ACTS 3:1-11 - Corps Notes - December 4, 1975
ACTS 3:1-11 December 4, 1975 The Way College of Emporia Well we go into a record tonight that is so much like God’s Word, simply amazing, dynamically revealing of the greatness of the first century church and a section again of God’s Word that has been pretty well hidden. For the most part it’s just been another nice story to people. Something that occurred in the first century that passed away with the apostles, and consequently this is the kind of thing that you no longer believe for. See, I came through the same kind of background that the men my age came through that were trained in the theological seminaries, and that is that in Peter and John’s day they didn’t have the “smarts” of the medical profession. And therefore, they needed Peter and John and God to help them. But since that time we have developed science and the medical profession, and it’s the medical profession that has replaced the power of God and the greatness of that which is made known in the Word. So the medical profession with their hospitals took over the days of Peter and John. You just can’t get rid of God's Word that easily, because if one thing in the book of Acts is dropped out, then you drop out anything you want to drop out and then you lose the new birth, you lose everything. It’s either the church in action with the greatness of the power of God all the way through or it isn’t. The greatness of Jesus’ ministry was manifested in its maximum with the healing of the man born blind in John 9. The greatness of the power of God in the believers in the early church was made manifest here in the third chapter of the book of Acts. This is the first record in the Word after the birth of the church regarding the deliverance of someone who was born incapacitated, or as I say, who came from the factory with parts missing. You see, in the last session, I think I told you that when people were born again of God’s spirit, they immediately spoke in tongues, and I showed it to you from the text. Havin
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continued in the apostles’ right believing, doctrine, they not only spoke in tongues, but they operated the manifestations. I believe that they interpreted and prophesied. I believe they operated word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, faith, miracles and healing. Before the Lord Jesus Christ ascended in those days when he was with the apostles, he must have taught them many things because they spent approximately 40 days together, things that of course are not recorded in the Word of God. And I’m sure they didn’t spend much time talking about the social problems in Palestine, nor who was going to be the next governor elect of the Judean territory. By sheer logic from the integrity and accuracy of God’s Word, I’d say that those were great days of instruction and teaching. He must have just opened his heart spiritually speaking and taught them things to look for and what