As we have already discussed, this is volume 2 of the research project of Luke which he wrote for Theophilus. It is often called "The Acts of the Apostles," but it is more rightly "The Acts of the Holy Spirit". Because of its investigative character this may well be the closest to our style of history in the Bible. As you read Acts, read it with the energy it deserves. It is fast moving and dramatic.
Acts 1 & 2 set us up for the rest of the book. It begins with the last conversation with Jesus before His ascension. I find it humorous that in 1:6 the disciples are still looking for a Zealot-style takeover of Palestine. I guess now that death has been conquered they can really go for it. The kingdom will be restored, but not in the way they think. When the Holy Spirit is given, they will be witnesses. The Greek word for witness is marturos, from which we get the word "martyr." When you think that possibly only one of the disciples died a natural death, the double meaning of witness is powerful. A question stirs here. The Holy Spirit has been around from the beginning (brooding over the chaos in Genesis 1). The Spirit would come upon leaders making them strong (Samson) and effective (David, Solomon), upon prophets to give them boldness to proclaim God's word in power and sometimes violent anger. So, if the Holy Spirit has always been there and has been filling people, what's so big about Pentecost? For me, Pentecost signaled that the risen Christ was now becoming resident in the followers of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit as a constant inner guidance system, unifier of the Church, and continuous empowerment for ministry in the church and in the world. I will have to think about it more, but it seems that Christ's greatest legacy was to give a new dimension of the Holy Spirit in addition to the more distant version we have in the Old Testament. I invite you to consider that with me.
Acts 2 is just amazing. People get to hear the messages in their own tongue. What made them multi-lingual? Is this a miracle of speech or of hearing? This is so much like Jesus, meeting people where they are with his life-changing miraculous presence. The languages here shared are not glossolalia (the ecstatic utterance in prayer and worship, "speaking in tongues") but recognized native languages for the hearers. How about Jesus-denying, less than reliable Peter? The Holy Spirit has given him boldness, what I find to be the leading fruit of people who receive the Holy Spirit. Nothing is more contagious than spirit-filled vibrant faith. Three thousand folks join "the Way" on that very day. I'd love to see that happen again.
Notice the description of the church in Acts 2:42-47. I remember Zan Holmes preaching at Annual Conference about this passage. He asked everyone to take out their wallets and pull out their driver's license. He then asked, "Do you look like your picture?" How much does St. Luke's Lubbock look like Acts 2:42-47? What would it take for us to do so.
The healing of the man at the Beauitful Gate takes up the next two chapters. The miracle for the man is great. I have seen a miracle like this only once and I will never forget the shine on the face of the person who received a healing from the debilitating effects of polio. Each miracle is a preaching opportunity for Peter. In Acts, Peter will be high profile until chapter 15, but very high profile through the first eight chapters. To be fair, Peter has always been an "in your face" kind of disciple, but here he pushes the envelope in ways he never would have before Pentecost. While they are in custody, the church prays. The power of prayer is big in the book of Acts. Acts 4:32-36 gives us another look at our picture.
Acts 5 begins with a bothersome anti-miracle for two church members who fail to disclose their wealth. Remember that the church had "all things common," an early experiment in communal economics. One thing to think about is that many Christian fellowships follow this model, but it only works up to a certain size. How does this model apply to our day, or does it at all? Annanias and Sapphira die on the spot for "lying to the Holy Spirit." The rest of the chapter shares two things: the many miracles done by the apostles (fulfilling John 14:12, "you shall do greater things...") and increase persecution (fulfilling John 15:18ff, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."). Again, Peter and the apostles refuse to be silenced. That leads me to a major question, "How can the 21st century USAmerican Church recover her spirit-filled boldness?" Put more specifically, how can we recover it?
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