KLEROS: “A Place Among Those Who Are Sanctified” – Acts 26:18

“I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

In the original Greek text of the New Testament, the word translated here as “a place” is “kleros.” The King James Version translated it “inheritance,” which is one of its meanings. Kleros is a very important word in both the New Testament and in the Greek version of the Old Testament that the Apostles used in the early church (called the “Septuagint”).  This is the first in a series of lessons exploring the meaning of this term.

Reference books list the main definitions of kleros as “lot, portion, or share.”  It is the word used for casting lots to inquire of the Lord in Acts 1:26.  Peter told the money-loving Simon Magus that he had “no share in this ministry” in Acts 8:21 (“neither part nor lot in this matter”), using the same word “kleros” for “lot” or “share.”  In Colossians 1:12 Paul uses the word for the “inheritance” of the saints, and in 1 Peter 5:3 it uses the same word to call the faithful church the Lord’s “heritage” that has been entrusted to the pastors.  The common theme is our allotted portion or share, designated and revealed by God’s grace to us.

Here, kleros is a place among the true saints. When we experience salvation through Christ, we receive a place at His table, at the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb.  “He brought me to his banquet table, and his banner over me is love.”  (Song of Songs 2:4; see also Isaiah 25:6).  There is a place with your name, designated and reserved for you.

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Learning From Acts – The Bonfire on Malta

Acts 28:2-5 – The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects…

Acts 28 records a story about the Apostle Paul being shipwrecked on the Island of Malta. There is a prophetic meaning for us today behind the literal story itself.

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Learning From Acts – The Life of Obedience

Acts 26:19 - “I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.”

What set Paul apart from many other Christian ministers was this: when the Lord corrected him, he immediately repented and became obedient to God’s revelation. We see this at his conversion (Acts 9), when he changed in a single moment from a man who persecuted the Lord Jesus to one who obeyed Him as God. This willingness to obey the revelation of the Lord was a crucial factor in his conversion, and was a trait throughout his apostolic ministry. The Lord made him one of the most fruitful preachers in the history of the church. The amazing fruit of his ministry came because of Paul’s zeal to obey the Lord’s revelation. Read the rest of this entry »

Learning From Acts – Fasting and the Body of Christ

Acts 13:2-3 – “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

“Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” – Acts 14:23

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Learning From Acts – Evangelism and the Body of Christ

“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” - Acts 2:41-42

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Learning From Acts – Reaching Our Neighbors

Acts 2:47 – “ …praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

The faithful church devotes itself in two directions – upward and outward. “Upward” refers to our devotion and sacrifice for the Lord, and includes our praise, worship, prayers, thanksgiving, and even our obedience to his commands. The upward devotion must be in first place – otherwise the outward devotion starts to infringe on it.

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Paul’s Conversion – Acts 9:3-6

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” – Acts 9:3-6

We know Paul better than any character in the New Testament besides Jesus. The book of Acts chronicles his conversion and missionary journeys. We have more letters from him than any other Apostle, giving us a complete picture of his message, his struggles and victories, and his inner motivations. God’s Word gives us Paul as an example to follow (Philippians 3:17). No other man was as influential in shaping the doctrine of Christianity and establishing churches all around the civilized world of his day. Paul was without question the most productive pastor in his generation, even if other were more famous as preachers or miracle-workers. Read the rest of this entry »

Learning From Acts – The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

There is much more to the baptism in the Holy Spirit than just power to be witnesses – that is but one small part of it. In places where the Lord’s servants work together as a Body, we see more of the emphasis given to the Holy Spirit’s work in integrating new lives into the Body of Christ, giving closer communion with the Lord, and sanctifying us through and through. On the other hand, when Christians act more like a “movement,” rather than a Body, often the focus is exclusively on the “power to be witnesses.”

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