The Strand Study Bible

ACTS ACTS belongs to its rightful owner .” Peter reminded his listeners that the return of CHRIST would occur shortly after the “ restoration of all things ,” which would include the land of Israel being returned to its rightful owners (the Jews - Gen 12:1-2 & 15:18-21). The land was returned to the Jews in 1948, and the city of Jerusalem in 1967, therefore, the return of CHRIST must be right around the corner ( Mk 13:4 ). 3:24 While it is true that many of the OT prophets may not have fully understood the actual death, burial and resurrection of Christ ( Lk 18:34 and I Pet 1:10 a ), it is also true that every OT saint understood the “facts” behind the actual death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and the “facts” behind the Gospel are what save a person ( I Cor 15:1 ). 4:12 Notice, if you will, that it does not say, “ Neither is there religion in any other ,” for there is religion in the name of Buddha (the inventor of Buddhism – c. 500 BC), Confucius (the inventor of Confucianism – c. 497 BC), Mohammed (the inventor of Islam – c. AD 622), Joseph Smith (the inventor of Mormonism – c. AD 1830), John Bate Cardale (the inventor of The Apostolic Church – c. AD 1832), Walter Scott, Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone (the inventors of the Disciples of Christ – c. AD 1835), Ellen White (the inventor of The Seventh Day Adventist – c. AD 1863), Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (the inventor of New Thought – c. AD 1866), Helena Blavatsky (the inventor of The New Age Movement – c. AD 1875), Mary Baker Eddy (the inventor of Christian Science – c. AD 1879), Charles T. Russell (the inventor of the Jehovah’s Witnesses – c. AD 1884), Herbert W. Armstrong (the inventor of The Worldwide Church of God – c. AD 1933), etc., yet there is no salvation in any of them. Salvation is found in CHRIST and in CHRIST alone. It’s not JESUS plus some religion, but JESUS only (Neither is there salvation in any other)! 4:13a According to the Bible, there are seven visible evidences of being SPIRIT -filled ( Jn 3:8 ): 1. Boldness to prophesy (Acts 1:8 & 2:17-18 & 4:8,13,29-31 & 9:17,27 & 14:3, Lk 1:41-42,67, Num 11:26, I Sam 10:6,10 & 19:20-23, Ezk 11:4-5 & 37:1-4, Mic 3:8 and Rev 11:3) – Meaning : W e boldly proclaim the Gospel and witness for Christ (Acts 19:6-8). 2. Oneness (Acts 4:31-37) – Meaning : W e are unified in purpose as a body of believers (Jn 13:34-35 & 17:11,21) . 3. Unselfishness (Acts 4:31-37) – Meaning : W e live to see others succeed . 4. Joy (Eph 5:18-19) – Meaning : W e magnify God out of a heart of joy (Acts 10:46) . 5. Thanksgiving (Eph 5:18-20) – Meaning : W e are thankful for everything (good or bad - I Thess 5:18) . 6. Submission (Eph 5:18-22, I Pet 5:5 and Rom 12:10) – Meaning : W e humbly serve one another (I Pet 5:5-6) . 7. Freedom in Christ (II Cor 3:17) – Meaning : W e are not tied to men and/or their movements (Gal 2:11-14) . NOTE – Although there are some well-meaning and sincere believers that have been led to believe that speaking in tongues is a visible evidence of being Spirit-filled, it is not. A close examination of the only two verses that are used to prove this teaching will reveal just the opposite ( Acts 10:44-46 & 19:6 ). 4:13b God uses the foolish things of the world ( unlearned and ignorant men – I Cor 1:27-28 ) to confound the wise. Thus, intellectualism and education are not a high priority on God’s list of priorities ( Prov 9:1 and Eccl 1:12 Subject Head ). 4:13c This word ( marveled ) is the Greek word HθDXPD]οQ ( ethaumazon ) and means “ to greatly wonder ; to be taken back in utter amazement (Rev 13:1-3 and Gal 1:6). Have you ever wondered what amazes God… what blows His mind? According to the New Testament, where this same word is used in connection with Jesus, there are two things that amaze God: 1. People who give Him the “last say” in their life (Mt 8:1-10) Want to amaze God in a positive way? Start taking His Word over your own. That’s what faith is (Heb 11:1-6). 2. People who handle His Word and yet take it for granted (Mk 6:1-6) Want to amaze God in a negative way? Start getting into the Bible without obeying it; start looking at it as if it were a history book or some Jewish novel; start studying it just to gain biblical knowledge. Question: Which one are you? Are you the one who amazes God in a positive way or in a negative way? NOTE – We can either amaze God in a positive way or in a negative way. It all depends on how you approach His Word. Do you give God the “last say” in your life or do you take His Word for granted and dismiss its authority? 4:13d Sounds like success has nothing to do with what you know, and everything to do with WHO you know ( they had been with Jesus ). When it’s all said and done only two things are going to matter in life: 1. Did you get saved? (vs 12) 2. Did you spend time with the One who saved you? (vs 13) That’s all that’s going to matter! It’s not going to matter whether you got a street named after you or a highway or a building. It’s not going to matter how successful you became in business. It’s not going to matter if your name is in the political hall of faith. It’s not going to matter how smart you were or whether you got to attend a professional football game or the rock concert of your choice. It’s not going to matter how nice you were or how good you tried to be or whether you were a part of a certain religion or not. All that’s going to matter is whether you got saved and whether you spent time with the One who saved you . That’s it. Question: How do you get saved? Answer: Romans 1:16 Question: How do you spend time with the One who saved you? Answer: * By spending time with Him under the Word (Lk 10:38-42) * By spending time with Him under great crisis (Dan 3:17-25 & 6:16-22, Acts 23:10-11 & 27:14-24 and Gen 16:7-11) * By spending time with Him at church (Jn 20:24-29) * By spending time with Him when witnessing (Acts 18:5-10) 1787

* By spending time with Him in prayer (Mt 18:20) * By spending time with Him in battle (Josh 5:13-15)