Additional Thoughts on Acts – Part 1
ACTS 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
ACTS 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
In these verses you have one of the qualifications of being an apostle. The context of these verses is that they are choosing a new apostle to replace Judas.
Listed in these two verses are several qualifications to be an apostle:
A person must have companied with them all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among them.
A person must have begun from the baptism of John.
A person must have continued until the day that Jesus was taken up from them.
A person must have witnessed the Resurrection of Jesus.
No one today meets any of these qualifications. In fact no one has met them since the original apostles all died. To meet these requirements a person would have to be almost 2,000 years old.
Anyone who teaches that there are still apostles are teaching against the word of God.
ACTS 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
ACTS 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
ACTS 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Too often some people forget that Jesus did not rise from the dead and then quickly go back to heaven. He shewed Himself alive for 40 days. And verse 3 tells us that during this 40 days Jesus was speaking to them about the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Jesus was busy training these men. He had worked with them and trained them for about 3 1/2 years before the crucifixion. And now after the resurrection He spends another 40 days. You should be seeing the precedent that Jesus set of how His workers need to be trained. There needs to be a period of time where a man gets prepared for the ministry. He needs to spend time learning and time walking with Jesus first. A man needs to know what the Bible says before he starts teaching others.
But good training is not enough to do the work of God. Even after all the training Jesus still tells them to wait. There is still something that they lack. Jesus tells them to wait until the Holy Ghost comes.
ACTS 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Knowledge is not enough. We need the power of the Holy Ghost to do the work of God. Too many try to serve God in the flesh and not in the leadership of the Holy Ghost. Now notice what this power is for. In verse 8 you shall receive power, and ye shall be witnesses unto Jesus. The power of the Holy Ghost is for witnessing and not for the crazy stuff you see on T.V. (flopping on the floor, jabbering, ect). It is the Holy Ghost that brings the necessary conviction to the hearts of men. We need to be witnesses for Jesus and we need the power of the Holy Ghost to be effective. Knowledge is important but knowledge alone will not cut it.
ACTS 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
Man looks on the outward, but God sees the heart.
“for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
In fact the Lord knows the hearts of all men. He knows the hearts of the lost and He knows the hearts of the redeemed. He knows my heart and He knows your heart. He knows them in the morning and in the evening. He knew your heart yesterday, He knows it today, and He will know it tomorrow. That is just a simple truth. We have an all knowing God.
What surprises me is all the people who act like God does not know the heart. They might go to church to put on a show on Sunday, but the rest of the week they live like the devil. Who do they think they are fooling? They might fool men, but they can’t fool the one who really matters. You can’t fool God Period. So the wise thing to do is to never try. Be honest and transparent with God. Confess all to Him in prayer and get right with Him. He already knows anyway.
ACTS 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
ACTS 2:7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
ACTS 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
These verses explain very clearly what tongues were. Verse six says that every man heard them speak in his own language. Verse eight attaches a man’s own tongue to the land they were born.
Verses 9 – 11 tell us the different countries involved. This is what tongues were.
For example they would preach and the Egyptians heard them in the Egyptian language. The Arabians heard the same man preach in Arabians language and so on.
A man preaching and a multitude all hearing in his own language is what tongues were. This never happens today. The jibberish that people claim are tongues today are not Biblical tongues.
A few short months before this Peter really blew it. He denied Christ 3 times. The third time with cursing. He then gave up the work of God and went back to the profession of fishing. Peter quit but Jesus was not done with Peter.
ACTS 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
At the feast of Pentecost Peter stands up and preaches in power and God uses him greatly.
ACTS 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
3000 people were saved and then baptized. God used Peter’s preaching that day and He will continue to use Peter. Many more will be saved after listening to Peter’s preaching. Peter will also write some of the New Testament.
Peter is a great example of the grace of God in the life of a man who messed up. We all stumble now and then. It does not mean that God will put you on a shelf and never use you for His work again.
Peter might have denied Christ and warmed himself at the enemy’s fire, but Peter had a repentant heart for what he did. He went out and wept bitterly. We never again find Peter denying Christ. In fact Peter was martyred for his faith. Peter truly had a repentant heart and was still greatly used by God.
If you have stumbled in some area, you can still be used by God. Maybe it will be in a different area of work, but God still wants to use you. What is required is a truly repentant heart. Turn from what you have done, confess it to God, seek forgiveness and then get busy again for the Lord.
1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1Jo 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The miracle of speaking in languages that you did not know had gotten the attention of a multitude. The Bible says that there were many devout men in the crowd. They were religious but they were lost. Peter now stands up to preach, and what does he preach? He preaches a resurrected Saviour. He starts off by showing that the Old Testament had foretold the miracle that they just witnessed. Then he reminds them of the prophecy that there would come a day when salvation is from calling upon the name of the Lord.
ACTS 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Now Peter tells them plainly who the Lord is that they must call upon to be saved.
ACTS 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
ACTS 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
ACTS 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
The Lord that men must call upon to be saved is the Resurrected Christ. There is none other that can save.
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
So Peter has shown how Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy. He has told them that they must call upon the Lord to be saved. They now know who they must call upon to be saved. Now at the end of the sermon Peter makes it very clear how you must call upon Him. Not any kind of calling will do. Empty words that you do not mean will not save. Saying certain words that someone tells you to repeat will not save if you don’t really mean them. Belief is all that saves. You cannot be saved by works. But it must be a real belief that comes from a repentant heart.
ACTS 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Repentance is a real change of mind that will result in a change of action. Repentance comes about by hearing the Word of God and getting under conviction. In verse 37 it tells us that they were pricked in their heart. They had God sent conviction, this led to repentance, calling upon the Lord, and salvation. Todays feel good non convicting preaching leads to false professions of faith.
The first question is have you ever called upon the Lord with a repentant heart? Were you pricked in the heart? Were you under conviction of your awful sin? If you had no repentance in your heart when you called upon the Lord, then you never got born again. Heaven will not be your home.
I hope that you are saved. If you are not, you can be. Realize the depth of your awful sin. Know that you are on your way to hell. Turn from the world and turn to God. Believe with a repentant heart and call upon the Lord, and He will save you.
ACTS 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Peter preached a powerful sermon after healing the lame man and in chapter four we see that about 5,000 souls were saved!
Because the Bible had not yet been finished, God used healing to validate the message of the preacher.
God does not work that way today. He does not use healings to validate the preacher’s message because God has given us His Word. It is the Word of God that is to be used to validate the message of the preacher.
Since we have the Word of God to know if a preacher is telling the truth, why are so many people led into error?
The answer should be obvious. It is because the people don’t know what the Bible teaches. So they are easily led into error. This is why Bible study is so important for each individual Christian.
If all the Bible you are getting is at church, then you are not getting enough. You also need to be a student of the Word yourself.
ACTS 3:2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
ACTS 3:3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
ACTS 3:4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
ACTS 3:5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
ACTS 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
ACTS 3:7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
ACTS 3:8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
ACTS 3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
Often in the Bible the physical is used to show a spiritual truth. There are practical lessons that we can learn from them. This man was born lame from his mother’s womb. He was physically lame from his mother’s womb. We were all spiritually lame from our mother’s womb. We were all born sinners separated from God.
The man had no power to heal himself. We had no power to save ourselves. It is impossible for a spiritual lame man to work his way to heaven.
By the power of Jesus this man was healed. Only by His power are we saved. He has lifted us up out of our hopeless sinful condition and placed us upon a rock. We are saved not by what we do, but by His power.
After the lame man was healed he received strength. After we are saved we receive strength to serve from Him. We are to serve in His strength and in His power and not thru our flesh.
After the man was healed we see him using what he was given for the Lord. He was walking, and leaping, and praising God.
ACTS 3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
He was using the change that was made in him to witness to others. He was showing others what had happened to him and he was giving the praise for it to God. He was not saying look at what I did (works). He was saying look at what God has done for me (grace). He was excited about what God had done for him. He was not ashamed of it. He was loudly proclaiming it. We should do likewise. We should be excited about our salvation and what God has freely done for us. We should use the change that He made in us as a witness to others. We should proudly proclaim our salvation to a lost world. And we need to give Him all the praise and glory for it. For without Him we would be nothing and would be still spiritually lame.
ACTS 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Here once again we have repentance connected to conversion. Repent ye therefore, and be converted. This is what is required for your sins to be blotted out. “that your sins may be blotted out” Here is a simple truth. No repentance = No conversion = No sins blotted out. That means no Salvation.
Repentance is not works. It is a real change of mind. It is when under conviction you turn from sin and turn to God. He does all the saving in the moment that you call upon Him with a repentant heart. You don’t reform yourself. He transforms you and makes you a new creature in Christ. You are converted. You are no longer what you was.
Can people who are converted mess up? Yes they can and they do. We still carry the old flesh nature with us. But a converted man will abhor his sin. He will be convicted about it when he does mess up. He will strive to live a life that honors God. He will turn from his iniquities.
ACTS 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Jesus was not raised so that you can be blessed with lots of money. Jesus was not raised so that you could indulge in sin. The blessing was in “turning away every one of you from his iniquities” Sin is a horrible thing that has consequences to your life today. Turning from sin is a blessing. Your life will be much better.
And from this text it is clear that what Jesus expects is when people accept Him He expects that they turn from their sin. This is what is expected. This is what is normal for a born again believer to do.
So why do you see so many “Christians” having abortions, drinking booze, telling dirty jokes, associating with evil, setting wicked things before their eyes, supporting abominations, cheating, lying, stealing, supporting taking from those who work and give to the lazy, gossiping, shaming Jesus by worshiping Him with rock music, and on and on the list can go. How can they do all of that and not feel bad about it? How can they not have conviction? How can they call evil good?
It is a simple formula. No Repentance = No Conversion = No Salvation. In most of those cases that is the problem they never really got saved. Some of them did really get saved but they have backslidden and grieved the Spirit and grieved Him and grieved Him and they have seared their conscience so that they do not get convicted anymore. That is not the victorious Christian life that God wants for you.
Peter was arrested after preaching. The priests (who hated Jesus) asked Peter by what power have ye done this.
ACTS 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
Peter is filled with the Holy Ghost. Pay close attention to what Peter does while he is filled with the Holy Ghost.
ACTS 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
ACTS 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
ACTS 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Being filled with the Holy Ghost Peter did NOT flop around on the floor or foam at the mouth.
We see here that the filling and power of the Holy Ghost was used to let Peter preach, and preach boldly with power.
Peter was able to tell the priests that they were responsible for killing Jesus. Peter told them that the man they killed God raised from the dead. Peter told them that because of Jesus the lame man had been healed. Peter told them that there is no other way to be saved. He told them that there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
That is witnessing with boldness. Peter got the power to witness that way from the Holy Ghost. You will see over and over in the book of Acts that the power of the Holy Spirit is for witnessing and not for a side show.
If you want to be able to be a bold witness for Jesus, God has the power available.
ACTS 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Some people believe that all the different religions lead to heaven. They think that as long as you are sincere that it will count. But that is a lie straight from hell. There is no salvation in any other. Salvation can only be thru Jesus.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
It does not matter how long or hard you look, you will never find any other way to be saved. You are not going to be saved thru doing good deeds. You are not going to be saved thru baptism. You are not going to be saved by joining an organization. Mohammad cannot save you, and his false god cannot save you. In fact no one, no thing, and no act can do it. Only one has been given to save you and that is Jesus. Have you trusted in Jesus and Him alone to save you?
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
ACTS 4:1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
ACTS 4:2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
The priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees were all grieved that a resurrected Jesus was being preached. What did the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees all have in common? Two things. They all rejected Jesus and were lost. And they were all people in positions of authority. They had a far stronger reaction than just dislike. It was not a civil disagreement that they had with Christians, it was hostile. They could not stand it. So they used their positions of authority to attack Christianity.
ACTS 4:3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
They laid hands on them. They thru them in jail. They were not satisfied with rejecting Jesus themselves. Not only did they not want to hear the gospel, they did not want anyone else to hear it. And because they had enough political power they attacked. They used their power to try to suppress the preaching of Jesus.
Unbelievers in positions of authority using that authority to attack Christianity. If this is not sounding familiar then you are not paying attention to the news. Recently in Georgia they ordered the residents of a nursing home to quit praying. They were told that they could not pray before they ate. Schools have confiscated teachers Bibles. Men are told that they cannot pray in the name of Jesus. You can’t display the Ten Commandments. Students cannot give God any mention at all in their speeches. Christmas music is not allowed. Some rename Christmas vacation winter break. Sometimes the attacks are overturned. The nursing home in Georgia is once again allowed to pray. But for how long? Time and time again Christians are having to go to court to keep their right to practice their Christianity.
This is what happens when you get too many unbelievers in positions of authority. They cannot be content to reject Jesus for themselves. That is not enough. They want to silence Christians. And the more of them there are the bolder they will be in their attacks. If there is not a revival of real Christianity in this country soon, there will be a real price to pay for believing in Jesus. I believe that what we are seeing is only the beginning. Christian you better get ready. Determine now how much you love Jesus. Will you stand for Him? Would you endure jail for Him? How about losing your job? How about being labeled an extremist simply for believing in and following Jesus? If things don’t change, those that live godly will suffer persecution. Those in authority will make sure that Christians are persecuted for their faith and practice. The same anti Jesus spirit that was active in the New Testament is still active today.
ACTS 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
ACTS 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
These two verses are a very good text to show that the Holy Ghost is God.
Verse 3 says that Ananias had lied to the Holy Ghost. Verse 4 says that Ananias lied to God.
The only conclusion that you can come to is that the Holy Ghost is God.
The Bible teaches the Trinity. One God manifested to us in three distinct personalities.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost and these three are one.
1Jo 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
The Holy Ghost is not some force to get a hold of and use as a tool as some would teach.
Instead the Holy Ghost is God who is to get a hold of us and use us.
We are to following His leading and be witnesses for Jesus.
Peter and the other apostles had been boldly preaching Jesus. They were arrested and thrown in jail for it. Then the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and told them to preach in the temple. Which they promptly did. They are then brought before the council.
ACTS 5:27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
ACTS 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
ACTS 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Peter’s response to the rulers was we ought to obey God rather than men. This truth is very applicable to us today.
We are to obey the rulers that are over us until what they say is contrary to what God has told us to do. In the past that has not been too huge a problem in the United States. But you can see things changing.
We are told in the Bible to pray in Jesus’ name. People who pray in public meetings are told that they cannot pray in Jesus’ name. Now the person praying has to make a choice. Is he going to obey men or God.
The hate speech laws are coming. Any thing said against Sodomy could be considered as illegal. God says that Sodomy is an abomination. Preachers as well as Christians in general are going to have to decide are they going to obey men or God.
Many nations around the world have anti witnessing laws. If America continues her rapid slide away from God, we could see those kind of laws here. If America does not have a revival, then there will be more and more issues where we will have to make a choice between obeying man or obeying God.
Obeying God and not man does come with a price.
ACTS 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
They were beaten by men for obeying God. But notice there reaction to it.
ACTS 5:41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus’ name. When men go thru suffering for His name, He will provide the grace to handle it.
Each one of us will have to decide what we are going to do. Peter had personal experience denying the name of Jesus. And he went out and wept bitterly. He learned the hard way. Denial and disobedience to Jesus will never bring rejoicing. Here we see the same man standing up and obeying Jesus and even thou he was beaten, he is rejoicing. Even when there is suffering, obeying God will bring rejoicing.
How is this possible? It is possible thru His enabling Grace.
ACTS 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
ACTS 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
ACTS 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
There is a principal of Bible study called the law of first mention. If you want to know a fundamental truth about a subject go and find the first time that it is mentioned in the Bible. For example marriage. What did God say. [It is] not good that the man should be alone; Marriage is a good thing. A man needs a wife. All the men should be saying AMEN.
We have a first mention here. At this time the New Testament Church is new. The Church age is new. The age of grace is new. Giving to the local Church and not to the Levitical system is new. The Holy Spirit indwelling believers is new. Never before had the Holy Spirit, the comforter, been indwelling every believer. This is clearly a first mention.
In this account a man and his wife sold some property and then lied about how much. They lied for the praise of men, and they lied to God.
This is the first time that this had happened. An indwelled believer in the New Testament age lying to the Holy Ghost. What was the penalty? They died.
Ok. Are they the only people who have ever lied to the Holy Spirit?
No they are not. In fact it happens all the time. How about at mission conferences. You tell God that you are going to give say 20.00 per week. Great. It is a free will offering. You can give 1 dollar or 80 dollars or even not at all. You might even start out giving 20.00 per week, but then you skip a week. Or drop your amount. You just lied to the Holy Spirit. Does God strike you dead? No.
Christians lie to God all the time. They will promise Him that they are going to read their Bible every day and then stop. They tell Him that they are going to start praying every day and then don’t. I could go on and on with examples.
God killed the first couple that lied to the Holy Spirit and we never find Him doing it again in the Word of God. What is going on?
Here is the principal. The first time God mentions something He very often shows in no uncertain terms what He thinks of it. He will state how awful the sin is or as in this case demonstrate what punishment that sin deserves. The principal is this. The first time God deals in judgment after that He deals in mercy.
He shows how awful the sin is and He shows what it would look like if He was to execute judgment on it, and what the judgment would be.
So here in acts we find out what God thinks about lying to Him. And we know if He executed cold hard judgment without mercy upon it what the penalty would be. But we have a merciful God. I for one am very thankful that we have a merciful God. One that does not meet out the punishment that we deserve.
What should we get out of this account. One we should be very thankful that we have a merciful God. And we should see exactly what God thinks of lying to Him. And since we know how strongly He disapproves of lying to Him, then out of love for the one that saved us we should strive to make sure that we never lie to Him.
Love will strive to not hurt the one loved.
ACTS 7:32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
The exact wording of the Bible is important. All too often we just read over it too fast and do not take the time to stop and really think about it.
In this verse God did not say I was the God of thy fathers. He said I am the God of thy fathers.
God stated it in the present tense. This means that He is still their God. For this to be they must still be living.
Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
This shows that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob received eternal life.
God using their names shows that they retained their identities after they died. Abraham is still Abraham. Isaac is still recognizable as Isaac. You will not lose your identity when you go to heaven. You will just lose your awful sin nature.
This should be a great comfort. We all have loved ones who have went on before us who we long to see again. We will indeed know each other in heaven. I have a grandmother there that I miss dearly. And one day I will get to see her again.
How am I so sure? Because my grandmother had accepted Jesus as her personal savior. She trusted in Him and Him alone to save her. And so have I. How about you?
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Stephen was filled with the Holy Ghost and preached a powerful sermon. (By the way that is what the filling of the Holy Spirit is for). The people he preached to were under conviction and instead of getting right with God they stoned him.
ACTS 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
ACTS 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
ACTS 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
ACTS 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
ACTS 7:58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
ACTS 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
ACTS 7:60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Paul was standing there when all this happened and held coats of those that stoned Stephen. How do we know it was Paul and not someone else? Paul himself said so.
Act 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Act 22:20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
Paul had heard much about Jesus. In fact Paul had heard enough that he went about persecuting the church. Paul is standing by and watching the murder of Stephen. And Paul watched Stephen die gloryifing Jesus. Paul watched him die praying for God to forgive those that were killing him. Paul watched a man die who was Christ like enough to die with forgiveness on his lips even though he was dying unjustly.
No doubt the testimony of Stephen as he died affected Paul. I believe that watching Stephen die in a Christ like manner in some ways prepared Paul for his meeting with Christ on the Damascus road. Oh not immediately for Paul continued to persecute Christians. But seeing firsthand someone die with the grace that Stephen did is something you can’t forget or easily dismiss.
Lost people do watch us. Especially during times of suffering and persecution. And it does make a difference in how we handle it. Whenever we find ourselves in some trial, great or small, we need to pray to God for His grace to enable us to handle it in a way that would make a difference in the lives of others.
ACTS 7:9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
Contrary to today’s health and wealth false teaching. God does indeed allow trials and hard times to come into the lives of His people. Joseph was sold into slavery, and by his own brothers no less. His own family turned against him. Try to imagine the hurt from this betrayal. And then finding yourself alone in a strange country, and having to be a slave. And all of this simply because of his brothers envy. Joseph was now upon hard times. And it was not because of a lack of faith, or because he did something wrong. Joseph was not being punished by God. The hard times Joseph found himself in was because it was God’s plan. Yes, God’s plan for his children does include trials and tribulations.
Joseph could not foresee God’s plan. He did not know how it would all turn out. But Joseph knew that God’s ways are not our ways, and Joseph chose to honor God and obey Him regardless of his circumstances. When tempted by Potiphar’s wife Joseph said, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Joseph did not blame God; he trusted God and lived for God. The God of the mountain is still God of the valley. God had a plan for Joseph and it included Joseph going thru a valley before God lifted him up to a position where God was going to use him greatly.
ACTS 7:10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Don’t despise the valleys that God takes you thru. Don’t blame God. Don’t let the circumstances of life determine if you will walk with God or not. Be like Joseph and trust God. Trust that He is on the throne and He knows what He is doing and that He has a plan for your life. Live for God when on the mountain top and live for God when He decides to take you thru some hard times. Trust that He has a reason for it. Live by faith and not by sight.