God Revealed – A New Testament JourneySample

Acts - Extreme Opposition Extreme Impact 

Written by Dr. Luke, a Gentile, the book of Acts shows the transition of: 

- Fearful disciples to bold apostles
- Focus on Jews to Gentiles
- God’s temple at Jerusalem to international church
- Access to God through priests, to unlimited access
- Jews as people of God to Christians across nations, languages, cultures.

Extreme Impact:
- “And you shall receive power
- And you shall be my witnesses
- And reach the world”

Acts 1:8 
The apostles’ teaching spreads throughout the world like wildfire. What causes this high impact in the early church? 

Extreme Power
Their lives demonstrated it (Acts 4:33).

Extreme Unity
Complete sharing and fellowship (Acts 4:32, 2:46) and devoting themselves to prayer (Acts 1:14) - just what Jesus prays for (John 17:20-23).

Extreme Discipline
They give to the church and lie about the quantity. Ananias and Sapphira are struck dead (Acts 5:4-10).

Extreme Boldness
They pray for boldness (Acts 4:29) and received it (vs 31).

Extreme Focus
Teaching and preaching are their priority (Acts 2:42, 5:42, 6:3).

Extreme Opposition
It is God’s people, the Jews, who oppose the most (Acts 8:3,4, 7:51,52, 18:5,6). “Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries.” (Acts 8:4 The Message)
A story of transportation of codfish in the US reflects this: Freezing didn’t work; transporting them alive in tanks had worse results. Finally catfish, codfish’s greatest enemy, were introduced in the tanks. Catfish chased and kept them better than before.

Opposition is prophesied and borne by Jesus himself who sets the expectations that his disciples would face the same (John 15:20; 16:1-2).

Extreme Risk
At times they face miraculous escapes, at times flogging, imprisonment, death. Why are they only sometimes protected? Paul could have been saved by Agrippa but is sentenced to Rome.
It is this suffering wherein seeds are planted for global evangelism.
God is always in control. Where there is high risk there is high gain.

Most of the disciples/apostles die martyr’s deaths. History has it that at least 8 out of 12 of Jesus’ own disciples die martyrs. They put their lives on the line (Acts 15:26).

These extremes in the early church lead to extreme impact.

What do you think is most diluting the church’s impact today? What changes do you feel we need to make to our personal goals and lifestyle to improve our impact for Christ?

To continue on this series, click on the link below:

God Revealed - A New Testament Journey - Paul's Letters