Resource Manager Posted October 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2016 26 October 2016 2 Chronicles 23Daniel 4Acts 2 “YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS” What a fascinating set of readings we have today! First in 2 Chronicles 23 we have the account of how “Jehoiada” the priest “took courage and entered into a covenant with the commanders” [2 Chronicles 23:1] to protect the very young king, the surviving son of Ahaziah. He ultimately placed him on the throne when the wicked Athaliah was executed. [2 Chronicles 23:14,21]. How soon now before the wicked ungodliness of our world is “executed” to be replaced by God’s kingdom. It is most interesting how, Nebuchadnezzar, when restored to health is inspired to say (in today’s second portion of the readings, Daniel 4) - “I blessed the Most High, and praised and honoured him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will …” [Daniel 4:34-35] Yes, we are “as nothing” unless we take on the name of his Son in baptism, and then truly follow and serve him, which is the challenge Peter makes as we read today in Acts 2. Our chapter starts by describing the remarkable events that occurred on the day of Pentecost when the 12 disciples, now called apostles [Acts 2:42] were able to speak in other languages [Acts 2:6-7] which are recognised by the many visitors from distant lands who are in Jerusalem for the feast. The Apostle Peter is inspired, first to quote from the prophet Joel [Acts 2:16], that the pouring out of the Spirit is a fulfilment of his prophecy. But then the prophecy leaps forward to dramatically describe events (surely our days) “the last days” [Acts 2:17] before our Lord returns - when God will “show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below… the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.” [Acts 2:19-20] Peter brings his speech a climax by quoting “the patriarch David” [Acts 2:29] how he, “being … a prophet … foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ.” [Acts 2:30-31]. We will end by contemplating the state of mind David achieved – “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' [Acts 2:28]: that wonderful state will be in the “presence” of Christ – when he returns! How soon now? We know not, but it could be very soon – may we all live so that, by his grace, we will all be “full of gladness.”-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted October 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2016 27 October 2016 2 Chronicles 24Daniel 5Acts 3; 4 “AND WE CANNOT DENY IT” Today, so many deny our world is the result of the incredible and wonderful actions of a Creator. This is despite the wonders and intricacies of nature seen on every hand. Our thoughts were caused to run along these lines because of 2 incidents described in our readings today. First, in Daniel, we read of this now elderly prophet being brought into the presence of King Belshazzar, the son or grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. The King says, “I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems.” [Daniel 5:16] Daniel is asked to “read the writing (on the wall) and make known to (the king) its interpretation.” He tells him the one true God sent the hand and inscribed the writing that had appeared on the wall, “but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven…. in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honoured.” [Daniel 5:23] By his actions he had denied him. The world is similarly guilty today! Daniel tells him, “This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting, PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." [Daniel 5:26-28]. Our world today is “found wanting” in a great many ways. Our chapters in the book of Acts describe the reaction to the popularity of Peter and John after they healed a man, in the temple, who had been “lame from birth” [Acts 3:2]. The priests and Sadducees were “greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” [Acts 4:2] This attracted people to them and “many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” [Acts 4:4] The disciples were arrested and “the next day … they were asked, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" [Acts 4:7] This gives Peter the chance to challenge them! He declares, “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead by him this man is standing before you well…. there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." [Acts 4:10-12] Our world today is not interested in anything about Jesus – although in about 8 weeks’ time - many will enjoy a happy time at Christmas. It will be a shallow meaningless happiness. The religious leaders “charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” [Acts 4:18 ] although they admitted “that a notable sign has been performed … and we cannot deny it.” [Acts 4:16] And our world “cannot deny” the wonder of the world all around them - but continue to deny there ever was a Creator.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted October 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 28 October 2016 2 Chronicles 25Daniel 6Acts 5; 6 “WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN” We live in a world which has largely pushed out of its’ mind any contemplation that there is a God, the Creator of their lives – and of all that exists. They therefore believe they can live as they please, and ‘enjoy ‘lifestyles’ and experiences in many different ways as long as they do not kill, deliberately injure or steal: no thought is given to the laws of God – since most do not believe there is a God! But Paul was inspired to say there would come a time (how soon now?) “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” [2 Thessalonians 1:7-8] To “know” God is to have a genuine relationship with him, day by day. Paul told the Galatians, “you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God” [Galatians 4:9], he means, for them to realize they have a relationship with him – a two way relationship! Our thoughts were prompted to travel along these lines by today’s readings in Acts and the efforts of the “rulers and elders” [Acts 4:5] to stop the apostles preaching about Jesus, but Peter bluntly tells them, "We must obey God rather than men.” He further tells them, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus” and “exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” [Acts 5:30-31] Earlier, Peter told them Jesus had “become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." [Acts 4:11-12] And that salvation will be for those who not only say they believe in God and Jesus, but who also accept, in their hearts, the privilege that they “must obey God rather than men.” This is more than ever necessary today when most do not even acknowledge there is a God – and true believers sense that many who say they think there is a God - do not “know God”! Jesus is coming to deal with those” who do not know God” as well as those who do not “obey God.”-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted October 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 29 October 2016 2 Chronicles 26; 27Daniel 7Acts 7 “YOU STIFF NECKED PEOPLE” What is a “stiff neck”? What does this phrase mean? It implies that those who develop a “stiff neck” cannot look around to get what they see – in balance; they have blinkers on their eyes, like a horse in harness! Sadly, indeed tragically, this is the case today, so many have their minds fixed on the belief there is no God – that everything that exists, with its many marvels, in some ‘magic’ way, created itself! We encountered the word “stiff necked” in the book of Acts. Who was accusing people – and which people – of being “stiff necked”? Yesterday we read Acts 6 and today Acts 7 – chapters which need to be read in conjunction. We learn in Acts 6 that, to assist the disciples in the rapidly growing Jerusalem ecclesia “they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” [Acts 6:5] and six others to assist the disciples in the functioning of the now massive ecclesia. Jews from many parts were visiting Jerusalem for Pentecost, which was 7 Sabbaths after the Passover and “those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.” [Acts 6:9] Cilicia is where Paul was from [Acts 21:39] Stephen is “seized … and brought him before the council,” [Acts 6:12]. Today’s Acts 7 starts with the High Priest asking him “are these things so?” – that is, that “Jesus would destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered” [Acts 6:14] Stephen’s speech is recorded in detail, over 50 verses. We note how many times he says, God did this and said that! It is all about what God caused to happen in the past – with Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David and Solomon. Up to a point they knew these things – but they missed the point of what the past was leading up to! Similarly today, so many ‘christians’ are missing the point that the present is leading up to the return of Christ – with the wondrous result of the kingdom of God being established on earth. Stephen’s speech reaches its climax with the challenge; “"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 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 7:51-52] There is no Stephen today to denounce today’s ways as “stiff necked” thinking. – Actually minds are even more “stiff necked” than they were then! They are now totally blind to the reality - that there is a Creator.As they “cast him out of the city and stoned him.” [Acts 7:58] Stephen “gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” [Acts 7:55] How soon now before we gaze into the heavens and we will see “the Lord himself will descend from heaven … with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” [1 Thessalonians 4:16]-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted October 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 30 October 2016 2 Chronicles 28Daniel 8Acts 8 “RECEIVED THE WORD OF GOD” The Gospels tell us Jesus often went through Samaria in travelling from Jerusalem to Galilee and back. On several occasions he had encounters with the Samaritans and on occasions spent time with them. We read earlier this month of an occasion when he heeded their request to stay and teach them and, as a result, some said, “we know that this is indeed the saviour of the world.” [John 4:42] So we can see that the Samarians were ready for the Gospel harvest. Jesus commissioned his disciples as he was about to ascend to heaven that they were be to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [Acts 1:8] Only in our days, is the message really reaching “the end of the earth” They were at first slow to carry out his commission. Preaching was concentrated on Jerusalem until Stephen was killed, but, as we read today in Acts 8, after “his execution … they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” [Acts 8:1] Philip made a particular effort to preach in Samaria [Acts 8:5] “and the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said … and saw the signs that he did … so there was much joy …” [Acts 8:6,8] “When they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God, they were baptised … now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God they sent to them Peter and John” [Acts 8:12,14]. This is a key word –, received and receive that we will encounter in the book of Acts and apostolic writings. Acts 11 starts, “Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.” [Acts 11:1]. The point is; it is one thing to read and to hear about the message of the Kingdom and of Christ’s is return to establish it – but the vital thing is whether that message is received into the heart and mind. Look up the words in Acts 17:11 as a special example. If you “receive” a message it becomes part of your thinking and motivates the person into action. Have you “received” the word of God – or only just know about it? To find it interesting is only a stepping stone – the journey to conviction has to be completed.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted October 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 31 October 2016 2 Chronicles 29Daniel 9Acts 9 “CHOSEN … TO CARRY MY NAME” What does it mean – to carry a name? Well, those who have worked for companies and have gone out as ‘their representative’ know how they have carried ‘the name’ of their Company in visiting its customers – but these days, with the internet, this is rarely practiced. This reflection arose from our readings today of Acts 9 with its’ account of the divinely initiated dramatic conversion of Saul (soon to be called Paul). As Saul neared Damascus intending to bring any believers in Christ he found there “bound to Jerusalem.” [Acts 9:2] “suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.” [Acts 9:3] he hears a voice, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" [Acts 9:4] and is told, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” [Acts 9:5] and to go into the city and it will be told him what he is to do. He is led blind into Damascus” and for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” [Acts 9:9] - a sort of counterpart to Jesus being 3 days in the tomb. The Lord instructs Ananias, a disciple in Damascus, to go to Saul and tells him where to find him and “lay hands on him.” [Acts 9:12] Ananias is very concerned about this instruction, “But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles” [Acts 9:15] And so Saul, soon to be known as Paul, spearheads the carrying of Christ’s name, God’s message of salvation through His Son. In doing this he sets the example to others like Silas, Titus and Timothy to do the same. These are among the examples that have come down to us today! Let us see ourselves as “chosen ... to carry Christ’s name” wherever an opportunity is available – until he come! And how soon now to that time?!-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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