Resource Manager Posted April 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 26 April 2016 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, make sure you have heard – and are effectively responding – to his calling. 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] making sure we are among those “whom the Lord calls to himself.”-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 27 April 2016 Deuteronomy 13; 14Ecclesiastes 6Acts 3; 4 "AND GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM ALL" Can we appreciate the tremendous mood of spiritual peace and resultant co-operation that developed among the believers after the day of Pentecost!? It seemed to us as we read today’s chapters in Acts that this could be a foretaste, to some extent, of life among the redeemed when God’s kingdom is established! Oh the wonder of the mingling among the redeemed from all generations from the time of the Apostles to today! And of course there will be those of earlier generations mentioned (and many many more) in Hebrews 11:40 who will also “be made perfect.” We read today how Peter and John came into “the temple at the hour of prayer" (3pm) and encountered "a man lame from birth" [Acts 3:2] Everyone who went into the Temple would have been aware of him, and, after the healing, he "leaping up … stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him ... and they were filled with wonder and amazement ..." [Acts 3:8-10] This gave Peter a great opportunity to preach and "he addressed the people, ‘Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this ... as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?" [Acts 3:12] He reminds them how they "denied the Holy and Righteous One ... you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead." [Acts 3:14-15] He implores them to "repent... turn back, that your sins may be blotted out" [Acts 3:19] He then invites them (and us) to look forward to the "times of refreshing" when "the Lord ... may send the Christ appointed for you, 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 3:20-21] How close now – that time must be! The people responded positively and Acts 4 tells us of this. In Acts 4:33 we read, "And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. "For us, surely "times of refreshing" are almost upon our spiritual sick and sorry world, but “great grace" is still "upon them" who respond - although soon it will be too late; Jesus, the bridegroom will be here. Those upon whom is "great grace' will be there with him; but, as he also taught there will be those who "stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer … 'I do not know where you come from.' [Luke 13:25] May we so live – having acted as they did at Pentecost – and so are among those "upon" whom is "great grace."-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 28 April 2016 Deuteronomy 15Ecclesiastes 7Acts 5; 6 "WORTHY TO SUFFER DISHONOUR" We continue reading the laws which Moses set out in great detail for the people who would become a functioning nation in the promised land they were about to enter. These laws challenge our thinking, seeing they are divinely ordained laws - with the purpose of directing the actions of the rich and protecting the poor, thus promoting harmony between them. Our minds ‘strayed’ from this to ponder how life will function when we, by the grace of our Lord, enter and start living in our promised land! At present, “we see,” to quote Paul, “in a mirror dimly, but then face to face ... then I shall know fully ..." [1 Corinthians 13:12] What wondrous ‘seeing’ and ‘knowing’ that will be! Ecclesiastes 7 is a challenging study of Solomon's mind and its’ many perceptions. Ecclesiastes 7:12 attracted our eye,"... the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it." Surely this is knowledge of the ways and purpose of God. The next verse invites us to "Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?" Our world is full of crookedness - this too must be, in a sense, "the work of God" - what he allows, such as the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple after Jesus ascended to heaven. It was "the work of God" that oversaw the spread of the gospel, as Acts 5; 6 tell us. It spreads despite the opposite of the leaders who put Jesus to death. These leaders are now perplexed by events and struggle unsuccessfully to contain the preaching of the Apostles; they had brought them before the council. The Apostles refuse to obey the Council. They are "strictly charged ... not to teach in this name” and told, ... “you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us." [Acts 5:28] They had blotted out of their minds, the cry they made before Pilate in seeking his approval of his crucifixion, "His blood be on us and on our children!" [Matthew 27:25] Human nature only remembers what it wants to remember, we see this today in courts of law! The disciples were now really following in the footsteps of their Master and "they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name." [Acts 5:41] And so it has often happened down through the Centuries - to those who have proclaimed the original and true message. The Bible alone reveals this original and true message of salvation - but how few today read and really digest it? Let us make sure we do - and then let it motivate us to live truly Christ-like lives, overcoming whatever opposition may arise.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 29 April 2016 Deuteronomy 16Ecclesiastes 8Acts 7 “REMEMBER THE DAY” We all have memories; bad things we try to shut out of our memory, good things we try to retain and bring to the fore. We read today how Moses told the people to look back on; “all the days of your life (that) you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt” [Deuteronomy 16:3] The Passover Feast was set up to aid that memory, to cement it into their consciousness. Most of the generation that had experienced the miraculous deliverance had failed to do that and had died in the wilderness because of their faithlessness. Now Moses is delivering the message to the next generation; whose leaders had been teenagers and children at that wondrous time. Today’s chapter details the feasts they are to keep when they start living in the promised land. As well as remembering the actual deliverance, through the Passover feast, there are 3 other feasts associated with farming the land and the reward of harvesting. This they would experience for the first time in their lives. The key lesson is that they are not to “appear before the LORD empty handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD” [Deuteronomy 16:16-17]. Deuteronomy 16:20 has another blunt ‘punch line’ message, “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” Now we consider our own journey in life, how close are we to the climax of all that God has prepared for all those who truly believe in and love Him? Is the crossing of the Jordan close at hand for us? What wondrous drama will this ‘crossing’ be! We cannot imagine it. We must face up to today’s challenges and make sure we “escape all the things that are going to take place” [Luke 21:36] as the Almighty prepares to cleanse the earth of its’ evil. Let us “remember the day” when we made the commitment to join the Lord’s side and accepted his “deliverance” by being baptised. If you have not yet experienced such a day – ask yourself – very seriously - why? Don’t let “that day come upon you suddenly like a trap” [Luke 21:34] so that you fail to enter a far greater “promised land”. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 30 April 2016 Deuteronomy 17Ecclesiastes 9Acts 8 "THE INTENT OF YOUR HEART" After Stephen is stoned to death following his blunt challenge to the Jewish leaders in telling them they had "betrayed and murdered ... the Righteous One ..." (see Acts 7:52) " there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." [Acts 8:1] As a result, Philip one of the "seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit ..." [Acts 6:3] "went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ." [Acts 8:5] He was very effective for "when they heard him and saw the signs that he did" and then "preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." [Acts 8:12] This was the start of the spread of the gospel - and it was about "the kingdom of God" - not only about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Peter and John "came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for (the spirit) had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." [Acts 8:15-17]. Now Philip had baptised a man who had practiced "magic" [Acts 8:11] and "he offered" the disciples "money" [Acts 8:18] "saying, "Give me this power also ..." [Acts 8:19] Peter reacts exceedingly bluntly to his approach, ""May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you." [Acts 8:20-22] What a powerful lesson there is here! What is "the intent of your heart"? God knows! Do we give ourselves an honest answer? It is good (because of human nature) that the gifts did "pass away" but "love never ends." Paul made this point to the Corinthians [1 Corinthians 13:8] Oh yes, there are attempts to imitate the gifts as we have ourselves witnessed - but they appear to be rather parallel with the arts of the man who practiced "magic." Let us all examine carefully "the intent of (y)our heart." In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul, after stating that things like "tongues" will "cease ... pass away" - said "faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." [1 Corinthians 13:13] May "the intent of (y)our heart" be for the things that "abide." Do they “abide” around you now – flowing out from “your heart”?-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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