Handling Controversy in the Church:  The Jerusalem Council In Acts 15, the controversy between Jew and Gentile Christians reached a head as Paul and Barnabus were challenged by some Jews to require the Gentiles to be circumcised.  There was a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabus and the Jews, so much so that a council [...]

As we continue our survey of the New Testament with respect to the local church, Acts 14 gives us a special focus on ministers of the gospel. Two Threats to Ministers of the Gospel  (14:1-18) 1.  The Threat of Opposition:  At Iconium (14:1-7) We see Paul and Barnabus facing a variety of challenging circumstances in [...]

When we get to Acts 13, we begin to see the missionary activity of the church on the rise.  This, of course is a fulfillment of Acts 1:8, as the gospel begins to go out to the ends of the earth.  As we go through these chapters in Acts, we will continue to look for [...]

Again we come back to our survey of the New Testament with special focus on what it teaches about the local church.  In Acts 12, we again see some key points of emphasis to be considered as we think about what the New Testament directs the church to be today. We are reminded first of [...]

1  Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Our chapter opens with a criticism of Peter for [...]

As we come to Acts 9 we see the great chapter which details the conversion of Paul.  Paul is confronted on the Damascus road by the risen Christ and is blinded for three days.  During that time the Lord calls a man named Ananias to go to pray over Paul.  Paul is healed of his [...]

8:4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. We see at the beginning of this passage the sovereignty of God on display.  The early church had grown and remained in Jerusalem, but in His own time and by the unusual means of persecution, God moved the church out in fulfillment of Acts [...]

In this chapter, I see only one direct application to the local church.  Concerning our preaching we should, like Stephen, seek to show the connections between God’s work in the Old Testament and the gospel.  In many cases these connections shed light on God’s purposes and strengthen our faith in God.  But I do want [...]

As we continue our survey of the New Testament with special application to the local church today, we come to an important chapter in the book of Acts, chapter 6.  Acts 6 shows us an instance of the early church dealing with a dispute.  This is, of course, instructive for the local church, because disputes [...]

Here we have the first tragic event in the life of the early church: the sin of Ananias and Sapphira.  Let’s see what we can glean from this story for application to the local church. Acts 5:1  But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,  2  and with his [...]