Being Acts Chapter 29
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
Scripture:- Acts 1:1-3 “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to both to do and teach. Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God”. Acts 28:30-31 says “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him. Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him”
The book of Acts illustrates the Holy Spirit on the move in the world.
The Book of Acts, sometimes called the fifth Gospel, is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Dr. Luke is the writer
The Book of Acts is remarkable in many ways. It is a bridge between the Gospels and the Epistles. The New
Testament without the Book of Acts leaves a great gap. The last recorded fact about Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is the Resurrection, which is recorded in Acts 1. In the Gospel of Mark, the last recorded act of Jesus is the Ascension, which is also recorded in Acts 1. In the Gospel of Luke, the last recorded fact is the promise of the Holy Spirit. That is also in Acts 1. And in the Gospel of John the last recorded fact is the second coming of Christ also Acts 1.
It is as if the four Gospels had been poured into a funnel, and they all come down into this jug of the first chapter of the Book of Acts. Also, the great missionary commission, which appears in all four Gospels, is confirmed in the Book of Acts.
The Book of Acts furnishes a ladder on which to place the Epistles. It would be an enriching experience to read them together, as Acts gives the history of the founding of the churches to which the Epistles are directed.
The Book of Acts records the beginning of the church, the birth of the church. The Book of Genesis records the origin of the spiritual body which we designate as the church.
The theme or key to the Book of Acts is found in 1:8: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
The book divides naturally according to this key verse.
The Book of Acts is not complete. It breaks off with Paul in his own hired house in Rome. It has no proper ending.
Do you know why? It is because the Book of Acts is a continuing story.
The book is addressed to a man named “Theophilus” Theos = God Philia = Love therefore the name Theophilus literally means “loved by God,” “Lover of God” and carries the idea of “friend of God.”
Now I doubt want to get into a theological debate but you must understand there is a natural and spiritual side to scripture, naturally Luke is writing to a man named Theophilus but spiritually he is writing to all those that Love God, and have a relationship with God.
There are some that believe Theophilus is just a generic title that applies to all Christians. However, from the context of Luke and Acts, it seems clear that Luke is writing to a specific individual, even though his message is also intended for all Christians in all centuries. While both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts have applications for all Christians, they were probably written to a specific individual whom Luke addresses as “most excellent Theophilus” which was a way of greeting a Roman with some kind of position or status.
Now you need to understand this verses 2 & 3 says “Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God”. He preached the Kingdom and commanded them to preach the Kingdom. He promised them that “after the Holy Ghost had come they would be a witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth verse 8”, but first He commanded them spread the gospel.
WATCH THIS:- The first seven chapters record the Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Jerusalem. Chapters 8 through 12 record the Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Judea and Samaria. The remainder of the book is devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy
Spirit through the apostles unto the uttermost part of the earth.
When we come to the 28th chapter verse 30 & 31 we find Paul now has his own hired house and his is preaching and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence no man forbidding him and then it just ends. But that is not the end of the story chapter 29 and so on is to be lived by us and read throughout the world. 2 Corinthians 3:3 says, “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christs ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart”. The question I have for you is Are you being the 29 chapter of Acts? Are you keeping the commandment to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” - Matthew 28:19-20 or are you being content going to church having service as usual going home and waiting till next Sunday to do it all over again seeing who can shout the hardest or waiting to see if someone is going to be slain in the spirit. Understand there is nothing wrong with those things, but that is just the surface of worship. True worship is carrying on what God has established and bringing him glory and honor.
Someone may say well Bishop how can I be the 29th chapter of Acts. UNDERSTAND: - You are writing a Gospel, a chapter each day, by the deeds that you do and by the words that you say, others read what you write, whether faithless or true; hey, what is the Gospel According to You?
LISTEN: - There is a story I don’t know how true it is but it works. There was a town that had a statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched like the Rio De Janeiro Jesus Statues. One day a storm came and blew the statue of Jesus over and broke it. The people worked diligently to repair the statue when it was finished everything was back in place with the statue except the hands and the feet they could not be found. The people began to panic because the statue had no hands and feet and were going to take the statue down. Then an old wise man came, and he had a plaque in his hand he set it in front of the statue and walked away. The people wondered who this man was because no one recognized him or knew where he came from. The plaque said the statue has no feet or hands, but you must be the hands and feet you must do the work he will have you do, and you must go where he wants you to go.
How do you become the 29th chapter of Acts, you must be his hands and his feet, you must do what he wants you to do, go where he wants you to go, say what he wants you to say live how he wants you to live?
UNDRSTAND: - The 29th chapter of Acts is not written in ink, it will never be in the Bible, but the 29th chapter of Acts is written in Lambs Book of Life.
The 29th chapter of Acts doesn’t just sit in the sanctuary on Sunday morning clapping their hands and singing thinking they have done something but they live and understand Romans 15:20-21 I like how the NIV says it “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation Rather, as it is written: Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand”.
The 29th chapter of Acts is willing to leave the comfort of the church building and go out to the people meeting them and ministering to them where they are.
QUESTION: - Are you willing to go out of your comfort zone so people can see your good works and glorify God? Or are you one that would rather hold on to the rudiments and traditions of men.
WATCH THIS: - Jesus’ interactions with people changed their circumstances and life in astounding ways, the disciples went from being fishermen, tax collectors, and physicians to being the foundation of the church. Blind Bartimaeus was changed from living in darkness to receiving his sight, the woman with the issue of blood was changed from being an outcast that was literally dying to being called a daughter of God.
The demonic possessed man that couldn’t be chained with fetters and lived among the tombs was changed into an example to the rest of the city of what God can do. The woman of Nain was changed from a grieving mother to a mother full of joy unspeakable full of glory when Jesus touched her dead sons coffin and changed her situation. The 10 lepers were changed from being unclean to clean. These things were not done by Him staying in the synagogue and His comfort zone but was done out among the people where they lived, worked, begged, were headed to bury their dead.
The 29th chapter of Acts understands Jesus didn’t just point the way to a set of ideals or moral principles, He promised when we were born again by his spirit he would come to live inside us, guiding and empowering us to live meaningful and godly lives – Colossians 1:27 says “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. Luke 4:18 says “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised”. Then Jesus says in John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father”.
It is time for us to get off the bookshelf and be living epistles of Jesus Christ. We must become an open book easily accessible and read by all. I have a tag on a brief case that says every where you go preach Christ and when necessary, use words.
How do you preach Christ without using words, by living your life in such a way people can read it in your actions, they can see your good works and glorify God? However, so oftentimes we become comfortable and complacent literally preaching to the choir. Everybody in church knows we are saved, everybody in church knows our testimony. It is time to become the 29th chapter of Acts, it’s time that we become the epistles read of all men.
Unfortunately there are 7 words that will destroy the church, kill a ministry, and cause countless souls to be lost and they are WE NEVER DONE IT LIKE THAT BEFORE!
To be the 29th chapter we are going to have to get out of the way in get into God’s way. We are epistles the ink is the Spirit of God is in you the hope of glory the paper is your heart. God has written His Word in our hearts by His Spirit, so that the world will see us as the living manifestations of His Word – THE QUESTIONS ARE - Who is reading you? What are they reading?
Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven”.
WATCH THIS:- Jesus brought light, life, love, hope, and forgiveness to his creation, so we today who call ourselves Christians must step out in faith, follow him, and deliver the same message to a world in desperate need of a savior. Every diabolical thing comes across the Television and Internet but we must shine brighter. The devil will stop at nothing to keep the world from reading Christ in our lives we must stop at nothing to ensure that the world is reading our lives seeing Christ through us and glorifying God. We must be His feet and do as Matthew 28:19-20 says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen”.
When we go out into the world as his feet we will be going to places He would go, going to the homeless, the distraught, the helpless and hopelessly lost, the drug addict, the prostitute and stop hiding behind our religious garb, thinking because my shirt is purple or my dress is pristine white that I can do that because that’s not being the 29th chapter of Acts – that’s being religious and that’s not even pure religion – James 1:27 says “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world”.
We become the hands of Jesus, tending, preserving, serving, and healing the world he loves and entrusted us his followers to care for.
In the book of Genesis 1:26, it is said that God created man in His own image and likeness however, through sin this image became so corrupted, unrecognizable, lost, and forgotten by humankind. Our natural relationship with God was broken because of sin. Jesus came to provide an escape from death, reconciliation in our relationship with God, and restoration of the lost image of God in which we had been created.
We, as epistles of Christ, act as a spiritual mirror by which others might come to recognize the lost image of God that lies within them. As the 29th chapter of Acts we become epistles that are to become the mirror held up for others to see themselves lost without God.
When others read us and see Christ reflected in the image, we hold up to them, when they experience being valued and loved and treasured, it is then that their hearts will begin to unfold like flowers before him. It is then that the veil is lifted. It is then that understanding is restored. It is then that sanctifying grace can truly begin its work of rebuilding the human soul.
CLOSING: - We have been transformed and that is a powerful statement that holds a great deal of responsibility in it. Transformed old things have passed away and all things are new! Now we have the responsibility to be ambassadors and demonstrators of God's transforming power to those around us, we meet and throughout the uttermost part of the world. People are hurting, dying, crying, speeding rapidly on their way to hell eternally lost unless they can see that we are epistles of Christ and read through our lives the wonderful things of God and glorify Him.
Unfortunately, too many so-called Christians neglect the basics of the faith no going out and making disciples of all men but are literally replacing sound doctrine with old traditions and new teachings. They forget who God is, and who we are in Christ and if we do not know who God is and what our call, duty and responsibilities are, how are we going to grow in our faith, in maturity, and in character, not to mention in leading others in the direction of God's call?
To keep Acts going, we are to keep our eyes centered upon the Lord, our hearts desire upon Him, become the hands and feet of God, pleasing Him must be our chief ambition in life, and not be distracted from His purpose. Let me inject this here – this does not mean we don’t have a life, but all that I do in my life must portray Christ. On my job I must do my job but in doing my job portray Christ because someone is reading what I am writing, when driving my car portray Christ, in all things acknowledge Him.
As I stated earlier - You are writing a Gospel, a chapter each day, by the deeds that you do and by the words that you say, others read what you write, whether faithless or true; hey _______, what is the Gospel According to You?
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
