Christ Church

Gladness and Singleness of Heart (Acts of the Apostles #6)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

 The evildoers running the Sanhedrin were now confronted with a real problem. The man they had unjustly murdered had come back from the dead—His greatest miracle. He ascended into Heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit on His twelve disciples, who began preaching the resurrection powerfully and performing many wonders and miracles (v. 43). By killing Jesus Christ, the unbelieving Jews only succeeded in giving Him a throne of everlasting dominion in Heaven. And down below in Jerusalem the headache that Jesus had been for them was now multiplied by twelve. In addition to this, because baptism was being administered in the name of this Jesus, the Church now had a definite set of boundaries. These were the people who were bound to Christ.

THE TEXT

“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:37–47).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

 This was a random crowd, and not an organized one. It was not like the Triumphal Entry crowd, and it was not like the crowd organized to call for the Lord to be crucified. It was a crowd attracted to a spectacle, and it says that as a result of what they saw and heard they were pierced to the heart (v. 37), and they asked what they should do. Peter’s reply was that they should repent and be baptized in the name of Christ—the result would be remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit (v. 38). The promise is for them and their children, as many as God would call (v. 39). Peter followed this up with many other words, urging them to save themselves from that crooked generation (v. 40). A number responded gladly, and that about three thousand souls were baptized (v. 41). These new converts continued steadfastly in four things—apostolic teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers (v. 42). Fear descended upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were performed by the apostles (v. 43). The believers were all together, and held their possessions in common (v. 44), selling their possessions and goods in order to share (v. 45). They would congregate at the Temple, and would break bread from house to house (v. 46), sharing meals with gladness and simplicity of heart (v. 46). They gave themselves to praising God, and the general population looked on them with favor (v. 47). And the Lord added those who were being saved on a daily basis (v. 47).

BAPTIZING THOUSANDS

The Pool of Siloam was about as long as two/thirds of a football field. It was about 400 feet lower in altitude than the Temple complex. Pilgrims would cleanse themselves there, and then make the ascent to the Temple. On the south side of the Temple complex was an array of miqvehs—Jewish baptistries. Over forty of these have been excavated there. Pilgrims would cleanse themselves again before worshiping. This is almost certainly where the Pentecost baptisms took place. Each of the apostles would have to have baptized around 250 people.

LIQUIDATING ASSETS

Remember the context. This outpouring of the Spirit meant that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. If you owned real estate, “now” would be a good time to liquidate. And the fact that this happened at Pentecost meant that many who were converted (and perhaps stayed over longer) were going to be out of pocket for a time. As we will see in the episode with Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:4), no one was compelled to give. However, the natives were flush with liquid assets and the pilgrims were high-centered. It was an obvious occasion for massive sharing.

TO YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN

Peter tells the crowd that the promise (meaning the Holy Spirit) was for them, but it was obviously also for their children. The invitation was open, to as many as the Lord would call. We can identify those called to come by looking to see who actually comes. And we should take care to note how Scripture defines “coming” to Christ. In Luke 18:15, we find people bringing infants (brephos) to Him. This was the incident where the disciples tried to stop it. But Jesus rebuked them (Luke 18:16), and said to allow the children to come to Him. But infants can only come by being carried.

FOUR PILLARS

The characteristics of these new converts is described for us here. First, it should be noted that no one had to chase them around in some sort of follow-up campaign. The continued steadfastly (KJV, NKJV). They devoted themselves (ESV). They were continually devoting themselves (NASB). When new life is actually present, that life seeks out nourishment. Babies are born hungry. New believers are born again hungry.

And what were they hungry for? 1. Apostolic doctrine (didache). 2. Fellowship (koinonia). 3. Breaking of bread (almost certainly communion), and 4. Prayers (probably corporate).

GLADNESS AND SINGLENESS OF HEART

The chapter began with an outpouring of tongues, a sign of pending judgment. Then a sermon was preached, in a language that the multitude understood. It was a sermon that pierced to the heart. Then came submission to the message in the waters of baptism. Those who were converted dedicated themselves, not to tongues, but to doctrine, fellowship, communion, and prayers. Never confuse the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 1:7) with the fruit of the Spirit (1 Cor. 3:1; Gal. 5:22-23). So notice the culmination of it all—gladness and simplicity of heart. This is the Christian faith in full bloom. The roots of the atonement are down deep, and wonders can serve as fertilizer, such that the foliage is thick with doctrine and fellowship and communion and prayer. But the blossom is this. How do we know summer is near? Gladness and simplicity of heart.

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The Day of the Lord (Acts of the Apostles #5)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

We saw last week that the gift of tongues was a marvelous blessing for those who had ears to hear. For believers, the point was all about the grace of God, and the wonderful works of God. But we also saw that for unbelievers, the reality of gibberish in the streets of Jerusalem was beyond creepy. If they had known the meaning of Scripture, they would have heard ominous music in the soundtrack. They were on the threshold of their doom.

We have seen how Luke set the stage for recording Peter’s sermon. In English, the sermon takes about two and a half minutes to speak, but it says later (v. 40) that Peter spoke “many other words” in the follow up. Given the nature of the case, it is important to take in all of Peter’s sermon at one go.

THE TEXT

“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh . . . And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come . . . Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:14–36).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Peter stood up, and with a loud voice got the attention of these men of Judea and residents of Jerusalem (v. 14). He responds to the charge of drunkenness first. That cannot be it because, he argued, it was only around 9 am (v. 15). These events were actually a fulfillment of a prophecy from Joel (v. 16; Joel 2: ), which he then quotes (vv. 17-21). God is going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh—sons, daughters, young men, old men (v. 17), not to mention male and female slaves prophesying (v. 18). That is the first portent. The second portent is the disintegration of heaven, earth, sun and moon, leading up to the day of the Lord (vv. 19-20)—thunder, lightning, and blue ruin. In this context, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (v. 21).

Who will the Savior be? These men of Israel already knew that Jesus of Nazareth was attested by God by many miracles and signs (v. 22). The death of these Jesus, also not a secret, was not a divine misfire. Christ was crucified by wicked hands, but also in accordance with the settled plan of God (v. 23). God raised Him from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him (v. 24). This too was prophesied (Ps. 16:8-11). David saw the Lord, who was on his right hand, such that he would not be moved (v. 25). This was the source of David’s gladness and hope (v. 26). His soul would not be left in Sheol/Hades, and the Holy One would not see corruption (v. 27). The way of life is revealed, and it is joy in the presence of God (v. 28). Peter comments on this passage, saying that David could not have been talking about himself, because his grave was still right there in Jerusalem (v. 29). As a prophet, he was actually saying that a descendant of his would be raised from the dead in order to sit on the throne of David (v. 30), and that this had been sealed with an oath from God. The Christ would be killed, but would not decompose, and would rather be raised (v. 31). Jesus was raised, and all these men speaking in tongues were eye-witnesses of it (v. 32). This risen Christ, now ascended to the right hand of the Father, received the Holy Spirit from the Father, and poured Him out (v. 33). Again, this is not David—for how did David speak of his descendant? He called Him “my Lord,” the one seated at the right hand of God (vv. 34-35; Ps. 110:1). And this is why the entire house of Israel needs to be assured of the fact that God has made this very Jesus, the one crucified a couple months before in that city, both Lord and Christ (v. 36).

DECREATION LANGUAGE

One common form of prophetic declaration is something I call “collapsing solar system” language. The sun goes dark, the moon turns blood red, and all the stars fall like ripe figs in a windstorm. This language occurs frequently in the Old Testament, and there are a number of striking places in the New Testament where these places are cited and repeated. Bible scholars call this kind of language decreation language.

Many ordinary Christians, taking the Bible at face value, go out and look at the night sky, and because everything is still up there, they assume that these prophecies are yet to be fulfilled in our future. But this ignores what the language meant in the Old Testament.

The places are Joel 2:28-32 (cited here); Amos 8:9; Ezek. 32:7; Is. 13:10; Is. 34:4. What do these expressions refer to? Throughout the Old Testament, they always refer to the destruction of a city or nation. “The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw” (Isaiah 13:1). And the meaning of such expressions does not change in the New. Remember, the disciples had asked Jesus when the promised destruction of Jerusalem would occur, and part of His reply was to quote Is. 13 and Is. 34. It means the same thing. He was talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, and not the dissolution of the space/time continuum.

Now we saw last week from Is. 28 that the gift of tongues was a portent of destruction for Jerusalem. And Peter’s sermon immediately following makes this explicit. Trouble was certainly brewing. He quotes a passage from Joel, and that passage had two elements. One was the Spirit being poured out voluminously on God’s people, and the other was the great cataclysm. In Peter’s message, these two elements were all of a piece. Pentecost in 30 A.D. and the Destruction in 70 A.D. were all the same event—the great and terrible Day of the Lord.

PREACHING THE RESURRECTION

We do not just preach that Jesus was raised from the dead. We also declare what it means that He was raised from the dead. The risen Christ pours out His Spirit promiscuously—not dispensed with a teaspoon. The risen Christ will visit terrible desolations on the city that murdered Him. The risen Christ offers terms to anyone who willing to call on the name of the Lord. Mercy is extended in the day of wrath. The risen Christ had been identified beforehand by God with miracles, but then betrayed to murderers by the glorious foreordination of God. The risen Christ was raised in accordance with what Scripture had said a millennium before. The risen Christ is on the throne of David, which is the throne of the world. And so it is that the risen Christ cannot be received as anything other than Lord and Christ.

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Two Layers of Meaning (Acts of the Apostles #4)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

In the second chapter of Acts, we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, resulting in the gift of tongues, a powerful sermon, and a massive ingathering of new believers. As we read about this stupendous gift of tongues, we might have the same reaction that the initial hearers did. What on earth does this mean (v. 12)?

THE TEXT

“And when the day of Pentecost was 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 all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language  . . . And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine” (Acts 2:1–13).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The day of Pentecost was one of the feasts of the Lord appointed in the Old Testament Mosaic calendar (Lev. 23:15). The Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated the day after the Sabbath of Passover week, and the Israelites were instructed to count fifty days after that day, which would end on the day of Pentecost (from the Greek word for fifty). This festival is also called the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Ingathering. It was a harvest festival. When that day arrived, the followers of Christ were all in one place, and were all in one accord (v. 1). And suddenly the room where they were all sitting was filled with a sound from heaven—like a rushing mighty wind (v. 2). Cloven tongues like fire appeared, and rested on each of them (v. 3). They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began speaking in other languages (glossa) as the Spirit enabled them (v. 4). Devout Jews were there in Jerusalem, coming from every nation under heaven (v. 5). We are not told directly, but the disciples apparently spilled out into the street because a multitude gathered as the report spread. All of them were confounded because they all heard their own languages (dialektos) being spoken (v. 6). They began to speak to one another about it because they could tell that all the speakers were Galilaeans (v. 7). How is it we are hearing our native tongues (v. 8)? The word again is dialektos. All the nations are then listed, 17 in all (vv. 9-11). The wonderful works of God are being declared in all these different tongues (glossa). They were astonished, but still in doubt about what it could all mean (v. 12). There were also some wiseacres, of course, who accused them of being drunk (v. 13).

TONGUES ARE LANGUAGES

The tongues here are not to be understood as mystical jabbering. These are languages, with grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. We can assert this confidently for various reasons. First, the people listening identified what was being spoken with the languages of their home countries (vv. 6, 8). Second, glossa and dialektos are words that refer to languages. We get our word dialect from the second one. Third, elsewhere the apostle Paul requires any such expressions in church to be translated (1 Cor. 14:13).

153 AND THE FEAST OF INGATHERING

There are 17 nations mentioned here, and 17 is the triangular of 153. This means that 17 plus 16 plus 15 down to 1 all adds up to 153. And that is the number of fish that were caught in John 21:11, when Peter was restored to ministry. And what was that ministry? He had been called to become a fisher of men (Mark 1:17). When Jesus had done a similar miracle for Peter, this overwhelmed him with his own sinfulness (Luke 5:8). So the fish were clearly emblematic of the coming haul at Pentecost. We also have the fact that throughout Scripture, the sea represents the Gentiles and the land the Jews. No one in the Old Testament is shown eating fish, but in the New Testament fishing (and the eating of fish) comes to the front and center.

The practice of encoding numbers in names (called gematria) was common in the ancient world. They could do this in a way that we cannot because they used the same symbols for letters and for numbers. We have Roman letters and Arabic numbers. But in Hebrew, the first nine letters corresponded to 1-9, the next nine were 10-90, and the last five were100-400. So?

Well, the prophet Ezekiel promised that the time of the New Covenant would be a time of glorious fishing. “And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many” (Ez. 47:10). The prefix En simply means spring, and so if we look at the numerical value of Gedi in Hebrew, we find that it is 17, and the value of Eglaim is 153. Ezekiel is talking about the salvation of the Gentiles under the figure of fish, swimming in living waters from the Temple, and he uses these two numbers. This means that we are justified in taking 153 as a symbolic number for the Gentile nations who will be brought into the kingdom of God—fulfilled here at Pentecost.

TWO LAYERS OF MEANING

Because these tongues were actual languages, one of the things meant would be the things that were being said. What the disciples were declaring were “the wonderful works of God” (v. 11). The languages meant what the languages were saying.

But what did the mere fact of this miracle mean?

“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, with men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord [Is. 28:11-12 (see also Dt. 28:49)]. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? [or drunk]” (1 Cor. 14:20–23).

For the unbelieving Jews, the sign of foreign languages in the streets of Jerusalem was a sign of pending judgment. You would not listen to the prophets who continually warned you in your own language (Is. 28:9-10), so maybe you will understand when you hear the languages of foreign soldiers in your streets. But for the foreigners who heard the wonderful works of God in their own language, this was the equivalent of prophecy, which was for those who believe.

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Lessons for the Limelight (Joint Outdoor Worship Service Part #2)

Grace Sensing on

INTRODUCTION

Even given the tumultuous time we have had over the last few years, and the attention that it has brought us, it would still be too much for us to say that “all eyes are on Moscow.” That is simply not true. But it would be accurate for us to say that more eyes are on us than used to be the case, and that more eyes are on us than we are accustomed to. On the assumption that you have taken to heart the exhortation you have heard from Pastor Toby today, which is that you need to be faithful within your radius, within your reach here locally, you are still going to be affected by what is going on nationally and even internationally. What should all of us be doing about that?

THE TEXT

“So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4:6). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

We can take note of three distinct things about this passage. The first is that a spirit of willingness to work had come upon the people. The “people had a mind to work” (v. 6). The second is that they were competent in their work. Their willingness did not result in the kind of haste that requires you to tear it up and start over. “If you don’t have time to do it right, how will you have time to do it over?” It says that they built the wall, and it shows that the wall was successfully joined together. This was competent work. And third, if you look at the preceding verses, they were working diligently and competently in the presence of hostile outsiders (vv. 1-3). This becomes very evident in the next verse also. “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, and conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it” (Nehemiah 4:7–8). 

MIND TO WORK

When Scripture speaks on certain principles, we need to remember that they apply as much to communities as they do to individuals. On this point, individuals can be lazy, but so can cultures be. For example, Paul chided the Cretans— “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies” (Titus 1:12). When this takes root in a culture, the same kind of destructive consequences start to unfold as well.  

“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat” (Proverbs 13:4). 

“The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason” (Proverbs 26:16). 

CREAM RISES

But hustle is not sufficient. There are people who work hard, and they are very confident, but their level of expertise and level of self-awareness are not even in the same room. 

“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men” (Proverbs 22:29, NKJV). 

OPPOSITION IS A DETAIL BUT…

We are accustomed to the opposition, and know how to process it. We have gotten to the point where opposition is baked in. But what shall we do when the dam breaks and everybody wants to team up? What kind of help do we receive? What do we reject? What do we cooperate with cautiously?

Ezra and Nehemiah certainly received help from a pagan king. 

“And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me” (Nehemiah 2:8).

At the same time, there was help that it would have been foolish to accept (Ezra 8:22).

“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 John 10–11). 

ALL OF CHRIST FOR ALL OF LIFE

You are no doubt aware of the very visible place that various Moscow institutions have come to occupy—from Canon+ to Logos School, from Logos School to New St. Andrews College, and from NSA to our network of churches. There has been a torrent of books, documentaries, graduates, joint projects and more. In all of this, and for all of this, we must give glory to God. In addition to such things, you might also guess that this has opened some doors that are not so visible, and that there is significant influence that is not visible. If you guessed this, you would be correct.  

Now a lot of this treasury of teaching and information was accumulated and stockpiled back when we were being ostracized. In fact, there were seasons when we would get beat like a rented mule. As it happens, this is starting to shift, for which we are most grateful. At the same time, we must remember that the devil has two major tactics that he uses on the church. The first is harassment and persecution, in which he tries to get the church to fail by failing. When that doesn’t work, and the church perseveres through those dangers intact, he moves on to his second strategy, which is to get the church to fail by succeeding. 

“How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” (John 5:44). 

“But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: Thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; Then he forsook God which made him, And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation” (Deuteronomy 32:15).

To which we must respond as Christians—Christians in the beginning, Christians in the middle, and Christians to the end. 

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Theophilus the High Priest (Acts of the Apostles #1)

Grace Sensing on

INTRODUCTION

The longest book in the New Testament is the gospel of Luke. The second longest is volume 2 of this same set, the Acts of the Apostles, the book where we are now going to spend some time. These two books were written by the same man and were dedicated to the same man—Theophilus. While we are beginning to work through the Acts, it is important to remember to keep this book connected in your minds and hearts with what Luke recorded about the Lord’s ministry earlier. This first message is going to focus on that. 

THE TEXT

“The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach . . .” (Acts 1:1). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Luke begins the book of Acts by making explicit reference to the gospel of Luke. It is clear that as the author he sees them as a matching set. He is addressing this treatise (logos) to Theophilus, the same man who was addressed in the account given in the gospel of Luke. He then says that the first account was concerning all that Jesus began to do and teach. The implication is that this book of Acts will be an account of what Jesus will continue to do and teach. 

This will be accomplished because the Spirit of Christ will be poured out at the very beginning of this book, and so He will continue His teaching and deeds through His appointed (and anointed) servants (v. 1). Christ indwells believers, and this means that believers are His hands and feet out in the world. Jesus continues His ministry through His body. Christ, the hope of glory, is in us (Col. 1:27). Christ is being formed in us (Gal. 4:19), and this in turn has an impact on the world.  

WHO WAS LUKE?

The author of the third gospel—and of our only inspired account of the early church—is a bit of a mysterious figure to us. We are introduced to him (obliquely) in Acts 16. In Acts 16:8, the account says they came to Troas. Then Paul was given a vision in the night. 

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:9). 

And in the next verse, v. 10, it says that immediately we endeavored to go to Macedonia. This is the place where Luke teamed up with Paul, and so it seems related to the vision somehow. If Luke is the man in the vision, this lends support to the long tradition that Luke was a Gentile—he would be a man of Macedonia, northern Greece. In support of this, the Greek of these two books is the most polished and sophisticated of all the New Testament, written by an educated man who knew Greek well.   

We know that he was a medical doctor because of a passing remark that Paul makes in Colossians. “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you” (Colossians 4:14). Not only was Luke a faithful member of Paul’s entourage, he remained so until the end of Paul’s life. “Only Luke is with me . . .” (2 Timothy 4:11a). He is mentioned only one other time, at the conclusion of Philemon (v. 24).

Nevertheless he has had a pronounced impact on the character of the church. His gospel pays close attention to Gentiles, as well as to those who were suffering in various ways, or oppressed. His urbanity, careful scholarship, and compassion have helped to set the tone for countless numbers of believers over the history of the church.   

WHO WAS THEOPHILUS?

Different suggestions have been made regarding the identity of this Theophilus. Was he an unbelieving seeker that Luke was wanting to evangelize? Was he the patron who financially backed Luke’s research?

In my view, the most likely candidate is Theophilus ben Ananus, who was the High Priest from 37 A.D. to 41 A.D. This would make him the son of Annas (Luke 3:2), and brother-in-law of Caiaphas (Matt. 26:3). This identification does not make Theophilus a friendly, as though the son of the corrupt Annas was about to become a Christian. But it does make him a player, and so it makes sense that such a dedication would be attached to these two great apologetic works. Think of it like John Calvin dedicating the Institutes to King Francis I, a Catholic monarch who was decidedly unsympathetic to the Reformation. 

How would someone write an account for a hostile authority? The two great questions are: who was this Jesus? Who are these Christians?

INVITED BY LUKE

These books were no composed slapdash. We are invited by Luke to read two-volume set side-by-side, both of them together. Consider these parallels, gathered by a scholar named Mark Powell.  

Address to Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4), address to Theophilus (Acts 1:1-5). The Spirit descends on Jesus while He is praying (Luke 3:21-22), the Spirit descends on disciples as they were praying (Acts 2:1-13). A sermon announces prophecy fulfilled (Luke 4:16-27), a sermon announces prophecy fulfilled (Acts 2:14-40). Jesus heals a cripple (Luke 5:17-26), Peter heals a cripple (Acts 3:1-10). Religious authorities attack Jesus (Luke 5:29-6:11), religious authorities attack apostles (Acts 4:1-8:3). A centurion invites Jesus to his house (Luke 7:1-10), a centurion invites Peter to his house (Acts 10:1-23). Jesus raises a widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-17), Peter raises a widow from the dead (Acts 9:36-43). A missionary trip to Gentiles (Luke 10:1-12), a missionary trip to Gentiles (Acts 13:1-19:20). Jesus goes to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-19:28), Paul goes to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21-21:17). Jesus received favorably (Luke 19:37), Paul received favorably (Acts 21:17-20). Jesus was devoted to the Temple (Luke 19:45-48), Paul was devoted to the Temple (Acts 21:26). Sadducees oppose Jesus and scribes support Him (Luke 20:27-39), Sadducees oppose Paul and Pharisees support him (Acts 23:6-9). Jesus breaks bread, giving thanks (Luke 22:19), Paul breaks bread, giving thanks (Acts 27:35). Jesus seized by a mob (Luke 22:54), Paul seized by a mob (Acts 21:30). Jesus slapped by high priest’s aides (Luke 22:63-64), Paul slapped by order of the high priest (Acts 23:2). Jesus is tried 4 times and declared innocent 3 times (Luke 22:66-23:13), Paul is tried 4 times and declared innocent 3 times (Acts 23:1-26:32). Jesus is rejected by the Jews (Luke 23:18), Paul is rejected by the Jews (Acts 21:36). Jesus regarded favorably by a centurion (Luke 23:47), Paul regarded favorably by a centurion (Acts 27:43). Final confirmation of fulfilled Scripture (Luke 24:45-47), final confirmation of fulfilled Scripture (Acts 28:23-28).

CHRIST AND HIS BODY

As we reflect on what Jesus did during His earthly ministry, and as we study how He worked in the first century through those who had believed in Him, we are going to learn a great deal about how to read the narrative that is unfolding all around us now. What does it mean for fallen but forgiven sinners to walk in the footsteps of Jesus? What does it mean for Christ to work through His body? We have a template set out for us, enabling us to look to Christ effectively.

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