Category Archives: Bible Study

ACTS THE SEQUEL…INTO AFRICA – 16

Bible Study, ,

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him….The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬-‭31‬, ‭34‬-‭36‬, ‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What an experience for Philip! One minute he was in Samaria and the next, he was on a road deep in the desert. In the distance, he saw a cloud of dust. A chariot was approaching at high speed. The Spirit whispered, “Go and join the chariot.” So, Philip stood in the middle of the road and flagged the chariot down. 

We know the story well but…what’s in it for us? 

As we watch the story of the church unfold in Luke’s carefully documented record, we see the plan of God coming to life in real time. First, Jerusalem…then Judea. The church must be rooted in the truth through the faithful ministry of the Apostles. Then, slowly, as opposition began to eat into the people’s favour and peace in the capital city, believers left their safe haven, moved away from their comfort zone, and took the message and the life of Jesus  them. 

 Samaria came alive with the gospel…together with the inevitable trouble in the form of a sorcerer who tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit. There will always be someone in the company who gets it wrong!

Now, from Samaria, Philip, leader in the new move of the Spirit in that region, was spirited away to reach out to man from Africa…not  an area close to Jerusalem but a whole new continent to hear the good news. Just one man, alight with the fire of the Holy Spirit, was all it took to carry the torch of the gospel to Africa. 

This representative of the royal court of Ethiopia had a heart for God. He had been to Jerusalem to worship…imagine that! From Ethiopia, a land thousands of miles from Jerusalem…in a chariot…drawn by horses. Not a cushy journey by air…not even a comfortable bus ride on a tar road. 

The unnamed official was passing the time over the tedious miles…not playing games on his cellphone…but reading the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. He happened to have reached chapter 53…just when Philip appeared on the scene. How perfectly timed! God is sovereign in all things. 

To top it all, the eunuch didn’t wait for Philip to explain his presence at this most crucial moment. He jumped right in, in answer to Philip’s question, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  Not, “Hello, I’m Philip. How can I help you?”

The situation, at face value,  seems so ordinary…like this kind of thing happened every day…a man appearing out of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere, just when someone needed him! No! This was definitely God at work to get things going in Africa. It isn’t every day that a man comes all the way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to worship. It isn’t every day that this man happened to be reading the best Scripture possible from which to tell him about Jesus. 

So, the  gospel message goes all the way to Africa in the heart of a man who was at the very top of authority…the guy who controlled the money for the queen of Ethiopia! Only God could do that, even if it meant picking Philip up  and supernaturally depositing him on a dusty road in the desert to get the job done!

To be continued 

ACTS THE SEQUEL…AND SAMARIA – 15

Bible Study, ,

“And Saul approved of their killing him…On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The seed was buried…

The persecution began in earnest… not just with court cases…intimidation, threats, jail. These strategies didn’t work. This dangerous heresy was spreading like a forest fire. The “wood” of the  common people was tinder dry…ready for the fire of the Holy Spirit to set it ablaze with supernatural life. 

And the wind of the Spirit blew…scattering the burning fragments from Jerusalem everywhere. The believers fled the city…just as Jesus had predicted…into Judea and Samaria. Up to that point, the church was still contained and functioning within city and the borders of Israel but…give it time…

Meanwhile, a new branch of the church began to grow in Samaria…the place where Jesus Himself had started a blaze through a disreputable Samaritan woman…who had drunk from the “water of life.”

“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭4‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The leadership of God’s people had new blood. The “deacons” of Acts 6 became spiritual leaders outside Jerusalem while the apostles remained in the city to care for the remnants of the flock left behind. 

Stephen was gone…but Philip, possibly one of the seven deacons, stepped up to fill the gap. The city of Samaria, in the province of Samaria, came alive with the power of the Holy Spirit. The same miracles that sparked the fierce opposition in Jerusalem now spread to Samaria. The powers of hell were shaken. The comfortable demonic presence was stirred up to resist and fight. The kingdom of God had come… and the demons didn’t like it. 

Luke included a story about an individual, Simon the sorcerer, who had duped the people into believing that he doing miracles for God. His deception was unhindered until the Spirit came. The people of Samaria were ripe for the gospel. 

“Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Peter and John, on a fact-finding mission from Jerusalem, passed on the Holy Spirit’s baptism to the new believers in this Samaritan hybrid group… and Simon was impressed!

“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria…

“…When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭14-‭17‬ ‭NIV

Simon also “ believed” but his cover was blown. When the true Spirit of God fell on people in Samaria, Simon decided to change sides. He still craved power…but now…he saw genuine power at work and tried to buy it!

Wrong!

“When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Peter was incensed. How dare this man try to buy God’s power! 

Peter stared right into Simon’s soul. No words were harsh enough to expose this man’s true intention. Money! Peter saw a heart full of money, dark and sinister because the love of money drove his life…colouring his every thought and deed…killing love, compassion, and kindness…caring about nothing or no one except to deceive for the sake of money. He was even ready to use some of his money to buy the Holy Spirit, as if he could, to gain more power over people, to manipulate and deceive…so he thought!

…“May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

The judgment was harsh but real…and Simon was shocked and afraid. 

“Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭20‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The next phase of God’s strategy, painful as it had been…through death and persecution…had opened the door to a hybrid nation.  The once-hated Samaritans had become part of God’s forever family. Grace had come to graft them into God’s “olive tree”! 

To be continued 

ACTS THE SEQUEL…EXIT STEPHEN – 14b

Bible Study, ,

Something unexpected happened. Stephen’s face changed…

“All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”

Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV

That should have stopped them in their tracks…but it didn’t…

They pressed on with their evil scheme, oblivious to the fact that, behind the scenes, Jesus was watching…and working. Through their wickedness, He was doing something that nothing could stop. In the words of Tertullian, a second century Christian theologian, “The more they mow us down, the more we grow. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”, this violent act of hatred let loose a wave of new life.  It lit a fire outside of Jerusalem that was destined to spread throughout the Roman empire and beyond. 

“Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Stephen opened his mouth and began to speak…

Carefully, deliberately, he reminded his accusers of their history…Abraham…the patriarchs…Moses and the burning bush…Moses and the exodus…Moses and the miracles in the wilderness…Moses and the rebellion… Moses and the covenant, the tabernacle, the glory of God…Joshua…David…Solomon and the temple…

And so the story of redemption and disobedience unfolded…until…Stephen turned the spotlight on his accusers.

Stephen was on a roll…oblivious to the danger, he was sharpening his weapon! Like a skilful archer, he chose a polished arrow and took aim at his accusers. 

Then he fired…but not in his own defence.

“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭7‬:‭51‬-‭53‬ ‭NIV‬‬

That set the cat among the pigeons! The entire religious hierarchy was in an uproar. 

Oh, Stephen! What have you done?

The reaction was instantaneous and vicious, like pulling the pin in a hand grenade. 

Bullseye! The arrow found its mark with unerring accuracy but…instead of piercing their hearts, the arrow found their conscience. Instead of producing repentance, the arrow’s wound poured pure venom…rage so terrible that all reason fled. 

Did this mean that Stephen, in this crisis, would expect to be immune to the hatred of his enemies? Would he be supernaturally protected from harm? Would he walk away unscathed from this skirmish between himself and the powers of darkness? What about God’s promise, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper”?

Where does faith fit into a situation like this? How does the will of God feature in this drama? 

Jesus had His own plan. Stephen already knew the outcome. He saw the welcome that awaited him. He saw heaven joining earth in a standing ovation. He heard the accolades that his faithfulness and courage had earned him…

“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭7‬:‭55‬-‭56‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Like his Master, he was chosen to be seed, the harvest of which would be many millions of seeds in every generation througout the centuries. 

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,

dragged him out of the city and began to stone him…”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭7‬:‭57-58a NIV‬‬

Stones flew…and Stephen’s ministry of miracles of mercy and compassion came to an abrupt end, snuffed out, just like that!Gone the favour God’s people had enjoyed. Gone the peace that had reigned in the city. Hatred flowed like a river… and God’s people fled…scattered like a flock of sheep invaded by wolves. 

Someone stood on the sidelines…watching…approving…cheering the stone-throwers on…guarding their clothing as they hurled their missiles at an innocent man.  

“…Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.”

Acts 7: 58b NIV

Luke mysteriously, masterfully, sort of “ by the way”, introduced the player who would soon take centre stage in the story of the early church. Who was this man? Why was he mentioned? Why was he important? 

Meanwhile, in the heavenly court, the onlookers watched with baited breath as the scene unfolded on earth. Heaven and earth became one for a moment as Stephen, Jesus’ first “witness” (Greek – martus…martyr), left the earth behind to gain his eternal reward. 

“…Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭7‬:‭55‬-‭56‬, ‭59‬-‭60‬ ‭NIV‬‬

With the words of Jesus on his lips and his blood soaking into the dust, Stephen “fell asleep” on earth and “woke up” in heaven. 

…and the believers fled…everywhere…carrying with them the precious Word hidden in their hearts and spilling from their lips like seed in the wind. God was at work again, spreading the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth. 

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…ENTER STEPHEN – 14a

Bible Study, ,

“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people…”

Stephen, one of the men selected to serve, rose to prominence among the Seven. Not only did he serve faithfully but he also served powerfully as the Holy Spirit worked through him to demonstrate the works of the kingdom of God among them. Signs and wonders…the very things Jesus promised would  happen through those who believe…

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…were multiplying through Stephen…

…and some didn’t like it. 

Well…that set the cat among the pigeons! Persecution! Some fanatical Jews from out of town…Hellenistic Jews who would feature big in this story…faced off with Stephen. Problem was…they had no answer for the powerful works of the Holy Spirit. 

“Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Some people didn’t like what Stephen was doing…so they told him, in no uncertain terms! 

Argue…yes, but even arguing with Stephen didn’t work. You see, Stephen had the weapon of truth in his heart, and it came out of his mouth…and truth in the Spirit’s power cannot be defeated!

The arguments were hot and fierce. The trouble was that arguing would never solve the problem. You see, the issue was not about who could win by a better argument. The real issue was a matter of the heart. Those who opposed Stephen had no intention of believing in the one who was doing the miracles through Stephen, or the message to which the signs were pointing. Like their leaders, their hearts were as hard as granite. 

So…they did what they did best to discredit Stephen…they lied. They did the devil’s work. Character assassination! If you can’t win the argument fairly, throw stones at your opponent! Of course, they had allies…friends in high places.  They falsely accused him of blasphemy…just like those who accused Jesus. They lined up and briefed false witnesses to testify against him. They did everything by the book! Two or three witnesses. They played to the gallery…the religious leaders who were only too willing to fall in with their scheme. 

“So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Hearsay is not evidence so, to conform to the law, these hypocrites produced their “witnesses”.  This sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it?  Only a short while before, Stephen’s Lord had suffered the same treatment…and the same fate…but, his Lord’s promise was to be with him. 

As Stephen stood before his accusers, something strange, unusual, unearthly, even scary began to happen…

To be continued

“Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Stephen was arrested and hauled before the Sanhedrin…

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…THE CHURCH MATURES – 13

Bible Study, ,

“So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A new development…the church was growing at a furious pace and, with the numbers came complications. The logistics had changed. The simplicity of the early days, when all the people could meet together for worship, prayer, and teaching, was over. How the church functioned in those early days in practice is not clear. Three thousand plus in one place?

However, the church had become, with its supernatural growth, an organisational problem…and with the problem…a test…either descend into chaos or grow in maturity?

How would the leaders navigate this one? Did the apostles take a leaf from Moses’ book? Moses followed Jethro’s advice…to delegate…and so did the Twelve. They approved a group of men, chosen by the people, who had a reputation for wisdom and Spirit-filled lives, to administer the day-to-day affairs of the church while they applied themselves to their God-appointed task…prayer and the ministry of the Word. 

The leaders were wise. They didn’t try to run the whole show. They knew their function and their limitations. Delegation was their solution, entrusting to others responsibilities they were not required or able to carry!

“So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, seven more men were added to the team…the Apostles who were the spiritual overseers and guides, and the seven “deacons”…servers who took care of the practical matters as they arose. 

The Holy Spirit was at the helm…and the ship sailed on! The apostles gladly followed as He led, so that peace and harmony once again reigned in this human, fallible, fragile, yet mighty army of God’s people. They were let loose on the world, armed with the Word of God and equipped with the Holy Spirit’s presence and power…to turn the topsy-turvy world right side up.  

“So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued