The Relevance of the Book of Acts

We should be aware of the religious climate in which we live in these modern times. The importance of the Bible and a commitment to sound doctrine seem to have fallen on hard times. The acceptance of the inerrancy and infallibility of all Scripture is no longer a bedrock belief in many religious circles, and the Bible is not always seen as true from cover to cover. This is happening even in some corners of the Restoration Movement. Because of this, the Bible is sometimes perceived as having little or no relevance for the modern church or present-day Christians. It has been replaced by a strong social agenda that devalues Bible doctrine. Christ, as He lived and taught, has become the epistemological norm, and the only such norm, for life and theology. “We are saved by Jesus, not by doctrine” is a strong mantra in modern-day religion. However, this presents us with a false choice. We do not have to choose between Christ and His Word. As I once heard Roger Chambers say, “The Jesus of Scripture is the Jesus who saves.” In fact, the Jesus revealed on the pages of the Bible is the only one who can save. Jesus is not in opposition to Scripture; His person and work are revealed therein. Redemption accomplished and applied requires explanation by means of divinely sourced word revelation.

God’s Word presents itself as the necessary foundation for the church. Although this is true of the entire Bible, the Book of Acts emphasizes the priority of doctrine in the life of the church. This is seen in the provision of salvation, the plan of salvation, the practice of the church, and the polity of the church. Christian doctrine in Acts is not some fading background material that comes to the front only occasionally when needed. Sound teaching is front and center in Acts and the life of the early church. As it was then, so it must be now. We can learn some great lessons from Acts about the importance of sound doctrine and practice, and how this is still relevant and needed in the church.

Confirmation

We begin by mentioning the importance of the miraculous signs and wonders recorded in Acts as the confirmation of the truthfulness of the apostolic teaching. There is simply no escaping the realization that the Apostles were the men of God preaching the message of God. The signs from the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-4; the signs and wonders being done by the Apostles in Acts 2:43 and Acts 3:1-10; what was done by men who had apostolic hands laid on them as did Stephen (Acts 6:8) and Philip (Acts 8:6); and the signs worked by the Apostle Paul (Acts 14:3) all verify the truthfulness of the message they preached and the divine source of the word revelation they shared. Acts 4:33 says, “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (ESV used throughout).

Since we have the preserved record of the sign works of the Apostles, we can be certain today that what they taught is still as true, relevant, and binding as it was then. The signs in Acts furnish us with proof of the veracity of apostolic teaching. What they preached about Christ, Christian living, and the church still holds in absoluteness for us. The confirmation of God’s Word revelation to man is complete.

Consistent Communication

The actual content of the teaching of the Apostles and prophets as recorded in Acts is quite consistent. There are individual instances of important matters that are addressed, such as the worship and fellowship practices of the church in Acts 2:42-47, matters of morality as in Acts 15, and even leadership instruction as in Acts 20:17ff. However, the Book of Acts was not intended to be a complete catalog of Christian doctrine. The focus of Apostolic teaching centers on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

The redemptive work of Christ took center stage in preaching endeavors. In Acts 2, Peter’s sermon reaches a crescendo in Acts 2:36 with these words, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Jesus as the resurrected Savior and Lord occupied the minds and messages of the first-century spokesmen. In Acts 3:15, Peter focuses on Jesus when he says, “You killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses." Again, he states in Acts 4:10, “Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.” Philip preached in Samaria the “good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.” He told the Ethiopian eunuch the “good news about Jesus” in Acts 8:35. Paul preached the importance and centrality of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus in Acts 13:26ff. These examples show a purposeful consistency in the communication efforts of the Apostles.

We should also note the consistency in presenting the plan of salvation. From the normative example of “repent and be baptized” in Acts 2:38-39, to “repent and turn back” in Acts 3:19; to Philip baptizing the eunuch in Acts 8 after he confesses faith; to the baptism of Cornelius and his household in Acts 10:47-48, to the conversion of the Philippian jailor and his household in Acts 16:29-33, just to name a few. We may not have every condition for salvation mentioned in each passage (faith, repentance, confession, and baptism), but we see a remarkable regularity in the presentation and practice of the plan of salvation.

Due to the fact that the Apostles had authority to speak on behalf of Christ and spoke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:13-15), we know for certain that the Christ-centered preaching of the cross and the empty tomb does not and cannot change. This is also true of the conditions the lost must meet to receive the salvation God gives in Christ. The plan given in Acts is the same as today. The present-day church should take this to heart. The appropriate question in Acts 16:30 of “What must I do to be saved?” is not only still the right question, but it must be answered biblically. The book of Acts furnishes us with both the right information and the right examples to answer such an all-important inquiry.

Conviction and Confidence

A word must be said at this point regarding the conviction and confidence of the Apostles in accomplishing the work of kingdom building throughout the Acts account, a building effort which was founded on sound Holy Spirit-inspired teaching. We tend to think of these men as superheroes, so unlike us. It is true they had the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit and possessed special delegated authority from Christ, but they were in many respects just like us. They had their own problems and weaknesses (Romans 7:14ff; Galatians 2:11ff). However, one striking difference is that the book of Acts presents the Apostles as men of boldness, certainty, and passion. These are not the same men who were locked away in fear on Resurrection Day. They were raring and ready to go when the Day of Pentecost arrived. They had seen the risen Lord. They had walked and talked with Jesus. They knew He was the substance of their preaching, but also the very hope and assurance of what was to come.

The Apostles did not cower in the presence of anyone. They boldly asserted their intention to obey God rather than men. They did not hesitate to call out the rulers of the Jews for their sin in rejecting Jesus and their complicity in having Him put to death. These Christian leaders did not shy away from beatings, imprisonment, or death. They had the Man and His message, and such was the driving force behind the boldness they showed.

Those with whom the Apostles came in contact saw this confidence and conviction. Just listen to the words the religious leaders of the Jews had to say about them in Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” How does this need to be true of Christians in our present day? We must learn from the confidence and conviction they possessed. Of course, none of us is an apostle, but we are still saved in Christ. We still have the same message and the same hope. We can still live and present the Gospel so people will know we have been with Jesus.

Constancy

Another striking aspect of the Apostles and the early Christians is the urgency with which they shared the message of the Gospel. The truth “Jesus saves” was not simply a hymn to be sung on Sundays. The Gospel of salvation was the constant cry of their mouths to those lost in sin. Standing for Jesus cost Stephen his life, but he did not waver in preaching Christ. When the first great persecution arose in Jerusalem in Acts 8, the Christians fled, but they went about preaching the Word.

Philip preached in Samaria, then to the eunuch, and on to Azotus, all the way to Caesarea. Peter preached to the Jews and then went and preached to Cornelius and his household, so that the Gospel would be opened to the Gentiles. Paul went on three missionary journeys, devoting the entirety of his life and energies to the proclamation of the Good News about Jesus. Even prison, continued hardships, and opposition did not stop his efforts. He knew, as did his brethren in Christ, that they had the only message and the only way for lost men and women to be saved. The work of evangelism was to them a calling and a cause. It was literally life and death. They pushed aside timidity and forged ahead through the stiff winds of resistance. Jesus was their all-in-all. They had victory in Christ, which meant the impossibility of defeat. Oh, how we need the resolve and the urgency they portrayed. The constancy of the work of soul-winning must become the aim of the church once again. It must be based on sound doctrine. The spiritual and eternal life of the lost depends on it.

Cultural

One fascinating reality of the work of the early church and its leaders was the cultural relevance of the teaching they received from God. Their methodology in sharing the message could be varied, but the substance of their preaching was consistently presented and was everywhere relevant. The teaching presented about Christ and His church traveled well. Peter could preach Jesus to Jews and Gentiles; Philip to Samaritans, magicians, and Ethiopians; Paul to Greeks, Romans, sellers of purple goods, prison guards, kings, and counselors. The message of salvation in Christ translates well in any and every culture. This is not to say everyone was convinced, but the wide array of cultures could all understand sin and salvation, even if they rejected what was preached.

Today, we have a vast, eclectic world of many-faceted cultures. Due to the ease of the exchange of information and ideas, we know more about other cultures than ever before. There are things we think odd in the practice of others, just as they do about us, but the Gospel of grace in Christ transcends individual cultures and people groups. The message of God’s salvation to man has meaning to Americans, to Asians, to Australians, and to Africans. Europeans need to hear about the one message of salvation in Christ, as do those in South America. Jesus died for everyone, and the practice of the church in Acts makes this abundantly clear. Salvation is universally available, though only personally applied, and relevant for all. We must learn the lesson of the early church in her effort and quest to win the world for Jesus.

Confession

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15, “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” The word defense is where we get our word apology. However, it does not mean “I’m sorry” as we understand in English, but means, just as it is translated here, defense. The Apostles stood tall in defending their faith in Christ, which meant defending the teaching about Christ.

Time and again, Paul defended himself and the message he preached before unbelievers and antagonists. In Jerusalem, before hostile Jews in Acts 22:1, Paul says, “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.” He then presented Christ and the record of his own conversion. The crowds would not always be dissuaded from their unbelief, but the defense had to be made, and Paul did so.

In Acts 26, Paul makes the same defense in the presence of King Agrippa. Sadly, the result was no better than before, but Paul stood tall in his confession and apology of the teaching about Christ and salvation. His defense was doctrinal; that is, it was a defense of right and healthy doctrine received from God. His apologetical efforts were grounded in sound teaching, and he gladly defended the cause of Christ no matter the audience. Paul’s defense was always based on God’s truth.

There is a lesson here for us. We need to grow in our ability to defend the faith. Standing firm on Scripture is non-negotiable. We must always be ready to give a defense for the hope we have in Jesus. Yes, we must do this with gentleness and respect, speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), but it must be done. Acts furnishes us with enough examples of apologetical efforts that should motivate us in preparing ourselves to be ready to defend the faith.

Some will argue that Paul had it easy since he was Holy Spirit-inspired. Indeed, he was. However, we have the completed, Holy Spirit-given, apostolic, and prophetic word from God. We have all the information God wants us to have and to know. We just need to avail ourselves of this life-changing and life-saving message to present before others.

Conversions

When all is considered, Acts is a book about the Apostles and the early church in reaching the lost for Christ. It was a Holy Spirit-empowered effort built on the foundation of God-breathed word revelation (Ephesians 2:20; 2 Timothy 3:16). The Apostles led the way in the spread of the Gospel, but it was also accomplished by men and women who took their faith and doctrine seriously.

Acts provides us with a series of conversions that resulted from the teaching of God’s truths to sinful man. Three thousand repented and were baptized in Acts 2; the citizens of Samaria believed the message of Philip and were baptized in Acts 8, as was the eunuch; Saul was baptized in Acts 9, and Cornelius and his household in Acts 10. We have Lydia and her household in Acts 16:15; the jailor and his household baptized in Philippi in Acts 16:33; Crispus and his household in Acts 18; and the twelve men who had been John’s disciples in Acts 19. All of these, and many more, responded to the message of the Gospel.

We have been given example after example of what to preach and what to do to impact lives for Christ. Those who come to Christ do so as they hear and believe the teaching about the redemptive work of Jesus and His plan of salvation. We have the same message and greater access to it. We have the same opportunities and possibly more of them. We have access to more people by means of more avenues of communication. We can speak to someone next door and on the other side of the world on the same day. What is it that we lack? Maybe it is the passion, resolve, and urgency the Apostles and Christians in the first-century church had. May we be burdened for the lost as never before. May we develop a real compassion for those lost in sin.

Does the Book of Acts have any real relevance for the church of today? Absolutely. How could anyone ever think otherwise? The message is plain, and the plan is never changing. Jesus is still the Cornerstone for, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). He is the One who died, was buried, and arose on the third day to make salvation available. His plan for making disciples still works. The lost are saved when they obey the Gospel: faith in Christ, repentance toward Christ, confession of Christ, and baptism into Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us continue the work begun in Acts and let us stand fast on the Holy Spirit-inspired Word to accomplish what Christ has commissioned us to do.

Paul Ponchot has been the evangelist with the Cumberland County Christian Church in Vineland, New Jersey, since 1994. He is a 1987 graduate of Cincinnati Bible College. He and his wife, Ronda, have three children: Jillian (and husband Jonathan), Chris (and wife Grace), and Kayla, and two granddaughters: Susan and Jane. Paul is also the Director of South Jersey Evangelism.