Greg Grandchamp

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” - Acts 1:1-2

The Book of Acts of the Apostles, or what we know today simply as the Book of Acts, sometimes seemingly falls between the cracks—being situated right after the gospels but right before the letters that seem to dominate our teaching and theology. Based on a very unscientific study of my own personal experience and feelings on the matter, it often feels like Acts is perhaps the least-read of all the books of the New Testament. 

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Acts is the church's only Biblical history and development. After all, the Old Testament is fairly well filled with “historical” books – and even those that are not among the twelve books considered historical at their core, present us with a great deal of history, including Genesis and Exodus. Yet, like Genesis and Exodus, Acts includes some incredibly vital historical events. 

Picking up where the gospels end, Acts records the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit – the birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost – and continues on to the gospel's spread into even Rome. And even so – Acts only covers a period of about 30 years or so, from the resurrection in the early 30’s (33 AD?) to around 61-63 AD, while Paul was a prison in Rome and Luke was with him (2 Timothy 4:11.) As we know, 4 of Paul’s letters were written from under house arrest in Rome – although it is speculated that he was released and then arrested a second time, and then beheaded by order of the Emperor Nero – a raving lunatic.

Some critics claim the book of Acts was written early in the second century – 120 AD or so. But many biblical scholars point out that the writing would most assuredly have included mention of the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. This would have been done in order to prove the fulfillment of Jesus’s prophecy about the temple’s obliteration. As a result, the writing is pegged somewhere between 60 and 70 AD. 

With all of that, like the historical books of the Old Testament, there is much more to the book of Acts than meets the eye. There are a great many lessons to be learned – clearly far more than we may have room here to cover. Entire books have been written on aspects of Paul’s ministry alone. But it certainly seems like there are some important things that can be pointed out – perhaps some of the “lesser known” truths, if you will.

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"…So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." - Ephesians 4:14

Gaslighting is a form of manipulation and control where the intended target is deliberately fed false or misleading information. If a lie is repeated often enough, loud enough, and long enough – soon it is just assumed to be truth, and it causes people to question what they believe to be truth. 

There are certainly a great many expressions that come and go with each generation. Even though “gaslighting” was more or less derived from a 1944 film called Gaslight, the expression didn’t really come to common usage until 2010 or a bit later. The story involves a man who uses tactics—including dimming the gas lights—to convince his new wife she is suffering mental issues to justify his efforts to keep her isolated and then search for her dead aunt’s extensive jewelry collection. 

Gaslighting can certainly be a serious and abusive issue. The “gas lighter” tends to be controlling and narcissistic to their own ends. The victim quite often simply buys into what they are being manipulated to believe – about themselves or about their lives.

(Please note – if you believe you are being “gaslighted” in an abusive manner, please seek immediate counseling and reach out to godly friends.)

Of course, words do migrate. A word's connotation might be a bit different as years pass and usage becomes more widespread. Such is the case with “gaslighting.” Originally, the “gas lighter's” intent was clearly abusive and nefarious. Today, it seems to be used more to discredit someone’s belief system—to construct a system of lies that makes one question what they believe to be truths. Deliberate deceit is used to manipulate others into questioning their own understanding of what they thought they knew.

Needless to say, a significant amount of gaslighting occurs politically – on both sides of the political aisle. Campaigns and campaign ads can say pretty much anything they want as they throw accusations back and forth – and if the ad or the statements are repeated enough, the truth gets buried. 

Gaslighting is also a common technique employed by cult leaders to manipulate and control members. These leaders present altered versions of events, history, or teachings, causing members to question what they thought they knew. They distort reality to their own advantage to gain fidelity and allegiance.

But…gaslighting also has a significant impact on Christianity, our faith, and the gospel message.

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