Since the infilling of the Holy Ghost was the main attraction in the Dispensation of Grace, last lesson we studied the various scriptures and procedures associated with the event of the Day of Pentecost. As we continue on through the book of Acts, we will see that the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues was not a one time occurrence, but was preached for what it is: the fulfillment of the Gospel of Christ. Peter’s assurance that it was even “those afar off,” in Acts 2:39 has been fulfilled even today as millions of people worldwide have received the baptism of the Spirit! We will now continue our study of the events of the early church’s growth.

The official name of the Book of Acts is “The Acts of the Apostles.” This was not the original name of the book and was given in the second century. The Book actually centers around the deeds of four apostles: Peter, James, John, and Paul. Luke (the scholarly physician who wrote the Gospel of Luke) wrote the Book of Acts. Luke intended for Acts to be a continuation of the Gospel of Luke, and the two works were originally circulated as one. This is easy to see by simply reading the last chapter of Luke and then reading the first chapter of Acts. Acts picks up exactly where Luke left off. Luke was an eyewitness to much of the events in the Book of Acts resulting in a book of vivid detail and clarity. Many people have tried to discredit the Book of Acts by labeling it a “historical” book -- and it is a historical book in nature. The theme of the Book of Acts, however, is not really of any one apostle or person, but how that the Holy Ghost was able to work through ordinary people. As we study the Book of Acts remember that God wants to use you the same way He used the early church

The results of the Day of Pentecost were immediate: 3,000 people “gladly received” Peter’s words and were baptized in water and with the Spirit. The Bible states that they continued steadfastly in four areas. First they continued in the Apostles’ doctrine. This is the teachings of the Apostles. Remember, Jesus had commanded His disciples to go and “teach whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). When we see the actions and commandments of the Apostles, we see the teaching that Jesus gave them in action! This is why the Book of Acts is so important. Because we are still in the Dispensation of Grace, our church doctrine should be founded upon the Apostles’ doctrine also! Second, the early church continued in the apostles’ fellowship. This refers to spiritual fellowships such as church services and prayer meetings. To remain strong in the power of the Holy Ghost, we today must also be faithful in attending and participating in services and prayer meetings. Third, the church continued in the breaking of bread. This refers to the celebrating of the Lord’s supper (what most churches call communion). Fourth, they continued in prayer. Prayer for one another, and for the will of God in our lives is still the only way that a Christian can maintain a victorious life!

The fear mentioned here does not mean afraid or frightened. Fear here means respect and reverence for the Spirit of God and the Men of God. The new converts, realizing that they had to sell out to God and put Him first, most of the new converts began to sell everything they had and distribute the money and goods according to those that needed it. These new converts were found daily in the temple, and in each other’s houses because the church had grown so quickly that there was not a building available to house all of the believers in one place for a service. They all had “one heart” and were in “one accord.” They continually praised God and treated people right. When they did this, the Lord added to the church daily!

Even today the formula for Apostolic revival has not changed! It is not necessarily the will of God to physically sell everything we have and give it to the church as we must have the basics of life (shelter, clothing, food, etc...). Before a church has Apostolic revival, though, the people must reach the place that nothing is more important to them than the well-being of the church. We truly give God everything when we do not allow anything (Houses, land, money, jobs, family, dreams, goals, worldly pursuits) to distract us from the work of God and the church. The reason that most churches in America are not seeing true Apostolic Revival, is because those churches are not living the Apostolic methods! The comfort, security, and luxury that America gives us is also the reason for faithless, powerless Christians. When we trust in anything else more than we trust in God, we miss the point!

Notice the characteristics of the Early Church should be the same today for us to experience Apostolic Revival. We must be willing to sell out to everything for the perfect will of God and advancement of the church. We must respect the Spirit of God, and the men of God that are our leaders. We must daily be found praying, praising, and witnessing. We must fellowship with each other in unity, and do so in one accord and one purpose: the advancement of the church. We must have “singleness of heart” by loving Jesus Christ more than we do anything else and seek to live a Godly lifestyle in front of our friends and family. When we do this, the Lord will add daily to our churches!

Acts 3:1-3 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

Peter and John were going into the temple about three o’clock in the afternoon when they passed the familiar beggar who “worked” the gate leading into the temple. The Pharisees and Saducees wrongly taught that physical handicaps and poverty were signs of God’s disfavor to sin. This man had been lame from birth and had to be carried to the gate daily so that he could beg for a living. When the beggar saw Peter and John approaching, he asked them for alms, the equivalent of beggars today asking for spare change.

Peter looked at the beggar and commanded him to look up at them. The beggar, expecting money, complied with Peter’s request but probably never imagined what was about to take place! Peter commanded him in the name of Jesus Christ to “get up and walk!” Peter then helped the man to his feet and immediately his lameness was cured! The man then walked, leaped, and praised his way into the temple.

This is the first recorded miracle of the Dispensation of Grace and there are many lessons to be learned. The people were used to seeing lame men walk by now, but they were used to seeing the physical form of Jesus performing the miracle! This miracle helped the people realize that Jesus was still among them, but in spiritual form and living inside of His followers! When you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, you receive Jesus INSIDE of YOU! Jesus is still alive in the world today, and wants to perform many miracles and good deeds, but we must allow Him to work through us! The reasons that Peter and John were able to be used in miracles and mighty deeds will be the same reasons that we are used in similar ways! First, Peter and John were faithful in prayer! Second, they were willing to confront the suffering in others. Third, they were willing to focus upon the need more than the individual. Fourth, they realized that having Jesus inside of their lives empowered them to believe for things beyond their normal ability. Fifth, they realized that the power within them was not in themselves or anything that they possessed but “in the name of Jesus!” Sixth, Peter was willing to act first, and did not wait upon the man to respond! If we will give ourselves to prayer, focusing on the physical and spiritual needs of others, receive the spirit of God into our lives, call upon the name of Jesus Christ, and act upon the promises of God’s Word, we will also see God move mightily through our lives!

The people in the temple recognized that this man with Peter and John in the temple was the lame beggar from outside! This attracted a large crowd to hear Peter and John speak, which was the purpose for the miracle! Jesus always used miracles to either draw attention to His teaching or to illustrate a spiritual principle. Now that Jesus lives inside of us, we should use miracles and healings the same way! Notice also that the lame man allowed his miracle to draw him into the temple. Many people cry out to God when they are physically ill or in need of a great miracle, and when God performs the miracle, do not have time for God in their lives anymore! If God has performed a miracle or healing in your life, thank Him by devoting your life to Him! Allow your miracle to draw you closer to God, not give you an excuse to go farther away!

Peter began to preach to the crowd that had been attracted to him by the healed lame man. This message was very similar to the sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Peter was quick to deny credit for the miracle and to give the full credit to Jesus Christ. Peter then began to preach about how that the very people that he was talking to had rejected Christ and how that Christ’s crucifixion and suffering were the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Peter then continued by telling them what they must do to be saved:

Let’s look at the similarity of Peter’s salvational formula and the formula given in Acts 2:38-39. Both say Repent. Acts 2 states to then be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, while here Peter states to be converted for the blotting out of sins. Peter did not change his message, but merely reworded his sermon! Both remission of sins and blotting out of sins refer to the work of water baptism in our lives! Peter then goes on to say “when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ.” This is a quote to Isaiah 28:11-12 which stated:

Peter was talking about a time of refreshing, the presence of the Lord, receiving Jesus Christ, and quoted a scripture that referred to speaking other tongues! These are all things that happen when a person receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, the Day of Pentecost experience! Peter was commanding them to receive the same experience that he had received and was giving the people in the temple the same salvational formula that he had preached on the Day of Pentecost! Even today there is no other way to be saved in the Dispensation of Grace!

Peter then continued teaching in Acts 3: 21-26. Peter never got to complete his sermon, for as he taught, the Pharisees and Saducees came and arrested Peter and John and held them in prison. Even with Peter not being able to finish his sermon, about 5,000 men did receive and believe the Word that Peter preached and did obey his teachings!

The next morning, Peter and John were brought into the midst of the same people that had crucified Jesus! They wanted to know how Peter and John had been able to heal a lame man.

Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, answered the Pharisees and Saducees by telling them that is was by the name of Jesus Christ that the lame man was healed! Again notice the difference now that Peter is filled with the Holy Ghost in comparison to Peter’s denial of Jesus Christ before he had received the Holy Ghost. Peter had done miracles before when sent out with the 70, but now that Peter had the Holy Ghost living inside of him, there was a boldness to preach to people about what they must do! After Peter boldly stated that they had crucified Jesus Christ, Peter then continued on by stating that if they were to be saved, then it would be by the power of the name of Jesus. Once again, Peter used the miracle to offer them a chance to be saved according to the Dispensation of Grace. Paul mentioned a similar them in his letter to the Romans:

Calling upon the name of Jesus is still the only way that a person can be saved! When a person Repents they must call upon Jesus Christ to forgive their sins. When a person is baptized, they must be baptized in the “name of the Lord Jesus.” When a person receives the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues, they do so by calling upon Jesus, for it is Jesus whom they are receiving into their hearts! When a person sins after the initial process of salvation, they do not have to be rebaptized but must repent and call upon the name of Jesus (I John 1:9). Peter and Paul were not giving any other salvational formula than the one preached upon the Day of Pentecost but were simply condensing the gospel message to it’s simplest form because of their audience. Peter knew that the Pharisees and Saducees would never consent to repentance, being baptized in Jesus’ name, or receiving Jesus into their life (infilling of the Holy Spirit) until they realized and accepted who Jesus Christ was. In Romans chapter 10, Paul was likewise writing about the nation of Israel’s rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and stating that they only way that they would ever be saved would be to first accept the fact that Jesus Christ was really who He said He was: Almighty God in flesh! Paul did not need to go into the process of calling upon the name of Jesus under Grace (Repentance, Water Baptism, Spirit Baptism) to the Roman Church because they had already followed the plan of salvation according to the Day of Pentecost. As we continue through the Book of Acts, we will see that what Peter preached upon the Day of Pentecost was the only method that Peter or Paul ever taught as the plan of salvation.

The Pharisees, Saducees, and religious leaders realized that there was now a difference in Peter and John! Realizing that uneducated men now spake with the same boldness and clarity of scripture as Jesus, they reasoned that it was because “they had been with Jesus.” What the religious leaders did not realize was that Jesus was not gone, but was now living inside of Peter and John! Not really being able to answer Peter and John’s theology, but still not believing that Jesus Christ was really the Messiah, the leaders commanded Peter and John to leave the room and then tried to decide what to do.

Realizing that they miracle had been witnessed by too many people for them to deny it, the Pharisees and Saducees commanded Peter and John not to speak or teach “in the name of Jesus.” Even the unbelieving religious leaders in Jerusalem realized that the miracle was done not by the power of Peter and John, but by the power “in the name of Jesus.”

Peter and John, even when threatened by the same people that had crucified Jesus, did not back down from their message! They simply stated that they were preaching the things which they had seen and heard! The religious leaders realized that all of the people were giving glory to GOD for the miracle, so they threatened them some more and then had to allow them to leave.

Obviously some of the church people had already been gathered together in prayer for Peter and John. When they were released, Peter and John immediately went to where the church was gathered together and informed then of the proceedings. The entire church body that was present began to pray to God in one accord. In their prayer they acknowledged that Jesus really was Almighty God and asked for guidance in the face of the obviously coming persecution.

The church’s prayer continued by asking God to see the threats made against them and to give them boldness to speak the word! Never did they consider giving in to the persecution but rather asked God to give them power to not worry about the persecution! Even today we should ask God to give us the boldness we need to speak His Word, and to give us the power to heal and to perform mighty works in His name. When they prayed this, the place was shaken and verse 31 states that “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” Notice the similarities between this occurrence and the outpouring upon the Day of Pentecost. These believers had already received the gift of the Holy Spirit that Day but now the scriptures record that they were filled with the Holy Ghost again. The church (Peter and John included) obviously had not “lost” the Holy Ghost, so why did they need this experience again? Remember that Isaiah had prophesied about the Holy Ghost as “the refreshing.” In realizing the situation, the church realized that they needed more power and more boldness. In other words, the news of coming persecution had caused their faith to waver and they needed a refreshing touch of the Spirit of God! This is yet another example of how the Holy Ghost wants to work in our life. We have already discussed exactly what is happening when a person receives the Holy Ghost experience with the evidence of speaking in tongues the first time, but sometimes when we are facing tough situations in our lives, our faith begins to waver. It is then that we can pray and ask God for “boldness, faith and power.” It is to this situation of the Holy Ghost working in our lives that Jude (one of the original twelve disciples, not Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus, but the other Judas) wrote about in his letter to the church:

Jude was writing to “beloved” people in the church. These people already had received the Day of Pentecost experience in their lives, but still needed to be reminded that the best way to build up their faith, was to “pray in the Holy Ghost.” The Holy Ghost is Jesus Christ living inside of us. We will see throughout the remainder of the New Testament, that the Holy Ghost wants to help us in every situation in our life. When a person yields themselves to God by praying and submitting themselves to His will, God will sometimes move upon that person just as He did when they first received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and they will begin to speak in tongues again. This does not necessarily mean that they had sinned or “lost the Holy Ghost,” but could mean that they are experiencing the “refreshing power of the Holy Ghost,” just as the church did in Acts chapter 4. This experience will only serve to build up the person’s faith that they can confront their situation with boldness to speak God’s Word! Praying to God to submit our will to God’s will and asking for the boldness to deal with the situation according to His Word should be our response to persecution and situation in our lives today! After a person receives the infilling of the Holy Spirit, God uses a similar experience to rekindle the passion in our lives, give us boldness, and rebuild our faith in Him. Do not settle for a powerless, fearful life, but learn to bring your situation to God in prayer and build up your faith by praying in the Holy Ghost.

This was the first miracle recorded in the newly-founded church other than the miracles of salvation. This was also the first recorded threats of persecution. The church did not allow the threat of persecution to deter them from their purpose of reaching people and living a victorious life in Christ. Even today we should not allow persecution to stop us from living from God. Even if the persecution comes from friends or family members, we should pray and ask God to help us to overcome the persecution and perform His will! Just as God helped the early church at the beginning of the Dispensation of Grace, He will also help the church today which is nearing the ending of the Dispensation of Grace!