The Acts of the Apostles 
Chapter 1

Christians were still a small Jewish sect at the beginning of Acts. The name Christian is used three times in the New Testament. The first mention is in Acts 11:26, noting that they were first referred to as Christians in the City of Antioch. Presumably, the early followers of Christ referred to themselves as followers of “the Way” because of Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 that He is “the way and the truth and the life.” 

As noted, the Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the opening chapters of Acts and spreading of the Church. The Church would not have spread as far and wide across the Roman Empire, without the Holy Spirit. 

In v.1 Luke begins mentioning his former book—the Gospel of Luke—addressed to the “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3). Acts is a follow up to Luke’s testimony about Jesus Christ. Some commentaries believe Luke’s Gospel and Acts may have been a single document—but if so, I can only wonder why he would address Theophilus again in Acts if it was a continuation of the Gospel and not a follow-on book—which I believe it is. It’s believed that Theophilus, whose name is Greek and means "loved of (philus) God (Theo),“ was a government official, since he is addressed as a dignitary, “as most excellent" indicating a position worthy of respect. Theophilus” is obviously a Christian convert, perhaps through the influence of Luke who was a physician. In v.2 Luke noted that Jesus chose the apostles. Another important point in v.2 notes that Jesus was taken up to heaven. In that after being crucified, Jesus not only physically rose from the dead, but He also ascended bodily into heaven, signifying His divinity. 

Luke 1:3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus...

Over a period of forty days (v.3) Jesus appeared to His followers, proving to them He had indeed risen. One of the ways He proved He has physically risen was to eat with them—spiritual bodies don’t eat material food. In John 21, at the Sea of Tiberius, Jesus prepared a breakfast of fish cooked over a fire that He served with bread to His disciples. Luke doesn't cover the entire 40 days noted in v.3. 

John 21:11 Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 

The apostle Thomas had to see for himself before He believed in the physical resurrection of Jesus. One can only wonder why Thomas doubted after he was told by the other apostles that Jesus had risen. The same is true today in that not all who profess to be Christian believe in a literal physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, and see Easter as more of a spiritual awakening, which we will look at briefly in the next slide. 

Thomas isn’t the only one who didn’t believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. This chart has to do with Great Britain but may be a broader representation that extends beyond Britain, showing that within the Christian Church there are those who profess to be Christian yet reject/deny the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. The saddest part is that even those noted as active Christians, who attend church regularly, just over half believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ as stated in the Bible, and more than 40% do not believe the Bible version. What would it take for them to believe? What did it take for Thomas to believe? The Anglican Church is the national church of Great Britain. 

We have to turn to John for the details regarding Thomas. This particular event isn’t included in Acts, but as stated in John it certainly substantiates the apostles’ and disciples’ belief in a resurrected Jesus Christ. It isn’t a matter of their opinion or conjecture, but a record of facts recorded in the Gospel of John as the Word of God. (con’t on next slide)

Jesus’ resurrection was demonstrated to Thomas by Jesus Himself, not only visually, but by actual touch. Thomas’ unbelief was used by God to demonstrate the reality of the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ….and it forever stands as a testimony of the risen Jesus Christ. Not everyone who professes to be Christian, even some pastors (from my personal experience) accept the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. Thomas’ unbelief was changed to belief because of his personal experience in seeing Jesus and touching His wombs. The Holy Spirit ensured that this was recorded in the Bible to show it as an actual event and not just by word of mouth.

Jesus’ message to Thomas is for all who believe in the Bible as the Word of God. There is no ambiguity here, it is a stated fact and verbal warning to anyone that professes to be Christian (v.31): God’s Word is true and the very foundation of what we believe and why we believe it. Jesus knew the future that some who profess to be Christian, would not believe. They may profess to be Christian and even go to church, but they are not Christian in that they are not born again as we see in Acts. 

Back to Acts. We can be certain that the apostles didn’t quite understand what Jesus meant, that they “will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (v.5). As a Roman Catholic kid we made our Confirmation, which we believed was the receiving of the Holy Spirit, a ritual performed by the local bishop. Confirmation is defined as a Sacrament in the Catholic Church in which the one who is confirmed, usually children around the age of 7, considered the age of reason, receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the imposition of an anointing with oils by the bishop. It was a big deal for us kids and our families. 

In Christian theology, baptism with the Holy Spirit, also called baptism in the Holy Spirit, has been interpreted by different Christian denominations in a variety of ways due to differences in the doctrines of salvation. Some see it in terms of water baptism, i.e., being dunked. Many, including those in the Reformed Faith, see “the baptism of the Holy Spirit” defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the very moment of regeneration–the moment we believe and accept Jesus as Savior. Do you remember that moment? Few do. Baptism is being joined with other believers in the Church, i.e. Body of Christ. 

John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

A little bit of Church history. Before the 16th century Reformation, there were two branches of Christianity: Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox that split in 1054. Up until the Reformation the rites of the Roman Catholic prevailed in Western Europe, and Greek Orthodox rituals and traditions in Eastern Europe. Here’s an illustration of Confirmation in the Roman Catholic Church, i.e., a ritual for receiving the Holy Spirit—in which the one who is confirmed receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the anointing with oils by the bishop. It's considered a sacrament of initiation which brings one deeper into communion with the Church. Before the Reformation, this was the common practice in the Church.

These are Jesus’ words in John 3:3. We are only born again with and by the Holy Spirit. Unless one is born again, even if they belong to a church, they are not part of the Body of Christ. One must prayerfully and sincerely repent and profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. The next couple of slides put these words into context. 

The scene in John 3:1-8 (con’t on next slide) takes place in Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover of 30 AD. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish high court called the Sanhedrin, visited Jesus in the dark of the night—most likely because he feared recrimination of the other Pharisees if he did so during the day and was seen. V.2 explains why he's asking, because Jesus was performing miracles that could only come from God. In v.3 Jesus goes one step further, with the statement that one must be “born again”. 

Nicodemus questions Jesus further, about what does it mean to be “born again”? Some Christians use v.5 to support that water baptism is necessary for being born again. But Jesus made this comment long before Christian baptism was instituted. This combination of water and Spirit occurs in the O.T. in representing the outpouring of God’s Spirit in the end times, something Nicodemus would be quite familiar with (Is. 32:15, 44:3; Ezek. 36:25-27)—but that’s a whole different study. Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a wind that cannot be seen. If water baptism was necessary for salvation, that would make salvation a work’s righteousness—dependent on what we do, and not on what God does by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. 

In v.6 Jesus doesn’t deny Israel’s kingdom being restored—something we explored in our prior End Times study. The Holy Spirit was going to make a major difference in their lives and mission, in that they would receive spiritual power when He comes to them at Pentecost (tongues of fire; not water baptism). We can only wonder what was going through their minds. We can be certain that no one could have imagined that tongues of fire would descend on each one (Jesus’ description to Nicodemus). Something that was visible for everyone to witness, signifying that each one of them was born again as the body of Christ, divine proof directly from God; and as witnesses to the very ends of the earth.

In v.10 two angels appear in the form of men dressed in white, stood beside them. Their message: Jesus will return in the same why that He ascended—prophesying the Second Coming of Christ, that we discussed in our prior End Times study, following the Tribulation The next verses tell us that this took place on the Mount of Olives. Dressed in white generally means supernatural or glorified beings, i.e. angels. 

It seems that they had to pace themselves returning to Jerusalem in accordance with Jewish law. The "oral" law indicated a Sabbath day's walk (Acts 1:12) which was 2,000 cubits or about 3,000 feet; however, this was a manmade rule, not a regulation ordained by God in the Old Testament. All eleven apostles are mentioned in v.13, as was Jesus’ mother, Mary in v.14. 

Three views of the Mount of Olives in relationship to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It shows the distance they had to travel back to Jerusalem. The bottom right photo is probably the best in regard to perspective of distance traveled. 

Once back in Jerusalem they went to the upper room (v.13). Images show what’s commonly believed to be the “upstairs room” (NIV), more commonly referred to as the “upper room” (NKJV) looked like, also where the Last Supper was held prior to Jesus death. 

Peter raises the issue of Judas, who betrayed Jesus. Peter apparently though that since Jesus picked twelve apostles, and now there were only eleven, the situation had to be rectified. Peter was the apparent leader of the apostles based on a number of Bible verses including Matt. 16:19. What exactly did Jesus mean when He gave Peter the keys of the kingdom? The Roman Catholic Church believes the Pope is Peter’s successor, who now has that authority as sanctioned in the R.C. Church and its sacrament (next slide).

Matt 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 

In v.18, Peter describes Judas Iscariot’s suicide, and the field that was purchased with the 30 pieces of silver Judas received for betraying Jesus, which became a potter's field (burial place for paupers and strangers). 

Matt 26:14 Then one of the Twelve — the one called Judas Iscariot — went to the chief priests 15 and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. 

Peter is quoting Psalm 109:8. He is noting it as the reason why they must select a replacement to fill Judas’ role as an apostle. It raises the question, is it man’s role to fill that vacancy or God’s? Where did Peter get the authority to make this decision? We see the answer in Matthew 16 (next slide). The image shows Peter holding a “key”, just as stated in Matt. 16:19. The Catholic Church uses this to justify the Pope’s authority over the Church, even in regard to forgiving sin, which is called the Sacrament of Penance (a.k.a., Confession), now called the Sacrament of Reconciliation in which the faithful are absolved from sins committed after Baptism. Without it, if one had committed a “mortal sin” and dies, they cannot enter heaven and are destined for hell. If one does not confess venial (minor) sins, they would have to make restitution for them in Purgatory—a teaching rejected by Martin Luther after studying Romans, ultimately leading to the Protestant Reformation. 

A brief look at Matthew 16. The Roman Catholic Church points to these verses as the reason the Pope’s authority is directly from Peter, who is described as the first Bishop of Rome (a.k.a., Pope—a title first used in the 9th century). The Bishop of Rome was recognized as the head of the church up until the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Protestants understand the "rock" in v.18 to be Jesus Himself. Jesus could be referring back to Peter's confession that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16) or perhaps He was pointing to Himself when He made the statement. Why do Protestants believe this? First, Jesus would not build His church upon any person other than Himself; and Paul took the Church to the Gentile world, not Peter. Nor does Paul mention building the Church upon Peter in any of his epistles, nor in Acts during his missionary work. 

As noted in v.21, it was Peter’s decision to install someone in the position vacated by Judas Iscariot. In v.22 “taken up from us” refers to Jesus’ ascension. In the decision process, Peter spells out the criteria for the position of apostle. Each apostle, including Judas Iscariot was hand-picked by Jesus. No human decision was involved, other than Jesus Christ. Yet this would get down to exactly that, a human decision. They had valid criteria, but one must wonder why they felt it was necessary to fill Judas’ vacancy at that particular time. The number 12 is said to signify completion. Twelve is found in 187 places in the Bible, including the number of Tribes in Israel, and is used with special significance in regard to the Jerusalem Temple (Leviticus 24). All of which is what most likely compelled Peter to make that decision. If you recall in our prior study on the End Times, there was Twelve thousand Jewish evangelists from each of the twelve tribes of Israel (144,000 total) during the end time's Great Tribulation (Revelation 7). One important point, it was Jesus who selected the next apostle, his name was Saul which we will see later on in Acts 9.

In v.23-26 (con’t next slide) it was decision time. There were two candidates, Barsabbas (Barsabas in NKJV) and Matthias. Each had been with Jesus from the beginning along with the apostles, but, what I see as an important distinction, Jesus knew each one but didn’t choose either one to be an apostle. Who else could they choose? Did they even consider this factor? Apparently not. 

The final decision was made by casting lots (something like throwing dice), and Matthias was selected by a throw of the dice (or something like that—but nevertheless, by chance). Did the Holy Spirit do the choosing? He certainly could have; at least the apostles thought so. Matthias is short for Mattathias, which means “gift of Yahweh.” Matthias isn’t mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, New or Old Testaments—or once even in the four Gospels. 

Remember back in v.1:1, Luke reported that Jesus chose the apostles, yet the apostles chose Matthias. Much of what we “know” about Matthias is rooted in legend or speculation. I think there is an analogy regarding filling the office of elder in the church, because the elders with the pastor, determine the direction of a church. Who’s doing the calling, man or Holy Spirit?

Acts 1:4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he ][Jesus] gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."  

We can envision the laying on of hands to anoint Matthias. In the New Testament the laying on of hands was associated with Christ healing the sick (Luke 4:40) and after his ascension the receiving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14–19). Initially the Apostles laid hands on new believers (Acts 6:5–6). In the early church, the practice continued and is still used in a wide variety of church ceremonies, such as during ordination of elders and deacons.

Since chapter 3 had to with the replacement of Judas, it raises the question, why did Jesus pick Judas knowing he would betray Him? Actually, he picked Judas as part of His preordained plan, knowing Judas would betray Him. Adrian Rogers explains in his sermon at end of this lesson. 

Acts isn’t just early church history, it’s also a guide for how we should live as Christians, and a measure for how our society is doing in regard to how God would have us live. It's also a call to start meeting again as the church. 

Don't skip Adrian Rogers' sermon that follows.

May 2nd looks like an appropriate date for returning to Heritage Lounge. The blog will continue with our study of the Book of Acts in the meantime. 

I believe Adrian Rogers’ sermon (next slide) was preached about 1999, based on content. We have drifted that much further over the last twenty years.

Psalm 80:7 Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.  

Judas betrayal of Jesus was foreordained by God. He used Judas’ betrayal, but didn’t make Judas betray Jesus. Which raises the question: Why did Jesus choose Judas to be one of the twelve? The question is addressed in Adrian Rogers’ sermon. 

Adrian Rogers’ 40-minute sermon: Why did Jesus choose Judas?

https://youtu.be/FVeaVLdJIeA

(copy and paste into your web browser)

Pray also that our study of Acts and Pastor Scotts’ Wednesday studies may empower us with the Holy Spirit to follow God’s will in sharing His word, just as was done in the early church. 

End of 

The Acts of the Apostles

Chapter 1

 The Acts of the Apostles 

Introduction

We spent nine weeks on the End Times in our prior study—a heavy topic (perhaps too heavy for some) but definitely appropriate for today’s times. Our current study will be more traditional. For those who had not attended our Sunday morning Foundation classes, our Heritage Lounge classes are called GPS: “God’s Positioning System”. Its purpose and goal is to be Christ’s witnesses in a world that has lost its bearings and a nation that is drifting farther away from God. 

Our current study is the Book of Acts, a little more traditional study than the End Times. We did a study of Acts four years ago in 2017. There were about 22 in our class at the time. The current study format and material is not identical but, of course, follows the Book as written with additional background information. If you studied Acts before, will you learn anything? Absolutely! How many times have you read or even studied each of the Gospels or Epistles (letters)? Did you learn anything each time? I’m certain you did.  Otherwise, all we would have to do is read the Bible once, and never have cause to read it again. There is always something new to learn. So, I hope you join us as we study Acts. 

The Book of Acts covers a period of about 30 to 35 years. The church began with almost totally Jewish-converts and became predominantly Gentile-converts as we see in Acts, which serves as a bridge between the four Gospels and the New Testament apostolic Epistles (letters). It begins with the ascension of Christ (30–33 AD) and continues through to 62–64 AD with Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. An important aspect of Acts is the conversion of Saul on his journey to persecute Christians in Damascus (Acts 9:3-4). Peter and Paul are the two central figures in Acts. 

Out of all the books in the Bible, why Acts? Pastor Scott piqued my interest with his recent sermon series on Acts and evangelism, especially with Easter approaching, which sets the stage for the Book of Acts. So then, why not Acts? It continues the narrative that Luke began in his gospel, which is important because both books together provide the first written history of the early Church. Acts concerns a vital period in Church history from the resurrection of Jesus Christ, baptism with the Holy Spirit, spread of the church, and imprisonment of the apostle Paul. Those early Christians lived during perilous times, yet they prevailed. We are living in uncertain times, and yes, there is an analogy.  

In the Acts of the Apostles, about half of it focuses on Paul. Eleven of the apostles are named in Acts 1:13, “Peter and John, and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James." Even though Peter is the central figure in the early chapters up to chapter 15, Paul meets Jesus in Acts 9, and then becomes the central figure in later chapters. The focus of Acts begins with the early Jewish Christians, and then bringing the Gospel to the pagan Gentile world. What kind of world was it? How receptive to the Gospel was its culture? How receptive to the Gospel is our culture?

This is the essence of the message they had to share with both Jews and Gentiles. We can only imagine the impression, if any, the Gospel message had on the pagan world of Paul’s day and the Jewish world of commandments, rituals and animal sacrifices, all of which were only temporary as an ongoing payment-plan to make restitution for personal sins to a Holy God. The difference between then and today is most people believed in “a god” then and few believe in “God” today. 

The ancient Jerusalem temple was an edifice dedicated to the worship of Jehovah God—Yahweh! An important part of temple worship was animal sacrifice, which involved the shedding of innocent blood! The temple both represented and was dedicated to the awesomeness of Jehovah and as restitution for the sins of the nation of Israel/Judea.

How often were the temple sacrifices made? Opinions differ, some believe that every regular weekday, Sabbath, and many Jewish holidays had their own unique offerings. There seems to be a degree of support for this view (next slide). Next slide defines each area of the temple, which served as a house of prayer; also from where God emanated to all of Israel. 

Heb 9:20 He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep." 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 

Jews made pilgrimages to Jerusalem as described in Acts 1. If you want to know more about the temple go to Pastor Scott Larson’s Wednesday evening study (week 5) focusing on the temple—and why there even is a temple, per the following link..

https://covp.org/connect/wednesdays-live-lessons

(copy and paste into your web browser—you have to scroll down when your there)

(PS: you can click on the picture to enlarge it. Hit esc to return to normal reading)

View showing the outer courtyards, where the next slide takes place. Just like in Judah, without sincere worship, corruption for personal gain becomes the norm.

This incident would indicate some form of worship and animal sacrifice were a daily occurrence, and not an annual one as some commentaries indicated. Doves were purchased by the poorest people, most making a financial sacrifice in doing so. 

Mark 11:15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written:  "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"  

Similar beliefs regarding animal sacrifice and shedding of blood existed across the ancient world. Animal sacrifices were common to appease the gods. The shedding of blood was an important part of their religious beliefs and rituals. Baal's worshipers appeased him by offering sacrifices, usually animals such as sheep or bulls (1 Kings 18:23). The sacrifice to Baal even included the first born of the person offering the sacrifice. Is there any similarity regarding the sacrifice of unborn children in America?

Great temples were built to appease the gods throughout ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, much of which included animal sacrifices to appease the gods and get favors from them. The Greeks and Romans share many of the same gods, but with different names. 

Just as the apostles and disciples received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we too are born-again by the power of the Holy Spirit. We will see examples of what that means as we go through our study. This slide is presented as a statement of fact and not intended as a lecture on what we need to do. What we do and how we do it is between each individual and God. My personal prayer is that the Holy Spirit guides this study for God’s glory and our edification. Do you believe God has a  plan for your life? I do. I believe He has a plan for each of us individually, and all of us collectively as the Body of Christ.

An important part of Acts was Paul’s three missionary journeys as shown on the map. His fourth and final journey is when He was sent to Rome under guard to plead his case before Caesar’s court. Acts begins in Jerusalem with Peter as the central figure; at the end it follows Paul’s final trip, which takes him to Rome where he is placed under house arrest. As a Roman citizen, Paul is afforded certain courtesies. He lives by himself and is guarded by a single guard. He spends a lot of time preaching to Romans from his cell, which is the last we hear about Paul in the Book of Acts. (Click on picture to enlarge it. Hit esc to return to normal viewing).

As we go through our study of Acts, think of the strong faith and perseverance of the early church in sharing the Gospel in a pagan world, a message that we are sinners in need of a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus Christ. Some churches have drifted from Jesus’ commission to go out and share the Gospel message with the whole world as stated in Acts 1:8. Something we will look at.   

Acts 1:7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  

We can find an answer to this question in the Book of Hosea in the Old Testament. Hosea was a prophet in the Northern kingdom of Israel, that enjoyed economic prosperity and political security during the reign of Jeroboam (793-753 B.C.). It was followed by a period of political and social chaos, and religious decline; and later complete turmoil in domestic and foreign affairs. Sound a little bit familiar? It raises the question, where has the church gone, and where are we going as a nation? Much of what is called worship today is a form of idolatry; a substitute for sincere biblical worship.  

Reflection of a Christian Europe—a.k.a. Christendom, built many of the cathedrals/basilicas across Europe, some dating back to the fourth century. We can be certain they were built with the same reverence and purpose to worship the Lord God, as was the temple in Jerusalem. 

The medieval cathedrals in Europe sprung up to honor and worship God. It’s principal form of worship was the Roman Catholic “sacrifice of the mass” (i.e. the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross). Photo of Notre Dame in Paris, France. Many of those cathedrals/basilicas throughout Europe, including this one, have now become principally tourist attractions; true of several churches I attended in Europe, including St. Paul’s cathedral in London, England (an Anglican church) that can accommodate 2,000 people, but about 100 were at Sunday's worship. What happened to the Church in Western society? Perhaps Acts will give us some insight. 

National Cathedral is an Episcopal church. We’ll take a brief look at this historic, traditional denomination.

Grace Church was established in 1808 and started worship services in 1834. It is of a French Gothic Revival style architecture like Europe’s cathedrals. One could easily conclude that God is worshiped there and the Gospel is faithfully preached. Grace Church started a school as many churches have done, the intent being to instill the faith in children and spread the Word. 

Grace Church School was of a similar architecture as the church. The school (photo) was founded in 1894 by Grace Church as the first choir boarding school in New York City. The private day school began in 1934. So, how well has the School done in enhancing the faith of its children and spreading the Word? The question gets down to just what “word” are they teaching and spreading? Without church oversight and biblical doctrine, the culture has an open door into the school and the church. 

While the school has continued its close relationship with Grace Church, since 1972 it has been governed by an independent Board of Trustees and it is a fully accredited member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools and the National Association of Independent Schools. Grace Church School is also a member of the National Association of Episcopal Schools. One has to wonder, does it no longer have church oversight? Covenant Christian School has a member of Session and church members on its board; an important distinction. 

Grace Church School published an “Inclusive Language Guide” as part of their curriculum, based on what is referred to as the “Woke” ideology shaping the culture and lives of young children.  Put this within context of the early church in Acts, which was to change the culture and not be changed by the culture. 

Definition, as noted, was downloaded from the web, but it does reflect it as professed, including the elimination of gender identity. Children are being told that they can decide their own gender based on how they feel, not how they were born. The sheer zeal with which middle managers and HR executives, as well as the students rioting in the streets aspiring to join their numbers, have latched onto the successor ideology, reveals their grasp of the potential power it affords them…the apparatuses of the new ideology are the education system, the mass media and the culture industry: go to university, read the newspaper, listen to mainstream radio and TV: there is no escape from the ideology of the administrative class. And now we find it not just in schools, but even a Christian school. 

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 

The very name "woke" is a play on the Christian Great Awakenings that swept across the United States at various times in our past, revitalizing old faiths and giving birth to new ones. Read how it is being used in Grace Church School, before going to the next slide.

These are the current guidelines for their school. What has happened to the Episcopal Church? Is this the Great Commission Jesus had in mind as noted in Acts?  Of course not. The Gospel message is very clear in the Book of Acts. How can those associated with a Christian denomination drift so far and become so intertwined with the culture. 

Pastor Adrian Rogers’ sermon is well suited for today’s America. The Supreme Court banned the Bible and prayer in public schools in 1962. Kids no longer had moral guidelines consistent with the Bible, and we are seeing the consequences of that decision today, and increasingly so. 

Pastor Adrian Rogers 40-minute sermon: Standing Firm in a Pagan World – Acts 17

https://youtu.be/F9IKFsiG0-Y

(copy link and post in your web browser)

Our Nation is in serious need of prayer. Will God hear our prayers? Yes. Will God respond to our prayers? Yes. But how He responds is TBD. Nevertheless, He tells us to pray. Pray for America, and wisdom for the president and congress. Pray for our church, our pastor and his family, and our congregation. Pray for wisdom and guidance for our Session. 

My intent is to return to Heritage Lounge after everyone has gotten their Covid-19 vaccinations and are safe and comfortable in doing so. A year is a very long time to be away. There are three pending dates as noted, for resuming our studies in Heritage Lounge. The blog will continue with our study of the Book of Acts in the meantime. 

End of The Acts of the Apostles

 Introduction