Luke/Acts for Beginners

• The church sends
• He fulfills his ministry (plants churches)
• The sending church oversees the effort

The intent of this question is to establish that we should plan our activities to make the most of the resources we have available. Furthermore, we can all be part of efforts to evangelize whether directly or indirectly. As with any plan or effort, there should be follow-up to ensure that goals are met and continue the mission as planned. Note also that although Paul was very successful, the focus remained on serving and glorifying our Lord.

God had promised the Messiah through Abraham's lineage. He fulfilled this promise through Jesus. The early Christians still considered themselves as Jews with a better understanding of who the Messiah was. They were willing to accept the Gentiles as converts to Jesus, but many still felt the Gentiles should first convert to Judaism to fulfill part of what Moses directed, especially circumcision. It is difficult to abandon teachings we've held for a long time. The Jews were taught from birth so it would be even more difficult to change or let go these teachings.

Today we reach people from all forms of religion or non-religious lifestyles. We must be patient with them and help them learn our Lord's will for their lives. Although they may commit to repenting, it is not easy to turn loose of our past beliefs and actions. This is especially true for those who might be coming out of addictive influences. In these cases someone might need medical or psychological intervention. We must remember that all of us must continue the effort to stay faithful since we all have sin in our lives from which to repent. Humility is a key part of our influence on others.

The intent of this question is to help with the understanding that one does not need a broad depth of knowledge in order to submit to our Lord's invitation to become a disciple. This does not mean we remain at that level of understanding. Jesus takes us where we are and guides us to where we need to be. We must remember that this is a lifetime commitment that requires continued effort and faith.

We must know who Jesus is as the Son of God, express our faith (even a budding faith), a commitment to change our lives to follow Jesus, and demonstrate our obedience through baptism (Acts 2:38, Romans 6:1-5). Following this initial beginning of our spiritual growth, we then commit to faithfulness and applying our Lord's teachings in our lives.

The importance of this underscores the power of God in our lives and not what we do ourselves (Ephesians 2:8). We cannot save ourselves through knowledge or efforts. We are saved by God's grace and acting upon our faith.

Paul was falsely accused of some of the same charges as Jesus. They charged Paul with violating the Law of Moses by bringing outsiders into the Temple. The false accusers stirred up the crowd to the point that Paul was unable to reason with them. Those falsely accusing Paul followed him continually looking for a reason to charge him to destroy his effectiveness.

Jesus also faced false accusers who stirred up the crowds. No amount of reasoning with them would be effective. Jesus gathered many followers wherever he travelled. He was also followed by those seeking excuses to charge Him and destroy His effectiveness.

In both cases, the accusers were unable to find truth in their charges yet they were able to bring about Jesus' and Paul's arrest. Satan will try to weaken a Christian's faith and influence today. He will work within the Christian to do this as well as externally from false accusers. If we strive to remain faithful in all we do, we will be attacked by Satan, but the charges will be false. Even when we do sin, we quickly repent when we recognize our failure. This renews our relationship with the Father.

The intent of this question is to show the consistency between Luke's record of events in Acts.

Paul gives us details of his conversion. This further validates Luke's record of events. It also shows the power of God to change lives. Paul used the rights he has as a Roman citizen. This is a good example for us to follow as citizens of our respective nations. We live within the laws of our land to further our ministry as we are able.

We must continue in our faithfulness to serve our Lord no matter the obstacles, even our own safety if necessary. We don't make these decisions foolishly, but still answer our calling from Jesus to take the gospel to all.

Paul remained faithful in the face of continued persecution. It is interesting to note how Paul played the Sadducees and Pharisees against each other. In doing so he demonstrated his ability to show the weakness of his accusers' beliefs that were contrary to God's word.

We must be aware that we will be attacked by Satan as we grow spiritually. But we must remain faithful to our Lord no matter what. In knowing that Satan will attack us, we can be armed in defense (Ephesians 6:10-18).

We frequently grow impatient with our efforts because we might not see the results immediately. We should learn that we serve God and live according to His timeline. This is especially true as we share the gospel. Not everyone is ready to receive God's word or to grow in their faith as we might want. Our requirement is to sow the seed of the Kingdom and give God the glory for growth (Luke 8:4-15).