The Holy Spirit was sent from God and now empower the Disciples to boldly speak the Gospel message to all who were come to Jerusalem.
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them".Acts:2:1-4
To The Hellenized
There at Jerusalem were Jews, or converts to Judaism, from around the Roman Empire having come to Jerusalem for the Holy Day season, most them were from the highly Hellenized culture that was found throughout the Empire each hearing the preaching of the Apostles in their own language, through the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit .
"Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spokenUtterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” (5-12)
Many who heard the Gospel about Jesus came to believe and were baptized and joined with the disciples swelling the church's ranks by 3000 in one day. The power displayed on Pentecost convince the crowd of the central fact that Jesus is raised from the dead.
"Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man
accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did
among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,
put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
But
God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death,
because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him".(22-24)
As result of the workings of the Holy Spirit they respond seeing the living Christ working through the Apostles and other Disciples.
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.(41)
A Communion
The power of the living Christ worked in the life of the primitive church as the lived and moved forming a unique fellowship among them unlike any that had been before bound together by the understanding and faith in Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit .This relationship could be best understood as a Communion.
The Disciples, who's number grew almost daily, would gathered often in the Temple and live out this Communion in the sharing of their lives and hearing the teaching that the Apostles gave them regarding all that the Lord Jesus had given to them before and after his resurrection.
"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
Every
day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke
bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (42-47)
Even as the early Jewish believers knew that something had been changed in humanities relationship with God with the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, they still at the beginning followed the tenets which they had lived under all their lives including the observance of the Sabbath(s), dietary laws and attendance in the Synagogues. Changes would latter come that would at first perplex some of the early believers.
Conflict With Religions Leaders
As
the power of church grew and and its message about Jesus spread, there arose
conflict with the Religious leaders of the Jews, the Scribes , the
Pharisees and the Sadducee , the party of Pharisees were mainly the overseers of the Synagogues found throughout the land and the Sadducee held control over the Temple.
The Apostles Peter and John were brought before the leaders of the Temple after the healing of a cripple man who sat begging at an entrance of the Temple courts .This account is found in Acts:3: and 4
This miraculous healing generated great attention and led to the conversion of several wittiness. This healing caused the religious leaders to react arresting Peter and John and after interrogating them they threaten the Apostles in the hopes that it would curtail the preaching about Jesus and stop the spread of the fledgling movement.
The Religious leaders could do deny that a power which they did not understand was at work in the lives of the followers of Jesus and this power was being exercised beyond their control and evident with growth of the followers of Jesus.
"The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came
up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people.
They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand."Acts:4:1-4
After hearing the Apostles give their answers to the charges, the Council talked among themselves; yet remain unable to resolve what they should do with them, and the movement that they represent.
"When
they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were
unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that
these men had been with Jesus.
But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.
So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What
are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in
Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny
it.
But
to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must
warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus."(13-18)
Dispute Among Them
At first ,this new movement focused upon the living Jesus was made up of Jews who had come to accept that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah that they hoped and prayed for. The "culture" of the church was at first dominated by the Jewish who were resident in Palestine, this domination created some tension between they and the Hellenized Jews who came from the scattered parts of the Roman world. This tension was manifested in a disagreement in the care of the Hellenized widows whom they felt were being neglected.
"In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews
among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food."Acts:6:1
This tension led to the Apostles appointing seven men who were chosen from among the group, called Deacons , all seven were Hellenized Jews. They would be responsible for the care of the widows. This appointment was done by the Apostles them selves to put emphasis on the importance of the widows group and to ensure that the Deacons had authority to act in this new office.
"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 themand will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
This
proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of
faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon,
Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them".(2-6)
The First Martyr
The church grew and the power of the Spirit was evident , the message of Jesus was aging momentum evn
some that served in the Priesthood became believers.
some that served in the Priesthood became believers.
"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
The Deacon Stephen became a powerful preacher of the Gospel, his preaching was accompanied by displays of power.
'Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people"(8)
The ministry of Stephen was so effective it garnered the anger of a group of Jews from the Synagogue of the Freemen who opposed Stephan's ministry. These men, who were unable to prove Stephen wrong, joined in a conspiracy to falsely accuses the Deacon of speaking blasphemy against the Scriptures and have him brought before the Council.
"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.
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.” (9-14)
Before the High Priest and the assembled Council Stephen defended the Gospel message of Jesus. His testimony to them was so powerful that they could not counter it. Not only did he uncompromisingly preach Jesus as the Messiah, he enraged the Council of speaking against the Temple, even asserting that it was unnecessary, or ever intended to be a permanent component in humanities relationship with God.
This brought a violent reaction by members of the Council who attacked and beat Stephen taking outside of Jerusalem and stoning him to death. Acts:8:7-60
This brought a violent reaction by members of the Council who attacked and beat Stephen taking outside of Jerusalem and stoning him to death. Acts:8:7-60
With the stoning of Stephen the followers of Jesus now have their first post Pentecost martyr and a new adversary named Saul.
Saul of Tarsus
Saul was a Hellenized Jew who had been born a Roman citizen, in south eastern Asia Minor in the prominent city of Tarsus located in the area called Cilicia . Saul was ancestry we know from his own writings was that he was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamen he would later describe himself as being
"of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law,a Pharisee"Philp:3:5 .
Saul saw his mission to counter the followers of Jesus as forcibly as he was able even; arresting many of Jesus' believers. Saul was provided arrest papers issued by the religious Establishment at Jerusalem and give by them to travel to Damascus with the mission to put an end to the growing number of believers that there.
Saul off His Horse
It is as Saul of Tarsus is on his journey to eradicate the troublesome movement that follows of what he considers to be both
a disgraced Rabbi and a dead heretic , that Saul's life would change for all time and eternity. In this encounter not only Saul's life would be transformed but the life of the Jesus movement and of many forever.
Saul himself would encounter the very one whose followers he had determined to destroy, Jesus himself would intersect Saul here on his way to Damascus.
"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priestand
asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he
found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might
take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”Acts:9:1-4
Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor
The
Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.
2101 Old National Pike.
Washington,
Pennsylvania.
www.gcfountainoflife.org
The
Fountain of Life is heard on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in
Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM in the Arden Fair Grounds area
of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela,
Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com
No comments:
Post a Comment