The Ministry of the Word
Bible Study Time 5-13-07
Bible Study Time 5-13-07
In Acts, Chapter 6, Peter and the 11 made a decision to set some priorities for their ministry. When there arose a complaint about the distribution of food in the assembly of believers:
Acts 6:2-4 (NKJ)
2 (the) twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
The apostles knew the importance of the preaching of the word. On the day of Pentecost, Peter had quoted Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 to show that the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah was something that had been prophesied in the Old Testament. This gave solid evidence that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah.
From that time forward, Peter’s message to the Jewish people rested upon the foundation of the word of God. This was true whether Peter was speaking to an audience of unsaved people or whether he was speaking to the assembly of believers. When he spoke to the unsaved, people repented and put their faith in Jesus. When he spoke to the assembly of believers, they grew in knowledge and they grew in faith.
In Acts, Chapter 3, we read Peter’s second recorded message. When Peter and John saw a lame man who was begging at the Beautiful Gate, Peter looked intently at the man and said:
Acts 3:6 (NKJ)
6 . . . "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
When the man stood up and started leaping for joy, Peter began to preach the word, saying:
Acts 3:18-19 (NKJ)
18 " . . . those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Clearly, Peter emphasized the prophesies of the Old Testament and challenged the people to repent so that they might experience the times of refreshing which come from the presence of the Lord.
Peter had experienced the physical presence of the Lord during the Lord’s earthly ministry, but by this time he had experienced the spiritual presence of the Lord through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. This was a time of refreshing for Peter, and he wanted to share that experience with all of his Jewish brethren.
Peter told them that if they would repent and be converted, they would not only experience the refreshing presence of the Holy Spirit, but they would experience the literal presence of the returning Christ:
Acts 3:21 (NKJ)
21 "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
So Peter presented the promise of the times of refreshing, and he promised the times of restoration. Isaiah 51 says:
Isaiah 51:3 (NKJ)
3 For the LORD will comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD . . .
This is hard for us to imagine, isn’t it? The earth returning to its original beauty and glory, like that of the Garden of Eden! It’s hard to imagine, but Peter told them that that’s what the prophets said will happen when the Messiah comes to the earth to rule.
But Peter didn’t want to stray too far from the real issue that faced the Jewish people. Namely, was Jesus the Messiah? So Peter went to the words of Moses, saying:
Acts 3:22-24 (NKJ)
22 " . . . Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.
23 'And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'
24 "Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
In order to receive the times of refreshing from the Holy Spirit, in order for Jesus to return and restore the earth, the nation of Israel had to accept Jesus as the Prophet whom God had sent.
The healing of the lame man and the preaching of the word had a tremendous impact on the people who were there that day. But when the Lord works in a mighty way, we can expect to see the devil working as well.
When the Sadducees heard Peter speaking out about the resurrection of Jesus, they had Peter and John arrested and brought before the Jewish Council. But once again, Peter took the opportunity to preach the word. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said:
Acts 4:8-12 (NKJ)
8 . . . "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:
9 "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Peter boldly declared to these men that they had actually fulfilled the word of God by rejecting Christ, and he warned them that they were treading on dangerous ground, because the very person that they had rejected had become the cornerstone of God’s plan and purpose.
But then, in an amazing display of mercy and grace, which came from God, Himself, Peter offered them an opportunity to have their sins forgiven so that they too could reap the benefits of God’s salvation. He said, “There is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved.”
Peter showed them the word of God, but they hardened their hearts and refused to believe. Thousands of people did believe the word of God, but these religious leaders did not. They continued on in their unbelief, and someday, when they stand before the Lord, they will be judged, not on the basis of their relationship to Abraham or on their ability to keep the Law, but they will be judged on the basis of what they did with the word of God.
Peter also taught the word to the assembly of believers, and it wasn’t long before the preaching of the word began to bear fruit. There was a man in the assembly who was full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. He was one of those who was selected to help with the distribution of food.
This man’s name was Stephen, and like all of the other believers at that time, Stephen would go in and out of the temple to pray and worship the Lord. But as time went on Stephen must have developed a real burden for the unsaved Jews who were also going in and out of the temple but without any understanding of God’s real plan and purpose. They were ignorant of God’s word even though they were very religious.
So Stephen began to teach them about Jesus, and he taught them that salvation can not be found by those who worship the temple or the Law, but it can only be found by those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that God gave Stephen the ability to do great wonders and signs among the people, and it says that the people were unable to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which Stephen spoke. Eventually, however, Stephen stirred the ire of some of the religious leaders who conspired to charge Stephen with speaking out against Moses, against God and against the temple. They said:
Acts 6:14-15 (NKJ)
14 " . . . we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this (temple) and change the customs which Moses delivered to us."
15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at (Stephen), saw (Stephen’s) face as the face of an angel.
When Stephen finally spoke in his own defense, he followed the example of Peter by turning to the word of God. He reviewed Israel’s history from the beginning. From Abraham to Joseph and then to Moses. Then, Stephen addressed the charge which had been made against him.
He said, God gave Israel the tabernacle while they were living in the wilderness, and then He allowed the temple to be built under Solomon. But then Stephen concluded that God doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands because God, Himself, said:
Isaiah 66:1 (NKJ)
1 . . . "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?
What a great defense! And straight from the word of God. Stephen said, you all love and worship this temple, but God doesn’t even dwell in this temple. God’s throne is in heaven, and all of the earth is His footstool. He said, God is much bigger than you think He is. He’s so big that all of the earth is no bigger than His footstool.
Stephen wasn’t the least bit intimidated by these powerful men. In fact, he went on to say:
Acts 7:51-52 (NKJ)
51 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
52 "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
Stephen was obviously a great student of the word of God, and he used his knowledge with great skill. He was truly a man who was full of faith. The word of God and faith go hand in hand because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Stephen was full of faith, and his faith was about to be tested once more. When these men heard what Stephen said:
Acts 7:54-59 (NKJ)
54 . . . they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
As the apostles went preaching the word, they saw the lost getting saved. As they taught the word, they saw the new converts growing in their knowledge and faith. These converts learned more and more about the Old Testament and about its promise of an earthly kingdom. They expected the Lord’s return and the setting up of the kingdom at any moment.
When Stephen was about to be killed, he looked up into the heavens and saw the Son of Man standing at the right and of God. This is interesting because most of the time, the Lord is pictured as sitting at the right hand of the Father. David said:
Psalm 110:1-2 (NKJ)
1 The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."
2 The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. (As you) Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
When Stephen saw the Lord standing, he may have thought that the time had come for Jesus to return to the earth and make His enemies His footstool while ruling in the midst of His enemies. This makes sense because the title, Son of Man, is the title that the Bible uses for the Messiah when He comes to the earth to rule. Daniel was the first to use this title when he said:
Daniel 7:13-14 (NKJ)
13 "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
Jesus also confirmed this title when he said that at His second coming, the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and the tribes of the earth will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Stephen probably knew all about these things because the apostles put a priority upon the ministry of the word. However, Stephen could not have known at that time that the return of the Lord was going to be at least 2000 years in the future. He didn’t know that God was going to temporarily set Israel’s kingdom program aside while calling out the church of our present age.
This revelation concerning the Church was still a secret in the mind of God, but when it was revealed, it was revealed to the young man who stood off to the side watching as Stephen was stoned. This young man was Saul of Tarsus who was to become one of the greatest preachers of all time. Next week, we will take another look at the Apostle Paul and the revelation which was given to him.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to studying with you against next week at this same time.
Church links:
Acts 6:2-4 (NKJ)
2 (the) twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
The apostles knew the importance of the preaching of the word. On the day of Pentecost, Peter had quoted Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 to show that the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah was something that had been prophesied in the Old Testament. This gave solid evidence that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah.
From that time forward, Peter’s message to the Jewish people rested upon the foundation of the word of God. This was true whether Peter was speaking to an audience of unsaved people or whether he was speaking to the assembly of believers. When he spoke to the unsaved, people repented and put their faith in Jesus. When he spoke to the assembly of believers, they grew in knowledge and they grew in faith.
In Acts, Chapter 3, we read Peter’s second recorded message. When Peter and John saw a lame man who was begging at the Beautiful Gate, Peter looked intently at the man and said:
Acts 3:6 (NKJ)
6 . . . "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
When the man stood up and started leaping for joy, Peter began to preach the word, saying:
Acts 3:18-19 (NKJ)
18 " . . . those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Clearly, Peter emphasized the prophesies of the Old Testament and challenged the people to repent so that they might experience the times of refreshing which come from the presence of the Lord.
Peter had experienced the physical presence of the Lord during the Lord’s earthly ministry, but by this time he had experienced the spiritual presence of the Lord through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. This was a time of refreshing for Peter, and he wanted to share that experience with all of his Jewish brethren.
Peter told them that if they would repent and be converted, they would not only experience the refreshing presence of the Holy Spirit, but they would experience the literal presence of the returning Christ:
Acts 3:21 (NKJ)
21 "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
So Peter presented the promise of the times of refreshing, and he promised the times of restoration. Isaiah 51 says:
Isaiah 51:3 (NKJ)
3 For the LORD will comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD . . .
This is hard for us to imagine, isn’t it? The earth returning to its original beauty and glory, like that of the Garden of Eden! It’s hard to imagine, but Peter told them that that’s what the prophets said will happen when the Messiah comes to the earth to rule.
But Peter didn’t want to stray too far from the real issue that faced the Jewish people. Namely, was Jesus the Messiah? So Peter went to the words of Moses, saying:
Acts 3:22-24 (NKJ)
22 " . . . Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.
23 'And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'
24 "Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
In order to receive the times of refreshing from the Holy Spirit, in order for Jesus to return and restore the earth, the nation of Israel had to accept Jesus as the Prophet whom God had sent.
The healing of the lame man and the preaching of the word had a tremendous impact on the people who were there that day. But when the Lord works in a mighty way, we can expect to see the devil working as well.
When the Sadducees heard Peter speaking out about the resurrection of Jesus, they had Peter and John arrested and brought before the Jewish Council. But once again, Peter took the opportunity to preach the word. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said:
Acts 4:8-12 (NKJ)
8 . . . "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:
9 "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Peter boldly declared to these men that they had actually fulfilled the word of God by rejecting Christ, and he warned them that they were treading on dangerous ground, because the very person that they had rejected had become the cornerstone of God’s plan and purpose.
But then, in an amazing display of mercy and grace, which came from God, Himself, Peter offered them an opportunity to have their sins forgiven so that they too could reap the benefits of God’s salvation. He said, “There is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved.”
Peter showed them the word of God, but they hardened their hearts and refused to believe. Thousands of people did believe the word of God, but these religious leaders did not. They continued on in their unbelief, and someday, when they stand before the Lord, they will be judged, not on the basis of their relationship to Abraham or on their ability to keep the Law, but they will be judged on the basis of what they did with the word of God.
Peter also taught the word to the assembly of believers, and it wasn’t long before the preaching of the word began to bear fruit. There was a man in the assembly who was full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. He was one of those who was selected to help with the distribution of food.
This man’s name was Stephen, and like all of the other believers at that time, Stephen would go in and out of the temple to pray and worship the Lord. But as time went on Stephen must have developed a real burden for the unsaved Jews who were also going in and out of the temple but without any understanding of God’s real plan and purpose. They were ignorant of God’s word even though they were very religious.
So Stephen began to teach them about Jesus, and he taught them that salvation can not be found by those who worship the temple or the Law, but it can only be found by those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that God gave Stephen the ability to do great wonders and signs among the people, and it says that the people were unable to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which Stephen spoke. Eventually, however, Stephen stirred the ire of some of the religious leaders who conspired to charge Stephen with speaking out against Moses, against God and against the temple. They said:
Acts 6:14-15 (NKJ)
14 " . . . we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this (temple) and change the customs which Moses delivered to us."
15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at (Stephen), saw (Stephen’s) face as the face of an angel.
When Stephen finally spoke in his own defense, he followed the example of Peter by turning to the word of God. He reviewed Israel’s history from the beginning. From Abraham to Joseph and then to Moses. Then, Stephen addressed the charge which had been made against him.
He said, God gave Israel the tabernacle while they were living in the wilderness, and then He allowed the temple to be built under Solomon. But then Stephen concluded that God doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands because God, Himself, said:
Isaiah 66:1 (NKJ)
1 . . . "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?
What a great defense! And straight from the word of God. Stephen said, you all love and worship this temple, but God doesn’t even dwell in this temple. God’s throne is in heaven, and all of the earth is His footstool. He said, God is much bigger than you think He is. He’s so big that all of the earth is no bigger than His footstool.
Stephen wasn’t the least bit intimidated by these powerful men. In fact, he went on to say:
Acts 7:51-52 (NKJ)
51 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
52 "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
Stephen was obviously a great student of the word of God, and he used his knowledge with great skill. He was truly a man who was full of faith. The word of God and faith go hand in hand because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Stephen was full of faith, and his faith was about to be tested once more. When these men heard what Stephen said:
Acts 7:54-59 (NKJ)
54 . . . they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
As the apostles went preaching the word, they saw the lost getting saved. As they taught the word, they saw the new converts growing in their knowledge and faith. These converts learned more and more about the Old Testament and about its promise of an earthly kingdom. They expected the Lord’s return and the setting up of the kingdom at any moment.
When Stephen was about to be killed, he looked up into the heavens and saw the Son of Man standing at the right and of God. This is interesting because most of the time, the Lord is pictured as sitting at the right hand of the Father. David said:
Psalm 110:1-2 (NKJ)
1 The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."
2 The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. (As you) Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
When Stephen saw the Lord standing, he may have thought that the time had come for Jesus to return to the earth and make His enemies His footstool while ruling in the midst of His enemies. This makes sense because the title, Son of Man, is the title that the Bible uses for the Messiah when He comes to the earth to rule. Daniel was the first to use this title when he said:
Daniel 7:13-14 (NKJ)
13 "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
Jesus also confirmed this title when he said that at His second coming, the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and the tribes of the earth will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Stephen probably knew all about these things because the apostles put a priority upon the ministry of the word. However, Stephen could not have known at that time that the return of the Lord was going to be at least 2000 years in the future. He didn’t know that God was going to temporarily set Israel’s kingdom program aside while calling out the church of our present age.
This revelation concerning the Church was still a secret in the mind of God, but when it was revealed, it was revealed to the young man who stood off to the side watching as Stephen was stoned. This young man was Saul of Tarsus who was to become one of the greatest preachers of all time. Next week, we will take another look at the Apostle Paul and the revelation which was given to him.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to studying with you against next week at this same time.
Church links:
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