From Strength to Strength: Hit the road

From Strength to Strength: Hit the Road

Review the Big Picture of our Study:

Church in Jerusalem

· Kingdom

· Gospel

· Holy Spirit

· Prayer

Church Life

The conversion of Paul is the great turning-point in God’s dealings with Israel.

His whole program for the evangelization of the world depended on this unusual man.
If we are to rightly divide the Word of Truth, we must keep in mind that Peter and Paul in the Book of Acts represent two different ministries.

Note these contrasts:

Peter Paul

1. One of the Twelve apostles 1. Called apart from the Twelve

2. Centered in Jerusalem 2. Centered in Antioch

3. Ministered mainly in Israel 3. Ministered to the Gentiles

4. Called on earth by Christ 4. Called by Christ from heaven

5. Saw Christ’s glory on earth 5. Saw Christ’s glory in heaven

Too many Christians confuse these two ministries and thus turn the local church into a hodgepodge of “kingdom truth” and “church truth.”

Peter is God’s Usher for the truth of Kingdom
Paul is God’s spokesman to the local church; even Peter admits this (2 Peter 3:15–16).

To follow the practices of the local assembly in Acts 1–7, and thus ignore God’s instructions to the church through Paul, is to disobey the Word.
Or to focus on one more than the other, will lead to pragmatic problems

He was a Jew by birth, but a Gentile by citizenship.

He was God’s choice servant (v. 15) to announce the message of the church, this “mystery” that God had kept secret from ages past.
Being associated with both Jews and Gentiles, trained in the OT Scriptures as well as the Greek philosophies and Roman laws,
Paul was the ideal man to give this new message that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile in Christ.

His conversion experience can be summarized in these statements: (1) He saw a light; (2) He heard a voice; (3) He obeyed a call.

He “fell” not only physically but in his heart as well; for unless we fall in humility we cannot be saved.

IV. Peter and the Saints (9:32–43)

Q: Why does Luke discuss Peter at this point?

A: The answer may have to do with the city he mentions: Joppa (vv. 36 and 43).

This city reminds us at once of the prophet Jonah, who went down to Joppa to flee to Tarshish (Jonah 1:1–3).
God called Jonah to carry His message to the Gentiles; and God was about to call Peter to do the same thing (Acts 10).
Peter lived in Joppa with Simon, a tanner, suggesting that some of Peter’s Jewish prejudices are now being set aside, for tanning was “unclean” as far as Jews were concerned. Peter was about to discover that nothing is unclean that God has sanctified.