Acts: Act Like God Can Use You Too

Luke keeps Acts tied to Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit gives power so Christ’s people become witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The word “witnesses” carries the weight of testimony, even the kind that costs a person everything, because a life can say, “Here’s what Jesus has done in me and through me.”

Philip shows that God sends witnesses into places religious people did not want to go. God sends him to Samaria, then down the road toward Gaza, so an Ethiopian eunuch, someone kept at a distance under the old categories, can hear the gospel and become part of God’s kingdom. Paul shows the same kind of upside down grace, because the man who was dedicated to destroying the church becomes the man God uses to build it up. The same passion that once tore people down becomes power for preaching that Jesus is the Messiah.

Luke makes clear that this power is not money, status, or political influence. The power comes from the Holy Spirit. And when God starts using people, the enemy starts coming against people. The Jews now do to Paul what Paul had done to Christians, thinking they are defending God by trying to kill. But Christianity has no room for hating others in the name of Jesus. Sin can be hated, but people cannot be hated, because Jesus died for them too.

Barnabas becomes the kind of person every changed sinner needs. The disciples have real reasons to fear Saul, but Barnabas stands up and says, in effect, the past is real, but God is doing something now. Actions still have consequences, and people are known by their fruit, but grace makes room for someone to stand beside a changed life.

Peter then travels to Lydda during a season of peace, and Jesus Christ heals Aeneas, a man bedridden for eight years. The people do not merely see Peter. They see a living witness, a man everyone knew, now up and walking, and all Lydda and Sharon turn to the Lord. In Joppa, Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, dies after a life full of doing good and helping the poor. Peter prays, tells her to get up, and many in Joppa believe.

The miracles point people to God, confirm God’s word, and equip people to tell others about him. The Holy Spirit still makes witnesses today, sometimes through healing, and also through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control in a world full of rage, division, and hate.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Witnesses live as testimony A witness does more than repeat religious information. A witness lives in a way that says something real has been seen, heard, and experienced through Jesus Christ. The Spirit gives power so a life becomes evidence, even when that evidence costs comfort, reputation, or safety. [01:55]
• 2. Hatred cannot wear Jesus’ name The desire to tear people down in God’s name may feel righteous to a religious heart, but it does not belong to Christ. Sin can grieve the soul and still not give permission to hate the sinner. The cross keeps every Christian from acting like another person is too far gone for the mercy that rescued Paul. [07:14]
• 3. Barnabas stands beside changed people Grace does not pretend the past never happened, and trust does not rebuild without fruit. Yet Barnabas shows the holy courage of standing with someone God is changing, even when others are still afraid. A changed life often needs someone who can tell the truth about both the damage done and the grace now at work. [09:08]
• 4. Miracles point beyond themselves Biblical miracles are not random displays of power or only private kindness to hurting people. They point people to God, confirm his word, and equip witnesses to speak about him. Aeneas and Tabitha become living signs that God’s power is meant to turn whole communities toward the Lord. [22:27]
• 5. The Spirit bears everyday fruit The power of the Holy Spirit is not limited to dramatic healings or someone being raised from the dead. The Spirit also shows up when love answers hate, patience answers irritation, and self control answers rage. In a world full of the acts of the flesh, Spirit-shaped character becomes a living witness to God’s kingdom.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:32] - Acts and Jesus’ Witness Promise
• [01:55] - Witnesses, Martyrs, and Testimony
• [02:45] - Philip Goes to Samaria and Gaza
• [03:35] - Saul Becomes a Builder
• [05:51] - Holy Spirit Power, Not Status
• [07:14] - No Room for Hating Others
• [08:35] - Barnabas Stands Up for Saul
• [12:53] - Peace Strengthens the Church
• [14:33] - Peter Travels to Lydda
• [16:23] - Aeneas Healed and Lydda Turns
• [18:29] - Tabitha, Dorcas, and Joppa
• [21:38] - Do Miracles Happen Today?
• [25:02] - Everyday Witness by the Spirit
• [27:57] - Prayer to Live as Witnesses

Bible Reading

Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [00:32]

Acts 9:20-22
“And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ And all who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?’ But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” [04:59]

Acts 9:32-35
“Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.’ And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.” [16:23]

Acts 9:36-42
“Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.” [18:29]

Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Observation questions

1. In Acts 1:8, what does Jesus promise his people will receive, and what does he say they will become as a result? [01:30]
2. In Acts 9:20-22, what made people so surprised when Saul started preaching about Jesus in the synagogues? [05:28]
3. In Acts 9:32-35, who was healed in Lydda, how long had he been bedridden, and what was the response of the people in Lydda and Sharon? [16:50]
4. In Acts 9:36-42, what details show the kind of life Tabitha had lived before she died, and what happened in Joppa after she was raised? [20:46]

Interpretation questions

1. Acts 1:8 connects the Holy Spirit’s power with being witnesses. What does it mean for a witness to be more than someone who knows information and instead to become living testimony? [01:55]
2. Saul once tried to destroy the church, and then he began proving that Jesus is the Messiah. What does that change reveal about the kind of people God is able to use? [03:49]
3. The people who opposed Saul believed they were defending God. Why is it possible for religious zeal to become hateful, and why does the gospel leave no room for hating people in Jesus’ name? [07:14]
4. The healings of Aeneas and Tabitha led many people to turn to the Lord. What does that suggest about the main purpose of miracles in Acts? [22:27]

Application questions

1. Jesus still calls his people to be witnesses. Where are the “Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria” places in everyday life right now—home, work, school, neighborhood, or somewhere uncomfortable—and which one feels hardest to step into? [28:17]
2. Hatred cannot wear Jesus’ name. Is there a person or group that stirs up anger, contempt, or a desire to tear them down? What would it look like to hate what is sinful without hating the people involved? [07:54]
3. Barnabas stood beside someone whose past gave everyone reasons to be cautious. Has there been a time when someone stood beside a changed life in that way, or a time when that kind of support was needed personally? What made it hard or helpful? [09:08]
4. People are known by their fruit. If others only had this past week to judge what kind of person is being formed, what would they say is growing most clearly—negativity, harshness, and impatience, or love, peace, kindness, and self-control? [10:57]
5. Aeneas and Tabitha became living signs that pointed people to the Lord. What has God done in life that could honestly be shared as testimony to someone else right now? It does not have to be dramatic—where has his grace been clearly seen? [18:10]
6. The Holy Spirit’s power often shows up in ordinary moments. In what setting is there the strongest temptation to react with the works of the flesh, and which part of the Spirit’s fruit is most needed there right now? [26:28]
7. Many people carry the feeling that they are too far gone for God. Who nearby might need to hear, through words or actions, that Jesus died for them too? What is one simple step that could be taken this week? [13:18]