"'And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?' When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, 'Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.'"
— Acts 11:16-18 (NASB)

Why were the Apostles and the early Jewish Christians so slow when it came to taking Jesus' commands literally such as the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20) to "make disciples of all nations" or His final instruction just moments before His ascension that "you shall be My witnesses…even to the remotest part of the earth"? (Acts 1:8) In spite of the clear teaching and commandment of Jesus to the contrary, why do they continue to cling to incorrect notions about the working of the Gospel, the most important of all biblical doctrine? Because they have a wrong eschatology. People who have a false notion about God's entire prophetic plan are most often characterized as having doctrinal issues with the fundamental teachings of the Christian faith.

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One of the things I look back on with a little bit of regret is how many years I carried around nothing but a New Testament. Sadly, this was a normal occurrence during my formative years when there were virtually no Bible studies, sermons, nor any other cause to need the Old Testament. Although I later enjoyed the revelation of seeing Christ in the whole of the Bible, I still wish they were seriously taught to me much earlier. And so I now quiz others as to how well they see Christ conveyed through each book of the Old Testament so they won't miss out on what I've come to believe is the ultimate reference source, without which the New Testament cannot be fully understood.

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"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!'"
—Acts 8:18-20 (NASB)

One of the most common recurring human behaviors which has been prolific in every age of the church and probably even more so this present hour, is the desire to purchase a gift of God in one form or another. I am not strictly referring to the Roman Catholic practice of selling indulgences, but what I call the "Send me a check and I'll send you a table cloth dipped in the Jordan River" syndrome. Peter was an honest shepherd who set the record straight; there are far too many false shepherds who are more than willing to fleece the flock. (Pun intended.)

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"'You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.'"
— Acts 7:51-53 (NASB)

Believe me when I sincerely state that it is not my intention to purposely incite or offend anyone, but I cannot read these verses without thinking about more recent church history. Specifically I have come to realize that what most Christians know about the Reformation and its most prominent personalities is at best bite-sized and far from comprehensive, and most often not even reflecting the truth. Many claiming the title "Christian" at present see the Reformers as their current church fathers, and I believe anyone who has the courage to read the whole and complete truth of their history would not claim such a heritage.

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"When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, 'We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.' But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.'"
— Acts 5:27-29 (NASB)

You have either just awaken from a coma or not paid any kind of attention to the news for a long while if you do not know that the place Christians in America are presently being persecuted the most is within the judicial system. On the one hand there are many "woe is me" Christians who see this as a sign to implement a political action committee and join the TEA Party. If that is what God is telling you to do, please do not allow me to in any way hinder you. I just want to offer that we need to consider  what a tremendous opportunity this is to frankly preach the Gospel in truth.

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"But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?'"
— Acts 5:1-3 (NASB)

It is important to bear in mind that the actions of Ananias and Sapphira come from people accepted as full members of the church. Up until now Satan has tried to bring pressure on the church from sources distinctly outside of it. So we should pay particular attention to the fact that God actually demonstrates His extreme displeasure by executing immediate judgment on this behavior as an object lesson for the rest of us. They are representative of the worst brand of deception that corrupts the church in the worst way: they take what is normally a good and loving thing and twist it so that it no longer glorifies God but self.

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"'Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.'"
— Acts 3:19-21 (NASB)

Even to this present time one of the reasons most often given by unregenerate Jews as to why they ultimately reject Jesus as the Messiah is because He did not fulfill the prophecies associated with HaMashiach Ben David — "the Messiah the Son of David" also known as "the Conquering King". These are all the prophecies we associate with Christ's Second Coming when He will literally establish His kingdom on earth, elevate Israel's place in the world, and rule for a thousand years from Jerusalem. In one of his earliest recorded sermons, Peter is actually explaining that those things are yet to come, that He first had to come and fulfill the prophecies associated with HaMashiah Ben Joseph — "the Messiah the Son of Joseph" also known as "the Suffering Servant", who must first undertake the work of the cross before engaging in the work of the Millennial Kingdom.

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