Acts

They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Acts 2:42

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you. John 16:12-15

About three thousand people had joined the disciples on the day that Peter preached to the crowd. They came through repentance and baptism, and had received the gift of the Holy Spirit. However, they knew little or nothing of Jesus: of his life, death, resurrection, ascension into heaven. Nothing of what he taught and did. There was a lot to learn.

None of what we take for granted that tells us about Jesus had been written yet. The apostles taught by speaking. The stories of Jesus were so new and exciting to those first listeners that they devoted themselves daily to the apostles’ teaching. They also learned from fellowship with the other disciples, from sharing the sacrament of bread and wine and by being together in prayer.

The apostles, too, were learning more of what Jesus had to say to them that they had not been ready to bear before. The Holy Spirit was preparing the hearts, minds and memories for all those followers of Jesus to carry his message and live in his way throughout the world as they were scattered because of rising persecution.

Question: Has our easy access to information about God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit dulled our sense of delight in hearing about and hearing from God? Do we need to ask the Holy Spirit to show us something in God’s word that we haven’t been ready, or perhaps have chosen not to see? May we begin again and ask that our eyes and ears be opened to receive God’s truth and love from his word.

I grew up singing an old hymn that still delights me. It was written in 1880 by a blind gospel hymn writer, Fanny Crosby. “Tell Me the Story of Jesus”. The lyrics are available online as are performances by various artists on Youtube.

By Carolyn Schmitt

Why do the nations conspire

    and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth rise up

    and the rulers band together

    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

“Let us break their chains

    and throw off their shackles.” Psalm 2:1-3

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. Acts 4:29-30

Acts 4 concludes the story of the first inkling of persecution against the early church. Peter and John have been arrested and threatened, and now the church needs to reckon with it. In their prayer they both acknowledge the powerlessness the forces arrayed against them ultimately have, citing Psalm 2, and they pray for boldness.

If you read back through Acts this may be surprising, since it looks like the believers have been pretty bold the whole time! They’re certainly not hesitant to share the gospel, meet with one another, or act in the power of the Spirit. And yet, they still ask. Sometimes we need to ask for boldness when we feel we have none, and sometimes we need to ask for the boldness to continue in a path we know is right, but is difficult terrain all the same. The disciples were in the latter camp. Which one are you in?

Is there a part of your Christian walk that seems difficult or even impossible to you? Maybe you feel the struggle to continue walking faithfully when resolution to your situation seems far off. Perhaps the weight of the world seems too discouraging. Pray the believers’ prayer from Acts 4 today and ask God to renew your strength.

By Jessica Rust

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. Acts 4:1-3

The scriptures are literary concentrate. Instead of adding water, we are meant to add both imagination and cultural study to develop the correct consistency. I want to apply a bit of imagination to this text because I believe it will unearth some different perspectives. If you are like me, when I read a story about the disciples in conflict with some religious leaders, I first see the story from the disciples’ perspective. That point of view is important but let’s look at this story from the perspective of the religious leaders.

Not long before this encounter, these same leaders encountered a threat named Jesus. Jesus was a threat because he continually undermined their authority. Not only that, Jesus questioned their interpretation of the scriptures, and he constantly told them they were misguiding the people. Jesus was threatening what they believed to be accurate and orthodox. Either Jesus was correct, or he was a heretic. They believed the latter.

Now imagine they eventually kill Jesus, but he rises again from the dead. This dangerous movement of Jesus’ followers is now threatening the Jewish faith again. It should be no surprise that we see these leaders demanding Peter be silent, and they must be shocked that this movement is still going after all they had done to quench it.

The question for us is, what do we do when we encounter an idea or teaching that feels threatening to us? Are we so obsessed with maintaining the familiar that we cannot see that the Holy Spirit of God is moving in a new direction? I know there are warnings in the scripture telling us to avoid false teaching, but may I suggest we often err on the other side.

Take a moment to ask God to open your eyes to His mighty work in the world. Take everything you believe about faith and hold it in His presence with open hands. You don’t need to set your belief aside; simply ask him to make you more aware of him and any new work he wants to do in you.

By Aaron Bjorklund

They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. Acts 4:7-14 NIV

We are told in Acts 2, 3, and 4 that, “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,” addresses a crowd (Acts 4:8a). Each of these sermons follow a similar pattern. First, Peter explains the event that just occurred: the coming and manifestation of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:14-21), the power of Jesus’ name in the healing of a lame man (Acts 3:12 &16), and his and John’s arrest because of the healing (Acts 4:9). Second, Peter explains the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This includes that 1. Jesus died (Acts 2:23, 3:13, 4:10), 2. he was resurrected by God, (Acts 2:24, 3:15, 4:10) and 3. He has been exalted to the right hand of God Acts 2:33, 3:13b & 21, 4:12). Third, Peter calls his audience to repent and be baptized. For example, in Acts 2:37 the crowd asks what they should do and Peter replies, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,”(Acts 2:38).

Both sermons feature many Old Testament quotations from both the Psalms and the prophets. In Acts 2 Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32 to explain the Holy Spirit enabling the Apostles to speak languages they did not know and to proclaim the Messianic age has come. He quotes Psalm 16:8-11 and Psalm 110:1 to demonstrate how Jesus fulfilled these prophecies about the Messiah’s resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of God. In Acts 3 Peter refers to a suffering Messiah as Isaiah taught about. He also quotes Genesis 22:18a “and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,” and applies this to Jesus – as the means for all nations to be blessed. Peter quotes Psalm 118:22 when he tells the Sanhedrin that Jesus is the capstone that they rejected.

Peter tells his audience in Acts 2:32 and 3:15 that the Apostles were witnesses of these events. What have you and I witnessed in our lives that demonstrate how Jesus has transformed us? Have you thought about how your story can be shared with others to point them to Jesus? Perhaps the first step would be to write your story. Then, ask God to show you who could benefit from hearing it. All of us can share our own story of how Jesus has worked in our lives.

By Grace Hunter

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. (Acts 4:1-2)

The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what NAME did you do this?” (Acts 4:5-7)

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot  deny it. But to stop this THING from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this NAME.”

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the NAME of JESUS. But Peter and John replied, “WHICH IS RIGHT IN GOD’S EYES: TO LISTEN TO YOU OR HIM? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:12-20)

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the NAME that is above every NAME,

that at the NAME of JESUS every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  (Philippians 2:9-10)

The authorities who initially arrested Peter, John, and the newly healed beggar were all Sadducees. Most of these priests and guards were appointed by the Romans to carry out the administrative functions of the Temple in a manner that complied with Roman rule. The Sadducees’ key theological positions included believing only in a Kingdom of God in this life, not in a heavenly, future Kingdom with a Messianic King. It follows that they didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead or the supernatural.

These men were greatly disturbed because the astounding healing of the lame beggar in the Name of the Resurrected Jesus threatened their worldly position of leadership and the Temple order they had been commissioned to maintain.

But the Sanhedrin ruling body, which also included Pharisees, could not deny the miracle done in the name of Jesus, the teacher they thought they had eliminated. Now they needed to stop those who had been with Jesus. Their solution was to command Peter, John, and the healed man not to speak or teach the name of Jesus. For emphasis, they thought it necessary to threaten them with vague repercussions for spreading the “thing”.

Why would removing Jesus’ name from the teaching of the disciples be so effective in stopping the “thing”? Philippians 2:9-11 emphasizes the sweeping authority of the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit ignited the hearts and minds of Peter and John to proclaim they must obey God rather than “going along to get along” with these politically and religiously important, influential men.

A religious spirit similar to the one inhabiting the members of the Sanhedrin can infect present day Christian thinking. Some have labeled it Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. This spirit urges us to deny the authority and power of the name of Jesus and stop spreading the “thing”.

Here are representative beliefs of those affected by this spirit. As you read them, examine your own thinking and ask the Holy Spirit to help you boldly honor the name of Jesus rather than “going along to get along” with the world around you:

• Belief in a God who remains distant from people’s lives
• People are supposed to be good to each other (i.e., moral)
• The universal purpose of life is being happy and feeling good about oneself
• There are no absolute moral truths
• God allows “good people” into Heaven
• God places very limited demands on people
  (Source: Soul Searching by Smith & Denton)

By Kathleen Petersen

I grew up in central Africa. My parents were missionaries there. After college I had the privilege of working for the same missions organization that my parents worked with. During that time I had the opportunity to talk with missionaries from all around the world. If you talk to enough missionaries, stories of miraculous movements of God are inevitable. Hearing God-sized stories of revival and healing is one of the things I loved most about working in the world of international missions. Having heard all these stories, you would think that my faith in God’s supernatural work in the modern world is strong, but it often isn’t. Even as a pastor, I see and hear so little about supernatural movements of God in the American church.

I don’t have time to make a theological case for modern miracles, nor does this seem to be the best place for that. Instead, I want to sprinkle into your day one small story of the miraculous. Watch this short story from a missionary nurse.

A Miraculous Story of One Missionary Nurse to the Poor

Does your faith swell slightly when you hear stories like this one?
Do you wonder why we don’t hear more stories like this?

We can’t answer all those questions here but may I suggest that you bring your questions and curiosities to God in prayer today. Ask him to give you his perspective on such things. Ask him to make you open to his work in the world and wise to see HIM in it.

By Aaron Bjorklund

When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” Acts 3:12

Peter’s audience were devout Jews. They were at the temple to worship. They would have known the scriptures that point towards the Messiah and the signs that should accompany them, yet they are surprised at a miraculous healing and the power of the Spirit, and Peter calls it out.

I have to admit, I would probably have a similar reaction to the crowd. Biblically, I understand that nothing is impossible for God (Matt. 19:26), and theologically I have no problem affirming that God heals, sometimes miraculously, and the Spirit empowers those who believe in Jesus Christ to do amazing things in the name of Jesus for his glory. However, if I were to personally witness a miraculous healing, or something along those lines, I probably wouldn’t know what to do with it. My faith says “yes,” my personal comfort zone says “maybe.”

Perhaps this is because I come from a faith background that really didn’t address the miraculous. Maybe it’s because we live in a Western context which, as we have mentioned in previous Dailies, doesn’t observe the miraculous often. Probably, though, it’s also because we tend to want God and the things of God to be neat and understandable when all of Scripture demonstrates that’s simply not the case. And if it was, he wouldn’t be much of a God to follow.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of what God has done and demonstrated about himself in order to see what he is doing now, or trust what he might do or will do in the future. Celebrate today how you have seen God show up in big ways, whether in your life, in the lives of others, or even in the pages of Scripture.

By Jessica Rust

…they (the crowd at the temple gate) recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. Acts 3:10-13a 

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. John 16:13-14

PBS recently aired Ken Burns’ “four round” documentary on the boxer Muhammad Ali. Several features of Ali’s life stood out to me: Ali boldly claimed he was the greatest. Ali attained worldwide fame which remained undiminished long after his career ended. Many adulated Ali and drank in his words, which are actively repeated today.

Powerful personalities like Ali fascinate us. Why and how do they rise to prominence? Why do people listen to them on subjects outside their expertise? Why do some celebrities continue to seek the limelight after their star has dimmed?

These are good questions to ask, not because we aim to become powerful personalities, but to avoid the pitfalls of elevating ourselves above glorifying Jesus.

After the amazing restoration of the man born lame, Peter and John were fully aware they should step aside as the excited crowd of worshippers at the temple started to adulate them. They were eager to explain they were not the power source for such a phenomenal act of creation. Only Jesus could accomplish such an act and only He is qualified to receive that kind of worship.

Many of us wonder why such direct and immediate miracles of Jesus seem to be in such short supply in our sophisticated and scientific Western culture. At the same time we find ourselves questioning the veracity of miracles claimed by big name preachers with jet planes and multiple mansions. Does this miracle recorded in Acts 3 provide some guidance about how to view miracles?

The minds of Peter and John were focused on daily prayer and worship (Acts 3:1). They did not go to the temple to perform a miracle. Is prayer a key? Is humility a key? Is worship a key? Is setting your mind to glorify Jesus a key?

Do you believe miracles like those recorded in the New Testament should happen more often today? Think about why more miracles would be good and why they might be in short supply. Ask the Holy Spirit to motivate you for His glory to be part of God’s present day miracles. Give Him the verbal glory for the miracles He has already done in you and others.

By Kathleen Petersen

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Acts 3:1-5

As he (Jesus) went along, he saw a man blind from birth. John 9:1

Later Jesus said: …this (his blindness) happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:3b

A few years ago the word “destiny” was a popular word among sports stars on teams that had achieved or hoped to be on their way to a championship. That idea is wonderful when everything aligns to fulfill your dreams. But when you or someone close to you has been born with an irreversible, debilitating condition as were the two men portrayed in the scriptures above, what goes through your mind?

Do you think “Jesus could heal that condition instantly”? Are you often praying and seeking for a miracle? Some branches of Christian theology hold that Jesus healed everyone in the crowds around Him and the only reason for experiencing continuing health issues is lack of faith. Maybe you’ve lost your patience with these ideas. Are you ready to hope again?

For a moment, let’s enter into the scene at the temple gate depicted in Acts 3:1-5. This gate was likely one Jesus had passed many times during his ministry and this lame man was there daily to ask for money. Why didn’t Jesus heal him during one of the times He passed by? Could it be that Jesus deliberately saved this top level miracle to establish the authority of His disciples to be part of completing an “unfinished work” in His name?

In John 9:3 Jesus makes clear the reason that the blind man was born blind was so Jesus could finish a work only the Creator God could do. This was also true of the man born lame.

Modern medical research regularly reveals unseen conditions that seem to qualify all of us as having some kind of unfinished work that only our Creator God can complete. The Apostle Paul expresses this idea about the believers in Philippi when he says: “I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

We see unfinished work all around us. Jesus intends for us to enter into His work under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Like Peter and John, we must wait for the opening He gives us to act. Like Paul, we must pray for those He has called us to love.

Has the Holy Spirit brought someone to mind as you read these scriptures? Pray and act as the Holy Spirit directs.

By Kathleen Petersen