We are sometimes told that God does not speak to men apart from Scripture. This got me wondering, so I decided to go through the Book of Acts to see how God soke with His people in the first century. What I found startled me. God spoke with surprising frequency. The big question is, “does God still speak in these ways today?” I have included some observations and conclusions from my study of Acts at the bottom of this study. I hope you find it useful and helpful!
Teaching Notes:
How Did God Speak In The Book Of Acts?
Key:V = VisionP = ProphecyA = AngelGT = God Told themGTA = God Told them AudiblyS = Spirit ToldC = Circumstances (providence)D = Dream
1. Acts 2:17-21 V, D, P Peter quoted Scripture from Joel 2:28-32 which said in the last days God would speak through visions, dreams, prophecy.
2. Acts 3:4 GT Peter fixed his gaze upon the lame man before healing him. Probably indicates God spoke to him to let him know He was going to heal (see #19).
3. Acts 5:3-4 P Peter had supernatural knowledge of Ananias’ and Sapphira’s deceptions.
4. Acts 5:9 P Peter prophesied of Sapphira’s immediate death.
5. Acts 5:20 A An angel of the Lord delivered the apostles from prison and told them, “Go your way and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this life.”
6. Acts 8:26 A An angel of the Lord appeared to Philip and told him to go down to a desert road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.
7. Acts 8:29 S The Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”
8. Acts 9:4-6 GTA Jesus spoke audibly from heaven to Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.”
9. Acts 9:10-16 V The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision. He told him the name of the street and the man’s house that Saul was staying out, that Saul was praying there, that Saul had seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay hands on him to regain his sight. Ananias argued with the Lord, but the Lord reassured him.
10. Acts 9:12 V Saul received a vision of a man named Ananias come, lay his hands on him to receive his sight.
11. Acts 9:34 GT Peter says, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; arise, and make your bed.” Peter must have been given supernatural knowledge to know that Jesus was going to heal him.
12. Acts 9:40 GT Peter prayed before commanding Dorcas to arise. God must have told him in prayer that He was going to raise her from the dead.
13. Acts 10:3-6 V Cornelius receives a detailed vision of an angel who told him that his prayers and alms had ascended as a memorial before God, and that he needed to dispatch some men to Joppa, and send for a man named Simon who is also called Peter. Also told him that Peter was staying with a certain tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.
14. Acts 10:9-16 V Peter receives a vision on his housetop of various unclean animals coming down in a sheet and a voice telling him to kill and eat them, and that what God has cleansed no longer consider unholy.
15. Acts 10:19-20 S The Spirit told Peter to go with the three men downstairs for He had sent them.
16. Acts 11:27-30 P Agabus prophesies of a famine to come all over the world.
17. Acts 12:5-10 A An angel appears to Peter in prison, wakes him up, tells him to dress himself and follow him.
18. Acts 13:1-2 S or P The Holy Spirit said, “Set apart Barnabus and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Since the Holy Spirit said it to prophets and teachers, this may have been a prophecy.
19. Acts 13:9 P Saul prophesies of the blindness to come upon Bar-Jesus. In this case it says that “he fixed his gaze upon him.” The phrase appears 3x in Acts (3:4; 13:9; 14:9). In every instance it occurs directly before a miracle is to occur. I believe the apostles fixed their gaze on these individuals because God had revealed to them what He was going to do, and they now focused on the individual to whom God was going to do something miraculous, as they declared it.
20. Acts 14:8-10 GT Paul fixed his gaze on a lame man as he was speaking (probably preaching – 14:7). Then he commanded him to stand on his feet. God probably told him to do this.
21. Acts 15:32 P Judas and Silas prophesied, encouraging and strengthening the brethren.
22. Acts 16:6 S or C The Holy Spirit forbade Paul, Silas and Timothy to speak the Word in Asia.
23. Acts 16:7 S or C The Spirit of Jesus did not permit them to go into Bithynia.
24. Acts 16:9 V or D Paul received a vision in the night of a Macedonian appealing to them to come and help them.
25. Acts 18:10 V or D Paul received a vision in the night, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
26. Acts 19:6 P When Paul laid his hands on the newly-baptized disciples of John they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
27. Acts 20:23 P The Holy Spirit solemnly testified to Paul in every city that bonds and afflictions awaited him in Jerusalem.
28. Acts 21:4 P The disciples in Tyre kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.
29. Acts 21:9 P Stephen had 4 virgin daughters who were prophetesses.
30. Acts 21:11 P Agabus took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says; ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
31. Acts 22:17-22 V While praying in the temple, Paul fell into a trance and saw Jesus saying to him, “Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not accept your testimony about Me. Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”
32. Acts 23:11 GT The Lord stood at Paul’s side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”
33. Acts 27:23 A An angel appeared to Paul and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Casesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’
Observations On How God Spoke In The Book Of Acts
1. There are 32 different examples of God speaking directly and immediately to individuals or groups of people in a book of 28 chapters (I am not counting Acts 2:17-21 here). This is an average of more than once a chapter.
2. In the opening of the Book of Acts (2:17-21) Peter said that Joel 2:28-32 was being fulfilled which says that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit upon all mankind and sons, daughters, old men, young men, and bondslaves would have dreams, visions and prophecy. The rest of Acts records that this took place exactly as Peter said.
3. There are as many as 8 different visions in which God communicated in Acts.
4. There are as many as 2 times in which God communicated in dreams in Acts.
5. There are as many as 11 times in which God communicated through prophecy in Acts.
6. There are as many as 8 times in which God spoke to someone (one time where we know He spoke audibly).
7. There are 4 different examples of an angel appearing to someone to declare God’s will.
8. These examples don’t even count the examples of tongues in Acts 2, 10, & 19.
9. 17 times we are told the Lord spoke to or through an apostle. 13 times we are told he spoke to or through a non-apostle. It is simply not true that only apostles received supernatural revelations or were the vehicles through which supernatural revelations were given.
10. What did God communicate through these means? Was it new Christological or soteriological revelation that needed to be preserved in Scripture? No. In every case it was information they needed for their lives, or ministries. Sometimes it included information about persons He was going to heal, judge, or save. Sometimes it had to do with affliction that was impending (famine or Paul being bound). Sometimes it had to do with specific direction for ministry. Sometimes it included information about where they should go or not go. There is not a single case of God using these mediums of communication to reveal a doctrinal matter He wanted included in Holy Scripture. To say that God once communicated in these ways because He was using them to record Scripture is false.
11. Peter indicated that prophecy, dreams and visions would take place as a result of the Holy Spirit being poured out, and that this would take place in the “last days”. This leads me to believe that God can and will speak through these means today, because we are still in the “last days” and will be until Jesus returns. Furthermore, 1 Cor.13:8-12 teaches that certain gifts like prophecy and tongues will not be done away with or cease until the “perfect” comes, which according to vs.12, is when we shall see face to face, and know fully even as we have been fully known. This must mean that prophecy and tongues will not cease until Christ returns.
12. Obviously, if God does speak through these same means today (prohecy, dreams, visions, etc.), He will never contradict what He has already communicated through His Spirit in Scripture. Further, if God speaks in extra-Biblical ways, it will not be concerning doctrinal truth, but will be timely and relevant information God’s people need for guidance or service (see #10 above).
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