Through the Bible - Acts

Jesus Christ, thank you for how great and awesome you are. As we just sang that song from 1 John, "Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we would be called the children of God." It is just amazing, Lord. It's hard to even put into words the great blessing it is that you have given to us in making us your children tonight, making us co-heirs with your Son. What an amazing gift you've given to us by your grace.

As we look into this passage of Scripture tonight, I pray that you would continue to teach us by your Spirit. You promised that you would give us the Spirit of truth, who would guide us in all truth and teach us all things. So we ask that you do that tonight by your Holy Spirit, just as you did over 1900 years ago in the early church that we're going to be looking at here in this passage. We praise you and we thank you that you have given us your Word. In Jesus' name, amen.

Well, this is a great book of Scripture. If you were to remove the book of Acts from the New Testament, the Bible wouldn't make sense. A New Testament wouldn't make a lot of sense. It would seem that it would remove so much of the fullness of what goes on in the New Testament.

For those of you who haven't been joining us every Saturday night, we've been going through a book a week in the Bible for about the last year, a little bit more than a year. We have covered the entire Old Testament and just finished the Gospel of John. So we've gone through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and now we come to the book of Acts. In my Bible, it is titled "The Acts of the Apostles." How many of you have that in your Bible as well?

The Acts of the Apostles is true in one sense. The author of this book is thought to be the same as the author of the Gospel of Luke, which is believed to be Luke himself. We know this because, in the Gospel of Luke, it started as a writing addressed to a man by the name of Theophilus. When we come to Acts chapter 1, verse 1, he says,

And so it picks up right where the Gospel of Luke leaves off. Jesus is just about to ascend into heaven. This is the logical progression as you go into the next several chapters, where He lays out what happened with the early church.

You will remember, as you look at Jesus' last sayings just before He ascended into heaven and left His disciples, the key one that we often refer to is the Great Commission in Matthew chapter 28, verses 19 and 20. Here, Jesus tells His disciples that all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth. The church, for nearly 1,900 years, has been very focused on that commission of "go, go, go, go, go" into all the world. The Book of Acts shows that fulfillment right from the very beginning.

However, there is something very key in that verse that the church has a tendency to skip over. It is not just "go," but "lo." "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." While we call this the Acts of the Apostles because we see the ministry, the teaching, and the works of Peter, James, John, Paul, Timothy, Silas, Barnabas, and many other characters introduced to us in these 28 chapters, the one that is seen more than any other character in the Book of Acts is the Holy Spirit.

That's right, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is mentioned time and time again. In fact, I counted over 57 references to the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts. That is an awful lot, considering that the Holy Spirit is mentioned in every single chapter. God is moving by His Holy Spirit.

In Matthew chapter 28, Jesus said to go into all the world and make disciples, but He also said, "Lo, I am with you always." We must take the Great Commission, what Jesus said in Matthew 28 at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, and combine it with the work of the Holy Spirit in the early church.

In Acts chapter 1, we see an important moment with Jesus. After Luke begins this work, he notes that, being assembled together with them, Jesus commanded his disciples not to depart from Jerusalem. Instead, they should wait. Circle the word "wait" in your Bibles. They were to wait for the promise of the Father, which He had mentioned to them.

For John truly baptized with water, but they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. This is the first reference to the Holy Spirit, indicating that they would be baptized with Him. Last week, we discussed the Gospel of John, where in John 20, Jesus breathes on His disciples and says, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." In the Gospel of John, we gain insight into the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, especially during what is called the upper room discourse, found in John chapters 14 through 16.

Jesus reveals to His disciples, and to us today, the ministry of the Holy Spirit within the church. He tells them that the Holy Spirit is in the world. In John 16, He explains that the Holy Spirit is doing three things: convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He also tells His disciples in John chapter 14 that the Holy Spirit is with them and shall be in them.

Then, in John chapter 20, He breathes on them and says, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." I believe that at this moment, they receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and are truly born again. Man could not be born again until after Jesus had raised from the dead; He is the first fruits from the dead.

In Acts chapter 1, we read of another aspect of the Holy Spirit's ministry with the church. Jesus instructs this group of disciples, who already have the indwelling Holy Spirit, to go into all the world and make disciples, as stated in Matthew 28. However, He first tells them to wait in Jerusalem until they receive the promise of the Father, which He had already spoken of.

When they had come together, they asked Him, "Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom unto Israel?" Jesus replied, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons."

Seasons which the Father has put in His own power, but you shall receive what? Power. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me, both in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth. He says you are going to receive power. Wait in Jerusalem until you receive the promise of the Father, which I have spoken of to you, the Holy Spirit. John baptized you with water, but you shall be baptized with the Spirit not many days from now.

Then He says you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. The Holy Spirit is in the world alongside of people, convicting them of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. When they are drawn to Jesus and they place their faith in Jesus Christ, then the Holy Spirit indwells them. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 that you and I are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer, but then Jesus speaks about the coming upon of the Holy Spirit. This is what we call the epi experience. Epi, E-P-I in the Greek, is the word for "upon."

Here He tells His disciples that they have a mission, a purpose that He has called them to, to go and make disciples. However, it is a work that He is going to do in them by the Holy Spirit as He comes upon them. They need to wait until they receive the promise of the Father. Tarry here in Jerusalem, for you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you to be witnesses.

This is the ability from God, a dynamic. The word in the Greek is dunamis, the dynamic power of God to be able to apply the things that He has called us to do. If it were left to you and me to go and make disciples of all nations and we had to do it in our own strength, we would fail. We see how the church has largely failed, trying to do it in their own strength.

If you look at the church in America, especially in the last 50 years, you see a church that has tried, with all its technology and great resources, to do God's work without God's power. A.W. Tozer once said that if you had removed the Holy Spirit from the first-century church, from the church that we read about in the Book of Acts, then 90% of what they would do would come to a slamming halt. But if you were to remove the Holy Spirit from the church in America today, in the year 2008, 90% of the church's work would continue going on just like nothing ever happened.

The work that the Holy Spirit affects in the Book of Acts is amazing. It is the Holy Spirit that not only draws people to the Lord, but it is also...

The Holy Spirit stirs the church to go out, giving them boldness, the words to speak, and the power to perform miracles. The Holy Spirit is seen so powerfully in the Book of Acts that it should probably be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit instead of the Acts of the Apostles. It is called the Acts of the Apostles because the Holy Spirit uses men.

One of the analogies that Pastor Richard has used for many years in speaking about the Holy Spirit is the analogy of a glove. You and I are like a glove. When the Holy Spirit indwells us, when He puts His hand in us, He can use us for great things. However, if the glove is just left there on the podium, it does nothing without the power of the Lord moving in and through our lives. We need the Holy Spirit moving in and through our lives and overflowing us, just as Jesus spoke of in John chapter 7. On that great day of the feast, He said, "If any man thirsts, let him come unto me and receive this living water, and out of his belly will flow forth rivers of living water." John tells us that He spoke of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they receive power from on high, this power from the Father. Then they will be witnesses. The word in the original language is "martyro," from which we get our word "martyr." They will be witnesses unto Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.

As I go through the Scriptures, I have seen that Jesus never calls you and me to do something that He has not already fulfilled. He is our example when it comes to serving, loving our neighbor, and loving God. We see that Jesus is our example in everything. Here, He tells His disciples that they are going to be witnesses unto Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts.

It is very interesting to me that in the Gospel of John, Jesus fulfills this perfectly. His ministry really begins in the Gospel of John when He goes to Jerusalem in John chapter 2 and cleanses the temple. You remember that whole picture? He goes and cleanses the temple. As He leaves, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and chief priests come and ask Him, "By what authority have you done these things? Show us a sign." The sign that He speaks of is, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." John tells us that this He spoke of His body, which His disciples did not understand at the time until He had raised from the dead. His ministry really starts right there.

In John chapter 2, Jesus goes into the temple and cleanses it while He is in Jerusalem. Then, in John chapter 3, one of the Pharisees, Nicodemus, comes to speak with Jesus. At the end of John chapter 3, it says that Jesus, in verse 22, moved out to Judea and was ministering there for a time.

In John chapter 4, Jesus moves from Judea to Samaria, where He meets the woman at the well. Later in John chapter 4, verse 43, Jesus moves from Samaria into the region called Galilee of the Gentiles. He travels between the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee, which is on the west, and the more Gentile side, which is on the east. He goes back and forth between the Jewish region and the Decapolis, which means the ten cities, referring to these ten Gentile cities.

You see that Jesus moved from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the uttermost parts. He calls us to do the same. He says He wants us to move from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the uttermost parts. We might think that we need to get on a plane and go to Jerusalem to start, but I believe that is not what the Lord is speaking about here. I believe He is saying that we should start right at home, that our ministry must begin first in our hometown or in our sphere of influence. God always begins it there.

As we are faithful in little things, He begins to move us out into the surrounding regions—from Escondido, maybe to North County, then from North County to Southern California, and then on into America, and finally to the uttermost parts. God desires to raise us up and push us out of the nest, so to speak. He has many different ways to bring us out into the world, as we see in the book of Acts.

In Acts chapter 1, verse 8, we read that the Holy Spirit would come upon them and give them power to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts. However, about five years after Jesus says that, where are all the apostles? They are still in Jerusalem, remaining there until something happens. Acts chapter 1, verse 8, turns into Acts chapter 8, verse 1, where it states that Saul was consenting to the death of Stephen. At that time, there was a great persecution against the church that was in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. Thus, the church begins to be pushed out of Jerusalem.

Persecution. By the persecution of this man, Saul, who made havoc, we read in verse 3 that Saul made havoc of the church, entering into every house and hauling men and women, committing them unto prison. Therefore, they were scattered abroad and went everywhere preaching the word. This is exactly what God had called them to do. He told them that He would give them the power to become witnesses unto Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts, as stated in Acts chapter 1, verse 8. However, by Acts chapter 8, verse 1, they hadn't left until God used persecution to push them out.

Now, we're not going to spend much time on this, but I think you might begin to see some correlations to what's happening in our own nation today. We aren't currently experiencing persecution within the church, but our nation is going through great financial difficulty and havoc. I believe that the Lord is using this to stir us to get out and preach the gospel. When all the things that people trust in begin to fall and be shaken, they start looking for something that stands strong. There is only one foundation that will never be moved, and that is Jesus Christ. We have the words of eternal life; we have the message that this world so desperately needs.

We may very likely move into a time in our nation where we, as a church, experience difficulty and persecution. However, right now, we have great religious liberty and freedom. May the Lord stir us to use this opportunity as we see these doors open.

God begins to build His church in the book of Acts, just as He promised He would do in Matthew chapter 16. You will remember that Peter made that great declaration in Matthew 16: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said, "Flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, but my Father, which is in heaven." Then He says, "You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church."

He also says something very interesting to Peter there in the book of Acts. He tells him that He is giving him the keys of the kingdom. This is a very interesting term that Jesus uses as He speaks to Peter. In fact, if you go to Europe today and visit the different churches, particularly the great Catholic cathedrals, you will always be able to identify the statue of the apostle Peter because he is always holding a couple of keys in his hands. If you go to the Vatican, you can quickly point out, "Oh, there's Peter. He's got the keys."

Go to really any number of the churches throughout Europe, especially the Catholic churches, and you can always point out Peter. You don't have to know what he looked like; you just know he's got the keys because Jesus told him, "I'm going to give you the keys of the kingdom," which the Book of Acts really begins to reveal for us.

What does that mean, this whole idea of the keys of the kingdom? Remember what Paul says in Romans chapter 1, verse 16? He tells the church at Rome, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to who? To the Jew first, but also to who? The Gentile or the Greek, to all that would believe." The gospel was sent first to the Jew and then to the Gentile.

When you read the Book of Acts, you will see that Peter is the one used by God, by the Holy Spirit, to first preach to both the Jew and the Gentile, to bring the gospel to both. It begins as the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church in Acts chapter 2. Remember Jesus says to his disciples, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You're going to be baptized by the Holy Spirit within just a couple of days. Wait here in Jerusalem."

Then, in Acts 2, verse 1, we read, "And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire that sat upon each of them, and they were filled with what? The Holy Spirit. And they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."

There were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now, when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and they were confounded because every man heard them speak in his own language. They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Behold, are these not that speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear every man in our own tongue wherein we were born?" A list of nations is given there.

In verse 11, we read, "We do hear them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." They were all amazed when they saw this, and they were in doubt, saying one to another, "What manner of thing is this?" Some were mocking, saying, "These men are full of new wine," or "they're drunk."

But Peter stood up. In verse 14, Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said unto them, "You men of Judea and all that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known unto you and hearken to my words, for these are not drunk as you suppose."

Suppose, for it is just the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. It shall come to pass in the last days, saith the Lord, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. On my servants and on my handmaids, I will pour out in those days my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven and signs in the earth beneath: blood, fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and notable day of the Lord. It shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders, signs, which God did by him in your midst, as you yourselves know. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by wicked hands and crucified and slain.

Here we see Peter, stirred and filled with the Holy Spirit. He stands up and preaches the gospel to a group of people. That's right, Jews—devout men dwelling at Jerusalem, as noted in verse 5 of Acts chapter 2. God uses Peter to open the door of the gospel to the Jews. He essentially has the keys there for the Jews.

Then, in Acts chapter 10, another very interesting story takes place. Peter is in Joppa, which is near the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport village. He is at Simon the Tanner's house, up on the rooftop. The Lord gives him a vision; he sees a sheet coming down from heaven filled with all kinds of animals, including some that are unclean. The Lord tells him to go and take and eat. Peter responds, saying he has never done that and would never eat such a thing, as those things are unclean.

Three times he sees this vision from the Lord, and the Lord says to him, "Don't call unclean what the Lord has called clean." Then the Lord tells him that downstairs, there are a couple of men who have come to find him, and he is to go with them. Stirred by the Holy Spirit and spoken to by God, Peter is taken to Cornelius's house in Acts chapter 10, to a group of Gentiles. Cornelius was a Roman soldier, a Roman centurion.

Stirred by God, Peter goes to a house and preaches the gospel. While he is in the middle of preaching, the people are filled with the Holy Spirit and are saved. In the next chapter, when Peter returns to Jerusalem, they all rejoice together that the gospel had been preached to the Gentiles. God used Peter to open the door of the gospel first to the Jews and also to the Gentiles. As you see in the Book of Acts, the gospel begins to spread throughout the kingdom and into all the world.

It's interesting to think about the whole idea of the gospel, the good news. We spent the last month going through the four gospels and considering them. Before we move on with the Book of Acts, we need to understand one of the first things, what we might call the first word of the gospel. Did you know that the gospel has a first word? You might think, "Well, I don't know what that is." I have asked a few people before what they think the first word of the gospel is, and some say, "Well, it's love," or "Maybe it's grace," or "The first word is God."

That's right; I hear someone saying it back there. In Matthew chapter 3, verse 2, it says that John the Baptist began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Then Jesus, in Matthew chapter 4, verse 17, spoke the first words of His gospel message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." When Peter spoke to the Jews in Acts chapter 2, they cried out to him, "What must we do?" In verse 38, the first thing he said was, "Repent."

When Peter spoke to the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10, some people claim he never mentioned repentance. However, if you look at Acts chapter 11, verse 18, when Peter returned to Jerusalem, they brought word of what God had done among the Gentiles at Cornelius' house. In Acts chapter 11, verse 18, when they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, "Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

Repentance unto life is significant. In Acts chapter 20, verse 21, Paul the Apostle states, "Testifying to both Jews and also to Greeks or Gentiles." He emphasizes how he kept back nothing that was profitable to them, but he showed and taught them publicly and from house to house.

Repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ are central themes in the gospel. God has called us to preach the gospel of repentance. In the book of Luke, John the Baptist addressed sinners who were calling out to him, asking, "What must we do?" He responded, "Bring forth fruits unto repentance."

Additionally, in Luke chapter 24, verse 47, which is the final part of the gospel of Luke, it states in verse 46, "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day." It continues, "And that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." God instructed these people to start at Jerusalem, then move to Judea, Samaria, and ultimately to the uttermost parts of the earth. We are called to go into all the world and preach repentance.

So, what is this concept of repentance? It is essentially the act of turning away from oneself as God to God as God. It involves turning away from the worldly system towards God, putting your faith in Him, and following Him. This is the gospel that the Lord has commissioned us to share with the world.

Initially, He gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter, who opened the door for us to spread the message. The book of Acts narrates the story of the church taking the gospel into all the world and preaching to every possible person who could hear. It is an incredible story, showcasing the journeys of Peter and John in Jerusalem.

We see how God takes Peter away into the surrounding regions for a time. A group of young men is raised up to serve, and God uses Stephen to preach the gospel. Then, we witness how God guides Philip, another one of those men, to preach the gospel in miraculous ways. Peter continues his ministry for a while longer, and we are introduced to Saul of Tarsus in Acts chapter 8, verse 1. Saul made havoc of the church; he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, a Jewish man determined to eliminate Christians. He went from house to house, seeking to bind them and bring them to Jerusalem.

Saul obtained letters from the chief priest to travel to Damascus in Syria to find Christians and bring them back bound to Jerusalem. However, while on the road to Damascus, as described in Acts chapter 9, he encountered a great light around midday that knocked him off his donkey. He heard a voice from heaven asking, "Saul, Saul, why are you..."

Persecuting me? I find it interesting that Jesus takes it personally when people persecute His church. He says, "Why are you persecuting me?" Saul responds, "Who are you, Lord?" Jesus replies, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting." That man was radically transformed in an instant. I can't even imagine what must have gone through his head when he heard this voice from heaven saying, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting." Everything he had sought to do in the name of the Lord had now been completely flipped on its head.

For three days, he is led into Damascus. During this time, he sits by himself with blinded eyes, having scales on his eyes, until God speaks to a man named Ananias. God instructs Ananias to go pray for Saul and show him the things that he must suffer for His name. Ananias hesitates, saying, "Lord, we know who this guy is. He's bad news." But God reassures him, saying, "Yes, but he prays." So, Ananias is sent to Saul. When Ananias prays for him, the scales fall from Saul's eyes, and immediately, this transformation takes place. He begins to preach the gospel.

Saul goes to the synagogue in Damascus. Can you imagine hearing news of this guy who was coming to destroy the church, and the next thing you know, he is teaching the church? It would be almost as if Osama bin Laden were up here tonight teaching us the Bible. We would all be blown away by that. This is literally the whole picture of what was going on here.

I find it interesting because I imagine that the people in the early church were praying that Saul would be killed. They were likely praying for his death. Yet, God saved him. It's miraculous—a mighty thing that God did. Sometimes, we are so thankful for the prayers that God doesn't answer the way we typically expect. Here, they were very likely praying that God would kill this man, Saul of Tarsus. In a sense, God did kill Saul of Tarsus and brought about Paul the Apostle, using him miraculously and mightily.

When we finish the book of Acts, we will go into the epistles of Paul. He wrote 14 books in the New Testament, and his testimony is powerful. As he begins to preach, he first preaches in Damascus, then goes down to Jerusalem, and after that, he travels to the area called Antioch. It is there that he meets a man named Barnabas, which begins the next major section of the book of Acts, where Paul and Barnabas embark on their missionary journeys. They set out on their first missionary journey together.

They first went out to the island of Cyprus. From there, they moved into the region of Galatia, where they planted several churches during their first missionary journey. Afterward, they returned to Jerusalem to share what had happened and how the Gentile church was being built up. Of course, there was a big brouhaha about this whole Gentile issue and these new believers. As a result, they held a council in Jerusalem to decide how to work with these new Gentiles.

Now, how many of you are Gentiles here tonight? Most of us. There might be a few with Jewish descent, but for the most part, we're a bunch of Gentiles. We are so thankful for the ministry of the Holy Spirit through Saul of Tarsus. After this whole situation was worked out, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch for a time. While they were there, they decided they wanted to go back out into the mission field for the second missionary journey.

However, a problem arose between the two of them over a man named John Mark, who wrote the Gospel of Mark. He was Barnabas's nephew. They had taken John Mark on their first missionary journey, but after they had just reached Cyprus, he turned around and went back to Jerusalem. For some reason, we don't know what happened, but Paul said he would not come with them again. Barnabas argued that Paul needed to be a little more gracious, but Paul insisted that there was no way John Mark was coming along. The apostle of grace was adamant: he had his chance and was done for.

The contention was so sharp that Paul and Barnabas split up. Paul took Silas and went into the area of Asia Minor, while Barnabas took John Mark and headed back toward Cyprus and some other areas. The book of Acts then follows the ministry of Paul once again, departing from the ministry of Barnabas to focus on Paul during his second missionary journey. This journey is particularly interesting because Paul was convinced he wanted to go into Asia Minor and move east. However, when we get to Acts chapter 16, we see that this was not God's plan.

If you turn there for a moment, I want to look at one of the ways that God leads His church and us. Often, when we're waiting on God and seeking His guidance, we expect Him to speak in dramatic ways. We might want to hear harps playing from heaven and a great booming voice saying, "Thus saith the Lord, this is what I've called you to." But notice how God leads His group in Acts chapter 16. In verse 1, it says, "Then they came to Derbe and to Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there named Timothy."

The son of a certain woman, who was a Jewess, believed in God. However, his father was a Greek, making Timothy half Greek and half Jew. This young man, Timothy, was well reported by the brethren in Lystra and Iconium, which is in the region of Galatia. Paul desired to take him along on his journey, so he took Timothy and had him circumcised because the Jews in that area knew that his father was a Greek.

As they traveled through the cities, they delivered the decrees for the churches to keep. They had come from the council at Jerusalem, which had given them a letter to take to the Gentile churches. They read this letter to those ordained by the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem. As a result, the churches were established in faith and increased in number daily.

Now, when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. God would not allow them to enter Asia to preach the gospel. After they arrived in Mycenae, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. Passing by Mycenae, they came down to Troas.

If you look at a map of Paul's second missionary journey, you will see that Paul wanted to go east, but God kept moving him from city to city to the west until he was cornered. God had not allowed him to go east, and now he was in Troas, a port city right on the sea. He could not go any further west unless he boarded a boat to Europe, yet he wanted to push into Asia, which the Lord was not allowing.

While they were in Troas, a vision appeared to Paul one night. A man of Macedonia stood before him and prayed, saying, "Come into Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, he and his companions immediately endeavored to go to Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called them to preach the gospel to those people.

Therefore, loosing from Troas, they made straight for Samothrace, and the next day to Neapolis. From there, they went to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia and a colony. They stayed in the city for several days. Paul wanted to go into Asia, but it seemed that all the doors were closed.

Everything was hindering them from going there. Sometimes we don't expect that this is the way the Lord would lead us, but sometimes He just slams doors right in our face. Everything seems to be closing down, and it's as if the Lord is saying, "I want you to move in this direction." Often, this direction is completely opposite to where we have been trying to go. I have a feeling that Paul was a pretty stubborn guy. As you follow his ministry, he seemed like he was a good Jew, and he didn't want to move in the direction that the Lord was initially wanting him to go.

Then he has this vision, and there's a man from Macedonia saying, "Come and help us." This is the first time that the gospel moves into Europe. They go to Philippi, and you may remember the story. While they were in Philippi, they looked around for Jews but didn't find any in that city. It was always Paul's mission, when he would first come to a city, to preach to the Jews. He would look for a synagogue on the Sabbath day, but there was no synagogue in Philippi. So they went to the next best place, the river that was closest, and they found a woman by the name of Lydia and a group of other women who were God-fearers. He preached the gospel to them, and they came to faith. Now the gospel begins its move throughout Europe.

This marks Paul and Silas's journey during the second missionary journey. After Paul and Silas had traveled through that region, they returned to Antioch for a time before heading back out on the field for a third missionary journey, visiting different places. Following the story, it's a very interesting passage. As you see the places that Paul goes to on his third missionary journey, he spends three years in Ephesus, where he was well-received.

However, this reception was somewhat awkward. When they came into that city, the Lord used Paul to heal someone, which caused such a huge uproar that the people surrounded him, calling out that he was some sort of god. Ultimately, they all turned on Paul. Nevertheless, the Lord used this situation in a miraculous way, and Paul stayed in that city for some time. He then moved about through various areas before heading back down to Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary journey.

While he was returning to Jerusalem, everyone was telling him not to go there. They warned him that the Spirit was saying that if he went there, he would be arrested. But he knew the Lord had called him there. So he came to Jerusalem, and ultimately, he was arrested and held in jail.

Jerusalem for a period of time for preaching the gospel. A group of people wanted to try and put him to death. In fact, they said they would not eat until Paul was dead. They transported him by night down to Caesarea Philippi, and God used Paul to preach the gospel to all the top dignitaries. He preached to King Agrippa and to Philip, along with all the different people who were there at Caesarea Philippi. Ultimately, he appealed to Caesar.

As you finish out the book of Acts, Paul is brought by the Romans to Rome, just as God had told him. In fact, in the book of Acts, Paul wanted to go to Rome, but the Lord was pushing him to go to Jerusalem, which was completely the opposite direction. The Lord appeared to him in a night vision and said, "Don't worry, you must preach the gospel at Jerusalem as well." God is faithful to His word, and He brings Paul to Jerusalem. The book of Acts ends with Paul in Jerusalem before his death, before he was beheaded by Caesar in Rome.

I want to look at just these last few verses that we read in Acts 28. Look at verse 28: "Be it known therefore unto you that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." When they had said these words, the Jews departed and had great reasoning among themselves. Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house and received all who came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

It's kind of an interesting way to end a book because there really is no end to the acts of the Holy Spirit. In fact, this ministry continues on, going and preaching the gospel unto the Gentiles. This gives us a good idea of when this book was written because Paul the Apostle was killed in the mid-60s AD. Therefore, this was written before he was killed, before he was beheaded. This is very helpful to us because it establishes a very early date for the book of Acts and an early writing for the Gospel of Luke as well. It shows us that these things happened very quickly.

After Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, the book of Acts isn't finished. God is still working through His church and bringing the gospel into all the world. He desires that you and I would be a part of that. I believe the Lord is still keeping record of what's going on in this church. I don't even know that the heaven of heavens could contain all the books because of what the church has gone out to do.

It is also interesting that the Lord forbade Paul from taking the gospel into Asia, and yet He is using our church here today to take the gospel into Asia. What a blessing to see how the Lord is doing that! This church has been used by the Lord to plant several churches in the Philippines, and now, this next Friday, Kelly and a few others from the church are going to be going to China for three weeks to serve the Lord there. How the Lord brings things full circle, isn't He?

Before we close the book of Acts tonight, I want to consider one last thing. When you read the book of Acts, take careful note of how those who preached in the book of Acts preached. The key thing they used to prove the authenticity of their message was the resurrection of Jesus. That was the primary focus when they were discussing apologetics, the defense of the faith.

What was the key thing they brought in? It had nothing to do with philosophical proofs for God, such as the teleological argument, the cosmological argument, or the ontological argument. It wasn't about philosophical arguments for God. They established the authenticity of the gospel upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was seen by those who followed Him; they were eyewitnesses of the risen Lord, and you cannot discount that.

In fact, if you go and read some of the good apologetics books of our day, you will find that Josh McDowell's book, "The Evidence Which Demands a Verdict," and a book that has seen a lot of sales in recent years, "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel, both focus on the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They establish that He is indeed raised from the dead, just as He said He would, as proof that He is the very Son of God. Paul the Apostle used that for his apologetic, Peter uses that in Acts chapter 2, and Stephen uses that in Acts chapter 7. The whole focus upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ is seen no less than 15 times in the book of Acts as they preach.

The foundation of our gospel is the proof that it is true, authentic, and real. The one we heard from, we heard him, we saw him, we handled him, and he raised from the dead. So, we preach Christ crucified and risen. He is risen indeed. Amen?

That is what we need to focus on when we talk with people who question the authenticity of the Bible or Christianity. We must return to the fact of the raised Christ. If He is raised from the dead, if He is not dead in a tomb somewhere today, then the words He spoke are true. He said He would raise from the dead; He prophesied His own resurrection. He declared that He is the Son of God. If God proved that He is the Son of God by these works and miracles, then it covers the gospel and shows us that this is real.

One of the things that really stood out to me as I was looking through several different aspects of the Book of Acts was a quote from a great man of God, Ray Stedman. He discusses Philip, who preached the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8. You may remember that Philip was caught up by the Lord, who told him to go down by the way that leads to the sea. There was no one there at first. As he arrived, he saw a man in a big entourage riding in his chariot, reading a scroll. Philip approached him and asked, "What are you reading?" The man had the scroll of Isaiah, and he just so happened to be opened to the passage we call Isaiah 53: "He was wounded for our transgressions; by His stripes, we were healed."

Philip then asked the Ethiopian eunuch if he understood what he was reading. The eunuch replied, "How can I understand unless someone comes and explains it to me?" So, Philip got into the man's chariot and explained the gospel from Isaiah 53. The eunuch asked him, "Is this speaking about a man or a nation?" Philip spoke to him about who it was referring to.

Ray Stedman made a statement that caught my eye: "The right man at the right place at the right time saying the right thing to the right person." That is what it means to be a Spirit-led witness for the Lord—being the right person in the right place at the right time, saying the right thing to the right person. I have found that if I seek the Lord and say, "Lord, I want an opportunity to share the gospel," I guarantee you that within a few hours, the Lord brings me the right opportunity.

The person that God has been working on by His Spirit is someone He brings at the right time to speak to the right person with the right message. That is how the Lord leads His church; that is how the Lord works by His Spirit in us. He wants to work in each of us in this way. You don't have to be Philip, Paul the Apostle, or Peter. You don't have to be the one with the keys of the kingdom. God has given us the words of eternal life, and all we need to do is ask the Lord, "Lord, lead me by Your Spirit to speak to someone today. Give me the words to say." He has promised to do so.

The Book of Acts is a great testimony to this. It illustrates the right man at the right place at the right time, saying the right thing to the right person. That is what it means to be a Spirit-led witness. "And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses." That is what Acts is all about, and the book is not finished even today. Amen?

Let's stand and pray. God, I do ask that You would help us to be that right person in the right place at the right time. Give us the words to speak when that time arises. Lord, just as You did with Peter in Acts chapter 2, what a difference You make in a person by Your Spirit. In the Gospel of John, we saw Peter warming himself by a fire, and a young girl asked, "Aren't you one of His disciples?" He cried out, "I don't even know the man." Yet, just about a month and a half later, he stood empowered by Your Spirit, preaching to the same men who crucified You, saying to them, "You crucified the Lord of glory," to the point where they cried out, "What must we do?"

Oh, Lord, I pray that You would give us the strength. Sometimes we may feel like failures, just like Peter. We may almost want to go out and weep bitterly because of how wretched we may feel. Yet, Lord, You desire to use us as You empower us by Your Spirit. I pray that You would give us boldness to speak the truth.

Lord, I ask that for everyone gathered here tonight, You would give them an opportunity this week to minister Your grace and truth, to share the Gospel of the risen Lord with those who are sick, dying, and in need of the truth. Give each of us the opportunity and help us to see the wide open door that You have laid right before us. For we ask it in Jesus' name.

Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.