Development of the church in Acts

Turn with me again to the book of Acts chapter 2. Now this might be just a little shorter than I had planned because I walked out of my seat and left my notes there and maybe that'll be better. Acts chapter 2 it'll read from verse 1. When the day of Pentecost was being accomplished, was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

There appeared unto them cloven tongues as divided tongues like as a fire and sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews devout men out of every nation under heaven. And when this was noise abroad the multitude came together and were confounded because that every man heard them speak his own language.

Verse 14 Peter standing up with the eleven lifted up his voice and said unto them ye men of Judah Judea and all you that dwell in Jerusalem be this known unto you. And hearken to my words for these are not drunken as you suppose seeing it is but the third hour of the day. For this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel and shall come to pass in the last days saith the Lord I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.

And all my servants and all my handmaids I will pour out in those days of my spirit they shall prophesy and I will show wonders in heaven above. Signs in the earth beneath blood and fire and vapor of smoke of sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come. It shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

I think if you notice the comparison between this and the verses in Joel that he is quoting you'll realize that Peter stopped quoting this scripture before it was finished. Much like the Lord did in Luke chapter 4. There's still some in the verses that refer to yet in the future. Down to verse 41 again.

Verse 40 and with many other words did he testify and exhort saying save yourselves from this untoward generation and they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day were added unto them about 3,000 souls. Look with me in the book of Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2 and we'll read from verse 11. For remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh were called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands.

That at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you sometimes were far off or made nigh by the blood of Christ for he is our peace who have made both one and have broken down the middle wall of partition between us having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinances or to make in himself of twain of two one new man so making peace that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross having slain the enmity thereby. It's all a lot to read.

There are other scriptures passages in the book of Acts that I will refer to but I'm going to just not read them at this time because of the limits of time sake. This day of Pentecost was a most momentous day. We recognize of course that it was a day in which the church began.

If you trace in the history of any society or any nation in fact you'll notice the fact that there are many very important dates where their events had determined the future and had a great deal to do with the development of the history whether it be in a history of a country like Mexico or in Great Britain there were very important events that resulted in the country being the way it is now as it compared with the absolute monarchy in the past. As well as you know in our own country there are very important dates that we can look back to and remember often times as being important events that had to do with the movements of progress that has been seen whether we see progress today or not is another question but nevertheless bringing us to the point of a democratic republic that we have in representative capacity today. So that we recognize that there are very important events in the history of any body of people.

I would like to notice with you some of the very important events that were so essential in the movements of God in the days of the Acts insofar as the church was concerned. There are some people that like to go back to the early days and like to have Pentecostal days. They talk about getting back to the beginning.

Well that may be good in some sense but I want to remind you that in the days of the Pentecost there are many truths that they didn't know. There are many things that had not been unfolded to them that God raised up a man like Paul to unfold the mysteries that you have developed for us in many of his writings. As you read in the book of Ephesians you have four mysteries that Paul writes about and one that seemed to be the center of his teaching was the mystery that had to do with the one body.

That is the church composed of Jew and Gentile brought out of every people, land, and nation of this world and with no separation between them and with a breakdown of all that would divide them. You find that God moved in the days of Acts to develop that great truth and unfold it and bring it to the point where the believers eventually recognize that God has made no difference between either one. I would take it that if the disciples had recognized the great importance and the implication of the day of Pentecost they would have at least had some measure of understanding of that.

You know that the day of Pentecost was one of the feasts of Jehovah in the Old Testament. It was a feast that took place 50 days after the Sabbath after the Passover. The day of Pentecost was a day in which the children of Israel brought out of their own dwellings two loaves and God specifically tells them that those two loaves were to be made with leaven.

Those loaves were never offered upon the altar, they were waved before the Lord, they were presented to him. And those loaves are spoken of as a new meal offering, something totally different, a fresh offering that's of a different character of those that had been taking place previous to that. And the significance of the day of Pentecost, had the disciples comprehended it, they would have realized that this was symbolic of God's purpose to bring out of both Jew and Gentile from their backgrounds one offering to the Lord, one presentation to the Lord, one thing made in the element of weakness and sinfulness that is inherent in human nature.

And yet to bring them into the presence of God and to offer them, wave them before God in an acceptable manner, symbolically indicating to us that God's purpose that was commenced on the day of Pentecost was to form out of the quain one new man, so making peace. I think that the day of the Lord's crucifixion was a very definite day determined by God, it was linked with the Passover. It was a time when the lamb had to be slain, and God had intended that that symbolic act of the Old Testament that liberated the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt would only be a picture anticipating that great sacrificial work of our Lord Jesus that has liberated his people and brought them into fellowship with him.

That was a day determined by God, it had to take place on that day. You remember the Jews would have loved to take his life prior to that, but they could not, because it had to be reserved for that moment in that manner in which God had determined it. But the day of Pentecost was no less determined by God.

It was a day in which God had, in fact, from the institution of the feast of Pentecost, there's no indication of it ever being celebrated in the Old Testament. I think that's the significance of the expression that when the day of Pentecost was fully come, when it was being accomplished, when that which it pointed forward to was actually taking place, it was that particular day. So there are three things linked with this day.

It was a day of the presentation of the two wave loaves that were made with leaven. Another thing is it is a new meal offering, so it's something fresh and different, the initiation of something in contrast to the old. One could also link with the fact that there were seven Sabbaths that had run their course, indicating to us that the period of Judaism and God's purpose had come to an end.

But it was also the first day of the week. You figure for one day, seven weeks following the Sabbath, and then add one day, you have the first day of the week. You might not agree with that, but I believe it's true.

I personally believe that this is the first day of the week set apart because the first day of the week is linked with a new beginning. It's linked with the resurrection of Christ. It's linked with a living Savior.

It's linked with a people that are identified with him and not with the old, and not linked with the old thing that has passed and run its course. Well, there are some very significant aspects that link themselves with a day of Pentecost. And if these disciples had come to realize and recognize what that day signified, they would not have had the difficulties that resulted in sequential chapters in the book of Acts.

Because in their mind, there still existed a wall between Jew and Gentile. There existed a division, a separation. And there not only existed a separation between them and the Gentiles, it was really physically evident in the temple because of the wall that separated the court of the Gentiles from the court of the Jews.

It was also in their own minds an absolute division, a separation that could never be breached. Sadly, of course, they forgot or they failed to understand Old Testament prophecies, which made it very clear that God's purposes in the infinite grace of God could never be confined to one nation. It had to embrace the entirety of the world in its ultimate aspect.

Many times had they read the prophet Isaiah and the prophet Ezekiel and other Psalms, they would have found there that God's intention was to bring in all men, saved by the grace of God and linked with the living Christ. And so they failed to realize that. And so this day of Pentecost was a very important day.

You find it's a day which was marked by the coming of the Spirit of God. It was a fulfillment of the purpose, the promise rather, of the Lord Jesus. He had promised that you should receive power, not many days hence.

And they were to wait for that coming in Jerusalem. Do you ever notice that there was no power for testimony prior to that moment? There was no outward going out to evangelize. There was no preaching the gospel until Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and began to preach.

Because the Spirit of God alone can give the power to be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem and Judea and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. And so these disciples were waiting in the upper room until that day came. And when that day came, God initiated a totally new thing.

We see here that it says when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in one place. And I would take it that the coming of the Spirit of God and that which took place on that day was marked by a number of very important events. The first was the descent of the Spirit of God to continue the work of the Lord Jesus and to bring it to its completion.

Having gone away to heaven, he sent the Comforter to his people. He sent the Convictor to the unsaved. And he did so that he might continue that work and bring the church to its completion so far as God's purposes are concerned.

So he fulfilled the promise of the Lord Jesus as the Spirit of God came. His coming also was linked with this moment that is called the Baptism of the Spirit in which the church was formed by his coming. By one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, we read in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 13.

Whether Jew or Gentile, whether bond or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. And so the Baptism of the Spirit took place on that day and I take it personally that God had every believer in view when that church was formed on that day and you and I came in the experience of being a part of it the moment we trusted Christ. The Baptism of the Spirit was a once for all event.

Don't be taken in by charismatic error because that's not a repetition in any way possible. The events that were necessary for that moment to take place have never been replicated and never will be. There's another thing that took place that day and that is that the disciples were all filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

And that filling was the enablement that made it possible for them to go forth. First of all made it possible for Peter to stand up with the 11 and begin to preach so boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. It's the filling of the Spirit that empowers, it's the filling of the Spirit that controls.

It's that which is so necessary and that along with the fact that they were indwelt by the Spirit. Because that's a New Testament experience that never was true of those believers in the Old Testament time. There were those who were filled with the Spirit for the purpose of the accomplishment of some particular work in a temporary way because the filling of the Spirit is not permanent.

But for believers today we are indwelt by the Spirit of God. And that is true regardless of our outward condition, manner of life as long as a person is a genuine believer in the Lord Jesus they are indwelt. That's the evidence they belong to Christ.

But there's a difference between that and being filled with the Spirit because being filled with the Spirit we heard about from our brother by the steers be not drunk or controlled with wine but be filled or controlled with and empowered by the Spirit of God. I think of that I always think of a neighbor that we used to have across the street from us that was a very tranquil kind of a person. A very easy going kind of an individual until he got drunk.

And how it changes a person's personality and changes their manners. It's like they're being controlled by something else and they become a different person. That's the idea of it.

To be filled with and empowered and controlled and motivated and dominated by the Spirit of God. That's what we need in our lives today. We should never be satisfied just to be indwelt by the Spirit.

We should long that our lives might be in such a condition that the Spirit of God can truly control and use us mold us and move us in such a way as to be servants and to be useful for Him. So the disciples were filled with the Spirit of God they were indwelt by the Spirit of God. And there was a work that has begun on that day that has continued even to the present hour.

You find that there are those who were gathered in that place I should say first of all before that that it says that they not only there was a rushing mighty wind which the multitude around them heard that was what they heard and I don't know whether I can say that they saw the cloven tongues as a fire. I would take it the disciples saw that and they certainly experienced it. It seems to me that the cloven tongues the divided tongues indicate the ability that they received that day to speak in different languages not just one language many of us would like to speak in more languages that we do more fluently but these disciples in that day received the ability to speak many different languages and so that those who were listening to them recognized what they were saying.

The divided tongues that's not a two-tongued person saying one thing and meaning another but it means that they were speaking different languages. And they were as a fire because the fire would seem to be linked with the fact that what they spoke had the convicting power of God about it. And it searched out those who were hearing it with the result that they had to submit and they were pricked in their conscience and all they could do was cry men and brethren what shall we do? So there was power imparted to them and they began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance.

And that was a gift that was that was exercised and expressed in the days of the Acts and as I see it in the practice of it it was always when Jewish individuals were present and there are many aspects of significance about that. And so they began to speak in such a way that these who were gathered from many different parts could understand what they were saying. I better get my watch off because time is going away from me.

But you notice that when Peter began to speak he quoted three times from the Old Testament. I won't dwell upon those times he quotes from the book of Joel again he quotes from Psalm 16 and then he also quotes from Psalm 110. Every one of them has a direct application to what he wants to impart to the hearers.

But listen to what he quotes from Joel in the first part of his quotation where he reads or I should say quotes from him and mind you that Peter was a man who could quote the Old Testament scriptures. Perhaps he could do it far better than you and I can. He knew the word of God.

But he begins to say and he used the word of God properly he knew it, recognized it in its context. It shall come to pass in the last days saith God that is the last days of the Jewish dispensation in its application to this point in time but ultimately yet look into the future. He says that I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh.

Notice the significance of that all flesh. And Joel is one of the Old Testament prophets perhaps the most unique one and I don't say that because I have his name but nevertheless he was one bit looked beyond the boundaries of the nation of Israel and God showed him that God's purpose was to reach and to pour out of his spirit upon all flesh. In the Old Testament the greatest promise that God could give to his people was that he would put a new spirit within them.

A different spirit not of legalism but a spirit that would empower them to please God and to honor him in a way that far transcended what they had ever been doing under Old Testament law and legalism. So Peter in fact in quoting from Joel had certainly an inkling from that Old Testament quotation what God intended to do. And so we find him preaching and in Psalm 16 using that quotation that would indicate that God's purpose was that the Lord Jesus would be raised from the dead and exalted to God's white head and Psalm 110 tells us that that's where he is.

He says sit thou on my right hand. The result was that these devout men out of every nation Jews from every nation they could only cry out to Peter, men and brethren what shall we do? Because they recognized the fact that they were linked with a nation that had condemned their Messiah. They were linked with a nation that was ultimately going to receive God's judgment because of their unbelief.

What should we do? He says there's only one thing you can do that's repent and be baptized. And that baptism would symbolize their separation from that nation, their identification with a new leader that is the Lord Jesus. But I want you to notice that as you go onto the book of Acts they fail to recognize that God's purpose was to make of Twain one new man.

Come down to chapter 8 and you notice that the spirit of God begins to break down the wall of separation. It was perhaps not as great a wall that existed between the Jew and the Samaritan. We read in John chapter 4 where the Lord Jesus deliberately passed through Samaria and stopped at Sychar's well that says that the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

There are many reasons for that and one reason was of course because these who inhabited the area of Samaria had been brought in after the deportation of the ten northern tribes by the king of Assyria. They had been brought in from many different nations and it says that when they came in they worshipped their own gods and God brought judgment upon them in the form of the lions that he set among them and many people were killed. So they ultimately of course adopted the degenerative and depraved nature of the worship of Jehovah that had been characteristic of that which was under Jeroboam or instituted by Jeroboam.

And so these people were those who were recognized as practicing a corrupted form of Judaism. I understand they were willing to accept certain parts of the Old Testament the Pentateuch. They were only willing to accept certain things that they thought were appropriate.

They had changed God's designed and designated place no longer Jerusalem that was Samaria or Mount Gerizim. They determined that that was a place where God ought to be worshipped and the result was that they had built a temple on Mount Gerizim which was destroyed in the period of time between the Old Testament and the New Testament so that the woman in John chapter 4 could say our fathers worshipped past tense upon this mountain but you say that in Jerusalem men ought to worship. And so there was an antagonism between the two and we understand historically that the Samaritans had constantly taken the side of Israel's enemies and so there was an animosity that existed between them.

But notice in chapter 8 I won't turn to it, you can look at it yourself you'll find that the persecution that arose after the storing of Stephen under the hand of Saul it says many were scattered abroad and they went into Samaria and they evangelized the gospel to none but the Jews only. That is they did not preach it publicly but they were speaking it, they were communicating the gospel as you and I are capable of doing in our day by day life. And then we find that Philip went down to Samaria and he preached Christ unto them.

He proclaimed Christ, he began to preach the person of Christ and the result was that many were saved. A great display of the power of God. And many were brought into the good of God's great salvation but they were not they were not they did not receive the spirit of God until of course Peter came down and the reason I take it was because God was not going to have a separate Samaritan church and a Jewish church there was going to be one church one body not Jewish Samaritan but one body, a new man.

So the wall was partially broken down there but when you come to chapter 10 you find even though Philip was in Caesarea following his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch he had gone to Caesarea but even though Philip was in Caesarea God gave Peter a vision and as a result of that vision he went to Cornelius the Gentile's house in Caesarea and there that man opened another aspect of the door we often times say he used one more of the keys of the kingdom of heaven kingdom of God and we find him preaching the gospel in the house of Cornelius God had showed him he was not to make any difference between the Jew and the Gentile, never to call them unclean because what God hath cleansed that call not thou commoner unclean and so we find that Peter is preaching the gospel and when he got to Cornelius house he found there were receptive hearts that God had prepared already that were longing to hear the truth and you know as a result of that those that heard the gospel at Cornelius house they believed what God said and for the second time in the New Testament in the book of Acts we find that God poured out his spirit upon them and so that that wall was broken down it was broken down little by little partially when Philip went to Samaria and another step was taken when you come to chapter 10 and the wall was broken down when Peter went to the house of Cornelius I'm abbreviating all this for time's sake but that wasn't the end of it because you come to chapter 15 I would take it chapter 15 was a very important event in the progress of the church in understanding that God's intention was to break down the barrier completely you remember in chapter 15 that there were those that came down from Jerusalem to Antioch and they were preaching that except you be circumcised you cannot be saved and they were causing great disturbance among the believers after all the believers had received the spirit of God they had come into the good of salvation they had enjoyed the blessing of having peace with God the uncertainty of knowing their sins were gone and now they tell them well what you've heard from Paul and Silas or Bonibus rather is not enough likely those in Antioch would have recognized the fact that these men coming from Jerusalem well after all that was a center that was a place from which God's work originated so therefore maybe they have more authority and they have a better message than Paul does and so great dissension arose in Antioch that was causing great disturbance but that was an essential aspect that brought this whole matter to a climax because the result was that Paul could say in Galatians that he went up to Jerusalem by revelation God directed him to go and he was sent along with Barnabas and you'll read in Acts chapter 15 that they came to Jerusalem and the way they recounted in all the churches in Samaria what God had been doing among the Gentiles and there was great joy among them and when they arrived in Jerusalem they began to recount the same thing what were they doing? They were giving evidence of the fact that God had worked in a mighty way among the Gentiles but immediately there arose those who would oppose and argue that would still be clinging to the legalistic aspects of including the Judaistic requirements and trying to mingle it with the grace of God but then we find that Peter I take it that that was a very important thing when Peter was sent to the house of Cornelius because when you come to chapter 15 you find that Peter himself had to remember that you remember he says that God made choice of me the first and he could make it very clear that God had sent him there to the Gentiles and that those Gentiles in Cornelius house had received the gospel they had trusted Christ and they had received the spirit of God therefore he says why should you or why should we put a burden upon the a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear so Peter gives testimony first of all Paul and Barnabas testified to what God had been doing secondly Peter stands up and he begins to recount what God had done at the very beginning through his ministry his preaching and then they had a time of silence perhaps and perhaps Paul and Barnabas recounted still more and ultimately you see James who seemed to have a great deal of respect and influence among those of Jerusalem and he stands up and he begins to tell them he says listen the clear scripture of the Old Testament is absolutely certain that God intends to do a work calling out a Jew and Gentile I should read that in chapter 15 read that with me please because it's very interesting how he uses the word of God so properly and that put an end to the argument in chapter 15 we read as James stood up in verse 14 he says Simeon or Simon hath declared out God of the first that visited Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name and to this agree out of the Gentiles a people for his name and to this agree the words of the prophets as it is written after this or after these things God says I will return I will build again the tabernacle of David which is fallen down and I will build again the ruins thereof and I will set it up so after these things is indicative after this present period in which God is calling out a Jew and Gentile a people for his own name after these things looking forward to the future he says that the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called saith the Lord who doeth all these things another translation says unto God known unto God are all his works from eternity in other words he is saying as he begins to get enlightened this man that was inclined toward legalistic requirements he says no the word of God is absolutely clear now I understand it that God intends that Gentiles will be included without any reservation without any question so that the whole issue was settled obviously by the apostles and elders writing a letter that of course made their decision very clear this is a very important step very important development the significance of it is taught in Ephesians chapter two here he speaks about those he says that you were in time past Gentiles strangers to God foreigners having no claim upon God having no link with the Messiah being totally separated from God without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus you were once far off Gentiles are made nigh by the blood of Christ dear brother today we need to appreciate the fact that God was moving incrementally to develop this truth and to enlighten the minds of the disciples to realize that God was never intending to limit his purpose in his day of grace to a Jewish nation but included all whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and so we have in our day the appreciation I trust in our hearts that God broke down the middle wall of partition between us the middle wall of partition that was contained he says in the law of the ordinances the commandments all that was contained in the Old Testament law he's broken down that differentiation and it's all for the purpose he says that he might make of twain one new man one different man one that is totally a work of God one that is going to be consummated and that's my last point is that we have the consummation that is spoken to us in many different places 2nd Thessalonians chapter 4 where we read very simply that one day in the future he says we who are alive the dead in Christ shall rise first we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them so what was true on the day of Pentecost when they were all with one accord and unity was perfect will be completely expressed then the church will all be one all caught up together to meet the Lord in the air so shall we ever be with the Lord so we have a something most blessed that we've come into I think sometimes we take it for granted that God brought us into fellowship and harmony and union with himself as well as with God's people there should be no barrier between us and others perhaps who are different nations, different colors, different people but God has made both one while there may be divisions that exist today in terms of practice and doctrine thank God there's going to be a day when all will be united and surround the throne to render praise and honor to the Lord Jesus so pivotal points, very important points in the development of the church have resulted in what we enjoy in the fullness of how Paul, by the Spirit of God unfolded the great truth the mystery of the one body the body composed of every believer from the day of Pentecost until the rapture may God help us to appreciate that and to bless God that we have a part in this great work that represents him in this world