Chapter
9: When the Church Was Born
A
fter his resurrection, Jesus continued to teach his disciples and prepare them to carry on the work of sharing the news of the kingdom of God. Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus told them that they would become his witnesses beginning in Jerusalem and then to the farthest ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The prospect of taking his news into the whole world, far beyond Jerusalem and far beyond the realm of those who believed in the God of the Jews, was a daunting task. How could they do it?1. a. Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, what did he tell the disciples to do? (See Luke 24:44-53.)
"Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
"Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
"And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God."
b. What did they immediately do, and what was their attitude?
c. To what extent do you think they knew what they were waiting for and understood what "receiving power from on high" would entail?
2. What were the signs that God's power had come upon the disciples? (See Acts 2:l-4.)
sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues...."When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one
3. Why were the Jews who had come from many lands bewildered by these events? (See Acts 2:5-12)
And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another,
“Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”
So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
4. a. Immediately after Jesus' crucifixion, what was the mood of the disciples?
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
"When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb." (Lk 24:9-12)
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
"Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. (Mk 16:8-14)Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (Jn 20:19)
b. What were they doing, and what had happened to their faith?
5. How did the disciples' outlook change after they began to realize that Jesus truly was alive?
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted." (Mt 28:16-17)Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence." (Luke 24:36-43)
6. Despite the fact that he was leaving them, what impact did Jesus' ascension have on the disciples? (See Luke 24:50-53.)
What do you think accounted for their change in attitude ?
7. How does Romans 5:2-5 help you to understand what was taking place in the hearts and lives of the disciples when they went back to Jerusalem to wait for God's power to come to them?
"...since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:1-5)
8. At one time or another, we all face seemingly impossible difficulties as we pursue our walk with God. We may feel that God has abandoned us. We may be confused as to what to do or which way to turn. As the disciples walked through the weeks before and after Jesus' crucifixion, they faced similar challenges. But through those difficult experiences, they found their Savior to be true and faithful. Based on him, they went out and changed their world.
In what ways has the disciples' journey of faith encouraged you to count on God's faithfulness when you face what seem to be impossible difficulties, when you don't know which way to turn, or when you feel abandoned by God?
God Manifests His Presence for His People
9.Consider the similarities between the manifestations of God's presence on Mount Sinai and those during Pentecost. Is it simply a coincidence?
a. Mount Sinai: ...on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.
Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. (Exodus 19:16-20)Pentecost:
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:1-4)
b. Mount Sinai: When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf.... Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” (Ex 32:1-4)"When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire..." (Ex 32:19-20)
Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died." (Ex 32:27-28)
Pentecost: With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Ac 2:40-41)
10. In what ways has your understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit deepened as a result of this study?
11. If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. What are the ways in which the Holy Spirit reveals himself to you?
12. How does the Holy Spirit help you to pray?
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Ro 8:26-27)
13. If you are a Christian, what does it mean for you to be the visible sign of God's presence to other people?
Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.
In Your name they rejoice all day long,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted. (Ps 89:15-16).