Lessons From Acts – Lesson 17
There are so many principals that are presented in the scripture that we have been in recently that we need to take a few minutes before we sing and just take note of some of them before we continue.
The book of Acts is a narrative type of scripture and in this type of scripture truth is taught in plain statements. Truth can be seen just laid out plainly before you in one or two verses.
And truth is also taught by what is going on. You also can learn much by being observant and thinking about the people and their reactions to situations. And also by watching for and seeing what God is doing.
How is the Almighty using His power in the circumstances of life? How is He moving in the hearts of men? And remember we need to keep in mind the entire narrative and all of the events, and all of the Bible and not isolate a section and look at it alone.
So let’s recap what we have seen.
Jesus came first to the Israelites. This makes sense because they are the ones who God made a covenant with. First with Abraham, and Issac and Jacob and later the nation at Mount Sinai.
All mankind was always welcome and many did become Jews during the period of Esther. But the focus was on the Jews and they were God’s chosen vehicle to get His word out to the world.
They failed greatly in that, but Jesus went to them first to be faithful to all of those promises that He made them. On the whole, the huge majority of Jews rejected Him and crucified Him. But not all. Mary and Martha, and John for example.
Before Jesus ascended He clearly told all His believers to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
In the beginning of Acts the focus is still on the Jews, 3,000 get saved and then 5,000 get saved, and then more get saved daily. And that initial group was to be the vehicle to obey and get the gospel to everyone.
But they refuse to obey and go preach the gospel to every creature. Persecution comes and large numbers leave Jerusalem preaching the gospel and starting churches all over Judea and Samaria, but they are only preaching to Jews.
God gave them the first chance to do His work, they refused and crucified Jesus. Then Jesus gave them another chance and plainly told them to do it before He ascended. They refused.
God sends persecution because they would not go. They go but refuse again to preach to every creature.
God then sends a vision to Peter to get him to go to some gentiles, they get saved. When Peter gets back the leaders contend with Peter about it. They are not happy about it.
But the witness of what happened was overwhelming. God arranged it so there were 7 Jewish witnesses to it. So they acknowledge it. But don’t do anything about it.
So in effect they are refusing once again to take the gospel to every creature. What God was doing here was giving them yet another chance to do right, to get involved in His work, His way.
Giving them another change to get on board and be obedient and start taking His gospel to every nation to all people.
Here is a principal about the way God works. God gives 2nd chances, and 3rd chances, and 4th chances.
With God it is not one and done for His children. It can be that way for the lost, but not for His children. I am sure you can find an exception but that would be very rare. God usually gives chance after chance. God loves all of His children, even the disobedient ones and God wants what is best for His children.
And following His will is what is always best. Always.
I have heard more than one person get this messed up. They will say you need to respond now and if you do not, then God will be angry and you might not ever get this chance again. God might not ever speak to your heart again about this unless you come forward to this altar right now.
That kind of now or never, inpatient, one chance only thing is not what we see in the Bible. When God sent the great flood and Noah and his family was already in the ark. God gave all those who rejected Him another chance by leaving the door open for 7 days before the flood came.
2nd principal. God will patiently work with His children to try to get them to come around and see the light of the truth they are not on board with.
So not only does He give second chances but He will send circumstances and teaching and examples and people to give His children what they need to change and get right. We see that with the vision God gave Peter and letting Peter see the Holy Spirit come to the gentiles.
3rd principal. God allows man to have a free will. No matter how much God wants someone to get on board, God is not a dictator and will not force His children to come around. We see that with the reaction of the leaders in Jerusalem.
4th principal. God allows man to exercise his free will to different degrees. It is up to man’s free will to decide how far he will go in a matter. He can stay in complete rebellion to God in a matter, or he can choose to at least acknowledge the truth.
Or he can take a step further than acknowledge it and get involved but just barely. Or he can choose to do a little or a fair amount, or like Barnabas he can go all in.
And that brings us to couple more principals. And these two are tied together and they are complicated. God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts not like ours.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
God is high and lifted up. He is all knowing and all powerful. He has a perfect way of balancing the 4 principals we mentioned, (giving 2nd chances, patiently working with His children to bring them around, allowing His children to have free will, and allowing His children to be obedient and get involved in different degrees)
God and only God can balance those four and others we did not mention with getting His work and will done. This is true. This is something we can never wholly understand or explain and if you dwell too long on it you might blow a circuit in your brain.
So since the vast majority of the Jews refused to get onboard with God. They refused the 2nd chances, they did not respond to his patiently working with them, they refused to exercise their free will and bring it in line with God’s will.
So does that mean that God’s will can’t get done? What is the solution?
This is important. In the not too distant future in Ezekiel we will get to the object lesson of the tower and the watchman. Which is one of the few things in Ezekiel that is commonly preached.
I have heard that section preached more than once to teach that if you don’t come out and win souls, then there will be people in hell because of you. If you don’t win souls, then there will be people in hell because of you.
I think it is important that we understand this principal that we are seeing in Acts before we get to that object lesson in Ezekiel.
Question. Since the Jews refused over and over, did God’s work stop? Did the Gentiles never get the gospel? Since they refused to be used what did God do?
He found and used someone else. That is the way it works.
The leaders in Jerusalem had first opportunity to be used by God for this and they refused and refused and refused.
Another principal. God is longsuffering but he is not forever suffering. There is an end to His patience.
And here is a huge principal. If someone continually refuses to be used, God will just find another to use.
The leaders in Jerusalem had first shot. Since they refused the opportunity was given to Barnabas and Paul.
Another principal. When the opportunity to be used goes to another so does the blessings that go with it.
The blessing of seeing all those gentiles come to Christ could have went to the leaders in Jerusalem. The blessings of starting all of those churches could have went to the leaders in Jerusalem. The privilege of writing most of the New Testament did not go to them.
And the blessing of seeing believers learn and put in practice the teachings of Jesus to the point that they were first called Christians at Antioch. And yes seeing that response from your teaching is a blessing. And that did not go to the leaders in Jerusalem.
Here is the principal. God wants what is best for you. There are blessings to being obedient to His will and in doing His work. His children are allowed to exercise their free will and refuse. God will give 2nd chances but at some point, because He will see to it that His work will be done, He will give the chance and the blessings and the privilege to be used to another.
And we are starting to see this and will continue to see it. There are unpleasant consequences for God’s Children when they refuse all the 2nd chances and refuse all of His pleading and teaching and examples. When they push God’s longsuffering too far and never come around and get into God’s will.
Sometimes it takes a good amount of time to push God on something until His patience runs out. And negative consequences will start earlier in the process and will build and escalate as the rebellion continues. If the course is never changed, it will end badly.
So far the negative consequences in Acts has been persecution that scattered many believers.
And also the blessings of large numbers getting saved has now went to others. And the empowering of the teaching of God’s word has went to Barnabas and Paul.
And now a bad famine which will be harder on the Jerusalem believers.
When we look at all of this we first of all should recognize that the Lord is good, that His ways are always best, that it is a privilege to be involved in His work doing His will.
We should be thankful for His 2nd chances, and His patiently working with us, and for the blessings He gives us, and realize it is always best for us to be in His will. He wants us in His will because He loves us and it is what is best for us and He wants to bless us for it.
Act 11:25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:
Barnabas does not go back and report to those hard hearted leaders who are not listing to and are not be led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not even send Barnabas to report first and then go get Saul.
No. The Spirit sends Barnabas straight to seek for Saul.
Act 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
God blesses. He finds Saul, who has been sitting in his home town of Tarsus for years doing nothing for his Lord. It appears that Paul jumps at the chance to do something for his Lord. There is no argument here. No pleading mentioned.
God does not have to hammer Paul with visions like He had to with Peter. It is just simply Barnabas finds Paul and they just go to Antioch. And did you catch it, they bypass Jerusalem. Don’t report there first. Don’t have to get permission.
God’s leading is all they needed. And they got busy doing God’s will without any horizontal authority from man. And to that I say praise the Lord. Amen and Amen.
Verse 26 says that for a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people.
And God blessed and He moved in hearts. And the people actually put in practice in their lives what was taught. Look at what it says about them in the end of verse 26.
And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
The word Christian means Christ like. Christian means you are living your faith. In real practical meaningful ways. It means you are putting the teachings of Christ above your own thoughts. Above your own selfish thinking or desires.
And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
This was not said about the believers in Jerusalem. This is not said about those leaders in Jerusalem who said we will not leave prayer and study. No not them.
the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. It is amazing how messed up some people get this. They hold up that church in Jerusalem as the mother church and come up with this idea that all the little churches had to get authority from them.
They take that and turn it into how they have that same authority and how you need to be under them. But that is not what we see in the Bible.
The Spirit is blessing in Antioch. And without any authority or blessing from Jerusalem.
Now we have to be cautious here and not take this too far. Those in Jerusalem are still believers. They are still God’s children. And He still has a purpose for them and will still use some of them.
For example James will still be allowed to write one book of the Bible. They are still God’s children. They are just not listing to the Holy Spirit on this matter of going into all the world and preach to every creature.
And God is still going to speak to some men there. God still has a few prophets there.
Act 11:27 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.
Act 11:28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
God knows that terrible hard times, a great dearth is coming, and that it is going to be really hard on His believers in Jerusalem.
So God moves and uses His power in the circumstances of life to send Agabus, His prophet, to Antioch.
Now how are they going to respond to those in Jerusalem?
The leaders and believers in Jerusalem have shown that they don’t really care about them. They even tried to argue against Gentiles getting saved.
Does Antioch use the thinking and excuse, well they have this coming. After all they are not obeying our Lord.
the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Christian means Christ like.
We see the evidence of this in their response. They respond with grace and mercy and love and help.
For this is what Jesus taught. This is how Jesus lived and how He died. And Jesus was victorious and rose again. And His Spirit now indwells them and they are listening to and being led by Him.
Act 11:29 Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:
Act 11:30 Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
They end up helping those who would not help them.
They ended up helping those who, when looking thru worldly eyes, would not deserve help.
They showed great, real, practical love to those who did not think the same as them and who most likely would not have done the same for them if the roles were reversed.
They loved as Jesus would have them love. They loved their neighbor as themselves. And with loopholes or excuses.
Jesus taught
Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
They listened to the teaching of Jesus and lived by it. That is why they were first called Christians at Antioch.