Gtoctr/ss052117
During
the first year after God poured His Spirit out on Believers at Pentecost,
things got a little crazy in Jerusalem. People were being healed by just the
shadow of Peter touching them and large numbers of Jews were converting to
Christianity. The Church was growing and the religious Jewish leaders were
losing control. It was notably evident that these followers of Jesus had power
and were gaining great popularity.
Acts 5
17 ¶ Then the high priest
rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the
Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,
18 and laid their hands on
the apostles and put them in the common prison.
19 But at night an angel of
the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,
20 “Go, stand in the temple
and speak to the people all the words of this life.”
21 And when they heard that, they entered
the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with
him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children
of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
22 But when the officers came and did not find
them in the prison, they returned and reported,
23 saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut
securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened
them, we found no one inside!”
24 Now when the high priest, the captain of the
temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the
outcome would be.
25 So one came and told them,
saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and
teaching the people!”
26
¶ Then the captain went with the
officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest
they should be stoned.
27 And when they had brought
them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them,
28 saying, “Did we not
strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled
Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”
29 But Peter and the other
apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom
you murdered by hanging on a tree.
31 “Him God has exalted to His right hand to
be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
32 “And we are His witnesses to these things,
and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who
obey Him.”
33 When they heard this,
they were furious and plotted to kill them.
34 Then one in the council
stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by
all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little
while.
35 And he said to them: “Men
of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.
36 “For some time ago Theudas
rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined
him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.
37 “After this man, Judas of
Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him.
He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.
38 “And now I say to you,
keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is
of men, it will come to nothing;
39 “but if it is of God, you
cannot overthrow it — lest you even be found to fight against God.”
40 And they agreed with him,
and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they
commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 So they departed from the presence of the
council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house,
they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Peter
and John were some characters to be reckoned with in those early days. They
gave the established religious leaders fits. The High Priest and the Sanhedrin
council in Jerusalem were enraged to see so much attention being poured out on
these illiterate and unlearned leaders of this group of Believers in Jesus.
Gamaliel, a well respected teacher of the law, gave good advice in Acts 5:39:
“If this is not from God it will simply fade away in time and if it is of God,
you don’t want to be found fighting against God!”
Meanwhile
people were being healed and the numbers of converts to Christ were growing
daily. Unexplainable miracles were commonplace and undeniable. There was such a
rush of opposing passions in Jerusalem and God kept growing the Church in
numbers and strength.
Fast
forward about 60 years to about AD90 - a lot had happened:
·
The
Roman government had taken over the persecution of these Christians as a
national affair. (AD64)
·
These
Apostles which had been so exalted among the people and of whom the High Priest
had complained had all been martyred for their faith. They died in various ways
and in many countries spreading the Gospel … all that is except one … the
Apostle John.
·
Not
only were the initial leaders and followers of Christianity disbursed or dead
and off the scene but also Jerusalem had been overrun by the Romans; the Temple
had been destroyed, (AD70); the Jews taken captive and now there were no
complaints and no complainers. The dust had settled a bit.
·
All
of those things which were such irritants and so controversial in Acts 5 were
now far from the thoughts or concerns of anyone who had been present in that
council at Jerusalem …
·
They
were all gone except the Apostle John …
·
60
years later, nearing the turn of the first century, around AD90, this elder
Apostle John is the last living Disciple of Christ. He is a long way from the
shores of the Galilee where he and his brother James decided to follow a man
named Jesus. John lived to be an old man and lived in Ephesus, more than 1000
miles from Jerusalem and the Galilee where he was born and walked with Jesus. All
that happened 60 years earlier in Acts 5 is but a memory. The dust had now
settled.
It
took a few years but when the dust settled and John was the only one left standing,
he had something to say. John did not focus on healing, prosperity or world
evangelism … John wanted to talk about relationships. John’s goal was to tell Christians
how they could please their Father God.
1 John 1
1
¶ That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked
upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life —
2 the life was manifested, and we have seen,
and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the
Father and was manifested to us —
3 that which we have seen and heard we declare
to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is
with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things we write
to you that your joy may be full.
5 ¶ This is the message which
we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no
darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have
fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the
truth.
7 But if we walk in the light
as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 ¶ If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not
sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1John 2
1 ¶ My little children, these
things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3 ¶ Now by this we know that
we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He who says, “I know Him,”
and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoever keeps His word,
truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6 He who says he abides in
Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
When the
dust settles …
·
Everyone will know who was right and who was wrong.
·
Things which seem so important now may not be so important then.
·
The one question will be: “Did I please God?"
·
Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!
