Acts 5:12-42, Where Did It Come From?

Acts 5:12-42 and the Question of the Church’s Origins

Acts chapter 5 starting verse 12 be reading to verse 42. Hear the word of the Lord. Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the Apostles and they were all together in Solomon's portico.

None of the rest dare join them, but the people held them in high esteem and More than ever believers were added to the Lord multitudes of both men and women. So that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats.

That is Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits and they were all healed.

But the high priest rose up and all who were with him that is the party of the Sadducees and Filled with jealousy they arrested the Apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.

And when they heard this they entreated the temple they entered skimming the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came and those who were with him they called together the council and all the Senate of Israel and Sent to the prison to have them brought.

But when the officers came they did not find him in prison. So they returned and reported we found the the prison securely locked in the guard standing at the doors. But when we opened them we found no one is inside.

Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priest heard these words they were greatly perplexed about them wondering what this would come to and Someone came and said and told them look the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.

Then the captain with the officers went and brought them but not by force. For they were afraid of being stoned by the people. And when they had brought them they set them before the council and the high priest questioned them saying we strictly charge you not to teach in this name yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you Intended to bring this man's blood upon us, but Peter and the Apostles answered we must obey God rather than men.

The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a cross on a tree you mean God exalted him at his right hand is leader and Savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins and We are witnesses to these things and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.

When they heard this they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee and then council named Gamaliel a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people Stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while and he said to them Men of Israel take care what you are about to do with these men.

For before these days Theodos rose up claiming to be somebody and a number of men about 400 joined him. He was killed and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him.

He too perished and all who followed him were scattered. So in the press so in the presence case I tell you keep away from these men and let them alone for at this plan or this undertaking is a man. It will fail.

But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God. So they took his advice and when they had called in the Apostles They beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go.

Then they left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name and Every day in the temple and from house to house. They did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. I think one of the strongest facts that extreme critics of Christianity Can't answer the things that they have to grapple with or maybe they just ignore and try to distract from is The problem what problem to them?

It's a problem to them. It's not a problem to us where the church came from. All of them, of course these critics skeptics will reject the claims of the Bible will say ah, this is mostly fables. Some of them will even take the extreme is really just a totally ridiculous position that Jesus didn't even exist.

I mean even the. You know, you'll find even secular people that aren't even believers just think that's Absurd to say that but but these people if they're gonna say Jesus didn't exist all these. These skepticism they have one huge fact.

That they can't answer one huge problem for what they believe. Where did the church come from then? You know, how does a movement start if no one started it? Okay, that doesn't make any sense, does it?

How does this movement Christianity spring onto the scene in the Roman Empire so that by the mid 60s and I don't mean 1960s I mean 8060 I mean zero zero Sixty by the mid 60s, but just about a little over 30 years after Jesus.

After you know after Jesus began to do and to teach as the book of Acts puts it just about 30 years later after Jesus. There were enough Christians enough followers of Christ in Rome itself the city of Rome.

That they could those Christians could then be blamed by for the great fire by Nero. I mean there there were that many they were that well known just 30 years later. How does a how does that move it spread that quickly in less than a generation?

From a small band of small group on the outskirts of the Roman Empire to to where. Just 30 years later, they're permeating the heart of it and that doing all that without the benefit of Mass communication or rapid travel or or any marketing?

There's no radio. There's no TV. There's no Internet. There's not even a printing press to print their literature on. Where does that come from? What comes from Palestine of all places from a small band of who had been formerly?

Unreliable disciples who originally spoke Aramaic and and read Hebrew. I mean they had to probably be taught Greek so they could write what they wrote. And it's good and it's going to be all over the Roman Empire and into neighboring kingdoms in a generation.

How does that happen? You know, that's just amazing. So some things are just facts in history. We just kind of take it for granted that they did it happen because it happened once it happened this happened, right?

But that's just stunning. How does that occur? Well, you probably couldn't do that with a religion today even with all the modern things we have. Well, what makes it even more amazing? Is it unlike some religions that grew dramatically in the first in the first few couple generations like Islam?

Yeah, they grew quickly, but you know how they grew quickly. Unlike that the founder Christianity did not lead an army and you go conquering people and then forcing them to convert. Right the fact the founder now, did he not go conquer people and force them to convert?

He was crucified and the early Christians. They made no secret of that. They proclaimed it front and center and even regularly took a meal to remember it his death with so he wasn't even physically present.

To lead this movement to prominence. How's that happen? Indeed, not only did they not use the sword to expand their movement. They grew in spite of the sword leader after leader for most of their first 300 years were killed and Yet they grew anyway.

How is that possible? It's all in Where they came from. Where did it come from? Did this movement for claiming a a new life? And when we see that here in three major parts where they came from they came from the power the preaching.

The Power of God in Signs and Wonders

Finally the persecution first, there's the power. Where did it come from? It came from the power of God. Remember what the Lord Jesus said in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 which basically serves as the outline for the whole book of Acts.

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and here in this passage We see some of that power that power is shown as signs. There's there's signs of power. Signs that point to power that display power.

I put it on make it manifest make it obvious. Displays a power that make people wonder the signs and wonders and make you wonder. Hey, where did that power come from? How can you do that? He walks by somebody that shadow falls on them and they're healed out.

Wow. Where's the there's power here? Makes people wonder makes people think. In verse 12 many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the Apostles. I noticed that there were a lot of them.

Otherwise, it was an ongoing Phenomenon, they were just pouring out of the early church, but give the Apostles. There was so many of them that in verse 15 people carried the sick out into the streets.

It was just along the route. Hey, that's Peter. He's coming by this way. Hoping that at least his shadow might fall on them and heal them. The news about the power of the church got out into the neighboring towns so that people from Judea were streaming to them.

Judea's the area that around Jerusalem and. So that shows that Jesus's Word was coming true again and back in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 that they would receive power. And be my witnesses in first Jerusalem right here in the temple and the city and in Judea the province around Jerusalem and.

It's so people are streaming from all Judea coming and says verse 16. They were all Healed so a lot of signs wonders miracles now people want it now today our day people want to know. Why don't we see signs and wonders?

Right. Some people say, you know show me one and I'll believe. But isn't the fact that this movement Christianity that it grew itself a sign and a wonder. Consider that. Well, there's two main answers among Christians as to as to where are where are the signs and wonders now, where do they go?

Some say that they have ceased. Now that they were just for the inauguration of the church and they then stopped after the completion of the New Testament that the first generation. That doctrine is called a name for it cessationism right now we know what I'm referring to the cessation is cessationism is the belief that the manifestation to the Holy Spirit's power and signs and wonders and dreams and visions and all that that it ceased when the New Testament was complete now a lot of Quote reform Christians don't like us today.

They believe in that and. But there's seems to me. There's two major problems with that first the Bible nowhere teaches that. Which is seems to me a huge problem with that doctrine because of what the doctrine says.

After all the main reason given for its cessation ism. That is that the signs and wonders Dreams and visions and all that that they have ceased they say they have ceased because they say well those were for proving The message of the Bible sort of endorsing it showing that this is true.

Before the Bible had been fully given for the New Testament had been finished and and they would say now that we have the Bible. We have it all then we don't need the signs. The manifestations of the Spirit power anymore.

I also point out I don't think the signs and wonders weren't to prove to us who already believe it. It was to prove those outside and I don't see how that's changed any but never mind that. The doctrine says that we don't need anything other than the Bible.

So we don't need the signs and wonders. Except did you notice what we just said we need? We need this nice little argument that the gifts have ceased. That we can't prove with the Bible. It seems to me to be self-contradictory.

To say that the Bible is sufficient that part's true. But it's self-contradictory to say the Bible is sufficient. So we don't need signs and wonders. That's the questionable part. But we do need the doctrine of secessionism.

That the Bible doesn't teach. Do you get the contradiction? In other words, you can't teach the sufficiency of Scripture with a doctrine. Scripture doesn't teach. Right seems to be illogical. Okay. The second major problem with cessationism is that there are in fact many accounts of signs and wonders here and there.

Throughout church history, for example, Augustine in the 300s and early 400s first believe in cessationism self. And then came to look into several accounts of miracles and and recounted them. He sells and he said they still exist today in his day.

Even the people I studied the Puritans who are busy the epitome that the pinnacle of what it means to be quote reformed. They believe that God still revealed himself lack is mentioned in Acts chapter 2, you know.

So your young men will see visions you dream dreams that kind of thing. Contrary to how I've seen them often described that they were not cessationist the scandalous Salem witchcraft trials. Were caused by them believing that a group of girls were receiving visions about people Involved in witchcraft and they accepted those visions as evidence.

They would have been better off at that point if they had been cessationist. That's beside the point. They didn't believe every account of a vision though. They should have been more Discerning with a set of witchcraft trials, but there sometimes they were very discerning when an Indian chief a Satyam claimed that he had received a vision of the great Puritan missionary John Eliot who by that time was dead.

But he said he had this Indian chief said he had seen a vision of John Eliot preaching to him. Telling him to repent of his drinking his pow-wow wing which is sort of this, you know pagan incantations of spirits and and telling him to keep the Sabbath and The Puritans when they heard this they concluded.

It was a false vision. It was whatever just made up at his imagination because John Eliot the real John Eliot would never tell people just to keep the law. In other words repent of your sin stop doing this and start doing that.

He would also tell Anyone to believe in the gospel believe in what Jesus has done for your sins. Now what they didn't say the Puritans was that We don't believe that's not a vision because we believe signs of wonders and dreams and visions have ceased.

They didn't say that because they didn't believe that. They were people who were open to experiencing God in all his power. Now today. Sometimes we hear claims of miracles on the mission field. Particularly on the front line so where the gospel is going at into new places.

One recent story It's not verified. I wish you got a proof of it. But I don't but is that a believer in China said that God had told him that a mine in the town where he was was going to collapse and that the miners need to evacuate get out of that mine right away and They decided to listen to him in the mine In fact did collapse and many of the miners and the other witnesses around there became believers but then You think about that's fine.

It's always somewhere else and why don't we see signs and wonders? Regularly, I Think that's because they aren't meant to be regular events. They are regular here because this is a special time. You know the cross the resurrection Pentecost the giving of the Spirit to the church.

Breaking through to the Jews and then eventually to the Gentiles the power of the spirits seems to be displayed at special Breakthroughs when the gospel is advancing to new groups of people especially against opposition, by the way.

Almost any time in the Bible you see there's lots of signs and wonders and miracles and things like that. There's also a lot of power coming the other way satanic power from the maybe or maybe from the world Persecuting the church.

So be careful what you pray for if you're gonna pray for miracles because that means the the enemy gets that power too. Just like the power of the gospel is often on display when it's Advancing in major ways just like the power of the military is on special display at times of great conflict.

You know when the army it advances against the enemy then it unleashes its power. But we all know it has that power right even though we probably never seen it, right? Hopefully we know that seen in movies that kind of we never seen in real life, but you don't think well I've never seen a real life.

So I don't believe it exists. I don't believe they really have bombers or atomic bombs or machine guns because I'd ever seen them. But you don't think that way. Do you of course not? But like take for example, though the power that was on display at the Normandy invasion the bombers.

They got it all the bombers. They could get it dropped their loads of bombs. Naval guns from battleships and so forth or blasting away planes filled the sky thousands of ships filled the sea. Explosions covered the land over 150 ,000 men were landed on the beach and one day the display of power was Stunning all to blast away the enemy to advance through enemy lines.

To invade of course the enemy fired back with all the power that they had. The fighting was ferocious and fierce power against power. Well now Imagine if you've got to go to France and you went to the Normandy you walked on the peaceful beach.

If you see a few plaques there, that'd be all that was left, right? It'd be peaceful. It'd be nice the waves rolling in. You wouldn't conclude would you I hope not. That just because you don't see the power that power anymore that it didn't really exist.

Or maybe you did exist in the past, but it doesn't exist anymore. It had all just passed away. You'd know Hopefully that the the peace there now the freedom and the justice now that's now in France that it came from the power.

That was unleashed on D-Day just because you don't see that power in your experience. Doesn't mean it's not still available. So in the same way just because we may not see these kind of signs and wonders regularly.

And it's not much doesn't mean that we no longer have that kind of power behind us. Maybe we're not on the front lines of the war you know between the kingdom of God in the present evil age and we're the Somewhere else in the battle.

Maybe we're not where the breakthrough is happening right now. That we should still be confident as the Lord Jesus promised. We have received power. Great power from last week. Remember mega power and it's still available for us should we need it?

Where do we come from after all? We came from great power and we still have it. Well the second way some people deal with passages like this. Or the other extreme some say it's all cease, but others say hey look at this.

Hey if miracles were regular as it says in the SV here for them. Why shouldn't they be regular for us? Now we've basically already answered that I think. But some will say that you know, if we arts regularly seeing miracles it must be because maybe we're too unbleeding.

Maybe we're in sin. We're doing something wrong. So we make us feel guilty. We're seeing miracles some it's our problem. Assuming that this here is our norm. That this is our what we just read is our standard operating procedure.

It should be what it's like for us the daily life of the church. But what we see here isn't intended like some fake to be the norm for all the church at all time. No more than June 6 1944 was intended to be a normal day at the beach on Normandy.

It's what was needed to free Europe in World War two. The power on display here in signs and wonders was what was necessary to free the church to launch out into the world. And it may be necessary again from time to time to break through to new groups of people to Chinese or to Africans or South Americans or in the future to Japanese.

Maybe back again to break through to Americans again. It's still available. It's where we came from. We we the church are the evidence of that power. The result of that manifest power was both alarming to some.

Keeping them away and and appealing to others adding more to them every day verse 13 says none of the rest. Yeah, the other words the people around them. Dare join them not interesting. It's sort of the opposite of what you might think.

Lots of these miracles and says none of the rest dare join them. They were others for some people. They were afraid of them because of it. They were meeting in the temple out in the open they were kind of set apart.

The people though they esteem them since they gave him great esteem. But they knew that the power of God was with them was with these people meeting so they didn't think to casually. Drift in and out of their meetings, you know, I'll attend the I'll attend the Pharisee meeting today and maybe tomorrow I'll come and see what the Christians are talking about.

And maybe the after that the said no. They're either in or they're out. Because they know these people had power. You don't got to play with them. On the other hand in verse 14 more than ever believers were added to the Lord multitudes of both men and women.

So they're growing the presence of the living God whether displayed through preaching or through miracles. It is sobering. It's shocking to some. It puts them off. It makes them wonder they don't want to it exposes their sin.

It makes them realize that their casual religion is not compatible with this. They thought they could just live any way they want come to you know, come to the religious meeting and You know sing a nice little song and and that's it.

And didn't they see though in these people there's power there scary. If you don't want to change your life, but it draws others some are frightened away. While others are drawn to Jesus that's where we came from a presence and a power that either repels you because it exposes sin and Hypocrisy it killed Ananias and Sapphira just before this.

Does either that or it woos you and wins you it? Revolutionizes you. Where's it come from? And this this movement to follow Jesus. It comes second from preaching. They were regularly preaching teaching sharing whatever term you want to use in the temple itself at Jerusalem.

Filling Jerusalem the city there with the gospel drawing people from all around to hear and to see of this High esteem that they got this great respect their their popularity and their growth. That caused the ruling class the priests the Sadducees to be jealous.

Preaching the Words of This Life

Says they were filled with jealousy. They wanted to be looked up to as God's appointed leaders. To be the people you had to go to to get to God come to me. I have the robes at the education of the lineage.

I come from the right family with their way of thinking. Now these Apostles were saying that Jesus was the only way to go to God and so finally They had had enough. And they arrested the Apostles apparently all twelve of them this time.

Not just Peter and John and so they put them in prison. They arranged for a trial the next day. But during the night says an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison escorted them out and said Go stand in the temple and speak to the people the words of this life in other words preach proclaim.

Tell the people the gospel. Notice two things about that this this message from the angel one the one the messenger and second the message. First notice that the angel Messenger, that's what the word angel means.

It just means messenger. He tells the Apostles to deliver the message and you might think wait wait. You know, the Apostles could get in trouble again, which they do why. Why does it the angel himself go to the temple and proclaim the words of this life?

Why did he do it? Right, he can do it. Why is he telling the Apostles to do it? You know that would be certain to get people's attention wouldn't it angel showed up there in the temple started Preaching you would listen to the angel, right?

He's got a big and he gets he shines. I don't know how he what do you look like, but you would listen to the angel. So why does it the angel do it? No, the answer is that. That simply is not what God has ordained.

God has ordained both the the ends that is who is to be saved and the means how They are to be saved. God has called the church to preach to communicate. However means through teaching to sharing the one-on-one through writing or however.

It is our preaching like this called the church to preach the gospel. He has appointed us To be the means to get the good news out now. God may send angels messengers. To relay a message to the church.

But he sends the church to relay messages to the world. The second thing the message is described by the angel so by God himself notice how it's described because it's not described. In the way, we normally describe the gospel.

Is it? He calls it the words of this life. That is it's not the gospel then. It's not just a religious trick. To make sure you don't go to hell when you die to ensure yourself a place in heaven. You're kind of like you offer like the old system you offer a sacrifice.

And then you go off you think you can live any way you want or maybe today you say the prayer some people think they Come forward at the invitation. They say a magical prayer and they're told once they've always saved slap it on the back and they go and live however.

They want and they think that's fine. They're gonna go to heaven because that's what they were told. There's no there's no life to it. They get eternal life when they die. I guess that's what they know.

But it's not what the how the angel describes it. It's the words of it's this life. It's a whole life. It's it's a way of living with God now and forever that Revolutionizes everything about your life from money to sex to eating to drinking.

How you live every day? The message is that Jesus has a a whole life for you that's the message and. And and they now we are the messengers of it. So they went to the temple the messengers at the crack of dawn it says they didn't waste any time.

Obeying the angels command and they began to teach. Of course, they're teaching the words of this life. And that's what we try to do that what we're trying to do right now that's why we have Jim jr. For we have Jim for for the guys this afternoon the Opportunities to get the the words of this life out to people outside of us.

And so what we encourage you to do with with your family whatever opportunities you may have. Meanwhile back in court, you know. The Apostles are standing in the temple at the crack of dawn preaching the words of this life back in the court.

The council Sanhedrin is convening see the gavel come down here. You hear II whatever they said in those days. Calling for the prisoners to be brought in the Apostles. The offers is go to the prison. The guards are standing outside alert, you know with only the spears of their hand and attention.

The doors are securely locked. So they got to unlock them. They open the door big creak and then they look in. It's empty. What happened? The jailbreak I guess no in verse 24 the captain of the TV. How do they break out with it the doors still locked?

The guards are still in place in verse 24 the captain of the temple and the chief priest says they were greatly perplexed. Yeah, I can imagine. They were wondering. This was a wonder right? How do they get out of there?

Right. This is no Shawshank Redemption. There's no there's no plumbing there to go through the pipe. So there's nothing you know. How do you get out? The guards are still in place then someone runs in with the news that the Apostles that they imprisoned last night.

We're in the temple. That is around hiding somewhere. They're out in the most public place as out in the open as they could possibly be. Teaching what of course they called the words of this life. So the captain took his men.

To kindly courteously, excuse me gentlemen, would you mind coming with us, please? Because they were afraid of making the crowds who were respectfully listening angry causing a riot to the Apostles follow and stand before the council you'd think that at this point the Sadducees would be.

Be a little humbled when you I mean you did you realize that a miracle has happened. These guys were in prison and the doors. They're still locked and the guards are still in place. And how did they get out?

They can't figure that out. They gotta realize the Apostles were let out of prison supernaturally. But the wonder of human depravity. This is how hard-hearted and hard-headed people are. We won't even respond to signs and wonders.

We won't even believe because of them unless God gives us grace. So Anyway, the Sadducees pick up where they left off before they had been greatly perplexed by that sign and wonder. And they pick up as if nothing had happened in verse 28.

They say we strictly charge you to not to teach in this name. Notice they can't even bring themselves to say the name to say the name of Jesus. So they're afraid of us almost like they don't want to say the magic word.

Yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. That means that God has ordained that we teach about Jesus that we try to do our best to fill wherever we are casual County Danville with teaching about The words of this life and you intend they say to them to bring this man's blood on us.

Again, they can't even bring themselves to say who they're talking about get it this man this name. But they are the ones I mean, they're the ones who actually did it. Yeah, now they're trying to avoid responsibility.

Yeah, they're the ones who said to Pontius Pilate as they were pushing him to crucify Jesus. And you know, he's a pilot who say you when he's innocent. I don't want to be guilty of an innocent man's blood and they said remember that may his blood be upon us.

You know that was in their mad rush to kill him. It's just only a few weeks earlier before this and now these same men they want to be free of it. Without really repenting of it. Peter and the Apostles answered with preaching.

Where we come from come from preaching and summarize here are just four short verses first in verse 29 as they implied before they say. You know, they remember before they told him don't preach anymore in this name.

And they said well you judge for yourself whether we're gonna obey you are God, you know here this time. They said well we must obey God rather than men. Sorry. We're not gonna do what you say you say.

Don't talk about Jesus. God says. Speak to the people all the words of this life. Today in our day in some Muslim countries. It's illegal for Christians to try to witness to a Muslim may be illegal actually in every Muslim country.

I'm not sure I've seen in Malaysia that even when churches put up signs for some event. They're gonna have a rally or whatever. They put up as they're required by law to put on that sign. They're advertising something like that says that this is not a Muslim event.

It's kind of like a cigarette ad, you know. They got to let you know that their their their product is dangerous. Yeah, our gospel events are dangerous. That's okay. I think it's okay churches. And they they they do that the law requires them to say this not a Muslim event.

That's okay I think but what you cannot do. Because you must obey God rather than men is not share the gospel with a Muslim. Just because it's illegal. Now they may be setting you up and this happened before Muslim would go out.

Not really want to hear the gospel. They just want to get you in trouble. They may be setting you up to report you and you might go to prison. But you have to obey God rather than men. Then they said in verse 30 the God of our fathers raised Jesus, that's the preaching.

That's the source of this life the resurrection of Christ whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. You want to be off the hook for? Railroading him for pushing for his crucifixion hanging him on a cross when you knew the law said Cursed is everyone who is hung on a cross you you knew that's why you pushed for that particularly you did it.

God exalted him at his right hand. He raised Jesus up to a throne to rule echoing again from Psalm 110. The Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. By that Peter here implying that the father is right now.

Working to put Jesus's enemies and you kill him. You made yourself his enemy and the father is working right now to put all his enemies under his feet. Jesus is now exalted as his leader as His ruler the word could be its Savior there in that they're connected.

There's not one without the other. He's not just Savior and then optionally, you know, you want to upgrade to the premium package you can have him as ruler, too. You can opt for that, but you don't have no he is exalted at the father's right hand the ruler and Savior and if you're to be saved from your sins, then he must rule over your life and Give you this life.

Then this is the preaching in verse 31 Jesus exalted as ruler and Savior. Interesting here to give this is what he's doing. This is the reason to give repentance. Now many people assume today because they assume we're called to repent.

I were commanded to repent. They assume from that command their repentance is then is what we do All by ourself. It's just what's the Two cents we add to our salvation. Well, it's what the little thing we do that activates it and That's the basis of what?

Theological Armenian or a man centered a human dependent interpretation of Scripture that they assume that when there is the Command from God to us like to repent like to believe then that implies they say That we are ultimately responsible for whether we repent or believe that it relies ultimately On us on our ability.

They say and you know, that's what they're doing there. They're inferring what they assume is Underneath the the passage of the command says repent they assume we have the ability to repent and it all depends on us.

But that's reading into the Bible. What's not there? Yes, we are commanded to repent to believe everyone is in Acts chapter 17. We'll hear that God commands all men everywhere to repent, but then only some do.