Acts of Christianity the Origin Purpose and Destiny of a Christian

¶ … Christianity: The Origin, Purpose, and Destiny of a Christian

Just as the gospels present the account of the life and ministry of Jesus, the book of Acts presents the creation and growth of Christianity. Whereas in the gospels the apostles were consistently clueless about the points Jesus was attempting to make, the ascension of Jesus and the entry of the Holy Spirit transforms these cowardly men into heroes of the faith. The book presents some highs in the church but many more lows as persecution runs as high as the courage of Christian followers.

Imagine being arrested and entering a court of law with the only crime being charged was that of being a Christian. In order to prove their case, the prosecution pulls out the book of Acts with its recounting of the definition of the Christian and its clear definition of what a Christian was and should be today. The prosecutor then proceeds to review the life in question and argues whether this person meets the description of the Christian or is a fraud. Would simply claiming to be a Christian be sufficient to prove faith or are there some acts that must be accomplished. This is the underlying purpose behind the book of Acts.

Origin

The book of Acts was written by Luke as a followup to his gospel. Acts is addressed to Theophilus, similar to the gospel of Luke with the intent "To set to order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us."

In his first gospel, he covered the story of Jesus' life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. In this second document he covers Jesus' ascension and the birth of Christianity. Acts covers a very large span of time, so it feels like an action-packed, fast-moving book which is primarily reporting the journey's of Paul, who Luke accompanied all the way to Rome.

Luke was written by a physician who lived in Antioch. It was written in Koine Greek from a Gentile's perspective for a Gentile audience.

The language in the book makes it clear that Luke was very skilled in Greek. Additionally, he was adherent to Paul. This is specifically mentioned in the book of Colossians where Paul refers to Luke as, "The dearly loved physician."

This perspective and closeness to Paul allows for the most accurate recounting of the creation and growth of the early church, all the way to the end of Paul's life.

The First Christians

Christianity, as it is referred to today did not start off as an independent religion. In fact, for years it was a sect within the Jewish faith. The first reference to the early church within the Jewish faith was in the book of Acts, "For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes...But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere."

Thus, initially Christians were referred to and considered Jews within a specific sect known as the Nazarenes. These Nazarenes still practiced all of the Jewish ordinances and participated in temple ceremonies and worship:

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved...Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer...Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.

As can be understood from the accounts of Luke, the Jews permitted the early church to participate until the church began growing and converting members. At that point the Sadducees within the Jewish religion sought to define the Christian teachings as heresy due to the apostles teachings that Jesus rose from the dead. According to Hans Conzelmann, "The first Christians are Jews without exception. For them this is not simply a fact, but a part of their conscious conviction. For them their faith is not a new religion which leads them away from the Jewish religion"

Thus, at first the Church did not break away from its original Jewish roots, but rather sought to present the gospel first to the Jews.

The term Christianity did not come along until the sect was no longer accepted by the Jews. In fact, the term Christian is only mentioned three times in the entire New Testament:

and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch...Agrippa replied to Paul, "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian...but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

This early term was also used in external Jewish writings including Josephus, where he writes "the tribe of Christians, so named from him."

Another early term used to refer to the Church was "The Way," as it was used in Acts 24:14: "But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets"

Both of these terms were not meant as favorable descriptions. According to the Annals, the early church "by vulgar appellation [they were] commonly called Christians"

and in fact Nero used the term to make Christians scapegoats for the Great Fire in Rome.

So, during the initial founding of the Church, being called a Christian would not only cause a Jew to become unpopular within the Church, but also lead to persecution and death. Given that Jesus taught the early Church to accept and be thankful for persecution, the early Christians did not object to this term.

Regardless of the term used, the mission and goals of the early Church were clear, both from the book of Acts and the observations of other scholars at the time and the term Christianity seemed to fit these goals. Shortly after being banished from the temple, in Acts it states, "So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name (Christ). And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."

Justin Martyr explained to the Romans, "Since our thoughts are not fixed on the present, we are not concerned when men put us to death. Death is a debt we must all pay anyway."

Furthermore, the work of an unknown author, written in the 1st century, describes Christians to the Romans as follows:

They dwell in their own countries simply as sojourners.... They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time, they surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men but are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned. They are put to death, but [will be] restored to life. They are poor, yet they make many rich. They possess few things; yet, they abound in all. They are dishonored, but in their very dishonor are glorified.... And those who hate them are unable to give any reason for their hatred.

The more common terms used by the leaders themselves within their text were the terms "Disciples" and "Saints." The word "Disciple" (mathetos in Greek) means one who is trained or taught, and appears 31 times in the book of Acts, starting with Acts 1:15. "At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said" The Hebrew equivalent of this term is "talmid," which means a student who follows a Rabbi. In the case of Christians, they considered Christ their ultimate Rabbi. The word "Saint" (hagios in Greek) means set apart or separated, and appears 62 times in the New Testament, most commonly in the letters of Paul. The Hebrew equivalent is "kadosh" which has the same meaning. The word "Saint" has subsequently been distorted to mean a state of holiness which very few can attain, but in New Testament times it was a regular title for those who believed in Yeshua.

Definition of a Christian According to Acts

The book of Acts does more than provide a history of the early Church. It also offers insight into what distinguishes Christians from regular Jews. According to Acts:

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved...and after he brought them out, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

In other words, the primary distinction between Christians and Jews is a belief in Jesus Christ. More specifically, the fact that he died and rose from the dead. All that someone must do to be "saved" into the Christian faith is believe.

Once belief is accomplished, the results and changes in people's lives, according to Acts are substantial. An excellent example of this is the conversion of Peter from prepentacostal Peter to post-penticostal Peter:

But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." A little later, another saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, "Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly...Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead -- by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another, saying, "What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name." And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."...They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

As can be seen, Peter's boldness was clearly attributed to the entry of the Holy Spirit, which changed his fear into courage and made the gospel message clear in his mind. Another example of the dramatic conversion process was that of Paul. Paul was initially the primary persecutor of Jews. In fact, the book of Acts clearly points out his active role in stoning the first martyr, Stephan; however his fate changed when according to Acts he was met and blinded on the road by Jesus who explains his new purpose and changes his name from "Saul" to "Paul." After which point, Paul becomes the greatest advocate for Christianity and succeeds in spreading it to the Gentiles.

There are also, however, accounts of people in Acts who pretend to be Christians in an attempt to obtain the Holy Spirit's power for their own gain. One such account is that of Simon the Sorcerer:

Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, "This man is what is called the Great Power of God." And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity." But Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."