 4 ships total were involved in this voyage. The delay tempted those in charge to ignore safety rules by sailing during a dangerous time of year. Paul warned them there would be trouble, and it soon came. When things were at their worst on the stormy seas, an angel came to Paul and repeated the Lord's message from Acts 23 that Paul would testify before Caesar in Rome, adding that God would spare the lives of those sailing with him. Paul quickly told them all the good news, saying, "So take heart, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told." The effect of that affirmation on those in authority is seen in how they followed Paul's instructions from this point on. It is often that people who do not profess themselves to believe in God do believe in a person who does believe in Him, and are prepared to follow. How much influence we lose by slowness to confess the faith within us! Those who definitively declare their faith in God against contrary circumstances are prompting others to put God to the test in the best sense, and so are winning victories, for God never fails.
Acts 28:14 "So we came to Rome."  That "so" refers to  much more than the climax of a tumultuous sea voyage. It goes back at least to the occasion when in Ephesus Paul declared, "I must also see Rome" (Acts 19). Since then probably 3 years had gone by, filled with adventures, afflictions, and imprisonments. At last he arrived in the imperial city as a prisoner. That goal had been challenged again and again by circumstances. Once perhaps, when shut up in the castle in Jerusalem, his determination wavered, but the Lord stood by him and assured him. From that time on there is not the slightest evidence of any tremor. We see on display the power of the Lord, against which the hostility of Jerusalem, the corruption of governors, and the wrath of the sea were all alike powerless. And so it ever is: A man or woman walking in a divinely marked pathway is perfectly safe. If it is the will of God that we reach a certain place and do a certain piece of work for Him, nothing can prevent our arriving or otherwise hindering that work. The way of our coming, and the circumstances of our arrival may not be what we had anticipated, but we shall arrive, and God's purpose will be accomplished. The Book of Acts concludes with Paul in a generous house-arrest situation: "He lived there 2 whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." What happened to Paul next? We don't know for sure, but we do know that Dr. Luke recorded 3 missionary journeys. What has been described as Paul's 4th missionary journey can be pieced together from Paul's letters and early church historians, who state that the Roman imprisonment in Acts is not the one that led to his execution by Emperor Nero. Apparently Paul was able to fulfill his desire to minister in Spain and then return to visit Philemon in Colossae, Titus in Crete, and Timothy in Ephesus. We do know from Paul's last letter that Luke, the beloved physician and historian, was with Paul when the time of his departure from this life drew near.

Approximate Timeline of the Book of Acts


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