WELCOME
LET’S PRAY
Music today is taken from Romans 11:33-36 where Paul has been writing about God and His Goodness.
His words are about the One God and in an exclamation of praise and worship he concludes the following about Him and His wisdom relative to us, saying:
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Our second set of passage is taken from James 4:17 which says:
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
James is a very difficult book to properly teach and the context of this passage is no exception.
But the heart of the passage is quite revolutionary. Under the law the focus of followers of God was often what NOT to do.
“Thou shalt not,” right?
But after Christ, who took and nailed the contents of the Law to the cross, wiping away sin and death, the focus is not so much on what we shouldn’t do . . . but on what we should.
Specifically speaking, the New Covenant tells us to do two things – believe on Jesus and His work and life and to love God and Man.
If we know to do these specific things and don’t do them, James says, (LISTEN) to HIM (to that person) it is sin. This places the responsibility for choosing to follow what God has written on our hearts on the individual believer.
Fantastic passages. So let’s try and commit them to memory through music.
MUSIC
SILENCE
Acts 3.3
November 8th 2015
MILK
Okay, we have one verse left in Acts 2 – verse 47.
Prior to it Luke tells us in verse 46 that
“they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
And verse 47 continues with this description saying:
“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
We spoke at length about the meaning and lesson of them continuing daily in offering prayers from the temple made with hands, so let me just touch on the remainder of verse 46 before we finish with 47.
“they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Where we had a question of whether these early believers were eating food together in verse 42 (which says)
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers,”
Or whether this was communion but here in verse 46 it seems to be speaking of eating food together- in one house or another where they gathered.
Of course the houses were smaller and would not have been able to hold 10% of the new believers so this general description seems to be describing the overall activities of the body of believers in different parts of the land where believers gathered and not a single church.
And while they ate Luke says they had “gladness and singleness of heart.” I have to admit I sense this with believers here and bask in the commaradarie whenever it is present.
Luke continues at verse 47 with the description adding that in addition to all he has said that the believers were:
“Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Three points – amidst their eating and singleness of heart and praising God they:
Had favor with all the people.
And the Lord added
To the church daily
Such as should be saved
Okay, so four points.
First, as believers, regenerated by God’s grace through faith, repenting of having killed the promised Messiah, Luke says
“They had favor with all the people.”
The Greek suggests that the whole of the people looked on them favorably, as a people who were to be admired, who were, again as a people charismatic.
The Greek word for “favor” as in having “favor” with all the people is “charis,” from where we get that English word.
I think the passage is significant. The first believers, converted to Christ, we loved and seen in a good light by those around them.
Isn’t this the call on our lives?
Didn’t Jesus say that we are the salt of the earth, cities set on hills that should let our lights so shine?
Speaking of the Christian attitude and example to the world Paul said in 1st Thessalonians 5:15
“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
In Romans 14:17-18 Paul says: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.”
From my estimation we ought not be the least loved people on earth but the most. Understand, those who hate God and love the dark will make things tough for us but our goal is to shine not inflame!
2nd Corinthians 8:21 “Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.”
Of course listen to what Paul added in Philippians 4:8-9
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Paul reiterates in . . .
Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
They were doing this in the early church! We would do so much better if we did the same. We love, we share gently with those as lead by the spirit, we share and serve and we live as Christ to all men.
“And the Lord added to the church daily.”
Other translations say:
“Also, day by day, the Lord added to their number.”
(TCNT) “And the Lord daily added to their company those who were in the path of Salvation.”
(YLT) “the Lord was adding those being saved every day to the assembly.”
(MNT) “Meanwhile the Lord kept adding to them daily”
Why does this matter or why pay much attention to this fairly standard description of things in scripture?
I think it is a VERY clear statement of who builds His church and through what means – the Spirit and Spiritual conversion.
There are all sorts of models – business and otherwise – that churches have employed as a means to expand its numbers and memberships.
I am personally convinced that when we appeal to systems and strategies or models to build the church or body we will then be beholden to those models in some form or another as a means to maintain rather than rely on the Lord to give His church increase.
Chuck Smith wisely taught:
“When we strive to attain we must then strive to maintain.”
I suppose we might think of it as a matter of quality rather than quantity. WHATEVER GOD BUILDS THAT IS A QUALITATIVE EDIFICE.
And there is no fear, no striving, no efforts required to maintain or keep attendances on the increase.
I think we have to believe as a body that if God blesses our Gatherings with ten people and no more this is His will – and we ought to rejoice being in it.
Before Stephen, the first martyr of the early church (whom we’ll read about in chapter 6 and 7) was put to death, he gave a moving speech and in it, citing scripture, said:
“Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?”
The implication is God is in charge – we are not going to build up anything where He will step back and say (slapping His forehead) “Wow. Great empire there buddy.”
He does the building – and we do well letting Him – that way we know whatever “is” is from Him.
Stephen was quoting from Isaiah 66 where we read from the mouth of God:
Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (And then God adds – LISTEN – ) “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”
The Psalmist wisely said in Psalm 127:1
“Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
So there in the early church we see clearly that the LORD built it (or added unto it daily.
One more related point to this.
The best translation of the passage, consulting experts in the Greek is
“The LORD kept on adding (Imperfect Active Indicative) to the assembly.”
Now, there is a dispute on weather the word church or assembly ought to be included here. Let me explain.
The Greek word for church or assembly or gathering or synagogue is “ekklaysia.”
Some versions of the Bible do NOT include this word – and they usually have been translated from the Westcott and Hort Revised Manuscripts.
Many pastors who lean toward these versions (like the ASV or the RSV) assert that the term church (te ekklesia) is not in the Greek New Testament of Acts 2:47 and that the KJV is incorrect in placing it there.
This could be a misleading statement because the term “te ekklesia” IS found in the Textus Receptus mss (from which the KJV was translated).
It is also in the Greek New Testament of the Expositor’s Greek New Testament by Robertson and in the Greek New Testament of Berry’s Interlinear, and in the Reviser’s Greek Text, by Whitney – – which all existed before the American Standard Version existed.
This being said there is a wholly disturbing interpretation of this passage by those who agree that “te ekklesia” is in the original mss –
And that is that this is the first passage in the NT that proves church memberships. I was told that a church not far from here just used these passages as a proof text of this very thing.
The problem with this is the term “ekklesia” is a compound terms from the Greek words
EK -which means “out or from”
(and)
KALEO – which means to call
Put em togedder and wadda we get?
The called out. Now, admittedly, when groups of the called out got together they were unitedly called the “ekklesia” and we translated this to church and assembly in the New Testament.
But remember, the assembly were those who were called out of the world and NOT, by definition of the Greek Word, the gathered together!
So when we read (in the hundred plus places) where Ekklesia is translated “church,” “the church,” “churches” or “assembly” in the NT we have to realize that the Greek is describing “the called out” gathering together and NOT people who were Gathered as “Members of.”
And on this principle we are able to then say that Jesus church is made of believers (those who have been called out of this world) and not participants or members of brick and mortar institutions.
It really frosts my cake when self-indulgent pastors twist these things to support their agendas.
Sorry.
And finally, “such as should be saved.”
The word for saved is sodzo in the Greek and it means those who were:
“Delivered” – “made whole” – “protected” – “healed” – “preserved” – “saved.”
Where we read “such as SHOULD be saved” this is a bad result of the King James English because the participle does not express any “purpose” that they should be saved but simply the fact that they were those who would be (or who were about to be) saved.
The church of Jesus Christ has begun.
With what happening?
The falling of the Holy Spirit.
Upon whom?
Devout Jews?
Why did they become part of the called out?
They had been preached to by Peter and the other apostles.
How did they respond?
They first believed.
Then what?
They asked what they should do with their belief?
And what were they told?
To repent (change their minds regarding the Messiah whom they had been promised) and be baptized as a result of having been saved by Him and then they were promised the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
And what was the end result?
Three thousand souls (plus more that were added to their number) were saved.
Did the salvation of these devout Jews (received at that time) mean something different to them than it means to us today?
It does.
What?
Remember, REMEMBER!
Jesus, came to the House of Israel first. Why? They had lived under the Law, they were promised a Messiah and He came fulfilling the promise to them from God.
The promises included emancipation – but not from Rome, from sin. They were promised a King – but not one who would rule from an earthly throne but who would rule from heaven and within the heart.
He was meek and mild and kind and good – and they killed Him, or as John said:
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”
Because they received Him not, this specific people – His people –of that specific time, in that specific place (the City of David, Jerusalem) were under judgment.
Jesus warned and warned them, wept over what was headed their way, and before ascending sent His twelve out to reiterate what John the Baptist described before Jesus even hit the scene, saying:
“Now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
For a devout Jew to be saved, like those here on the Day of Pentecost, it meant being
“Delivered” from Roman hands and sin.
Being “made whole” and therefore cleansed of sin and prepared for entrance into His kingdom on high
“protected” from the purge as “wheat gathered, rather than chaffed burned.
“Healed”
“Preserved”
And “saved.”
For them it was a physical and a spiritual salvation. This is their book. Their history and an account of God dealing with them.
For us, the picture is similar but applied in an entirely different way. Just as they read the Old Testament and learned but did not apply the same things to their lives as believers we read the New and learn from its vast pictures and types and lessons, but the applications are different.
We are not facing His coming on us with wrath to wipe us out for rejecting Him. He has saved the world, had victory over it, and judgment has fallen upon those who had it coming – they were God’s.
They knew better. They had the Law and prophecies, and prophets.
The rest of the world, because of their rejection of Him, is now beneficiaries of His coming and giving His life.
Paul makes this clear in Romans.
In fact after saying in John 1:
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”
John adds:
“But . . . as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
This is what has happened here and it is what has continued to happen, year in and year out ever since – God is calling for people to “come out.”
Come out from what?
The world, their former lives, sin.
Why?
To be “delivered” from all things, to be “made whole,” as children of God, to be protected from those who are without, to be “healed,” “preserved” and “saved” from whatever those who refuse to come out will face at the hands of God once their end comes – at death.
And this leads us into chapter three – so let’s read what happens next and we’ll start covering the contents.
1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
Act 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
If we look back in the Gospel of Luke 24, after Jesus ascended into heaven Luke – who also wrote Acts, says that thereafter the apostles:
“were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.”
And that is how his gospel narrative ends.
As mentioned last week, this edifice, though it was going to be utter torn down by God and for us has no significance any longer, was an extremely important location to Jesus, the Apostles and the Jews of their day.
So from Acts 2:46, which we read last week, it is clear that all the disciples were accustomed to resorting to the temple daily for devotions.
Did they join in with the sacrifices of the temple-service? It is not said but I would think they did.
Again, the dawning of new ways is slow – and God is patient.
Back in chapter two at verse 43 we read that the Apostles did many wonders and signs.
Who were they reaching out to? Jews. And the most concentrated gathering place of Jews was? Jerusalem! And in Jerusalem? That’s right, The Temple.
Now we are about to read of one specific miracle that was performed. Because we read that the apostles did many we can suppose this report is representative and there were many more.
We read they went at the ninth hour which would have been our 3 PM – a common time to go for daily prayer.
Now this is a VERY religious group of people folks. I mean as gentiles we are used to our religious appeals serving us – with most of us having trouble consistently making it to church once a week.
These people’s very lives revolved around God and worship of Him. David wrote in Psalms 55:16-17:
“As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
Can you imagine coming to this building three times a day specifically to pray!!?
We later read an account of Daniel, and this is what it says in Daniel 6:10:
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
By Jesus day it is believed they gathered twice daily. And devout Muslims continue to pray three times daily to God.
I do not begrudge nor mock them.
But I would guess that devout Christians are possibly praying much more frequently as we communicate with God throughout the day as He is always with us and we are making Him part of our every day lives. Something to consider.
Anyway, while they were either on their way or thereafter we read (verse 2)
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
I’m convinced that Luke described the man this way for two reasons.
First, to show that the man was seriously disabled and that there was no deception in the event (meaning Peter and John didn’t pay a healthy dude to pretend he was lame.)
He was a man who from his mother’s womb was lame, so much so that he had to be carried daily to one of the gates of the temple (which was called Beautiful) and he was “laid there” so he could beg for alms or money.
That is the material reason this is written this way.
The spiritual application (which is more for us, the reader today) is this man emblematically represents all of us who from birth are lame or halted by a sin nature.
We too, from our mother’s wombs, enter this life disabled by sin natures, which (in the eyes of God) have disabled us and our relationship to Him.
And like this man, we too need to be delivered, saved, healed, and made whole.
All the miracles of the New Testament related to physical healing of these people (in a day and age that predates modern medical care) are pictures for us illustrating our need for the same spiritually.
Being laid at this gate in the temple would have made the man a very recognizable figure of all who made trips to the temple. Remember, among the ancients there were no day care hospitals for the disabled, no wheelchairs – they were taken to public places to beg (like outside the homes of the wealthy) and in Jerusalem what better place to take them than the house of God.
There would be a lot of traffic there.
The reason people were there was to do reach out to God Himself, and since God loves mercy and charity toward those in pain this was a perfect location.
The historian Martial (i .112,) reports that this custom also prevailed among the Romans who also placed the poor by the gates of their temples too.
Again, and in my estimation only (so take it for what it’s worth) mercy and love extended at church is nice and good, but since the church is made of a body of believers, and our true canvas area to help the poor and suffering is the waiting and watching world, when we are moved to help people “during or amidst” religious services MORE than in everyday life seems to be sort of counter to what God desires of His Children.
Growing up around pragmatic and self-made men I could hear many of them saying something like:
“Yeah, I was at the old church for an Easter service and saw a guy without a leg – lost it in Nam. He served us well (sniff) so I slipped him a fiver. You know, help the man out.” (Sniff. Sniff)
Anyway, enough of my outstanding acting and back to Peter and John to wrap it up.
When it says that the lame man was laid at the “gate of the temple which is called Beautiful,” there are two main opinions as to which gate this was –
The first say that this was the gate commonly called Nicanor, which led from the court of the Gentiles to the court of the women in the temple.
The other says that it was the gate at the eastern entrance of the temple, commonly called Suzan.
It is not easy to know however the fact that it occurred near Solomon’s porch, (something we will discover at verse 11)
it seems that in all probability that the gate was really named, Suzan.
Josephus says that is was large, constructed of Corinthian brass (an expensive metal, and had a magnificent appearance. (Josephus, Jewish War, b. v., chap. v., & 3.)
Anyway, the lame man (verse 3)
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
The Greek word for alms is long and hard for my blubbering mouth to pronounce –
EL–EE–AYE-MOSS–OON-AYE
It comes from the root word, EL AYE OS
which means “compassion, mercy, active tenderness.”
EL–EE–AYE-MOS-SOON-AYE is always translated alms (14 times in the NT) and it is the act of giving compassion or mercy – in every new Testament case – toward (or to) the poor.
Now, admittedly, it is directly tied to money, which is why next week we will read that Peter’s response to this lame man is, “silver and gold I have none,” but I find that the definition of the Greek has to do with actively extending compassion and gentleness and mercy toward the poor and is in no way includes money.
I say this because not all of us have money or means to give to those who ask – however all of us have, by virtue of the Holy Spirit,
EL–EE–AYE-MOS-SOON-AYE
Compassion, mercy, and gentleness toward the poor.
It’s the Spirit and heart of the exchange, not the exchange itself.
I would like to end today however with a few related observations to what we have read thus far and our modern world.
Compassion and mercy and kindness toward those who suffer and struggle is a mandate of Christianity.
Hard as this is to hear (and teach) a compassion for alms in the body is aimed first at those who believe – those who are of the household of God.
I know this sounds sort of self-serving and highly conditional but there are some apparent justifications for it.
First of all, as believers, we have tacitly agreed to die to this world and to live by the Spirit. This almost equates with trouble in this world – and so we assist each other in our united walk to not embrace the ways and means of a worldly focus.
Secondly, God uses the misery of this world to bring those who are yet His to their knees.
If we make the focus of our efforts to keep the suffering comfortable who are NOT believers we may actually find our acts more uncompassionate and unmerciful than merciful and compassionate.
Third, our main priority, as believers, to the world is NOT material salvation but is spiritual.
Because many in the body are waning in the Spirit (due to a lack of the Word) they have, in what is a rather fleshly approach focused on feeding the world bread that perishes rather than the bread of life.
We note what Peter’s response to this lame man will be:
“Gold and Silver I have none but such as I have I give to thee.”
We might put it this way:
In the Body, toward those who know Jesus, what is of most value that we can give them?
Our active compassion – our time, our mercy, our prayers, our gold if we have it.
But to those who have yet to be saved, what is the thing of most value we can compassionately and mercifully provide them?
Salvation. Healing – making them whole in the Spirit through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In this day and age the church has lost its place in caring for the poor as the Governments have taken over.
This happened when we agreed to limit what we will teach over the pulpit and to receive in exchange for this mussel tax exempt status.
The churches ought to, and could be the source of public welfare (like the used to be) but those days are over and in my estimation are only part of playing church today.
In the end this is a very individual decision and every Christian must determine for themselves how they will approach this topic, but from what I can tell, we will always have the poor with us, but the Son of Man seems to be available to people in this life on what appears to be a limited number of opportunities.
And it’s to these opportunities that we focus on while here while maintaining a compassionate heart for all.
Questions and Comments
