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Steven Cole · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Cole writes "Whatever our needs, our greatest need is to be filled continually with God’s Spirit (Eph 5:18-+). So Jesus instructs us to come as needy children and ask the Father to pour out His Spirit upon us. Jesus’ specifying the Holy Spirit shows that He is not promising to meet our every whim for material things or for earthly benefits. But He is promising that if something is for our spiritual good and we come as trusting children and ask, the loving Father will give it to us." John 7:39-+ But this He spoke of the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Ray Pritchard comments on the Spirit - Are you spooked out by the Holy Spirit? Perhaps I should say, “Are you spooked out by the Holy Ghost?” Lots of Christians are, you know. They say things like, “I know about God the Father, and I know about Jesus, but the Holy Spirit is a mystery to me.” You may remember the story about the little boy who liked to scare people by saying, “Boo! I’m the Holy Ghost.” That story is apt because the Holy Spirit (“Ghost” is the older term) scares many Christians. Maybe they’re heard things or seen things on TV. Or perhaps the idea of a “Holy Spirit” seems hard to grasp. We understand the concept of God the Creator, and we certainly know about Jesus who walked among us 2000 years ago. But the Holy Spirit is another matter. Where does he fit in?...One of the oldest prayers of the church contains only three words: “Come, Holy Spirit.” Here is the ultimate irony of this message. Because the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see spiritual truth, we need the Holy Spirit to understand the Holy Spirit! So we pray “Come, Holy Spirit, and help us to know you better. Amen."...The Holy Spirit brings the life of God to the thirsty soul. That’s what the Holy Spirit provides for us. He will fill our lives with living water. If we are thirsty, we are invited to take a drink and see for ourselves. Have you ever felt like spiritually “dry ground"? Have you ever felt “thirsty” for more of the Lord? Have you ever felt empty and needing to be filled? The Holy Spirit is God’s answer for our deep inner thirst. When He comes into our lives, He comes like a river rushing over dry ground. He pours out His blessings and our lives begin to blossom again. No one need stay “dry” or “empty” or “thirsty” forever. We weren’t made to live in a desert. God’s river called the Holy Spirit can flow through our lives, slaking our thirst, filling our emptiness, covering the arid ground with the water of life. (Water, Wine, Wind, Fire - Keep Believing Ministries) John 14:16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 15:26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, John 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was also prophetically promised in the Old Testament Isaiah 32:15 Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest. Isaiah 44:3 ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants; Ezekiel 36:27-+ “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Joel 2:28-+ “It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Anderson summarizes the teaching of the promised Holy Spirit - John spoke of baptism, or immersion, in the Spirit, contrasting it with immersion in water that he practiced. John forecast the day when the Holy Spirit would be not only on men but in them. The Lord foretold the day when the Holy Spirit would stay with men, not for a little while, but forever. The Holy Spirit would never again be given by measure to God's people, but in unlimited quantity. They were to be immersed in the Spirit of God, just as previously they had been immersed in water. (What the Bible teaches – Acts and James) May the mind of Christ my Saviour Live in me from day to day, By his love and power controlling All I do and say. Katie Barclay Wilkinson To wait for (4037)(perimeno from peri = about + meno = to remain) means to wait around, to stay in one place and anticipate or expect something. The thought of patience is predominant. Perimeno conveys the sense of to wait for and/or to expect an upcoming event, in this case the coming of the gift of the Holy Spirit. In classical Greek perimeno meant “to expect” (to look for as likely to occur or appear; look forward to; anticipate) or “to await.” There is only one other use of perimeno in the non-apocryphal Septuagint "For Your salvation I wait, O LORD." (Ge 49:18) David
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Cole - In the Book of Acts, this initial reception of the Spirit’s indwelling follows the pattern of Acts 1:8. In Acts 2, the believers in Jerusalem receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8 and 10, the new believers in Judea and Samaria receive the Spirit. In Acts 19, believers in Ephesus (the remotest parts of the earth) receive the Spirit. Since then, every Christian receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (1 Cor. 12:13; Ro 8:9-+; Gal. 3:2-5-+). But although every Christian has received the Spirit, we still need continually and repeatedly to be filled with or controlled by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18-+). This is also referred to as walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16 - Ed comment: I see walking by the Spirit as the conduct that comes from one who is filled with or controlled by the Spirit so that filling is not strictly speaking identical to walking, in my opinion) and it results in the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, rather than the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:22-23-+). The power of the Spirit that we need for witnessing is not just the power to speak the gospel boldly and clearly. We also need the Spirit’s power to live holy lives. Our godly lives are the foundation for our verbal witness. If you are not denying ungodly lusts and growing in holiness (Titus 2:12-+), then please do not tell anyone that you are a Christian, because your life will bring disgrace to the name of Christ. I am not saying that you must be perfect before you bear witness. I am saying that you must be walking in the Holy Spirit, seeking to please God with your life, and forsaking all known sin. The power for verbal witness is not identical with being an effective salesman. An effective salesman may be able to talk someone into making a decision for Christ, but only God can impart new life to a dead sinner. We need to be clear and persuasive when we present the facts about Christ and the gospel, but the power to save a sinner lies with the Holy Spirit, not with us. Thus we cannot witness effectively for Christ unless we rely upon the Holy Spirit to produce godliness in our daily lives and to use our verbal witness as we have opportunity. (Acts 1:3-11 Doing Jesus’ Work) Baptized (907) (baptizo from bapto = cover wholly with a fluid; stain or dip as with dye; of a blacksmith tempering red-hot steel, of dyeing the hair; of a ship that "dipped" or sank) has a literal and a figurative meaning in the NT. The literal meaning is to submerge, to dip or immerse as in water. The main meaning of baptizo is to be totally identified with something, in this case, the Holy Spirit. The passive voice “be baptized with” indicates that God (Christ) did the baptizing and that the disciples were to be merely the recipients. This makes sense for the Spirit is God's gift and our part is simply to receive the gift by grace through faith in Christ. A study of the 77 NT uses reveals that most of the uses of baptizo in the Gospels and Acts are associated with literal water baptism. The Baptism with the Spirit however is a figurative use that refers to spiritual baptism, not a water baptism. Luke's uses of baptizo - Lk 1:5, Lk. 3:7; Lk. 3:12; Lk. 3:16; Lk. 3:21; Lk. 7:29; Lk. 7:30; Lk. 11:38; Lk. 12:50; Acts 1:5; Acts 2:38; Acts 2:41; Acts 8:12; Acts 8:13; Acts 8:16; Acts 8:36; Acts 8:38; Acts 9:18; Acts 10:47; Acts 10:48; Acts 11:16; Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33; Acts 18:8; Acts 19:3; Acts 19:4; Acts 19:5; Acts 22:16 But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit - The meaning of the baptism of the Spirit is controversial and there is considerable disagreement among respected Christians. My comments will not solve the controversy and will not be an in depth treatment of this subject. What we can say for sure is that the baptism with the Spirit is the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). It is a gift. We cannot do anything to earn this gift. God gives the gift and that is important to keep in mind. And as Acts 1:8 says, the reception of the gift of the Spirit is the only way the apostles can take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Adrian Rogers said it well... Being baptized with the Holy Spirit — means He is now Resident in your heart. Being filled with the Holy Spirit — means He is now President there. The Holy Spirit never leaves a surrendered vessel unfilled or unused.
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Cole - The disciples ask Jesus if it is at this time that He is restoring the kingdom to Israel. He replies, in a nice way, “That’s none of your business. Your job is to be My witnesses in every part of the world.” In other words, our focus is not to be on prophetic timetables, but on the Great Commission. Commentators are quick to jump on the disciples for focusing on the earthly kingdom of Israel, whereas Jesus’ focus was on His spiritual kingdom. But this is to miss the point. Jesus did not correct the notion that He would someday restore the kingdom to Israel. He corrected their concern about when it would happen. He redirected their focus to the great task of the present age, to bear witness of Jesus Christ to all peoples. Donald Grey Barnhouse calls the amillennial view (that God is through with the Jews as a people and that there will not be a future kingdom on earth) “one of the greatest heresies that men can promulgate”. On the other side, I read this week from a web site called “Dispensational Dementia,” that dispensationalism is a terrible heresy that denies the gospel. I think that both Barnhouse and the anti-dispensationalists are greatly overstating their criticisms! There are godly Bible scholars who hold to all of the major views (pre-, post-, and a-millennial) of Bible prophecy. As long as they affirm the bodily second coming of Jesus Christ in power and glory, there is room for difference of opinion, and we must be charitable to those who disagree with us. While it is both necessary and profitable to study the prophetic portions of Scripture and to try to fit them into a consistent eschatology, we need to take heed to our Lord’s warning here. We should not get so caught up with our views of prophecy that we neglect the clear mandate of the Great Commission. (Acts 1:3-11 Doing Jesus’ Work) He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs - Stated another way "You are not permitted to know the times or periods...." or "it is not your concern." Moses made a similar statement declaring to Israel that "“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed (SO SOME THINGS WILL BE REVEALED, BUT NOT ALL THINGS) belong to us and to our sons forever, (NOTICE THE PURPOSE) that we may observe all the words of this law (KNOWLEDGE REVEALED TO US AS WE STUDY THE SCRIPTURES IS NOT TO MAKE US SMARTER SINNERS, BUT TO MAKE US MORE LIKE THE SAVIOR! REMEMBER KNOWLEDGE PUFFS UP! GOD DESIRES NOT BIG HEADS BUT TENDER HEARTS!)." (Dt 29:29) Jesus is not saying we should never spend time studying Bible prophecy (eschatology) as I commonly hear some younger evangelicals suggest. What Jesus is saying, is where Scripture does not tell us specifically on a topic, specifically in this case, the timing of the coming Kingdom of God, we are not to bother ourselves with attempting to set dates. Some who study prophecy read the newspapers and interpret the prophecy through the news of the day. That is backwards, for our primary focus should always be on the Scriptures, and then we will be able to discern the signs of the times when they clearly, unequivocally square with the description in God's Word. Does that make sense? I love prophecy but it has gotten a "bad name" (so to speak) because some who study it make claims which are sensationalistic or speculative which "sours" prophetic study for others who are more sober-minded. Know (1097)(ginosko) means to acquire information through some modality, as through sense perception (hearing). Used in Mt 13:11 where Jesus told the disciples "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted." Yes, they would know some of the mysteries of the kingdom, but not the exact timing of the kingdom. Times (5550)(chronos) is an indefinite period of time during which some activity or event takes place. Chronos is used in Acts 17:30 Paul declaring "having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent." Peter uses chronos later in this chapter as they prepare to select an apostle to replace Judas, declaring "it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us." Luke's uses of chronos - Lk. 1:57; Lk. 4:5; Lk. 8:27; Lk. 8:29; Lk. 18:4; Lk. 20:9; Lk. 23:8;Acts 1:6; Acts 1:7; Acts 1:21; Acts 3:21; Acts 7:17; Acts 7:23; Acts 8:11; Acts 13:18; Acts 14:3; Acts 14:28; Acts 15:33; Acts 17:30; Acts 18:20; Acts 18:23; Acts 19:22; Acts 20:18; Acts 27:9 Steven Cole - Jesus says that it is not for us to know the times or epochs. Times is the Greek word chronos, and refers to any length of time. It includes the other word, kairos, which means opportune moments or critical, epoch-making periods (R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament). Thus the Reformation or the great missionary movement of the past 200 years would be “epochs.” All such movements are already fixed by the Father by His own authority. This should give us great comfort, not only that history is under God’s sovereign control and plan, but that it is the Father who is our Sovereign! Thus whether we live in an age of intense persecution for our faith or in an age of revival, we can know that the loving Father is in sovereign control. Epochs (seasons)(2540) (kairos) means a season, a period of time, frequently with the implication of being especially fit for something and without emphasis on precise chronology. An epoch defines a period marked by distinctive character, a point in time beginning a new or distinctive period or a long period of time marked by some predominant or typical characteristic. Kairos can mean a moment or period as especially appropriate the right, proper, favorable time (at the right time). An opportunity. Something that lasts for a season and thus endures only for a specific period of time. In his sermon Peter used kairos declaring "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times (kairos) of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19-+) Luke's uses of kairos - Lk. 1:20; Lk. 4:13; Lk. 8:13; Lk. 12:42; Lk. 12:56; Lk. 13:1; Lk. 18:30; Lk. 19:44; Lk. 20:10; Lk. 21:8; Lk. 21:24; Lk. 21:36; Acts 1:7; Acts 3:19; Acts 7:20; Acts 12:1; Acts 13:11; Acts 14:17; Acts 17:26; Acts 19:23; Acts 24:25 William Mounce writes that "unlike chronos, which is more focused on chronological time, kairos is time as significant events. This term frequently designates events in salvation history, such as the “time” of the birth of Moses, who led the Exodus from Egypt (Acts 7:20), as well as “the appointed time” for Christ to lead the second “exodus” (Mt 26:18; cf. Mk 1:15; Lk 19:44; Jn 7:6, 8; Ro 5:6; Eph 1:10). Thus, Peter states that the coming of Jesus marked “the time” of which the prophets inquired and predicted (1Pe 1:10, 11, 12). Furthermore, kairos is used to designate the second coming of Christ (1Ti 6:15), including the end judgment (“the time is near,” Rev 1:3; 11:18; 22:10; cf. Mt 8:29; Mk 13:33; 1Cor 4:5). (Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words) Pritchard says there are two distinct words times and epochs and "the first refers to duration of times and the second refers to both length of times and kinds of times—such as “hard times.” Jesus is telling us that we can’t know the time in general or specific relating to His return. Those things the Father has reserved for Himself." (Is It the Time Yet?) Lenski on chronos and kairos in this passage - In his answer Jesus distinguishes “times” (longer stretches) from “seasons” (shorter ones, each marked in a certain way) A T
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Cole - Waiting on the Lord is one of the hardest things to learn in the Christian life. Why doesn’t God hurry up? Life is short enough as it is! But so often the Lord says, “Wait!” We need to learn to obey Him. The apostles’ obedience shows us that they were not self-willed men, trying to build their own empires. We can trust their witness.What did they do while they waited? They devoted themselves to prayer. What were they praying for? We are not told. These all with one mind - This phrase presents us with an incredible picture of these men and women who had their hearts knit together for a common cause. And surely this was a supernatural unity for there were men here with very strong personalities and very different temperaments, and yet they were of one mind. Amazing! O to have been in this 10 day prayer meeting and to have experienced the bliss of this beautiful camaraderie, surely wrought by the Spirit even though He had not come upon them yet. Luke's Gospel adds another detail that "were continually in the temple praising God." (Lk 24:53-+), which shows they had become more courageous after seeing Jesus (cf John 20:19 p = " the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews"). So they were praising and praying (Acts 1:14) over the next 10 days. "It was a healthy combination: continuous praise in the temple, and continuous prayer in the home." (Stott - The Message of Acts) Wouldn't you liked to have been there? The consummate purpose of Christian unity is not to please other believers but to please the Lord, both inwardly and outwardly, individually and corporately. It is only when His people are in one accord and worship Him with one voice that they truly and fully glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And O how sweet are the prayers from saints who are of one mind! Warren
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Cole addresses the question was Peter wrong? - With that purpose in mind, let me deal at the outset with a somewhat common view that I think is in error, namely, that the apostles were mistaken to replace Judas with Matthias. Those who propound this view (LIKE MCGEE ABOVE) argue that Peter was being his old, impulsive self, acting without waiting on the Lord. If he had just waited until the Holy Spirit had been given, God would have made it clear that Judas should be replaced by the apostle Paul. We never hear anymore of Matthias, which proves that he was not God’s choice. Also, the way he was chosen, casting lots, was not from the Lord. Therefore, Peter was wrong. The major flaw with that view is that it goes against Luke’s main purpose for this passage, which is to establish the credibility of the apostolic witnesses. He isn’t arguing that they were perfect men. He would never say that Peter was the infallible first Pope of the church. But even so, to say that Peter was mistaken on this crucial matter of appointing a replacement for Judas would be to go against the flow of what Luke is trying to establish here. Also, if Peter were mistaken, surely there would be some hint of it in the context; but there is none. Rather, he takes this action after waiting on the Lord in prayer (Acts 1:14). He bases his action on Scripture (Acts 1:16, 20). He does not promote his favorite candidate, but rather submits the whole process through prayer to the Lord’s sovereign choice (Acts 1:24). (I’ll deal with the casting of lots later.) The fact that Matthias is never heard from again is irrelevant, because we never hear of most of the other apostles again, either. While Paul was clearly an apostle, appointed by God, he did not meet the criteria set forth here, since he was not with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. If Peter had been wrong on such a major decision, surely there would be some correction from the Lord afterwards, but there is none. I think we must conclude that Peter acted in line with the will of God. (AND I COMPLETE AGREE!) .....they determined the Lord’s choice by casting lots. This involved putting each man’s name on separate stones of similar size. The one that fell out of the pot first was the choice.This was an acceptable means of determining God’s will in the Old Testament (Lev. 16:8ff.; Num. 26:55ff.; Josh. 7:14; 1 Sam. 10:20; 14:41ff. Prov. 16:33; 18:18). But this is the last instance of it in the Bible, indicating that since the Holy Spirit has been given, it is no longer a valid means of determining God’s will. Some Christians have used this method, but I would not recommend it. I would point out that if you do use it, you can’t go for two out of three if you don’t like the first result! You have to submit to God’s will as revealed the first time! That’s what the apostles did here. They weren’t voting for their favorite candidate. They were submissive to God’s will. They let Jesus, who chose the original twelve (Acts 1:2), choose Judas’ replacement. In a jury trial, the attorneys try to discredit their adversary’s witnesses. If they can convince the jury that their opponent’s witnesses are questionable, they can win their case. God wants us to know that our Christian faith is credible. It is not based on religious speculations, but on the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That event proves that He is God, and everything else follows from it. We know that the resurrection is true because these twelve godly witnesses, the apostles, affirmed that it was true. They did not profit from their witness, either materially or by gaining power. Rather, they were servants who laid down their lives for the sake of the truth that they had personally experienced, that Jesus Christ was risen from the dead. You must decide: Will you, like Judas, ignore the evidence and follow your selfish desires that lead to destruction? Or, will you accept the apostolic witness as true and follow Jesus as your Savior and Lord? (Acts 1:12-26 Why Christianity is Credible) And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (Acts 1:15). Remorse deprives many Christians of the joy that should be theirs. A man in his middle years has withdrawn from the people in his church because he feels so bad about his past infidelity—a sin that broke up his home. An elderly woman needs counseling from time to time because she can't forget an affair she had more than fifty years ago. A young woman sees a psychiatrist because she can't forgive herself for having had an abortion. Each of these people is now a Christian, but each is paralyzed at times by remorse over the past. If anyone ever had good reason for allowing the memory of a grievous sin to put him on the shelf, it was Peter. He had been such a coward. He had fled Gethsemane at Christ's arrest, and then denied three times that he knew the Lord Jesus. Later, he felt so bad that he wept bitterly. Yet he did not allow his remorse over past failures to make him ineffective in his service for Christ. He accepted the Lord's forgiveness, and he received new hope from Jesus' commission, "Feed my sheep." In Acts 1:15 we find him back in his role as the leader of the disciples. By taking Jesus' words of forgiveness to heart and by forgiving himself, he put the past under the blood of Christ. Christians should seek to erase from their memory the sins God has erased from their record. Acts 1:16 "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. KJV Acts 1:16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. NLT Acts 1:16 "Brothers," he said, "the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. Men and brethren Acts 2:29,37; 7:2; 13:15,26,38; 15:7,13; 22:1; 23:1,6; 28:17 the Scripture had to be fulfilled Acts 2:23; 13:27-29; Mt 26:54,56; John 10:35; 12:38-40; 19:28-30,36 which the Holy Spirit the Acts 2:30,31; 4:25-28; 28:25; 2 Samuel 23:2; Mark 12:36; Hebrews 3:7,8; 1 Peter 1:11; 2 Peter 2:21 foretold by the mouth of David Ps 41:9; 55:12-15; Mt 26:47; John 13:18; 18:2-8 Acts Video - Matthias Chosen Acts 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Acts 1:12-26 Why Christianity is Credible - Steven Cole Acts 1:12-26 Resources for Finishing Our Lord's Unfinished Work--3 - John MacArthur Acts 1:15, 20 The Scripture Had to Be Fulfilled - Ray Pritchard Acts 1:15-26 How God Uses Bad People to Do His Will: Providence - Ray Pritchard A CLEAR DESCRIPTION DIVINE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE Brethren (80) see adelphos - KJV has "Men and brethren" which is a more accurate rendering of the literal Greek (andres adelphoi).
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Cole explains that "Judas’ defection and suicide had been difficult for the disciples to understand. How could a man chosen by Christ for such a high privilege turn against Him? Had Jesus made a mistake in choosing Judas? Why would God let such a terrible thing happen? Peter and the other apostles found help with these difficult questions by going to God’s Word. “The Scripture had to be fulfilled” (Acts 1:16). “Had” is the word that Luke uses often to refer to divine necessity. God’s purpose will be accomplished. God is sovereign, even over evil events, such as the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus, and yet He is not responsible for sin. Judas was fully responsible for the wicked deeds that he committed, even though they were a necessary fulfillment of David’s prophecies." (Acts 1:12-26 Why Christianity is Credible) The Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas - Note that Peter affirms the divine inspiration of the holy Scripture, inspired by the Spirit moving through the writing of God's human instrument David. The Scripture to which Peter refers is quoted in Acts 1:20 (Ps 69:25, Ps 109:8). In His prayer in John 17:12 Jesus declared "I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that (PURPOSE CLAUSE) the Scripture would be fulfilled." It is important to note that while Jesus knew there was a traitor and that his betrayal would fulfill Scripture, Judas was not a puppet or a robot, and he made a personal choice to betray Jesus, a choice that would bring personal, eternal consequences! And in the amazing, incomprehensible, transcendent redemptive plan of God, He cause the evil of Judas to work itself out for good. In Acts 2:23 Luke writes "this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God (ONE COMPONENT OF WHICH WAS JUDAS' BETRAYAL OF JESUS!), you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death" that many might come to believe in Him and receive eternal life! This reminds us of Joseph who had been betrayed by his brothers and yet who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was able to say "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." (Ge 50:20). Ray Pritchard - I am struck by two phrases Peter used: “The Scripture had to be fulfilled” and “It is written.” (Acts 1:20-+) Everything he says is based on those two statements. The first speaks to God’s sovereignty over the affairs of men and of nations. History really is His Story. Everything happens as part of God’s ordained purpose. The second statement teaches us that the Word of God is a written revelation—not a hunch or feeling or a mystical revelation. If you want to know what God says, read the Bible. What the Bible says, God says. This is the position of historic Christianity. These words reveal Peter’s two great convictions about the Word of God. (A) The Word of God is true. (B) The Word of God speaks to this situation. Peter actually believed that hundreds of years earlier, David had prophesied in the Psalms about the betrayal of Judas. He also believed that by studying Holy Scripture, the early church could find out what God had to say about their particular situation. This is a very high view of biblical inspiration. Pritchard goes on to say that "Theologians sometimes speak of the “dual authorship” of Holy Scripture. They mean that when Moses sat down to write the first five books of the Bible, he wrote using his own words and vocabulary, and so did David when he wrote Psalms, and John when he wrote his gospel, and Paul when he wrote his epistles. Each man writes in his own way, reflecting his own personality. But how do we know that what they wrote was what God wanted written? Acts 1:16 tells us that the Holy Spirit spoke first. He spoke the words “through the mouth of” Moses, David, John and Paul—and all the rest of the biblical writers. It was their words but those words came first from the Holy Spirit. And because they come from the Holy Spirit, those words are true and accurate and trustworthy and inerrant and infallible. This doesn’t mean that the biblical writers wrote Scripture by taking dictation from God. If that were the case, then they would all sound exactly the same. But it does mean that God superintended the entire process so that when Moses, David, John and Paul sat down to write, they weren’t just writing their words, they were also writing God’s words.That’s why you can read anywhere in the Bible and have complete confidence in what it says—even though in one place it’s law, in another it’s history, in another it’s poetry, and in another place it’s prophecy. The books of the Bible don’t sound alike because they were written by 40 authors over a period of 1600 years. But each part of the Bible is the true Word of God because each part was spoken by the Holy Spirit." (See full sermon Acts 1:15, 20 The Scripture Had to Be Fulfilled)
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Cole - Some Christians have used this method, but I would not recommend it. I would point out that if you do use it, you can’t go for two out of three if you don’t like the first result! You have to submit to God’s will as revealed the first time! That’s what the apostles did here. They weren’t voting for their favorite candidate. They were submissive to God’s will. They let Jesus, who chose the original twelve (Acts 1:2), choose Judas’ replacement. (Acts 1:12-26 Why Christianity is Credible) J