Acts and Facts: God's Unstoppable Mission: Search For Truth Bible Series

By Brian Johnston

In this stimulating study on the Acts of the Apostles, Brian explores how the historian luke narrates the true story of a small Jerusalem-based group that emerges from Judaism and morphs into a worldwide phenomenon that becomes mainly Gentile: to do this, he traces it all the way from Jerusalem to Rome and paints the story in 6 'panels', each ending with a summary statement of the ongoing progress of god's word (6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20). Discover how the main overarching message of acts is the progress of the gospel in the power of the spirit – in which all manner of internal and external obstacles are overcome. The last word of this New Testament book is literally 'unhindered,' which brings us to a very inspiring crescendo indeed! Each of the 18 chapters is supplied with questions for individual or group study.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hayes Press
• Release date: Apr 16, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224824892

Brian Johnston

Born and educated in Scotland, Brian worked as a government scientist until God called him into full-time Christian ministry on behalf of the Churches of God (www.churchesofgod.info). His voice has been heard on Search For Truth radio broadcasts for over 30 years (visit www.searchfortruth.podbean.com) during which time he has been an itinerant Bible teacher throughout the UK and Canada. His evangelical and missionary work outside the UK is primarily in Belgium and The Philippines. He is married to Rosemary, with a son and daughter.

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Brian Johnston

Acts and Facts

God’s Unstoppable Mission

First published by Hayes Press 2024

Copyright © 2024 by Brian Johnston

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

Brian Johnston asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Unless otherwise stated, all Bible references are from the NASB NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (r), Copyright (c) 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. https://www.lockman.org.

Bible references marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Bible references marked NKJV are the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Contents

1. The Teaching of the Apostles

2. The Time of the Signs

3. The Witness to the Resurrection

4. The Test of Gamaliel

5. The Progress of the Gospel

6. The Working of Providence

7. The Meaning of Baptism

8. The Sequence of Events

9. The Pattern of Interpretation

10. The Base for World Mission

11. The Benefit of Numbers

12. The Crossing of Wires

13. The Value of Councils

14. The Make-up of Churches

15. The Contrast of the Temples

16. The Customs of Paul

17. The Frowning of Providence

18. The End of the Road

19. Study Questions

Notes

About the Author

Also by Brian Johnston

1

The Teaching of the Apostles

The Book of the Acts is the New Testament’s history book. It documents for us the early progress of the Christian message. It is, of course, a sequel. The first instalment being Dr. Luke’s first volume, the one that’s simply known to us as the ‘Gospel by Luke.’ But as Acts opens there’s also a very definite link with John’s Gospel because the first two chapters of Acts give us the fulfilment to the major promise found in the Lord’s teaching ministry to his disciples in the upper room at Jerusalem in the hours before he died. On that poignant occasion, the Lord had prepared his disciples for his imminent departure, telling them not to be troubled by the thought of his leaving them. And why shouldn’t they be? Because he assured them someone else was coming. Not only would he be an equal person of the Godhead, but he was not only going to be with them, but he’d be in them too. Having had the physical presence of the Lord with them daily for the past three years had been a wonderful experience, but Jesus was comforting them by explaining that being indwelt spiritually by the Spirit of God would make for an even more intimate experience of the triune God of Father, Son and Spirit in the Christian life of every true believer of the Church Age. This was the time that was beginning to dawn as Luke picks up his quill for his second volume. And here’s how he begins it:

The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of things regarding the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, Which, He said, you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So, when they had come together, they began asking Him, saying, Lord, is it at this time that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel? But He said to them, It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth. (Acts 1:1-8)

As well as the linking promise of the Holy Spirit we mentioned, notice how there’s an early emphasis on teaching. This is hardly surprising for nothing had ever deterred Jesus from his primary ministry of preaching and teaching, not even the compassionate healing of the sick (Mark 1:38). Throughout his entire public ministry, the proclamation of God’s truth had always remained paramount. Even on the night before he was crucified, as we’ve mentioned, Jesus had gathered his disciples in an upper room and taught them (John 13–16). And after his resurrection, the focus of Jesus’ ministry remained the same. While walking on the road to Emmaus, he appeared to two disciples and explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures (Luke 24:27). And when the disciples later met in the upper room, Jesus appeared in their midst and ‘opened their minds to understand the Scriptures’ (v. 45).

Jesus’ teaching (or ‘Didachē’) had always been about teaching people to repent, believe, obey, love, forgive, to be humble, and to serve one another, while seeking peace with all. It’d also been about presenting himself as Moses’ brazen serpent, and as Isaiah’s servant, and as Ezekiel’s Shepherd, and as Daniel’s king, and so on. It was also about God’s Kingdom – the arrival of the Messianic age and with it the commissioning of a witnessing and worshiping community in the present but also emphasizing the distant, future aspects of his kingdom.

The mantle of such a teaching ministry was now falling on these disciples, notably the apostles at the start. As we’ll shortly see, no matter where they were, these apostles were to be found preaching. Whether in Solomon’s temple (3:11–26; 5:20, 42), in public gatherings (4:2, 33), before the Sanhedrin (4:8–12; 5:27–32), or from house to house (5:42), they boldly taught in the name of Christ. Even in the face of life-threatening dangers, the apostles refused to be silenced, declaring, We cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard (4:20). When the demands of ministry grew complex, they would not be diverted from their central task of teaching. They said, It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God (6:2). The Book of the Acts, as we’ll see, details how that teaching was taken in ever expanding circles to Judea, to Samaria and to the ends of the earth. As with the teaching of Jesus, that of the Apostles (their ‘Didachē’) also had its focus on love, faith and a pure conscience as the end of the charge or goal of the instruction. It, too, centred on Christ – as Passover, sacrifice and God’s servant. What’s more, it also majored on God’s present and ultimate kingdom. There was once again much teaching about how to regulate life in the new worshiping community, with expanding explanations of its ordinances and the conduct required by Christ’s followers down through the Age.

Overall, at least three things may be noted about the Apostles’ teaching ministry: it was rooted in the Old Testament (Ps.2,16,110,118, Is.28,53, Joel 2); it was centred on Jesus (Acts 2:14-36, 4:13); and it majored on doctrinal instruction. The apostles’ teaching included all-encompassing truths recorded in the Old Testament; the mind-expanding, life-changing words spoken by Christ; and the enriched doctrine elaborated on by the apostles in still greater detail in their writings. The apostles confirmed what was first spoken by the Lord (Heb.2:3,4) beginning with Repent and believe the Gospel (Mk. 1:15) and ending with the Great Commission (Matt.28:18-20), including baptism and obedience. Luke now continues:

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upstairs room where they were staying, that is, Peter, John, James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. All these were continually devoting themselves with one mind to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers (Acts 1:12-14).

The very next verse (Acts 1:15) tells us: "In those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty)" (NKJV). It’s interesting that he talks literally about the number of names that were gathered, obviously meaning the number of persons or people who were there.

I’m reminded of a time in a distant country when I was evaluating a request from a visitor to the church service if he might be considered for church fellowship. He said his desire was to be found in the name of ‘church of God.’ His emphasis was on it being ‘of God.’ As he said that my mind went back to my earlier Bible reading that day. God had said to King Solomon, the king who built a temple for God: My Name shall be there! and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually (1 Kings 8:29; 9:3). Doesn’t that betray a palpable sense of thrill in the heart of God! I began putting the two things together – a church that was biblically ‘of God’ was marked out as the very association of believers on which God had placed his own name! And back in Acts 1:15, the 120 gathered ‘names’ were names gathered to God’s own name. Being in a biblical church of God, as those first Christians were about to experience, is about putting your name where God’s already put his own name! This is bringing our service and worship to the place of God’s choice.

Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry. (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his