Non-Recurring Events

To understand the New Testament development/flow, it is helpful to note the non-recurring events.  There are some that are obvious, like the birth of Jesus, the death of Jesus, His resurrection.  And in a sense, the resurrection of Jesus can be looked at as a recurring event; He only rose once, but He showed that we would follow.

As we look further at non-recurring events, we see that the apostles were appointed, they were given power by the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 after Jesus had left.  There was the appointment of the 12th apostle after Judas had betrayed Jesus and died (Acts 1), and Paul being visited by Jesus in a miraculous way, allowing Paul to meet the qualification of being an apostle (recorded in Acts 9, 22, 26).  These events are key to the development of the church and Christianity, but we don't find a continuation of the appointment of apostles.

Another example of non-recurring events is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  This occurred in Acts 2 in Jerusalem bringing miraculous powers to the Jewish converts to Christianity.  It occurred a second time in Acts 10:44, "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.  And all the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles also."  The fact that these events never occurred again in the Biblical record has been missed by most Pentecostals today.  They still believe that God is pouring out the Holy Spirit powers in the use of speaking in tongues, healings, and other "miracles."  That is not happening today.

The Jerusalem conference in Acts 15 is a further example of non-recurring events of the NT.  Dissension occurred in Antioch because some were teaching that Christians needed to be circumcised according to the Jewish Law.  To solve this problem, men were sent up to Jerusalem to the apostles there for a discussion and decision.  Note the letter that was sent back to Antioch: "The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings.  Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind......"  This is a one time event, orchestrated, solved, by the apostles.  The reason that one church appealed to another here is that they had apostles who were being led by the Holy Spirit.  They knew that the apostles in Jerusalem would have the answer, so they went to them.  We don't have apostles today, nor do we need them.  We have the Bible given to us through the works of the Holy Spirit, God-breathed.  Churches today are autonomous, self ruled according to the pattern given in the NT.  We don't have Jerusalem conferences because we don't have apostles.....and we don't need them. 

Things were different in the early church.  They had apostles still alive, eye-witnesses of the teachings of Jesus, miraculous gifts--the ability to do miracles, no Bible.  We have to realize that was then, this is now.  For direction, we have all that we need in the written Word.

Thanks for reading with an open mind.  Have a great week!