Hechos de Los Apostoles.pdf

The Gospel on Fire:
The Acts of the Apostles
A Connections Bible Study
Cindy Wheatley, Ph.D.

©Cindy Wheatley 2
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................. 3
Acts 1:1-26: The Double Portion ................................................................................................................. 5
Acts 2:1-13: Come, Holy Spirit, Come ......................................................................................................... 9
Acts 2:14-47: Proclaiming Christ as Lord .................................................................................................. 12
Acts 3:1-4:22: In the Name of Jesus .......................................................................................................... 15
Acts 4:23-5:11: God Is Sovereign .............................................................................................................. 18
Acts 5:12-42: The Power of God ............................................................................................................... 21
Acts 6:1-7: The Sacred Trust ...................................................................................................................... 24
Acts 6:8-7:60: A Man Full of God’s Grace and Power .............................................................................. 27
Acts 8:1-40: A Divine Appointment .......................................................................................................... 31
Acts 9:1-31: The Worst of Sinners ............................................................................................................. 34
Acts 9:32-10:23: The Transformation of Peter ......................................................................................... 38
Acts 10:23-11:18: The Gentile Pentecost .................................................................................................. 41
Acts 11:19-30: Encouragers ....................................................................................................................... 44
Acts 12:1-24: Herod’s Last Stand .............................................................................................................. 47
Acts 13:1-14:28: Mission to the Gentiles .................................................................................................. 50
Acts 15:1-35: The Jerusalem Council ........................................................................................................ 54
Acts 15:36-16:40: Fruitful Suffering........................................................................................................... 58
Acts 17:1-34: The Success of Failure ......................................................................................................... 60
Acts 18:1-17: Strength in Weakness .......................................................................................................... 64
Acts 19:1-41: Dark Forces .......................................................................................................................... 67
Acts 20:1-38: Finishing the Race ............................................................................................................... 71
Acts 21:1-23:11: Bound for the Lord.......................................................................................................... 74
Acts 23:12-25:12: Blameless ...................................................................................................................... 77
Acts 25:13-26:32: Paul’s Last Defense....................................................................................................... 80
Acts 27:1-28:31: Power Made Perfect in Weakness ................................................................................ 82
Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 84

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Introduction
As I write this, we are just beginning to see the summer blockbuster movies come out in theaters. We
are used to sequels, and we can usually tell at the end of one movie that they are setting up the next.
Readers of Luke’s gospel should notice how the end sets up the sequel, the Acts of the Apostles. In his
final appearance to his disciples, Jesus tells them: “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and
rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his
name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you
what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high”
(Luke 24:46-49). In these few verses we can see the entire plot of Acts: the apostles as witnesses of the
gospel to the entire world; the fulfillment of God’s promises for the church; and the power of the Holy
Spirit that sends them out to do miraculous things. When we leave them at the end of Luke they have
witnessed Jesus’ ascension and they have returned to the temple to worship and praise God for what
they have seen.
In the introduction to Acts, Luke tells Theophilus: “In my former book…I wrote about all that Jesus began
to do and to teach” (Acts 1:1 emphasis mine). This is the reason why Luke had to write the sequel: the
story wasn’t finished! The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ were just the beginning of a
wonderful new chapter in God’s story. Jesus was still acting in the world through the Holy Spirit. We
know the power of the Holy Spirit is essential to Luke’s story; it’s mentioned 13 times in Luke and 40
times in Acts. Like Elisha in 2 Kings 2 who received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit when he was taken
up to heaven, the apostles received a double portion of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2 and loosed
the greatest power the world has ever known. Talk about superheroes!
But this power comes with a price and we see them suffer the same conflict and persecution that Jesus
suffered. In fact, the movement of the story in Acts mirrors that of Jesus’ journey. It begins in Jerusalem
and then moves outward. Jesus told them: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on
you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth” (Acts 1:8). That is exactly the way that Acts unfolds as the apostles (especially Paul) spread the
good news across the Roman Empire. Acts begins in Jerusalem and ends in Rome. The difference
between Acts and the gospels is that Luke does not show us Paul’s execution in Rome, but ends on a
triumphant note: “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all
boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:31). This is the story of the early church: the triumph of the
apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles despite
conflict both from within the movement and without.
Acts is also a priceless account of the inner workings of the early church. We can see how the early
believers struggled with many of the same issues we struggle with today: building community,
discerning God’s will for the church, dealing with diversity and clashing cultures. Paul provides even

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more detail about these issues in his letters to the churches, but Acts shows us how to be a human
institution serving a divine purpose. Once again Peter serves as the representative of those who had to
let go of old beliefs in order to embrace the larger vision of God for his people. Peter’s vision in Acts 10
is the last example of divine revelation that we see until we get to John’s vision in the book of
Revelation. In Peter’s vision, it was revealed that Gentiles are included in God’s plan for salvation that
was first offered to Israel. In his letter, Peter repeated the invitation that God first offered at Mount
Sinai (Exo. 19:5-6): “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special
possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received
mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). That is the miraculous story of Acts: the
fulfillment of God’s original plan that began with a single nomad in the desert and grew into a holy
nation that reaches “to the ends of the earth.”
A note about reading Acts: It is helpful to consult Bible maps as you follow the missionary journeys of
the Apostles. Many study Bibles and commentaries contain maps. You can also use online tools such as
www.biblemap.org and www.bible-history.com. These will enhance your understanding of the
importance of geography to the story of the early church.

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The Double Portion
Day 1
Acts 1:1-26
We saw from the beginning of his gospel that Luke’s agenda was to “write an orderly account” of “the
things that have been fulfilled among us” (Luke 1:1-4). Luke said that Jesus “gave many convincing
proofs” (v. 3) of his resurrection, which was at the very heart of the gospel message. But the gospel is
not just the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The gospel is God’s master plan beginning in
Genesis through Revelation. It is the apostolic message that the original 12 disciples carried out into the
world, and that we still carry into the world today. It is known as the kerygma, the proclamation. That is
what the apostles were witnesses to and what all the events and speeches in Acts are centered on. In
Luke 24:25-27 Jesus modeled this proclamation when he walked with the two disciples on the road to
Emmaus: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the
Scriptures concerning himself.” The kerygma as proclaimed by the apostles in Acts consisted of the
following truths.1
 The promises by God made in the Old Testament have now been fulfilled with the coming of
Jesus the Messiah
 Jesus was anointed by God at his baptism as Messiah
 Jesus began his ministry in Galilee after his baptism
 He conducted a beneficient ministry, doing good and performing mighty works by the power of
God
 The Messiah was crucified according to the purpose of God
 He was raised from the dead and appeared to his disciples
 Jesus was exalted by God and given the name “Lord”
 He gave the Holy Spirit to form the new community of God
 He will come again for judgment and the restoration of all things
 All who hear the message should repent and be baptized.
Luke summarizes this gospel message at the beginning of Acts by revisiting recent events and by
repeating John the Baptists’ words from Luke 3:16: “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you
will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” John added “and fire,” which Jesus leaves out but God definitely
did not! This is a new definition of “baptism,” which had been associated with water and purification.
1
Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Volume 2: New Testament, Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger, III, eds.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994, p. 393.

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But fire purifies as well. We also hear a repeat of the disciples’ favorite question: “Lord, are you at this
time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v. 6). Jesus reiterates that only God knows when the
ultimate judgment will come, but that they have a mission to do here on earth: “you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (v. 8). This is a reiteration of the Great Commission, which exists
in some form in all of the gospel accounts (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21).
As Ajith Fernando reminds us: “In view of the urgency of Jesus’ commission, we should all seek to be
Great Commission Christians and endeavor to have all Christian organizations and churches to be Great
Commission movements. We should constantly live under the influence of our mission, so that we are
willing to pay whatever price is required in order to reach the lost.”2
But Luke makes it clear that we
can’t live as Great Commission Christians without the power of the Holy Spirit.
The significance of what happened to the apostles at Pentecost is deepened when we connect the
events recorded in Acts 1 with the story of Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings 2. As Elijah (the only biblical
character who was taken up into heaven alive except Jesus) prepared to leave, he asked Elisha “what
can I do for you before I am taken from you?” (2 Kings 2:9). Elisha responded: “Let me inherit a double
portion of your spirit.” Since the double portion was the inheritance of the first born son, we can
assume that Elisha was asking to be adopted as Elijah’s spiritual son and receive the inheritance of his
spiritual power. That would explain why Elisha called “My father! My father!” as Elijah was taken up into
heaven (2 Kings 2:12). But Elijah understood that the Holy Spirit was not his to give, since it came from
God. So he said, “if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not” (v.
10). Then a chariot of fire appeared and Elijah ascended into heaven. We are told “Elisha saw this” (v.
12). If we fast forward to Acts 1, we see Jesus tell the apostles: “you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you,” then “he was taken up before their very eyes” (Acts 1:8-9, emphasis mine). Jewish
readers would have recognized the significance of this scene and connected it with the ascension of
Elijah. The apostles would receive the double portion of the Holy Spirit when fire came down from
heaven during Pentecost. It is worth noting that after receiving the double portion, Elisha performed
more miracles than Elijah had. Similarly, Jesus had told his disciples “Very truly I tell you, whoever
believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these,
because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). As the adopted sons and daughters of Christ, we can do
great things through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The second half of chapter 1 deals with the replacement of Judas as one of the original 12 disciples. Luke
explains that there were 120 believers present, but still only 12 apostles who were eyewitnesses to
Jesus’ ministry from the beginning. Luke recites their names again in verse 13 and adds his mother and
brothers to the list of those present. This group represented the proof of all that happened from Jesus’
birth to his death and resurrection (Acts 1:22). They would be an important part of spreading the gospel,
so their number had to be complete. Peter reminded them that the original 12 had biblical significance
as representing the original 12 tribes of Israel, so Judas had to be replaced.
2
Ajith Fernando, Acts: The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998, p. 21.

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Immediately following Jesus’ ascension, the apostles returned to Jerusalem and went “upstairs to the
room where they were staying” (v. 13). I wonder if this was the same Upper Room where they
celebrated the Last Supper. That would be appropriate since that was the place where Jesus
inaugurated the new covenant, which they were now commissioned to carry out. That was their Mount
Sinai. But I think the upper room is significant for another reason: the apostles were preparing for their
own death and resurrection. Not physically, but spiritually. When James and John asked Jesus to let
them sit at his left and right in heaven, Jesus asked them: “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized
with the baptism I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38). At the last supper he told them, “I confer on you a
kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my
kingdom” (Luke 22:29). Jesus let them know that he was not the only one who would be transformed
through suffering. In order to come into God’s glory, we must go through our own death and
resurrection. That’s what the apostles were about to experience through the fire of the Holy Spirit.
We see how important prayer was to the early church. Jesus had once been in their midst, and now he
was gone, but they still had a direct line to speak with him. Just as Jesus prayed in the Garden of
Gethsemane the night of his betrayal, the apostles spent the night before Pentecost in prayer. “They
joined together constantly in prayer” (v. 14). Prayer is the powerhouse of the Holy Spirit. John Wesley
spent about four hours every morning in his prayer closet! That was the secret to his life of piety. We
should each have our own prayer closet or upper room where we go to spend time with God each day.
As they prepared to select the new apostle, they offered up this prayer: “Lord, you know everyone’s
heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left
to go where he belongs” (vv. 24-25). Then they cast lots. Casting lots was an ancient practice used to
ensure impartiality in decision making (1 Chronicles 24:5). The selection of the next apostle was so
important that they did everything they could to make sure it was based on God’s will and not a
personality contest. It should be noted that after Pentecost, we do not see any more references to
casting lots. Presumably, that’s because they now had the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The first chapter of Acts serves as a template for the rest of the book. Luke verifies the truth of the
gospel message and clarifies the mission of the early church to carry it to “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.” The apostles are restored to their original number of 12, and they are
about to receive the missing ingredient: the power of the Holy Spirit. The stage is set for the greatest
revolution the world has ever known.
Passage for Meditation
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

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Questions for Reflection
1. What does it mean today to be a witness to the gospel? Are you fully aware of the power of the
kerygma?
2. Unity and wholeness was important to the early Christians. How can we promote unity and
wholeness in the church today? Why is that so important in carrying out the Great Commission?
Imaginative Exercise
Imagine that you are one of the original apostles who will now bear the responsibility of carrying the
gospel message to the world. Paraphrase the kerygma in your own words.

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Come, Holy Spirit, Come
Day 2
Acts 2:1-13
Pentecost is the Greek name for the Jewish harvest festival, or Festival of Weeks, during which Jews
celebrate the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. It commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments
fifty days after the exodus and the ratification of the covenant between God and his people. It is
appropriate for us to view the Christian Pentecost as depicted in Acts 2 as the ratification of the new
covenant, when the apostles were baptized by the Holy Spirit with tongues of fire, just as the original
Israelites were splattered with blood by Moses. The original Pentecost was the birth of the nation of
Israel; the Christian Pentecost was the birth of the church of Jesus Christ. I love the symmetry of this!
Jesus told his disciples this day would come. After his resurrection he reminded them of John the
Baptist’s prediction that they would be baptized by the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16). In John 15:26,
Jesus told them he would send the Counselor or Advocate: “When the Advocate comes, whom I will
send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.
And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” He promised his disciples
that this “Spirit of truth” would speak through them when they would be seized and brought before the
authorities: “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or
contradict” (Luke 21:15). The Holy Spirit, then, is the power and presence of God that is within us from
the time of our conversion and baptism (our own personal Pentecost!) that gives us charismatic
authority to speak and act for Christ. When we say “we are the hands and feet of Christ,” that’s really
what we mean.
The Holy Spirit empowers, but it also purges and re-creates. In his 1759 hymn “Come, Holy Spirit,
Come,” Joseph Hart articulates this aspect of Pentecost:
‘Tis Thine to cleanse the heart,
To sanctify the soul,
To pour fresh life in every part,
And new create the whole.
The believers who were in the Upper Room that day did not just have an amazing experience to tell their
friends about. They were transformed into something new. In yesterday’s meditation I suggested that
they experienced a spiritual death and resurrection. This is referred to in the Christian faith as the
Paschal Mystery. All believers experience the cycle of death, resurrection, and exaltation that Jesus

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experienced. As Ronald Rolheiser explains it, “the paschal mystery is the mystery of how we, after
undergoing some kind of death, receive new life and new spirit.”3
Jesus said, “unless a kernel of wheat
falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John
12:24). This cycle of death and rebirth occurs over and over again throughout our lives as we experience
paschal deaths that lead to new life and a new spirit in Jesus Christ. As Rolheiser points out, “paschal
death is a death that, while ending one kind of life, opens the person undergoing it to receive a deeper
and richer form of life.”4
That is, we experience a resurrection. That is what the apostles experienced on
Pentecost. They died to their old life and were reborn into the life of the Spirit. And the world would
never be the same again.
The scene in the Upper Room is ripe with imagery. There are three components to this scene:
1. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole
house where they were sitting.” We often forget that a strong wind preceded the fire. The
Greek word for breath is pneuma, which is often used to describe the Holy Spirit within us. God
breathed new life into his believers just as he breathed life into the dry bones in Ezekiel 37.
2. “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.”
Throughout the Old Testament, God was associated with fire. We should recall the burning bush
and the pillar of fire in the desert. In Genesis 15:17 God appeared to Abraham as a smoking
firepot with a blazing torch. When the Israelites reached Mount Sinai, the mountain was
covered with smoke “because the Lord descended on it in fire” (Exodus 19:18). There are
numerous examples of God using fire to punish, but he also used fire to cleanse and to create.
When Jesus told his disciples, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were
already kindled!” (Luke 12:49), he wasn’t talking about destroying the world but about renewing
it. He was talking about Pentecost.
3. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit
enabled them.” The apostles were endowed with the power to speak the truth to all nations.
Peter makes the connection with Joel 2:28: “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all
people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young
men will see visions.” More importantly, Joel says: “And everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved” (v. 32). Psalm 87:4 makes it clear that means all nations, not just Israel: “I will
record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me—Philistia too, and Tyre, along
with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’” We should also recall the words of Simeon
upon seeing the Christ child: “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in
the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel”
(Luke 2:30-32). The fire of Pentecost would became the light of revelation to the Gentiles.
This is why it’s important that we read Luke and Acts together. We see the entire arc of the story that
begins with the birth of Jesus and moves purposely toward the birth of the church. God’s story is our
story. This arc is represented by the three great events in the life of the church: Christmas represents
3
Ronald Rolheiser, The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality. New York: Doubleday, 1999, p. 145.
4
Ibid, p. 146.

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God with us; Easter represents God for us; and Pentecost represents God in us. The problem comes
when we get stuck. We get stuck between Christmas and Easter when we like the idea of Jesus as our
friend who walks with us, but we don’t accept him as our Lord and Savior who died for us. Or we get
stuck between Easter and Pentecost when we accept Christ as our savior, but do not invite him into our
hearts and lives. This is exactly the problem that Jesus tried to point out to Nicodemus in the third
chapter of John. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he would have to be born again, Nicodemus got stuck
in the world of the flesh. Jesus responded: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the
spirit.” Jesus’ words echo John the Baptist when he said that Jesus came to baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Baptism is spiritual rebirth, our Pentecost. We need to make the complete journey from birth to death
to resurrection before we can be effective witnesses to the world of the transforming power of Jesus
Christ.
Acts 2:1-4
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the
blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They
saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them
were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
1. How have you experienced the Holy Spirit in your life? As a gentle whisper like Elijah
experienced in 1 Kings 19:12? As the breath of life like God breathed into the dry bones in
Ezekiel 37:9-10? As the purifying fire that the angels touched to Isaiah’s lips in Isaiah 6:6-7? As
the strong wind and fire of Pentecost? What image best represents how you’ve experienced the
life-changing power of God?
Ronald Rolheiser offers this helpful way to chart the stages of the Paschal Mystery5
:
1. Name your deaths
2. Claim your births
3. Grieve what you have lost and adjust to the new reality
4. Do not cling to the old, let it ascend and give you its blessing
5. Accept the spirit of the life that you are in fact living
In your journal, reflect on how you have experienced each of these stages at various points in your life.
Reflect on why this cycle is so important in our spiritual growth.
5
Ronald Rolheiser, The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality. New York: Doubleday, 1999, p. 148.

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Proclaiming Christ as Lord
Day 3
Acts 2:14-47
It’s hard not to be proud of Peter in this moment. We’ve watched him grow (spiritually) from a
fisherman who told Jesus he was not worthy to be in his presence (Luke 5:8), to a man so emboldened
by faith that he stepped out of a boat onto the waves (Matt. 14:29), to a frightened man who denied
Jesus three times (Luke 22:61), to the first evangelist of the early church. That’s quite a growth chart!
There was a reason that Jesus told Peter that he would be the rock of the church (Matt. 16:18); he
represented what all of us are capable of becoming through faith and the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter
was the new breed of priest who did not need a temple to proclaim the Word of God. He was the
everyman who spoke the common, everyday language of the people. The crowd who heard their
multilingual chorus of praise was amazed that it was coming from a group of hillbillies: “Aren’t all these
who are speaking Galileans?” (Acts 2:7). This should remind us of the reaction of Jesus’ hometown
crowd to his teaching in the synagogue: “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22). Clearly something
revolutionary was happening.
Peter may have been the mouthpiece of the group, but he did not stand up alone. He stood up with the
Eleven (Acts 2:14). This is a significant detail because these 12 represent the reconstituted Israel.
Community was just as important to them as it was to the Israelites in the desert. Peter first addressed
the mistaken impression that the believers speaking in tongues were intoxicated: “It’s only nine in the
morning!” I’m reminded of the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 when she was praying so hard that Eli
thought she was drunk! Hannah responded, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been
drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord” (1 Sam. 1:15). The believers in Acts are not
deeply troubled, but they are experiencing an overpowering outpouring of the Holy Spirit. When we are
so filled with the Spirit that it overflows, people can’t help but notice.
Peter assigns Old Testament significance to their outpouring by quoting from Joel 2. As we discussed in
yesterday’s meditation, the prophecy in Joel was about the Spirit of God descending on all believers:
“your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:17). This was God’s plan all along. We’ve seen this
before. In Numbers 11 God invested his Spirit in 70 elders to help Moses lead the unruly Israelites.
“When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again” (Num.11:25). Prophesying
is the sign that a person has been given the precious gift of the Spirit of God. It is not something we can
do on our own. In Deuteronomy 18 God makes this clear: “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my
name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put

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to death” (Deut. 18:20). False prophecy was a big problem, especially in the early church. That’s why it
was important to have witnesses who could verify the authenticity of the message.
Another Old Testament example of genuine prophecy comes in 1 Samuel 10 when Saul was anointed
king of Israel. The narrator tells us that immediately following his anointing “God changed Saul’s heart”
(1 Sam. 10:9). The sign of this change came when he arrived in Gibeah and was met by a “procession of
prophets.” Then “the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying” (v.
10). Those who knew Saul were amazed: “What is this that happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also
among the prophets?” (v. 11). Like Peter, Saul was an imperfect man who was changed by the power of
the Holy Spirit. This change is just as powerful a witness as our words. If others do not see a change in
us, why should they believe that the gospel can change them?
Peter’s speech contains the central message of the gospel, the kerygma. We can outline his main points
this way:
1. Jesus performed “miracles, wonders, and signs” that they attributed to God.
2. Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection were part of God’s plan.
3. In Psalm 16, David prophesied the coming of one who would defeat death. He prophesied the
resurrection of the Messiah (his descendent).
4. The apostles are witnesses to the fact that Jesus is that Messiah.
5. Jesus was exalted (ascended) and sits at the right hand of God. As he promised, he has sent the
Holy Spirit to empower them to continue his mission.
It is interesting to note the similarities between the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the beginning of the
church. Jesus began his ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist. The apostles began the church by
being baptized by Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ first public words following his baptism were:
message was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matt. 4:17). Peter’s response to the
question “what shall we do?” is: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). We can
surmise, then, that the presence of the Holy Spirit is the sign of the kingdom of heaven. Through
baptism we all become citizens of God’s kingdom here on earth. And we know what citizenship requires
because we have four gospel accounts in which Jesus teaches and models it. All we need to do is say
“yes.”
Three thousand people said “yes” to Peter’s invitation that day. And like Saul, God changed their hearts.
We know this because: “They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). They were no longer individuals; they became the body of
Christ. Notice that Luke tells us twice that they broke bread together (vv. 42, 46). This suggests both
worship through sharing Holy Communion (1 Corinthians 11:20-21) and table fellowship as we saw Jesus
do so often in Luke. They became the image of heaven that Jesus depicted in his parables and lived out
in his life. When we truly live out the gospel, people will be saved. That is the greatest miracle of all.

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Acts 2:38
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
1. Does the success of Peter’s first sermon surprise you? Why or why not? Do you think that level
of evangelism is still possible today?
2. Have you ever experienced the type of fellowship that Luke describes in vv. 42-47? If so,
describe what that was like. If not, what would it take to create that type of community of faith?
What lessons can the church today learn from the early church?
Imagine what it must have felt like to be part of that early community of believers. Write a narrative
from the perspective of someone who was part of that group. Describe what it felt like, what they did,
and how others reacted to their unity of purpose and spirit.

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In the Name of Jesus
Day 4
Acts 3:1-4:22
We read in 2:43 that “Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the
apostles.” In chapter three we see one of those many wonders and signs. We’ve seen the disciples
perform healing miracles before. When Jesus first sent out the 12, “he gave them power and authority
to drive out all demons and to cure diseases” (Luke 9:1). When he sent out the 72 he told them, “Heal
the sick who are there and tell them ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:9). That’s
why Peter tells the amazed onlookers: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare
at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” (Acts 3:12). He goes on to give
the glory to God for sending his son Jesus to empower them with his authority. “By faith in the name of
Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes
through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see” (Acts 3:16). In fact, they invoke Jesus’
name seven times in chapters 3 and 4!
I’m reminded of Exodus chapter 3 when Yahweh revealed his name to Moses: “This is what you are to
say to the Israelites: ‘I Am has sent me to you” (Exo. 3:14). Then he gave Moses the power to turn his
staff into a snake “so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac and the god of Jacob—has appeared to you” (Exo. 4:5). This is the power of
the name of God and Peter used this to his advantage. Just as Moses had to first convince the Israelites
before he could convince Pharaoh, Peter had to convince the Jews of Jesus’ divine power. He told them,
“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus” (Acts
3:13). That’s like the super-secret password that all Jews would acknowledge. The apostles were acting
under the authority of God Almighty.
Throughout this speech, Peter made many Old Testament connections, just as the gospel writers had
done. Grounding Jesus in the Old Testament was crucial for persuading this Jewish crowd. Peter did
some serious name-dropping: Moses, Samuel, and Abraham. He began by accusing the crowd of deicide,
“You killed the author of life” (Acts 3:15), then gave them the benefit of the doubt, “I know that you
acted in ignorance, as did your leaders” (v. 17), and finally offered them hope, “When God raised up his
servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways” (v. 26).
Their repentance was his true goal, not condemnation. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins
may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

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Luke shows us the same pattern in Acts that we saw in the gospel. While the crowd was amazed and
moved by Peter’s speech (we’re told that the number of believers grew to “about five thousand” (Acts
4:4)), the authorities were not amused. Just as Jesus predicted, Peter and John were arrested and
brought before the Sanhedrin. The Jewish authorities must have had that “Here we go again” feeling as
they asked Peter and John the same question they asked Jesus: “By what power or what name did you
do this?” (Acts 4:7). Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” spoke eloquently about the messiahship of Jesus
Christ: “there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Not only does Luke legitimize the church under the authority of Jesus Christ, but he also names (for the
first time) Christ as the author of salvation. Here we see the beginnings of what scholars call Christology
in the New Testament, a theology of who Christ was. We must remember that it had only been a few
months since Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, so this was all very fresh. The apostles were still
grounding themselves in the reality of the events that had taken place. I’m sure they were scouring the
Old Testament scriptures for guidance on what it all meant. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit
could Peter have articulated such a clear theology.
And the Sanhedrin knew that. Luke tells us that when they “realized that they were unschooled,
ordinary men, they were astonished” (Acts 4:13). By “unschooled” Luke means that they were not
priests who had been tutored by a rabbi. Again, we should be reminded of the people’s reaction to Jesus
when he began teaching in the synagogue: “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught
them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law” (Mark 1:22). Who was this guy from
Nazareth who knew scripture better than the teachers of the law? Who were these two Galileans who
stood before the Sanhedrin and spoke so boldly and with a deep knowledge of scripture? Luke illustrates
the importance of acting boldly in faith and with a deep knowledge of scripture when we are
representing Jesus in the world. He also makes it clear that without the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter
and John could not have performed in such a bullet-proof fashion before the Sanhedrin. Remember
when Peter crumbled after being asked by a young girl if he knew Jesus?! As Jesus had reminded them,
“What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27).
This is a great lesson to us about the power of faith. We have been given great authority to act in the
name of Jesus Christ. Consider these promises:
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matt. 18:20)
“And whoever welcomes a child in my name welcomes me.” (Matt. 18:5)
“Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the
Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” (Mark 9:41)
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
(John 14:13)
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14)

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“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear
fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
(John 15:16)
These are powerful truths on which the Christian church is built. But do we act on them? Do we believe
that through Christ all things are possible? This may be the most difficult part of being a disciple—
trusting in God’s promises and then acting on them. We’ve seen Peter and John go boldly in the name of
Christ and do miraculous things, but so can we. We should remember what it says in Psalm 118:26:
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Acts 3:16
“By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and
the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.”
1. Think about a time when you acted boldly in faith. What prompted you to act? What was the
result?
2. Notice that Peter and John were together when Peter healed the lame man. In fact, the apostles
always traveled in pairs or groups. What does this tell us about how we are supposed to do
ministry? Why is it so important to be in community?
Is there something that you are feeling led to do but don’t think you are capable of accomplishing it?
Write out a prayer in which you boldly ask for it in the name of Jesus. Carry that prayer with you for a
week and journal about the experience of living into Christ’s promises.

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God is Sovereign
Day 5
Acts 4:23-5:11
There’s an old joke: “What kind of car did the disciples drive? A Honda. Because the Bible says they were
all in one accord!” (Groan) We’re only four chapters into Acts, but Luke has already devoted a significant
amount of space to the subject of unity and fellowship in the early community of believers. As we see
immediately following the incident with the Sanhedrin, they were not just unified during the good times,
but especially during times of crisis. When Peter and John were told by the highest Jewish authorities
that they may not evangelize, they came back to the group and they all prayed together. They appealed
to the sovereignty of God to overcome the evil that threatened them and to give them the power to
speak boldly despite the very real danger they faced. Luke tells us that “the place where they were
meeting was shaken” (Acts 4:31), indicating the presence of God. They also felt the presence of the
Spirit within them as they went out and “spoke the word of God boldly.” These were two of the signs
they prayed for to show God’s divine intervention and anointing (Acts 4:30).
“All the believers were one in heart and mind” (Acts 4:32). This seems too good to be true, especially
when we read about Ananias and Sapphira in chapter five. I read this as being an overflow of the double
filling of the Spirit they received. The fellowship of believers had no question about their purpose, which
was evangelism (“With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus”) and taking care of each other (“And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there
were no needy persons among them”). Notice the focus on God’s grace; by themselves human beings
are naturally selfish, not altruistic. That’s why communism doesn’t work. What we see in the early
church is not communism—it’s the living out of God’s original vision for the Israelites. In Leviticus 25:35,
God commands them: “If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support
themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner or stranger, so they can continue to live
among you.” In Deuteronomy 15:4, Moses reminds them: “there need be no poor people among you,
for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if
only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you
today.” The tricky part of this is following “all these commands.” If we are true followers of Christ and do
everything he instructed us to do, “one in heart and mind,” then we could be like the early church.
Unfortunately, this unity of purpose is rare today. We tend to focus more on personal faith rather than
corporate faith.

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Luke emphasizes that this sharing of all possessions was voluntary. “From time to time those who owned
land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostle’s feet, and it was
distributed to anyone who had need” (Acts 4:34-35, emphasis mine). Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7,
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” This reminds me of the way the Israelites came together,
under the guidance of Moses and the Holy Spirit, to build the tabernacle in Exodus: “everyone who was
willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work of the tent
of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments” (Exo. 35:21 emphasis mine). God wants us to
participate in the work of the church willingly and with a generous spirit, not under compulsion.
Luke provides us with two examples—one good and one bad—of this practice of communal sharing.
Barnabas, who becomes an important figure in Acts, is the good example; Ananias and Sapphira are the
bad example. They sold a piece of property, but they only brought a portion of the money to the
apostles. Peter made it clear that their sin was not withholding the money, but lying about it: “Ananias,
how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for
yourself some of the money you received for the land?” (Acts 5:3). He told him that he could have kept
all the money, as it was his to begin with. No one forced them to sell their land and give all the proceeds
to the church. They wanted the acclamation for being generous without the sacrifice.
What happened next is the source of considerable debate among scholars. Why did Ananias and
Sapphira drop dead? That’s so Old Testament! I’m reminded of the bizarre story in Numbers 16 of the
Levite rebellion under the direction of Korah. A group of 250 “well-known community leaders”
challenged the authority of Moses and Aaron (Num. 16:2-3). Their mistake, of course, was in thinking
that Moses and Aaron appointed themselves as prophet and priest. God punished the leaders of the
insurrection by opening up the earth and swallowing them, their families, and their tents, whole (v. 31-
33). The rest of the 250 were destroyed by fire (v. 35). It was a high-body-count day. But we have to
keep in mind that these were the leaders among the Israelites, who had been set apart by God to lead
his people. They were held to a higher standard. It was important that they died in a supernatural way
to show everyone that God was in charge, not Moses and Aaron.
The death of Ananias and Sapphira reminds us that God was still in charge in the early church. We saw
his presence revealed when the meeting room shook after the apostles’ prayer in chapter four.
Spontaneous death was associated with being exposed to the unmediated presence and power of God
on Mount Sinai and in the Holy of Holies. The fact that spontaneous death occurred outside the temple
suggests that God’s divine presence had, indeed, shifted. Some commentators believe that Peter was so
filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit that Ananias and Sapphira died from exposure! One clue Luke
gives us as to why they died is in Peter’s comment: “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the
Lord?” (Acts 5:9). Moses warned the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:16: “Do not put the Lord your God to
the test,” a commandment that Jesus repeated to Satan in the desert (Matt. 4:7). These commandments
were still in force in the first century, as they are today. We don’t see a lot of people dropping dead in
church, but there are other consequences of greed and deception that threaten the fabric of our lives,
the church, and our world. God is still sovereign.

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Acts 4:32-33
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their
own, but they shared everything they had.”
1. We can see the importance of prayer in the early church. Does your church practice corporate
prayer as it is modeled in Acts? During a time of crisis, do you turn to your community of faith?
Do you rely upon the sovereignty of God when you feel threatened?
2. Read Luke 12:33-34 and Luke 18:24. In light of Jesus’ comments about personal wealth, and the
picture we see of the early church, what is the appropriate attitude we should have toward
generosity? How can these passages help guide you in making good decisions about
stewardship?
Pick a topic of concern in today’s world (global warming, terrorism, economic inequality, etc.) and
compose a corporate prayer appealing to God’s wisdom and sovereignty. Assemble a group of faithful
Christians and recite the prayer together. Journal about your experience of “community” (communion +
unity).

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The Power of God
Day 6
Acts 5:12-42
After the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, Luke tells us that: “Great fear seized the whole church and all
who heard about these events” (Acts 5:11). A demonstration of God’s power has always inspired fear in
humans, as we’ve seen many times in the Old Testament. But that’s what sets the church apart from a
social club—the awesome power and spirit of God. It does keep some people away (“No one else dared
join them” (v. 13)), but it also attracts many people (“more and more men and women believed in the
Lord and were added to their number” (v. 14)). The apostles carried on Jesus’ healing ministry, but they
also boldly proclaimed the gospel, never mincing words or sugar-coating the truth to gain converts.
Not surprisingly, they attracted the attention and anger of the Sanhedrin, who had forbid them from
evangelizing. They were, after all, teaching, preaching, and healing in and around the temple—the
Sanhedrin’s own backyard! While the people were frightened by the power of God, the Jewish
authorities were afraid of the power of the people, so they kept it low key as they arrested the apostles
and put them in jail. For the fourth time in five chapters, we see an act of divine intervention when an
angel opens the doors of the jail. “Go, stand in the temple courts…and tell the people all about this new
life” (Acts 5: 20). The reference to “new life” suggests a parallel with the empty tomb and Jesus’
resurrection. This parallel becomes even more striking when we read about the officers arriving at the
jail to find it empty: “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when
we opened them, we found no one inside” (Acts 5:23). When it was discovered that the apostles were
back in the streets evangelizing, they were brought in again without the use of force. Clearly, this
movement can’t be stopped through human means.
In Mark 12:24, Jesus told the Jewish authorities: “Are you not in error because you do not know the
Scriptures or the power of God?” I’m reminded of this statement in Peter’s response to the Sanhedrin
about the authority of the church: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29). As Peter
once again recites the kerygma, the truth of his words has the same effect on them that Jesus’ words
had: “they were furious and wanted to put him to death” (v. 33). Fortunately, Gamaliel, a respected
member of the Sanhedrin, did recognize the power of God in these events. He argued that if this were a
human activity it would fail. But if it were from God, nothing could stop it. We can only assume that his
words were prompted by divine revelation. Throughout the history of Israel, God used their opponents
for his own purposes. I’m reminded of the prophecies of Balaam in Numbers 22-24 and proclamation of
King Cyrus of Persia (Ezra 1:1-2). These two examples demonstrate that the God of Israel is the God of
the universe who can use anyone for his purposes. Peter refers to him as “the God of our ancestors” to

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remind everyone that the God who performed amazing “signs and wonders” throughout Israel’s history
was the same God who was active in their world. How could they worship the God of Israel and yet not
recognize his handiwork right in front of them? Peter made the same argument about Jesus: “The God
of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross” (Acts 5:30).
They did not understand the scriptures or the power of God.
I have a quotation taped to my computer monitor: “Attempt something so big that unless God
intervenes it’s bound to fail!” I have to look at this every day to remind myself that I serve the God of
the universe. I love this little prayer from Blaise Pascal: “Lord, help me to do great things as though
they were little, since I do them with your power; and little things as though they were great, since I do
them in your name.” John Ortberg describes the life-changing impact of the knowledge that he serves a
big God: “I was ready to confront with resolve and firmness. I was filled with boldness and confidence. I
was released from anxiety and fear. I was ready to serve someone who needed help.”6
Doesn’t that
sound like the church in Acts 5? He reminds us that to “fear God” “involves reverence and awe, a
healthy recognition of who God is.”7
The fear that seized the whole church after the death of Ananias
and Sepphira was this type of fear—a recognition of the awesome power of God. Like the fear that the
disciples experienced when Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4:40-41). The fear of dying they felt before he
rebuked the waves was replaced by a reverent fear afterwards. I think we are like the Pharisees and
Sadducees when we do not know the scriptures or the power of God. When we do not comprehend the
mighty power of God, then we think that everything depends on us. If we truly believe that we serve a
God who created the world and is bigger than anything in it, then anything is possible. We need only
remember the words of Gamaliel: “For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is
from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God”
(Acts 5:39).
Acts 5:42
“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and
proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.”
1. We are the beneficiaries of the apostles’ unceasing determination to spread the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Imagine if they had evangelized like we do today! I doubt the church would have survived
very long. They understood that they were part of God’s unstoppable plan. How would your life
be different if you lived with this awareness every day? How can you cultivate a true reverence
for the power of God?
6
John Ortberg, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001,
p. 194.
7
Ibid, p. 200.

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Begin every day this week with Pascal’s prayer: “Lord, help me to do great things as though they were
little, since I do them with your power; and little things as though they were great, since I do them in
your name.” Pay attention to the way this prayer impacts your thoughts and behaviors.

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The Sacred Trust
Day 7
Acts 6:1-7
Luke packs a lot of meaning into seven short verses! He makes a dramatic shift from the supernatural
events in chapter 5 to the practical concerns in chapter 6. He describes a problem that arose due to the
multicultural nature of the early church. Remember, we’re still in Jerusalem so these are all Jews, but
some are “Hebraic Jews” and some are “Hellenistic Jews.” While there is some debate about what these
labels mean, most scholars believe that Hebraic Jews were from Palestine originally while Hellenistic
Jews were part of the diaspora who returned to Jerusalem after living elsewhere. That means that they
not only spoke a different language (Aramaic or Greek), but were also used to different customs. In this
particular case the custom was caring for widows. The Hellenistic Jews were complaining that their
widows were being “overlooked” in the distribution of food by the Hebraic Jews. The implication is that
this was not a mere oversight, but rather favoritism. If we tend to idealize the early church, we only
need to look to this passage to remind ourselves that even in the beginning, when “all the believers
were one in heart and mind,” there was conflict because they were, well, human.
The apostles’ solution is not only elegant, but also scriptural. We should recall the early days of the
exodus when Moses was trying to adjudicate all the Israelites’ petty squabbles and disputes by himself.
His father-in-law, Jethro, reminded Moses that his primary duty was to be the people’s representative to
God and vice versa. He was to be their teacher, not their ombudsman. “But select capable men from all
the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as
officials” (Exo. 18:21). Again in Numbers 11, God told Moses to bring 70 elders to the Tent of Meeting so
that God could give them his Spirit to “share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have
to carry it alone” (Num. 11:17). The number 7 has biblical significance. Consider that God appointed 70
elders and Jesus sent out 72 disciples. Clearly, leadership should be a shared responsibility.
They also modeled collaborative decision making. The apostles understood that their first responsibility
was “the ministry of the word of God” (v. 2), so they had to trust others to take care of the more
practical aspects of the church. Notice they did not dismiss the complaints of the Hellenistic Jews as
irrelevant. Taking care of widows and orphans is a biblical imperative. Psalm 68:5 refers to God as: “A
father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.” James put it this way: “Religion that God our Father
accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep
oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). It doesn’t get any more clear than that! So the

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issue was not whether taking care of the physical needs of their community was an important mission of
the church; the question was who should be in charge of ensuring it was being done well.
Wisely, the apostles put it back on the group itself to identify seven men “who are known to be full of
the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). This is the beginning of the office of deacon in the church, a position
that is often dedicated to charitable service. Paul describes the character of a deacon in 1 Timothy 3:8-
10 this way: “In the same way, deaconsare to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine,
and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear
conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as
deacons.” All the names of the seven men chosen are Greek names, so we can assume that the group
nominated Hellenistic Jews to give fair representation. They were presented to the apostles for
commissioning with laying on of hands. Paul tells Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is
within you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). This sort of spiritual commissioning occurs
only a couple times in the Old Testament. Once is in Numbers 8:10-11 when the Israelites laid hands on
the Levites to commission them to “do the work of the Lord.” The other is when Moses laid hands on
Joshua to commission him to take over leadership of the Israelites (Numbers 27:18-23). Given those two
precedents, this commissioning seems rather important!
We’re told that “the word of God spread” and “the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly”
(Acts 6:7). Luke suggests that this new leadership structure allowed the church to expand more rapidly.
He also suggests that God blessed this new arrangement. Any good leader will tell you that delegation is
a good management technique. But this is about more than efficiency. Leadership is a sacred trust,
especially in the church. That’s why the character of the men chosen was so important. They are leading
God’s flock. Before he ascended, Jesus told Peter “Take care of my sheep” (John 21:16). Jesus passed on
the mantle of sacred leadership to Peter, who in turn passed it along to these seven men. It is important
that we understand that the pastor cannot carry the full weight of responsibility in the church—that
he/she needs help. But it’s also important that we understand the responsibility of sacred leadership.
Even lay leaders are held to a higher standard. Every position in the church is important, but those who
lead others should view their positions as a sacred trust that has been handed down through the
centuries.
Acts 6:2
“So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the
ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from
among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to
them and will give our attention to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

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1. Have you ever held a leadership position within the church? Were you formally commissioned
for that position? Reflect on the importance of commissioning both clergy and lay leaders to do
“the work of the Lord.”
2. This passage in Acts reminds us of how important every role in the church is. What role do you
play? What is God calling you to do for his flock?
Think about all the leaders in your church. Take the time to write a note of thanks to each one for their
service and sacrifice.

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A Man Full of God’s Grace and Power
Day 8
Acts 6:8-7:60
This section of chapter six represents a shift in Acts from a focus on the Jewish Christians to a focus on
the Hellenistic Christians, as we saw in the first seven verses. Luke introduces Stephen and Philip in
verse 5, both of whom will play a significant role in the next few chapters. Luke also introduces another
important figure in the spread of Christianity outside of Palestine: Saul of Tarsus.
The stoning of Stephen is a dramatic and fateful event in the history of the church. Many scholars
consider it to be the critical turning point in the spread of the church to the Gentile territories.
Sometimes it’s difficult to take the long view of events when the short view is so tragic. Luke describes
Stephen as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5), and as “a man full of God’s grace and
power” (v.8). We’ve seen Peter, who was also filled with the Holy Spirit, survive being jailed, threatened,
and flogged to continue to boldly proclaim the good news. So why doesn’t the Holy Spirit protect
Stephen? Persecution continues to be a prevalent theme in Acts as it was in the gospels. They show us
that God does not abandon us in our suffering. In fact, he suffered first—he went before and knows
what we are going through. He sends the Holy Spirit to give us courage and strength during difficult
times, especially when we suffer in his name.
Opposition to Stephen’s preaching arose from within the Hellenistic Jews, “Jews of Cyrene and
Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia” (Acts 6:9). They began a rumor that Stephen was
blaspheming, so he was seized and brought before the Sanhedrin. Sound familiar? The parallel between
Stephen’s persecution and the persecution of Jesus is unmistakable. Both had false claims made about
them; both were brought before the Sanhedrin for “trial;” both were killed for the charge of blasphemy;
both are taken outside of the city to be killed; and both asked God to forgive their executioners. The
apostles did not avoid suffering; in fact, after they were flogged they were “rejoicing because they had
been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41). These were the same men who
abandoned Jesus when he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane! After the resurrection and
Pentecost, they understood the whole plan. Paul explains in Romans: “And we boast in the hope of the
glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to share,
because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to
us” (Romans 5:2-5). The is the theology of suffering that comforted and strengthened the early
Christians as they faced horrific persecution, and that still comforts us today.

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So what was Stephen accused of? We’ve heard some pretty fiery rhetoric from Peter, yet the Sanhedrin
decided to let him go. One difference that we notice between Peter’s speech and Stephen’s is that Peter
sticks closely to the kerygma about Jesus. Stephen, however, reaches back into Israelite history and
challenges some of the fundamental concepts of the Jewish faith, such as the sacredness of the land and
the temple. He invokes the sacred names of Abraham and Moses. The Jews were afraid that Stephen
was inciting the crowd to “destroy [the temple] and change the customs Moses handed down to us”
(Acts 6:14). They were irked by Peter’s constant focus on the resurrection of Jesus, but they were
appalled by Stephen’s revolutionary rhetoric.
When Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin to answer to these charges, he certainly didn’t
equivocate on his position. In fact, he delivered the longest speech in Acts. Unlike Jesus’ silence during
his trial, Stephen saw this as a platform to make his case. Here are the main points of his argument.
 God appeared before Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia (implying that God does not
only work inside the borders of Palestine)
 God made his sacred covenant with Abraham, who inherited no land during his lifetime but
would spawn a nation
 God spoke to Joseph in Egypt and gave him wisdom. He saved his family, who all died in Egypt.
 The Hebrews became oppressed in Egypt, but God raised up Moses who “was educated in all
the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22).
 God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and told him it was holy ground. He sent him to
rescue his people from Egypt.
 The Hebrews rejected Moses, even though he had been sent by God to deliver them. Moses
proved that he was sent by God when he led them out of Egypt and “performed wonders and
signs” (Acts 7:36).
 This same Moses told the Israelites “God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own
people” (Acts 7:37).
 But the Israelites rejected Moses’ God-inspired words and worshipped idols.
 The Israelites dwelled with the tabernacle, which moved with them, until Solomon built the
temple. “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands” (Acts 7:48).
 The Jews are still “stiff-necked people” who reject their prophets and killed the “Righteous
One.” Their “hearts and ears are still uncircumcised” because they have disobeyed the law that
was given to them.
We see two strong themes in this argument: 1) Jews have always rejected those whom God has sent to
save them; and 2) God is present everywhere, not just in Palestine and not just in the temple. Stephen
did not argue for the destruction of the temple, but he did imply its irrelevance for the spreading of
God’s kingdom. He did not argue for abolishing the law, but rather that Jews weren’t following the law
as it had been given to them.
Stephen didn’t say anything that Jesus had not already said in one form or another. Divine approval of
his words was demonstrated in a most dramatic way. “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to
heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). Scholars

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point out the significance of this vision in light of Luke 12:8: “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges
me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.” The fact that Jesus
was standing at the right hand of God rather than sitting suggests that he was standing as a witness to
the truth of Stephen’s words. Stephen said, “Look…I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at
the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). This is the only time that the phrase “Son of Man” appears in the
New Testament outside of the gospels. It reminds us of Jesus’ words to the Sanhedrin during his own
trial. When they asked him point-blank: “If you are the Messiah…tell us,” Jesus responded: “If I tell you,
you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will
be seated at the right hand of the mighty God” (Luke 22:67-69). These same men heard Stephen confirm
Jesus’ prophecy. How could they not give Stephen the same sentence that they gave Jesus?
There are many similarities, as I’ve already pointed out, between Stephen’s death and Jesus’. Stephen’s
last words: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” are almost
verbatim from the transcript of the crucifixion. Like Jesus, Stephen did not speak against the Jews out of
hatred for them, but rather out of love. He was preaching the new covenant, a covenant of forgiveness
and salvation for all, but they were not ready to hear it. It was time to take the gospel outside of
Palestine, to people who would be more receptive to its message. Luke cleverly inserts this little detail:
“Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58). It was, in
fact, the stoning of Stephen that led to the scattering of Christians throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts
8:1) and the rise of Saul as the chief persecutor of Christians (Acts 8:3). God uses even tragedies like the
martyrdom of Stephen for his good purposes.
I am reminded of Joseph’s prophetic words to his brothers in Genesis 50:20: “You intended to harm me,
but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” I am also
reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” As we see from Stephen’s story,
“for the good of those who love him” does not always mean that circumstances work out in our favor,
but they do work out according to God’s purpose. If we have faith in God’s plan then we, too, can rejoice
in our suffering when it is for his kingdom purposes. Stephen’s story also makes clear to us that God
never makes us suffer alone. Stephen was filled with God’s grace and power; Paul tells us: “In the same
way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness….And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,
because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Rom. 8:26-27). We,
too, are filled with God’s grace and power at precisely the moment when we need it the most. Praise
God!
Acts 6:15
“All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the
face of an angel.”

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1. This is an interesting passage from the story of Stephen. When we read “like the face of an
angel” we automatically imagine someone with a sweet, placid countenance. But angels in the
Bible are also those sent to impose God’s wrath or deliver a difficult message. I wonder if they
also saw on Stephen’s face the confidence of one who is resolute in his conviction. Picture Jesus
standing before the Sanhedrin with quiet resolve. Have you ever experienced that type of
resolve in facing an unpleasant situation? Where do you think that kind of conviction comes
from?
2. The history of the church is full of stories of martyrs like Stephen who gave their lives in the
service of the gospel. We aren’t all called to be martyrs, but we are called to sacrifice something
in the name of Jesus. What is your sacrifice? What have you, or would you, give up in the service
of your Lord?
Make a list of difficult circumstances you’ve experienced that led to something positive. What were the
blessings that came in, or from, your most trying times? Where was God in your suffering? Read Romans
8:26-39 and offer a prayer of thanks that “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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A Divine Appointment
Day 9
Acts 8:1-40
The persecution of Stephen led to the wholesale persecution of the church in Jerusalem, as Luke
explains in 8:1-3. That persecution led to two significant events: the scattering of “all except the
apostles” throughout Judea and Samaria, and the tyranny of Saul over the Christians. It’s not clear why
the apostles did not leave Jerusalem, but the dispersion of disciples allowed a new generation of
evangelists to shine. One of the most effective of these was Philip. In this chapter we see how Philip’s
evangelism led to the conversion of Samaria and Ethiopia, fulfilling Jesus’ commandment to “be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Philip traveled to Samaria, the sworn enemy of Israel. The Samaritans were Jews of the northern
kingdom who had intermarried with foreigners. They were considered to be apostates, the lost sheep of
Israel, and unclean. Luke gave Samaritans a prominent place in his gospel account, in the story of the
Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and the 10 lepers who were healed (Luke 17:11-19), perhaps knowing
the significance of their conversion for God’s master plan. In chapter 8 we see that plan come to
fruition.
If we ever doubt what one person can do to change the world, we need only think of Philip. Philip’s
evangelistic courage is on display in this chapter as he preaches the gospel in Samaria and to a high-
ranking official of Ethiopia. First he goes to Samaria and performs “signs,” which we assume are
healings and driving out demons. He proclaimed “the good news of the kingdom of God and the name
of Jesus Christ”—the kerygma—and multitudes of Samaritans were baptized (v. 12). Word of Philip’s
success got back to the apostles, who sent Peter and John to Samaria. They sealed the deal by praying
for the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon the Samaritan believers. Some commentators call this the
Samaritan Pentecost, the first mass conversion and baptism outside of Jerusalem. This was a huge
accomplishment for the early church, and it started with one man’s boldness.
A sorcerer named Simon was among those who were baptized by Philip. It’s not clear what Simon’s gig
was, but he displays some strong professional jealousy for Philip’s ability to work miracles and Peter and
John’s ability to call upon the Holy Spirit through laying on of hands. Even though he is said to be a
believer, Simon reveals that his motives are impure. Our first clue is that he “boasted that he was
someone great” (Acts 8:9). Real men of God are humble and give God all the glory. The second clue
comes when he tries to purchase the apostle’s ability! This seems absurd, but the practice of paying to
receive sacraments or ordination to a holy office became known as “simony” after Simon Magus in Acts.

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This was a major problem in the history of the church when Kings and Emperors appointed bishops, and
led to the separation of church and state in medieval Europe. Perhaps this was a major problem in the
early church as well, which is why Luke included the story of Simon the charlatan. In fact, the problem
had existed in ancient Israel as well. There were prophets-for-hire who would tell the king whatever he
wanted to hear in exchange for a comfortable lifestyle. For example, in 1 Kings 22:6 we learn that King
Ahab had 400 prophets, all of whom prophesied in his favor! The church must always be vigilant in
appointing its leaders and assessing their call to ministry. There are still charlatans among us today who
grow large churches to feed their own ego and opulent lifestyle.
After converting the Samaritans, Philip was called by an angel of the Lord to go south of Jerusalem.
We’ve seen many significant journeys in the Bible that began with a vague divine call to “go.” Philip
obeyed, and on a nondescript desert road he met an Ethiopian eunuch who was a high-ranking official of
the Queen. The eunuch was a Jewish proselyte who had been in Jerusalem to worship at the temple and
was now reading from Isaiah during this travels home. Philip boldly ran up to the chariot and asked: “Do
you understand what you are reading?” A good Jew, the eunuch replied, “How can I…unless someone
explains it to me?” (Acts 8:30-31). That was the invitation Philip needed to explain the link between the
Suffering Servant in Isaiah and Jesus. Philip’s explanation of the scriptures in light of Jesus’ suffering,
death, and resurrection is similar to the way Jesus explained himself to the disciples on the road to
Emmaus in Luke 24. At the end of that journey they broke bread together, the disciples’ eyes were
opened, and Jesus disappeared. At the end of Philip’s evangelizing, the eunuch asked to be baptized and
then Philip disappeared. Luke leaves no doubt that Philip’s encounter with the eunuch was a divine
appointment.
Philip was sent to convert an entire region and to convert one person (who could then return to his
country and convert his own people). Both are equally important in the eyes of God. Chapter eight is the
last we hear of Philip in Acts, except for a brief reference in 21:8-9. He stands as a great model of
evangelism. He took every opportunity to share the good news wherever he went, and we should do the
same. Every encounter we have could be a divine appointment.
Acts 8:5-8
“Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip
and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure
spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in
that city.”
1. Imagine how scary it must have been for Philip to go to a strange place alone and preach the
gospel to strangers. We’re much more comfortable in our own churches than going out to reach
people where they are. What lessons can we learn from Philip’s example?

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2. Can you think of a time when you have experienced a divine appointment with someone? Either
they were sent for you or you were sent for them, with just the right words for the situation?
Think about how God uses us in all circumstances if we are obedient to his promptings.
What do you think happened to the Ethiopian eunuch after his encounter with Philip? Write a first-
person narrative of his conversion and what he did after Philip disappeared before his eyes.

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The Worst of Sinners
Day 10
Acts 9:1-31
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that
he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a
violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance
and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me
abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Jesus
Christ. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full
acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—
of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown
mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might
display his immense patience as an example for those who
would believe in him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:12-
16)
Here in chapter nine the story of the church takes a most unexpected, and some would say improbable,
turn. Saul the persecutor becomes Paul the convert in, literally, a flash. When we compare the beginning
of chapter nine with this passage from 1 Timothy, we can see the stark contrast. Saul was a strict
Pharisee who studied under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), the honored teacher of the law we saw in Acts 5. To
hear him describe his pre-conversion self as “a blasphemer” would have certainly been shocking to a
Jewish audience. So would his comments that he “acted in ignorance and unbelief” and that he was “the
worst of sinners.” Saul was a “persecutor and a violent man,” but he was taking severe measures to
protect his religious beliefs and traditions from what he considered to be a dangerous threat. Saul would
have characterized his persecution of the Christians as righteous indignation, not violence. So what
happened?
To answer this question, we must revisit Jesus’ accusations to the Pharisees in the gospels. In Matthew
12:30-32 Jesus said: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me
scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone
who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” When
he was in the temple, Jesus quoted Psalm 118, “The stone the builders rejected has become the

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cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes,” and then warned the Pharisees:
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who
will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls
will be crushed” (Matt. 21:43). Peter also quoted this verse from Psalm 118 when he was brought before
the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:11. Saul found out what it meant to be “broken to pieces” on the cornerstone!
Every child who has ever sat in Sunday School knows the story of Saul’s conversion on the road to
Damascus. It has even become its own category of conversion: “He had a road to Damascus experience.”
But I would venture to say that Saul’s experience was unique in Christianity. It has all the markings of a
theophany, a divine visitation. It happened suddenly and unexpectedly: “suddenly a light from heaven
flashed around him” (v. 3). He heard the voice of Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (v. 4).
We should be reminded of Moses’ encounter with the burning bush in Exodus 3 when God called:
“Moses! Moses!” (Exo. 3:4). Saul recognized it as the voice of God: “Who are you, Lord?” Like Moses,
Saul asked for his divine name. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” was the unexpected reply (v. 5).
Then he was given a mission to go into Damascus, just as Moses was given a mission to return to Egypt.
Simultaneously, the Lord came to Ananias in a vision and told him to go find Saul (Acts 9:10-11), just as
he visited Aaron and told him to go meet his brother Moses in the wilderness (Exo. 4:27). Even the fact
that Saul was smuggled out of Damascus in a basket (Acts 9:25) suggests the parallel with the story of
Moses! Saul was being called to lead the Gentiles to the Promised Land. Just as Moses was from Egypt
and knew its ways, Paul was from Tarsus and knew the ways of the Greek-speaking world. His last words
in the book of Acts, spoken before the Jewish leaders in Rome, were: “Therefore I want you to know
that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” (Acts 28:28). He acknowledged
that he was called by Jesus specifically to be a missionary among the Gentiles: “But when God, who set
me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so
that I might preach him among the Gentiles” (Galatians 1:15-16). Again like Moses, Saul was set apart
from birth to play a unique role in God’s story.
But Saul did not work alone. He was blind for three days after his conversion, so God called Ananias to
lay hands on him and fill him with the Holy Spirit. “Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s
eyes, and he could see again” (Acts 9:18). It’s like Saul had his own version of Jesus’ resurrection and the
apostles’ Pentecost all at once! There is some discrepancy between Luke’s version and Paul’s version of
what happened next. Luke says that Saul spent “several days with the disciples in Damascus” and then
began preaching “at once.” Paul said that he spent that time alone: “my immediate response was not to
consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but
I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus” (Galatians 1:16-17). Paul’s point in this passage from
Galatians was that his revelation was a divine event, and not one suggested to him by the apostles or
any other human being. In fact, he lists his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus as the last of
the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:8). The three years he spent in Arabia
could be viewed like Jesus’ time alone in the wilderness after his baptism in preparation for beginning
his ministry. Certainly it takes time to make such a dramatic shift in one’s life, and preparation is an
important part of ministry. But Luke chooses to focus on the time Paul spent with the apostles,
becoming a trusted part of the community.

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It’s easy to imagine why the disciples in Jerusalem would be afraid of Saul. Their strongest opponent
suddenly shows up on their doorstep claiming to be one of them? We know from 1 Corinthians 15 that
Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem was three years after his conversion and he had been away during that time,
so it’s understandable why they would be skeptical. We saw an example of false conversion in Simon the
Samaritan sorcerer in Acts 8, so they had encountered this before. But Barnabas took a risk and became
Saul’s advocate, vouching for the legitimacy of his conversion. Barnabas reminds me of Jonathan in 1
Samuel who befriended David and defended him to his father, Saul. Jonathan and David became lifelong
friends, as did Paul and Barnabas. We need good Christian friends whom we can trust. Not everyone is
called to be star in God’s story; some of us are called to be supporting actors.
There is much for us to learn from the story of Saul’s conversion. These lessons come to mind:
 No one is beyond God’s grace, mercy, and redemption—even “the worst of sinners.”
 God uses everyone in his redemptive plan, so who are we to judge who is worthy and who isn’t?
 Everyone’s conversion story is unique. Christ speaks to each of us in our own way and time. Like
Saul and Moses, we just need to recognize his voice.
 Conversion isn’t real unless our lives are fundamentally changed. Saul even got a new name to
signify that he had become a new person: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation
has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:17).
 The journey of faith is not meant to be traveled alone; we need other Christians to nurture,
encourage, and challenge us.
Conversion is both a personal and a communal experience. It signifies our rebirth in the Holy Spirit (John
3:6-8) and our entry into the Body of Christ. It also involves the bestowing of spiritual gifts that God
intends to use to further his kingdom. Saul’s gift was preaching the gospel to the Gentiles—and no one
was more surprised than Saul! That’s not what he had prepared for, or the way he imagined spending
his life. But God took Saul’s passion and redirected it for his own purposes. Once we say “yes” to Christ,
our life is no longer our own; we discover a new life, a new spirit, and a new purpose.
Acts 9:18-19
“Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was
baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.”
1. When the scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see again, I would imagine that he saw things
very differently. In your faith journey, can you recall a time when the scales fell from your eyes
and you saw things from God’s perspective? What was that experience like?
2. Describe your own conversion experience. Was it sudden like Saul’s or more gradual? How has
your life been different since then?

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Imagine what it must have been like for Saul to undergo such a dramatic conversion experience. Write a
first-person account from the moment he saw the flash of light to the moment when the scales fell from
his eyes. What were those three days like for Saul? What was going through his mind? Have you ever
experienced a period of waiting like that? Why are waiting and preparation such an important part of
life-changing events?

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The Transformation of Peter
Day 11
Acts 9:32-10:23
The stories of healing that Luke includes in chapter nine are likely placed there more for geographical
reasons than for theological ones. We’ve already seen that Peter and the other apostles had the power
to heal. But these two stories take place in Joppa and Lydda, which were located on the Mediterranean
coast and about thirty miles south of Caesarea, where Cornelius lived. So the stories of Aeneas and
Tabitha/Dorcas serve as a hinge between Peter’s ministry in Jerusalem and the conversion of Cornelius
and his household.
The healing of Aeneas is reminiscent of the healing stories in the gospel. Peter finds the paralyzed man
and commanded him in the name of Jesus to “Get up and roll up your mat” (Acts 9:34). Notice that
when Peter healed the lame man in 3:7, “he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles
became strong.” Jesus never helped anyone up; he always commanded them to stand or walk. However,
the method Jesus used to heal each person was unique to that person, so perhaps that’s what Peter
learned from his master. The act of helping up the lame man may have been part of the healing process,
where that wasn’t necessary with Aeneas. Luke reports that “All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon
saw him and turned to the Lord” (v. 35). That’s quite a harvest of souls! I’m reminded of the Parable of
the Sower when Jesus said, “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred
times more than was sown” (Luke 8:8). In his travels, Peter was spreading the seed of the gospel
generously and here we can see the impact of just one seed.
The healing of Tabitha/Dorcas is much more dramatic, and should remind us of the healing of Jairus’
daughter (Mark 5:37-43, Luke 8:51-56). Mark tells us that Jesus allowed only Peter to be with him when
he brought the girl to life (Mark 5:37), so Peter had first-hand knowledge of what Jesus did and said
(remember that Mark relied heavily on Peter’s witness in writing his gospel). Like Jesus, Peter sent them
all out of the room. Since Jesus was not there in person, Peter prayed to him. He then said “Tabitha, get
up,” which in Aramaic would have sounded very much like Jesus’ words to Jairus’ daughter: “Talitha
Koum!” (“Little girl, get up”) (Mark 5:41). Jesus took the little girl by the hand, just as Peter took Tabitha
by the hand (Acts 9:41). Luke leaves no doubt that Peter’s ability to raise Tabitha from the dead came
from Jesus himself. The biggest difference in these two miracles is that Jesus “gave strict orders not to
let anyone know about this” (Mark 5:43), whereas Peter “called for the believers, especially the widows,
and presented her to them alive” (Acts 9:41). Just as in Lydda, this miraculous healing led to mass
conversions in Joppa. Perhaps it was this success that caused Peter to stay in Joppa “for some time,”
setting up his meeting with Cornelius in Caesarea.

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We know this meeting was divinely appointed because it starts with a double vision, much like Saul’s
conversion. It begins when an angel of God visited Cornelius, a Roman centurion who was “devout and
God-fearing” (Acts 10:2). Scholars are divided on exactly what this phrase means—was he a Jewish
convert or merely an unbaptized sympathizer? Today we might describe Cornelius as “spiritual but not
religious.” There is no question that he was a good man who already demonstrated a life of devotion
and service. While he was at prayer, the angel told him that his good works had not gone unnoticed by
God, so he had a divine task for him to do: send his men to Joppa to find Peter and bring him back. I
suppose that Cornelius himself could have traveled to Joppa to find Peter, but again, geography was
important. This was Peter’s journey, not Cornelius’.
The following day Peter was also at prayer. He fell into a trance and had a vision of a large sheet coming
down out of heaven containing “all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds” (Acts
10:12). Then a divine voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat” (v. 13). This must have sounded like the
voice of the serpent, tempting him to eat the forbidden fruit. Peter responds, “Surely not, Lord!...I have
never eaten anything impure or unclean” (v. 14). We’ve heard this righteous indignation in Peter’s voice
before. Right after Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah, he rebuked Jesus for telling them that he
must suffer and die so that he could be resurrected (Mark 8:32). Jesus’ response to Peter’s lecture was,
“Get behind me, Satan!...You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (v.
33). Similarly, God rebukes Peter right back: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean”
(Acts 10:15). Luke tells us, “This happened three times,” suggesting that Peter was a tough sell. When
anything happens three times in the Bible, it’s significant.
“While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out
where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate” (Acts 10:17). I imagine that Peter was doing more
than “wondering” about what had just happened; he was experiencing some significant cognitive
dissonance. How was a devout Jew to respond to this revelation about something that was central to his
religious beliefs? Peter was in such inner turmoil and deep thought that the Holy Spirit had to interrupt
him to tell him to answer the door (v. 19-20). Immediately following this disturbing revelation, Peter
found Gentiles standing at his door. “Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests” (v. 23).
This seemingly insignificant sentence signals a huge shift in thinking for Peter. No good Jew would invite
Gentiles into his home, much less as his house guests. I’m sure God’s words were still ringing in his head:
“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This applied to people as well as animals. The
invisible boundary between Jew and Gentile had been erased.
God had called Saul to be the apostle to the Gentiles and now God was tearing down the wall between
them. This shift in thinking led Paul to write to the church in Galatia: “So in Christ Jesus you are all
children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you are
all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the
promise” (Gal. 3:26-29). Those of us reading these words are the beneficiaries of Peter’s vision and
Paul’s calling. Those of us who are American Christians should be doubly grateful, for this truth of the
Bible led another group of men to declare: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these

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are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”8
This was the last piece of the puzzle that revealed to
Peter God’s ultimate plan for humanity. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.
Acts 10:13-15
“Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten
anything impure or unclean.’ The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that
God has made clean.’”
1. The division between Jews and Gentiles within the church was erased long ago, but are there
other groups of people that we consider “unclean”? What can we learn from Peter’s vision
about who is acceptable in the eyes of God?
2. Have you ever experienced this type of life-changing revelation that required you to
fundamentally change your beliefs? What does that kind of shift in perspective require? Is there
still a transformation that God needs you to make?
Imagine that you fell into a trance and had a vision like Peter’s. What do you think God would reveal to
you about how the church today treats people? Write a modern version of this scene.
8
Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

Hechos de Los Apostoles.pdf

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