THE ACTS OF THE SPIRIT

It is a story of continual revelation of God's ways to his people. Old ideas were being challenged and replaced by a new insight into the will of the Lord. On the Day of Pentecost, the first response of the believers to the coming of the Holy Spirit was to break out in unknown tongues, praising God. The foreigners in Jerusalem heard the Christians "declaring the wonders of God" in their own languages. "He will bring glory to me...". Then Peter stood up, that unlearned fisherman, once so afraid of even acknowledging he knew Jesus, and spoke to the people. It is hard, reading the words he spoke, to understand why his hearers were "cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'". But it was not the words themselves that convicted these three thousand people: it was the Holy Spirit. The words of Peter were anointed, inspired by the Holy Spirit and used by him to touch the hearts of the hearers. It was not Peter's formal training in how to preach (for he had none), not his eloquence or his presentation, that spoke to them. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can "convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment" [Jn. 16.8].

That is how an anointed apostle founds a church: through Holy Spirit- anointed preaching, not well-planned programs. Now look at this description of the believers immediately following Pentecost:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. [Acts 2.42-43]

They were devoted to the apostles' teaching. Not Peter's teaching, or John's teaching, no. From the beginning, we find no one person taking control, or doing the preaching. This is a newly-established church, and the apostles are ministering to the people. What are they teaching, and where did it come from? Obviously, they have had no time to think very much since Pentecost, but the Holy Spirit has been teaching them all things and reminding them of everything Jesus had said to them, just as Jesus promised he would [Jn. 14.26]. Much of what Jesus had said and done during his earthly ministry was only now becoming understandable to them. So, the apostles began to open the Scriptures to the believers, who devoted themselves to the fellowship. There was no need to convince these people to come together. They were not prepared to wait until Sunday, and I doubt if any of them complained if they didn't get home by lunchtime! In fact, they were enjoying a completely new concept: fellowship, being of one mind and recognising the body.

They began to break bread together, not just sharing a cup or a loaf, but breaking bread. This involved fellowship, a sharing of more than a meal. They remembered the death of Jesus, and recognised that it was his death that united them, as John was later to explain:

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. [1 Jn. 1.3]

"Our fellowship is with the Father and...Jesus Christ". They devoted themselves to prayer: to the new fellowship they were enjoying with their God. No longer did they need instruction about how to pray, they each knew God for themselves and rejoiced in the communion they had with him. As they fellowshipped with God in prayer and the breaking of bread, their fellowship together grew also.

They were filled with awe. Note: it was not the outsiders who were in awe, it was the believers themselves. They were filled with awe because of what they had been brought into, this new fellowship of the body. The signs and wonders followed, they were not themselves the reason for awe. As Jesus promised: "These signs shall accompany those who believe". The next verses emphasize the fellowship:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. [Acts 2.44-47]

What an image to convict the church today, when we find it so hard to make time for the Lord and his people. They met daily together. They were together. They shared what they had to meet needs. They praised God and the Lord added to their number. What a lesson for us: they did not take on the responsibility for adding to their number, they left that to God. When the Lord is empowering a work, there is no need for special public relations programs to entice people into church. These believers "enjoyed the favour of all the people. And the Lord added..".

An example of the signs and wonders is given in chapter three. Peter and John heal a man at the Beautiful Gate. Now, this man had been there every day, begging for support. Peter and John went to the temple every day at that hour. So, they had passed this man many times before, without anything taking place. Why did they feel moved to bring healing on that particular day? Because the Holy Spirit moved them to. The lesson is that the two men were going about their daily routine when the Lord brought about the opening to heal the man. There is no need to go looking for openings, they will be provided by the Holy Spirit if we are daily walking with him. And when the Spirit moves, it opens other doors that would otherwise have remained closed to us. Because of the healing of one man, Peter and John get the opportunity to speak to a crowd, with the result that another few thousand people were saved that day!

When they were arrested for preaching, it might have seemed to many respectable people that there was something wrong with what was happening; but once again, it was the Spirit who was leading - even into jail. The following day, they had the first opportunity to testify for Jesus before the very men who had put him to death. Annas and Caiaphas were both there, along with the rulers and teachers of the law. Another opportunity was being given to the leaders of Israel to accept the truth about the Messiah. We are told that Peter spoke "filled with the Holy Spirit". Their response was still ambivalent and cautious, as it had been with the Master; but look at their reaction to Peter's preaching:

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. [Acts. 4.13]

They had, indeed, been with Jesus. Already, the truth that Paul would discover later was being revealed: it would not be by learning and eloquence that men would reach the lost, but by reliance on the anointing of the Holy Spirit of God.

Now, even though such marvellous things were taking place in the life of this new church, the believers were not satisfied to rest on what they had already experienced. When Peter and John were released, they returned to the other Christians and had a prayer meeting to give thanks to the Lord for what he had done. They had the boldness to ask God for further anointing. They had tasted, and they saw that the Lord was good. They were hungry and thirsty for more of the Lord, and they would be satisfied.

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. [Acts 4.29-30]

In far too many churches today, this kind of prayer is completely unknown. It is never imagined that the Lord would desire such boldness in asking for the power of his Spirit. It might even, in some places, be considered blasphemous to expect God to hear such demands. But look at how the Lord replied to the prayers of his people:

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. [Acts 4.31]

God answered their prayer precisely. "But when the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the earth?"

It is repeated again for our instruction that this power in prayer and miracles was accompanied by a devotion to one another in fellowship. They were one in heart and mind. No-one claimed that any of his possessions were his own. There were no needy persons among them, because land and possessions were sold to meet needs. This went far beyond Old Testament tithing: this was recognition by the body that nothing they had was their own, all had been bought at a price. We cannot have powerful ministries without powerful love for the fellowship of believers. At this stage, we are introduced to a man named Joseph, from the island of Cyprus, who was one of those who sold what he had to take care of the needy. He was known by the church as Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement. What a wonderful nickname for a Christian! His faithfulness to the fellowship, and his complete availability to the Lord, brought about tremendous blessing through this man as the church grew. He would become an apostle, and was the man who would introduce Paul to his ministry as an apostle also.

By this time, a real "revival" was taking place in Jerusalem. There had been no real persecution, as yet, and the church enjoyed the favour of all the people. So it was that a number of people joined the group without being truly born of God. They were jumping on the emotional and spiritual bandwagon, eager to be part of such an exciting and dramatic event. Ananias and Sapphira were one couple like that. But they found that, although you can succeed in lying to men, and be accepted into the fellowship of believers through mouthing the right words, or knowing how to act the part, the Holy Spirit is never fooled. Their deaths are a stern warning to us today. We must be very careful not to lie to God. He is Truth, and lies are the native language of the enemy of our souls. God wants us to be real people, not pretending to be more than we are. Our walk in the Spirit must be a true one, based on an open heart toward God and our brothers and sisters. Acting the part, or trying to be a nice person in front of believers, may not result in physical death (though I would not risk my life on that), but it will most certainly erect a formidable barrier to the Spirit's move in your life.

The wind blows where it will, but walls keep it out. We erect walls of self- defense, of false fronts, of superficial playacting in church. God loves you, the real you, not the actor. He will change you, transfigure you and make you over into the image of Jesus, because he loves you. But if you are not being honest with yourself, or with those with whom he has joined you, how can he complete the work he has begun? When Ananias and Sapphira died, it is said that great fear seized, not only the Jews, but the whole church. We should have a very healthy fear of the Lord, that we do not treat his great salvation with contempt by giving him anything less than our real selves. We would worship him in spirit, and in truth.

The body was having a wonderful time in Jerusalem. Signs and wonders were taking place everywhere, people were being saved and brought into fellowship daily, and even the non-Christians highly regarded them. It was time for the next step in the development of the church. Jesus promised that we would suffer persecution in this world. James said that friendship with the world is hatred toward God. The Lord had warned his people:

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. [Lk. 6.26]

The body was about to learn that the work of God always brings on opposition. The gospel is an offense, and people will be offended and try to destroy what they don't like. The enemy constantly seeks to steal, kill and destroy.

This is the second stage of revival. The opposition is still minor, some apostles were flogged to try to persuade them to stop "filling Jerusalem with your teaching", which brings conviction to hearts. The numbers were getting rather large, and some kind of administration was necessary. People who were coming to the breaking of bread had to be cared for; bread and wine had to be bought and distributed; the proceeds from gifts and sales had to be distributed among the needy. So many details to be taken care of, that there would be no time left for preaching and teaching if just the apostles were to carry the entire burden. So deacons were appointed to handle these tasks. But there were important qualifications for these administrators. They had to be known to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit. The anointing for service as a deacon had to be present before anyone was allowed perform the duties. The fellowship as a whole chose these men, men who were already recognized as having the necessary qualifications as deacons. They were not picked to be trained as deacons, they were picked as deacons. If the Holy Spirit has not made a believer a deacon, or prophet, or teacher, etc., then no amount of training will make him one.

Up to this point, we have been told only that the apostles performed signs and wonders, but now we see Stephen, the deacon, doing the same things. He becomes the focus of persecution, but his opponents have to lie about him in order to justify their opposition. Just as they did with Jesus, the enemies of the gospel trained some false witnesses to testify against Stephen because they could not overcome his anointed arguments [Acts 6.10]. The only way in which people can deal with anointed ministry is to either surrender to God, or actively oppose him. Where people refuse to surrender, they will try to find fault. Stephen paid for his testimony with his life. But only after the most inspired preaching, in which he was not afraid to offend his hearers. Many trained speakers in churches would never dream, of saying anything that might "turn people off", or offend them in any way. Listen to what Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, had to say to his audience:

You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him - you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it. [Acts 7.51-53]

Here we find the fulfilment of the prophecy given by Jesus in his parable of the vineyard. The tenants have killed the Son, thinking to inherit, and instead they have been left behind. Those who heard Stephen, we are told, "were furious and gnashed their teeth at him". Their hatred for truth, their refusal to accept the Word of God, ultimately led to murder. Stephen's death had ramifications for the future of the church: on the day he died, a great persecution broke out against the believers in Jerusalem. All of them except the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. This might seem like a setback to the great work being done in Jerusalem, but it was all in the will of God. He had told them that they would be witnesses to him "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

This persecution was all in the plan of the Lord, who never allows anything to overcome his church. Today, if anything came against our church and caused it to close, we would consider it a catastrophe. We seem to think that, because God starts a work among us, that he intends it to endure forever. But "to everything there is a season", and we need to be sensitive to the move of the Spirit. And who can say that this persecution was not necessary. The Lord had told the body to go, and instead they were staying in Jerusalem enjoying favour with all the people. It was in the Lord's plan that this cease and the gospel be preached everywhere. For we read that: "those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went" [Acts 8.4]. Philip went to Samaria and a revival began there as he preached and worked miracles by the power of the Spirit. Here is a wonderful example of the evangelist in action: preaching the gospel with signs and wonders following, as Jesus promised. But Philip did not come into this ministry on his own: it was through the body in Jerusalem that he was anointed and he went out from there as the Spirit directed. So powerful was the conviction of the Spirit that Peter and John were sent to help Philip in his ministry to the Samaritans.

Here we find another example of the body at work. It might be thought that Peter and John, through whom so much had been accomplished by God, would have decided to travel to Samaria on their own authority. However, the Word says that they were sent by the apostles in Jerusalem: no-one takes the authority, it is imparted by the body. When they arrived in Samaria, they found that the new believers had not yet received the Holy Spirit. They were saved, and had been baptized, but had not been empowered. Peter and John laid hands on the people, and the Holy Spirit came on them in power. The Holy Spirit then directed Philip to go out to a certain place, where he met with an Ethiopian. The timing of God was, as always, perfect, and Philip arrived just as the man was looking for insight into the Word of God. Inspired and led by the Spirit, Philip again shared the gospel and another sinner was saved and baptized. We are told that the Spirit then snatched Philip away and he appeared at Azotus. He sent on from there to Caesarea, preaching the gospel joyfully as he went. This is the last we hear of Philip, other than for one reference in Acts 21, when we read that Paul and his friends stayed with Philip the Evangelist in Caesarea on his way to Jerusalem. By this time, Philip had four daughters who had the gift of prophecy [Acts 21.8-9]. We hear nothing at all of the Ethiopian after he is baptized by Philip, but I have no doubt that the Lord used him to bring the gospel to his own country. With the Lord, all things work to the good, and there is no wasted effort. He directed Philip specifically to that man, and the work he began that day he brought to completion, as his Word promises. If we would only learn to wait on the Lord and be directed by him, there would be less wasted effort in the body, and more directed ministry.

Now we must attend to what the Spirit did through Peter in Chapters 10 and 11. For the events described there are some of the most important in the early life of the church, and affected everything that has happened to it since. The story gives us another example of God's timing and attention to detail in bringing about his will. Peter had gone to the town of Joppa to raise a woman from the dead, itself an amazing work of the Holy Spirit. But while there, he was in prayer and saw a vision concerning what is clean and unclean. He learned through the Spirit that the gospel had demolished the walls which had existed between the people of Israel and the Gentiles: that through Jesus, all nations were welcome to come to the Lamb of God. Now this was a tremendously important revelation for the body: for it meant that all the legalism of Judaism had been abolished in Christ. Circumcision, the Law and the hundreds of regulations developed over the years, had been transcended by the grace of God. All who believed were accepted as righteous.

Just as he was receiving this revelation, Peter was informed by the Spirit that three men had arrived to see him, and that he was to go with them. The men had come from an Italian gentile soldier named Cornelius, who lived close by in Caesarea. He was a devout believer in God, and had also received a vision, in which an angel had told him to send for Simon, called Peter, who was staying in Joppa with Simon the tanner. When the Spirit has a willing instrument, he can speak in very precise and detailed terms. Peter, coming down from the roof, heard the story of the angelic vision, and left for Caesarea the next day. When he stepped over the threshold of Cornelius' house, he was breaking a cardinal rule of Israel. Jews simply did not enter the houses of gentiles, or have any social dealings with them. Peter had moved into the age of grace, and rejoiced and praised God as he spoke to Cornelius and his household. And we are told that, as he spoke:

...the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. [Acts 10.44-46]

This was a profound moment in the history of the world. God was doing something which the orthodox would have called impossible, even wrong. He appeared to be by-passing the Law and everything that the people of Israel had become over the generations. There must have been many who would have denied fervently that this could be a work of God. They would have condemned Peter and his friends for what they had done, and would never have accepted Cornelius and his household as true believers, unless they had submitted to circumcision and the rigours of the Law.

But this was the Holy Spirit fulfilling the words of Jesus. As he had told the disciples: they had been witnesses to him in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, and now they would go to the ends of the world, unhindered by Jewish law. The vision Peter had received had prepared him for this moment, and he recognized the move of God:

"Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have."

Blessed are those who are not offended by the Holy Spirit. Peter had received this revelation directly from God, but he still had to justify it before the body of Christ. He described everything just as it happened, and ended with the wonderful words:

So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God? [Acts 11.17]

When the church heard this, they had no more objections, and praised God for the new thing he was doing. This should be the heart of the body of Christ: we must examine what is happening to see if it is from God, but with open minds and hearts willing to accept God's ways and not oppose what is strange to us.

It was this revelation, that the gospel was for all the world, that brought most of us into the Kingdom. We were qualified to enter in by the blood of Jesus, which broke down all dividing walls and laid down faith as the only condition for salvation. It was this revelation, too, that enabled Paul to minister in the powerful way he did. As the Holy Spirit was allowed to lead the church, it was brought into new revelations of truth, and taught how to apply all that Jesus had taught and done, to the day-to-day life of believers. As they met together, the Spirit could tell them to set apart Paul and Barnabas for the work he had for them. The Spirit prevented Paul from entering Asia, but gave him a vision telling him to go to Macedonia. By the Spirit demons were cast out, people were healed, and the dead were raised to life: all the signs that Jesus promised would "follow those who believe". If these signs are missing in many churches today, might it not be because we do not believe?

It is important to remember that Paul's experiences were not considered unusual in the early church. The problems they faced in meetings, as exemplified by the church at Corinth, was not that there was a lack of power or spiritual ministry, it was that there was a lack of discipline in the use of the gifts. Paul does not tell the Corinthians to tone down the charismatic elements in their meetings. In fact he commands them not to forbid speaking in tongues, and encourages them to seek the greater gifts in love. There is no need ever to be afraid of allowing the Holy Spirit freedom to blow as he wills. Although there will be those who take advantage of this freedom, and there will always be what we used to call the "charismaniacs", this should not tempt us to quench the Spirit. That is a sinful thing to do. Instead, we have to learn from the Holy Spirit how to move in the ministries and gifts he brings to the church, encouraging the elders and deacons to enter fully into their place in the fellowship of believers.

The early Christians did not have an uninterrupted growth in knowledge and revelation: it took time and effort for them to deal with all the problems that arose as they walked in the Spirit. The Jewish Christians continued for many years to try and impose the Law and circumcision on the Gentile believers, arguing that these things had been given by God, and were therefore holy and not to be abandoned. The believers had to recognize that growing in Christ meant going to him "outside the camp" of orthodox Judaism, "bearing the disgrace he bore" [Hebrews 13.13]. The Holy Spirit provided the Letter to the Hebrews to deal with this very problem, and the Council of Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 15, shows us the body of Christ working under the anointing of the Holy Spirit to answer the pressing problems of following Christ in freedom and obedience in the face of tradition and legalism.

The final chapters of Acts deal with Paul's visit to Jerusalem, his arrest there and subsequent imprisonment. He had gone to Jerusalem, knowing from the Holy Spirit that some kind of trouble awaited him, but hoping to go from there to Rome and then on to Spain to preach the gospel there too. But his plans were not God's plans. He did, indeed, make it to Rome, but he was in chains and facing trial before Caesar. This is also important for us to understand. Paul saw that a trip to Spain was the next logical step in his missionary journeys. He made arrangements to go there and visit various fellowships on the way. But God intervened and brought about a very different future for the apostle. Nowhere do we find Paul resisting these events. Others might have confused their plans with God's will, and reacted to circumstances with anger, rebuke or discouragement. They might have seen their arrest as the work of the devil, an attempt to thwart God's plan. But Paul appears to have been quite at peace with events as they happened, because he knew that all things work together for good. He walked in the Spirit, and trusted God to bring about the Lord's will in his own way. Paul did not try and impose his will on circumstances: he surrendered his will to God, and trusted the Holy Spirit to guide and lead him in all things. There is victory in this walk.

From the record of Acts and the Book of Revelation, we know that the early church, full of the Holy Spirit and moving in power and authority, still faced serious problems. Corinth is one example, but there are others, showing us that, where the Holy Spirit begins to move in freedom, the enemy will attempt to steal, kill and destroy. We are involved in a spiritual battle, and we need to recognize the issues. It is imperative in these days that the church throw off the chains of formalism and tradition, and enter completely into the flow of the Holy Spirit. We must recapture the power and authority that marked other times of revival and renewal. This will involve facing up to the temptations, trials and counterfeits which will inevitably follow. Satan will not bother a moribund church, a weak and formal group of spiritually numb men and women. But he will set out to disrupt and distract those who look to the Lord and seek to walk as he did. As Peter said:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. [1 Pt. 5.8-9]

And Paul agrees: "For we are not unaware of his schemes". [2 Cor. 2.11]

Let us, then, look at the ways in which the church has been disciplined by the Lord through trials, temptations and counterfeits, so that we will not be discouraged, but rather armed to recognize what is happening and overcome in the power of God. For:

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. [1 Jn 4.4]