Chapter 1

(Verses 1 through 5) "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen: to whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but, Wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

Who Theophilus was is not known. There have been many conjectures about his identity, ranging from the assumption that, since the name "Theophilus" itself can be translated either "lover of God," or "beloved of God," it is simply an address to all that love God, all the way to the ridiculous idea that Theophilus was probably a man of some wealth who underwrote the publication of Luke's writings. Whoever came up with this last idea had evidently forgotten that in Luke's day there was no publication as we know it today. Probably Theophilus was an acquaintance of Luke who was desirous of learning all he could about both the gospel of our Lord and the activities of His apostles; for it is to him also that Luke addressed the gospel record which bears his name.

Luke tells us that our Lord spent about forty days with His apostles after He had been crucified, and had arisen from the dead. During this time He gave them some commandments which Luke does not detail, and taught them the things "pertaining to the kingdom of God ." Having thus instructed them, He gave them a final commandment, to stay in Jerusalem until the fulfilling of the promise of the Father, of which He had already told them. Then He explained that this promise is that they should be baptized with the Holy Ghost, and that this was shortly to be fulfilled, "not many days hence."

(Verses 6 through 8) "When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel ? And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judaea, and Samaria , and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Strangely, many who profess to believe God's word today will tell us that, God is never going to restore the kingdom to Israel . According to them, He has forever discarded Israel , and replaced it with the gospel church, "spiritual Israel ." If this is true, here would have been the ideal time and place to forever do away with the idea of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel . Our Lord had spent forty days in special teaching of the apostles concerning the things, which pertain to the kingdom. After all this His apostles asked Him, "Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ?" Why did He not say, "Let's put that old idea to rest for good: the kingdom is not to be restored to Israel, but from now on, all promises are taken from national Israel and given to spiritual Israel, the gospel church"? The reason He did not say this is that it is not true. He simply said to His apostles that, it was not given to them, and certainly it is not given to us, to know the timing of these things. They are exclusively in the hands of the Father. So, there is nothing therein to concern us: for they will take place at the time appointed of the Father. Then He told them that when they should be baptized with the Holy Ghost, they would receive power. He says nothing about the extent nor the limitation of this power; but after receiving it they would be His witnesses, not only in Jerusalem and the area thereabout, but throughout the whole world.

(Verses 9 through 11) "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee , why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, Which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."

Having finished His present instructions to His disciples, our Lord was "taken up," that is, He literally rose up from the earth, and ascended up toward the heavens, and was by a cloud hidden from their sight. Nothing is said about how slowly, or how swiftly He ascended, but when the cloud obscured the sight of Him, the disciples continued gazing at the point where they had last seen Him. While they were thus engaged, two men dressed in white garments. ("Leukais," the Greek word here translated "white," literally means "light, bright, brilliant, especially bright or brilliant from whiteness," and is usually spoken of the garments of angels, and the saints who have been exalted to the heavenly state). How long they stood observing the disciples as they gazed into heaven is not recorded, and neither is it important. The focus is to be on their message: "Ye men of Galilee , why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, Which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." This is a very simple message, but one that has been of tremendous comfort not only to the disciples who stood on Mt. Olivet that day, but also to every one, who, either literally or figuratively, has ever looked up toward heaven, longing for a glimpse of his Lord. In essence it says, "There is no need to look into the heavens for another sight of Him, but don't lose hope: for the day is coming when He will return, and when He does, He will be the same tender loving Saviour Who has been teaching you the things, that pertain to the kingdom of God." Not only so, but He will come with that same marvelous and glorious power by which He ascended into heaven.

In verses 12 through 14, Luke simply tells us that the disciples left from Mt. Olivet (the Mount of Olives), and returned to Jerusalem , which was "a Sabbath day's journey."

According to Jewish law and custom, no one could make a long journey on the Sabbath day. He was permitted to go no more than about a mile from his place of residence on the Sabbath. Consequently this short distance was often referred to as "a Sabbath day's journey," whether it was traversed on the Sabbath, or on some other day. He then tells us that their place of residence for the present time was in a house, which had a large upper room. This sounds much like the same house where our Lord had His Last Supper with His apostles, but there is no positive proof of this. Here lived all eleven of the apostles, Judas Iscariot having hanged himself after betraying the Lord. There were here also some of the women who followed Jesus, among whom was His mother Mary. Here too were His brothers. All these were constantly in prayer. There no doubt was much sorrow in their hearts. The disciples at this time numbered about one hundred twenty.

Several times before Peter had shown a forwardness beyond that of the other disciples, and on this occasion he rose up and addressed them.

(Verses 16 through 22) "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem ; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama , that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishopric let another take. Wherefore of these men who have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the same day that He was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection."

In this speech, Peter gives a more graphic description of the death of Judas Iscariot than does Matthew in his gospel record. There he says only, (Matthew 27:5) "And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went out and hanged himself." In putting the two accounts together, it seems probable that when Judas hanged himself, something failed about the mechanism he used, and he fell flat upon the earth, and perhaps striking some sharp object, such as a stone, he did indeed burst asunder. To fall headlong does not necessarily mean to fall "headfirst." He may have hanged himself in the very field the priests bought with the money they had paid him to betray the Lord. Thus "he purchased a field with the reward of iniquity."

It has long been a point of controversy, as to whether Peter was moved by the Holy Ghost at this point, or by his own impetuosity, to do something about this situation. Those with the latter view argue that, first, the Holy Ghost was not yet given with power as He was to be on the day of Pentecost; second, our Lord had told His disciples, (Luke 24:49,) "And, behold, I send the promise of the Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high;" and third, there is so little ever said about Matthias after he was chosen.

(Verses 23 through 26) "And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou Lord, Which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two men Thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles."

Luke gives the sequence of events so precisely, and concludes it in such a manner that one might be tempted to think that he himself was not sure of Matthias' apostleship. The order of events is very much the same that we are prone to follow in church matters today, but such that, when we actually ex- amine it, seems strange. First they made their own selection of two candidates, with no mention of asking the Lord to guide them in this matter. Then, having already made this selection, they, in effect, said, "Lord, now You select which, of the two we have already picked, that You prefer." Then they voted, ("gave forth their lots,") and Matthias was elected ("the lot fell on Matthias"). Then Luke's conclusion of the matter is, "and he was numbered with the eleven apostles." It hardly seems necessary, since, in his record of the gospel, he clearly shows that with the fall of Judas, and in verse 13 of this chapter he names only eleven, to say, "he was numbered with the eleven apostles," unless there is some difference between him and the eleven. If indeed he was elevated to full apostleship, it seems sufficient to say, "he was numbered with the apostles." Be that as it may, he is never mentioned again in scripture.

(Verses 1 through 4) "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Pentecost, or as the Jews also called it, "The Feast Of Weeks," was celebrated fifty days after the second day of Passover. When this day arrived, the disciples were "all with one accord in one place." They were not called together by someone, nor by previous appointment, but were gathered in one place, each according to his own desire, as if all were activated by one mind. There is nothing said about the location of this place; whether the upper room mentioned in Chapter I, or some other place is not clear; but the description of the events of the day make it seem to have been a somewhat more public location. They were in a building of some sort, for, as we are told in verse 2, "Suddenly there was a sound as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." Notice that Luke does not say, "There came a rushing mighty wind." There is no indication that there was even a breeze that would riffle one's hair. Yet there was a sound such as might be made by the wind of a great storm, and it filled the entire building in which they sat. "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them" may seem confusing because in the first clause "tongues" is plural, while in the second, "it" is singular. The confusion is eliminated when we consider the event more closely. "Cloven tongues like as of fire" signifies a single unit. Just as a fire, large or small will be "cloven," that is, split, into multiple tongues of flame, so this apparition had more than one tongue, but was still one unit. Nothing is said about its size, obviously, it was large enough to be seen by all; and in the process of the work it moved from one to another so that "it sat upon each of them." As it did move from one person to another, all were filled with the Holy Ghost, and spoke with other tongues, or languages, as the Spirit moved them, "gave them utterance." They by the Holy Ghost spoke with languages different from the Galilaean dialect that was their natural language.

In verses 4 through 13, Luke gives an account of the effect this had upon those who heard them. First he says that, as we might expect at this season, which includes Passover, just recently celebrated, and Pentecost, now in progress, there were devout Jews gathered from all nations of the world, and dwelling at Jerusalem for the celebration of these two feasts. Since the disciples were probably gathered in at least a semi-public place when this event occurred, the report of it was soon spread throughout the city, and for the sake of curiosity everyone gathered around. As they listened, they were completely astonished because, though they all could, probably, understand Hebrew, and maybe the Galilaean dialect, this is not what they heard. Luke names sixteen different regions from which these Jews came, and there may have been more. Yet each  heard, not in the Hebrew, nor in the dialect of Galilee , but in the language of the area where he had been born, the wonderful works of God. There have been arguments about whether the Holy Ghost immediately translated what each said into all the other languages, or whether one was enabled to speak in one language, and someone else in another. This seems to be both a foolish and a useless argument. Since the whole matter was alone by the power of God, neither method presents any difficulty, and since it is not fully detailed in scripture, we are well advised to leave it alone. The effect this had upon the crowd ranged all the way from some of them being so amazed that they began to try to find out more about it, saying, "What meaneth this?" to, as unbelievers usually do, some starting a false accusation against the disciples, saying that "These men are full of new wine." They knew, as do we, that, this, had it been true, could never have produced the effect they saw and heard manifested. At this point, the Apostle Peter arose in defense of the disciples. He first refutes the idea that the disciples might be drunk, saying, "For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day." No person with any self respect would be drunk by nine o'clock in the morning, and surely this whole group would not be such alcoholics that they would do so. He then declares that this is the outpouring of the Spirit, which God promised by the pen of Joel the prophet. In support of this, he quotes the prophecy of Joel; not just the prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit, but also the coming of "the day of the Lord," and the events that will precede it, ending with the Lord's promise, "and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Upon this foundation he sets forth to tell them of the Lord upon Whom they must call for salvation.

He calls their attention to the fact that the Lord is not some myth, nor some figment of the mind; but a very real Person, Whom they have already seen, and of Whom they have already heard, "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves know." His works were done in and around Jerusalem , as well as in the area of Galilee, Cappadocia , etc. The people were well aware of what He had done. Next he hits them in the face with a declaration that can have one or the other of only two effects. If God grants them repentance, it can cause them great sorrow; and if not, it can only anger them exceedingly: "Him, being delivered by the determinate council and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." This declaration sets forth two very important points. The first is that, every thing concerning the crucifixion of our Lord took place exactly as had been established by the counsel of God from the beginning. No variation was possible, and no surprises took place. Second, although Jesus said, (John 10:17 -18,) "... I lay down My life, that I may take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself._ _ _," the guilt of what was done to Him, both the persecutions and the crucifixion, is just as great upon the perpetrators as if they had had the power to take His life. In Mark 14:21, Jesus clearly establishes this principle, as He says, "The Son of man indeed goeth as is written of Him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! Good were it for that man if he had never been born." Though it was all according to the Father's plan, Peter says to them, "ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." This is the sad part of his discourse, but now he turns to that part of the gospel, which is the foundation of the joy of every Christian.

"Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it." There are two outstanding reasons why it was not possible that death should hold our Lord. The first is the obvious, He is the Son of the eternal living God, and "in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily." The second is, God had already promised that it could not be, and His word can not be broken, or set aside. This is the reason upon which Peter focuses as he continues his discourse. He quotes David, in Psalms 16:8-11, and then declares to the people that David could not have been speaking of himself, because what he said was in no wise fulfilled by him, and the physical proof that it was not was immediately available, if they cared to examine it. Therefore David had to be speaking of One, of his lineage, Who should come later. His prophecy then was not of himself, but, as a prophet, he foresaw, and testified of the resurrection of Jesus. Not only so, but because the disciples are witnesses of the fact that the Father did raise Him from the dead, and exalt Him by His power, He, having now "received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost," has shed forth this that has so astonished the people. To further clinch the matter, David himself said, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thy foes Thy footstool," clearly indicating that he is speaking of Someone besides himself. Since the facts, together with the prophecies, establish that it is Jesus of Nazareth of Whom he spoke, Peter sums it up thus: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, Whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." The question might arise, "Wasn't He Lord and Christ even from the beginning? If so, how can it be said that `God hath made Him' such, as a result of this?" Surely, He was not only Lord and Christ, but there are many other titles, which were His from eternity before time began. The expression "hath made" does not signify that He is now Something, Which He never was before, but that His tenure of that office is now declared and manifested officially. Also one might consider that the body, the flesh of Jesus was born of an earthly mother, and, in that manner, came into being in this world. It was also in that body that He lived in this world, and suffered, and died. It is also in that same body that He arose from the grave, ascended up on high, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. Thus, in that body, He is now made both Lord and Christ.

Upon hearing this, and being convicted of the truth of it, ("pricked in the heart,") they asked Peter and the other apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" This is indeed the first question that comes to mind when anyone is brought to the realization that he is guilty of the death of our Lord, as in truth we all are by nature, but are never conscious of it until God opens our eyes, minds, and hearts, to see where we stand. That is, until He by the Holy Ghost "pricks us in the heart."

In answer to their query, Peter said, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

The failure of the translators concerning one word in this quotation has given rise to many unnecessary and hurtful arguments. Instead of translating the word "Christos," or as the case form of it in this place is, "Christou," they simply transliterated it, making it "Christ." The word literally means "Anointed," and always in reference to our Lord is a title, not a name. Had they translated it, the first part of the apostle's statement would have read; "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Anointed for the remission of sins." And everyone would have known that Jesus was anointed for the remission of sins, not that we should be baptized for the remission of sins, as some have tried to read into this. This same apostle says, of baptism, that it is "not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God." That Jesus is anointed for this very thing is shown throughout the New Testament, probably, nowhere else, and by no one else, any more than by this same apostle in Acts 4:10-12, which we hope to address at the proper time. Then he tells those who have asked, "What shall we do?" that those who do what he has told them "shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." This may, or may not, as God may see fit, include the ability to speak with other tongues, as has occurred with the disciples on this occasion; but the Holy Ghost Himself will be given them, with all the comfort, guidance, and peace, that our Lord promised His disciples in that farewell speech recorded by the Apostle John in chapters fourteen through sixteen of his gospel record. This promise is not just to those present on the day of Pentecost, but to all succeeding generations, and in all places of the world, "even as many as the Lord our God shall call." This is the only restriction ever placed upon the promise of God. It is not sent by the will of man, nor is it just made universal. Instead it is to those who are called of God, and it will reach every one of them, in every age, and in every place on earth. Peter said much more to them, but it is not all recorded. Nevertheless it all, apparently, was directed to one purpose, to warn them to "save yourselves from this untoward generation." The word translated, "untoward," literally means "crooked or curved," and metaphorically it means" "perverse or wicked." So his admonition to them is to turn away from this wicked generation, and seek to do that which is pleasing to God.

As a result of this event, the working of God upon their hearts, and the preaching of the Apostle Peter, many of them received the word gladly, and such were baptized. At this time there were added to the church about three thousand persons, and these continued steadfastly in three important things, "the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." "Breaking of bread" is their manner of referring to taking of The Lord's Supper, which they were faithful to observe. This whole episode was such a wonderful display of the power of God that fear came upon all the people; and for some time after this, many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

During the time following this great event the church practiced true communism, not that which has been called communism, and by which some nations have for many years been governed, but that practice of each using whatever he had for the benefit of all. Those who owned property of any sort sold it, and the proceeds therefrom were held in common, and distributed, as needed, to every one of the members. It is not clear just why they did this; whether it is something the Lord taught them during the forty days He spent with them after His resurrection, or whether it sprang from their love of the Lord and their feeling that He would soon return so that they would have no further need of worldly possessions. Whatever its origin, this practice prevailed for some time in the church at Jerusalem , though there is no scriptural proof that it spread to other churches. At this time they continued the practice of going daily to the temple, and of celebrating The Lord's Supper from house to house, and Luke says, that they "did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people." That is, no persecutions arose at this time. At the same time the Lord continued calling forth whom He would, and adding them to the church, daily. Thus its numbers increased rapidly for a while.

The first eleven verses of this chapter give the account of the healing of a man who had never before in his life been able to walk. In keeping with their practice of going daily to the temple, Peter and John went there at about three o'clock in the afternoon (assuming that Luke is using the Roman clock). Luke gives a very well detailed account of their encounter with the lame man, the healing of the man, and the immediate result of it.

(Verses 8 and 9) "And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God."

We have all seen little children when they have just learned to walk. They seem to think walking to be the greatest thing ever. What joy must this man, more than forty years old, and having never walked, have felt when suddenly he was able, not only to walk, but even to leap! Since all the people knew him, and what his condition had been all his life, it was a matter of the greatest astonishment to them to see him walking and leaping as he was doing. Naturally, when they saw him holding to, or staying in close company with, Peter and John, they felt that they must be in some way responsible for what had happened. Consequently, they gathered around them, looking with amazement upon them. Peter seeing their amazement, began to address them.

(Verses 12 through 15) "And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel , why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus; Whom ye delivered up, and denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of Life, Whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses."

In this part of his address, Peter establishes the groundwork for the remainder of his discourse, and for every gospel sermon from that day forward. His first step is to declare that it is not "by our own power or holiness" that this man was made whole, or that any other worthwhile work is accomplished. He then declares that it is "the God of our fathers," not some newly made, or discovered, deity, who has done this; and He has done it not to glorify us, but "His Son Jesus." They had no cause to wonder Who this "Son Jesus" was, but to better impress Him upon their minds, he further says, "Whom ye delivered up, and denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go." Not only were they responsible for arresting Him, and taking Him to Pilate, (they "delivered Him up,") but after so doing, when Pilate, having examined Him, was ready to release Him for lack of any evidence of wrongdoing, they would have none of that. They even threatened to report Pilate to Caesar with the accusation that Pilate was not Caesar's friend, if he did release Jesus. He continues thus: "But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of Life_ _ _." Thus he brings forcefully to their minds just what sort of sinners they are; and it always should be kept in mind that we are, by nature, no better than they were. Sometimes we hear someone say, "If I had been there when this, or that was done, I would have done differently from what they did." Let this one thought burn deeply into your mind, and don't ever forget it, Had you and I been there, unless God by His grace had opened our hearts to His truth, we would have done exactly what they did, if not worse. After all is said and done, had not we all been sinners, there would have been no cause for the death of Jesus. What the apostle said to them is also a description of us. Nevertheless He Who was denied before Pilate, and crucified on Calvary , is also He, "Whom God hath raised from the dead." And to this fact Peter and the other apostles were witnesses, not only because they did indeed see these events, but more specifically because they were so commissioned of our Lord Jesus the Christ. (See Acts 1:8.) Although Peter told these men that, they had "killed the Prince of Life," his meaning is that they were guilty, because that was their intent. It does not nullify our Lord's declaration in John 10:17-18.

(Verses 16 through 18) "And His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith, which is by Him, hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled."

God has so established that the very name of Jesus His Son, through faith in His name, worked such marvelous miracles as the healing of this man. "The faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness." Without controversy, faith is by Jesus the Christ. No man can, of himself, have faith. It is given through the operation of the Holy Ghost according to the will of our Lord. This faith, which is by our Lord, and no one else, is the medium through which God has thus glorified His Son in the healing of this man, who now stood in perfect soundness before them. This they could not deny. Peter makes it manifest that it is neither his function nor intent to condemn these people for what they have done, but rather, he tells them that he is aware that it was through their ignorance, and that of their rulers, that they demanded the death of the Lord. Further, he points out that, ultimately, it is God, Who has by this accomplished the very things He long before declared by His prophets would come to pass. So, even in the wrath of evil men, God has fulfilled His purpose. The psalmist said, (Psalms 76:10,) "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain."

(Verses 19 through 21) "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, Which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began."

Since this great miracle has been witnessed by all of them, and can be denied by none, they should be ashamed of their sins, mourn because of them, and turn away from them. That is what true repentance is. Not only are they to be turned from their sins, and forsake them, they should also be converted, turned to the truth, which is here manifested before them. Those who do this will have their sins blotted out, and "when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Christ Jesus, (this is the word order in the Greek, not "Jesus Christ.") Which before was preached unto you," they will not be ashamed, for nothing will be chargeable against them. Someone will surely say, "You have in that statement declared that their salvation, or lack of it, is dependent upon their works." Not so. There are many places in scripture, where both our Lord and His apostles explain how it is that we are brought to salvation. And it is ridiculous that every time any mention is made of the things which identify those who are saved, whose sins are blotted out, some would be critic has to demand that we go into the background, and explain all the purposes, decrees, and workings of God in bringing this about. In this particular place, the apostle is concerned with showing that this wonderful blessing is sure to all who are converted, and not with just how it comes about, just as, in John 8:24, our Lord is concerned with declaring that those who do not believe in Him, shall die in their sins, not with why they do not believe. That He tells us elsewhere. These "times of refreshing" shall come from the Lord when He sends Christ Jesus back to gather His elect "from the four winds of the earth." (In the event one may wonder why we made mention of the order of words a little earlier, whether "Jesus Christ," or "Christ Jesus," the answer is this: If we were speaking of the man who was king of England during our revolutionary war, which would we say? "George King III,” or “King George III?"  Of course, we would say, "King George III." Why? Because George III was his name, and King was his title. So it is in speaking of Jesus. It is correct to say, "Jesus the Christ," but it is not correct to omit the definite article.) Since He has finished His work of redemption by laying down His life for us, there is no place for Him here, until "the times of the restitution of all things," and for that reason heaven must receive Him until then. Nevertheless when the times of restitution of all things shall come, He will be the One, Who brings them about; and this God has "spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." There can therefore be no doubt that it will be fulfilled. As proof of the fact that it has been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, the apostle reminds us of some things spoken by Moses, and follows that with, "Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these things."

Notice should be given to that which Moses had "said unto the fathers." That message was, "A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." Since Moses, because God used him to deliver Israel out of Egypt, and through him gave the law to Israel, was revered by the Jews as the greatest prophet ever given to them, by his expression, "a Prophet...like unto me," signifies that this Prophet, Whom Peter has already declared to be the Lord Jesus, is to be received with fully as great veneration as Moses himself. In fact he fully establishes this fact by saying, "And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear (pay heed to) that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." Since Moses first declared this, and all the prophets from Samuel and after, have testified this same great truth, there can be no change or failure concerning it. So Peter continues his address to the people.

(Verses 25 and 26) "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."

Thus the apostle declares to these people that, they are the descendants of Abraham and the other fathers to whom God had given the prophecies and the promises, and with whom He made these covenants. Therefore it is to them first that He has sent His Son Jesus, to bless them, and to turn them away from their iniquities. Certainly, his phrase, "every one of you," is to be understood exactly as that he used in Chapter II, verse 39, where he said, "All them that are afar off." It is there limited by "even as many as the Lord our God shall call," and here the same limitation does apply.

(Verses 1 through 4) "And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold until the next day: for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand."

There were several different sects of the Jews, among which the two principal ones were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. At this particular time it appears that the Sadducees had the upper hand in the oversight of the temple. The Pharisees were no doubt displeased with the disciples for preaching the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Because such teaching was a direct accusation against them, and all the religious leaders of the Jews, that they had brought about the crucifixion of the very Messiah for Whom they professed to be waiting; but the Sadducees had a double reason for "being grieved" that this was being preached. They were just as guilty as the Pharisees concerning His crucifixion, and in addition to that, they adamantly denied the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. With this anger spurring them on, they got the commander of the temple guard, and the priests, and all came together to the place where the crowd was listening to the discourse of the Apostle Peter. They arrested Peter and John, and, apparently, also the man who had been healed, and, because it was late in the day, they put them in jail overnight. The Holy Ghost was working mightily in those who heard the apostle's message; for, in spite of the arrest of the apostles, many of the congregation believed the word; and Luke tells us, "the number of the men was about five thousand." Whether this means that five thousand of them believed, or that the crowd numbered about five thousand, is not clear.

The next day Annas the high priest, and as many of his kindred as were available, gathered together with their rulers, elders, and scribes, in what we would consider a session of court, had Peter, John, and the man who had been lame, brought in, and began to question them concerning the healing of the lame man. They asked, "By what power, or by what name have ye done this?" The question is itself evidence that they already very well knew by what name this had been done. Had they not already heard all about it, they never would have called this session of the priests and elders.

(Verses 8 through 12) "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus the Christ of Nazareth, Whom ye crucified, Whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the Stone Which was set at naught by you builders, Which is become the Head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."

Many times in scripture Peter is recorded as declaring that Jesus is the Christ, but, perhaps, never any more solidly than here. At this time he was facing what, so far as he of himself could know, might be the beginning of a trial which could become the cause of his death, but he did not flinch, nor back down from the truth. He first testified to their faces that these, his would be judges, were the very ones who had demanded the crucifixion of our Lord. And declared to them that, in spite of their efforts, God had raised Him from the dead; the very thing which, above all, they did not want to hear. And that, by Him, the arisen Christ, this man who now stood before them was made whole. Then he put them on notice that, this risen Lord is the Stone which they who considered themselves the builders of the house of God, had "utterly despised." (The literal meaning of the word translated "set at naught,") But He is now "the Head of the corner," the most important Stone of all: for there is no other in which there can be any hope of salvation. "There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." The door is forever closed to any and all who do not come by Him. As He said, (John 14:6,) "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by Me."

The council were all somewhat amazed when they considered the boldness of these two men, whom they knew to be "unlearned and ignorant men," and who yet would so boldly face them down. So they "took knowledge of them," checked into their past activities, and found that "they had been with Jesus." As the man who had been healed stood before them, and they were well acquainted with his former condition, they could find nothing to say against it. Then, as is common with those who try to overthrow the righteous, they were still not satisfied. Therefore they sent Peter, John, and the man who was healed, out of the council chamber while they plotted against them.  Since the entire matter was so well known, and even they had to admit that, it was a great miracle, there was nothing they could do publicly about it. Therefore they decided to threaten the apostles with severe punishment unless they quit speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. However the answer they received from the apostles was even less to their liking.

(Verses 19 and 20) "But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye."

Their answer is clear enough that no one has any need of explanation concerning it. Even the members of the council understood it, but there was nothing they could do about it at the time. Because they were afraid of the people: for all the people glorified God for this miracle, and had the council attempted to punish Peter and John at that time, it might have caused an uprising, and the Romans would have held them responsible for it. So they threatened them more and released them. When Peter and John were released, they went back to their own brethren, and told them the whole story, not only what was done, but also the threats of the council.

(Verses 24 through 30) "And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, Thou art God, Which hath made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, Whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel , were gathered together, for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto Thy servants that with all boldness they may speak Thy word, by stretching forth Thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of Thy holy child Jesus."

Before making any comment concerning the message in this quotation, it is necessary to clarify the meaning of one Greek word that is twice used in this excerpt. That word is "pais." It occurs in two different case forms, and is in both places translated "child," which is indeed one of its meanings. However it also means "servant, slave, attendant," or "minister, especially the minister of a king." If this word is to be in this place rendered "child," it should only be as a synonym for "offspring," or "descendant," not to designate Jesus as a "child," which He certainly was not when Herod and Pontius Pilate joined forces against Him; nor is He such now, as miracles are done by His name. Too much emphasis is today, and has been for a long time placed on "the child Jesus." True enough, He was born a child into this world. And as such He grew up in Nazareth ; but He was no child, when He died for your sins and mine, and He was no child, when He arose from the dead, nor is He a child, as He sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high. With this preamble, let us consider the text.

Upon hearing the report of Peter and John, the other disciples were so moved by the Holy Ghost that all, as if with one mind and one voice, broke forth in prayer to God, acknowledging Him as the Creator of heaven, earth, the sea, and all things therein. And also that He had, even back in David's day, declared the very things that were taking place with them, and had been taking place from, and including the trial and crucifixion of our Lord. They only quoted part of what God had said "by the mouth of David." The whole prophecy is found in Psalms 2:1-12. One can only wonder why the translators used "heathen" in verse 25, and "Gentiles" in verse 27; for the same Greek word is in both places. The disciples declare that the joining of the forces of Herod and the people of Israel , on the one hand, and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles, on the other, (since Pilate represented the Roman, or Gentile, government of the world,) fulfilled David's prophecy of, "Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?" Although Pilate made a feeble effort to release Jesus, it still remains that he, the representative of the Gentiles, or heathen, gave orders to scourge and crucify One, Whom he had openly declared to be innocent. This must be considered, at least, the beginning of the rage of the heathen, though it increased more and more into the terrible persecutions of the Christians by the pagan emperors of Rome .

For the vain thing imagined by the people (of Israel ), see John 11:48 . "If we let Him alone, all men will believe on Him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." So, they were all united in the effort. The next verse of the present text should be considered in the light of Psalms 76:10. Certainly, no one would ever interpret the statement that these people "were gathered, for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done," to mean that they had made up their minds to find out what the will of God was, and do it. Rather, according to the scriptural record, it was their purpose to do away with our Lord and all that pertained to Him. In their wrath they intended to eradicate Him, his works, and His doctrine from the earth. But, in harmony with David's prophecy, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain," God restrained them from doing any thing more than "whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done." After thus acknowledging the wisdom and power of God, they called upon Him to take notice of the threatenings of the Jews. And, instead of asking that He put a stop to that, or even reduce it, they prayed that He would give them boldness to speak forth His word, and that He would grant miracles to be done in the name of Jesus, His holy Son and Minister.

God immediately answered their prayer by shaking the house in which they were gathered, filling them with the Holy Ghost, and granting them the boldness of speaking His word for which they had asked. He also gave great power to the apostles to bear witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and bestowed a great measure of grace upon all of them. They, endowed with these wonderful blessings, were so knit together in the fellowship of the Spirit that no one claimed title to any possession, but considered whatever he had as belonging to all. Even those who owned real estate sold it, and brought the price of it to the apostles, who then made distribution of it as there was need. Mention is made of one Joses, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which Luke tells us, means "the son of consolation." Likely, this is the same Barnabas who traveled with Paul on his first missionary journey. Though he was a Levite, he claimed no special favors, or exemptions, as under the law service had been his due. He owned some land, but just as did others, he sold it, and brought the money to the apostles.

The first eleven verses of this chapter tell the story of a man and his wife who conspired to deceive the church. They sold some property, and instead of bringing the full price of it to the apostles, or even bringing part of it, and openly saying that they wanted to keep the remainder, the man, Ananias, brought only part of it, and claimed that to be the whole. Later his wife, Sapphira, came in with the same story.

(Verses 3 and 4) "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."

Since the whole practice of selling one's property, and bringing the price thereof to the apostles for distribution was voluntary, there would have been no great wrong with Ananias' keeping part of the money, had he only been honest in saying how much he had received. The sin was not the keeping of the money, but in lying about it, and claiming that what he turned over to the apostles was all there was of it. Peter pointed out very clearly to Ananias that, this lie was of Satan, who had filled the heart of Ananias with falsehood to "lie to the Holy Ghost." Since it was the Holy Ghost Who had led the disciples to this form of operation, Ananias' lie was to the Holy Ghost, and therefore to God, instead of man.

When Ananias heard this, he immediately was stricken by the power of God, fell down, and died. Everyone who heard of this event was affected by great fear. Ananias was quickly taken out, and buried. About three hours later his wife, Sapphira, knowing nothing of this incident, came in where the apostles were.

(Verses 8 through 11) "And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things."

This hardly needs any explanation, since it is almost "a carbon copy" of the incident concerning Ananias. It shows the collusion between Ananias and Sapphira. They were partners in the same lie, which was a lie not to man, but to God. God dealt with the matter according to His will; and the church saw the result. This whole event shows that to, at least, some of the apostles, (in this case, the Apostle Peter, and later, the Apostle Paul,) there were given gifts of discernment of spirits, and of judgment, that are not now given to men.  In fact, we have no record of their being given to any other than apostles.

Verses 12 through 28 need little explanation. They tell us first, of the wonderful power of God given to the apostles, that enabled them by the Holy Ghost to heal the sick, and those vexed by unclean or evil spirits, so that they did not fail in a single case {"and they were healed every one"). This, of course, angered the high priest who was a Sadducee, and all those with him. They sent forth their agents, who arrested the apostles, and put them in the common prison, intending to bring them out the next day, and set them before the council. In the night God sent His angel who opened the prison doors, brought out the apostles, and gave them a command from God: "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life." Accordingly they went to the temple early the next morning, and taught the people. When the high priest had assembled the council, he sent officers to the prison to bring the apostles. But their report in verse 23 tells what they found: "The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within." After they had wondered for a while what this episode might grow into, someone reported to them that the men they thought were in prison were actually standing openly in the temple, and teaching the people. Then the commander of the guard took his officers to the temple, and brought the apostles back to the council; but this was done very quietly, because they were afraid the people might stone them for so doing. The high priest's words are self-explanatory: "Did not we straitly command you that you should not preach in this name? And, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." No one can possibly misunderstand the high priest's meaning.

(Verses 29 through 32) "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him God hath exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel , and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, Whom God hath given to them that obey Him."

In this the apostles answered both the high priest's question, "Did not we ...," and his statement, "and (ye) intend to bring this man's blood upon us." Their answer to the question is, "We ought to obey God rather than men," and to the statement, "Whom ye slew, and hanged on a tree," equivalent to saying, "His blood is already upon you. You are His murderers." In spite of their efforts, "The God of our fathers," not some new deity that we have dreamed up, has raised Him up, and exalted Him a Prince and Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness to Israel. To clinch this statement, they declared that, not only they, but also the Holy Ghost, were His witnesses of these things, and further, God has given the Holy Ghost to all who obey Him. It is impossible to make a stronger, or more positive answer than this.

The high priest and his council were greatly enraged at such an answer, and immediately set about trying to plan some way to kill the apostles. At this point one should remember that, just as in the case of our Lord, this council had no legal authority to impose, or execute a death sentence on anyone. Their only way of obtaining such was to present some charge to the Roman governor, and get him to sentence one to death. This is why they had to plot ("take council") how to do it. Although the council was mostly of Sadducees, there were some Pharisees in it. One of these, Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, of great reputation among them, and even today held in high esteem among the Jews, who, we are later told was the instructor of Saul of Tarsus, had them remove the apostles from the council chamber, while he addressed the council.

(Verses 35 through 39) "And he said unto them, Ye men of Israel , take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered and brought to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found to fight against God."

This speech should need no explanation as to its meaning concerning the case at hand. But the two incidents mentioned by Gamaliel, that of Theudas, and that of Judas of Galilee, are the clearest explanations in scripture of a statement made by our Lord in John 10:7-13.These two men were exactly what Jesus first spoke of as "thieves and robbers," and later as "hirelings." The wolf did indeed catch them, and scatter the "sheep." Gamaliel's advice to the council can be summed up in a single statement: "Don't foolishly place yourselves in opposition to God."

Although verse 40 says, "And to him they agreed," it is apparent that they did as many do today concerning good advice. They agreed to it, but did not follow it: for he advised them, "Refrain from these men, and let them alone." They, however proceeded to beat them before releasing them. They also repeated their earlier command to them, "that they should not speak in the name of Jesus." Then only did they release them.

(Verses 41 and 42) "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (In the Greek, the word order is not "Jesus Christ," but "the Christ Jesus." See earlier notes on this difference.)

The apostles, considering that the command of God is greater than the commands of men, continued daily teaching and preaching that Jesus is the Christ. And instead of doing, as so many of us today are prone to do, pray that God will lighten our burdens, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. After all, this is that to which we are called in this world. Glory, honor, and comfort come later.

Chapter 6

(Verses 1 through 4) "And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and the ministry of the word."

There are several points to be addressed in this quotation. Let us consider them in the order in which they are introduced. Prior to Pentecost it is said (Chapter I, verse 15) that the number of the disciples was about one hundred twenty. On the day of Pentecost, three thousand were added, "and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Then at the occasion of the healing of the lame man at the temple gate, there may have been another five thousand added. This chapter introduces its subject matter thus: "And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied_ _ _." This brings the known number of the disciples to about eight thousand, plus many more whose number we cannot even guess at intelligently. At this point, "there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration." This tells us that many, who, probably, had come to Jerusalem for Passover and Pentecost, being converted to Christianity, had remained with the disciples in Jerusalem . It must be kept in mind that, up to this time, the disciples had remained in Jerusalem , and the gospel had not been preached among the Gentiles. The Greek word "Helleniston," here translated "Grecians," is a term that was applied to Jews born in foreign lands, and speaking Greek instead of Hebrew, not to those of Greek nationality. The word, which means "Greek" is "Hellen." This also establishes the fact that the church was still following the practice first mentioned in Chapter II, verses 44 and 45. In the daily distribution of necessities there would be some confusion, because, after all, the disciples were human beings, and subject to mistakes. The Greek speaking disciples perceived themselves to be discriminated against, and thought their widows were not being properly cared for. Human nature was at work among them even then. So they began to complain. When the complaints reached the apostles, they considered the matter and established a system to take care of it with less confusion.

This system would do two things. It would relieve the apostles of the responsibility of ministering to the material needs of the disciples, that they might apply their full time to prayer and the ministry of the word. And it established the administration of the material things in the hands of those who could give their full attention to that. Their expression, "It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables," can mean either of two things, and is probably best understood to mean both. First, "It is not reasonable that we do so," and, second, "There is no reason that we should." Since the ministry of the word of God which, of course, includes prayer, is that to which the apostles were called, should be their only concern, and to that they declared themselves dedicated. (This should be the determination of every gospel minister today also.) So, their command to the disciples was, "Look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business." Later, when the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy as to the qualifications of a deacon, (Though the word is not here used, this is the office here established.) he mentions a few other points of qualification for them, but those are primarily extensions of the three given here. These deacons are, first of all, to be of honest report. The reason for this is obvious, since the work to which they are appointed is that of making distribution of church funds according to the needs that arise. He must be filled with the Holy Ghost that he may constantly strive to glorify God, and not himself. Then he must be a man filled with wisdom, not necessarily the wisdom of this world, but that of God and godly things, that he may be able to distinguish between needs and desires. And that he may be able to discern what is beneficial to the whole church, and not just for himself, or for a select few. One thing that is conspicuous for its absence is any reference to ability to teach, or to judge the doctrine that is taught. This qualification is required of the ministry only; in spite of a traditional idea, nowhere even hinted at in scripture, but adamantly held to by some deacons, and even some churches, "That it is the duty of the deacons to watch over the pulpit, to make sure that the preacher maintains the true doctrine." Although there is scriptural evidence that two of the first deacons were also blessed to preach the gospel, there is none that any of the other five had any part in that ministry. By this command to the church the apostles established the office of deacon to take care of the ministry to the material needs of the disciples that they, the apostles, might give themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word. It is remarkable that, with the multitude of members in the church at Jerusalem , seven men were sufficient to take care of this matter. While some churches of today, that have far fewer members, and are not practicing the daily distribution of funds, as did that church, find it necessary to have many more deacons than were needed there.

(Verses 5 through 8) "And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch: whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people."

This needs little, if any, explanation. However it does name the men chosen to be the first deacons, describes the manner of appointing to office. They were elected by the church: not called of God. and the manner of their being set in office was by prayer and laying on of hands. (Laying on of hands always signified the transfer of responsibility. In this case, the apostles transferred the responsibility of ministering to the material needs of the disciples from the gospel ministry to the deacons.) Then it informs us that the word of God increased, or spread, not over the whole world, nor even beyond the local region, but among those in and around Jerusalem , so much that even many of the priests were converted to Christianity. Also Stephen, one of those appointed deacon, and said in the list of the names of the deacons to be "full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," was so blessed with the power of God that he "did great wonders and miracles among the people." We are not told how long this lull before the storm of persecution lasted, but it surely was not long.

Verses 9 through 15 tell us of the arrest and the beginning of the "trial" of Stephen. There have been various ideas put forth as to the origin of the Libertines. Since their origin is not pertinent to the present account, we shall ignore it. They did, however, have a synagogue at Jerusalem , and evidently were joined by others from Cyrene , Alexandria , and Cilicia, who were at that time in Jerusalem . They disputed with Stephen, but could not "resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spake." That is, they could not disprove what he said, nor deny the power of the Spirit Which not only moved him to speak, but also enabled him to work great miracles before them. As evil men usually do, when they cannot win fairly at anything, they resorted to corrupt means, bribing false witnesses to testify against Stephen.  First they had these witnesses spread their lies to the people, and then go to the elders and scribes, saying, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God." This, of course, stirred up the public as well as the scribes and elders. So they went forth, arrested Stephen, and brought him before the council. At this point they brought false witnesses; either the same ones they used to stir up the people; or others equally false, who said, "This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us." Certainly, this could do nothing but heighten the anger of the whole council; for, although they had, as Jesus told them, by their "traditions made void the commandments of God," they adamantly maintained that every part of their doctrine and practice was exactly as delivered to them by Moses. This is very much as it is with many today who claim that, "all the doctrines and practices of my church are exactly as we have followed them from the days of the apostles," which every one who has read either the Bible or church history, knows is not so. While all this was going on, the face of Stephen was made so radiant by the glory of God that, "all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel,"

At this point the high priest who served as chairman of the council asked Stephen, "Are these things so?" In making answer to this, Stephen set forth to recount many of the incidents in the history of Israel, that concern the making of the promises to Israel, and bringing them forward to the fulfillment of them in the coming of our Lord Jesus. From this point through verse 50, Stephen primarily relates history, which is found in far more detail in the Old Testament. So we shall not make any extensive comments on this part of his discourse. Nevertheless notice should be taken that, in verse 35 he says, "This Moses, whom they refused, saying, ‘Who made thee a ruler and a judge?’ the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush," and in verse 37, "This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, ‘A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear.’" He then repeats the fact that him "our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back into Egypt ." He tells of their sin concerning the golden calf, their worshipping "the hosts of heaven," (the sun, moon, stars, etc.,) Moloch, Remphan, and other idols, for which God sent them into the Babylonian captivity. They did all these things in spite of God's giving to them the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, made according to the pattern He had shown to Moses, and which was brought with them, under the leadership of Joshua, ("Jesus,") into the possession which God gave them by driving out the heathen before them. The rejection of the Lord Jesus by this generation to which Stephen spoke is another point wherein Jesus was indeed the "Prophet like unto Moses;" for they rejected him. However, Moses, in spite of their rejection, was still the "ruler and deliverer" sent of God; and he fulfilled that for which he was sent. So our Lord Jesus the Christ, in spite of being rejected and crucified, is still the Saviour of His people, and His work is completely successful. Stephen brings them down to the building of the temple by Solomon, and then makes the point to which every thing already said has been directed.

(Verses 51 through 53) "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them that shewed before the coming of the Just One; of Whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it."

One must remember that these are the same Jews, (probably even some of the same individuals,) to whom Jesus said, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." (John 8:44.) Whether actually and individually, or not, figuratively those who resisted Moses, and turned aside to idols, were the fathers of these who called for the crucifixion of our Lord, and were still persecuting His disciples. Such, being the agents of Satan, are always in opposition to ("do always resist") the Holy Ghost. This has been going on ever since the devil, in the person of the serpent, appeared in the Garden of Eden, and will continue until he, the great red dragon of Revelation 12, is totally vanquished by our Lord, and at His command cast into the lake of eternal fire. In this short, but very eloquent address, Stephen declares, without reservation, that these are "stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears," and are walking in the steps of their fathers, who have persecuted all the prophets, and have killed those who prophesied ("shewed before") of the coming of the Just One. Now, in their turn, these have been His betrayers and murderers. This is very similar to, and in perfect harmony with, what Jesus told the Jews on one occasion, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify: and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, ‘All these things shall come upon this generation.’" Stephen closes his address with the declaration that these have received the law, not only by its being delivered to them by Moses, but also by their boast that they, and they alone were the custodians of it: but he finishes with, "and have not kept it." No matter how wonderful a code of law, how fine a set of rules of conduct, or how sound a list of "Articles of faith," one may have, if he does not keep them, they are not only worthless to him, but what is worse, they become detrimental to him, for those who know him, will hold them up before him to his shame. This is their condition. The remaining seven verses give us the conclusion of this event. Since the activities of the council are only what is to be expected of evil men, they need little comment. However Stephen's part of the matter is far more noteworthy.

(Verses 54 through 60) "When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and said with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

What a contrast between the council with its attendants, and Stephen the servant of our Lord Jesus! The first thing to consider is that, the Jews were not an autonomous nation. They could not legally condemn any one to death nor execute such a sentence. The only one with that authority was the Roman governor. Yet, in their rage, they completely forgot about that, and, being no longer reasoning men, but an enraged mob, they threw all caution and reason to the wind, and "cast him out of the city," (most likely, literally dragged him out). When, formerly, the Jews did have legal authority for such action, the place commonly used for such was what we would call the garbage dump; and probably that is exactly where they took Stephen. Just before they so violently seized him, he looked up "steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." We read in various places in scripture of our Lord's being seated at the right hand of the Father, but here Stephen saw Him standing, as if to welcome home His faithful servant, who was about to be murdered for the sake of His testimony. This should be of the utmost comfort to every one of God's little care worn children as he travels here: "Will not He, Who gave to Stephen such wonderful assurance in the hour of his death, comfort me when I come to cross that river?" Surely He will. As they, in their wrath, murdered Stephen, by throwing stones at him until he was beaten to death by them, he was "calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then a most amazing thing took place. This man whom they were in the very act of murdering, kneeled down in that garbage dump, and spoke with a loud voice, saying, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." Whereupon our Lord ended his suffering by letting him fall asleep. This brings to mind a line from an old hymn, which was once well known, but seems to have been forgotten by many today: "Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep, from which none ever wakes to weep."

Chapter 8

(Verses 1 through 4) "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem ; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria , except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word."

To better understand the picture Luke presents here, let us review two scriptures. (Psalms 76:10) "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain." (Mat. 10:23) "But when they shall persecute you in this city, flee ye into another." Although this last quotation is our Lord's instruction to His disciples when He sent them out to proclaim His message before He was crucified, it was never remanded. Therefore this is His ordained way of sending forth the gospel. Until the stoning of Stephen, the disciples had remained at Jerusalem . They were neither moved by the Holy Ghost, nor driven by persecution, to follow His command, "Go into all the world_ _ _," which, of itself shows that this commandment did not intend that they began immediately, and, according to their own timetable, go indiscriminately, into all the world, but that they were no longer under the restriction earlier given them (Mat.10:5-6), but were free to go when and where the Holy Ghost might direct Therefore until this time they had made no move. In the previous chapter we saw that the "witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul." According to their custom, the witnesses had the responsibility of throwing the first stones at the condemned. It is highly probable that the council members themselves considered it beneath their dignity to actually cast stones. So, having aroused the mob to blood lust, they did not go out to the garbage dump; but since it was necessary that they be represented, this was likely Saul's duty at this stoning, as indicated by the witnesses' laying their clothes (their outer garments) at his feet. Thus Saul was consenting to the death of Stephen, not only personally, but also officially, as representative of the council. As mentioned earlier, according to Roman law, this whole proceeding was illegal. But, as mobs usually do, having "tasted blood," and finding that they got away with it, they let loose such a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, which to this time h