Dr. John Hartmann

In today’s study we again look at how the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah marks an epoch-shift that will in time radically alter the significance of the Temple and the Law of Moses, both of which, for a time, remained significant for the early Jewish-Christian community in Jerusalem.

A brief survey of Acts 1-5 reveals that the early church in Jerusalem remained very tied to the Temple. They continued with one mind in the Temple (2:46), which suggests daily attendance for prayer at the hour of morning and evening sacrifice. Peter and John go to the Temple for the hour of prayer (3:1), after which a miracle of healing (3:2-10) and sermon (3:12-26) take place at the Temple. Peter and John are arrested by the Temple guard (4:1-5) and brought before the Jewish Council, where they bear witness of Jesus and are commanded to speak no more in His Name (4:6-22). They meet opposition with prayer, are freshly filled with the Spirit, and continue to speak boldly in Jesus’ Name, as the Lord continues to confirm their witness with signs and wonders following, wrought through their hands in the Name of Jesus (4:23-31). Luke then contrasts the congregation’s unity and generosity (4:32-37) with the greed and hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-10), who become an example of God’s judgment in the church to keep it pure of the leaven of wickedness and hypocrisy (cf. Revelation 2-3; 1 Peter 4:17-18; 1 Cor 5:1-13; 11:17-34). The result of this dynamic work of God in purging the church is quite stunning: “fear came upon the whole church and on all who heard of these things” (5:11), so much so, that none of the unbelievers dared to join this community without sincere repentance, for fear of God that they too might be struck with judgment (5:13). The narrative continues with the disciples continuing to meet at Solomon’s portico on the east side of the Temple, as the apostles continued to preach Jesus and work signs and wonders (Acts 5:12-16). Upon being arrested for their testimony, the apostles are released by an angel and commanded to speak the Word at the Temple (5:20), where they are re-arrested and brought again before the Sanhedrin. After being flogged and released, the apostles continue to teach and preach that Jesus is Messiah in the Temple and from house to house (5:40-42).

So it seems clear that the early Jewish-Christians in Jerusalem remained very tied to the Temple. This state of affairs continued for some time, but was soon to be challenged by Stephen (Acts 6:11-14), who seems to understand what the new epoch that has dawned with Jesus’ death and resurrection means for both the Temple and the Law, thus laying the foundation for the later theology of the apostle Paul.

With respect to the Law, we find that many of those converted to faith in Jesus the Messiah came from different sectarian backgrounds, with various interpretations of the Law. Some were priests, who were Sadducees (Acts 6:7), while many Pharisees also were converted, and continued to have a strong influence among their Jewish brethren (15:1-5). All of the main sectarian groups of first-century Judaism had varying views of how to observe the Law and remain pure before God. We thus discuss some things about the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Essenes, and the Qumran community, which our teacher understands to be a group that at some point broke off from (or represented a more radical wing of) the larger Essene movement. Without question, the early Jewish-Christians were of one mind when it came to the basic essentials of the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus. But it very likely that many continued to hold fast to their particular sectarian understanding of how to observe the Law of Moses. Acts 21:17-25 serves to show that as late as about 57 AD there were still thousands of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who remained very zealous for the Law and who had strong misgivings toward the apostle Paul because of his ministry among the Gentiles, having accepted the false accusations brought against him that he was teaching Diaspora Jews to forsake the Law of Moses.

Our teacher closes with a suggested assignment.

1. To study the subject of the Law in Galatians, with a particular focus on what aspects of the Law are still applicable to those who are in Christ in the new era, and which, according to Paul, are not.
2. To study the subject of the Temple in Ephesians, with a particular view to understanding how God, through the Cross of Jesus, has torn down that which separated Jew and Gentile, and how the two together now become the New Temple of God in the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 3:9, 16-17; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; 1 Peter 2:1-9).
3. To study the passages that spell out the importance of God’s judgment in purging the church from the leaven of malice and wickedness (Revelation 2-3; 1 Peter 4:17-18; 1 Cor 5:1-13; 11:17-34).

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In this study we look at Acts 6:8-7:60, examining the ministry of Stephen, whose ministry exemplifies the bold witness that comes from being clothed with power from on high. We also look at his theology, which is revealed in his indictment of the Jewish leaders/people in his discourse before the Council. First of all, his ministry:

1. The first man aside from the apostles to perform signs and wonders.
2. His debates with the Jews centered upon Jesus, but also focused on the Law and the Temple, whose abiding validity must be reviewed in light of the epoch-shift that occurred with Jesus’ death and resurrection.
3. None can cope with the wisdom with which Stephen speaks; he therefore is brought to trial, as Jesus was, with plots and false witnesses.

As in the previous narrative (Acts 3-5), the one brought to trial before the Council becomes the prophetic prosecutor of his accusers. This has two purposes:

1. Stephen brings a final and decisive prophetic indictment of the Council’s actions in condemning Jesus. He does this by way of an overview of Israel’s history which reveals a long-standing pattern of rejection of God’s message and messengers on the part of Israel and it’s leaders.
2. Stephen’s ministry lays the groundwork for the theology of the apostle Paul – in which the Jew and Gentile in Christ now become the new temple of God and in which some aspects of the Law are shown to be no longer applicable to those living in Christ in the era of the new covenant.

There are 6 parts to Stephen’s discourse, as he bears witness before the Council (Acts 7:1-53):

1. vv. 2-8 – Abraham, the patriarchs and the covenant God made with them
2. vv. 9-16 – Joseph, rejected by his brothers due to jealousy, but raised up by God as deliverer
3. vv. 17-38 – Moses, rejected as well, but also raised up as deliverer
4. vv. 39-43 – Israel’s historical pattern of disobedience to the Law
5. vv. 44-50 – the great question concerning the location of God’s dwelling place, with a citation of Isaiah 66:1-2a leaving the question hanging for those who have ears to hear the echo and who will take the time to look at what is left out, namely, the answer in Isa 66:2b.
6. vv. 51-53 – The final indictment – those in the Council who had condemned Jesus were guilty of the murder of Jesus, just as their fathers had rejected and murdered the prophets. Israel, which had been brought into covenant with God and given the Law, now stood under the curse of the Law which they had repeatedly broken throughout salvation-history.

Stephen’s death marks the end of Luke’s narrative on the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem and becomes the starting point for the spread of the gospel to the farthest ends of the earth. As such, Stephen’s martyrdom marks the beginning of what will become the Gentile mission. The sharp divine irony here is that Saul of Tarsus, who will later be known as the apostle Paul, is God’s instrument to ignite the Gentile mission through his zealous persecution of the church.

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Luke-Acts are really one volume in two parts. The commission at the end Luke’s gospel (Lk 24:45-50) and at the beginning of Acts (Acts 1:1-11) are much alike, emphasizing a gospel that is to be preached in all nations, and that the witnesses must be clothed with power from on high for the execution of their God-ordained mission. Acts 1:8 is programmatic in two ways: 1) it lays out the geographic scope of how the gospel will spread in the ensuing narrative, and 2) how the work will be carried on by the witnesses Jesus has appointed, namely, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit comes upon the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13). The witness of Peter (2:14-40) on that day results in the formation of a community of 3000 disciples (2:41), who continue steadfastly in the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer (2:42), with everyone feeling a sense of awe as signs and wonders take place through the hands of the apostles (2:43; cf. 4:33). The early community of Jesus’ disciples is marked by generosity and unity (Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-37).

The narrative in Acts 3-5 records how the gospel spread in Jerusalem in the first two years after Jesus’ resurrection. We here find the following pattern:

1. The apostles, in their preaching, indict the Jewish leaders for the unjust condemnation of Jesus, through which God, however, was executing His fore-ordained and fore-announced plan to redeem His people from their sins through His suffering Servant (Isa 52:13-53:12). They also bear witness that God had raised this crucified Jesus from the dead, thus reversing the Council’s verdict and establishing Jesus as the Lord and Messiah of Israel.
2. The Lord bears witness to the message by granting that signs and wonders follow the apostle’s testimony, miracles wrought through their hands in the Name of Jesus.
3. The apostolic witness is opposed by the Jewish Council. The apostles are brought to trial before the same men who, just months before, had rejected Jesus and demanded His crucifixion at the hands of the Romans. As the apostles bear witness they “turn the tables” on the members of the Council, indicting them for the murder of Jesus, and calling them to repent and believe so that they too may find in salvation in this crucified and risen Jesus, Whom God had made to be Lord and Messiah, a Savior for Israel.
4. The Council rejects this witness and persecutes the apostles, first threatening them to speak no more in the Name of Jesus (Acts 4), and then flogging them when they refuse to comply (Acts 5).The apostles state their intention to go on bearing witness of what they had seen and heard.
5. The apostles pray, and are freshly filled with the Spirit, after which they continue to bear witness of Jesus with great boldness, as God continues to confirm their testimony by granting more and more signs and wonders to be wrought through their hands in His Name.

Acts 6:1-8:4 marks a great turning point in the narrative, as the work of the gospel will now spread out beyond Jerusalem into Judea, Samaria, and ultimately “the farthest ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The instrument God uses to begin this work of expansion is Stephen, one of the Seven chosen by the congregation and ordained by the Apostles to carry on the work among the Greek-speaking Jewish community in Jerusalem. The ordination of the Seven would allow the apostle’s to continue in their calling of prayer and ministry of the Word (6:4). The result is stated in 6:7:

1. The Word of God kept on spreading
2. The exponential multiplication of disciples
3. The conversion of many of the priests

Stephen stands at the head of the list of the Seven, and is described as man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (6:5). Full of grace and power, he was performing great signs and wonders among the people as he preached the gospel of salvation in Jesus in the Greek-speaking synagogues of Jerusalem. (6:8), and carried on debates with Diaspora Jews, among whom may have been the man Sha’ul of Tarsus (6:9). These men could not refute the arguments presented by Stephen, who spoke with supernatural wisdom that came from the Spirit of God.
Stephen’s ministry is summed up in Acts 6:8-10:

1. Working Signs and Wonders among the people
2. Debating in the Greek-speaking synagogues with Diaspora Jews
3. Drawing out the implications of Jesus’ death and resurrection for the ongoing place of the Temple and the Law in God’s plan for His people

Stephen’s ministry, on another level, may be summed up as follows:

1. He does the work of an evangelist who proclaims the good news concerning Jesus, and works signs and wonders in His Name.
2. He does the work of a reflective and insightful teacher, who draws out the implications of Jesus’ death and resurrection in relation to abiding validity of the Temple and the Law.
3. He does the work of a prophet, who indicts and prosecutes the people of Israel, and, more particularly, the Jewish Council, for the murder of Jesus, calling these hard-hearted men to repent and to believe in this One Whom God had sent to be Israel’s Messianic King.

We should not underestimate Stephen’s significance, for he is, arguably, the Lord’s instrument for setting in motion the beginning of the mission to the Gentiles, which will, of course, come to the fore in the later ministry of the Apostle Paul. This thought will be continued in next week’s study, the ministry of Stephen, part two.

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The Book of Acts tells the story of the Gospel’s spread from Jerusalem to Rome in a period of about 30 years after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven. Luke focuses on the work and witness of the apostles as the foundation for the church and its mission to preach the gospel of salvation in Jesus in all nations.

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus, after His resurrection, appears to the chosen witnesses alive from the dead and commands them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised baptism of the Spirit, in which they would receive power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit baptism came upon them at Pentecost, 10 days after Jesus’ ascension to heaven. They indeed received power for witness, and began boldly to proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth, rejected and condemned by the leaders of the Jewish people, was now risen from the dead, a fact to which they were witnesses.

The apostles, first and foremost, were witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, and in that witness, laid the foundation for our faith, once and for all time. The apostle Paul expounds this point in 1 Cor 15, where, in summary, he insists that if Christ is not raised from the dead, then the apostles are false witnesses, our faith is worthless, and we are still in our sins, unforgiven, and without hope of eternal life; in fact, we are of all men most to be pitied, if Christ is not raised from the dead.

The truth of the matter is this: Jesus has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who sleep. Paul makes clear that besides the apostles and a few other chosen witnesses, over 500 had seen Him alive from the dead before His ascension to heaven, and that even as he wrote 1 Corinthians (at least 20 years after the Lord’s resurrection) most of those 500 eyewitnesses were still alive and able to testify of what they had seen. Jesus, Who was crucified for sins as a penal substitute Who bore the wrath of God in the place of sinners, is now risen, and has been seated at God’s right hand in heaven, far above all the powers of darkness. He, in His resurrection conquered death, which is the common lot of all men since death entered the world through Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12). Thus, we, because of Jesus’ resurrection, have confidence that God has accepted His sacrificial death as the payment for sin, which provides assurance of forgiveness of sins and hope of eternal life to all who repent and believe in Him for salvation. As Paul says in Romans 5:1-2, we, having been justified by faith, have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and now boast in hope of the glory of God, of being glorified together with Christ, and, in that glorification, receiving an immortal, imperishable body, like unto the Lord’s gloried body (Phil 3:20-21; Col 3:4; 1 John 3:1-2; 1 Cor 15:20-24).

So, what is the proof that the Apostle’s witness concerning Jesus’ resurrection is credible and totally trustworthy? If our whole faith rests on the credibility of their testimony, it is absolutely essential to know that is true. The answer to our question is simply this: that as the apostles bore witness concerning Jesus’ resurrection God confirmed their witness with signs, wonders, miracles, and various gifts of the Spirit wrought through their hands in Jesus’ Name. This established their witness as true, and guarantees that our faith is not in vain, that we, in Jesus, have forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and a sure hope of eternal life; it also means that we are truly freed from the power of sin, so that we may live a sanctified life unto God in the power of the Holy Spirit, and bear fruit unto eternal life.

This study allows us to have a good understanding of the broad layout of the books of the NT, given to us by God as inspired writings that together comprise the “canon” (rule) for our faith, as the people who are in covenant with God through Jesus’ blood. These books may be laid out as follows:

The Gospels: which tell us of the Incarnation, the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, as well as His commissioning of the apostles to take the gospel to all nations. This lays the first layer of foundation for everything else.

The Book of Acts: important because it provides the historical link between the Gospels and the Epistles written to the churches. We here find the witness of the apostles, the Lord’s confirming of their witness with signs and wonders, the spread of the gospel geographically, the gaining of converts, the establishing of churches in various cities and regions, and the ordaining of Holy Spirit appointed leadership that would have the responsibility of transmitting the apostolic faith to future generations.

The Letters: we here have the letters of Paul (13) and the General Epistles (Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-2-3 John, Jude). Most of these are written to church communities to remind them of what they had been taught, to instruct them further in the faith, and to correct errors in doctrine and practice. Included here would be 9 of Paul’s letters (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians) and 6 of the General Epistles (Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1 John, Jude). Philemon, written by Paul, is a personal letter of appeal to a friend, while 2-3 John are also personal letters that assume a certain church background not entirely clear to us today.

The Revelation: this book of course tells us how the story ends with God’s final judgment of evil and of all men, and the glorious future that awaits the redeemed in a new heaven and new earth.

What should we do in light of all this? Recognize in Jesus a Savior from sin, in Whom we may find forgiveness, a new start, and the hope of eternal life. He came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim 1:15), to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:31-32). And if anyone is in Christ there is a new creation in which the old passes away and all things become new in Him. The Scriptures teach that a Day of Judgment is coming in which all will give an account to God and be recompensed in accordance with his or her deeds. It will be like a Great Law Court, in which the books will be opened and all deeds, good and bad, will be brought to light. As for the good deeds, no problem. As for the bad, the wrongs done, the sins committed, there is only one hope for sinners: they must be washed away and forgiven, blotted out, removed from the record. And the Bible teaches there is but one way: the Blood of Jesus cleanses the repentant from all sin. Read here 1 John 1:5-2:2; Rev 7:14; 22:14

Finally, let us commit our lives afresh to Jesus, to live with purpose as those called to two primary things: 1) Image- bearing, and 2) Mission in accordance with the grace-gifts allotted to us by God.

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Peter’s Sermon at the Temple (Acts 3)

Luke has been telling the main story of how the apostles bear witness of Jesus’ resurrection with signs and wonders following to confirm the authenticity and veracity of their witness. The healing of a lame man in Acts 3 results in a crowd gathering in the Temple precincts to hear Peter again bear witness concerning Jesus. Peter’s sermon is worthy of study its own right. We here highlight a few important points:

1. They had rejected and murdered Jesus, the Holy and Righteous One (3:11-14), but God, in reversal of their decision, had vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead, a fact to which Peter and the other apostles were witnesses (3:15)
2. They and their rulers had acted in ignorance (3:17), but God, through their wicked act, was working to accomplish His Sovereign plan for the redemption of His people through a suffering Messiah, as announced beforehand in the Scriptures of the Prophets (3:18)
3. They therefore must repent of this murderous crime, and indeed of all their sins.
4. Repentance results in our sins being blotted out. We here recall the words of David in Psalm 32:1-2, cited by Paul in Romans 4:6-8, concerning the blessedness of the man or woman who has been forgiven of all transgressions, whose sin is not taken into account. This is not a message of cheap grace, for it is always connected in the apostolic proclamation with repentance borne of godly sorrow and conviction of sin, a loathing and hating of sin and a return to God that is whole-hearted and sincere. God’s forgiveness is total and free for those who come to Him with a broken, sincere and contrite heart, a forgiveness that frees one from condemnation and an evil conscience, and brings one near to God, to have communion with the Holy One, to know His favor (the light of His countenance), to experience the joy of His presence, and rest, comfort and solace in His bosom.. Passages to consider: Psalm 103:8-14; Hebrews 8:10-12; Micah 7:18-19. We should hear this call to repent, to turn away from sin and return whole-heartedly to God, so that our sins may be wiped away, gone forever from God’s accounting book and from our own consciousness, not so that we may go on sinning, but that we may live unto God in the freedom of the power of the Holy Spirit.  ….. .
5. Repentance and forgiveness will lead us into “seasons of refreshing … from the presence of the Lord”, in Whose presence there is fullness of joy. This is another way of speaking of the gift/baptism of the Spirit. Participation in the Holy Spirit is the pledge and first-fruits of our inheritance, which is nothing less than regaining the glory of God Adam lost through transgression. .
6. This all points forward to the second coming of Jesus the Messiah,, Whom heaven must receive until ….. the times of the restoration of all things, which, again, God had spoken of in all the Scriptures of the Prophets. Peter is making reference to the future Messianic kingdom that will be inaugurated at Jesus’ return from heaven, a kingdom, which, according to Revelation 20, will last for 1000 years.
7. Peter twice makes reference to the events surrounding Jesus being a fulfillment of the OT Prophetic word (3:18, 21). This theme of Divine promise and Messianic fulfillment continues in 3:22-26, underlining God’s faithfulness to covenant (cf. Rom 15:8-9).
8. Prophetic word (3:18, 21). This theme of Divine promise and Messianic fulfillment continues in 3:22-26, underlining God’s faithfulness to covenant (cf. Rom 15:8-9).

Arrest, Trial, Release, Prayer, and Renewed Proclamation with Power (Acts 4:1-31) 

Peter’s bold proclamation of the resurrection of the dead in Jesus results in he and John being arrested and brought to trial before the Jewish Council, before whom they bear witness, after which they are threatened to speak no more in the Name of Jesus. They, however, are determined to obey God, Who had commissioned them, rather than a Council of men who needed to hear their witness and repent. Having been released, they prayed together, and were freshly filled with the Spirit, after which they speak the Word of God with boldness, as the Lord continues to confirm their witness with signs and wonders.

A Community of Love, Grace, and Generosity  (Acts 4:32-37)

Luke here offers a brief picture (looking back to 2:43-45) of God’s work within the community of the disciples which had been growing exponentially in Jerusalem. The early followers of Jesus were marked by generosity, being willing to sell their possessions and to give the proceeds to the apostles, who to this point are still giving some measure of direct oversight to the distribution of these funds, so that there is not a needy person among them. They did this, not out of coercion, but out of love. This accords with the principle Paul lays out in 2 Cor 8-9 with respect to the collection he gathers from the churches in Galatia, Macedonia, and Achaia for the poorer Jewish brethren in Judea who had been struck with famine, heavy taxation from Rome, and exploitative injustice from greedy Jewish landowners. 2 Cor 8:9-14 speaks of “a principle of equality” in which the abundance of the Gentile churches will make up for the lack of the impoverished believers in Judea. This accords with the Scripture’s testimony that: “he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack” (2 Cor 8:15).

 Paul tells them to sow this in abundance, in accordance with a reap-sow principle, and to do so, not grudgingly, nor under compulsion, but with a cheerful heart before God (2 Cor 9:6-7). Paul in another place makes this to be a matter of indebtedness on the part of the Gentile churches (Romans 15:26-27). It is a small thing for those who minister spiritual things to receive material support back from those to whom they minister (1 Cor 9:11). Paul sees a principle of indebtedness (1 Cor 9:11) and the principle of reaping and sowing (Gal 6:6-10) at work in  relation to those receiving spiritual benefit ministering material support back to those who minister the Word of God to them.

 Thus, giving, in both the Old and New Testament, is related primarily to two things: 1) meeting the needs of the genuinely poor and destitute in the redeemed community who are truly worthy and deserving of such help (1 Timothy 5:3-16; 2 Thess 3:6-15); 2) providing material support of those who by God’s will and appointment work hard at teaching and preaching in the church and mission (1 Tim 5:17-18 and the whole argument of 1 Cor 9:1-14).

 Other passages to consider: Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:7-12; Lev 27:30; Matthew 23:23; Nehemiah 13; 2 Chronicles 29-31.

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Jeremiah’s Call (1:1-10). Note here 7 things:

1. Background: Jeremiah was a priest, acquainted with priestly ways. He knows the Word of God and has ministered in sacrifice and incense in the sanctuary. God sometimes calls priests to be prophets, as was the case with Jeremiah (Jer 1:1-3) and Ezekiel (Ezk 1:1-3).
2. Times: Jeremiah ministered for 40 years (627-587 BC), from the 13th year of Josiah to the final destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple at the hands of the Babylonians. He lived and ministered through the time of Josiah’s attempts at reform, and then, after Josiah’s death (609 BC) through the period during which Judah paid tribute to the Egyptians (608-605 BC) and the Babylonians (605-587 BC), as they, in three stages of deportation, were taken into exile.
3. God’s Sovereignty: the Lord foreknew and consecrated Jeremiah to be a prophet before he was in his mother’s womb. Cf. Gal 1:15-16.
4. Jeremiah’s Reluctance: called to be a prophet in his youth, Jeremiah thought of himself as inadequate. Cf. 1 Tim 4:12-16
5. Divine Assurance: the Lord brings special assurance to His chosen vessel. This comes in two parts: a) the promise of the Divine Presence (I will be with you wherever I send you), and b) the promise of Divine Utterance (I will put My words in your mouth)
6. A Prophet to the Nations: the OT prophets were usually first oracles to the covenant people. But in most cases they also prophesied to the nations, since God’s covenant with Abraham ultimately concerns His purposes with all nations. This is especially true with Jeremiah, who was given authority over nations and kingdoms.
7. Jeremiah’s Word announces both judgment and salvation: the Word Jeremiah speaks will pluck up and break down, destroy and overthrow (judgment). But it will also build and plant (promises of restoration; cf Jer 30-33). The God of Israel would accomplish these things through the Word He gives to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah is given two signs (1:12-16):

1. The Rod of an Almond Tree (1:11-12): this here is a peculiar little play on words, lost in English but important for the force of the vision. Jeremiah in a vision sees the rod of an almond tree (Hebrew, shaqed). The Lord asks him what he sees and then announces that He is watching over (shoqed) His word to perform it. This for Jeremiah is to be a constant-continual reminder that his ministry of the Word of God is not in vain, that it will in time bear fruit in accordance with God’s will, for He, the faithful God, watches over His Word to perform it.
2. The boiling pot facing away from the North (1:13-16): the Lord here shows Jeremiah the nature of the coming judgment (like a cauldron boiling over) and the direction from which it will come (the north). The boiling pot was literally “tilting away from the north”, i.e. facing toward the south, where it will be poured out. Babylon, east of Israel, would invade from the north because of the impassable Arabian desert. This becomes central to the message of Jeremiah, who will announce this judgment over and over again through his book.

Jeremiah’s Commission (1:17-19)

1. The prophet must be alert and ready: “Now, gird up your loins and arise …”. Here is a picture of alertness and readiness in the service of the Word. The prophet must be ever watchful, never lazy, slothful, or indolent. As Paul says to Timothy “Be ready (instant, urgent) in season, and out of season. The prophet must ever feast on the inscripturated Word (Jer 15:16) and be ready to hear from and speak for the Lord.
2. The prophet must deliver an unadulterated message: there must be no mixture in the delivery of the Word of God. The prophet must deliver the whole message given to him. His speech is to be seasoned with salt, and never tainted by his own anger. But he must never dilute the message or tone it down to make it more acceptable to the hard-hearted. He must never add to or take away from the message the Lord has given him to deliver.
3. The prophet must not fear the face of man, but only the Lord: “Do not be dismayed before them, lest I dismay you before them”. How easy it is to acquiesce to intimidation, to back down in the face of hard-hearted impenitence and rejection of the Word of God. The ministry of the Word of God is not meant to be entertainment, giving false hope and assurance, keeping the crowd content and happy, and lulling them to sleep. The true ministry of the Word is designed to bring growth, to cause the saints to become mature sons and daughters. This takes place through the renewing of the mind, which requires rigorous instruction , exhortation , reproof, correction and rebuke (cf. 2 Tim 4:1-4). The prophet’s ministry, by its very nature, is one of confrontation and rebuke, and his word therefore must be sharper than a two-edged sword, cutting through the heart that has become calloused through the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:12-14; 4:12-13). The prophet must warn the sleeping church that Jesus will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth (Rev 3:17-19).
4. The prophet is promised protection and deliverance: the Lord made Jeremiah to be as a fortified city, a pillar of bronze and walls of iron against the whole land. They would fight against him, but not overcome him, because the Lord would be with him to deliver him from their hand. This plays itself out in several ways throughout the book. The prophets become an example of suffering persecution in the Name of the Lord (Matthew 5:10-12; James 5:10). We see throughout the book of Jeremiah the prophet’s anguish and loneliness, and the opposition, persecution and betrayal he experiences. All who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. This is especially so for those who are called to be faithful bearers of the ancient apostolic and prophetic Word.

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Our teacher here offers a brief exhortation to seek for and stir up the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Note the following verses:

1 Cor 12:7: the manifestation of the Spirit (in and through and the various members of the Body of Christ) is given for the common good. Every gift is important and given to bring edification to the church, that people of God might grow into maturity and fulfill the mission God has given us in the work of the gospel.

1 Cor 12:31 Paul commands the Corinthians, who come behind lacking in no gift (1:4-7; cf 2 Cor 8:6) to earnestly desire the greater gifts. We should be continually asking for the gifts in all their fullness to be manifested in the Church. Jesus ascended on high in order that He might fill all things (Eph 4:10) and the church is to become a full-grown Man, who bears the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of Christ (4:13). Remember “you have not, because you ask not” (James 4:2), so ask, and do so with right heart motives. Our goal in all of this is to see the church built up and God glorified in the full manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 14:1 Make love your aim, as laid out in 1 Cor 13. Love is the perfect bond of unity (Col 3:14), and the mark of true maturity, for if we have all the gifts and have not love we are nothing (1 Cor 13). When we walk in love, we walk as true sons of God (Eph 5:1-2). It is within such a context that the gifts have real effect and power. So again, as we make love our aim, we should also earnestly desire the full manifestation of the Spirit in the Body for the common good.

1 Tim 4:14 Don’t neglect the gift of God that is in you.

2 Tim 1:6 Kindle afresh the gift of God that is in you.

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Acts 2:17-21 (quoting Joel 2:28-32) states that the outpouring of the Spirit in the “last days” (the period between Jesus’ resurrection and return in glory) will result in the spirit of prophecy resting on God’s people, to bear the testimony concerning Jesus (Rev 19:10). The true church of Jesus Christ, which is called to be the dwelling of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:21-22) must be built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone (2:20). This is our passion: to see the dwelling place of God to built as the habitation of His glory.

David, the man after God’s heart, expressed such sentiment in both Ps 26:8 and 27:4. Why did David say this was his one desire … to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life? We today consider three reasons:

1. David wanted God to have a house, a dwelling-place for His glory, to establish His testimony among the nations, to provide a place where men might seek Him and truly find Him.
2. David himself personally wanted to live in communion with that glory of God, as expressed in Psalm 63:1-8.
3. David knew that the house of the Lord was a place of safety and refuge.

With this in place we return to the narrative of Acts 4 to reconsider the nature of true witness and the seriousness of that witness being rejected, as seen throughout salvation-history in Scripture. The disciples were persecuted for their witness. Herein is manifest a basic principle: whenever the unbelieving reject the message God sends to them, calling them back to Himself, they almost invariably reject not only the witness, but the witnesses, those who are God’s messengers. Several passages are here considered to underline this point (2 Timothy 3:12; 1:8-9; 2 Chronicles 36:11-20; Matthew 23:29-36).

We close looking at 4 aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit as laid out in John 15:16-16 :15. The Holy Spirit:

1. Bears witness of Jesus
2. Anoints Jesus’ witnesses
3. Convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment
4. Guides the church into all truth that it might be a sanctified people, set apart to fulfill its mission in the Lord

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A Wish for Mercy

Paul describes Timothy as his “beloved son” in the faith (2 Timothy 1:1; cf. 1 Timothy 1:1). In both letters written to Timothy the salutation contains a wish for “mercy” to be granted to Timothy (added to the standard salutary wish for grace and peace). God’s mercy has many dimensions. While it certainly includes the idea that we do not receive the punishment we deserve for our sins (cf. Psalm 103:8-12), another important aspect of God’s mercy is this: the Lord pities those who are suffering, and sends help and comfort when they call upon Him in their pain and distress. Paul had come to understand this dimension of God’s mercy in his apostolic labors, calling the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ “the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Paul wants Timothy to stand strong in the midst of the persecution and suffering he is encountering in his ministry (2 Timothy 1:8; 2:1-4; 3:10-12) and thus includes this wish for “mercy”, that his beloved son in the faith will be upheld by the comfort and the power of God.

The Father-Son relationship of Paul and Timothy

Paul a Spiritual Father to the Churches

Paul, by virtue of age and of the grace given to him in Christ Jesus, is Timothy’s spiritual father. But Paul actually carries this spirit and stature of a father in relation to all the saints and all the churches he has begotten in Christ through the gospel. He carries them in his bosom, as a father his children, and cannot rest until they are as they should be. Hence Paul labors for them continually in prayer, in much affliction and loneliness, in much fasting, laying down his life so that they might live and arrive at the goals God has set from them. This is the work of a true apostle: he is a gift to the church, a sent emissary of Jesus Christ who lays down his life so that the church might arrive at the goals God has set for His people. He suffers so that others may have joy; he hurts so that others who hurt may be comforted and healed; he has God’s long-range plans and goals in view, laboring in a transcendent faith to see them come to fruition. He executes his task with a fatherly heart and spirit toward those spiritual sons and daughters he has been appointed to serve.

Paul a Spiritual Father to Timothy, Timothy Trained to Share in the Work

Paul has a special father-son relationship with Timothy, his true son in the faith, for Timothy, by virtue of gift and calling has been appointed to labor together with Paul, and to carry on the work of Paul after his departure, which apparently was very soon (cf. 2 Timothy 4: 6-8). He has been called throughout the years to stand alongside Paul, to help and support him, to serve him in the gospel as a son with a father. In the process he has been trained to share the load and to participate in the work God has given Paul to do. Timothy functions at various times and places, and at various levels, as Paul’s apostolic delegate, as one who can truly represent Paul in the ongoing work that is going on in the churches.

Timothy’s Ever-Increasing Responsibility in the Work of the Gospel

Paul sends Timothy to Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:14-17)

Paul sends Timothy to Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 3:1-8)

Paul sends Timothy to Philippi (Philippians 2:19-22)

Paul leaves Timothy at Ephesus to oversee the work there (1 Timothy 1:3-11; 3:14-15; cf Acts 20:17-35)

Serving God with Tears

Paul is mindful of Timothy’s tears. This accords with his own testimony before the Ephesian elders, that he, while among them for three years, had served the Lord “with all humility and with tears” (Acts 20:18-19). Tears signify brokenness before God and suffering in the cause of the gospel. This idea is foreign to the modern church culture in America: serving God with humility and tears borne of brokenness before God and suffering in the cause of the gospel. This is a picture of sincere overcoming faith and real piety. It is not only Paul’s testimony, but that of Jesus as well. Hebrews 2:10 shows us that He was perfected in His ministry as the Great High Priest over the house of God through the things that He suffered. Hebrews 5 shows that He learned obedience through that which He suffered, that He overcame through many trials. It seems clear that the process of overcoming was for Jesus, as it oft is for us, a very painful process. We quote: “In the days of His flesh He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety” (Hebrews 5:7). May we do the same. Do not give in to sin, do not give in to unbelief. Draw near to God through this Great High Priest Who intercedes on your behalf, Who is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to the throne of grace through Him, that they might receive mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:22-25).

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A Miracle of Healing Leads to Witness and Conversion (Acts 3:1-4:3)

The narrative of the early church and the gospel mission that began at Pentecost continues in Acts 3:1-4:31 with the account of a miracle of healing wrought at the hands of Peter, which took place one day at the Temple during the time of prayer associated with the evening sacrifice (3 pm), all of which resulted in a large crowd gathering to hear Peter preach the gospel, with many that day coming to faith, as the number of the men who believed now comes to be about 5000 (excluding women and children).

The Apostles stand trial before the Jewish Council (Acts 4:4-22)

The Jewish Council was made up some Pharisees (the minority), and Sadducees (the majority), with a few priestly families at its head. Jesus had foretold that His witnesses would be brought before religious and political authorities, giving them opportunity for testimony. The Lord would be with them and give them utterance to speak with a wisdom that none of their adversaries could refute. This is exactly what happens here. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, again indicts the Jewish leadership for the murder of Jesus the Nazarene, and boldly bears witness of His resurrection from the dead, adding that He is the stone which they the builders had rejected, but Who has now become the chief cornerstone, salvation being found in no other Name than His. Peter thus turns the table on his judges, who are themselves now put on trial for the murder of an innocent Man, Whom God had vindicated by raising Him from the dead, a fact to which the apostles are bearing witness. The proof that their testimony was true was right before the eyes of the Council: a man lame from his mother’s womb, now over 40 years old, stood before them whole, and the apostles are declaring in no uncertain terms that this had happened through the power and authority (Name) of the One they had crucified.

The trial ends with the Council threatening the apostles to speak no more in the Name of Jesus. They in return make known their intent to continue speaking in this Name, for they must bear witness of those things they have seen and heard. After further threatening, the apostles are released and return to their own company.

The Prayer Meeting (Acts 4:23-31)

The apostles immediately gathered for prayer, asking the Lord to behold the threats of their persecutors and to grant them boldness to continue testifying of Jesus and that signs and wonders would continue to be granted to confirm the Word of God they were proclaiming. They are filled afresh with the Holy Spirit and continue to speak the Word of God with boldness.

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