Resource Manager Posted April 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 26 April 2015 Deuteronomy 12Ecclesiastes 5Acts 2 "EVERYONE WHOM THE LORD CALLS TO HIMSELF" What sort of person is the Lord seeking to call? As we completed reading Peter’s speech on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 today this familiar question surfaced again. It was a remarkable speech before this great crowd intrigued to hear all these Galileans speaking in their own languages. Peter quoted from two different Psalms and the prophet Joel to show that the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, their real Messiah, had been foretold. Of course we only have the essential kernel of his speech, as the record says, “and with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’” [Acts 2:40] All generations are ‘crooked’ to differing degrees but today we live in one that is extremely so! Now, did all those who heard Peter save themselves? Peter had previously said, “the promise is for you and your children and for all who are afar off, everyone one whom the Lord calls to himself” [Acts 2:39]. This was the promise that was made to David; Peter had quoted his Psalm [Acts 2:28] “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence” Back to our question, did all those who heard Peter act to save themselves? Acts 2:41 tells us, “So all those who received his word were baptised.” It is essential for those who hear (or read) to receive into their hearts the word, realizing what it means for them personally – and so be motivated to act. We are reading in Deuteronomy of those who heard Moses final stirring messages before he died – they received his words and so entered the promised land and were faithful in their lives. The initial effect on those who received Peter’s words and were baptised was that they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers” [Acts 2:42]. This is the result when the Lord calls men and women to himself. Our thoughts then went to those most moving words in Hebrews, “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering … all the more as you see the day approaching.” [Hebrews 10:22,23,25] -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2015 27 April 2015 Deuteronomy 13; 14Ecclesiastes 6Acts 3; 4 "THEY LIFTED UP THEIR VOICES ... AND SAID" The disciples of Jesus, now called apostles, have been transformed! They are full and overflowing with faith, they have clearness of vision! We are reading of this today in Acts 3; 4. The "rulers, elders and scribes" in Jerusalem are perplexed, their authority and prestige is being severely challenged. In contrast the disciples are now full of faith and conviction. Through his possession of the promised powers of the Spirit, Peter has no hesitation in healing a man of over 40 years of age who had been lame from birth. He is seen "leaping up ... and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God." [Acts 3:8] and there is “wonder and amazement”. As a result Peter and John are arrested by the jealous authorities and put in custody [Acts 4:3] and the next day they are brought before "Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.” They are challenged, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" [Acts 4:6-7] What a contrast to their state of mind at the arrest of Jesus! What an even greater contrast will occur when Jesus returns. Peter with all boldness or any hesitation, declares, "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." [Acts 4:12] And that is still the same today. But for so many today life is so interesting - even exciting! The vital need to respond to "the name" is not high in their priorities in life, if it is of interest at all! Peter and John are released, as the authorities found “no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God ...." [Acts 4:21] so they returned "and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything ..." [Acts 4:23-24] The believers had become even more conscious of the unlimited nature of the Divine presence and power in creation. And that must become more and more our consciousness too! It is the foundation focus of our minds in being ready to welcome, in the fullness of faith, the return of our Lord – as at that time we will witness the greatest drama our world has ever seen. May it be said of us then, "they lifted up their voices ..."-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2015 28 April 2015 Deuteronomy 15Ecclesiastes 7Acts 5; 6 "COUNTED WORTHY TO SUFFER DISHONOUR" We ponder the reactions of the disciples, now called Apostles, that we read about in Acts 5 today. Their success in preaching and in using the undoubted and obvious powers of the Holy Spirit to heal was having a wide impact; "people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed." [Acts 5:16] As a result of this the religious leaders " ... filled with jealousy ... arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison" [Acts 5:17-18] But an angel "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.'" [Acts 5:19-20] The authorities got themselves all organised to silence the apostles; this included "the high priest ... and ... the council, all the senate …" [Acts 5:21], but they were "greatly perplexed" [Acts 5:24] when they found the prison empty. They eventually found them "standing in the temple and teaching" [Acts 5:25] "The captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned ..." [Acts 5:26] There is a strange 'trial' and many "were enraged and wanted to kill them" [Acts 5:33], but a wise Pharisee, Gamaliel, "held in honour by all the people" [Acts 5:34] counselled caution, “for if” this " is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" So they took his advice" [Acts 5:39] So the disciples "left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name." [Acts 5:41] The coming chapters in Acts show more events in which the disciples and especially Paul after his conversion, were "counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name." In the Middle Ages, when God's word was first available in English some dedicated believers were even burnt at the stake! This happened to Tyndale the first to effectively translate the Bible and see it published into English. We ourselves await with complete awe, if we remain true believers in word and deed, the wonder of meeting such dedicated servants of God in his kingdom - and how soon will that be! But how traumatic and faith testing may events be before the kingdom is established.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 29 April 2015 Deuteronomy 16Ecclesiastes 8Acts 7 "I SEE THE HEAVEN'S OPENED" Today we read the wonderful testimony of Stephen before the High Priest and the religious leaders. He had been arrested and charges made against him, "This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law ..." [Acts 6:13]. There are comparisons in more recent centuries with the persecution and killing of those who spoke to expose the false teachings the churches developed about humans having an immortal soul and the teaching of the Trinity, a word foreign to Scripture. Stephen gives them a long history lesson of all the follies of belief and actions in the past and how God worked through faithful men to fulfil his purpose. The climax of it all is the work of God's Son. Stephen bluntly condemns them, " Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered..." [Acts 7:52] Their reaction was totally human, totally self-centred! Their minds were blind to the ways of God - just like today. The Holy Spirit gave Stephen a vision of "... the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." [Acts 7:55-56] How long before we see such a vision - and then realize it is more than a vision - it is reality - and the words of the 2 angels to the astonished disciples we read in Acts 1 come true, "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." [Acts 1:11] Our minds cannot comprehend this event, yet it will happen, over 200 scripture passages testify to this. Finally look at what we read 2 days ago in Acts 3 and Peter's testimony about the return of Jesus, "whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago." [Acts 3:21] During May we will start reading the heart stirring prophecies God gave through Isaiah - some of these will enable us - in a spiritual sense - to "see the heavens opened." How long now before we literally see this!?-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 30 April 2015 Deuteronomy 17Ecclesiastes 9Acts 8 "AND WENT ON HIS WAY REJOICING" How many times do we go on our way rejoicing? What is there to rejoice about in today's world? We mean - genuine rejoicing? Yes, the birth of a child to genuine godly parents who will bring it up to know and love the Lord is a genuine cause for rejoicing. But other causes of rejoicing today seem to occur less and less in the experience of those who genuinely love God and fully accept and serve His Son as their Saviour. These reflections were prompted by the closing words of today's chapter 8 in Acts. A eunuch, which is a man who dedicates his life to remaining single, had been "to Jerusalem to worship" [Acts 8:27]; God's Spirit caused Philip to "Go over and join" his chariot. He "ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' And he said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him." [Acts 8:29-31] We identify the passage in Isaiah quoted in the text here as coming from Isaiah 53:7-8. "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth." The Eunuch asks Philip to explain this and Philip, "opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus." [Acts 8:35] This is a wonderful prophecy of the trial of Jesus made centuries earlier. When they came to some water, the Eunuch asks, "What prevents me from being baptised?" [Acts 8:37] Older versions of Acts then have the words, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." Obviously nothing prevents Philip from baptising him, so "they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing." [Acts 8:38-39] Clearly this baptism was complete immersion, it was only centuries later than an apostate church started to call ‘sprinkling’ baptism. John baptised in the Jordon because “water was plentiful there” [John 3:23] This is the best kind of rejoicing there is - it becomes - if we remain faithful, a lifelong rejoicing - a life that continues eternally in God's kingdom. A final thought - remember the attitude of the disciples we read of in Acts 5! The Jewish council condemned them for preaching about Jesus – but they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name.” [Acts 5:41] Let us go on our way rejoicing in every situation in which we are able to truly and faithfully serve our Lord. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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