It is easy to read the book of Acts and see the players as perfect or super-spiritual beings. The first half of the book is mostly about Peter, and the second half about Paul. I would guess that most of us would feel that at least Paul was super-spiritual. After all, he did write about 2/3 of our New Testament and was a pretty amazing individual! However, we must remember that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) It is only God Himself who is perfect and sinless—God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although the book of the acts of the Apostles is pretty amazing, we must not feel defeated in ourselves. All these men did great things through the Holy Spirit but theirs was also a journey of growth. Paul started as a persecutor of Christians, following them from one town to another with the hope of seeing all believers imprisoned for their faith. He was standing there holding the coats when Stephen was stoned to death. (Acts 7:57) “And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.” (Acts 8:1)
Paul and Barnabas had ‘such a sharp disagreement that they parted company’ in Acts 15. The argument was over John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas and writer of the Gospel of Mark. Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them, and Paul did not. (15:37-40)
Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. (Acts 15:38)
And Peter? In Galatians 2:11 we are told, “When Peter came to Antioch, I [Paul] opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.”
I don’t point out these things to somehow discredit the men and women that God chose to be some of the most vocal, pointing many to the Gospel. I say it only to help us see that just like us, they too were on a journey. How did they learn to follow God’s quiet voice? By listening daily. How did they learn to trust in anything He asked them to do? By knowing the Scriptures and through them, getting to know the Father. How did they do great things for God? They were faithful to what God called them to do and pointed the glory back to God.
If God could take a zealous man who spent his life passionate about the wrong cause and turn him into not just a great apologist but write 2/3 of the New Testament through him, then God can take our lives and do great things for His glory through us. Why? Because it was the Holy Spirit in each of these individuals that gave them the power to be brave in the face of death, to heal the sick, to know the words to speak when in front of a crowd, and we have that same Spirit within us if we have Jesus Christ in our lives.
The book of Acts. It truly is a book recording the acts of the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to read or reread the book from the first chapter to the 28th and see what God has in store to teach you. Remember we live in the age after the resurrection of Jesus, and this means the Holy Spirit lives in the heart of each and every true believer. He isn’t someone we ‘earn’ by good works but rather the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us today, not for our glory, but to the glory of God. (Romans 8:11)