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February 2019 Printable 150 KB .pdf

Father, I thank you for your Word that is your will. I thank you for what you brought to past by the obedience of your only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank you for making all born-again believers' fellow heirs and of the same spiritual body. Thank you for showing us in your Word how to live this Great Mystery. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

The January 2019 teaching focused on What is the Great Mystery?

The Great Mystery is that the "Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same spiritual body" (Ephesians 3:6). We learned that it is "Christ in you" which is "the riches of the glory of this mystery" (Colossians 1:27). This is the Church, the called out from both Judeans and Gentiles, making one new spiritual man, a new body in Christ. The period of the Great Mystery begins with the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4) and ends with the gathering together of the believers (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

This month's teaching subject is the Great Mystery as revealed in Acts 2:42-47.

We began with the early Church believers who were mostly Judeans. They were the first to be born-again of God's Spirit. The twelve Apostles obeyed Jesus Christ's commandment that was given just prior to Jesus' ascension. In Acts 1:4-5, Jesus instructed the Apostles to:

Wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Luke 24:49 provides additional instruction:

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued [clothed or arrayed] with power [dunamis, spiritual ability] from on high.

From these two verses, we see that the "promise of the Father" (pneuma hagion) in Acts 1:4 is the "power from on high" in Luke 24:49. In other words, the promise of the Father is the receiving of God's gift is to be baptized with the holy spirit or pneuma hagion.

In Acts 1:5, we see water baptism was replaced with spiritual baptism when it is stated "ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." Remember Luke 16:16 states "The law and the prophets were until John." The "promise of the Father" references this baptism in pneuma hagion or holy spirit. This is the new birth, and where is the new birth documented? In the book of Acts.

Acts 2:38-39:

Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized [spiritual] every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost [holy spirit]. For the promise is unto you [Israel], and to your children, and to all that are afar off [Gentiles], even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

The promise of the holy spirit was to the Gentiles, as well as to the Judeans. It took Peter about fifteen years before he finally understood that God wanted His Word also spoken to the Gentiles (Acts 10). God's Word says "For there is no respect of persons with God" (Romans 2:11). This new birth was to both the Gentiles and the Judeans.

The Book of Acts provides the essential shift between the Christ Administration (represented by the Gospels: Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John) and the Grace Administration (represented by the seven Church Epistles: Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians).

The Book of Acts shows the Church epistles in real-world application, with men and women growing spiritually in the principles and truths of the Grace Administration. Acts has eight sections, each highlighted by a concluding summary verse that stands distinct and separately from the section. The first section, Acts 1:1-2:46, is summarized and concluded by Acts 2:47.

Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

The verses immediately preceding this summary verse, Acts 2:42-46, disclosed in everyday aspects the rise and expansion of the first century household and set marvelous essentials for living the Great Mystery in a believer's spiritual walk. Look at Acts 2:42-46:

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear [respect] came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.

The actions described in Acts 2:42-46 reflects continuous repetitive and habitual efforts. The walk of a born-again believer reflects this same steadfastness. It is through patterns of behavior or building of habits that we continually walk (and talk) God's Word in our lives. As we demonstrate obedience to God's Word daily, we increase the quality of our lives. The very foundation of rising to live the Great Mystery is our faithfulness to scriptural habit patterns.

Let's look at how the early Church lived the Great Mystery in their day by day walk in Acts 2:42:

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

The word "they" refers to the approximately3,000 Judeans who responded to Peter and the other eleven Apostles on the day of Pentecost.

The phrase "continued steadfastly" are the Greek word proskartereo, meaning to persist; to be intently engaged in; to attend constantly and persevere with unrelenting continuance. The prefix on this word is the preposition pros, which means toward, with a view toward a destination to be reached. The based word Kartereo comes from kratos, which means power with and impact, power exerted!

As we the born-again believers continue steadfastly in the doctrine of God's Word, rightly dividing it, we will keep growing spiritually. God's Word will have power with and impact in our lives! When we "continued steadfastly" with God's Word, we are super conquerors! See Romans 8:37 for our role as super conquerors.

Jesus Christ demonstrated this unrelenting continuance or proskartereo in the situations he faced. The prophetic reference to him in Isaiah shows us his unrelenting continuance to fulfilling the Word of God even in the face of future torture and crucifixion. Isaiah 50:6-7:

I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair [an oriental insult]: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me; therefore, shall I not be confounded [confused, perplexed]: therefore, have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed [disappointed in my expectations].

Flint is a very hard rock; Jesus Christ set his face like a flint. He made up his mind that he would perform God's Word no matter what.

Isaiah 50:8-10 presents us with the mind-set we should develop in our lives as we live the Great Mystery today.

He is near that justified me [God in Christ in me Colossians 1:27]; who will contend with me? [if God be for us who can be against us Romans 8:31] let us stand together [in the household of God Ephesians 2:19]: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? [no condemnation in Christ Jesus Romans 8:1] lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth [respects] the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God.

Let's turn back to Acts 2. The early Church's focus was with perseverance and unrelenting continuance. Remember Acts 2:42?

in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers [bold added].

One of the first things God had the early Church do is to record the apostles' doctrine. We know the doctrine is of God because God's Word says in 2 Peter 1:21:

For the prophecy came not in old [any] time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost [holy spirit].

The Apostles' doctrine is a unique phrase. It is called the Apostles' doctrine because the Apostles made it their own way of living. It was the true standard they lived by and taught to others.

The next fundamental that the believers participated in with unrelenting continuance is "fellowship" which is the Greek word koinonia, meaning full sharing. They continued steadfastly in full sharing, first vertically with God and then horizontally with one another based on the Apostles' doctrine.

They shared the truth of the Word that they learned regarding the Grace Administration. These were people just like us. They didn't hold anything back that was profitable in doctrine or in practice with one another.
Fundamental to living the Great Mystery is fellowship and full sharing with one another. Paul communicated God's heart regarding fellowship in the book of Philippians 1:4-5:

Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship [koinonia, full sharing] in the gospel [good news pertaining to the Grace Administration] from the first day until now.

Our full sharing of God's Word, particularly the seven Church Epistles, is the key to living the Great Mystery!

The next fundamental that the believers participated in with unrelenting continuance is "in breaking of bread."

In Luke 24:27-31, we read about our Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Emmaus with two disciples who were distraught and discouraged emotionally.

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

This breaking of bread together in the home is a dynamic characteristic of living the Great Mystery in the household. Verses 30-31 said "that and it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight."

The next fundamental that the believers participated in with unrelenting continuance is "in prayers." The believers were praying with their understanding and praying in the spirit-speaking in tongues, making intercession, building themselves up spiritually.

Prayer helps us get engrossed, clear, and concerned about receiving God's promises. When we pray, God already knows what we are praying about, for He is all knowing, all powerful and everywhere present. Prayer is the Word of God on believers' lips.

This month's teaching focused on the Great Mystery as revealed in Acts 2:42-47. These verses build our understanding of Living the Great Mystery as we read that the first Century believers continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and in prayers. These early believers had great respect one for another, and many wonders and signs were done. By receiving baptism through the holy spirit, they shared fully in the mutual believing of one another and gave of their abundance to move God's Word! We must master the doctrine of God's Word, making it our own in our individual lives by study, application, and teaching, just as the early church did. For when we follow this doctrine, we will see Acts 2:47 manifested in our lives:

Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Father, thank you for opening your Word up to us so that we can know your will and carry it out. Thank you that we can attentively engage in and have that same unrelenting continuance when it comes to acting on your Word. Father, thank you that we can continue daily with one accord, singleness of heart, from house to house in the Apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, in breaking of bread and in prayers with one another. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Next month's teaching will be on the Great Mystery: The Church Epistles.

In the Lord,

Ministry of Reconciliation
Son of God through Jesus Christ
Ambassador for Christ

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