ACTS

 WHO TODAY WOULD START A WORLDWIDE MOVEMENT AND CHOOSE A CRUCIFIED GALILEAN RABBI AS THE RALLYING POINT, AND ENGAGE FISHERMAN, TAX COLLECTORS AND ILLITERATES (4:13) TO PROCLAIM A MESSAGE? WE MAY NOT  GOD DID IN LESS THAN A CENTURY, CHRIST FOLLOWERS SPREAD THEIR MESSAGE THROUGHOUT THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD, AND PRODUCED A BODY OF LITERATURE THAT HAS CONTINUED TO EXERCISE  THE GREATEST MINDS THROUGH THE CENTURIES. LET'S LOOK FROM THE ASCENSION TO RETURN, (MARK 14:62 AND MATTHEW (26:64 AT TIMES GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY EXPECTED CHRIST TO RETURN IN THEIR LIFETIME. LUKE'S VERSION OF JESUS WORDS IS SIGNIFICANT, " BUT FROM NOW ON THE SON OF MAN SHALL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE POWER OF GOD., " 22:67-69. LUKE LOOKS BEYOND THE ASCENSION TO THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, AND SUGGESTS THAT IT WILL BE SOMETIME BEFORE THE LORD RETURNS. FOR LUKE SALVATION HISTORY CONSISTS OF THREE ERAS (AGES).
1. FROM ANCIENT ISRAEL TO JOHN THE BAPTIST,
 2. JESUS EARTHLY MINISTRY,
 3. FROM JESUS ASCENSION UNTIL HIS RETURN.
  ONLY LUKE REPORTS JESUS ASCENSION, LUKE 24:50-53; ACTS 1: 1-9. THE ACCOUNTS IN ACTS DECLARES THE RISEN JESUS SHARES THE OMNIPRESENCE (PRESENT EVERYWHERE) AND OMNIPOTENCE (ALL POWERFUL ALL KNOWING) OF HIS FATHER
 AND  DISMISSES THE NOTION THAT HE WILL ESTABLISH ANY KIND OF REALM IN ISRAEL., 1:9) THOUGH HE WILL RETURN TO BE JUDGE OF ALL, THERE IS LITTLE POINT IN SPENDING LIFE LOOKING UP INTO HEAVEN, (ACTS I: II. THERE IS A WORLD TO BE WON FOR HIM! THE PERIOD OF BEING A DISCIPLE ('STUDENT') IS OVER, THE PERIOD OF BEING AN APOSTLE ("SENT ONE") MUST BEGIN!  IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW LONG JESUS DELAYS HIS SECOND COMING. HE HAS COMPLETED HIS REDEMPTIVE WORK. HIS FOLLOWERS MUST MAKE THIS TRUTH KNOWN TO ALL NATIONS. OLD ISRAEL FAILED IN HER MISSIONARY TASK. NEW ISRAEL MUST NOT.
 THE "PRESENCE OF THE SPIRIT". THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS BEEN AT WORK THROUGHOUT THE  THREE AGES (ERAS) OF SALVATION HISTORY ( SEE 1 ABOVE.).
THE OLD ISRAEL PERSISTED IN RESISTING THE HOLY SPIRIT DURING THOSE MANY YEARS HE WORKED IN HER MIDST, ACTS; 7:51. 4:25;  THE PURPOSE OF ACTS IS TO  REPORT HOW THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL SPREAD IN EVER WIDENING CIRCLES FROM JERUSALEM ( JEWISH CAPITAL OF THE WORLD), TO ROME THE GENTILE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. THE DISCOURSES AND SERMONS IN ACTS POINT TO JESUS AS THE EXPECTED MESSIANIC KING, OUT LINE THE EVENTS OF HIS CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION, AND WITNESS TO HIS CONTINUING PRESENCE IN THE CHURCH.. THEY ALSO SUMMON THE HEARER TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT JESUS OFFER OF SALVATION AND SUMMONS TO DISCIPLESHIP. ALL EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH JESUS MINISTRY WERE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SPIRIT WHO:
FILLED JOHN THE BAPTIST, LUKE 1:15
EMPOWERED MARY TO CONCEIVE AND BEAR JESUS LUKE: 1:35
 FILLED ELIZABETH WHEN SHE GREETED MARY: 1-41
 INSPIRED ZECHARIAH AND SIMMEON TO PROPHECY 1:67;  2:27
DESCENDED ON JESUS AT BAPTISM 3:22
DIRECTED AND EMPOWERED JESUS THROUGHOUT HIS MINISTRY, 4:1,14 ETC.
 THOUGH JESUS WITHDRAWS HIS BODILY PRESENCE AT THE ASCENSION,HE CONTINUES HIS PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE IN THREE WAYS.
 HE IS THE INTERPRETER  OF THE JEWISH SCRIPTURES 24:44
 HE MAKES HIS PRESENCE "KNOWN" TO HIS COMMUNITY IN THE EUCHARIST, LUKE 24:30
HE SENDS HIS SPIRIT TO INSTRUCT AND EMPOWER THEM FOR HIS WORLD WIDE MISSION, LUKE 24:45-49.
AFTER JESUS LEAVES HIS DISCIPLES (ACTS 1:11), AND THEY REPLACE JUDAS (1;12-26) TO RESTORE THEIR NUMBER TO TWELVE, JESUS PROMISE TO SEND THE SPIRIT IS FULFILLED. THE PHENOMENA ACCOMPANYING THE COMING OF THE SPIRIT PARALLEL THOSE THAT ACCOMPANIED THE GIVING OF THE LAW AT SINAI, EXODUS 19. THERE IS A NOISE " LIKE THE RUSH OF MIGHTY WIND,"  ACTS 2:2: SEE EXODUS  19:16. THERE WERE TONGUES LIKES FIRE,  ACTS 2:3;  EXODUS 19:18. (A JEWISH LEGEND STATED THAT SEVENTY TONGUES OF FIRE APPEARED ON MT. SINAI,  (REPRESENTING THE SEVENTY LANGUAGES OF THE SEVENTY NATIONS ON EARTH.)
 THE LAW REVEALED ON SINAI REMAINED VERY MUCH THE PRIVATE POSSESSION OF ISRAEL, AND A FEW GENTILES CAME TO KNOW ITS LIGHT. THE SPIRIT CHANGES THIS. FURTHERMORE, THE EFFECTS OF THE "TOWER OF BABEL." ARE REVERSED. THE SPIRIT CHANGES THIS, FURTHERMORE, THE LANGUAGES BECAME CONFUSED, NATIONS WERE SCATTERED, AND BARRIERS BETWEEN NATIONS APPEARED THE SPIRIT WORKS NOW TO OVERCOME ALL BARRIERS, AND TO BRING ALL NATIONS
 TOGETHER TO HEAR THE ONE GOSPEL WHICH CAN REDEEM AND UNITE. THE SPIRIT
 EMPOWERS THE MESSENGERS AND MESSAGE IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER. HE GIVES THE DISCIPLES COURAGE TO DEFY THE AUTHORITIES, AND TO WITNESS TO CHRIST, ACTS 4:8. HE PLAYS A ROLE IN DETERMINING THE CHOICE OF DEACONS, 6:3 HE EMPOWERS STEPHEN TO WITNESS, AND ENDURE A MARTYR'S  DEATH. 7;55.
HE CONFIRMS THE VALIDITY OF THE WORK DONE AMONG SAMARITANS (8:17-19)) AND GENTILES 10:44. HE CONFIRMS SAUL'S CONVERSION, 9:17. HE GUIDES THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AS IT CHOOSES WORKERS FOR SPECIAL TASKS. WE LOOK AT THE PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL, IN HIS OPENING SERMON AT NAZARETH (LUKE 4:16-30), JESUS POINTS OUT THAT THE GENTILES HAVE BEEN MORE WILLING TO HEAR GOD'S TRUTH THAN THE JEWS. FURTHERMORE, HE SENDS OUT BOTH TWELVE (9:1ff), AND THE "SEVENTY," 1O:1.ff ; MOST LIKELY THE "TWELVE" SIGNIFY THE MISSION TO ISRAEL AND THE "SEVENTY" FORESHADOW THE MISSION TO THE GENTILE NATIONS. ALTHOUGH ISRAEL IS TO HEAR THE GOSPEL FIRST , THEIR REJECTION TO IT IS TO LEAD TO ITS PROCLAMATION TO THE GENTILES (ACTS 13;46; ROMANS 1:16. PRIOR TO HIS ASCENSION, THE RISEN LORD OUTLINES THE PROGRAM HIS APOSTLES ARE TO PURSUE. THEY TO BEAR WITNESS TO HIM IN JERUSALEM, THEN JUDEA, THEN SAMARIA, AND THEN TO THE END OF THE EARTH, (ACTS 1:8).
 THE FIRST SEVEN CHAPTERS OF ACTS ARE SET IN JERUSALEM. THERE THE MESSAGE MEETS WITH SUCCESS (2:41),  BUT ALSO ENCOUNTERS VIOLENT OPPOSITION, 4; 17-22; 5:40. JEWISH THREATS AND PUNISHMENT ARE POWERLESS TO PREVENT GROWTH OF THE MOVEMENT. HOW EVER, AFTER STEPHEN DELIVERS A SCATHING SPEECH AGAINST THEM (ACTS 7: 1:53), THE JEWS REACT VIOLENTLY. THEY KILL STEPHEN, AND INSTIGATE A PERSECUTION, 7:54-8:3 THE PERSECUTION MERELY FURTHERS THE  CAUSE OF THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT. FOR IT RESULTS IN PHILIP GOING TO SAMARIA AND PREACHING THERE 8:4-8 ALSO 11:19. THE SAMARITANS WERE LIKE THE JEWS, A SEMITIC PEOPLE. THEIR SCRIPTURES CONSISTED OF THE PENTATEUCH.
 THE CHIEF BONE ON CONTENTION BETWEEN THEM AND THE JEWS WAS THE QUESTION OF A LEGITIMATE WORSHIP SIGHT- GERIZIM OR JERUSALEM?  AFTER THE GOSPEL IS PROCLAIMED IN SAMARIA, PETER AND JOHN VISITED THE REGION, GIVE THE WORK THERE THEIR SANCTION, AND WITNESS TO NUMEROUS SAMARITAN VILLAGES IN THE COURSE OF THEIR RETURN TO JERUSALEM, 814-17,25.
PHILIPS PERSISTS IN HIS EFFORTS AFTER THE SAMARITAN MISSION. ON THE ROAD BETWEEN JERUSALEM AND GAZA, HE WITNESSES TO AN ETHIOPIAN (8:26-40), WHO RECEIVES THE WORD AND BAPTISM, AND RETURNS TO HIS HOMELAND WITH JOY.
 ACTS 8:1 INTRODUCES US TO SAUL OF TARSUS IN CONNECTION WITH STEPHENS EXECUTION.  THE IRONY IS THAT GOD USES STEPHENS DEATH TO BRING PAUL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE GOSPEL AND TO PREPARE HIM FOR THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF LAUNCHING THE MISSION TO THE GENTILES. WITNESS TO CHRIST CONTINUES IN SPITE OF, BUT BY HUMAN OPPOSITION.