Book of Acts Final

Randall Q. Lawrence
Faith Bible College
Book of Acts Final (paper)
Dr. W.
12/13/2010

Book of Acts: what you received, what you learned:

I have received and learned much from this class. I have been enriched by your comments and testimonies along with those of my classmates. You have been gifted with a ministry for healing and this parallels many incidents in the book of Acts from John and Peter with the lame man (Acts 3:1-11) to Paul and the sleepy young man who fell out of the window to his death and new life (Acts 20:8-12).

The book and the class have spent some time on the discussion of the name of the Book of Acts. It has been called “Acts of the Apostles” though that really only covers two main apostles in Peter and Paul. It does not take into account Stephen, Luke, Barnabas, Phillip, Ananias, and many more. It has been called “Acts of the Holy Spirit”. This has some merit with the book beginning with the promise of Jesus and the Father as evidenced by Pentecost (Acts 2) and continuing with the Holy Spirit moving on Paul, his fellow missionaries, and the early church (Acts 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 28). This fails somewhat with viewing Acts as a continuation of the Gospel of Luke and what Jesus is doing. Another proposal is to just use the title “Acts”. There are limitations with this also (see page 13 in Book of Acts of the Apostles text)

[Note: In the fall schedule, it is called “Book of Acts of the Holy Spirit”. So we see the different names in the text title and also in the course title on the schedule and in our most commonly used name—“Book of Acts”.]

If I had to come up with a name for it, I would just continue with “Acts”, but a longer name that would be descriptive and fitting, in my opinion, would be—“Acts of the partners of Jesus and Holy Spirit”. This would fit for Peter (intimate partner of Jesus and later Holy Spirit of promise) and for Paul (partner of Jesus and intimate worker with Holy Spirit) along with Stephen, Phillip, Ananias, Luke, Barnabas, Silas, and more. You could call it “Acts of Jesus and Holy Spirit” for short or “Acts of (partners of) Jesus and Holy Spirit” to emphasize the actions of Jesus and Holy Spirit in partnership with the Early Church. I like this name because it just as equally could apply to the early Pentecostal leaders like Charles Parham, William Seymour, Evan Roberts, Smith Wigglesworth, Maria Woodwirth-Etter, Aimee Semple McPherson, John G. Lake, Kathryn Kuhlman. It could also apply to us today with the emphasis on our calling to be “partners” (junior) with our “Senior Partners”—Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I really appreciate the fact that I am studying for ministry, learning about the Bible, and being mentored for ministry at a time and place that believes these “Acts of the Holy Spirit” and “Acts of the Apostles” are not only for a previous “dispensation” but are possible, relevant, and happening even now in our day and time.

My main focus for this paper will be on Holy Spirit and how the Spirit (I will use “the” out of habit, but I realize that He is a personage along with the Father and the Son. I will not get into the Pentecostal Oneness vs. Trinitarian beliefs despite mentioning early Pentecostal pioneers) works with the Early Church and its leaders. I want to focus on the mention of the Holy Spirit (53 times total) in the Book of Acts.

Ch. "Spirit" Ch. "Spirit"
1 2, 5, 8, 16 15 8, 28
2 4, 17, 18, 33, 38 16 6, 7
3 17
4 8, 31 18
5 3, 9, 32 19 2, 6, 21
6 3, 5, 10 20 23, 28
7 51, 55 21 4, 11
8 15, 17, 18, 19, 29, 39 22
9 17,31 23
10 19, 38, 44, 45, 47 24
11 12, 15, 16, 24, 28 25
12 26
13 2, 4, 9, 52 27
14 28 25

Interestingly enough, “Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Spirit” is mentioned 41 times in the first 14 chapters and only mentioned 12 times in the second half of the Book of Acts which emphasizes Paul and his experiences where he recounts and testifies to his encounter with the Living Jesus Christ. (Acts 22:1-21, 24:10-21, 26:1-29)
Peter, who intimately knew Jesus and walked with him and saw the risen Lord, would tend to emphasize the action of Holy Spirit while Paul, formerly Saul and neither intimate with Jesus or Spirit, would emphasize Jesus in his testimonies and speeches before courts and kings. Now, both emphasized God’s role in turning their lives from denial and desertion (Peter—Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-65, John 18:25-27) and misrepresentation and misunderstanding God and persecution of “the sect of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 7:58, 9:1-8).

The main thing that I have learned from reading and studying the Book of Acts and from this class on Acts is the vital role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the early church and the vital role it should play in our lives as ministers of the Gospel. Our foundation is built on the works of Jesus Christ and the baptism, filling, and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Paul listed the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 [I will include reference in Acts to these gifts]: “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom [6:10]; to another the word of knowledge [10:19] by the same Spirit; To another faith [1:8] by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing [3:6-7, 5:15-16, 9:17, 9:32-35, 14:8-18]by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles [2:43, 5:12, 6:8, 8:6-7, 9:40-42, 19:11-12, 20:8-12]; to another prophecy [1:16, 11:28, 19:6, 21:4, 21:11, 28:25]; to another discerning of spirits [5:3, 5:9, 7:51, 8:19]; to another divers kinds of tongues [2:4, 19:6], to another the interpretation of tongues [2:17-18, ];” I put the Gifts of the Spirit in bold. I included resurrection of the dead under “working of miracles” though it might fit under healing also.

Another key feature and action of the Holy Spirit involved specific persons being “filled with the Holy Spirit” like Peter (4:8), the Seven (6:3), Stephen (6:5, 7:55), Barnabas (11:24), and Saul/Paul (13:9). This is a key characteristic for leaders of the Church. After being filled by the Spirit, the denying Peter became the proclaiming Peter in the face of the killers of Jesus. Stephen was able to challenge the Jews and face his own death by stoning. Barnabas and Paul were able to handle being missionaries to the Gentiles/dispersed Jews and forerunners of the Gospel of Christ. The Holy Spirit was involved in separating or setting apart servants and/or missionaries (1:16, 6:3, 13:2).

The Holy Spirit was a director and guide to these church leaders and missionaries (8:29, 11:12, 13:4, 16:6-7, 19:21). It guided Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch who would plant the church in Ethiopia and then the Spirit did something unusual (not in listed 9 Gifts of the Spirit) and “caught away Philip”. (8:39) No modern transportation can compete with travel by the Holy Spirit! It lead both Peter and Cornelius so the door was opened for the church to include Gentiles. The Holy Spirit lead to the separating and setting apart of Barnabas and Paul for a missionary journey (13:2, 4). The Holy Ghost also prevented the preaching of the word in Asia and prevented missionary work in Bithynia—we need to pay attention to the “no’s” of the Holy Spirit. Paul sought guidance by the Holy Spirit in his ministry (19:21).

The Scriptures are clear about the importance of baptism by water. Scriptures in Acts make it clear that baptism of the Holy Spirit is also essential to the Christian walk and to our discipleship (1:5-8, 11:16, 19:2-6). Luke, the writer of the Gospel of Luke and Acts, ends his gospel with the instruction for the disciple to “…tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) Jesus further describes this event for them to “…be baptized with the Holy Ghost…” (Acts 1:5)—“ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me….unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (1:8) From these Scriptures, we understand the need for a disciple to be baptized and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be an effective witness and minister of Christ. The disciples continued “with one accord” (2:1) which was quite a contrast to the betrayal, denial, and mostly desertion of the apostles and disciples with the crucifixion. Pentecost demonstrated the power of God moving on the united disciples of Jesus by filling them and pouring out upon them. (2:4-18, 4:31, 10:44-47, 11:15, 19:6, 20:23). We learn the power of unity and power of tarrying for the endowment and baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Another characteristic of the Holy Spirit who Jesus called the Comforter (John 14:15-26) is a life of comfort in the face of adversity (Acts 9:31) and joy in the midst of struggle (Acts 13:52). Acts says, “God anointed Jesus…with the Holy Ghost and with power…” (10:38). As Jesus set the pattern, then we are called to walk in the same pattern with the anointing of God reflected in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and with power to proclaim the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with boldness in witness and preaching (2:17, 4:31, 5:29-33, 7:2-53, 9:20-22, 10:34-44, 13:16-43, 14:1, 17:2-4, 17:22-32, 22:1-21, 26:28)

In conclusion, the Book of Acts “(of the partners) of Jesus and Holy Spirit” is supported in word and deed with the Gifts of the Spirit along with comfort, joy, boldness, and courage. Acts illustrates a vital partnership between disciple and God through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit provides direction in the affirmative or negative to actions and even appoints disciples as “overseers” (20:28). My best way to describe a disciple of Jesus without the Holy Spirit is kind of like a kitchen appliance without being plugged into the electric socket. One can look good, but you are not much use to the “cook” (Jesus Christ and God the Father) in helping and inviting others to the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 14:15-24, Revelation 19:6-10). I have learned a lot about the Book of Acts and gifting by the Holy Spirit and the calling to put that gifting into actions (Acts) for God and for others.