Acts of the Apostles - session 2
Acts 1 - 4
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If you have ever attended a Billy Graham Crusade. watching hundreds of souls come to Christ, it's not hard to imagine the scene at Pentecost. Peter spoke to the crowd with fervor and conviction. We believe him to be the oldest of the disciples, (now called apostles) and had a commanding voice. Yet, the quality of "charisma" that drew the attention of the crowd was, no doubt, the forceful effect of the Holy Spirit. This had come upon all of them with wind and fire! Peter had received the Spiritual Gift of preaching the Good News!
The Messiah had come!
The long-awaited Savior, of whom the Prophets had predicted would come to Jerusalem, was none other than the man they knew as Jesus! The Messiah, as He was called, was referred to by King David in Psalm 16:8-11 and 110:1, which was "The Lord said to my Lord", etc. Many of the Jews could NOT believe this Good News . . . that the Messiah had actually come and lived among them. Some thought this to be shocking blasphemy! This caused much persecution of Christians, first in Israel, and later in Rome. Under Emperor Nero, many Christians would be martyred.
Although the apostles continued to worship three times a day in the Temple, they also met together in homes. They shared what they had with each other. Then there came a time when they were banned from the temple, so they met only in private homes.
One day, some surprising news spread around the city. An amazing HEALING took place. There had been a crippled man who was brought every day to the gate called "Beautiful". He lay there to beg from all passersby. The site of him must have been noticed by hundreds of people each day. When he asked for money, Peter replied that he had neither silver or gold, but something far more precious. He healed the man in the name of Jesus, and many gathered around to hear more about Jesus as the Savior . . . the Messiah, for whom they all had been waiting!
By the next day, the news had spread all over the city. This caused the Pharisees much concern. Peter and John were called before the Sanhedrin, the governing body of Israel. They were asked, "By what power and name did you do this?" Peter answered,
The Messiah had come!
The long-awaited Savior, of whom the Prophets had predicted would come to Jerusalem, was none other than the man they knew as Jesus! The Messiah, as He was called, was referred to by King David in Psalm 16:8-11 and 110:1, which was "The Lord said to my Lord", etc. Many of the Jews could NOT believe this Good News . . . that the Messiah had actually come and lived among them. Some thought this to be shocking blasphemy! This caused much persecution of Christians, first in Israel, and later in Rome. Under Emperor Nero, many Christians would be martyred.
Although the apostles continued to worship three times a day in the Temple, they also met together in homes. They shared what they had with each other. Then there came a time when they were banned from the temple, so they met only in private homes.
One day, some surprising news spread around the city. An amazing HEALING took place. There had been a crippled man who was brought every day to the gate called "Beautiful". He lay there to beg from all passersby. The site of him must have been noticed by hundreds of people each day. When he asked for money, Peter replied that he had neither silver or gold, but something far more precious. He healed the man in the name of Jesus, and many gathered around to hear more about Jesus as the Savior . . . the Messiah, for whom they all had been waiting!
By the next day, the news had spread all over the city. This caused the Pharisees much concern. Peter and John were called before the Sanhedrin, the governing body of Israel. They were asked, "By what power and name did you do this?" Peter answered,
It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you, healed!
All were astounded at the courage and conviction of these two men. No punishment was decided, but they were forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus. Peter replied, "We can't help speaking of what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4: 1-22)
The stage was set for the growth of the Church to carry on the mission of Jesus, the Christ! His parting words had commissioned His followers to go out into all nations to tell them the Way of salvation! In the book of Acts we will read of all the followers of Christ who did just that!! The "faithful few", with courage and determination, reached out to all of the known world around the Mediterranean Sea!
Read of their escapades; never boring! They all faced stumbling blocks, but continued to persevere.
The stage was set for the growth of the Church to carry on the mission of Jesus, the Christ! His parting words had commissioned His followers to go out into all nations to tell them the Way of salvation! In the book of Acts we will read of all the followers of Christ who did just that!! The "faithful few", with courage and determination, reached out to all of the known world around the Mediterranean Sea!
Read of their escapades; never boring! They all faced stumbling blocks, but continued to persevere.