Acts

Overview – December 2017 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Acts

“And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” —Acts 4:33 NKJV

“The Acts Of The Apostles,” or as sometimes called, “The Acts Of The Holy Spirit,” is a history of the way in which divine wisdom ordered events to gradually lead people out from God’s previously established dispensation of law into the full liberty of the present time of the grace of God. The power and working of the Holy Spirit is beautifully seen in this book, as God used the apostles for establishing Christianity.

The work began at Jerusalem (Acts 2) with the descent of the Holy Spirit from heaven to earth, but then spread out. After Israel as a nation, by their martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7), coldly refused this second call of grace (for they had rejected their blessed Messiah earlier), God raised up the apostle Paul as His special messenger to Gentiles. Thus the grace of God was extended to the whole world. The Church was formed by the power of the Spirit of God by both Jewish and Gentile believers being baptized into the one body. Notice the great care of our God in this book to preserve a true and vital unity between this work of God and the saints in every place. After all, they were now one – the Church, the body of Christ!

The reality, simplicity and freshness of these early days, and the godly maintenance of order and unity without the necessity of human organization and arrangement, give most blessed instruction for us. All this beautifully shows the sufficiency of Christ as the gathering Center of His people and the sufficient power of the Spirit of God for every spiritual activity – whether worship, communion, service or testimony. It shows that there is no need for man’s interventions, however well intentioned, in any of these functions of the true Church of God!

By Leslie M. Grant

This column is taken from the book: “The Bible, Its 66 Books In Brief.”
It is available for purchase from Believers Bookshelf USA and Believers Bookshelf Canada.