we yeah, we stacked a couple of chapters, both that are kind of pulling from the book of Acts. So there was a lot of X reading which is good but there was a comparison between Luke one and then the book of Acts and then you had some stuff in Jeremiah, Hebrews James First Peter, Jude, but what uh, as we like to start what stood out to you, either from your Bible reading or your Deval Hays book reading
question and maybe I didn't read it all together. That in Jeremiah 31 It spoke about the vowels cashed out who whose bowels gushed out
is it's a prophecy like it's the what Jeremiah was prophesying and then it was fulfilled with Judas. So when Judas like when when he said, there's a lot of debate about like, did he commit suicide? Like like he committed suicide? Did he fall off the cliff or what or fall off or whatever he fell into the field and his yes very unpleasant internals are spread out, but then nobody occupied the land like that was they used it for the the potter's or what do they call it? The there's right yeah, it's they they have a name for it. It's like the Field of Blood or whatever because like he died there
um,
I don't know short answer, maybe a reference to Judas.
That's that's what we think is like, and that's what they are teaching. It seems like in the light because they're referencing back to Jeremiah 31. Is that there's this prophecy that God's saying, He who, like went against him would then be buried in a would die not buried but died in a field and then that field would not be occupied. by anybody. So that's why they were connecting Jeremiah 31. Back with what we were reading in the New Testament. Does that make sense? Yeah, well,
Jeremiah 31 is the Holy Spirit
and the New Covenant but at the end of it, it talks about like,
about what what the ball says about it. She
was asking about Jeremiah 31, where it talks about
that they was referencing it back to the New Testament. You just now said they,
because they talk about it in in the New Testament like, New
Testament, okay, yeah, I just didn't know if they Deval Hey, no, Luke, Paul,
you know
Luke, or Paul?
I said Luke and Paul, because when he says we he's probably referencing Paul. When Luke is writing because he didn't act he didn't actually witness firsthand he investigated and we think that he probably drew from Paul right. So anyway, did you have something else you wanted to add?
Nope, I'm just I'm not following the line. The connections I know the connection me are now the reasoning there. Were
you following me? Kathy, was that were you following me? No, I think I was okay.
I was kind of off there. And I couldn't figure out when I went. I was going Bible verse to Bible verse and I read. I finished x and the two men what prayed with the women. And then it went to Jeremiah and about the field and the bloat, get scorching now,
this forward, and the Jeremiah prophecy is hundreds of years before you know x ray or before Judas and Jesus, you know so it's kind of it's a very interesting prophecy. Primarily, like I'm, I've written my law on their hearts, and just the, the, the change that the Holy Spirit brings, and I want to say change but it's more maybe fulfillment of all what God's been trying to do, and I fulfill them now.
Yeah, that's the language is very more New Testament than Old Testament. Like it's a really sweet chapter of Jeremiah. Because there's a lot of doom and gloom in Jeremiah. And like this one, it's like for I've drawn you with an everlasting love, like I've loved you with an everlasting love. Like, he's it's really beautiful and say how he's going to redeem His people, but it's going to be in a different way. And you see these hints at the New Covenant that they couldn't have possibly understood because even when the the apostles were hearing about it, they didn't understand it. And then even as it's happening, they're still confused. So it wasn't until Jesus comes back in his resurrected form that they're like, oh, okay, we get it.
Yeah, yeah. Which really doesn't happen until Peter stands up. And Acts two starts preaching Yeah, like Peters denying Jesus kind of failing, they're running from they're scared. They're running it and then by x two, he stands up and preaches this sermon makes all these connections and we're just absolutely blown away by his understanding, story takes a beating. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And then again, henceforth, the birth of the early church and Holy Spirit and the gospel spreading, you know, it's just a it's an amazing story, continuation of the story, I guess, to be appropriate. So anything else? What else stood out to you are questions or observations from the chapters in the book or the scripture readings?
We're back to one chapter next week, so and the remainder in the week after and the final one. There's there is a lot of Scripture reading but if you want to you don't have to read all of Paul's letters, but yeah. All right. Let's move into the book of Acts. Page two of our notes here so this guy here, Patrick Shriner. His dad, Tom Schreiner has written a bunch of commentaries on the New Testament, just a great, prolific New Testament scholar, and now his son is kind of following his footsteps. He teaches at Midwestern in Kansas City. This axe commentary is in the Christian Standard commentary. So this is the I guess you could call this the Southern Baptist commentary series. Our friend Joey Dotson is working on the Colossians commentary in this series. And my professor from Baylor did the current The Second Corinthians commentary, I believe in this series, so it's a great series, the Holman, reference Christian Standard Bible Commentary series, but so I'm kind of plugging. If you want a good commentary set or you like the book of Acts, this is one of the best ones that was written a few years ago that's out so you can snag one of those. But I included two things that Shriner does in his commentary that I thought was helpful. The first thing he does early on as he gives us seven themes from the book of Acts. So and he says, The first is God the Father orchestrates to Christ, the risen and then throne one rules three through the empowering spirit for causing the word or the gospel to progress. Bringing salvation five to all flesh and six forming the church to seven continues to witness about the Triune God to the ends of the earth. So he given seven themes of what the book of Acts is trying to do, God is acting. It's often referred to as the Acts of the Apostles, but it's God working through his faithful believers, empowered by the Holy Spirit as an as Christ has ascended is now a ruling. As the gospel continues to spread, the salvation continues to be experienced throughout the earth, the church is formed. So there's a lot of dynamics of what's going on in the book. of Acts. It's probably the other is a baby here. It's probably it's one of the longest New Testament books. If you think Luke by the time he wrote Luke and he wrote x, he wrote more than New Testament than any other author. So even more than Paul, which is interesting. Hi, welcome to church. We're distracted. We're done. We're out.
She's so perfect. Like all that hair like and all that hair. I love it.
Brainy to volunteer, and we'll bring these out for the rest of the babysitting. And I'm going to do the same thing. I'm going to read these even though I'm not trying to insult y'all but I just I like he starts off his commentary kind of bringing God to the quote unquote, forefront. He's letting us know this is God are the ones working through His Spirit, because Jesus is rolling. So he's got the whole Trinity involved in what the book of Acts does. And it does. It tells us a story of the of the beginning of the church, the formation of the church, but it helps us understand this is what the church ought to be about and this is what we ought to be doing. Like I said, last week or week before I was like, Jesus has told us what to do. We can't act like oh, what are we supposed to do? I'm not quite sure. It's like Jesus told us through the Great Commission through His Word. You know, giving us his life and his teachings. It's like, it's like, he's told us he's communicated to us. And this is kind of a continuation through the Spirit. Like Jesus promised, I'm going to leave. But I'm going to send a helper a pair cleat and advocate who's going to empower you to do greater things. She has an amazing phrase that we can't fully wrap our minds around, we're gonna we're gonna be able to do greater things. Because now we can take the gospel. We could take God's presence. Everywhere we go, you know? Jesus, through His death and resurrection now empowers us through His Spirit to continue his ministry. So the message is the same that we're sharing. We're not creating new things or trying to be crafty and creative or relevant or hip or cool or whatever. We're just trying to be faithful to what God has told us to do, and we're trying to continue it. So he gives us even more glimpse of the times that God the Father, is mentioned throughout the book of Acts. And he goes, this is not all of them, but and some of them could be categorized differently, but it's just it's kind of helps us reframe. The whole story of what's happening in X. He says, God the Father acts, he speaks the attest to Jesus he raised Jesus from the dead he anointed Jesus. He appointed him to be judge he swore an oath to David is seated in the heavens, he made Jesus Lord and the Messiah. He calls people he deserves worship. He's the God of Israel's ancestors, which kind of again helps us tie back to the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He's fulfilled what is said in the Scriptures. When Paul shares the gospel, he's like Jesus died according to Scripture. He was raised according to Scripture, X kind of builds that bridge. So let us know that this is fulfilling what he said he's gonna do in Scripture. God the father deserves obedience. He listens. He reveals he orchestrates he's acting, he's working through people he's delivering, he's punishing and he has power and he gave gave the Holy Spirit. He's glorious. He's great. And he's gracious. He's patient. He's alive. He helps. He does not show favoritism. One of the phrases that Paul picks up in the book of Ephesians. He appoints witnesses he used to be feared, performs wonders. He calls he created all things he commands. It deserves repentance he deserves thanks. He has a plant he established a church he provides salvation. So God is active in the book of Acts, and again, you can check any of those references if you'd like. But this is all from Patrick shiner to let us know Hey, as we're, as we're we're continuing the story that started with creation. And we're moving toward revelation and the completion and the fulfillment and the made whole the restoration of all things. What he does through the book of Acts kind of continues that and moves us that way, by setting up the church by setting up God's people and dwelling with his people. And so it's God the one that is orchestrating and involved and showing us and continuing what is happening so. So we get to Pentecost in Acts chapter 2x, two one through 13 The coming of the Holy Spirit Devall page 227 Page Three of our notes here. There's another scholar named Jimmy Dunn, James DG done. I brought his axe commentary here. He, he has a really good quote, but that I pull here at the top of your notes it says the prominence of the Spirit in Luke's narrative from Pentecost onwards, makes clear beyond doubt that for Luke, the mission of the church could not hope to be effective without this empowering from the Spirit of God, which in this is the part of our early like the Spirit of God which transcends human ability, and transforms human inability. Good, transcends human ability. That's not you. completely transforms the not you and your inability because now your Spirit enabled spirit and powered spirit filled spirit is what is giving us life and so just amazing and again, you know, this this is a good commentary to the pages are slightly discolored but still. If you'd like the pretty pages go with this one white clear this yellow dot ready but you know so I kind of pull from just this focus on God acting this focus on the Spirit of God and the coming of the Holy Spirit. There's so much that we can talk about and I think you know, I'm, I see it as a continuation of what Jesus promised and he's what Jesus said in John's Gospel that the Spirit is going to remind us of the things that Jesus taught us. And I think that's huge. It's not that if you go to some Well, I don't know how to, but I'll just pick on some churches. You know, some churches, they're like, listen, the Spirit of God speaking to me, let me tell you what he's gonna say. And they go off on all this most craziest, outlandish, whatever stuff and you're just like, that must be from the spirit because that makes no sense to anything anyway, you know, and it's like, why wait a minute, shouldn't the spirit if he's communicating to you, it's not going to conflict with anything Jesus said, You know, it's, I mean, it's gonna be like, what like, when you hear God speaking to you, you're gonna say, it sounds like Jesus is speaking to me. It reminds me of, of what he said. Through the Gospels, you know, it's not just gonna be Oh, he told me that. Taylor Swift lyrics are of the devil. You know, and I'm like, what, you know, like, anyway, sorry, I'm picking on Taylor Swift too. But it's, I think it's a continuation of what Jesus's words is gonna sound a whole lot like him. One of the books that was also assigned as the book of James, James never quotes Jesus, but when you read James, you're like, you know, this sounds a lot like Jesus. I could see how they're brothers. I could see how clearly James has spent some time with Jesus. You know, it's it's so it's kind of like that. It's like this is letting us know that the spirit that comes at Pentecost is you know, it's here to remind us of the teachings of Jesus to keep the words of Christ at the forefront of our hearts. And so I think that's kind of what the spirits doing, but I pulled out three things here. That's kind of like okay.
What is the Spirit doing? You know, and again, I'll start with a double quote number one permanence kind of cost represents a new chapter in God's story. So if this is a new chapter, there seems to be some new life and some new excitement, some new energy, when God the Spirit comes to live permanently with individual followers of Jesus Christ. That's on the next page to 28. So this, this Pentecost, it's it's the Holy Spirit coming and setting up permanent residents among us. And then we look back at the story and we're like, isn't that what God wanted to do? The whole time? It seems like, again, this is not a great view. It's a little bit too human, but it's like he keeps trying to keep calm and keeps trying to be with his people to be with his people to be with his people. You know, he sets up a garden with them and they're perfect and they blow it, you know, he sets up a covenant with him to be like, you know, I'm gonna be a blessing to you and bless those around you. We continue to blow that we start building towers to get him to come down, you know, he sends his presence to indwell this tabernacle with the Galis tabernacle rules set up he sends his presence to fill this temple. It's like he wants to be with his people. And he continues to speak to the prophets to say, Guys, come on, get your act together. DO what He tells you to do. And then And then Jesus starts walking the the whole the the tabernacles among us, if you read John chapter one, The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He starts walking with as God wants to be with his people, and now he sins the spirit to do just that. And it's permanent. It's not a wishy washy, fleeting, just getting goosebumps kind of moments. It's all the time, right here right now. This fulfills this language that we have throughout the Bible where God says, I will be your God. You will be my people and I will live among you. You hear that reverberating? Throughout the Old Testament story throughout the prophets over and over and over in, including Jeremiah 31. Even in the midst of fields and bowels being open, he's God says, I will be their God. They will be my people. I will live among them. So it's reminding us of this covenant language that he has to say I'm going to be with my people. I'm going to dwell among them. And I think there there could be that that gives us a little bit of insight into the greater things. The greater things is he's here, he's now he's permanently among his followers. Those of us that confess Him as Lord those of us that know him in sets like this, inviting him into our hearts, he's with us forever. And we're good Baptist. He's not going to leave us. We're once saved, always saved, right? You know, he's here. Had to bring in some bad business, you know, that'd be good. Leviticus 26 I will walk among you but your God you will be my people. So Leviticus he kind of this is why I'm giving you the law to obey me so that when you get in the Promised Land, I will be your God. You will be my people who set it up. Ezekiel my dwelling place will be with them. I will be their God that will be my people. And we know Ezekiel, we have some amazing visions of God's presence, even sadly, leaving the temple, but we also it's he's like, um, there's gonna be a permanent one coming. Second Corinthians 616. Cut out the first part of that verse, but you can look it up if you want to. But Paul says, For where the temple of the living God, he starts with what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols. So Paul is dealing with idol meat idol food and, and these corn Corinthians who wanted to worship the gods of the Greeks, you know, and he's like, What agreement is there? We are THE TEMPLE OF LIVING GOD. You're the temple of God, your bodies are the temple of living God. And then as God said, I will live among them and walk among them, I will be their God, they will be my people. And this is you know, kind of Devall using language of he's laying this out. He has the same three points and he, this is God's greatest promise greater than getting saved greater than going to heaven or doing ministry. From the beginning. God has been working the credit community that he can enjoy perfect fellowship with Him. In a restored creation. The greatest promise I will be with you. Emmanuel, God with us, starts with the birth of Jesus. So there's this permanent presence of God and again, the ball and Hayes in their other book that they referenced down at the bottom of page 233 that God's relational presence I brought it here. They lay out this this language throughout the whole story of this is what God is doing. This is what he's all about, you know. So we talked about prayer, as if God is so far from us. Oh, I about pressures hitting the ceiling. They make it to heaven. Well, it's okay. He because he's here with you. You know, he's in our hearts. He's with us. He's dwelling among us. We need constant reminders that his presence is here and it's permanently here. He has started the process of being fully with his people were, at some point, sin and suffering are gone. And we're just with him. We get a vision of that and revelation. Secondly, the Holy Spirit creates a new community and the ball kind of says it to you in that quote that I read, you know, he's creating a new community where he can have perfect fellowship with him where he can be with his people. Jesus conquered death took care of sin. Now God can be perfectly with his people and he's going to do it with a people plural a group of people. And so x two gives us some insight. So I printed that we're going to come back and I'll pick up this last number three there, but look at page four in your notes there. Read to yourself x 242. Through 47. I made it big so I could see it. Underline circle or highlight some of the phrases that stand out to you. This gives us a little bit of insight into what God's trying to create with this new community.
What are some things that are standing out to you of that that this new community has or exhibits or shows or what they did to Tim's house to the teaching? Yeah, they're devoting themselves to the to the teachings, they call it the apostles teaching. So that's like the apostles or the eyewitness to Jesus, or hanging out with Jesus. They took they were entrusted with this gospel message like, like Paul says in Titus, and they're sharing it and so they are devoting themselves to these teachings. Go and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father Son, teaching them to obey. So it was the command that Jesus said teach them so they devoted themselves to these teachings. What else? Yeah, yeah, yeah, like the verse on that over by the coffee pot. You know, I'm sharing life with you. I'm sharing food with you. I'm sharing resources, property, possessions. We're taking care of one another, you know? Yeah, what else? They gathered together? Yeah, they continued to, to gather together every day. Not just on Sundays every day they're involving themselves in each other's lives.
Get Baptists part in there. They like to eat yeah, there's
food. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Breaking bread house style sharing the food. Yeah, the breaking the bread. You know, definitely an allusion to what we know of as the Lord's Supper but it's not a tiny little square a little a hunk of cumin call that a cracker. I don't know what that thing is. And and that's all I had growing up and it still is meaningful, but I'm like, it's really hard to break. You're like, you really got to throw it in your mouth. You can really break it but it's like that bread and they're breaking it and they're sharing it. You know, this is a meal but they're remembering Christ. Right? Or remembering Christ among them. You know? And even references that twice to the breaking of bread, you know?
I did it with gladness. And humble
heart. Yeah, look at their attitudes. They're glad and humble.
Having the goodwill of all the people
having the goodwill of all the people I don't know exactly what that phrase is referencing, but the kind of the tone you get is they're taking care of one another. So yeah, it's like a what's good for us? Y'all in LA like, we're doing this together, you know, so I'm not speaking ill of somebody. I'm not. I'm not trying to stab you in the back. I'm not talking about you. I'm not like I'm looking out for your interest above my own. We pull Philippians two, you know, kind of complaining
unity and they're not complaining.
Anyway, yeah. And I'm actually not, I think this I'm assuming this is the NIV because this is kind of the one that I've used a lot. You kind of check some other references to see you know, the good of the good blank of the people. What is that word? Will, you know, the good interest the good you know of all the people yeah, there's an inclusiveness to it.
Mine says having favor with all the people your favor.
So there's a good standing
Yeah, so it is a unity not everybody will set one mind. Yeah, there was unity. Yeah,
you have that. They help everything in common you know, Paul references Koinonia. It's a fellowship, but it's a partnership. We're partnering together, there's a sharing of money. There's a partnering there's a gospel, there's a community there's a fellowship together.
That Koinonia is not just like a community. It's a community that's like really like intertwined with theirs. They're they've become, you know, a unity and unified together for sure. Yeah. Yeah, we lose that in our word, especially as Baptist because we talk about fellowship and we all think like, like after church and we'll have a potluck like that's a fellowship, we call that a fellowship and, and there is fellowshipping in that that's not wrong, but it's more than that.
Yeah, yeah. There's, it's a quantum is a loaded term that we don't have English words. We have to like, do several things to unpack it, you know, but this Sunday, we're having a barbecue picnic, after church, right? And it's one of those things like we're all equal, like there's not going to be good barbecue for the rich people, you know, and watered down sauce for the poor people, right? There's not going to be you know, better places to sit for like, we're going to hold all this in common. We're going to gather together and, and we're gonna spend time together. there's food involved, you know, we're doing it right after church. So we've worshipped and we've done the other things of praising God and we've been we've had a an awe and reverence you know, and it's like, yeah, that's a fellowship. That's potluck. That's food. But it's like, it's more than that, like, God's people gathering
together, collecting and offering to help provide for kids to go to camp like kids. And so we already made it more awake
than we've pulled our money into a church budget, and then pay for the food. And then that church budget cuts a check to pay for the food to cover it and then everybody we're gonna let people bring money in and that's gonna go to camp and go to the kids and that the youth camp, you know, so. So yeah, we're in we're, we're, again, we're helping out. Kids that may not have a lot of money to spend to go to camp, but we want them to have that camp experience. So we got a purpose and a mission with it. So to me, it's like, we could plan a church event where we have barbecue. But the why that we're doing it is more acts to you know, it's more where we are in the story of what God's doing, right. So what else um, I feel like we've almost hit every phrase, but we keep going. I don't know how many times I've
read it says food brings people to absolutely yeah, really. And there is something to that. It just, you know, you get together okay.
I bet hands down. How many times? Yeah, yeah. Food brings people together.
Yeah.
I bet for ease is right. With the samples and yeah, room in the upper room. You know? Absolutely.
Yeah. Jesus is like, Hey, I'm coming to your house tonight. Zacchaeus there gonna be food involved, you know, so, yeah, and then he gives a parable of the invitations go out for this amazing banquet and nobody came everyone was busy. So just like fine, open the doors to all the people go to the slums go to the poor people go to these nobodies and invite them and they all flooded in, you know, he's like, that's the kingdom of God. You know? And, again, it's a parable, but it's super controversial, you know? In the honor system is debunked. You know, so, what else are we missing here? Prayer devoted to prayer. The number one humble praising God, the Lord was adding to the number every day those were being saved. So there was salvation. Here's your evangelism strategy. Right here, you know, keep doing this. And watch the Lord add to your numbers. You know, so Yeah, clearly x two is amazing, powerful. It's a good little nugget of this is this new community and lets us know, kind of what they looked like what we ought to look like, but also help your system on to why we do what we do oftentimes, you know, so. So that's number two, this new community number three, another Devall. Quote, it's a fulfillment the Holy Spirit has been poured out on the true Israel in order to bring the message to all nations, thus fulfilling God's original purpose. That was on the page before the the Jeremiah 31 stuff. That's from Romans nine Galatians, six and Ephesians three. God's original purpose fulfilled when the Holy Spirit is poured out on to believers. And again navall talks a lot about true Israel and how those of us that now are believers were grafted into this tree. This tree called Israel were grafted in as true Israel, those that are followers of Christ that are believing the teachings of Jesus, that He fulfilled the law and that the Holy Spirit fulfills God's intended purpose again, being with his people being our God, riding on our hearts, the law, his instruction, his word. That's, that's the Holy Spirit, kind of bringing God's original purpose of what he's been trying to do. Okay, now it's happened. You know, and it also makes it where we don't have excuses anymore. You know, I cannot live a holy life. Yes, you can. The Holy Spirit is with you, and it will convict you when you're living in unholy ways. You know, it will, he will speak to you, as if the very words of God are speaking to you reminding you of who we are, what we're doing and why we're doing it, you know, so, all right questions on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit the book of Acts. Are we doing good? The shaded box on 233 God has always wanted to live with his people. tabernacle temple, Jesus coming face to face the new Heaven with Him. I love and I think that this, this kind of teaching was just ingrained in every Devall in highest class I had. And so this is kind of how I'm operating. So I definitely agree with them. I can't read the Bible any other way apart from the way they've taught me to read it, you know, so I think, again, and I think they're spot on, you know, so All right. We're moving on to Chapter 17 of the book. And so, which is basically kind of starting to walk through the book of Acts. I kind of got lost in some of the details because like I mentioned that, you know, X is a long book. There's a whole lot going on, but I got a little handout here. That I found a few years ago that I think is super helpful. And what it does is it takes x one eight, which is I think one of your memory verses you will be my witnesses, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. X one a verse that I had to read 40 times and do observations and mark it up and find the connections and see the concentric circles that it starts in Jerusalem. An important place in the story of Israel, great history. Jesus is there being crucified, teaching being crucified and the sins the holy spirit comes. So it starts in Jerusalem. And the book of Acts follows that same progression that we have an x one eight, so you kind of see acts one eight, almost as like a, an outline of what happens through the rest of the book. And so as we slowly begin to walk through the book of Acts, you see it spread the gospel spreading just like x one eight does, you know, so it starts in Jerusalem, in the first six chapters. With the Holy Spirit coming and everything we've talked about here, Pentecost, the Lord adding to their numbers. In the book of Acts Devall mentioned these on page 241. We have these progress reports. The first ones in in chapter six verse seven, so the Word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increase rapidly a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. So Paul or Luke kind of pauses the action pauses moving the story or the story forward, and he says, okay, like he stops us is the word of God spread the word of God, the gospel is spreading. And so, and then we kind of flow through and chapter nine and chapter 12 and 16 and 19. In any he he pauses and gives us this progress report of what's happening, and which is great. We need those that's super helpful to let us know what's going on. Then the Church throughout Judea and Galilee and Sumerians were at a time of peace, they were strengthened. So he gives us it's great storytelling where he kind of stops and explains what has just happened, you know, and super helpful that we have those but we kind of see the gospel spreading, you know, in chapters six through nine, we have it moving to Judea and Samaria. You know, we're getting Steven in this stoning that was kind of oversaw by Saul, that we know of as Paul in chapter nine. He has an experience on the Damascus Road, where God in a sense, opens his eyes to what he's doing and then he was like, he switches teams, right? He goes from the persecutor of Christians to a Christian. And as we keep going through Acts, he becomes the one that's chased down and ran out of town and persecuted themselves and stone himself, you know, so it's kind of an interesting and we get the ministry of Paul throughout the book of Acts. So
I think, also to keep an eye on because I think if you read this, you're just like, oh, it was growing and their church was perfect, and it was great. But it wasn't it was hard, like God was moving and spirit was anointing and miracles were happening. And Peter stepped up like he did a complete 180 from like Peter denying Christ where he was willing to be beaten, and face his death for the gospel and for what what did follow basically exactly in Jesus's footsteps, but I think it really stood out to me and asked for 13 and said now as they observed so they had, you know, been preaching he had healed the man that was like, 40, you know, and like, totally, we get up and walk like this. And so they arrested him. And they were like now and so they're, you know, kind of interrogating him and he says, now as they observe the confidence of Peter and John, you you know, Peter had done the miracle there and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. I think that's really profound like you know, they like they had the essence of Jesus on them and that even these chief priests that were so angry, because they thought when they killed Jesus, that it was over, and it was back with a vengeance, like it was more powerful. And you see that again. I like in your reading, that the guards were nervous, like because they were afraid that the people were going to stone then they're supposed to be the key that the peacekeepers and the you know, the enforcers like the police, if you will, and they were scared of the people because all the people were seeing and hearing and being like, Well, Jesus raised and some of them felt convicted because Peter did not mince words, right. He was like y'all are the ones that did this to Jesus. You killed him. And now because of him, not my power, but his power. He'll this man and he's speaking out against it. And so I think it's really powerful that now Peter is not being you know, overtaken by slave girl and hiding and denying, but he's bold and declaring and he's facing his what could be his punishment for that? And then what is it 541 It says, so they went on their way from the presence of the council because they had they beat them and they're like, because a while he has kind of an interesting Judas of Galilee, is that the one that did it No, that's the one that rose up. What was his name? He was like the wise man. That wasn't it. He had kind of a funny name. I can't think of it right now. But he because they were gonna kill him. They were like they're they're just doing exactly what Jesus said. We need to get rid of these guys. And he stood up and said, oh, oh, Thea Deus. You know, he's the one that stood up before then. And he was like, you know, what, if their false prophets if what they're saying is not true, it'll take care of itself that people will but if this is of God, then God is going to come after you and you should just let like God or the people work this out one way or the other. So but they for good measure, they beat him, right? And then they release them. And so they'd been beaten and they walked out and so so they went on their way from the presence of the council, rejoicing, rejoicing. They just been brutally beaten, that they had been considered worthy to suffer for the same of his name that for the shame for his name. Again, it's just powerful is like things were hunky dory or rosy like it was hard. Like, it was just the same as when Jesus was being crucified people were, especially those in places of power. Were not on board with this and they were fighting it and they were standing in the way of it and yet it was growing. So I think sometimes we think if a church is healthy and growing, or the body or even in our own personal lives, like that's a sign that God's with us and moving, and it's like no, and it's like, it's our perspective, because they just beat and they were rejoicing and saying, Thank you God, that I'm worthy. I'm worthy to suffer in the way that you suffered to be aligned with you in such a way. And I think all of this even acts to it's just it's such a different place, especially for us Americans. We don't think of sharing our possessions and making sure everybody's needs are met. We're more worried about well, did they work? Did they earn their keep? Do they deserve to have something like I deserve what I have, like I worked, you know, and we just have this very different mentality. That is our culture, but it's not biblical. You know, and I think we have to check ourselves and try to figure out how to line that up, but also to be just because our circumstances are bad and bad things are happening. It doesn't mean that God isn't moving, and that we can't have that perspective and then attitude to say, thank you, God, for even in our suffering, to rejoice, especially if we know that we're doing God's work. Sometimes we're suffering because of our own dumb choices. And we don't like to admit to that either. It's like why is it down for you? To me? It's like well, it's just
I saw what happened. Yeah. Because they haven't good reason to punch him. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Anything bad. Yeah. Like help this man. That was Yeah. 40 years.
Yeah, yeah. Except for four years. I've been like this.
Yeah, yeah. And you know, the volume and mentions by x eight. The persecution actually results in scattering the church and furthers the gospel spread, you know, the terrible persecution leads to the spread of the gospel. So it's like, the more and more that there's persecution or right we gotta stop this we got to quench that we got to we got to quit this. And so we we start with making it harder and harder and harder to gospel continues to spread. Further and further and further, you know, which is you're probably not going to have any kind of church growth strategies. They're gonna be like, well, we're gonna we just need to persecute our people a bit more. You know, I mean, I would not vote for that, but you know, but that's kind of what happens in early church, you know, it's like they keep trying to stop it. Maybe those that are in charge, those are in power, those that are in control. That is they're like, Oh, we're losing some influence here. You know, it was the same kind of mindset that led to Jesus being crucified. Like we got to stop this guy here. So the killing and what does that day that causes the death of death, the conquering the resurrection, you know, and it's like the forgiveness of sins like he took it on and beat it. And the Christians kind of follow the same backwards way of operating almost like as as, as the power mongers try to control the situation. It causes more spread and more growth. You know, they stand up instead of retreat. Like we really believe this. We're willing to give our lives for it. And that's like historically, all the disciples give their life for the gospel. You know? That's powerful. So, yeah. So we see the gospel spreading. I don't probably need to read this whole thing to you, but there are some like Randy's got some amazing stories, with the gospel spreading to Samaria and Judah, Judea, and in bad chapters nine through 12. It's moving to the Gentiles with Philip going right. Phillips going to spread this message. I guess he started that in eight you know, he's kind of going further out. And then eventually in Antioch, where they're first called Christians are first called Christians at this church that was set up in Antioch. Nice, little Christ. These guys keep acting like Jesus. They look like Jesus. Talk like Jesus, their healing like Jesus there. You know, there's clearly something unique about these these little Christ and so they we get this title somewhat now it's no longer it's no longer just a verb. It's now becoming a noun we are Christian wasn't positive
when they said that it was very much negative. Yeah, they were like those little Christ like it was very,
I think they are you know,
although it's maybe derogatory today too, I don't know depends on he's Nelson sin right?
Paul and Barnabas go out, they start spreading to Asia Minor, in the valley there by chapters 12 through 16. You know, there's, there's there's conflict in Acts that you can read about of how Jewish do we need to be to be a Christian? Do we need to be circumcised Can we eat this meat and we need to do this do that and it's like they keep they have the Jerusalem Council to kind of talk about it. You see that debate in Romans and Galatians. You see the Jew Gentile conflict and he Feagins Colossians. You know, it's like, you know, there's, there's still tension of, you know, what does it mean to be a Christian? You know, do I completely get rid of my whole way of living? You know, do I do I stop? How much of the worship of these other gods do I do I stop, you know, and, and at some point, the Jews are very powerful and then Rome. They all the Jews get kicked out so then the Gentiles become super powerful and they grow in influence and money. Well, then the Jews kind of come back in they're no longer the big wigs. And so now there's kind of some conflict between the weak and the strong. And so Paul writes Romans, to help them figure this out, you know, and help them know what the gospel is, who Jesus is, who they are and what it means to be a church and be together. So there's my summary of Romans for you. But during this time, he starts these missionary journeys, and we'll look at it next week, a little bit more detailed as he starts writing letters. As these churches starts being set up in these little towns through converts, gathering together and doing what acts to that we saw Paul starts writing them letters to the church add emphasis to the area around emphasis. He spent some time in emphasis in sin, several letters, from emphasis to these other areas around it, you know, we see him eventually making it to Philippi and Thessalonica to Corinth, emphasis. So the gospel is spreading to now outside of Asia into Europe. Eventually it's the gospel spreads all the way to Rome when Paul gets sent to be killed, right he's like, you know, I'm a Greek citizen. Don't I shouldn't I have a audience in Rome, to plead my case? And so the gospel is spreading even further out. On on your handout. They're so good.
In the Bible, in the New Testament, calls, I guess you'd say Christians or Christianity, the way and I don't know where it got
dropped where Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I did some work. I did some cash. I think that was actually like the first week of class, when we're trying to lay out like, why are we learning the story? And that was one of the early questions I had in my notes is like these early followers are following the way. And so I'm like, what, what, why is that? And again, it's a way of living. It's a way of operating. It's a way that you make decisions the way that you think it's the way of Christ your pattern your life after Christ. And soy Yeah, before they start calling them little Christ for the start Christian Christians before church was even a title. I mean, that doesn't come till till later, you know that the church at wherever you know
they were the way gave themselves though they were were saying follow the way like that was language they used as they were bringing people into the gospel, that's
like x three, yeah,
we're using that language. And so other people said that about them. And then they had the moniker of little Christ. And then it's like it just like the we kind of redeemed the cross because the drop the cross was there guillotine basically, it's better for us to really think of it like that and today people were little guillotines around their neck, you know, and put them all over their houses the beautiful thing, and they weren't beautiful. They were hideous. They were signs of power and death and just Romans rule over people. And so I think the same way that they kind of redeemed those little Christ's being Christ like Christian, it kind of became a different i mean i i There's a whole philosophy with that like if you follow that the Catholic church like the big see Catholic, not little like not, you know, the division of universal church universal. Yeah. As they came along. It was like Christian became the, you know, but I love the way because it's a better reading of the New Testament because that it translates better, I think throughout the New Testament from the Greek to our English you don't misunderstand, you know, in those passages, but yeah,
yeah. Yeah. The way to Christians to church, you know, eventually in Paul's letters, he's like, to the holy ones to the saints. That to the church at this James is addressed to the scattered tribes, you know, to those that are spread out. And so, it's so it's kind of interesting, you can learn a lot but these letters were addressed to you know, and and how they refer to themselves you know, so this is the way
yeah, they're all of the Star Wars stuff has so many overtures of Yeah, Scripture.
Yeah, really does. Yeah, so much. This is the way they probably definitely has made that even more popular recently. Because it's like a it's a almost a greeting. It's a way that they like Like, I've got to do this, this is the way this is the way and I do whatever we got, you know, so for those non Mandalorian Star Wars watchers
Who are you know, they're not there might be no
Disney plus subscribers.
I wouldn't watch it if it wasn't for him.
I have watched those. And I get so confused
and he tries to explain it to me and I'm like, nevermind.
So we don't have a ton of time left but within your chapters we had the book of James First and Second Peter, Jude and Hebrews. That was there's little shaded boxes James is on page 243 First and Second Peter on 245. Hebrews on 247 I don't know where Jude went. He's in there somewhere. Hey, do did I miss him first Second Peter he's out there yes he's under First and Second Peter. I skipped him yes tiny. So Devall just kind of gives us a little bit overview of what happens but and again next week when Paul's when kind of cover his missionary journey is a little bit more thorough. We'll walk through the different letters that he does, which again, just about every letter, he gives us more insight into what it means to be the church. Right. And some of its based on pastoral issues. of this church struggling with something. And so Paul says, You got to do this. You got to you know, have a bond of peace with one another. You know, there's a unity there's all this language of what does it mean to be church? How do we do this? And again, it's probably the same kind of thing of how do we live as exiles? How do we live in the promised land, the land that God's given how do we live now that God has delivered us out of Egypt? So it's kind of the same question, how now we live as Christians as the church, you know, and so that's kind of some what he does but do have many questions on James First Peter, Jude Hebrews, I don't want to have to give you a New Testament survey here, but you got time. You guys can minutes. We got 10 minutes, but y'all also have a book that's way better than what I could do. So
at one point, Jared and Ruthie Garner Jared said something like he's never heard a sermon out of June. And then Peter preached one he's like, Oh, first sermon I've heard out of Jude right there, you know, and so Peter kind of prides himself on. I want to preach the sermons that maybe you haven't heard or from places that are maybe not familiar with, you know, and so he's like, Jude, you know, like, that
obviously takes about something that happened today that all envies that I went with one of our church members that is not School for the band that is the Lions Club, has a training building or your Thompson. But anyway, I was so impressed with her. Because when Emily and I went and she introduced us to a lot of people that cars will make their lunch. And she always said, This is Shane Omoni and Emily, how my friends from far southern Baptist Church in Brian. That was the way that she introduced us to everybody and a lot of lot especially the younger ones fed Glory Who do you have with you? You know cuz Yvonne Yeah, sure. How do you have wiki we heard you talking and we heard them talking. And they wanted to know we we work and that is the way that she always and I was like, and how many times do I do that? You know, whenever? Yeah, introducing a friend. You know, I don't say this is my friend.
Yeah, they're part of my faith community next
time she does you could say this is the way Okay, maybe not get away with that. But yeah,
we are part of the way Yeah, yeah, that is. That is I love that.
Yeah, my church.
There is a cult that's active in Arkansas. It's called the way it's creepy. It's a It's not the way Yeah, it's not like the one in the Bible. Let me just say that. So. So you might run into some of the way and you're like, Oh, that's great. X. No, no. It's part of the cult that's here in Arkansas, but
we'll get into Paul's writing next week. But I always think it's interesting. I would have loved to hear Paul and James have a debate or a conversation. Because they are very, very different from each other and how they you
know if you read Matthew Bates and some of these guys today, they reconcile them quite well. Well,
I think there's they are more synthesize than then then maybe when we first trio, but I also like, yeah,
I couldn't put them together. Yeah,
I just I think it's hard to put them together sometimes. All right.
Well, next week, you will memorize Romans three. No, I was like the whole book, the whole book, which I think is I'm not ashamed of the gospel. Okay. Yeah, it's in the book and the written there. read chapter 18. Romans Corinthians Thessalonians. When we were walking through the letters, you can read as much as those as you'd like. I'm pretty sure you're probably familiar with them. So maybe if you need to skim them, totally fine. You know, but definitely bring some questions of those. And then Yep, so I think we're good any other?
I think definitely read all of First Corinthians 15 because that's such a great call lays out the whole gospel in that and I think it's really powerful. Yeah,
we walked through some of that so that's a great yeah. Yeah, well, I read some Roman six today, on kind of the being baptized into the life of Christ, because of his death, and there's just a really good language. There in Romans six, that's pretty, pretty powerful on on how connected we are to what Christ did for us, and it's continued to do through us, you know, so
Well, you didn't add but I bet you did it on purpose because I keep trying to tell him to put this on your for your assignment. So we have three weeks left, and I think add on there whoever wants to like if we maybe have three of you or so three or four of you want to and all go like like David I'll do this all the days already done it but are y'all filling out the sheet to like, summarize
the story, the great story, remember, we
save room all right, you all will have to fess up if you're not you did the Old Testament. That's That's good. That's far though. I
bet you could do the New Testament but you have to paint with broader brush strokes, New Testament you know you have to basically Jesus came was born and then he shared parables and the story dad, for us was resurrected, ascended to heaven at the Holy Spirit set up, you know, so it's yeah, it's really, we know
that so if you've already done the Old Testament as that you're way ahead. So just anything, you don't have to commit to it. But um, what I've
given you one with the church with Christ
updated when maybe you could do it and put it in the thing, but you all do it. You don't have to memorize it. You can just read it like you can write down and again, like they've seen, it just has to be like you could even just do a word, like or a sentence like as you go through and you'll have to do every chapter just to in your words, synthesize like the Old Testament and where we are. And if you sign up and do next week, you get you have to do less. So the people that go the next week have to do an extra, you know, so the earlier you do it, but I think we should still do it. I think we should still try to get everybody to do this, because that's the purpose of this class is to try to help us in your own words. How do you communicate what the story of Scripture is? And at the end of the day, you can like, like, like, like drill it all the way down to is God redeeming his people to Himself like that's that's the story of Scripture Genesis to Revelation. If I had to say one phrase, that's it. And then you can go out from there and do that, but I think you'll all do it. I think it'll be a good exercise day things. Y'all might want to do it. So y'all prove Dave wrong. He's like, they're not gonna do it. I was like, yes, they are. I'm making him do stuff like this all the time. How can I
torture I've got a guy email me his he's like, here's what I got as it's looking great. Guy can maybe if he's here next week, he could share with ya so don't forget, we're we're wanting to tell this whole story and yeah, we probably could need to do a better job of reviewing that. Yes. For the remaining weeks. Maybe a little bit better so we can get it right. Okay, I got it now. So
it's one of those things that might make you go oh, I can't but you know, like a homeschool tool. No, I'm not a teacher. And I always tell her I was like, well that even my grandmother always had this saying like can't never made a biscuit. was not allowed to say can't ever when I was a kid like I can't do that. It was like so on your vocabulary like you. You're not going to do anything you say you can't do but if you can't do you can't. So it was just always Yeah. That's okay. You just, but you did it and it may not be perfect. You may not be proud of it, but like you got a little bit better and then you get better each time and so trying is you know although what is speaking of Star Wars what is Yoda always say? There's no try there's all art How does he say it there's only do y'all know that one?
No yeah there's yeah there's no try. There's only do or do not Yeah,
there's only do or do not like there's no trick you just do it. So
we're not going for a famous Yoda quote from 1983
I totally butchered it. I love that quote though, because I'm just like, Yeah, we do things you either do it or you don't or you make an excuse why you don't.
Alright, let me pray for us and we can keep talking. We got a few minutes till we got to smack all of our kids but why would you thank You that You sent Your Spirit to dwell among us, Lord, we are your people and you are God. And we praise You for it. Continue to help us. See and learn and be challenged on who you want us to be as your people as the church pricings your name, amen.
