The Acts

Some call the first book of the new church as chronicled by the writer Luke, the acts of the church.  There are others that call the book acts of the holy ghost.  I think either one really fits, but I lean towards the church.  This is a book showing us the birth of the New Testament church of which we are still a part of.  This week I want to point out a few observations I have mad of Luke’s retelling of our beginnings, and the fulfilling of Jesus’ promise of holy spirit.  Then there are a few points I would like to make with a few questions for those who struggle with holy spirit manifestations.

If we take Luke’s account of everything in the book of Acts to heart I feel we need to admit a few things.  First, it needs to be understood that this book is not a complete history of the beginning of the church.  It comes from one writer and focuses on just a few people and events that were important to the transition of ministry to the gentiles.  That is how many of us have been given this wonderful privilege of knowing the gospel message and being born again in baptism of holy spirit. Let’s start at the beginning.

  (Acts 1:1-3 NIV)  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.

Notice here that nowhere is there a mention to how many people saw Jesus alive.  None of the writers of the gospels give an account of how many people saw Jesus after the resurrection.   Yet it is Paul who later gives us some ideal of how many witnesses there were to Jesus being alive. 

(1 Cor 15:5-8 NIV)  and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. {6} After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. {7} Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, {8} and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

Paul tells us that one time Jesus appeared to over five hundred before he was taken to the Father.  This is also giving us an indication that it was some time during those forty days before he was taken.  The five hundred were not on the mountain when he was taken.  The only record we have is Luke’s and he does not tell us but gives us some kind of ideal.  That it was the apostles and maybe a few others who are mentioned in verse 14.  Mary, Jesus’ mother and his brothers, there is no indication to any others. 

Why is what I am pointing out important?  I want to make a point here that nobody really knows how many were in that room when God gave the gift of holy spirit.  Yes, in verse 15, Luke mentions about a 120, but there is no time line given from that verse to chapter 2.  Some could have been added or for some reason some could have left, we just don’t know.  I know we have heard the massages telling us there were 120 that day that received the holy spirit,  but they just did not read the account right. So what, you may say.  It does make a difference when coming to truth and trying to understand what God was doing and still doing in His church.

You see for those who say that the manifestations and tongues was just for the Apostles or just for then, miss understand Luke’s account and the rest of the scriptures.  One should notice how Luke starts Acts and then how it finishes.  It is like he is continuing from his gospel Luke into Acts, but never gives it a finish or real end.  No salutation, farewell or mentioning of continuing thought.  He does not even mention the end of Paul’s life of whom he was giving an account of at the closing. The book is left open like it is to be finished.  That brings me to a point I want to make.

A number of years ago I heard a well known Bible teacher say that the days of the Apostles, signs and wonders, tongues, and the manifestations were over because we had a completed Bible today. I may not be saying it exactly like he did but basically this is what he said.  Since then I have heard him say it on a number of times and have also heard others say basically the same. Before I go any further, I want you to know I do believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and is complete cannon of scripture.  Then there is where I draw the line.  I do not think it was an accident that Luke did not finish the book of Acts.  It is still being written.  The acts of the church are not over until Jesus returns.

Where do we find in scripture that it is all over, done and God does not need the church to be filled with holy spirit?  Where does God say he stopped needing the gospel preached with signs following?  Where does He tell us we don’t need tongues anymore?  If God is no longer working through the gospel message with power of holy spirit, what’s the point of us gathering, worshiping, or praying.  Why should we bother God with our prayers if He does not do any of those things today?  If I need a miracle, I don’t want to ask any of you who think God doesn’t operate in the manifestations to pray, you’re not going to believe for answers to your own prayers. Then what would be the point in believing for anything if those days are over.

My point is this, I truly believe what God started in Acts chapter 2 was just the beginning.  The birth of His glorious church was done, but the church is not complete, or finished.  Yes, God has given us His word; we call it the Bible, but he has not stopped talking to and operating through His church. The gift of holy spirit was given to us to bring us to completion, the day of resurrection, and the return of our Lord Jesus.  In the book of Acts, the writings of Paul and the others we can conclude this also includes all the manifestations.

Another thing I observed is, this was not just to a select few.  We can also see it was not just to leadership, but all those who were faithful to the gospel message.  Acts chapter 3, 4, 8, 10, I could go on an on.  Paul in chapter 19 found a few that where just baptized in Johns gospel and he laid hands on them and the spoke in tongues.  Even in chapter 2 everyone who was in that room spoke in tongues.  Now this is the only recorded time that what they spoke was understood by those who heard.  Yet, in that same account we may be able to say that not all of them spoke an actual language.    (Acts 2:13 NIV)  Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."  With this statement, that some considered them drunk, maybe there was some just babbling in tongues.  Luke gives no other account of understandable language being spoken.  He does however give witness to many other accounts of people speaking in tongues upon receiving holy spirit.

Another thing I noticed was the first eleven chapters is about the growth of the church in Jerusalem.  How it grew from those baby stages and dealt with the struggles of all that was going on.  Luke gives us a pretty good picture that they had to learn on the fly.  They were just doing what had to be done as it developed.  We also see because of this that God moved mightily on others that were not in leadership.  Then there are the seven that were selected by the people, yet God seemed to endorse this as well.

Then the rest of the book of Acts is primarily devoted to the ministry of Paul.  Yet we find God using many others in the manifestations as well.  Paul did not back down or give any indication that the holy spirit was different for the gentile believer.  I will say this, Luke shows us that Paul never claimed everyone he prayed for was healed or spoke in tongues, yet we can see he expected it to happen every time he prayed.  Paul’s ministry was that of a delivery of the gospel message to the nations in which he did have signs following and that brings me to my next observation.

There seemed to be a close connection to with the gospel message and the manifestations of the holy spirit.   Maybe that is why today we are not seeing the manifestations like they had.  We have stopped preaching the true message of the gospel and the coming kingdom; therefore there is no power or true manifestations.  I know there are those who will say they have it all working in their church, or point out their favorite evangelist.  My question is, are they true manifestation or embellished stories, emotional frenzies, or just something that happens now and then. 

Upon close reading you will find that many of the signs and wonders happened, not in a group of believers, but before unbelievers. From the beginning it was the speaking in tongues that got the crowds attention.  There was not a church service going on when people put their sick loved ones in the street, hoping that the shadow of Peter would fall on them and be healed.  Paul did more in adverse situations than many of us do in ideal church conditions.

The point I want to make is we need to get the gospel message back.  We need to seek for the true message of Jesus and the coming kingdom.  Jesus himself was moved to obey his Father and stick to the message he was given.  The people in Acts did the same.  They were faithful to the message and like Jesus, had real compassion on those who were lost. They used the scriptures to show God’s love and fulfillment of promises.  They never made claims that God was done or that was all there was.  They preached with expectation, of God’s promises and the return of Jesus.  They understood why the gift of holy spirit was given and had expectations for its manifestations.  God worked through and on anyone who would believe, and I say he still does today.       

(Mat 9:35-38 NIV)  Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. {36} When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. {37} Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. {38} Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

His Dwelling Presence

I want to be completely honest with you who may be reading this. There is so much teaching out there on the holy spirit and the manifestations, it may seem hard for one to come to a proper conclusion.  I have seen both extremes over the years and at times I am not sure where I fit in.  One extreme is there is no real significance to the indwelling holy spirit, the other is everything is spiritual and anything goes kind of mind set.  I have seen many silly things go on in churches and be labeled “coming from the holy spirit”.  I do not agree with most of what I have seen over the years and the outright stupidity it produced.  I have seen and dealt with the disillusioned and discouraged when real life problems hits them square in the face.  I have seen the many failures of modern day prophecies and so called prophets. Then there is the seemingly easily fooled Christian that blindly follows leaders of such false groups.       

As I think about this I find my own self in the middle somewhere.  That in it’s self creates a problem, because today there seems to be this thinking you belong to one group or the other, there is no middle ground.  We are encouraged to take sides, but the problem with that is I can not be honest with myself if I do.  I have many friends in ministry that come from both kinds of mind sets.  I love them dearly, but can not agree with them in the matters of their teaching about the indwelling holy spirit.  I also find that in each group the mind set that will not allow anyone to speak otherwise to them or even think differently.  Yes, I have been given the label heretic, trouble maker, lost, or just plain stupid.  I do like to think of myself as a free thinker and willing to ask the questions, most are not willing to ask.

I was raised basically Pentecostal, now that carries a lot of different meanings to others. I have been exposed to nonsense, and spiritual stupidity.  Yet, I have seen and bear testimony to many great things and demonstrations of God’s power.  I have been a seeker of truth basically all my life and more so today than ever.  I have experienced God’s word at work in my own life and felt Him doing a work in me.  I know first hand the goodness of God’s indwelling presence, and what His spirit can do.  I do speak in tongues, (my prayer language), I can never that I have spoken in another human language, I just don’t know. Like Paul to the Corinthians, I may speak in tongues a lot, maybe more than most.  I do understand what I am saying and know what praying in the spirit has produced in me.

I have not done it for the glory from man or exploited it for recognition, or gain.  I have worshiped God in it and opened my heart in prayer through it.  It has interceded on my behalf and when there were no words that I could utter, it knew what to say.  I will not say I understand it all or that I am an expert on this subject.  What I do have and come to believe can be found in the scripture; I do believe it’s for everyone and for today’s believer.  I will not say everyone should speak in tongues as I do, but I would encourage you to seek God and His Word about it and maybe you would find the manifestation of His spirit at work in you.

Now, I know there is a lot of debate over when one receives holy spirit.  Two basic schools of thought on this, no matter how they may feel it is reveled.  One, you receive it at your confession of faith.  The other is, you have a separate experience called the baptism of holy spirit.  Two extremes exist in these thoughts. One there is no spiritual significance and manifestation other than fruit.  The other is, only if you speak in tongues do you have it.  Like I said, I am this guy who is in the middle somewhere.

First of all, today’s understanding of salvation is not truly biblical.  Saved from what?  This is my question. Hell maybe? What are we saved from, maybe we need to understand that first.  What does it truly mean to believe?  The demons believe there is a God, are they saved? (James 2.19) One must be transformed, born again by the Word and the spirit. 

(1 Pet 1:22-23 NIV)  Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. {23} For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

 I will deal with this subject later, but for now I do believe salvation is something that is only completed at the resurrection and the rebirth is now and a growing process, called maturing, coming to fruit.  This is an ongoing obedience to the gospel message, our God, and Jesus.  Repentance is to change, do a 180 in all we do and how we live.  I have always asked the question, “How can one claim to be saved or be filled with the spirit and never change?”  Now it is not my place to judge another, but many of their fruits have left a bitter taste in my mouth. Enough said for now.

Jesus himself said that the spirit would dwell in us. (John 14:17 NKJV)  "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. Then Paul comes along and teaches the workings of the spirit in as, and confirms that it dwells in us.  This will create in us two natures and Paul often deals with them.  One is our human nature with all its emotions and earthly knowledge, born in sin and is evil in heart.  The other is God’s spirit at work in us producing godliness, preparing us for the complete change from mortal to immortality. His spirit will cause us to change and walk in obedience to Jesus.  This is an ongoing work that one day will produce a harvest of who God intended us to be. Just Like the parable of the good seed and the tares, they had to grow up together until reaping time.  Then the one is gathered for destruction, and the other for life.

Romans chapter 7 is all about the earthly sin nature in man, who is incapable of obeying God’s laws.   (Rom 7:20-24 NKJV)  Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. {21} I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. {22} For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. {23} But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. {24} O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

We are all held captive and in need of an answer to this dilemma, that death rules over us. That is why Paul continues on. 

 (Rom 7:25 NIV)  Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.(Rom 8:1-10 NIV)  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, {2} because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. {3} For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, {4} in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. {5} Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. {6} The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; {7} the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. {8} Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. {9} You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. {10} But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Notice what Paul is saying, without the spirit of God we are not capable of living the Christian life. If I could put it this way, until one is born again of the spirit they are still in the womb incapable of living freely as God designed.  You cannot live for God without His spirit in you, Paul says it is impossible.  So, how can one truly say they are saved and not have the spirit?   On the other hand how can one say they are filled and are experiencing so many manifestations and still not be able to walk in obedience to God?  I say maybe neither is truly possible according to Paul.  Our human rational soul can only be changed by the spirit of God.

Paul, even uses a little stronger words in (1 Cor 3:16-20 NIV)  Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? {17} If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. {18} Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. {19} For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; {20} and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."  God’s spirit dwells in us and we are to change our lives to reflect that.  We are the temples not made with men’s hands.  How are you treating God holy place of dwelling?  Here Paul tells us that God would even destroy those who disrespect His dwelling place.  I am not sure if that is now or the coming judgment, I feel maybe both in many respects.

Back to (Rom 8:11 NKJV)  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.  Paul is letting us know it is the same power and spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.  Notice, he is letting us know that this spirit and power will effect our body.  This scripture I believe also is two fold.  Now, in this life its effects are to help us grow and spread the gospel message to a world that needs to hear the true message.  Then also to help us grow and prepare for the coming kingdom, in which we will rule and reign with Jesus.  The first is the part I want to talk about for a few weeks if I can.   How God’s spirit affects us, what it should look like and manifest through us.  The manifestations are they for everyone?  What about tongues?  How does that play a role in spreading the gospel message? These are tough issues for some and I can only hope to maybe shed some light or cause you to pray and study to find out for yourself what God wants to do in you and through you.