Acts - The book of Transition

Faith in Acts - The Book of Transition:

A great deal of anxiety exists today because of uncertainty and violence throughout the world. Many ask what happened to the manifestations of great power working though men such as Moses, Gideon, Samson, David and others on behalf of God’s People Israel, and, what happened to the miracles in the Pentecostal church described in the first part of Acts; communicating with each other regardless of language, healings, opening the doors of prisons, etc. (see Vol 4, No 2) Sir Robert Anderson published a book in the early 1900’s titled “The Silence of God” explaining the reason for heaven’s silence in the affairs of men since the Pentecostal church was set aside, and the heavens are still silent. I submit that a failure to see the difference between God’s exclusive dealings with His chosen earthly people Israel and His present dealings with all mankind during this age of Grace is the cause of confusion and consternation among believers. And the root of this is failure to understand the primary purpose of the Book of Acts, which is to describe the transition from the Earthly Kingdom message for Israel to this dispensation in which we find ourselves as members of the Church, the Body of Christ wherein we are saved by Grace through faith alone, as revealed to the Apostle Paul. In today’s study we find evidence of this transition as we begin to trace the Greek word pistis, usually translated “faith” through Acts. Just the fact the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to use the word “faith” 16 times in Acts is significant, 16 being 2 times 8 and 8 being the number for resurrection or new beginnings in the Bible. Thus the 16 appearances of “faith” are indicative of the transition to and introduction of the dispensation God entrusted to the Apostle Paul. Today’s study compares the first and last occurrences of the word “faith” in Acts and a key to the cause of the problems in world.

In Faith Study Vol 4, No 1we examined Acts, 3:16 where “faith” is first used in Acts. There the Apostle Peter said the man lame from birth who sat begging at the Temple was healed through faith in and by Jesus Christ. His healing had everything to do with God’s promise for a Kingdom on earth to Israel. It occurred in the Temple in Jerusalem where Jewish believers adhered to the Law of Moses and awaited Jesus Christ’s return to establish His Kingdom and Peter was carrying out the commission given to the 12 Apostles: “... Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name (that is Jesus’ name) shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:15 - 1815 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

. The lame man was healed because Peter had the authority to do so under Christ’s commission to the 12 Apostles.

Contrasting that incident with the last time the word faith appears in Acts we see the change. There we find the Apostle Paul testifying before King Agrippa, describing his conversion some years earlier on the road to Damascus. Paul quotes The Lord Jesus Christ: “And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:1515 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

-18.

In reciting that incident, Paul reveals more of what The Lord told him than what is recorded in the original account in Acts 9:1 - 161 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

. The original account does not mention The Lord’s words: “Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me,” Acts 26:1717 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

& 1817 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

. This is by design because revealing this information at this later point in time shows the progression of the transition from the Kingdom message for Israel to the message of God’s Grace to Gentile and Jew revealed to the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:25 & 2625 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

, Ephesians 3:11 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

-7). At the time of Paul’s testimony to King Agrippa, Israel was well on its way to being set aside for a time (which has been almost 2000 years now), Romans 11:2525 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

-36.

The Greek word “exaire’o” (Strong # 1807) translated “delivering” in the phrase “delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,” Acts 26:17, is found twice in Matthew, 5 times in Acts and once in Galatians for a total of, interestingly, 8 times in the New Testament. And by comparing its use in each passage we can better understand its meaning. In Matthew 5:2929 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

and 18:9 it is translated “pluck out” where Jesus was teaching the requirements for entering His Heavenly Kingdom on Earth: “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29. Without delving into the dispensational aspects of this passage, we readily understand the meaning of “exaire’o,” is to pluck out. In Acts 7:1010 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

Stephen used this word to explain how Joseph was “delivered” out of slavery, affliction or tribulation into which his brothers had sold him and instead, made Governor over Egypt. In Acts 7:3434 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

Stephan again used this word describing how God told Moses He would “deliver” his people from their maltreatment/ affliction in Egypt. In Acts 12:1111 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the LORD hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

it is used by Peter in recounting how the Angel of the Lord “delivered” him out of prison and the hand of Herod, which was the affliction the Jews wished upon him. In Acts 23:2727 This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

it is translated “rescued” when the Roman Centurion took the Apostle Paul from the mob of Jews who would have killed him. And in Galatians 1:44 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

the Apostle Paul uses it, describing how the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins to “deliver” us out of this present evil age. We can readily see how this word can be translated “plucked out” in all these passages, possibly conveying the thought better than the words “delivered,” “deliver” or “rescued.”

And so in our text we understand The Lord told Paul He was making him a minister of the things he had seen and those things He would show him in the future, “plucking him out” from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom he was being sent, Acts 26:16 & 1716 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

. The word “people” here is the Greek “laos” (Strong #2992), always translated “people” found most often in Acts, 48 out of the 143 times it is used in the NT. The Lord plucked Paul out from his people, which of course was Israel (see Acts 3:1212 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

) who were under the law, as well as from the Gentile nations. Being plucked out from both Jews and Gentiles he was in turn sent to both to open their eyes; to turn them from darkness to light and the power of Satan unto God, that they (we) may receive forgiveness of sins and receive the inheritance along with all those who are sanctified (set aside as holy) by faith that is in The Lord Jesus Christ, Acts 26:1818 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

. This clearly demonstrates that the message Paul was given to preach was totally different from any preceding. Its been almost 2000 years since The Lord plucked Paul out and sent him to preach the good news that anyone who simply believes Christ died for their sins, was buried and rose again the third day, has been saved to eternal life, 1 Corinthians 15:11 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

-4, Romans 10:99 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

. And we who believe the Gospel committed to Paul have an inheritance, along with all others who believe and we are separated or made holy with them by the faith that is in Jesus Christ, Acts 26:18b.

Our text also gives the reason for the turmoil in the world as Acts 26:18a clearly states that everyone who doesn’t believe the Gospel are:

•Blind to the Truth,

•In the Dark spiritually,

•Under the power of Satan.

Let’s read these four verses again and let the words I’ve bolded soak in: “And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering (plucking out) thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:15 - 1815 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

. Simply put, those who reject the Gospel are blind to the truth, in the dark spiritually and under the power of Satan.

Paul expands on this thought in his epistle to the Ephesians: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Ephesians 2:11 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

-3. Simply put, believers today are plucked out of humanity, Galatians 1:4, leaving all those who do not believe in the category just described. Therefore it is no wonder our world, the governments and religions therein are in shambles and will only get worse, this because all who do not believe the Gospel are blind to the truth; in the dark spiritually and are under the power of and live according to Satan. The Word of God says it and as we look around us it is indeed a sobering thought!