Resource Manager Posted April 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2012 26 April 2012 Deuteronomy 12Ecclesiastes 5Acts 2 "AND IN THE LAST DAYS IT SHALL BE ..." Today we read the familiar and oft quoted chapter 2 of Acts and pondered how to correctly understand and apply the quotation Peter made from the prophet Joel. The promise of Jesus to his disciples that they would receive a ‘Counsellor’, the Holy Spirit that would “be in you ..” [John 14:16,17] and would, among other things, “bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” [John 14:26] was given to the twelve that day of Pentecost when “they were all together in one place.” [Acts 2:1] The first effect of this was to enable them to speak in other languages [Acts 2:11] and gain great attention and opportunity to witness. Peter stood up “with the eleven” [Acts 2:14] and protested to those who mocked [Acts 2:13] that “these men (obviously meaning the eleven) are not drunk” [Acts 2:15] but this event was the fulfilment of “what was uttered by the prophet Joel: “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh …” (through to verse 21). It is evident that the disciples had a special dispensation of that Spirit, and had already received one portion of it. (See John 20:22,23) It seems obvious that only the opening part of the quotation was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. These were “the last days” of the nation of Israel because they, as a nation, had rejected their Messiah. The rest of the prophecy Joel received, we conclude, applies to the last days of the Gentiles and that surely is our days! We read, “I will show wonders in the heavens above, and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke; 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] An awesome time that we can parallel with God’s many messages through the O.T. prophets, for eg, Isaiah 2:12-21, Zephaniah 1:14-17, Malachi 4:1, etc. If they are not literal what do they symbolize? Surely they can only mean God intends a fearful time to come on human beings “in the last days” on a world that has become totally godless! But the verse that those seeking to be godly must note is the final verse [Acts 2:21] in Peter’s quotation. “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” But how can you call on the Creator if you have never established a relationship with him? Those who did so on the day of Pentecost, “devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers” [Acts 2:42] May we follow their example.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 27 April 2012 Deuteronomy 13; 14Ecclesiastes 6Acts 3; 4 “GREATLY ANNOYED” Have you ever been greatly annoyed? Of course you have! It’s human nature. Sometimes such feelings are justified, sometimes not. We read today in Acts 4 of a group of people who were “greatly annoyed.” Why? Acts 3 tells us of a most remarkable healing of a man of over 40 years of age who had been lame from birth and had to be carried around. All the people knew him because his friends brought him to the gate of the temple every day. There he received alms (gifts) from generous hearted people, he was someone everyone knew. Peter and John go up to the temple at the hour of prayer (3pm) and, because of the power they received on the day of Pentecost they are able to perform a remarkable healing; this gives them a tremendous opportunity to preach. The rest of the chapter summarises what was preached and, today, their message has lost none of its power! Acts 4 starts, “As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple came upon them.” They are “greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead and they arrested them and put them in custody” [Acts 4:1,2]. “It was already evening” (at least 6pm) so what a remarkable 3 hours or more it had been in the temple precincts! Why were these ‘high powered’ men so greatly annoyed? The next day they say how “astonished” they are at the “boldness” of the Peter and John. [Acts 4:13]. Not just those who arrested them but all the other high powered figures had come together (elders, rulers & scribes and the whole high priestly family, Acts 4:5-6) to seek a way to silence them. Their boldness is in total contrast to about 2 months previously when they arrested Jesus. Their great annoyance was because of the way they had captured the attention of 1,000s of people, worse still it was in their domain of prestige – in the Temple. They refused to stop preaching – so how great the annoyance of these authorities as Peter and John declare, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard”. [Acts 4:20] The “powerhouse” of true Christianity had now been launched on the world, and the world has never been the same since. Later equivalents of these annoyed people have tried to dim that powerhouse over the centuries, in the Middle Ages they put to death some who preached what the Apostles preached. Equally as bad, others have corrupted the true force of the message and preached “a different gospel” [Galatians 1:6-9]. But the Bible is now in every language for all to read. It challenges them as to whether they feel stirred to the heart, as this is what happened in the Temple. People are either stirred, annoyed, or just indifferent. How does it affect you?-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2012 28 April 2012 Deuteronomy 15Ecclesiastes 7Acts 5; 6 "WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN" The commission Jesus gave his disciples to go out preaching tested their faith to the uttermost. They were to just begin in Jerusalem, and what a beginning that was. How exciting it is to read the Acts of the Apostles, for the disciples were now called apostles (meaning those ‘sent forth’). They now possessed the Holy Spirit, as we commented yesterday. Paul tells us, in Hebrews 6:4 that these are “the powers of the age to come.” They knew when believers told them lies and we read today how Ananias and Sapphira died for doing this [Acts 5:1-10]. One of the final points made in the Bible, in Revelation 22:15, is that those excluded from the kingdom will include “everyone who loves and practices falsehood” – and how much is truth ‘bent’ today – that amounts to a lie! We will soon read in Acts how Paul said, “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” [Acts 24:16] The Jewish authorities arrest the Apostles again and say, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” [Acts 5:28] overlooking that they had been party to the people declaring before Pilate, “His blood be on us and on our children” [Matthew 27:20,25] Do we make statements we forget about? Peter and the Apostles answer the council, “We must obey God rather than men” [Acts 5:29] and this states a principle that all believers must remember and makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for them to be involved in human politics. In some countries it is exceedingly challenging to “obey God” and openly carry out Christ’s command to preach “to the end of the earth.” [Acts 1:8] After the Jewish council had let them go “they left the presence of the council , rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name … they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” [Acts 5:42] Genuine believers today must follow their example. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2012 29 April 2012 Deuteronomy 16Ecclesiastes 8Acts 7 “YOU STIFF-NECKED PEOPLE” Stephen’s speech (in Acts 7) before the Jewish Council is a history lesson! Why? For what purpose? He reviews all that had happened since the time of Abraham. Didn’t the members of the Council know their history? As we read the chapter we see Stephen is tracing the things God had instigated since he called Abraham from his homeland in Ur. The lesson is clearly that his people should be aware and awake to the actions of God, If they are they will respond in faith. His lesson then looks at the experiences of Joseph in Egypt when God acted and miracles occurred. Next there are the incredible events when they Egypt - and more drama at Mt Sinai and the 10 commandments are given and a tabernacle created. Then comes the establishment in the land under Joshua and the days of David. His final point is the great Temple built by Solomon, which was rebuilt by Herod just before the time of Christ, 46 years of work! His audience evidently gloried in the sense of prestige the Temple gave them in the eyes of the people. The tragedy is that the thinking of his audience was focussed on themselves more than on the Creator they claimed to serve. God is far far greater than just dwelling in a temple, the climax of his speech is to quote Isaiah, “Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool” [Acts 7:49] That was the climax of the history lesson, which had aimed to portray the real lessons for them of the relationships with God that they should have learned from the failures in history. Stephen suddenly challenges them, “You stiff necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit (God in action) as your father’s did … ” [Acts 7:51] He accuses them, you “betrayed and murdered … the Righteous One” [Acts 7:52] What brave words … and now they murder Stephen, but that event was in time to be the catalyst in the conscience “of a young man named Saul” [Acts 7:58] who was to become a “chosen vessel” and lead to an incredible life of dedication, “for all things work together for good (of God’s purpose) for those who are called according to his purpose” [Romans 8:28]. This is the lesson of Scripture for us as we trace the outworking of these events. Can you see God working in your life? Are you co-operating?-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted April 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 30 April 2012 Deuteronomy 17Ecclesiastes 9Acts 8 “TIME AND CHANCE HAPPEN TO THEM ALL” In our Ecclesiastes reading today a verse occurs which has caused much discussion, “Again I saw that under the sun” writes Solomon, “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favour to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all” [Ecclesiastes 9:11]. The clue as to how it should be understood is at the start of the very next verse, “For man does not know his time.” This reminds us of the parable of Jesus about the wealthy man who built bigger barns and stored abundant crops and goods and said to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years, relax, eat, drink and be merry. But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you … So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” [Luke 12:19-21] But those who are rich toward God, and serve Jesus as their Lord, do not necessarily think in terms of the accidents of time and chance. Paul said to the elders at Ephesus, “I do not account my life of any value nor precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus Christ” [Acts 20:24]. The time came when he wrote, “the time of my departure has come” [2 Timothy 4:7]. His time had been in God’s hands. Similarly in the Gospels it is recorded that John the Baptist said, “this joy of mine is now complete … I must decrease” [John 3:29,30] Those who are “working together with him” wrote Paul, [2 Corinthians 6:1] know that their “time” is in his hands – not that of total chance. What Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes should be understood as his perception of the Godlessness that sadly possesses the heart of most people: what he writes in Ecclesiastes 9:3,5 of today’s chapter is so true of today, “the hearts of the children of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead … the dead know nothing, they have no more reward.” If we are “rich toward God” then our time is in his hands, so let us make sure we have committed our lives to him.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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