Tag Archives: the book of Acts

a sovereign plan

The spread of the gospel for the building of the Church was in no way accidental or coincidental, but was perfectly planned by God.  If we step back from the story contained in the book of Acts, we can catch glimpses of the sovereignty of the Planner. I cannot help but consider how foreign His ways seems to us today.

“But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name!’”  Act 9:15-16

The man who had been zealously persecuting the church, was God’s chosen instrument to build the church.  And Galatians 1:16 tells us that he had been chosen long before the encounter with Jesus knocked him off his high horse. Paul had been “set apart from birth”.

Would we consider that God would call someone so vehemently against Christianity to become it’s chief champion? Many of the believers of his day didn’t. “When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.” Acts 9:26

“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”  Acts 16:6-7

God didn’t come up with the overall plan and then leave the details to Paul. The whole plan, including the details, belongs to God. Paul thought it would be good to go to Asia, but God wanted them in Macedonia.  

We know God has a plan, and that He is still building His Church. But deep down, do we believe that He’s leaving the details up to us?

“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.’ So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.”  Acts 18:9-11

In Acts 22:17, Paul was telling the crowd in Jerusalem the story of his conversion. He told them that the Lord said to him at that time, “Quick! Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.”

The care and protection of God is so clear.  He alone knows whether we are to stay put, or get out quick, and He will not hide it from us. Does He still speak to His Church so clearly today? I believe He does. The question is do we hear Him? Or have we become skilled enough at this thing, that we are no longer desperate for the voice of God to direct our next step?

In the overview of Acts, I see the sovereignty of God. His plan for His Church, being carried out by His followers, at His direction.  He is sovereign down to the smallest detail.

He has not changed, and neither has His plan.

And if we believe that He is still, in His sovereignty, carefully tending to the building of His Church and the completion of His plan, watching over every detail, setting up divine appointments, and using the most unlikely of people…do we also believe He is doing the very same thing in the individual lives of His followers? Do we view our lives as being the plan of God? Do we see the trials and the shipwrecks as all part of that plan? Do we believe that our coming and going, and the timing of it all, is held in the heart of God?

Or do we know He has a plan, but deep down believe He’s left the details to us?

what weighs more?

God spoke to the church at Antioch and told them, “Set apart for Me Barnabus and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2) So off they went on their mission trip. 

~ In Paphos, “Elymas the sorcerer opposed them…” (13:8)

~ At Pisidian Antioch, they were asked to preach two weeks in a row, and drew quite a large crowd. “When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.”, (13:15) and “stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.” (13:50)

~ At Iconium, “…the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers” (14:2), and plotted to stone them. (14:5)

~ In Lystra, they stoned Paul and left him for dead. (14:19)

Finally, they returned to Antioch “where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.“ (15:26)

 Imagine returning from such a trip! What would you tell people?

Here is what Paul and Barnabus told the church that had sent them out:

“On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” (15:27)  They would have reported that…

~ In Paphos, “When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.” (13:12)

~ At Pisidian Antioch, “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” (13:48)

~ At Iconium, “There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.” (14:1)

~ In Lystra, they encountered a man who had been crippled his whole life, who listened to Paul speaking. Paul “saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.” (14:9-10)

~ In Derbe, “They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples.” (14:21)

There are two truths that I walk away with from God’s word today.

  • The works of God far outweigh the works of men. 

When Paul and Barnabus returned to Antioch, they told the church all that God had done. My guess is that they may have also talked about what men had done to them, but what is noted by Luke (the writer of Acts) is that they spoke of God.

It comes down to a very simple thought for me. Will I talk more about what man is doing, or what God is doing? Is my report more about what is happening to me, or is it about what I see of God?

  • Regardless of opposition, God is always at work. 

My calling is not to stop the opposition, it is to continue with the mission. Whatever the enemy is doing through men, God is doing more through His Spirit.

So, do I allow opposition to discourage me, confuse me or even stop me? Or will I see opposition as part of the calling, and continue on, knowing that whatever He calls me to do, I can complete, because He is at work in far greater measure than the opposition?

The answers I give will depend on what weighs more in my heart and mind.  What happens to me, or what happens through me. The opposition, or the work of God.

isn’t she lovely?

Holy Spirit discernment and a message that both offends and invites.  These are the characteristics of the early Church that were highlighted for me this morning as I read chapters 7 and 8 of Acts. 

Discernment ~ Go back with me to chapter 5 and the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Peter said to 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?”

There was no way for Peter to have known what Ananias was really doing without the discernment of the Holy Spirit. 

Now jump ahead to chapter 8, where we meet Simon the Scorcerer.  Again it is Peter who says to him, “You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. (v.21)…For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (v. 23)

You could argue that it doesn’t take much discernment to know that a man trying to buy the power of the Holy Spirit isn’t altogether right with God. But Peter saw more than that. The word for “bitterness” (bitter gall, in the King James version), means extreme wickedness.

Simon had offered money “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit”. I wonder if some of us today would have argued that his heart was in the right place, his intentions were good, he just needed some teaching…a little redirecting. Because we want to believe the best about people, that they really do have good intentions. I think calling people wicked makes us uncomfortable, unless they are “out there” somewhere, not in here, trying to be one of us, excited about what we’re doing and wanting to be a part of it. But God is not building His Church using our human tendencies or desires to believe that everyone is, deep down, good. To cover the weakness of our desires, He gave us discernment through the Holy Spirit. 

Discernment comes before the gate opens. Discernment came before Ananias and Sapphira were able to bring deception into the Church. It came before Simon could bring wickedness into the Church. Both would have brought injury and destruction, if not for the protection God gave through discernment.

Discernment is necessary to the Church as a whole, but no less necessary in our individual lives. Personally speaking, I have often discovered what the enemy is doing after he has brought injury to my life. Discernment after the fact isn’t discernment, it’s hindsight. So today, I have determined to seek God for discernment for myself and for my church, so that neither of us live in hindsight.

The Message ~ In Chapter 4, the Sadducees “were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.” (v. 2)

In Chapter 5, they “were filled with jealousy” (v.17), and said, “you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” (v. 28), and in verse 33, “they were furious and wanted to put them to death.” (That word “jealousy” in the Greek is really a “contentious rivalry”)

In Chapter 7, we find Stephen giving the sermon of his life to the Sanhedrin. Their response? “When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.” (v.54). But Stephen kept going, and “at this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him…” (v.57) And they stoned him to death.

The early Church preached a message that offended and infuriated people to the point of murder.  It was a message that opposed certain people’s belief system and exposed their guilt.  The Church was never compelled to water anything down, soften it or try to make it taste sweet. The message is what it is.

On the other hand, 3,000 people accepted their message on one day (2:41), and more were being saved every day (2:47), and more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number (5:14).

A message both offensive and inviting, depending on who is hearing it.  Nevertheless, they preached the message.  We have the same message, and we preach to people who are no different than those ‘back in the day’.  Some will be offended and even furious. Some will say yes to the invitation to believe.  But we must remember that the message is what it is.

This is the Church.  Protected by Holy Spirit discernment, carrying an offensive, inviting message.  Emerging in the midst of the explosion of God’s miraculous power and the enemy’s fury.

For some reason, I hear Stevie Wonder in my head right now.

“Isn’t she lovely, Isn’t she wonderful…”