HOW THE WORD OF GOD GROWS

Acts 12:24 ... "But the word of God continued to grow and to be multiplied."

      The first years of the church of Christ were a time of rapid growth in many ways. The increase in the outpouring of God's grace was the most important of them; it was, in fact, the basis of all the others.  Through God's involvement in human affairs there was a great advance in society of all that is good and true and righteous. The realm of evil had to retreat before the progress of God's power through the preaching and teaching of His word, through the extension of His kingdom, and through the great improvement in the lifestyle of converted sinners. Those early years were a period of glory, triumph, and joy for those who loved the Lord. Even today, after the passage of almost two millennia, Christians still look back upon the church's youth with pride and gladness, and then yearn for the restoration of such results in the present.

      One might wonder, however, in what sense we may understand the report by Luke that "the word of God continued to grow and to be multiplied." Does it refer to growth in substance? That is, was God continually revealing more of His holy message to the apostles, so that the body of the gospel was growing? There is no doubt that progressive revelation of divine truth was taking place. Paul, for example, once referred to "the surpassing greatness of the revelations" given to him, (II Cor. 12:7). Indeed, the light of knowledge from God was becoming brighter as time passed until the apostles had completed their earthly mission.

      Careful consideration leads this writer to conclude, however, that Acts 12:24 presents another view of the growth and multiplication of God's word. Rather than growth in substance, it refers to a growth in effect. As the apostles and other evangelists preached the message revealed to them, it had tremendous effect upon those who heard it. The reason for this is clearly stated in Rom. 1:16-17, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, 'But the righteous man shall live by faith.'" When the word of God was preached in its truth, simplicity, and power, it convicted sinners, showed them the way to a better life, and induced them to obey in faith its requirements. This is the effect reported in Acts 6:7, "The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem." The same results are reported concerning the people in Thessalonica: "Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit. ... You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, ... so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia," (I Ths. 1:5-7).

      In the present we do not witness the same effects we read in these reports in the New Testament, and we are made to wonder why. Although the reasons are many and complex, surely a major cause is our failure to preach the word of God as they did in the beginning. Today we impose constructions on the gospel that pervert its message, although the gospel needs no modernization to address the situations of contemporary life. We hear much about adapting the gospel to meet our current needs and life conditions. Our real need, however, is to adapt our lives to conform to the standard of God's word. We need to realize that, if the New Testament can be made all things to all people, it finally becomes nothing to anyone. The average mind can understand that God's word clearly forbids certain lifestyles that have recently become popular. So, when those who present themselves as ministers of that word give their sanction to those forbidden lifestyles, mixed messages come across to the masses of people. Confusion results, respect for the divine word diminishes, and its preaching does not have the effect it should. But the power to change lives yet resides in that word to anyone who will take it as it is simply written!

THE SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Acts 11:24 ... "For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord."

      It is unusual for the Bible to pay such a high compliment to an individual, but Luke, the inspired writer of Acts, saw fit to pen these words of tribute to Barnabas. Luke introduces him into the record in Acts 4:36-37 as Joses (or Joseph), a Levite and native of the island of Cyprus. In the earliest stage of the church's existence he sold some land and handed the proceeds to the apostles to be distributed among destitute brethren. For this generosity the apostles gave him a new name, Barnabas, which is Aramaic for "son of encouragement." He is next mentioned when he made himself a friend to Saul of Tarsus and commended him to the Christians in Jerusalem, who conceded to admit him into their fellowship. Until then these Christians had doubted that Saul was sincere and supposed he was really seeking a devious way to continue his policy of persecuting them. Barnabas' third appearance in Acts is the one here in chapter 11. When the church in Jerusalem heard that the kingdom was growing rapidly in Antioch of Syria, it commissioned Barnabas to go there, look over the situation, and help it along the true path. This selection shows the high esteem and confidence with which the apostles and other brethren looked upon Barnabas.

      Barnabas was a good man. His generosity in Acts 4, his desire to promote Saul as a Christian worker, and his personal interest in the growth and development of the church in Antioch illustrate what this expression means. He was unselfish, magnanimous and pure-minded. Second, Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit. Everyone who obeys the gospel to become a Christian receives "the gift of the Holy Spirit," (Acts 2:38). This "gift" is the indwelling of the Spirit Himself, for it says in I Cor. 6:19 that "your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God." The indwelling Spirit is sometimes likened to a holy fire that burns within the soul of a Christian, who is thus commanded in I Ths. 5:19 to "quench not the Spirit." The intensity of this spiritual Flame burns within us to the extent that we respond to it with zeal, enthusiasm, holiness and purity. The Flame is quenched and dimmed to the degree by which we allow indifference, worldliness and immorality to enter our lives. Barnabas welcomed the residence of the Spirit within him and cooperated with this divine Presence in an extraordinary way. Third, Barnabas was a man of faith. He was fully convinced that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of all who repent and submit to His teaching, and that He is the Head of the church which is God's eternal kingdom.

      The result of Barnabas' influence and work in Antioch was that "considerable numbers were brought to the Lord." This man had submitted his life to be an instrument in God's hand to perform the divine will among people. Wherever God has such a ready and willing tool, He can perform great deeds in our world. More people like Barnabas are needed in the church today, people who are pure minded and not absorbed in their own personal interests, people who are magnanimous in promoting their brethren with no desire or expectation of praise or reward. Barnabas was not a super-saint whose standard is unrealistic for average Christians today. What he accomplished in character and in deed is well within reach of any of us, if we really care to achieve it. Anyone who fully yields his will to God is a choice candidate to become another "son of encouragement." More bona fide Barnabas types in our brotherhood would surely result in "considerable numbers (being) brought to the Lord." People will listen to and cooperate much more readily with one whom they truly believe is more interested in their welfare and future than in his own status, acclaim, and career advancement.

ACCEPTANCE INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Acts 10:34-35 ... "And Peter said, 'I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him."

      The tenth chapter of Acts describes a great turning point in the history of Christianity and the progress of the church. Although Jesus had commanded that "repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem," (Lk. 24:47), His disciples had not surpassed the bounds of Judaism before this chapter. Apparently these people, who had been reared to believe that Gentiles were the off-scouring of the earth, could not conceive that the Kingdom of God was also open to those of any nation who would be happy to meet its requirements for citizenship. Even the apostles did not have this vision. So when God willed to convert Cornelius, a Roman army officer, He found it necessary to convince Peter by means of a vision (vs. 9-15) that Gentiles were eligible for discipleship in Christ and membership in His church.

      When Peter came to the house of Cornelius in Caesarea, he used the "keys of the kingdom" given him by Jesus in Mat. 16:19 to open the way for the first non-Jew to enter as a child into God's family, He was speaking to himself as much as to others when he said, "God is not one to show partiality." All his life he had been taught as a Jew the opposite, that God's covenant-love rested upon those who were descended from Father Abraham. Some fifteen years later Peter used this revelation to try to convince certain Jewish brethren that Gentiles did not have to be proselytes to Judaism before they could become Christians. In Acts 15:7,9 he told them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ... And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith." The door to the church was not at the end of the corridor of Jewish observance; it opened straight from the world of Gentile abominations.

      Nevertheless, one has to leave those abominations behind in that sordid world when he enters into the Kingdom of God. These days we are not much concerned about Jewish prerequisites to Christian discipleship, but the principle of what one must do to enter into that discipleship is certainly a matter of paramount concern. In order to be accepted by God and granted citizenship in His Kingdom, one must "fear God and do what is right." To fear God means to hold Him in the most profound respect possible. In fact, it is a spirit that transcends respect and attains to reverence. God must be recognized as present at all times and in every place, (Psa. 139:7-12). As one humbles himself in the immediate presence of royalty, the God-fearer will continually humble himself in the perceived presence of Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords. To "do what is right" (also called "righteousness") means to observe the canon of behavior God has set forth in His book of instruction, the Bible. Presentations designed to convince others of one's righteousness are no substitute for the real thing, obedience to the word of God. Jesus declared in Mat. 7:21, "Not every one who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven." Anyone who is irreverent, or who balks at obedience to God's will, is denied entrance into the Kingdom of God.

      All who submit themselves to these requirements shall indeed be accepted. This is emphasized in Gal. 3:26,28 as follows, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ... There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

CONVERSION OF THE FOREMOST SINNER

Acts 9:5-6 ... "And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.'"

      Although Saul of Tarsus had not actually thrown rocks at Stephen to help kill him, he had been "in hearty agreement with putting him to death," (Acts 8:1), and had guarded the robes of those who had thrown rocks. Not being content with Stephen's execution, he embarked on a personal crusade against the church of Christ. In Acts 8:3 it says that "Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he put them in prison." His zeal in persecuting grew with his efforts, and he soon began to look to places beyond Jerusalem and Judea where Christianity was spreading. Fixing his attention on Damascus, about 140 miles away, he determined to purge that city of its Christian disciples. Having obtained letters of authority from the High Priest, Saul was approaching Damascus when suddenly a light from above, brighter than the noonday sun, flashed about him, dropping him to the ground and blinding him. A Voice from the zenith of the sky asked him why he was persecuting Him. When Saul asked who was speaking to him, the Voice answered, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting," (v.5). Realizing his life was hanging by a thread, Saul asked, "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10).

      Jesus' reply is instructive and most relevant to us today. Though Saul was about as sincere in his religion as a person can become, being "found blameless as to the righteousness which is in the Law (of Moses)," (Php. 3:6), and having lived "with a perfectly good conscience before God," (Acts 23:1), he was nevertheless a sinner. Later, he admitted that he was not only a sinner, but among the mass of sinners he was "foremost of all," (I Tim. 1:15). Overcome with astonishment that he had actually been persecuting the Lord in heaven, who was the Jesus of Nazareth toward Whom he had been so furious, Saul trembled with fear over his fate. He must have conceived a sudden hope that the Lord would yet be merciful and not destroy him. His question, "What shall I do, Lord?,"was an appeal for mercy unto his salvation. Jesus' reply, "Rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do," was the response to his appeal.

      Why did Jesus not forgive Saul's sin right there in the middle of the road? It is evident that He did not, since Acts 22:16 (a parallel account) informs us that Saul took his sins into Damascus with him. Is not a personal appearance by Jesus to someone sufficient to save him? Could not Jesus dispense enough of His infinite, amazing grace to remit Saul's sins at that moment? Of course He could! But He did not! Nor does He now in the case of anyone. That method of forgiving sin ceased with Jesus' return to heaven. In the present age the "treasure" of the gospel is committed to "earthen vessels," (II Cor. 4:7). The Lord has entrusted His gospel with its "power of God for salvation" (Rom. 1:16) unto His disciples (the "earthen vessels") and made it their duty to use it to convert sinners. Jesus had in Damascus one of these "earthen vessels" ready, a disciple named Ananias, and He soon gave him the commission to administer the gospel to Saul, (vs. 10-16). When Jesus said, "It shall be told you what you must do," He was referring to the gospel Ananias would soon present to Saul.

      Notice that Jesus did not say what Saul "could do," or "might do," or should do" when he got to Damascus. He used the absolute imperative, "must!" For Saul there was no discussion, arbitration, or compromise possible. There was only the declaration that he MUST respond affirmatively to what Ananias would tell him. We are told in Acts 22:16 what that MUST was: "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name." It is evident that Saul now believed, had repented of sin, and had confessed Christ as Lord. But the imperative to be baptized remained before his sins could finally be removed.

MODEL EVANGELISM

Acts 8:35 ... "Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, he preached Jesus to him."

      Philip is introduced at Acts 6:5 as one of the "seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom" who were appointed to supervise the work of distributing food equitably to Hellenist and Hebrew widows in the church. Because this service is generally taken to be that of deacons, we come to know this man first as "Philip the Deacon." He evidently occupied himself with this work until the great persecution against the church zealously promoted by Saul of Tarsus. At that time the Christians of Jerusalem were "scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria," (Acts 8:1). Consequently, "Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them," (v.5). Since the original meaning of "evangelist" was "one who preaches the gospel of Christ," Philip the Deacon became "Philip the Evangelist." It is by this designation that we today know him best.

      Philip deserves to be called "evangelist" because Luke, in recording Philip's ministry, emphasizes that what he preached was indeed the gospel of Christ. When Philip arrived in the city of Samaria, he "began proclaiming Christ to them," (v.5). Verse 12 states that, while he labored there, "Philip [was] preaching the good news about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ." Finally, he was called away from Samaria to the road that led from Jerusalem southward to Gaza and then on down to Egypt. The Holy Spirit saw a prospective disciple traveling that road and wanted him to have the opportunity to learn the gospel, obey its requirements. and become a true child of God. When Philip found this man, a nobleman of Ethiopia, he was reading from the scroll of Isaiah at the place now designated as chapter 53. When Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading, the man answered that he did not. He then invited Philip to enter the chariot and teach him. It was at this moment the evangelist "opened his mouth and, beginning from this Scripture, preached Jesus to him."

      The object of evangelism proceeds from the Divine proclamation of Ezk. 18:4, "The soul who sins will die." In Rom. 3:23 we are told that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." These two premises force the conclusion that everyone is due to die because of his sin. The human situation is hopeless, until we find in I Tim. 2:4 that God "desires all men to be saved" and that He gave His own Son, whom He sent here in human form, to offer "Himself as a ransom for all," (v.6). Everyone should love God with perpetual praise and thanksgiving that He does not desire to carry out upon anyone the penalty of death for sin. He sent Christ to pay that penalty for us. But God requires us to do something for Christ's ransom to save us. We must put our faith in Jesus as God's Son and our Savior, and be baptized in water.

      Evangelism is the effort to persuade a person to make that critical, utterly vital response. That is what we see in the case of Philip and the Ethiopian nobleman. Anyone who refuses to make this response is effectually saying, "No, God, I do not want Christ to ransom me. I had rather pay the penalty of death for sin myself." And that, my dear reader, is not so much physical death as eternal death ... being separated from God's presence forever ... and everlasting exclusion from the Paradise of Heaven.  That decision, and the awful result to which it leads, is the ULTIMATE HUMAN TRAGEDY!

THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR

Acts 7:60 ... "Falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them!' And having said this, he fell asleep."

      Stephen was one of the seven men appointed by the apostles to oversee the work of distributing daily sustenance equally to Hellenist and Hebrew widows. As he performed this duty, he somehow ran into disputes with Jews from certain synagogues in Jerusalem. But because Stephen was filled with wisdom and the Spirit of God, these adversaries performed badly in the debates. It is evident that their goal was not to define truth and righteousness but rather to protect selfish interests. We read in Acts 6:11-12 that "they secretly induced men to say, 'We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.' And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they came upon him, and brought him before the Council."

      The seventh chapter of Acts is devoted to Stephen's trial before the highest court of the Jews, the Sanhedrin. It was far from a fair trial; from its beginning it is obvious the purpose of the Jews was to convict and destroy Stephen. Acts 6:13 reports that "they put forward false witnesses," just as they had previously done in the "trial" of Jesus. In the middle of his testimony (v.51) Stephen abruptly turned from his presentation to make a severe indictment of these men for obstructing the will of God and for murder, whereby they perpetuated the tradition of their ancestors. In their countenances he apparently read the malice and injustice in their hearts. His severe words to them, however, were not motivated by anger and hatred, for his dying words as they stoned him was a prayer that God would forgive them of the terrible sin they were committing.  Stephen felt pity for them in their spiritual blindness and hardheartedness and spoke to them the strong words he did for their real benefit.

      This Christian martyr, the first on record, serves as a worthy model for all who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. He made no compromise of the truth to save himself, but rather boldly defended it. In fact, a close analysis of his speech reveals he was more interested in revealing God's plan of human redemption than he was in his own defense. Had he been allowed to finish his discourse, he probably would have extended the gospel invitation to the Jewish leaders to accept it and be baptized into Christ. Stephen's heroism and steadfastness may have had a positive impact upon one special adversary that day, Saul of Tarsus, who later became a Christian and an apostle of Jesus.

      In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. ... Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great," (Mat. 5:10,12). Fortunately, in the present situation, it is not likely we will suffer Stephen's fate in our stand for Christ. Nevertheless, if we truly stand loyal to Christ in a society that every day is turning further away from God and making light of His word in the Bible, we shall suffer persecution in some form. It says in II Tim. 3:12 that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Because Christ in His gospel uncovers and condemns the sin in people's lives, they will despise and ridicule His teaching. And those who become disciples of Jesus they will persecute in one way or another. The opposition of society to Jesus and His disciples has recently become more prevalent and more overt. The challenge to maintain our identity in Christ is growing stronger, and we must valiantly rise to meet it. The offense we may take is with the word of God and righteous conduct. If that is not sufficient, as it was not for Stephen, we must be "ready to suffer." But suffering for Christ is never in vain, for "great is your reward in heaven." (See Rev, 7:9-17).

THREE NECESSARY CHRISTIAN ASSETS

Acts 6:3 ... "Select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task."

      The church Christ promised to build (Mat. 16:18) was established in Jerusalem in 33 AD on the Day of Pentecost. Jews had come from most of the Roman Empire to observe this major religious festival, and some of them were among the 3000 who were baptized into Christ and added by the Lord to His church of that day of its inception. It seems that these foreign Jews, called "Hellenists," stayed longer than they had first intended in order to be further established in their new-found faith. Using up the funds they had brought to cover their anticipated needs, they soon found themselves in financial straits. The church responded to this crisis at once with the programs mentioned in Acts 2:44-45 and 4:31-37. There were doubtless many facets to this benevolent work, one of which was distributing food daily to Christian widows, some of whom were "Hebrews" (native Palestinians) and the others foreign born "Hellenists," (Greek speaking). Perhaps subconsciously, the men who made the allotments favored the Hebrew widows, since they spoke the same language and were culturally most similar. In any case, the Hellenist widows were being neglected, or overlooked, in the "daily ministration," and their complaint was brought before the apostles. These inspired men offered the remedy presented in the introductory text above.

      To qualify for this work, usually recognized as the service of deacons, the men had to meet three criteria. First, they had to be of good reputation; second, they had to be full of the Spirit; and third, they had to be full of wisdom. As we read this, let us not restrict these requirements only to those seven men in Acts 6, or even to the men who now serve as deacons in the churches. Rather, it should be the goal of every Christian to meet these criteria, whether we every hold office in a church or not. These qualities are valuable assets to any Christian and ought to be coveted by every disciple of the Lord.

      To be of good reputation means to be respected as one who is honest, upright, and beneficial to his community. Although we should not court the favor of people by dramatizing good works in order to highlight our piety, we do want to be recognized by them as being pious and devoted by love to serving our community. We are taught in I Pet. 3:15-17 to "sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts ... and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong." In other words, as Christians we should be so committed to good works, motivated by good conscience, that we are recognized and valued as good people. If bad treatment comes upon us, let it be persecution for good deeds rather than justly deserved punishment for evil activity, (see I Pet. 4:15).

      To be full of the Spirit means to be a wide open channel through whom the Holy Spirit operates in this world. Since the Spirit works through the revealed word (Scripture), a person who is well-informed in God's word, devoted to teaching it to others, and adept in applying it to life experience, may fitly be described as "full of the Spirit." So it is not surprising that in Acts 4:31, after it says "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit," it reports that the Jerusalem Christians "began to speak the word of God with boldness."

      Wisdom is the proper application of knowledge. There is no substitute for wisdom. Without it a person can be a brilliant fool and lead an unproductive life. Great knowledge of God's word is not enough. Only the wisdom by which that word can be effectively used is sufficient, and God will give it upon request, (Jas. 1:5).