*This series was taught at North Christian Church, nccdighton.org
pertaining to, connected with, or used in courts of law or public discussion and debate.
It’s the art of building a case, or making an argument, to defending a certain point.And each NT letter is often directed towards a particular church.
They are looking back on the facts of the Gospel from Jesus Himself, and instructing believers at times, and defending certain parts of the Gospel from attacks at times.
And let’s remember, regarding the Big Picture:
The NT letters were written years later to the very same churches the apostles founded and built in the book of Acts!! (i.e. – Paul’s missionary trips took him to Galatia, Thessalonica, Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, etc… and he later wrote to them, often defending the Gospel from attacks he heard about at their churches)
But in Acts, rather than learning from specific letters that often addressed a particular issue, we learn from the apostles “doing” or “living out” the Gospel. (why it’s called “Acts” 🙂
It’s so different from the epistles in that instead of learning from a case being made on a certain argument, we learn principles of truth from events that occurred and the apostles’ responses while experiencing these events.
And guess what? The Holy Spirit decided to record it in His Word.
Therefore, we can take the plain statements they made as Truth from God to live by.
There’s nothing quite like plainly stated doctrine in the Word of God.
There is no guessing with many statements in the book of Acts.
There are no parables to interpret, and there is no theological talk to figure out.
With the faith of a child, anyone, regardless of background or newness to the faith, can receive these plain statements in humility.
And the simple things are the best… as we try to live the spiritual life as Paul encouraged… in simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. (2Co 11:3)
So, let’s dive in and see the truths the Spirit wants to plainly reveal to us from Acts.
And I hope you sit back and enjoy such simplicity, rejoicing in the fact that God’s desire is for us all to receive the truth in faith and humility, and simply follow Him.
Let’s begin in Ac 1:24…
In context, the apostles are selecting a new apostle to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot.
Ac 1:24
And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen.
Ahhhh… the Lord knows the hearts of all men.
Pretty simple truth huh? Is there any room for misinterpretation there?
It’s nice the Spirit started us with this, as we’ve been noting the heart’s involvement in repentance and saving faith, and that the heart is what counts in God’s eyes.
And the Lord KNOWING the hearts of all men,… if that is accepted and believed as truth, that should humble every man before the Lord.
No man is hidden from His sight…
Heb 4:13
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
And what does this plainly stated truth spur on in man? Repentance.
As we go out and spread the Gospel in obedience to the Great Commission, it would be wise of us to bring up the simple, pure truth that God knows the heart.
For example, when Sharing the Gospel:
“You say you have no sin?? God knows the heart. In fact, Jesus said if you even just THINK something, you’ve DONE IT in God’s eyes. Think maybe you need to repent towards God, my friend?”
So, there’s our first plainly stated doctrine we can grab on to by faith.
There’s no denying what is meant in vs. 24.
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men,”
We can couple this verse with:
Ac 2:21
‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’
Here’s a clear and wonderful statement about the good news… everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!
YES!!
Yet, if we synthesize this with the Lord knowing the hearts of men, we see that this calling out to the Lord must be done with an honest heart.
This is one reason the Lord at times warns about lip service, and said to some who claimed to know Him “I never knew you”. (Mat 7:21-23)
The religious crowd that gives a mental assent to Jesus, just in case, did not call on the Lord from their heart.
And as we know from our recent studies, that’s what the Lord is looking for.
At this point it’s good to remember Ro 10:9-10,… to see where believing comes from.
As we’ve been studying, the heart and the will are involved in trusting in the Lord, not just the mind.
Ro 10:8-13
But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” — that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
Do you see how both the mouth AND the heart are involved in salvation, in “calling on the Lord”?
The mouth without the heart is dangerous territory; that’s where the lip service of religion is NOT accepted by the Lord.
As mentioned in James, the demons believe and shudder, because even though they intellectually knew Jesus was Lord… even stating it with their mouth throughout the Gospels (Mk 1:24,5:7, Lk 8:28)… they refused to repent and trust in Him with their heart to be saved.
As we’ve also been noting, salvation is simple.
The Gospel Is Simple:
It’s just not “easy” for man because man holds on to a stubborn and unrepentant heart. Ro 2:4-5
To repent and believe in Christ is so simple, and empowered totally by God, but men resist the truth because in pride they hate to surrender their will.
Synthesizing scripture with scripture, and plainly stated doctrines with one another, we can see the big picture.
And with the humility of a child, anyone can “get it”.
Back to Ac 2:21
‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’
Yet, we also know from Holy Scripture that the Lord called us first, we didn’t call Him first.
In fact, His call to us opened our ears and even empowered us to call upon Him to be saved.
Ac 2:37-39
Now when they heard this (they just put to death their Messiah!), they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
Again, the love of the Lord is the initiator in salvation, even spurring man on to call out to Him.
Man’s call out to God to be saved is actually a response to the call of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Lord who reaches out to save man. Ac 2:39,47
Ac 2:47
And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Without the Father drawing someone, they cannot come to Christ. (Jn 6:44)
That’s how powerless a spiritually dead person is.
And yet, simultaneously true is vs. Ac 2:21!
‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’
So, what do we make of this???
We Rejoice!
This is supernatural! God’s reaching out to the spiritually deaf and convicting man’s heart to a response that saves!
Don’t try to figure out the stuff “in between”. Just accept these truths with the faith of a child.
And because God looks at the heart, He cannot be mocked. He cannot be fooled by a false profession that doesn’t involve a surrender of one’s will.
As a side note:
Isn’t it great to have a Sovereign King who is gracious and kind but yet doesn’t accept being mocked? Who’s not a pushover and won’t be taken advantage of? (i.e. lip service)
Otherwise, it’s like a father who says what is true for his household but isn’t willing to back it up. (there’s no stability there, but our Lord give us perfect stability because of His strength)
Our Lord is both Justice and Mercy. He is the Lion and the Lamb. We don’t have a King who is weak in any way, “full of grace and truth”. Jn 1:14
Some people mistake His kindness for weakness, and they refuse to repent because of it. But that is a grave mistake.
He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Remember what happened to the man who came to the wedding feast but refused to put on the King’s wedding clothes/His righteousness?! (Mat 22:1-14)
So, we have such an awesome God!
The Lord calls and saves, and shares His very own Righteousness with those who are humbly willing to drop their own righteousness. (Lk 18:9-14)
And it’s all by and for His sovereign good pleasure.
Another beautiful plainly stated doctrine is found in Ac 3:26.
Ac 3:26
“For you first, God raised up His Servant (Jesus) and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
There we see a plainly stated objective of our Lord; to turn us all from our wicked ways. (we are all born in sin, and have personally sinned against Him as well,… and He wants us to turn from that and turn to HIM)
Q. – When Jesus ate dinner with the tax collectors and prostitutes, what was He doing?
Was He condoning their sin?? Was He just ignoring their sin??
Or was He showing them love by correcting them all the while??
Remember, Jesus is full of “grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). He was never one without the other.
He never compromised. He simply told the truth in love.
So, to our point, scripture plainly states one reason Jesus came was to turn man from his wicked ways. (Ac 3:26)
Lk 5:29-32
And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
32 “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Picture a father eating dinner with his children, expressing his love and care for them, and teaching them not to go forward in their wicked ways, which hurt themselves and their father!
Jesus was calling them to repent, as He calls to all of us.
Thus, the Lord’s call in Mk 1:15b
“repent and believe the good news!”
People in contemporary Christianity don’t want to talk about the call to repentance because they think it’s somehow an attack on God’s love.
On the contrary, the call is repent is a call from love.
Some might say; “If Jesus loves us, let’s not mention repentance so people aren’t offended or turned away.”
What do you mean??? Jesus was willing to turn people away!
In fact at times in the Gospels He purposely pushed people away… both with hard teachings and with certain demands to follow Him!
Why don’t we honestly tell people that one reason Jesus came was the plainly stated doctrine in Ac 3:26
“For you first, God raised up His Servant (Jesus) and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
There we also see, it’s a BLESSING to turn from our wicked ways.
God declares it because He loves us. Our Father knows what’s good for us and He wants to rescue us from sin and death.
And He’s trying to rescue men from themselves.
We are to speak the truth in love… for example: “the Lord doesn’t want you to be enslaved to sin, He wants you to be free from it. But you have to be willing to turn away. And He will give you the power to do so, if you are just willing. Do you want His help??”
Do you remember what the Lord Himself commissioned Paul to do?? It was very similar:
Ac 26:17b-18 NIV
I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
So again we see, one of the Lord’s main objectives was to turn man from his wicked ways, a theme that runs throughout OT and NT, and He grants repentance and faith to those willing to turn.
We see another plainly stated doctrine, or truth, in Ac 4:12.
Ac 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
And here, we learn this truth from a conversation the apostles were having with the religious folks.
Where did the apostles learn this from? Why did they state this so plainly and confidently, in the face of people who wanted to kill them?!
They got it straight from our Lord’s mouth, as with many of these truths they lived out in the book of Acts.
Jn 14:5-6
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
We’re also plainly told about Predestination, in Ac 4:28, and this fits right in with the fact that God calls us and elects us, and He knew about it all beforehand because He is God.
Ac 4:27-28
“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
So, we know from this plain statement that the Lord even predestined the Cross.
He predestined it all to happen, for the sake of man’s salvation.
We can go back to Ac 2:23 to support this as well.
Ac 2:23
this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
Then we have some plainly stated truth in Act 5 to consider… and obedience is mentioned in a couple different ways.
Ac 5:27-32
When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
Let’s pause here. Here we see that as believers obeying the call of the Great Commission (Mat 28:18-20), we must obey God rather than man when told NOT to spread the good news of Christ.
However, some people like to use this verse for various areas of life, especially when they have something to gain, or they desire to disobey an authority.
But in context, it’s talking about spreading the Gospel, obeying God’s command to the Great Commission, rather than the demands of men or systems to NOT spread the word about Christ.
Amen?!
So there we see a plain statement to adopt for ourselves and have faith in, even when under pressure: “we must obey God rather than men”.
Ac 5:29 Truth In Context
This doesn’t give us the right to act arrogantly in the face of authorities that are against Christ. On the contrary, it’s speaking the truth in love, humbly saying “this is what I must do because God said so”.
There is great power in humility, when spreading the Good News. For example:
Ac 23:1-5
Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” 2 The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 But the bystanders said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK EVIL OF A RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE.'”
Notice Paul corrected himself and humbled himself when he realized it was the high priest. And only God knows how that proper humility might have opened some hearts to Christ.
He didn’t apologize for his preaching Christ, but he wasn’t arrogant with the truth either.
If you are arrogant with the truth, you are not representing Christ properly.
Now let’s go on with our passage:
Ac 5:29-32
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31 “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
We have another plain statement here:
God gives His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. Ac 5:32
Notice here, it says “obey”.
Well my friends, a person who believes with his heart is one who obeys the command of the Gospel!
Remember the principle of obeying the Gospel?
This is another clue that reveals saving faith is more than just a mental assent to the facts about Jesus.
2 Th 1:6-8
For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
What’s man’s problem throughout all of human history? Disobedience to the Lord, as we see throughout the scriptures.
A stubborn and unrepentant heart, as in Romans 2.
Saving faith involves a man’s heart. It’s a surrender of the will (free will) to Him.
1 Pe 4:17-18
For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
The believer is one who obeys God… that’s one major sign or evidence of saving faith.
The believer enters into a surrender/obedience at the moment of salvation, and his changed heart gives him a lifestyle that continues in obedience.
Again, we’re not talking about perfect obedience, but obedience is one of the characteristics in the life of true believers.
Again look at:
Ac 5:32 “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
The point is: Believers obey God and His Gospel.
More plainly stated truth is found in:
Ac 6:1-4
Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Many of you may understand this already, but obviously it’s being brought up for a reason.
Do you want your pastor studying for you and praying for you, or do you want him distracted from that by the details of church operations??
If he were caught up in “serving tables”, would that not distract him from CONCENTRATING ON THE WORD AND PRAYER??
Of course. So be aware, that’s why we the church should have deacons. Be very aware not to distract your Pastor from the good work he’s assigned to do FOR YOUR BENEFIT.
Now let’s go to Ac 8 to see something not so plainly stated, but gives us enough to put 2 and 2 together.
Here we see a man named Simon who, as Spurgeon might put it, needed to repent of his repentance!
His supposed repentance/faith apparently wasn’t a heartfelt contrition, but was from bad motivation.
As Peter plainly states, his heart wasn’t right before God.
Ac 8:18-23
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
21 “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
Here we have more evidence in scripture of repentance being a matter of the heart, not just a mental assent for some type of personal gain.
(Simon wanted the power the apostles had… and today many in the churches want something for themselves… so they mentally assent to gain reputation, to please others, to gain business contacts, to find a nice mate, etc… their heart may not be right before God.)
A religious confession, without a heartfelt repentance, leaves a person unconverted.
God looks at the heart, which means He also knows the motivation (i.e. why someone is in church).
We see more plainly stated doctrine in Ac 10… Peter is speaking with the Gentiles, whom God set up a meeting with.
(and remember to this point, the Jews were not to associate with the Gentiles)
Ac 10:34-35
Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
First of all, God plays no favorites. That’s pretty plainly stated, right?
We know, and embrace, that God does not show partiality.
He loves all and came for all.
And as we see here, every man is “welcome to Him” if they fear Him and do what is right.
And hopefully, you see repentance and faith in this verse??
The Believer Described in Ac 10:35
• “fears Him” is a sign of true repentance that one has when he realizes he has sinned against God and wants to turn from it.
• “does what is right” is an indication, or a fruit, of saving faith, of the person who has humbly turned to Christ for his salvation.
I hope you see it. This is the pattern the Holy Spirit has been giving us, revealed throughout the OT and NT, which is present in true believers.
And then we see Peter recounting his visit with the Gentiles to the believing Jews, who were opposed to what he did…
Ac 11:15-18
“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”
We see two plainly stated truths here: that God gives His Holy Spirit to those who believe in Christ, and that God is the One who grants repentance that leads to eternal life.
What was their inescapable conclusion??
Ac 11:17-18 Plainly States:
If they received the Holy Spirit by believing in Christ, then God must have granted them repentance!!
Faith and repentance are intrinsically bound… you can’t have one without the other.
This verse if yet another way the Spirit has revealed this to us.
Then we see some plainly stated truth regarding those who refuse to believe:
Ac 13:46
Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
Apparently, it’s possible for man to judge himself unworthy of eternal life.
Paul plainly states this as what just occurred with some of the Jews who rejected Christ as Messiah.
Here we see what we’ve been learning about recently:
Man is personally accountable to God in regards to salvation. And if man rejects the grace gift of God, he basically condemns himself. Ac 13:46, Jn 8:23-24
God honors man’s free will, and the stubborn “will” will be left in his own unworthiness.
He will unfortunately die in his sins, as the Lord said to the stubborn, religious Pharisees.
Jn 8:23-24
And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
We have more plainly stated doctrine in Ac 14:
Ac 14:22-23
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Once again, the sooner we accept plainly stated truth in the Word of God, the sooner we will be set free.
Life in this world is not meant to be perfect, and it never will be.
Yet, Paul had the peace of Christ even though he was almost stoned to death… and he kept going forward no matter what.
Why? One reason is that HE ACCEPTED the truth in vs. 22: “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Are you willing to accept that?
Are you willing to stop living for yourself, trying to make your life all comfortable in this world where you are just visiting???…
… and simply accept it’s your calling to live for Christ, which includes tribulations as we enter the kingdom of God???
Be encouraged. Accept your calling, and be set free from bondage to this world.
We see another plainly stated principle we can embrace in our personal lives… apparently it’s possible for each member of the Trinity to guide and direct us in our daily walk in the faith:
Ac 16:6-10
They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Do you see it??
God is One, and God is Spirit.
Being the same God and Lord, all three members of the Trinity are active in our personal lives.
Not that we need to discern which Member is directing us at any given moment,…
… but we can rejoice in the truth that He is so faithful that He will direct us, if we are willing to listen to His guidance.
But sometimes we try to fit God into a doctrinal box….
… i.e. – some think it’s only the Spirit that guides and directs us, as scripture surely does state is true.
But who is the Spirit? God.
And whose Spirit is it anyway? Christ’s!
While God expresses Himself in different ways; as Father, Son, and Spirit, we rejoice that God is One.
Now, we would be remiss in our study of plainly stated doctrine in the book of Acts if we didn’t mention the plain solution given to the humbled Phillippian Jailor:
Ac 16:29-31
And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
We thank God that when we come to our knees with a repentant attitude like this, it is faith alone in Christ alone that saves us…
… and that offer is for ourselves and the members of our households… for all who are WILLING.
Ac 17:30-31
“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
What’s plainly stated here is that God has “fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness”, through the very One who was appointed and rose from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ.
But to those who reject the payment He made for them, judgment looms.
And even though God gave man proof it’s Jesus by raising Him from the dead, man still rejects Him as the One appointed by God,…
… and unbelievers will be held accountable on the day of judgment.
Unbelievers need to be told there is a fixed day of judgment, and it may be coming soon according to the signs of the times. (Mat 24)
People need to be told of their need to repent and trust in Christ, BEFORE that day comes and it’s too late.
Heb 9:27 NIV
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.
So my fellow evangelists, listen to the Spirit and allow Him to fill your mouth as you encounter different people God brings in your path. (Lk 12:11,21:14)
You may be the only one in their lives whose willing to tell them the truth.
Now we move onto an example of something we do not learn from Paul’s letters to the churches, at least from what I can see:
Ac 20:17-21
From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,
“You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Paul’s letters to the churches, he forensically puts together cases of argumentation against certain attacks on the Gospel,…
… but we are not told this is how he regularly preached the Gospel to others! (i.e.- repentance towards God and faith in Christ!)
In the letters to the churches, Paul is usually writing to those who are already believers/saved. He’s not actively preaching the Gospel to unbelievers, like he is in Acts.
But here in Acts we see it plainly stated that both repentance and faith were his habit in preaching the Gospel, to both Jews and Greeks.
Where else would we learn this from??
And this helps us see that :
Paul preached the Gospel the same way the Lord did, telling people to repent and believe, as did the rest of the apostles. (Ac 20:21,26:20, Mk 1:15,6:12)
Paul states a similar reality in Ac 26:
Ac 26:19-20
“So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.
We have more plainly stated doctrine in Ac 20;
Ac 20:28
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
This scripture plainly states, in context, that God purchased the freedom of the church with His own blood.
How is that possible if God is Spirit?! Jn 4:23
We can also conclude the only One this could be speaking of is Jesus Christ, which means Jesus is God.
Again, some people will fight against this because it doesn’t make sense to human rationale.
But the humble will simply believe what is plainly stated in the Word of God, and be set free by the Truth.
We will close the teaching with a recurring theme from Paul throughout the end of Acts.
It’s actually something that cuts right to the chase, for Jews and Gentiles alike:
Ac 24:14-15
“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15 having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked
Ac 24:20-21
Or else let these men themselves tell what misdeed they found when I stood before the Council, 21 other than for this one statement which I shouted out while standing among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.'”
Paul says plainly he was on trial for the resurrection of the dead.
Paul says if we get to the heart of the matter, this is why the Jews attacked him and hated him.
But it really doesn’t make sense, IF they believed the Law and the Prophets!
Ac 26:6-8
“And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; 7 the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. 8 “Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?
They doubted Jesus rose from the dead, when their own scriptures told them this was going to happen to the Messiah…
… this was the very hope they followed God for!
Ac 26:22-23
“So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
Ac 28:16-20
When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. 17 After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 “And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. 19 “But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. 20 “For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel.”
Ac 28:23
When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.
As Paul went on to write in his letters;
The resurrection from the dead is the very hope man has always had in God, and without that man is worshipping in vain. (Ac 24:21, 1Co 15:1-4,12-19)
Remember for some perspective; in the letters to the Corinthians, Paul is looking back at his time in Corinth, evangelizing them and teaching them when he was with them years before.
1 Co 15:1-4
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
1 Co 15:12-19
Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
Plainly Stated Doctrine:
EMBRACE the plainly stated truths in the Word, BY FAITH, and hold onto them tightly… including the Resurrection, which is the very hope mankind has for deliverance… by the grace and mercy of our God.