Articles
Learning from Acts
Learning from Acts
Luke ended his story of the life of Jesus with the death and resurrection of Jesus. He then begins his telling of the story of the apostles and the early church with the retelling of the resurrection of Jesus. These chosen apostles were witnesses of this resurrection (Acts 1:8). The people that became disciples did so not by a leap of blind faith, but by being persuaded of the truth of the resurrection of Jesus by the testimony of those who saw Him, touched Him, heard Him, ate with Him. This was not a ‘one time and done’ experience but lasted over a period of 40 days.
The disciples of Jesus’ have their faith firmly planted in the teaching of the Apostles for they were the chosen ones to reveal the story and teaching of Jesus. Through the preaching of the Apostles, the disciples could ‘know the exact truth about the things’ they had been taught (Luke 1:1-4). Through the apostle’s word they could “know assuredly that Jesus was both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
These people became disciples by believing that Jesus was raised to be the Lord, Messiah, and king. Such believing brought repentance and baptism into Christ for the remission of their sins. (Acts 2:36-41).
The basis of their common faith was the resurrection of Jesus and the implications that this had. He IS the son of God (Rom. 1:4). He is King and sits upon the throne (Acts 2 ). He has fulfilled the prophecies of the OT concerning the coming Messiah (Luke 24:44; cp. Acts 1:16; 3:18; 13:27, 33). He is Lord of all (Acts 2:36; Phil. 2:11). Their mission was the making of disciples in every nation – baptizing them into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that Jesus taught (Matt. 28:18-19).
Disciples were gathered into local groups of believers which were called ‘churches’. The first such church was in Jerusalem, and then we see churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus, etc. Paul joined himself with such when he came to Jerusalem (Acts 9:26). Such joining entailed NOT the putting of his name in a directory of saints, but of becoming an active part of the group (Acts 9:28).
As the message spread to other cities, they appointed elders in every church (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:1f, 1 Peter 5:1-2, etc.). The disciples came together on the 1st day of the week to partake of the Lord’s supper (Acts 20:7; 1Cor. 11:17f).
All of this was done by the Holy Spirit working in and through them. HE brought all these facts about Jesus to their remembrance. HE taught them the principles that God wanted them to follow (John 14:26; 16:13). HE confirmed their preaching as the word of God by working miracles through them (Mark 16:16-20; Acts 2:43; 4:33; 5:12-15).
Thus, as disciples, we are to continue steadfastly in the Apostles teaching (Acts 2:42). We are commended “to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). Hugh DeLong
