The Primal Church

An Exposition of Acts 1-8

Eternity Daily Bible Study

http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/

Introduction

This small commentary covers the first eight chapters of the book of Acts, up until the persecution that scattered the Jerusalem Church and the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch but prior to the conversion of Paul. I have called the book The Primal Church, to distinguish it from ‘the Early Church” (29-313AD) or the Apostolic Church (29-95AD) both of which are much longer time-spans. The dating of Acts 1-8 is a matter of much contention but the years 29-37 AD or so seem likely dates for the time period from Pentecost to the martyrdom of Stephen.

In these chapters the gospel goes from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria, and finally with the Ethiopian eunuch “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Christians start off as loyal Jews but gradually are rejected by the Jewish Temple authorities until the tension erupts with the stoning of Stephen and the persecution that causes the disruption of the Jerusalem Church. At this point the Jewish authorities clearly no longer regarded Christians as truly Jewish, though undoubtedly many of the Christians still felt their Jewish heritage very deeply. Thus a new religion is born, a religion without a temple or a caste of priests, a religion that is wholly “from faith to faith” and which has as its central dynamic the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

These are perhaps some of the most radically anti-establishment chapters in Scripture. Twice we hear the phrase ‘we must listen to God not men” and Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin makes very clear that Temples and religious authorities are not necessary for the Abrahamic life of true faith.

At the same time these chapters explore a new way of communal living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians ate together, shared their goods together and prayed together and powerful miracles occurred in the community in unity. Many today are searching for new clues to community in the fractured isolation of the Church in the West. Acts 1-8 is a good starting point.

There is an abundant sense of miraculous as it becomes obvious after Pentecost that the powers of Jesus Christ are being exercised through His body the Church which now heals in His Name and does mighty miracles and exorcisms. This healing power starts with the apostles, and then moves also to the deacons via the laying on of hands.

The Church is not without her problems though – there is the greed and lying of Ananias and Sapphira, the problem with the distribution of food to the Greek-speaking widows, the attempt by Simon Magus to “buy the Holy Spirit” and various incidents of persecution and harassment chiefly at the hands of the Sanhedrin culminating in the martyrdom of Stephen. The apostles handle all these challenges wisely and the respect for their leadership only grew stronger. They give us many wise patterns for church leadership today.

Luke, the apostle, the beloved physician and the companion to Paul is the undoubted author of Acts, which is a continuation of his gospel and is addressed to the same person “Theophilus” or “friend of God”. This may be an actual person, possibly Roman official who Luke was assembling a defense of Christianity for. Or it may be just another way of saying “dear Christian reader”. This is explored at length in standard Introductions to the New Testament - such as that by Guthrie. You may also find some valuable information on Luke-Acts in many of the better study bibles.

The main Bible version used here has been the MKJV or “Modern King James Version” - an older version that is well out of copyright. The commentaries quoted are mainly those included as modules in the E-Sword bible software and thus are older non-copyrighted works that still contain much wisdom. Modern commentaries on Acts worth noting are those by F.F Bruce for an exploration of the Greek and C. Peter Wagner for cultural and missiological perspectives.

However this is not a technical commentary for scholars, it is a commentary and exposition for Christians who wish to lean about Acts and find some of the keys to living the Spirit-led life. It is fitting that our chapters should end up with Philip being snatched away to Azotus by the Holy Ghost because Acts 1-8 is all about moving in the Spirit!

There is a lot of discussion about issues such as tongues, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, prophecy and receiving the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands. This is because these chapters ay a lot about these things and they cannot be avoided. I have been gentle in my treatment of these delicate matters as I do not wish to offend anyone of a non-charismatic persuasion - however we will explore these issues from the perspective that we are to live in the Spirit today.

There are some cultural and biblical subtleties that may escape the modern reader. One of these is the change of priesthood from Aaron to Melchizedek and the importance of Psalm 110 and Jesus being at the right hand of God. The fulfillment of Psalm 110 spelled out a return to Abrahamic faith, the end of the Mosaic covenant and the Levitical priesthood and a total loss of power for those administering the Temple. This was so controversial that when Stephen said he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God, in fulfillment of Psalm 110 – they rushed on him and stoned him to death.

The other often unnoticed fact was the total grip of astrology and the doctrine of fate on the Hellenized (Greek influenced) members of the Sanhedrin such as the Sadducees who were pro-Roman and pro-Greek culturally. They had a “clockwork” idea of God and the notion of direct personal divine intervention was abhorrent to them as were doctrines about angels, the resurrection and the after-life which matters are constantly thrown at them by the apostles in their various replies to the Sanhedrin.

In the end the bad guys seem to win. The glory days of the Jerusalem Church are suddenly ended by a bloody purge of the Christians from Jerusalem inaugurated at the stoning of Stephen, the ten thousand strong community is dispersed in haste and the Christians are scattered. But the miracles do not cease! The Samaritans are gloriously converted along with an Ethiopian Jew and the gospel moves to the ends of the earth and the stage is set for the conversion of the Gentiles.

At Pentecost fire fell and no amount of human intervention has managed to put out that fire, and it burns still today! May you enjoy the following commentary.

John Edmiston

Los Angeles, January 2005.

Acts 1:1-5 Water & Spirit

Acts 1:1-5 WNT My former narrative, Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus did and taught as a beginning, down to the day on which, (2) after giving instruction through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He had chosen, He was taken up to Heaven. (3) He had also, after He suffered, shown Himself alive to them with many sure proofs, appearing to them at intervals during forty days, and speaking of the Kingdom of God. (4) And while in their company He charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promised gift. "This you have heard of," He said, "from me. (5) For John indeed baptized with water, but before many days have passed you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

This is the beginning of Luke’s second book. The first was his gospel; the second is Acts, his account of the life and ministry of the apostles. His audience is one “Theophilus” which means “friend of God”, and is probably a general term of reference like “dear Christian reader”, but Theophilus may also have been the actual name of a Roman official. Luke connects Acts with Luke in the first two verses above.

“after giving instruction through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He had chosen,” – This is the first mention of the Holy Spirit in Acts – and “first mentions” have a special and significant place in Scripture. This verse tells us that Jesus speaks through the Holy Spirit to His chosen ones and gives them commandments and instructions for the apostolic task. This becomes a theme throughout Acts as Jesus, speaking through the Spirit directs Peter, Stephen, Phillip, Ananias, Paul and Barnabas, the elders and prophets at Antioch and many others in the task of spreading the gospel.

“He was taken up to Heaven.” Today Jesus is in Heaven at the right-hand of the Father and will remain there until “all His enemies are made a footstool for His feet”. (Acts 2:35, Hebrews 1:13, 10:13) Jesus ascension into Heaven was a spiritual mop-up operation after the cross, in which He went through the spiritual realms and dealt with any hostile spiritual powers there and “taking captivity captive” (Ephesians 4:8-13). With the cross, resurrection and ascension the pagan spiritual realm of taboos, curses and spells was dealt a mortal blow. Satan was stripped of his powers (Colossians 2:13-15) Christ became superior to all principalities and powers (Ephesians 1:19-21) and Christians, by grace, were also seated with Him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6,7).

[For a full article on the ascension see: http://www.aibi.ph/articles/ascension.htm]

“He had also, after He suffered, shown Himself alive to them with many sure proofs, appearing to them at intervals during forty days.” The forty days transition period is covered in a tantalizingly small number of verses in the gospels. Very little of Jesus’ teaching during this time is recorded though Luke says that He continued to teach them “about the Kingdom of God”. The main purpose of this time seems to have been to convince the early Christian community of His resurrection and to prepare them for service and witness. The phrase “many sure proofs” testifies to the fact that Jesus always appeared to a number of people at once, in ordinary circumstances such as fishing trips or walking along a road. This was not mass hypnotism, or personal delusion. It was inter-subjectively testable evidence confirmed by two or three eye-witnesses on each occasion.

“and speaking of the Kingdom of God.” The Kingdom of God is present where God reigns and produces righteousness, peace and joy through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) The Kingdom is not a nation, church or denomination but is Christ’s personal presence in the midst of a community of believers – even if it is only two or three persons. (Matthew 18:20). (The Kingdom of God is extensively discussed in a previous Eternity-DBS series on The Kingdom of Heaven which is available as an ebook from http://www.aibi.ph/kingdom/ )

“And while in their company He charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promised gift.” Throughout Scripture the Holy Spirit is called “the promise” (Acts 2:33, Galatians 3:14, Ephesians 1:13) and is God’s amazing gift of Himself to those that love Him. The Holy Spirit is the new wine of the New Covenant and is that which the prophet Joel foretold – a Spirit-filled community where even the least are able to have dreams, visions and prophecies and where salvation is freely available to all who call on God. (Acts 2:16-21)

"This you have heard of," He said, "from me. (5) For John indeed baptized with water, but before many days have passed you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Jesus is speaking of a new baptism for the apostles. They had all been baptized by John in the Jordan, and many, if not all, had themselves baptized disciples in Jesus’ name. (John 3:22-30) But this was not what Jesus was referring to when He spoke of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit baptism was something that was to be sent directly from God, not something that the disciples had done in the Judean countryside.

While there is a close relationship between water baptism and Spirit baptism but there is also a clear difference that is pointed out by Jesus: “For John indeed baptized with water, but…” – the “but” is important, it denotes another kind of baptism. Both baptisms are immersions, one in water, the other in the presence and person of God. Ideally they should occur together as they did at Jesus’ baptism. However for the apostles they were some years apart, and this may also have been the case for some Ephesian disciples. (Acts 19;1-7) The baptism in the Holy Spirit opens up heavenly realities to ordinary Christians just as the heavens were opened for Jesus. It results in an overwhelming perception of the glory of God, which may be expressed by such gifts as prophecy or tongues. I am aware that some of you may hold to a conservative evangelical theology, which sees the baptism of the Holy Spirit at conversion. John Stott puts this view well in his small book “The Baptism and Fullness of the Holy Spirit”. I personally held that same view for many years but have become convinced of the charismatic interpretation as a better explanation of the Scriptures.

Without the baptism in the Holy Spirit Christianity is just another first-century philosophy – dependent on reason and argumentation. The fact that God anoints us with Himself is very radical. It means that true Christians will be an entirely new order of humanity with a new degree of holiness, wisdom, power and love that far outstrips Judaism, Buddhism or the New Age.

Jesus said that we are to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24) and among other things this means that we are to be Spirit-directed, bible-believing Christians. We need both heavenly truth and heavenly anointing. Let us summarize today’s points: Jesus speaks to His chosen ones through the Holy Spirit, giving them instructions and commandments about their calling and empowering them through the baptism in the promised Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:6-11 Jesus Ascends Into Heaven

Acts 1:6-11 MKJV Then, indeed, these coming together, they asked Him, saying, Lord, do You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? (7) And He said to them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority. (8) But you shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (9) And saying these things, as they watched, He was taken up. And a cloud received Him out of their sight. (10) And while they were looking intently into the heaven, He having gone, even behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, (11) who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into the heaven? This same Jesus who is taken up from you into Heaven, will come in the way you have seen Him going into Heaven.

The Galileans gather with Jesus and He ascends into Heaven out of their sight. These few verses contain important information about the Holy Spirit, and about the Return of the Lord.

Jesus will return, at a time known only to the Father, and in the same manner that He left – personally, bodily, visibly and on a cloud:

Matthew 24:30 MKJV And then the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 26:64 MKJV Jesus said to him, You said it. I tell you more. From this time you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of the heavens.

This rules out Jesus arrival “spiritually” e.g. at Pentecost, or as a “influence” or as a reincarnation. When Jesus returns it will not be as a baby, it will be physical, glorious and from above.

The timing of His Return is a mystery and the answer is not granted even to the apostles: “And He said to them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority.” If the apostles were not permitted this knowledge it is safe to assume that no preacher today has a handle on the date of the return of the Lord. The timing of God’s events is in God’s power alone.

The return of the Lord and the return of the kingdom to Israel was not for the apostles to be concerned about – but the empowerment with the Holy Spirit and the spread of the gospel was their concern and so Jesus directs their attention to this instead.

“But you shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The function of the Holy Spirit coming upon them was that they would receive power and this power would enable them to be witnesses to Jesus. The Holy Spirit has two main modes of relationship to Christians – “within”, and “upon”. The Holy Spirit within a person produces wisdom, skill, love, joy, peace and sanctification. The Holy Spirit upon a person produces might, power, boldness, victory and various gifts such as healing and prophecy. The Holy Spirit of course was within Jesus from the moment of conception, but only came upon Him at His baptism. Here are just a few examples:

UPON – Power, Might, Unusual Works And Mighty Miracles

Numbers 11:25 MKJV And Jehovah came down in a cloud and spoke to him, and took of the spirit on him and gave it to the seventy elders. And it happened when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they never did so again.

Judges 3:10 MKJV And the spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he judged Israel and went out to war. And Jehovah delivered Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hand. And his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim.

Mark 1:10-12 MKJV And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him. (11) And there came a voice from Heaven, saying, You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (12) And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

WITHIN – Character, Wisdom, Revelation, Fruit of the Spirit, Sanctification, Maturity.

Exodus 31:2-5 MKJV Behold, I, I have called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. (3) And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship, (4) to devise designs; to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, (5) and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all workmanship.

Psalms 51:10 MKJV Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 MKJV And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh, (20) so that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

1 Peter 1:10-12 MKJV About which salvation the prophets sought out and searched out, prophesying concerning the grace for you; (11) searching for what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ made clear within them, testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow. (12) To them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they ministered the things which are now reported to you by those who have preached the gospel to you in the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Samson had the Spirit UPON him to do mighty works but seemed to lack the wisdom and fruit of the Spirit within him. Joseph and Daniel were wise men who had the Spirit WITHIN them but did not do miracles or might works.

The apostles had received the Spirit within them after the resurrection. (John 20:22) But Jesus told them to wait until the Holy Spirit had come upon them in power because their task would require a level of energy that only such an anointing could provide.

There are many good pastors and missionaries who lack power – and the need the Spirit to come “upon” them. Also there are some very flaky folk who see to have power without character and they need the Holy Spirit “within” them. We need both wisdom and power, character and competence, personal transformation and boldness in ministry. In short we need the Holy Spirit in both modes – within us, and upon us.

Acts 1:12-14 The Core Of The Church

Acts 1:12-14 MKJV Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount Of Olive Grove, which is a sabbath day's journey from Jerusalem. (13) And when they had come in, they went up into an upper room, where Peter and James, and John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James; (14) these all were continuing with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

The core group now consists of the 11 disciples, and the family of Jesus – Mary and the brothers of Jesus. Peter and James and John were the “big three”. Now many of these are related.

Jesus mother Mary had a “sister” also called Mary, who was married to someone known both as Clopas (John 19;25) and Alpheus (above) who is the father of James the Lesser and Matthew. That makes James the Lesser and Matthew both cousins of Jesus. Thomas seems to be a twin of Matthew, which would also make him a son of Alpheus and a cousin of Jesus as Matthew, Thomas and James are often mentioned together that would make sense. James and John were “sons of Zebedee” who was from Capernaum, as also was Peter and later Jesus made this city His home. Judas “the brother of James” is probably better “Judas son of James” – being James (Zebedee’s) son. Andrew and Peter were also brothers (Matthew 4:18, 10:2) and Philip seems to have been Andrew’s good friend as they always seem to be doing things together. Nathanael is led to Christ by Philip.

As this gets very confusing very quickly I have attached a diagram with the relationships between various gospel characters to this email. The apostles were relatives, friends and neighbors of Jesus. Gradually Jesus brothers meshed in with this group and James the brother of Jesus became the head of the Jerusalem Church and the author of the epistle of James. James apparently was quite a strict ascetic and possibly a vegetarian. The angels not the “band of brothers” theme when they call them “men of Galilee” as they were all from the same region.

“The women” are probably their wives and sisters, Mary the mother of Jesus may now have become the gentle matriarch of this band of brothers, cousins and friends of Jesus.

Miracle of miracles – all these relatives, friends and families were “of one accord”. They had been through a great deal and were now united in prayer and supplication.

The upper room may have belonged to John the apostle, some historians have it as the same upper room in which the Passover was eaten, yet others see it as the room of Mary, the mother of John Mark and friend of Peter, where many church meetings were held in Acts. Wherever the room was it was about to have two historic events occur – the selection of an apostle and the arrival of the Holy Ghost in power.

A “Sabbath days walk” was about two thousand cubits or just under a mile. This is the most you are supposed to walk on a day of rest. In ancient times people could easily walk 20 miles in a day – one mile was a very short walk indeed! A twenty minute walk back to the Upper Room, time enough to discuss the goings on. Walking keeps the blood moving and helps the brain to think, much of the great conversations in Scripture are had while walking along with friends. This was also the style of the peripatetic philosophers of the day and I think of Plato.

Back to the life of the core group of the early church – “these all were continuing with one accord in prayer and supplication”. The core group of any church or spiritual organization has to be able to demonstrate continual spiritual unity in prayer and supplication. It is as we pray together that we stay together and our meetings should be soaked in prayer. The natural sibling rivalries and squabbles of the disciples were ironed out in intercession. The group is formed, and the philosophy and direction of the new movement is burned into the souls of those involved.

Jesus chose people who could be one. People of like temperament, from the same locality, often related to each other, with strong natural and spiritual ties who had been with Him for three years and suffered together with Him. Unity was the theme of His high priestly prayer in John 17, and unity was behind His choice of who He selected to lead His movement. Today it would look like nepotism to have so many relatives and friends and neighbors leading a movement, indeed it would be illegal to have so many relatives on a non-profit board! But this movement was going to suffer persecution - and they needed to be able to rely on each other from “the get go”. We need to build both spiritual and natural unity into our teams. Teams that are too diverse can crack under pressure. Unity is a key component in spiritual power and we need to consciously plan it into our organizations (without indulging in undue favoritism)

Acts 1:15-26 Judas Is Replaced

Acts 1:15-26 MKJV And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and said, (the number of names together was about a hundred and twenty,) (16) Men, brothers, this Scripture must have been fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas, who became guide to those who seized Jesus. (17) For he was numbered with us and had obtained part of this ministry. (18) Indeed, then, this one purchased a field with the reward of unrighteousness. And falling headlong, he burst apart in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out. (19) And it was known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem, so much so that that field is called in their own dialect, Akeldama, that is to say, Field of Blood. (20) For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "Let his estate become forsaken, and he not be living in it." And, "Let another take his overseership." (21) Therefore, it is right that one of these men who have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, (22) beginning from the baptism of John to that same day that He was taken up from us, to become a witness with us of His resurrection. (23) And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. (24) And they prayed and said, You, Lord, knower of all hearts, show which one You chose from these two, (25) to take the share of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell, to go to his own place. (26) And they gave forth their lots. And the lot fell upon Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

There were 120 “names” in the Upper Room, a small to middle sized church, and it changed the world because a) it had high quality leadership b) the congregation was united in prayer and supplication and c) because the Holy Spirit fell upon it in power.

No church is so small that it cannot be greatly used of God. The Haystack Prayer Meeting that began the Great Awakening was just four young men, small groups in prayer can change the world.

Peter recited the doom of Judas and the need for a replacement. This simple act shows that Peter was seeing Jesus in the Old Testament and applying the Scriptures to the current situation. This is something Peter does quite a few times, quoting both OT scriptures and the well-known sayings of Jesus at critical points in the life of the early Church. Acts 2:14-40, 3:12-26, 4:8-12, 5:29-32, 10:34-43, 11:4-17, 15:7-11

Scripture should be the basis of ALL church actions. Too many assemblies are organized around Robert’s Rules of Order or various forms of church constitution. There is enough in Scripture to guide us – especially when an anointed Christian leader applies it to our current situations.

Peter looked at the gap in the ranks, then at the appropriate Psalm and knew what to do. The gap must be filled with someone who was of their group right from the start and who had seen the resurrected Christ. Some commentators suggest that Peter was hasty and should have waited and that God had Paul in mind for Judas’s place. Yet even if Peter had waited to fill the gap the converted Paul could not have filled the twelfth spot, as he had not been with the band of brothers since “the baptism of John”.

J.B. Lightfoot maintained that there were “no more apostles” on the basis of these verses - because an apostle must be someone who has seen the risen Jesus. However on one hand Timothy, Titus, and Apollos are clearly apostles and since they lived outside Jerusalem probably never saw the risen Christ. And on the other hand “at least 500” saw Christ after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) – but few of them were named as apostles! Thus Peter was not setting forth qualifications for being an apostle but rather the qualifications for someone to replace Judas among the Twelve. The argument about modern apostleship is too long and complex for this bible study but you can read an article on the topic at: http://www.aibi.ph/articles/apostle.htm

Matthias is selected by lot – the first and last time this procedure is used in the New Testament and it occurs before Pentecost. The use of the lot was neither gambling nor voting, rather it was a polite way to break a deadlocked decision, exactly equivalent to tossing a coin to decide who will bat first in a game of cricket. The word for lot is “klerous” which is also used for dice and implies chance in the outcome. Klerous is never used to imply a vote or show of hands. By the way, I have failed to find any place where majority voting is ever employed as a godly decision-making tool in the Bible, even though it was known in Greek culture, possibly because of the politicking and contention it is apt to arouse.

After Pentecost the personal voice of the Holy Spirit is the main source of guidance (e.g Acts 13:2, 21:11). The choice was down to two, and rather than have a possibly divisive argument over personal qualities they “tossed a coin”. Prior to the use of the lot there were qualifications laid out, and considerable discussion. The use of the lot might be justified if there were two equal candidates for a senior pastor position and a deadlock had been reached. However, generally speaking, prayer, fasting, examination of the Scriptures and listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit should be the preferred methods of ecclesiastical decision-making.

“And the lot fell upon Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” Very little is known about Matthias and this has led to many early heretical gospels and sects using his name in vain. We need to be very careful when obscure bible characters are used to back up theological positions.

Acts 2:1-4 Pentecost Arrives

Acts 2:1-4 MKJV And in the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven as borne along by the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. (3) And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Pentecost is a Greek word signifying the 50th part of a thing, or the 50th in order and was a Jewish feast held fifty days after the Passover. It was also known as the “Feast of Weeks” or the Feast of Harvest”. (Exodus34:22; Numbers 28:26; Deuteronomy 16:10, Leviticus 23:17, Leviticus 23:20; Numbers 28:27-31.) The festive season from Passover to Pentecost was a bit like Chinese New Year or Thanksgiving to Christmas/New Year. Everyone went home for it and Jews from all over the Roman Empire were gathered in Jerusalem.

“And in the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost” – the fifty day Pentecost feast season was at its climax. It was also the prophetic fulfillment –as all the traditional Jewish Feasts are fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

“they were all with one accord in one place.” There is great power in prayerful unity gathered in one place. In 1980 I attended a large Christian gathering called Expo 80 in Brisbane Australia and as thousands of Christians from various denominations prayed together I had a vision of the heavens opened and a demonic attack against the city, in the form of a black cloud, being driven out.

When pastors of many denominations pray together and repent together revival often follows. Books have been written on this principle by people such as George Otis Jr. and Ed Silvoso and Stuart Robinson’s wonderful article Praying The Price of Revival is available at http://www.aibi.ph/prayer/payprice.htm

We cannot dwell in division and disunity and then expect revival. The church has to be a place of prayer for all nations, and a habitation of angels and the Holy Spirit - spiritual beings who are easily offended by carnality, worldliness and strife.

God comes into the midst of sincere obedient believers who are united in prayer and tender of heart and who expect Him to turn up in their midst. We must expect God and wait on God and cry out to Him believing that He will send revival.

The revival came both as a inward personal work and an outer visible manifestation. Anyone with ears to hear and eyes to see could observe the mighty rushing wind and the tongues of fire. This was not just a private mystical moment that you could later say “did that really happen”, it was tangible, physical, observable evidence of the Presence of God.

The actions of God can be made visible. Yesterday our two kittens, a male Mozzie and a female Crystal had their “little operations” and were rather sore and sorry. Crystal, the female cat was avoiding both us and Mozzie the male cat and was walking along the foot of the bed looking quite miserable as my wife and I went to sleep. So I raised my left hand towards Crystal and prayed “the love of Jesus upon you” for about two minutes. Crystal stopped and turned, faced my hand then walked straight up to me, curled up on the bed and went contentedly to sleep. My wife watched this and said that “a cylinder of smoke” went out of my hand towards the cat while I was praying but was not there after I stopped praying. The smoke Minda saw was a visible manifestation of the spiritual power of praying the love of Jesus. It is a small but significant thing and may help you understand the tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost.

“And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” It was a universal experience, each of them got a tongue of fire upon their head, and all were filled with the Holy Spirit, and all began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. True revival comes to all who are in fellowship just as the Spirit fell on all the seventy-two elders appointed by Moses so it fell on all the 120 in the Upper Room.

The Holy Spirit did not fall upon the High Priests or the scribes or the Pharisees or the so-called spiritual experts. The Holy Spirit is not confined to the lines of ecclesiastical rank or procedure. Rather the Holy Spirit falls upon the meek and humble and faithful saints who seek the Lord.

Finally the Holy Spirit directed the entire experience “as the Spirit gave them utterance”. We do not have to limit the Holy Spirit or tell Him how to behave; He is God, He is holy and He is extremely intelligent and He tells us how to behave! The Holy Spirit is not a force that must be channeled, rather He is God, and He gives utterance according to His will and His order. You can trust God the Holy Spirit to wisely direct your ministry and to order your worship, just as you would (I hope) trust Jesus to do so if he were in your midst.

Acts 2:4-13 The Gift of Tongues

Acts 2:4-13 MKJV And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (5) And dwelling at Jerusalem there were Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. (6) But this sound occurring, the multitude came together and were confounded, because they each heard them speaking in his own dialect. (7) And they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, Behold, are not these who speak all Galileans? (8) And how do we each hear in our own dialect in which we were born? (9) Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, (10) Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, (11) Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking the great things of God in our own languages. (12) And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying to one another, What does this mean? (13) But others mocking said, These men are full of sweet wine.

There are some that say that Pentecost was a miracle of hearing, because each heard them speaking in his or her on dialect. However verse 4 clearly says: “and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The disciples were actually speaking “other languages” under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

God can give us supernatural linguistic ability in the tongues of men and of angels. Tongues is a wisdom gift – it is knowledge you did not have before – knowledge of Elamite or Parthian or whatever – and godly wisdom is the biblical sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Two incidents from my early Christian life and ministry may illustrate this. The first was when I was at bible college and was in a small group with a Korean brother who burst into passionate prayer in his own language and I suddenly understood every word that he said – even though I do not know a word of Korean.

The second incident was in late 1986 when I spent a couple of months teaching Isaiah at the Gogodala Christian Training Center in Mapodo in the remote Western Province of Papua New Guinea. In just three weeks I picked up the complex Gogodala language enough to produce my lecture notes in it. It seemed to almost “beam into” me. I became temporarily fluent in the language and then promptly forgot it and today all I can say is “Nagala” which means hello.

God the Creator has access to the language centers of our brain – which He demonstrated at the Tower of Babel in Genesis chapter 11. God can confuse our languages on one hand or help us to understand them and speak them on the other.

The missionary task of the church requires linguistic ability, which God can give us by the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. Tongues is not just a nice worship experience, it is also tool for spreading the gospel.

There are also worship tongues and prayer tongues for communicating with the unseen realms – see 1 Corinthians 14. My own prayer language sounds like a Melanesian language but I have never identified it as a particular language group. I only use it for private worship and for intercession.

As I said before tongues is a wisdom gift and at Pentecost the wisdom was displayed in two ways: a) knowledge of foreign languages and b) knowledge of the glory of God and how to proclaim it. Tongues is not spiritual folly and it should not be seen as foolish (e.g. those who said “they are full of sweet wine”).

True tongues are wise and indicate that we are receiving knowledge from God about Himself and about the larger world (in this case a language of the world). Thus the tongues-speaker should demonstrate godly wisdom. The spiritual fruit of godly wisdom was the hallmark of selection of the first deacons in Acts 6 and a mark of people who were recognized as possessing ‘a spirit of the gods’ such as Joseph, Solomon and Daniel. Godly wisdom is also part and parcel of what we intuitively call “sainthood”.

All spiritual gifts should be used in love and lead to an integrated personality full of wisdom and truth. In a few cases tongues can be demonic and disturbing. Tongues that do not glorify God or produce wiser saints need to be tested. God even tells us to test the spirits. (1 John 4:1-4)

Finally tongues should not be used divisively. As an inter-denominational missionary I often do not disclose the fact that I speak in tongues, and I only use my gift in circles where it is readily accepted and will not cause confusion or discord. There is nothing wrong in restraining a spiritual gift out of love or out of concern for the body of Christ. This is still a delicate thing in many circles and I would not injure the faith of any.

Acts 2:14-21 This Is That

Acts 2:14-21 MKJV But Peter, standing up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice and said to them, Men, Jews, and all who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. (15) For these are not drunk as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day. (16) But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: (17) "And it shall be in the last days, says God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. (18) And in those days I will pour out My Spirit upon My slaves and My slave women, and they shall prophesy. (19) And I will give wonders in the heaven above, and miracles on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. (20) The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious Day of the Lord. (21) And it shall be that everyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

No spiritual experience is self-interpreting. Experience must always be interpreted by Scripture –and Scripture by experience. (If your bible interpretation ends up with the world being flat then you need to check your Scriptural interpretation against reality.)

Christianity is neither all mysticism nor all pragmatism. I like to say that sane faith is mystical pragmatism and combines direct experience of God with hard-nosed reality testing. Pentecost seems all mysticism, all tongues and fire and prophecy but Peter does not stand up and say that he heard voices – rather he speaks from Scripture.

Peter first corrects the wrong interpretation by referring to the obvious facts: “For these are not drunk as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day.” The probability of mass drunkenness at 9am is very low. Maybe there is another explanation / interpretation. Peter then gives it to them: But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: "And it shall be in the last days, says God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh.”

“This is that.” This experience is that Scripture, that prophecy, that moment in history. Ninety-nine percent of the time people make such identifications they are wrong. Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ, Jesus will return in 2000, the Millennium Bug is the beginning of the Tribulation. The Jehovah Witnesses, I believe, have finally given up on end-times date setting. Go to any psych ward and you will find people who believe they are Jesus or Satan or one of the two prophets of Revelation 11.

But Peter was correct! This was the prophecy come true; this was Joel’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon “all flesh” – old men, young men, women and male and female servants. This was the spiritual gateway to a new era of Holy Spirit power.

So sometimes we can get it right. Why then do we most often get it wrong? There are two main reasons that I find. The first is what I call “unverified cut-and-paste theology and philosophy”. This is where the only reference point is a holy book or books and quotes from these books are taken out “cut-and-paste” fashion and assembled into theories about reality without ever going out and checking on reality to see if things are actually so. People who conclude that everyone MUST be healed by prayer are in such a camp, as are cultists and flat-earthers. The prosperity gospel is also in this category because if it were ever tested against reality it would be found to be most utterly wrong. But it sounds good and it cuts-and-pastes quite well.

The second reason is almost the opposite it involves almost cutting and pasting reality to fit Scripture. Instead of saying the world must fit the Bible like the flat-earthers do, they say the Bible must fit our world and our concerns. It takes our current reality so seriously that it assumes that the Bible must be speaking about Iraq or Russia or Microsoft or whatever and that our nation e.g. the USA and Britain must be in there somewhere with a central role. We assume that the Bible is about us and that if we use the Bible Code and find our name in the equidistant letter spacings we will have discovered a great secret.

The first error constricts reality (to that of the texts) and the second error constricts God’s actions (to our concerns). Perhaps this is because on one hand we want to have reality tidily explained by our theory and on the other we want to also be the center of reality and of God’s actions. But God will remain God and He will leave us puzzled and bewildered and humbled.

How then can be saved from error when like Peter we say: “this is not X, this is that – it is Y”.

Look at reality: Has the Holy Spirit actually fallen on a large number of people? (which had rarely, if ever, happened since Moses’ day).

Look at the Scripture: Is there a Scripture that predicts or explains the Holy Spirit falling on a large number of people?

Look at the spiritual timing: Does the Scripture fit in with these days and times “in the last days.”?

Look at the fruits of the interpretation: 3000 people saved in one day and a vibrant spiritual community established.

This last is important – if the interpretation produces rogues and shysters and cults and quacks – then very probably it is not from God.

Acts 2:16-18 A Prophetic Church

Acts 2:16-18 MKJV But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: (17) "And it shall be in the last days, says God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. (18) And in those days I will pour out My Spirit upon My slaves and My slave women, and they shall prophesy.

The Holy Spirit is not just a fuel additive; rather the Holy Spirit is essential for the proper ethical development of the conscience of the Church into a godly prophetic community.

Pentecost is a fulfillment of the prophesy of Joel and Old Testament prophets were “enforcers of the Covenant” to borrow a term from Gordon Fee. So when Joel says “And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” he was not merely stating that “they will have ecstatic experiences”, rather he is also saying that “they will become morally insightful and have well developed consciences that accurately hear and understand the will of God.”

When people claim to be prophets, yet are morally willful and spiritually insensate, they are false prophets. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy (Revelation 19:10) and a true prophet will walk in the teachings and testimony of Jesus and thus “sound like the Sermon On The Mount”.

That said prophecy is not to be lightly dismissed, the New Testament church is clearly prophetic right from the start and continues to be so even in some of the worst churches such as Corinth. For a full article on the nature of NT prophecy go to: http://www.aibi.ph/articles/prophecy.htm

Lets go back to the statement in Revelation 19:10 “for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Thus witnessing to Jesus and being a living testimony to Him is central to New Testament prophecy. This testimony is to have profound moral impact:

1 Corinthians 14:24-25 MKJV (24) But if all prophesy, and some unbeliever or one not instructed comes, he is convicted by all, he is judged by all. (25) And so the secrets of his heart become revealed. And so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

Thus the result of NT prophecy is to be a powerful testimony to Christ leading to a repentant world and the growth of the Church. Which is why Paul was so keen for Christians to have the gift of prophecy (see 1 Corinthians 14). Thus the focus of prophecy in the average Christian church should not be Iraq, the Middle East or the USA – but rather Christ, the human heart and repentance and faith.

Now prophecy is not the same as preaching, the Pharisees preached, but they did not prophesy. The prophetic gift flows from directly hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit and in speaking His Words with His timing. (see 1 Corinthians 2:9-16) It is not just expounding knowledge, it is speaking from God and with words given by God.

1 Corinthians 2:13 MKJV (13) These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

The phrase “but which the Holy Spirit teaches” implies that there is a learning process and as anyone who has sincerely tried to hear from God will tell you, that learning process takes many years for most people. We are in the process of redemption and our minds and consciences are in the process of renewal and we “see through a glass darkly” and know imperfectly (1 Corinthians 13:12). Thus while Christians can claim to have heard from the Holy Spirit they cannot claim perfect knowledge. The days of writing Scripture are over.

As our conscience is renewed we begin to hear from God more clearly and can prophecy with greater power, accuracy and anointing. The Spirit-filled conscience is essential to the true understanding of Scripture (which will otherwise appear as folly) and is the guide that allows us to “walk in the Spirit” and be “led by the Spirit”. (1 Corinthians 2:14,15; Galatians 5:16-18,25)

Joel’s prophecy indicates that all Christians will be able to receive wisdom from God without any need for a human mediator, they shall hear directly from God through prophesy, dreams and visions: “I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. (18) And in those days I will pour out My Spirit upon My slaves and My slave women, and they shall prophesy.”

The apostle John also says that the Holy Spirit enables Christians to receive wisdom and knowledge directly without a human teacher:

1 John 2:20 MKJV But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

1 John 2:27 MKJV But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him.

Thus the gift of the Holy Spirit should enable believers to hear from God and receive the testimony of Jesus and live in repentance and faith, walking in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit via His deep anointing in our renewed and redeemed minds so that we “have the mind of Christ” and understand the things that He has prepared for those that believe. (1 Corinthians 2:9-16)

Coming back to my opening statement: “The Holy Spirit is not just a fuel additive” – we have to go beyond the view that the Holy Spirit is desirable because He will enable us to have “an international ministry” or some such thing. The Holy Spirit has three primary tasks – to love us into maturity (Romans 5:5, Ephesians 3:14-21); to reveal godly wisdom to us (1 Corinthians 2:9-16), and to empower us to be witnesses to Jesus (Acts 1:8) and in the end the Holy Spirit should build us into wise, loving empowered communities of grace who hear directly from God and have Christ-like consciences.

Acts 2:19-21 An Age Of Wonders And Salvation

Acts 2:19-21 MKJV And I will give wonders in the heaven above, and miracles on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. (20) The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious Day of the Lord. (21) And it shall be that everyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Peter announces the Church Age, which would begin in prophecy and end with the moon becoming as blood. In between there would be: wonders in the heaven above, and miracles on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

The Church Age was meant to be extraordinary, an age of salvation and miracles, but we have settled for “just ordinary”. There is little that happens in churches today that did not also happen in temples and synagogues before the advent of Jesus, before the power of the cross and before the new life of the resurrection and the demon-breaking power of the ascension of Jesus Christ.

Surely Jesus did not come to build more synagogues? Did Jesus die just so we could have more sermons and lectures and ethical harangues and rules and nice songs and heart-warming rabbinic stories? Is the new life just another moral change, like going to Alcoholics Anonymous?

Does not it sound more plausible that God sent His Son to bring miracles and signs and wonders and an age full of Spirit and power and glory and salvation?

If what we have now is what God intended then Jesus did not need to die on the cross. The synagogues and temples would have made people just as good and just as happy as the average Christian church does today. Perhaps more so.

Jesus was not like Buddha. Jesus was much more spectacular. He did miracles all the time. He introduced a Kingdom of God in which spiritual power was freely available to all who asked for it and the apostles could, years later, write down promises about moving mountains with perfect truthfulness and equanimity.

Part of the reason I am doing this series in Acts is to arouse a burning thirst for a better way of being Christian. We have lost the supernatural life of Christ in our midst. What will it take to get it back?

Miracles seem to have been common in the early church – even in the most backward of churches such as the Galatians: Galatians 3:2-5 MKJV This only I would learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing of faith? (3) Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, do you now perfect yourself in the flesh? (4) Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed it is even in vain? (5) Then He supplying the Spirit to you and working powerful works in you, is it by works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

We have grieved, quenched and injured the Holy Spirit in our midst, we have exalted man and diminished Christ, we have loved the world and spurned the cross. We have let our disillusionment and our doubts overwhelm our faith in God and we have lived as selfish individuals instead of in loving Spirit-filled communities.

The fire and thunder are gone and Musak and elevator music fill quiet respectable sanctuaries.

No-one would bother to persecute the average American or Australian or English church. It threatens nothing, it does nothing, it accomplishes next to nothing. Apparently it costs $300,000 to add a single baptized believer to a church in the USA. Enormous effort, zero result. In the last few years 5 million Christians in the USA have gone from “active” to nominal Christian or unbeliever status.

Where is the power, the sacrifice, the zeal, the faith?

We have turned Christianity into another “seven steps to personal success”. We have focused it on ourselves and on our desires. We have fed the flesh and starved the Spirit.

Where is our inheritance in God, and in His power? Where is the fire of Pentecost? Where is the promise of Joel? “And I will give wonders in the heaven above, and miracles on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. “

Acts 2:21 All Who Call On The Lord Are Saved

Acts 2:21 MKJV And it shall be that everyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

This promise of Joel about abundant salvation was not an accidental statement of Peter’s and was no isolated text, in fact it became a cornerstone of Paul’s basic gospel outlined in Romans 10:

Romans 10:9-13 MKJV Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation. (11) For the Scripture says, "Everyone believing on Him shall not be put to shame." (12) For there is no difference both of Jew and of Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call on Him. (13) For everyone, "whoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

This verse tells us that salvation is abundant, easy, free and instantaneous. This is confirmed a few verses later on where it says: Acts 2:41 MKJV Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. And the same day there were added about three thousand souls.

Thus Christian salvation is not some long arduous costly penance in sackcloth and ashes. Neither does Christian salvation involve saying hundreds of Masses or thousands of rosaries and prayers to dead saints.

Salvation in the Day of Pentecost involved: repenting, believing/gladly receiving his word, calling on Jesus and being baptized in His Name and receiving the Holy Spirit. This all happened without any formality, without any sacrifices, or any money being exchanged, or any priestly rituals by men in long robes. It was free, it was abundant, it was instantaneous, it was powerful and it was informal lay preaching by a Spirit-filled fisherman.

Christian salvation does not involve an eight-fold path or a long course in theology. Christian salvation is as simple as: “And it shall be that everyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Salvation is very simple: I have a cousin who was saved at eighteen months when he kept putting a gospel tract in the washing machine (a wordless book with black, red, and white pictures of the heart) and when his mother (my aunt is a child evangelist) asked Jeremy why he kept doing this he replied “I want a clean heart”. He called on the name of the Lord and was saved! I have seen people who could not read saved, and people with no education saved, and tribal people in remote areas of the world saved.

In Muslim lands new believers cannot ever attend a church – but they are still saved. Some of them have never seen a bible but have met Christ in dreams and visions and perhaps through preaching – and yet they have called on Him and been saved.

Such a person knows little about the historical Jesus and nothing about the Trinity. Such a person is saved because their human spirit calls out to God and desires relationship, and asks forgiveness and wants to receive God’s love through Christ, in the name of Jesus.

Salvation does not require money, knowledge or rituals. It does require repentance and faith and a calling on the powerful name of Jesus and a reception of the Holy Spirit.

The name of Jesus has real power. You can test the incredible power of the name of Jesus by using it to rebuke a demon – the demon obeys. The name of Jesus has power and authority and brings healing and salvation and deliverance. The name of Jesus is the doorway to the presence and power and healing and salvation and love of God. John 10:9 MKJV I am the door. If anyone enters in by Me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture.

The abundant, free, easy and instantaneous salvation of Acts has been made out to be narrow, costly, hard and gradual in many quarters. It is not in the interest of ecclesiastical power to have salvation too freely available! But this is what Jesus says about the nature of salvation: Matthew 11:28-30 MKJV Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

The apostle John confirms this lack of complexity: 1 John 5:3 MKJV For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.

People are saved simply by calling on the name of Jesus – and not by adhering to any ecclesiastical system. There is a very common notion that salvation comes from joining a spiritual organization, then agreeing to its tenets, then conforming to its practices and receiving the approval of the priest or guru or senior pastor, which may or may not be dependent on paying a tithe. The person receives spiritual approval and emotional assurance of heaven in return for what the organization deems to be “good behaviour”. This is a travesty of the gospel!

Salvation is not the same as approval by clergy. Salvation is approval by God because you have called on the name of His beloved Son who died for you to reconcile you to God.

Salvation is abundant, easy, free and instantaneous and is offered through believing the preaching of the gospel. Baptism is your way of saying that you have repented and believed and now wish to be immersed in God and have called on the name of Jesus into which you are baptized. And all the aspects of salvation – healing, deliverance, emotional restoration, breaking of habits, healing of memories and so forth are in the same mold – that is they are abundant, easy, free and instantaneous and are obtained by calling on the name of Jesus. You probably find that last sentence to be quite outrageous – you may have had a habit or an illness for years. You may have often “prayed about it” and it has not moved.

Try this: Call out earnestly and personally to Jesus as earnestly and personally as the blind men on the road to Jericho, then be still and silent and wait for Jesus to turn up, and command this habit/illness/problem to be gone in His name. I have often seen amazing things happen on the spot when this is done.

Acts 2:22-23 The Predetermined Plan And Foreknowledge of God

Acts 2:22-23 ISV "Fellow Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus from Nazareth was a man accredited to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs that God performed through him among you, as you yourselves know. (23) This very man, after he was arrested according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.