The book of Acts is nestled in the Bible just after the
gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. After Jesus died and was resurrected,
he appeared to his disciples and followers for 40 days. In the book of Acts, he instructs them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit
to come. He said that the Holy Spirit would give them power to be his witnesses
in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. I'm sure they wondered what he meant. By the way, Judea was the larger region
surrounding the city of Jerusalem, and Samaria was the area just north of Judea.
Illogical Instructions
His instructions probably shook them up a bit. The apostles were from
Galilee. (Acts 2:7) In the Galilean culture of that time, everything revolved
around local community/village life. Villages were "inward focused" and its residents looked out for one another. In addition, God had
told the Jews that they were his chosen people. They were proud of that fact
and felt tremendous animosity toward those on the “outside.” Samaritans (a mixed race with one Jewish
parent/one non-Jewish parent) and Gentiles (no Jewish lineage) were all
outsiders. Gentiles were the people living at “the ends of the earth” beyond Judea and Samaria. Do you think it might have been difficult for them to do what he was asking - to go to those people they felt such animosity toward?
A New Way of Thinking
Some believe Jesus’ primary intent was to instruct his followers to minister
and preach first in their hometown – then go out from there. But was there more
to it than that? As he spoke his last words before his ascension, was he trying to break their
inward-focused mindset? Was he trying to get them to see God’s heart? Was his intention to stretch their thinking and help them see what he had been
revealing along the way – that the gospel was meant for the outsiders too?
The Early Church is Born
In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit came
from heaven and filled the apostles permanently. Through the power of the Holy Spirit they began speaking in foreign
languages so that many could understand their words. About 3,000 people put
their faith in Christ that day, and the church was born. Those who followed the way of Christ shared their possessions with one
another. They were devoted to learning, loving, worshipping, praying, and
evangelizing together. Individual churches supported and encouraged other
churches. They were one in heart and mind.
The Early Church - An Example For Today
This unity is something I don’t
see much of today. Denominations divide us. Church walls divide us. People
become angry when members leave one church to go to another – even when it’s
for constructive reasons. Many churches in America today have adopted a “we”
versus “them” mentality. It seems that a huge number of churches view each
other as competition – and it’s killing us. We’ve forgotten that we’re on the
same team. If we were to remember the one who links us, and love one another like
the early church did, we just might see God “add to our number daily those who
are being saved” - like he did back then. Unfortunately, too many people have
been damaged by the church and have run for the hills.
The Gospel Spreads
Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, a
man of faith named Stephen, was stoned to death after speaking to the religious elite – the Sanhedrin. On that same day, great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem.
The believers fled town to avoid being imprisoned or murdered. And guess what? They
fled to the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria. As they uprooted their lives and made their way to
safer places, do you think the words of Jesus ran through their minds? Instead
of questioning their faith as they endured persecution, I wonder if his words brought them comfort because
things were unfolding just as he said they would. Is it possible that his words in Acts 1:8 weren't so much a command as they were a statement or prophecy of what was to come?
“. . . and you shall be my
witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the
earth.” Acts 1:8
As they established new lives in
these areas, they took their faith with them - and shared it.
Paul - Preacher to the Gentiles
What about those at “the ends of the earth?” Well – along
came Saul. Among the Jewish religious leaders, he was royalty. He had the right
lineage, understood the scriptures . . . and viciously persecuted Gentiles and
Christians. One day as he was traveling to Damascus to persecute Jews who had escaped to that area, he encountered Jesus and everything flipped. Instead of being a
persecutor, God made him a preacher to the Gentiles. What a turnaround! His name was changed to Paul.
Paul's Journeys
Here’s a quick rundown of the places Paul traveled and the
letters he wrote during that time. These letters are now “books” in the Bible.
1st Missionary Journey:
After Paul’s first missionary journey to Galatia, he
returned to Antioch and wrote Galatians. He had heard that false teachers had
come into the new church and were teaching a false gospel. He wrote to
the Galatians defending the truth of the gospel and encouraging his readers to
live the Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
2nd Missionary Journey:
On his second missionary journey, Paul traveled to
Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth. While in Corinth , he wrote 1st
and 2nd Thessalonians to encourage, commend, answer questions, and
call his readers to hope and greater excellence in Christian living.
3rd Missionary Journey:
On his third missionary journey, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians
from Ephesus to address factions in the church, immorality in their midst, unjustified
lawsuits, and questions. He wrote 2 Corinthians from Macedonia to commend
believers who had changed their ways, to encourage them to give funds to help
believers in Jerusalem, and to defend his authority. Paul had a strong desire to preach Christ in
Rome. He traveled back to Corinth and wrote Romans – the most theological of
all his letters that included a thorough explanation of Christian doctrine and
its application to everyday life.
4th Missionary Journey:
Paul’s fourth missionary journey took him to Rome as a
prisoner. He wrote Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians.
After his release from prison, he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus.
During his final imprisonment in Rome, he wrote 2 Timothy -
his last letter before being executed for his faith.
When
I look at the books of Act, I see strong faith, earnest prayer, great courage,
tenacity, unity, and tremendous perseverance. Christians in the book of Acts were committed believers who boldly proclaimed Christ and loved one another well. Love that!! Want to be like that! I am so thankful for their example and for their faithfulness so that the message of the gospel could come to us today. Now it's our turn to be his witnesses even to the remotest parts of the earth, and we know Jesus will be with us as his Holy Spirit empowers us to do so.
Blessings,
Lisa~
