We Wish To Know

As the earliest Christians began to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the region, their doctrine was sometimes received with joy, sometimes with hostility, and some were frankly just curious about this "new" thing happening in their midst. It gave them something to talk about.

Paul and Barnabas were directed by the Holy Spirit to go into certain cities and share their message. In one place, a government official wanted to know more, so he asked them to visit and explain. This was resisted by a demon-possessed man who apparently worked for the deputy. Those early preachers of the gospel were gifted with certain abilities to discern and certain methods to handle those who interfered.

Acts 13:5-11 KJV And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister. And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him. And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

This gift, like the gift of "other tongues" (current languages which had not been learned by the speakers) was used in the service of quick distribution of the gospel. With such gifts, their message was sure to receive attention. The result was often positive response.

Acts 13:12 - Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Get the scoffers and distractions out of the way, and the Word of God will do its work. The temporary miraculous gifts were used to bring attention to the doctrine, and the doctrine got the credit.

The ministry team moved on to other cities with their message of Jesus, and met with similar reception; some were interested and some were not. In Thessalonica, many of the people believed, but the unbelieving Jews hated Paul and his company of preachers. They hated the grace he was teaching. They created a ruckus, dragging out a group who had befriended the preachers, accusing them of "turning the world upside down," by doing contrary to Caesar and offering another King, and "now they have come here also." Paul and Silas went by night to Berea, and there they taught in the synagogue, as was their practice.

The mob followed the team to Berea, intent on the same harassment. Because of the relentless aggression,  Paul moved on to Athens and awaited Timothy and Silas, who had become separated from him in the melee.
 
Acts 17:16-20  Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.

Yes. we, who love God's perfect Word of Truth about God's perfect Plan of Grace will never tire of learning what all these things mean.

That's the purpose of teaching and studying Bible doctrine.

“Your” Doctrine Forbidden

The apostles to the Church continued to do what they must do; what they could not help but do, after Jesus had ascended and the Holy Spirit had descended, indwelling each believer in the new dispensation. They continued to preach and teach and heal in the Name of Jesus. They kept being monitored and threatened by the religious leaders, who were determined to stop this movement. These men were not afraid of them, however, which made that a tough job for the religio-political bosses who were accustomed to having things their way. They really didn't know what to do about it.

Acts 5:25-27 KJV - Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,

Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Acts 5:28

²⁹ Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

the religious leaders kept becoming more and more outraged and desperate to do away with these men. They jailed them and an angel set them free to continue their ministries in the temple. They were brought back before the council. The high priest was frantically demanding: You have been ordered to stop teaching in this name! You have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and here's the real problem--you are blaming us for his death! Bingo. In every speech Peter had made he had plainly stated "this Jesus, Whom you killed.." They were sick of that accusation, but they were going to keep hearing it every time Peter spoke. There was a simple solution: "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved." The conspiracy and the betrayal and the murder were forgivable ("they know not what they do"), but total rejection of the atonement of Christ cannot be forgiven.

Peter made it very clear once again: "we must obey God rather than men." And then he hit 'em again with their responsibility for the death of Jesus.

What an outrage! These apostles must be silenced. We will have to kill them.

Enter Gamaliel; Pharisee, expert in the law, highly respected scholarly sage. He ordered the apostles to be removed from their presence while the discussion continued. Then he spoke the first logic we've heard from this body of leaders. Logic and legalism don't blend well. They are mutually exclusive. "This is a dangerous situation. You'd be wise to let these men alone. If what they are doing is of men, it will fizzle out just as other such movements have done. If it is of God, they cannot be stopped and you will find yourselves fighting against God."

Wow. What a genius!

Well, they couldn't be released without a flogging (!) and being ordered yet again not to speak in the name of Jesus. The stubborn contempt of those legalists is truly amazing. The apostles took their flogging and their release, praising God that He found them worthy to suffer shame for the Lord.

And they kept on preaching.

 

 

Apostles' Doctrine

At Pentecost, Peter and the other apostles to the Church were filled with the Holy Spirit as they delivered God's message to those who were gathered and listening.

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 2:41 KJV

God's Word does the work. Exposure to God's Word, delivered in the power of the Holy Spirit, can make the human soul aware that he is in desperate need of a savior. At Pentecost that Word was delivered orally, miraculously, by newly empowered believers speaking languages they had not learned. The New Testament Canon was yet to be written and translated, but God had other means of getting the people's attention and convicting their souls.

Isaiah 55:11-So shall my word be that goeth  forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Hebrews 4:12-For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Here’s the follow-through:

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:42 KJV

Peter’s message: identify yourselves with Jesus Christ. There is no reason to remain trapped in legalism. Salvation has been provided by God's grace.

Three thousand of those souls were added to the Church that day. They received baptism. They stayed with the apostles, to learn from them, fellowship with them, pray with them and share together their possessions and foodstuffs. Most of these people were pilgrims, remember, who had traveled there to celebrate the great feasts in Jerusalem. Now that they had entered a new life, their priority was to learn as much as they could about this life and the Author of it before going back to whatever place and occupations they came from. This was a time of great excitement, as they continued to meet and worship and learn and evangelize. More were saved each day, as this wave of Holy Spirit awakening continued. It would be hard to tear oneself away from such momentous happenings. One might rather sell his stuff and stay around for a while, soaking up the glory. And when they did go back to their own cities, they went back as born-again believers in Jesus Christ, having a magnificent testimony to share with the folks back home.

This is how the apostles' doctrine (truth about Jesus Christ) spread in the newborn Church.

Like fire.

 

 

His Doctrine

My ongoing study of the word "doctrine" as published in the KJV was briefly interrupted, but I have not forgotten. This post brings us to the last mention of doctrine in the Gospel of John.

 

After Jesus' arrest, He was subjected to several illegal trials, and asked questions that the officials should have known the answers to. One example, as Peter stood by, was with the high priest, who suddenly had become interested in knowing about our Lord's doctrine.

John 18:18-20 King James Version (KJV)

18 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

19 The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.

20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.

 

 

The high priest (emeritus - Annas) had to start somewhere, so he proceeded to ask Jesus pertinent questions about His ministry, especially His doctrine. Jesus’ answer: bring witnesses. There are no secrets. I teach in public, where all the Jews could hear and have heard me. Ask them what I’ve taught. By now, everyone knew what Jesus taught. The Pharisees had watched His every move and had heard Him teach. The questions were just formality.

His words elicited a blow from an officer, for insubordination (they didn’t like the answer). Jesus observed that they may not like His answer, but could not deny the truth of what He had said. Annas had had enough and sent Him on to Caiaphas, the official high priest and his own son-in-law. Of course, we recognize this series of interviews as the inner workings of a “good ol’ boy” organization, and it had only just begun.

The issue here: Jesus was not arrested  and tried for preaching love and tolerance. The leaders of the Jews wanted Him eliminated for His teaching of truth, which was a threat to their religious system. That system gave them political power over their own people and clout with the Romans, to whom they were enslaved. If people started to believe Jesus' doctrine, the legalism that controlled their lives would lose its grip, and they would learn about true freedom. For that reason, the powerful leadership of Jerusalem wanted Him dead.

His doctrine was not secretive, but clear, Godly truth which by this time had been publicly presented to all who would hear. By standing on truth, we will be ostracized by the powers that be. We will be despised and perhaps openly persecuted, but we are not better than our Lord, and there is no doctrine more valuable than the written Word of God, and no rewards greater than those realized by steadfast believers who love His Word.

This doctrine is meant to be shared with the world, and we are meant to share it.


 

Characteristics of Love

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

 

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions  and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:13-26

We are free IN CHRIST. Our salvation is assured. It is not, however, a license to continue sinning. Our freedom enables us to serve Christ and the Church. Groveling in guilt is not service, and it stands in the way of Christian service. Legalism, with its lists of dos and don’ts is not service, and keeping score just distracts from the true issue, which is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It is about Whose we are, and that is our freedom. We are as He is to the Father.

The Christian life calls for a relaxed mental attitude toward fellow believers. Live and let live. Our brother belongs to God, and answers to God, just as we do. Our objective is to learn and grow together in grace until we reach maturity in the faith, having the mind of Christ. Arguing and judging each other is destructive and obscures our purpose of honorably representing our Lord.

The way to keep things in proper perspective: walk by the Spirit. Each believer in Jesus Christ is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but our personal volition decides whether we allow the Spirit to control, or our old sin nature. When we are yielding, or submitting our will to the Spirit, we are thinking Jesus’ thoughts and our work is divine good. To do that, we must keep our slates clean before God by regular, private,  confession of sin to God the Father (I John 1:9), thereby being filled with the Spirit and equipped to serve. By not doing that, anything we think or do is in the flesh (sarx—carnality--sinful nature). The flesh cannot please God. Even if those works are not considered evil, any good done in carnality is human good and worthless for the kingdom of God. In the Spirit, we are not under the law.

In verses 19-21 Paul lists acts (plural) of the flesh (old sin nature). These are the behaviors and attitudes that sin produces in unregenerate man. They are also produced in carnal believers, who selfishly cater to their fleshly desires. They are acts of rebellion, inconsiderate treatment of fellow man, lasciviousness.  These acts indicate immaturity, hindrance of the Spirit and willing disregard of Bible doctrine. These acts are characteristic of unbelievers, who have no part in the kingdom of God. Is this who we want to be?

No. We want to produce the fruit (singular) of the Spirit. That fruit IS LOVE.

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:10

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. I Corinthians 13:4-8

The production of the Holy Spirit in the life of a mature believer IS LOVE.

Mature Christian Love is characterized by: joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If one produces love, the modifying characteristics indicate that genuine Christian love. How else can love be known? It is shown by these lovely, appealing traits. It is demonstrated by these relaxed, peaceful attitudes. It is an air of calm and confidence, because of the absolute security of our permanent position IN CHRIST, and the knowledge that our brethren share that position. There is a serenity, an inner happiness in the mature believer who is producing love, which no carnally minded person can know or understand, because it is the production of the Holy Spirit. It cannot be “worked up” or faked, or competed for.

 

There is no law against true Christian love, for it is the production of God.