ACTS OF THE

APOSTLES

by: H. Boyce Taylor

FOREWORD

The Bryan Station Baptist Church has been printing the writings of Brother H. Boyce Taylor and Brother C. D. Cole for some time. These books have been greatly used to teach God's people the great doctrinal truths of the Bible. It is our desire to get these God-honoring books into the hands of those that hunger and thirst after righteousness and God's word.

Other books we have in print by Brother H. Boyce Taylor are: Studies in Genesis; Studies in Romans; Bible Briefs Against Hurtful Heresies; Studies in the Parables; Why Be A Baptist; Women's Work in Baptist Churches; Questions and Answers. These books go forth trusting that the Lord will use them along with this book 'Acts of the Apostles' for His honor and glory.

In the days when God's word is fallen to the ground and is watered down so as to lose its meaning, it is the work of the Bryan Station Baptist Church to uphold the glorious truths of God's word. The books that we print by Brother Taylor and Brother Cole truly place our God and Jesus Christ in an exalted position.

Alfred M. Gormley

Pastor,

Bryan Station Baptist Church

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES PAGE

Chapter 1 . . Final Forty Days Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Chapter 2 . . Pentecost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 3 . . Peter's Sermon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Chapter 4 . . Persecution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Chapter 5 . . The Spirit at Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Chapter 6&7 . Deacons Ordained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Chapter 8 . . Home Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 9 . . Saul/Apostle Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Chapter 10 . Peter's Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Chapter 11 . Work Begins at Antioch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Chapter 12 . The Fifth Persecution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Chapter 13 . Paul's First Missionary Journey . . . . . . . . . . 45

Chapter 14 . Iconium, Lystra, Derbe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Chapter 15 . Second Missionary Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Chapter 16 . The Council at Jerusalem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Chapter 17 . Mars Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Chapter 18 . Third Missionary Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Chapter 19 . Paul at Ephesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Chapter 20 . Paul Returns Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Chapter 21 . Paul Goes to Jerusalem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Chapter 22 . Paul's First Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Chapter 23 . Paul's Second Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Chapter 24&25 Paul's First Trial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Chapter 26 . Paul's Defense Before Agrippa . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Chapter 27 . Paul Goes to Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Chapter 28 . Upon the Isle of Melita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

TWO DIVISIONS OF ACTS

I. Jerusalem as the center, Peter as leader. Chapters 1-12.

(1) City missions. Chapters 1-7.

(2) Home missions. Chapters 8-12.

II. Antioch as the center. Paul as leader. Chapters 13-28. The book of Acts tells of the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem, Palestine, Syria, Asia-Minor and to the heathen in the uttermost parts of the earth. The theme of Acts is 'Missions'.

Missions is:

1. Theme of the Acts.

2. Continuation of what Jesus began to do and teach.

3. Business of the churches. v 2.

4. Calling of the apostles.

5. Purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit. 1:8.

CHAPTER 1

FINAL FORTY DAYS TRAINING

I. INTRODUCTION:

The former treatise refers to the gospel by Luke. The theme of Luke was what Jesus began to do and teach; "Home Missions". In Acts you have a continuation of the work Jesus started while here on earth except that now His work is carried on by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles, and the New Testament Churches. During His earthly life, His work was confined to the Jews. After His ascension they were commanded to carry the gospel to all nations. Remember that 'DO' and 'TEACH' go together, Doctrine and life are inseparable. No man's life is better than his doctrine. During His earthly ministry, Jesus sent out, first "TWELVE" then "SEVENTY" to go into all cities and villages to preach the gospel and then He went himself. We need a great deal more of that kind of mission work today. Baptist ought to maintain preaching stations in every town and village and other destinations where there are no Baptist churches. Jesus never stopped work until He was taken up. v 2. He was always about His father's business. He told us to occupy till he comes. That means we ought to be busy about His work until we are taken up. Jesus was not taken up until he had left somebody to carry on His work. His work was committed, jointly, to the Holy Spirit, the Apostles, and the New Testament Church.

II. HIS FORTY DAYS FINAL TRAINING. v 3-7.

1. His personal teaching. Luke 24:25-27; 44-45. His teaching centered in two points. The Old Testament scriptures and His own personal work.

2. Infallible proofs of His resurrection. The resurrection is the greatest miracle of the ages. He gave to His disciples many infallible proofs to which it could be proven. (Sight, Hearing, Touch.)

3. He talked to them about things pertaining to the kingdom, during these forty days. The kingdom He talked about was His present spiritual kingdom, or the reign of grace in men's hearts. v 6-7. He wasted no time talking about the millennial kingdom. He virtually told them it was none of their business.

4. Wait for power. v 4-5. Don't run ahead of the Lord.

III. CHURCH COMMISSION. v 8-9.

1. All assembled together. v 4,13-15; chapter 2:1-2. Therefore this commission was given to the church and not to the apostles.

2. Their commission extended to the ends of the earth. It included foreign missions just as much as city or home missions.

3. Their greatest need was power, not money, or friends or organizations or education. That is our greatest need today.

4. Sent forth as witnesses. They were not all told to preach but all told to witness. Next to power, our greatest need is house to house witnessing.

IV. THE LORD GONE BUT COMING BACK. v 9-11.

1. Jesus went into the third heaven. Mark 16:19; II Corinthians 12:2.

2. He is coming back again.

3. His coming will be in the same way and to the same place which he went away. Revelation 1:7; Zechariah 14:4.

a. Visible.

b. Personal.

c. Glorious.

d. To the Mount of Olives. Zechariah 14:4.

e. In the clouds.

f. With the saints. Jude 14, I Thess. 3:13, Zech. 14:5.

V. PRAYING IN ACCORD. v 12-14.

1. How accomplished. By the Holy Spirit. John 20:22; Ephesians 4:3; Matthew 18:19. This oneness of accord was not in the flesh, not personal, not of man, but by the Holy Spirit of God.

2. While they waited on God, they were not idle but in prayer: Praying for what God had promised.

VI. MATTHIAS CHOSEN. v 15-26.

1. NOTE: they had a church-roll. 120 names together, not people. Note - Acts 2:41 (3,000 added to the 120.)

2. No bishops or ruling elders. If so, they would have appointed a successor to Judas, instead of electing one.

3. They had been praying for days before, so they were in an attitude to go and do God's will.

4. They had also received the Holy Spirit. John 20:22.

5. God's definition of inspiration. v 16.

a. The Holy Spirit spoke the very words of the scripture.

b. He used men as his agents. (David and others)

c. But the words are the words of the Holy Spirit, and not of the person used. That is what we mean by 'Verbal' inspiration.

6. All scripture must be fulfilled. Note: v 16,19,20.

7. New Testament bishoprick defined. v 20. The word 'Bishop' means overseer. In New Testament days the bishops did not appoint pastors, but local churches elected bishops. A bishop was the pastor of a local church and was never used in any other sense. The word elder includes all preachers, such as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Missionaries, Teachers, etc., as well as pastors. The word 'Bishop' in the New Testament is applied only to preachers who are pastors. All preachers in New Testament days were called Elders, but only pastors were called Bishops. All bishops are elders, but not all elders are bishops. Paul seemingly distinguishes between elders who were pastors and those who were not in I Timothy 5:17.

8. No man could be an apostle, that is (one of the twelve) unless he had been baptized by John the Baptist. v 22. That too was a fulfillment of scripture. Luke 1:17; Ephesians 2:20. John must prepare the material.

9. The successor to Judas must have been a sticker these three years. No quitter would have been considered. v 21, also John 6:66.

10. Two men nominated. v 23.

11. Then they prayed for guidance. It needs to be remembered that the qualifications for the ministry which pleased God are heart qualification and not head qualifications. God looks at man's heart and judges them and uses them, because of heart qualifications.

12. After prayer they voted. v 26.

13. The man they elected was numbered with the other eleven, as one of the twelve.

CHAPTER 2

PENTECOST

I. PENTECOST

Preparation for Pentecost. Receiving the Spirit. John 20:22. Unity, Prayer, Obedience.

II. PENTECOST ITSELF

1. Pentecost was a time of first-fruits. Christ, the Paschal Lamb, died at passover. It was eminently fitting that the Holy Spirit should come and by his coming make possible the first-fruit of Christ's atoning work, on Pentecost, the day of first-fruits.

2. "Fully Come" This was God's time. He never gets in a hurry. Even the day to work was fully here before He did anything. All were present. All of one accord, everything in readiness, then the Spirit came. Not till then, when He came, He came to abide.

3. He came suddenly. They had no premonition nor warning. They were all sitting. Not on their knees. Seemingly they were just waiting. All God's gifts are sovereignly bestowed in His own time.

4. Sound, wind, and fire were symbols of the Holy Spirit. They were not the Spirit. They were not essential. They were filled with the Spirit many times after this and there was no sound, wind, or fire on these occasions.

III. PETER'S SERMON

Theme - "Jesus the Promised Messiah".

1. Introduction

"These are not drunk as charged. Too early in the day". This is a partial fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. v 15-21.

2. Jesus of Nazareth proven to be the Messiah:

a. By His works. v 22.

b. By God's purpose being fulfilled in His life. v 23.

c. By His resurrection. v 24.

d. By Old Testament prophecy. v 25- 31.

e. By us as witnesses. v 32.

f. By the Holy Spirit. v 33 (compare Acts 5:32.)

g. By His exaltation. v 34-36.

3. The scripture not fulfilled by David but by his Greater Son, by the Lord Jesus, Whom God hath made both Lord and Christ. In your preaching and teaching make much of the resurrection and Lordship of Jesus. New Testament preachers did. Jesus is not a meek and lowly Jesus since His resurrection. Revelation 1:5-6; Matthew 28:18. That kind of preaching still cuts to the heart. Men quake and tremble under the conviction of the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the realization that they will have to meet Him as Judge.

Not a word in this sermon about "Love". Sermons on Love soothe, but they do not cut to the heart. Disobedient Christians, backsliders and sinners do not need soothing. They need cutting to the heart. These men were Spirit-filled. Spirit-filled preachers do not compromise with sin and they do not get any praise from men in sin or men who are not treating the Lord Jesus right. Spirit-filled preaching produces Spirit-wrought conviction.

IV. RESULTS

1. Conviction.

a. The 'Word' preached.

b. Christ exalted.

c. No tender appeals.

d. No pathetic stories.

e. No putting on the arousements.

f. Peter preached, the eleven interpreted; emotionalism impossible.

g. This conviction was wrought by the Spirit of God and the Word of God. This is the only kind that is any good. No begging them to come forward. They came themselves, because they wanted relief.

2. Repentance. Repentance includes humility, confession of sins, and forsaking of sin. These folks showed their humility by coming to these men and asking what to do. Pharaoh asked for prayer but he did not repent.

3. Faith. A glad reception of the word. v 41. Faith came after their repentance and before their baptism. Being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (v 38) means being baptized depending on Jesus to save. That is what saving faith is; depending on Jesus to save.

4. Baptism. v 41. There were plenty of pools in Jerusalem to baptize all these folks and many more. John 5:2; 9:7; II Kings 18:17; 20:20.

5. Steadfast continuance. v 42. Steadfast in four things:

a. Fellowship.

b. Doctrine.

c. The Lord's Supper.

d. Attendance at prayer meetings.

The word translated 'Fellowship' is used in connection with giving money. Romans 15:26; II Corinthians 9:13; Hebrews 13:16; I Timothy 6:18. Especially in Acts 2:44; 4:32. Mark you they continued in four popular things: Doctrine; Giving; Closed-communion; and prayer meeting. Their continuing in these things was the evidence of the genuineness of their conversion.

6. Signs and wonders done by the apostles caused fear to come on all the people. v 43.

7. Unprecedented liberty. v 44-45.

8. Joy, fellowship, and praise abounded everywhere. v 46-48.

9. Daily conversions and additions. He always does that when the Spirit has right-of-way.

ACTS 2:38

1. Peter was spokesman on Pentecost. He was also spokesman in Acts 10-15. In Acts 15:9, "And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." The 'them' was the household of Cornelius, the 'us' were the Jews in Jerusalem who were saved on or before Pentecost. Now Peter says that the Jews who were saved on Pentecost, before Pentecost, and after Pentecost were saved exactly like the household of Cornelius. The house of Cornelius had their hearts cleansed, Acts 15:9, had life, 11:18, and had received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized, 10:44. Since God made no difference in the way they were saved and the way the Jews were saved, on, before, and after Pentecost, therefore these on Pentecost had life, and had their hearts cleansed and had received the Spirit before they were baptized. Therefore, to “be baptized for the remission” must mean 'because of remission', and not in order to obtain remission. Peter therefore, the spokesman on Pentecost, if we let him interpret his own language, clearly proves that the Pentecostal were saved before they were baptized.

2. The Greek word "EIS" about which all this contention is about in Acts 2:38 is used with the word baptized or baptism in three other passages. Matthew 3:11 you have 'Baptize Eis repentance'. Eis cannot mean 'in order to', but because of repentance. For every Campbellite, Mormon and others who teach baptismal remission, admit that repentance comes before baptism. In Romans 6:3 you find the expression 'Baptize eis the death of Christ'. Eis cannot mean 'in order to' but mean 'because of' both because Christ was already dead and raised again, and because in our baptism we declare we died with Him and have been raised with Him. In I Corinthians 10:2 we have the expression 'Baptized eis Moses', eis cannot mean 'in order to' there because they were not baptized in the cloud and not in the sea in order to get Moses to be their leader, for he had already led them out of the land of Egypt. If ‘baptize eis repentance’ in Matthew 3:11 means be baptized because they had repented; if baptized eis the death of Christ means be baptized because Christ died and we die with him, if 'were baptized' eis Moses in I Corinthians 10:2 means they were baptized because Moses was their leader, then it follows conclusively that 'be baptized eis remission' in Acts 2:38 must mean be baptized because your sins have been remitted.

3. Professor A. T. Robertson of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is admittedly one of our greatest Greek Scholars. His Greek grammar is more widely used in Seminaries, colleges, and universities of this country than any other Greek grammar. Both in his grammar and also a query in The Western Recorder, a year or so ago, he said that it was perfectly good Greek to translate 'Eis' - because of - Acts 2:38.

4. H. T. Anderson, the leading Campbellite of the last century wrote in 1871 two articles in 'Apostolic Times' Lexington, Ky. In these articles he said the expression "Eis Appesin" translated "for remission" in Acts 2:38. . . is the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew word 'Azazel' which is translated 'Scapegoat' in Leviticus 16:26. Mr. Anderson says that the words "Eis appesin" do not modify "Be baptized" but modify the words of Jesus Christ so that Peter probably read the Septuagint version which really said, 'Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ the scapegoat of your sins,' according to Mr. Anderson. That is a possible explanation and would remove all difficulty.

5. The argument Campbellites make that the expression "For remission" modifies both verbs, "repent-and-be-baptized" won't hold water. “Repent” is a plural verb, active V., second P., and was addressed to the whole crowd. “Be baptized” is a singular verb, passive third P., and has for its subject, not the whole crowd but only such as had repented and believed. “For remission” does not modify both verbs. It modifies “Be Baptized” only and those who trusted in Christ ar