When Sue and I started dating, one of the first things I learned about her was how much she admired the paintings of Norman Rockwell. She had a chest-full of her own personal collection of prints of his work that she had collected over the years in various forms-including several Norman Rockwell plates and bells and coffee table books and even a few old Post covers that featured his illustrations. Our first “every day drinking glasses” had Rockwell designs on them-I think Sue had collected the set in an ARBY’S give-away or something. We used them for years and might still be doing so if it weren’t for our first dishwasher. You see, it had a door with a very strong spring that had a habit of slamming shut so hard it broke everything inside. We lost most the glasses and several other breakables before we learned how to control it.
Anyway, talking with Sue about Rockwell and looking through her collection and reading the stories behind his beloved paintings of americana-well, it led me to admire his work as well.
Soon I became a fan myself and then joined her in contributing other Rockwell items to what became OUR collection. Every December 26th we’d rush to the local Hallmark store to buy that year’s Rockwell cameo ornament at half price. One year we added a HUGE “Rockwell book” to our collection thanks to the generosity of a friend. I think it has copies of everything he did in it-it’s the biggest book I’ve ever seen, measuring about three foot long and two foot wide…two inches thick with lots of fold outs. In fact it’s not a coffee table book-it’s big enough to be an actual coffee table!
Well, a few years ago, Boyd and Jan Robinson-knowing of our love of Rockwell’s work-invited us to go with them to the Corchoran museum down in D. C. to see an exhibit of original Rockwell paintings and we did. We took the kids and after a picnic of sub sandwiches and peach tea we spent several hours strolling through the museum looking at ACTUAL Rockwell paintings-the ORIGINAL versions of the ones we had admired all those years. And it was wonderful…I mean, as great as the prints were-they were only a shadow of the beauty of the ORIGINALS. In fact, I must tell you-that day in D. C. my love of Rockwell’s work grew-I gained a much greater appreciation of how talented this man really was. As I strolled through the museum I learned a lot about him and his work-things I didn’t already know-simply because I was able to study ORIGINAL Rockwell paintings.
Sermon:
Now-I share this little chapter of our lives with you this morning because I think it “illustrates”-no pun intended-a very important principle of church health and growth. You see, for us to TRULY understand the church-I mean, if we are to really appreciate what it is supposed to be like-if we are to stir our passion about our potential as a church family-well, the fact is cheap copies won’t do-we need to study the ORIGINAL. And that’s what we’re going to do for the next several months-we’re going to take a close look at the first church-the original church in Jerusalem established by the very first Christians after Jesus ascended to heaven. As you may or may not know, the history of this church has been carefully recorded in the fifth book of the New Testament-the book of Acts.
Now-before we go any farther-in order to give our survey of this book a good foundation-I want us to ask and answer some basic questions.
A. First: who was the author of the book of Acts?
As you begin to read you’ll see that the book doesn’t say-I mean, there’s no title page-but we still know who the author is because this book is ADDRESSED to a man named Theophilus-the same man Luke addressed his gospel to. In fact even biblical scholars who often don’t agree on anything-agree on this fact, that Luke, a gentile-who Paul says was his “excellent physician” in Colossians 4:14-Dr. Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.
And the FACT that Luke was a medical doctor can be seen in the way he wrote both his volumes.
For example, when Jesus is quoted as saying, “It is more difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a NEEDLE…” when He says this, the other Gospel writers use the Greek word for “sewing needle” but Luke used the word for “SUTURE needle.” In Luke 4:35 when Dr. Luke writes about the man who had the spirit of an unclean devil, he uses the correct medical term for convulsions-not the phrase normal people like you and I would use. And, in Luke 9:38 as Luke tells us about the man who asked Jesus to minister to his son, he uses the phrase that would have been used back then to describe a doctor paying a visit to his patient. So we know that Luke was a medical doctor-not just because Paul said he was but also because doctor’s words came naturally to his pen. I’ve noticed this same habit in conversing with one of our own “excellent physicians,” Dr. Bill Wehunt. I mean, I’ll often ask him to fill me in on the medical condition of one of you when you’re hospitalized so I can get a better handle on your condition and as he begins to tell me he’ll slip into multi-syllable medical words…and my brain will sort of short-circuit as it tries to keep up. Fortunately Bill is always glad to go back and put it in laymen’s terms so I can understand!
But, in any case the author of Acts and the third gospel in our New Testaments was a medical doctor named Luke. And I feel I must point out that when you combine Luke and Acts and total the word count, you’ll find out that Luke wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else-even Paul. Okay-next question.
B. Who was this Theophilus that Luke wrote to?
Well, there are several theories. Some say Theophilus was Paul’s lawyer and that Luke wrote both his gospel and the book of Acts to help this 1st century attorney have the information he would need to defend Paul from the charges the Roman government had leveled against him.
Others say that Theophilus is not a real name at all-that since it was dangerous to be known as a Christian back then, this was a made up name-formed from two Greek words: “Theos” which means God and “phileo” which means to love. Put them together and you have Luke and Acts addressed to someone who “loves God” -a suitable name for an anonymous Christian Luke wanted to protect.
Others believe Theophilus was a high governmental official and that Luke wrote the book to show him that Christianity was a valid faith and that Christians posed no threat to the Roman empire. And this theory makes some sense because the Greek word that Luke uses to describe Theophilus is “krasistos” and it means “most excellent.” It’s the same word that you would use to address a Roman governor or senator.
But my favorite theory is the one that many hold and it says Luke was a slave-which many medical doctors were back then-sort of the same thing the managed health care system has done to them today! And-according to this theory, Luke’s master or owner was named Theophilus-and Theophilus became ill-near death in fact. Luke used his medical skill to save his life and in gratitude Theophilus gave Luke his freedom. Luke became a Christian and wanted to share his faith with his former master and so he wrote this two-volume work to him-as sort of a huge gospel tract.
Okay-let’s deal with one more basic question.
C. What kind of book is this?
Well, basically Acts is a HISTORY book-one of five historical books included in the New Testament. Does anyone know what the other four would be? RIGHT-the gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are historical accounts-biographies-of the life of Christ. Now-we must understand it would not have been easy to write a book of history in Luke’s day. There were very few libraries and those that existed were not accessible to the common man. And even if Luke could have gained access to them, they would not have contained the reference books that Luke needed because he was writing the first such book referencing the early history of Christianity! So-to gather the information in this book Luke had to travel all over the world, interviewing actual eye-witnesses and he not only overcame these difficulties he did an excellent job-a fact that even secular historians admit. I mean the titles given to the rulers of the cities to which Paul traveled on his missionary journals were accurate in Luke’s history of our faith. Plus, if you compare his work to other histories written in his day, you’ll see that Luke also correctly described the “flavors” of all the cities of that time period. So, he was obviously there-and described them as only a meticulous observer would. And his careful investigation has paid off because Acts is an exciting history book filled with fascinating people, life-changing events, and crucial ideas that seem to fly by in a whir of ACTION-hence the title, “the ACTS of the apostles…”
Now, to be precise we’d have to say that ACTS is the second volume of a two-part history. It’s a sequel to Luke’s gospel and we see this in his first verse of Acts where he says, “In my FORMER book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach…”
And then he goes on to tell what Jesus CONTINUED to do through the Holy Spirit. But in a real sense you could say that Acts is a sequel to not just Luke but the OTHER gospels as well and I say this because of the way the other gospels end. Matthew ends with Jesus’ RESURRECTION. Mark ends with His ASCENSION. Luke ends with Jesus’ PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
John’s concludes with Jesus’ SECOND COMING. And as you’ll see in a moment, in the first eleven verses of Acts Luke presents all four of these key themes and shows how they relate to the church. So really Acts is more than a sequel-it is a BRIDGE that takes us from the life of Christ in the Gospels to the practical theology of the Epistles. And, it’s a bridge in another sense as well because it connects the life of Christ to the life of the Christian. I mean in the Gospels, Jesus models Christianity. In Acts everyday people model Christianity-people like you and me. In the Gospels we are Christ’s admiring audience. In Acts, we are the ones on stage. Charles Swindoll puts it this way:
“Acts puts shoe leather on the gospels so that we can see how the early Christians lived out the teachings of Jesus.”
Okay-enough questions. Take your Bibles now and let’s begin-follow along as we read the first eleven verses-which in my mind serve as sort of an introduction-a forward to the book.
1 – In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach
2 – until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.
3 – After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
4 – On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about.
5 – For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 – So when they met together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?”
7 – He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.
8 – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 – After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 – They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 – “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, Who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go in heaven.”
Now-if you pay attention to the pulpit schedule that’s printed in The Sower, you know that next Sunday Cathie Burke-our missionary in Kenya-will be speaking. That gives you two weeks before we officially begin this study on the 22nd and between now and then I want you all to take the time to read the entire Book of Acts. That’s your homework! And it won’t take you that long. You could read Acts in about a 5 hour sitting. But I would suggest you split it up-read two chapters at the beginning of every day and mediate on what you read. As you read you’ll see that there is a great deal that we will learn as we study this book in coming months but as further motivation to encourage you to join us every Sunday of this lengthy sermon series let me share with you four ways that I believe this study will benefit our church and I’ve already alluded to the first.
1. By studying the book of Acts we’ll be give ourselves a biblical STANDARD to follow.
This is important because the sad truth is many churches don’t pattern themselves after God’s original design. Instead they organize themselves and operate according to the latest trend. They copy what other churches are doing and if this continues to happen then churches eventually become less and less like the New Testament model and more and more like the fallen world around them. It’s the same sort of thing that happens when you use a photostat machine and copy a copy of a copy of a copy. Eventually you get a very blurred image-after a while you can no longer read the writing. As any good secretary will tell you, the only way to get a good copy is to copy the original. Well for a similar reason it’s vital that churches always refer to the New Testament model-otherwise over the years if they’re not careful they will resemble it less and less and eventually they’ll FORGET who they are called to be and what they are called to do as God’s people.
This reminds me of the oft-told story of a life-saving station that was built on a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks frequently occur. The building was no more than a hut, and there was only one boat; but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea.
With no thought for themselves, they went out day and night, tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to be associated with the station and give their time, money, and effort to support the work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little lifesaving station grew.
Eventually some of these new members of the lifesaving station became unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those who were saved from the sea.
So, they replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. With all this work, the lifesaving station became a popular gathering place for its members and this led them to decorate it beautifully and furnish it exquisitely such that it became sort of a club-a place for them to meet and relax. The lifesaving motif still prevailed in this club’s decoration, and there was a memorial lifeboat in the room where the club initiations were held but, fewer members were now interested in actually going to sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work.
About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick, and some of them were foreigners. The beautiful new club was in chaos. There were pools of water and wet towels all over the place. Furniture and carpet was damaged.
So, immediately, the property committee hired someone to rig up a shower house outside the club, where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside. And, at the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities altogether because they felt they were unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. A small number of members insisted upon lifesaving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a lifesaving station. The small group’s members were voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast and they did.
As the years went by, however, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old station. It evolved into a club, and yet another lifesaving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself. And if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the passengers drown.
Do you understand the moral of this story? It reminds us of the sad fact that people are lost today because a similar distortion has taken place in many churches. They’ve forgotten something the original church was very aware of-that their main job is to seek and to save the lost. And-it’s our main job as well-we are called to share the life-saving message of the gospel with people and then to help them grow as disciples so they can join us in this task. We must never forget this!
2. A second benefit of this study is that it will remind us that our faith is based on HISTORICAL fact.
I mean, as Luke said at the beginning of His prequel to Acts,“I myself have CAREFULLY INVESTIGATED everything from the beginning and it seemed good also to me to write an ORDERLY ACCOUNT for you most excellent Theophilius so that you may know the CERTAINTY of the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:3-4) As I said earlier-this is not a work of fiction. It is a history book-carefully researched and put together so that we know, like Theophilus, the “certainty of the things we have been taught.” I mean the book of Acts and it’s prequel-written by a highly educated man-tell us plainly that Jesus really was born of a virgin in that stable in Bethlehem. We read here that our Lord really did do miracles-He healed the sick, calmed the storm, raised the dead. Luke traveled to these sites-spoke with eyewitnesses-before writing it all down. His book tells us that Jesus did in fact live a sinless life and then He really did die on a Roman cross. Luke talked to the men and women who spent three years with Him and then watched Him executed-actually saw the nails driven through His hands and feet-these same people looked on as the spear was thrust through His heart-Dr. Luke talked to these witnesses and learned that they were convinced that Jesus was dead. In essence he performed his own testimony-based autopsy.
Luke also talked to the same men and women who saw that Jesus rose from the dead-the people who ate with Him and sat under His teaching during those precious 40 days before His ascension.
As Luke writes in Acts 1:3,“Jesus showed Himself to these men and gave many CONVINCING PROOFS.” Luke then traveled all over the world and watched as these men and women obeyed Jesus’ commands to take the gospel to the whole world. My point is this-all this really happened-and it is carefully recorded in Luke’s books. So this study will remind us that ours is a faith that is based on historical fact. It’s not founded on an just idea or a philosophy like many world religions. Our faith is based on REALITY-on historical fact. As Peter wrote in his second epistle, “We did not follow cleverly INVENTED stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 2:16) In other words, he says, “We didn’t make this up. This really happened!”
You know, one of the reasons I admire Mel Gibson’s upcoming film, The Passion, is that he painstakingly sought to show this truth. He spent twenty-five million of his own dollars in an effort to authentically depict that day when God’s only Son died on a Roman cross for our sin.
Costuming-location-no expense was spared…he even insisted that the same languages be used that were used on that day of days, so the film is in Aramaic and Latin with English subtitles. He did such a good job in accurately reproducing history that after seeing it the pope commented, “It is as it was.” Billy Graham has also seen the film and he said, “I have often wondered what it must have been like to be a bystander during those last hours before Jesus’ death. After watching THE PASSION OF CHRIST I fell as if I have actually been there. I think Gibson did this because he felt led to say to the world, “This really happened. God really did send His Son to earth to die in our place.” And, the Book of Acts reminds us of this fact as well. The gospel is not a myth-it is based on actual historical fact.
3. And then our study will also help us because this book shows that anything is possible when we are empowered by the HOLY SPIRIT.
The best illustration of this is seen in the lives of the disciples themselves. I mean there is no way that on their own they would have been capable for the task that Jesus gave them in Acts 1:8. From a purely human standpoint it was ridiculous to think that those eleven men could be His witnesses in Jerusalem-much less in Judea and Samaria and to the utter most parts of the earth. I mean, their courage was weak-remember? And I say this because they had not acquitted themselves well during those hours and days surrounding Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. They fled in eleven different directions. Only John came back. And, they not only failed in public witness but also in private loyalty and personal faith. The best example of this was seen in the behavior of their LEADER-Peter, who as you know vehemently denied even knowing Jesus. Plus there were things these men and women still did not understand about the Kingdom of God-even after 40 days of instruction at the feet of our risen Lord. There was no way that on their own this ragged group of losers could fulfill Jesus’ commission-but the history books record the fact that they did exactly that! And they were able to do so because they received power and guidance and wisdom from another Source. You see, the reason Jesus left was so His Holy Spirit could return to live in each of them.
When Jesus was on earth-He limited Himself to living in a physical body, which meant He could only be in one place at a time. But after His ascension, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, He was with-or rather WITHIN each of those men and women. With HIS POWER at their disposal they WERE able to turn the world upside down! And the same Holy Spirit power is available to us-to each and every Christian. When we repent of our sin and ask Jesus to come into our heart and life as Lord and Savior, He does. From that point on, just as Jesus promised He is WITHIN us… “always-even to the end of the earth.” (Matthew 28:20)
I remember reading a few years ago that our English word for “Holy Ghost” has its roots in an old Anglo-Saxon word from which we get our word, “guest.” Well, this should remind us that the Holy Spirit is indeed an every present Holy Guest in the lives of all believers-always ready to give us what we need to do His will.
As I thought of this-I couldn’t help but think of the special government agents that are featured in the new hit TV show, Threat Matrix. These guys and gals go all over the world fighting terrorism and each of them always wears a combination mike/earphone that keeps them constantly linked to headquarters via satellite. Their superiors are always listening in, ready to give them computer updates or directions or warnings about approaching villains. With the right hook up they are even able to help them discern if a suspect is telling the truth.
Well, in a very real sense as Christians we have that same kind of link-but we don’t need a mike/earphone because our all powerful, all-wise Lord is always living inside of us. Now-isn’t that remarkable? No matter where you are, if you are a Christian, Jesus is there IN you. And because of this He is always ready to help. You never wake Him up. He is never interrupted when you call for assistance. Morning, noon, or night, He is within you-available to give you infinitely wise guidance-unexplainable comfort and peace even in the midst of life’s greatest horrors and unlimited power to do His will.
I think Emerson hit the nail on the head when he said, “What lies BEHIND us and what lies BEFORE us are tiny matters to what lies WITHIN us.” for as 1 John 4:4 says, “Greater is He Who is IN YOU, than he who is in the world.” And as Ephesians 1:19-20 says, “How tremendous is the POWER available to us who believe in God.”
Do you see what this means Redlander? It means its not about us-I mean if God calls us to build a multi-million dollar building-He will empower us to do so. If God says, you need a new staff member and we wonder who is the best person for the job-He will guide us to the right individual. If God calls you to witness to a neighbor or co-worker and you wonder how you’ll find the courage or the words…He’ll give them to you. If your friend is grieving a medical diagnosis and you don’t know what to do or say-pray-ask God’s Spirit to give you the discernment to KNOW what to do or say and He will. As we have repeatedly said-when it comes to the Christian life, it’s not about us-it’s not about our ability-it’s about our availability to God’s Holy Spirit. There is nothing we can’t do as long as we rely on the power of God’s Spirit living within us.
This fact is VITAL for all churches to understand because the sad truth is most of the time we DON’T rely on God’s power. This caused the late A. W. Tozer to say, “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today 95% of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference.” Well, I don’t want that to be able to be said about our church! We want to be a people who are known for doing things that would be impossible apart from the power of God.
Last Sunday after the Vision service, Bill Jones came up to me and said, “Exciting times are ahead.” and I agree! They will be-as long as we trust God-and obey Him in doing impossible things-things that REQUIRE the power of His Holy Spirit. And this leads to one other vital lesson we can learn as we study this book..
4. You see, when we come to the end these 28 chapters we’ll discover that this book is UNFINISHED.
I mean, there is no formal ending to the book of Acts. There is no climax. It just stops after recording about 34 years of history from A.D. 30 to A.D. 64. In fact, it ends with the hero (Paul) in prison. We are left wondering what’s going to happen next. And this reminds me of the comics I used to read as a kid because they would leave you hanging. Superman would be dying because Lex Luthor had him pinned under a huge chunk of green kryptonite but to find out what happened next you’d have to fork over twelve more cents for the next month’s issue. The stories in those old comics were never complete.
Well, that’s the way the book of Acts is. It’s unfinished. The story doesn’t come to an end. And the reason it doesn’t is because God is not done ACTING. He is still working in and through His people. In fact the literal Greek translation of the title of this book of Luke’s is this: “Acts of Apostolic People” – no definite article, just ACTS…as if there are more ACTS to come. And there ARE because as Christians, WE-you and me-WE are apostolic people! We are just like Peter and Paul and the others-in that we are people who know Jesus personally-who bear personal witness to His presence and power in our lives. You and I are living out the subsequent chapters of “The Acts of Apostolic People” and we will continue to do so until Jesus returns to take us home.
One of my favorite clips from the Lord of the Rings movies is toward the end of the second film.
Frodo and Sam are working their way through a forest trying to get to that volcano in Mordor where they can destroy the evil ring. Remember? And as they walk along Sam asks,
“I wonder if we’ll ever be put into songs or tales? I wonder if people will ever say ‘Let’s hear about Frodo and the ring.’ Maybe the kids will say, ‘That was one of my favorite stories. Frodo was really courageous wasn’t he dad!’ And, the dad will say, “Yes my boy Frodo was the most famousest of all hobbits and that’s saying a lot.” Then Frodo chimes in, “Well, Sam, you left out one of the chief characters in this story we are writing: Samwise the brave. Kids are sure to say, ‘I want to hear more about Sam because Frodo wouldn’t have gotten far without Sam.’
I love that part of the film. Well, when we get to heaven and we all look back on the history of the church…I wonder what they will say about you and me? I wonder what will be said about the chapter we are even now “writing” in the continuing history of the acts of apostolic people.
Will they say, “Redland was a great church! They constantly sought God’s will-His vision for them-they followed it. They relied on the power of His Spirit…oh-God did amazing things through that church!” I hope and pray they will!
Invitation:
We come now to our time of invitation and as we do I would challenge you to begin a new chapter of the Acts of God in your life right now. Commit to always listen when His Holy Spirit speaks-pledge to trust in and rely on His power-instead of your own. Decide right now that you will always ACT when God tells you to.
Like young Samuel even now say, “Speak Lord for Your servant is listening.” And if God tells you to respond publically as we sing then do so. Come and join our church family-profess your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior or just come to the altar and pray. But come-ACT-on any prompting of God’s Spirit.