Boldly

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

BOLDLY

Acts 4:23-31

23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

"'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.'  

27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

NIV

There is something to be said for praying the scriptures, as we see here, when the believers quoted from one of David's Psalms. However, we know that God already knew David's words, since it was the Holy Spirit who spoke through David, as well as every word that has ever been recorded in the scriptures; in fact, we believe God could quote every word he has spoken. This would include all that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have ever said, or that is recorded of what they said. However, although they included the words spoken by David, the key request of their prayer is for them to speak with boldness, and for the hand of God to be stretched out to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Jesus. We know God answers prayer, and that makes us wonder why we are not praying for boldness to speak out about Jesus, about the free gift of God, salvation. We also wonder why we have not asked the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, the one to whom everything in the earth belongs, to stretch out his hand and heal, and to perform miraculous signs and wonders. The question that is before us is whether we truly believe God will do all that. We call ourselves Christians, but are we believers? Those who were there with Peter and John were new to their faith in Jesus, and they had already seen a lame man healed by the power of Jesus' name. Have we accepted living as crippled Christians? Why should we? Because there is power in the name of Jesus, and we can both go boldly out and speak the truth of God, and go before him asking for his healing and for miraculous signs and wonders. Can we even imagine what the world would think of us if God were doing mighty things for us, in us, and through us? Can we fathom what our lives would look like, being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking the word of God boldly? 

Not Shutting Up

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

NOT SHUTTING UP

Acts 4:13-22

13 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. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name." 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." 21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

NIV

How could they refute a miracle when the man, who was forty years old, which meant he had been lame for forty years, and now stood before them? In this case, seeing is believing; however, at the same time, these men of the Sanhedrin thought more highly of themselves than they should have. Peter and John were unschooled, ordinary men, yet they had been with Jesus. Annas, the high priest, Caiaphas, Alexander, John, and the rest of the Sanhedrin were schooled, educated men in the law, but had no personal experience with Jesus, or Yahweh, the LORD whom they say they serve. They had to confess that Peter and John had done an outstanding miracle, but they could not allow this to continue, warning Peter and John not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. This great statement of Peter is the way of life for believers. When you have a personal experience with Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit, how could you remain silent, no matter what others say? When they say we are too narrow-minded or intolerant and have no right to judge their behavior, basically, they want us to shut up and not speak about Jesus or the power in the name of Jesus. The men of the Sanhedrin feared losing their influence in society, so they did not want "The Jesus influence" spreading. We may be in a similar situation because the liberal society we live in is opposed to "The Jesus influence." Peter told them that to judge what was right in God's sight, they should obey them rather than God. We cannot do any less. Because we have experienced Jesus, we cannot remain silent. We need to speak up, tell our story, believe in the power of the name of Jesus, and live accordingly, expecting miracles. We will not shut up. 

The Cornerstone

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE CORNERSTONE 

Acts 4:1-12

4:1 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. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed. The number of men grew to about five thousand. 5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?" 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 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. 11 He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'   12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

NIV

Why were these religious men greatly disturbed when the apostles taught about the resurrection of the dead? We know the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, which is confusing because they were supposed to believe in God. They had all the words of the Prophets who foretold the Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled that role. But as Peter told them, they rejected Jesus, yet He became the capstone, or cornerstone, as he quoted the Psalm. In the days when buildings were made of stone, the builders would set the cornerstone, and everything would be built square to it. The cornerstone is the foundation of the whole building. That is what Peter was telling Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John,Alexander, and all the other men of the high priest's family. Jesus is the cornerstone; everything is built on him. There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Salvation is found only in the name of Jesus. There is no Jesus plus anything, and because it was proven by eyewitnesses that Jesus was raised from the dead, and that after appearing to many over forty days, he ascended right before their eyes into the cloud. In the name of Jesus is where everything is. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, the only life. He is the Light who shines into the darkness, leading people to eternal life. We cannot add anything to Jesus for salvation. We cannot earn it by doing anything good, for there is only One who is good. We cannot accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and think we must do more to be a "Good Christian", because there is only One who is good, for that is what Jesus told that rich young man who wanted to know what good thing he must do to have eternal life. In the name of Jesus is the only way. There is no other way. Jesus is the prime number; nothing can be added or subtracted from a prime number. If we added or subtracted from a prime number, it would no longer be prime. We cannot add or subtract from Jesus. How can we do anything to add to Jesus? The truth of the message is that when we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we are saved, period, end of story. That is what Peter was telling them, as he was filled with the Spirit. All power, all healings, all miracles, everything is done through the name of Jesus. He is our cornerstone. "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; No merit of my own I claim but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. 

Listen

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

LISTEN

Acts 3:17-26

17 "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you — even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.'  24 "Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'   26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

NIV

We looked at this portion and considered the wonderful truth that our sins have been wiped out. There is another truth that we also need to deal with. Peter quoted what Moses said, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from his people." Peter was warning the people that if they did not accept Jesus and everything he said, they would not see the kingdom of God, for they would be cut off, separated, and be on the outside without ever being able to get inside. The question before us is whether we listen to everything Jesus said. We have our Bibles, and we read most of them; some aim to read through the Bible in a year. When a believer has used that reading plan for over fifty years, they have read the Bible through fifty times. The question that would still be before them is whether they are listening to everything  Jesus said. If we listen to what Jesus said, our lives will reflect his teaching. There is another thought that Jesus said every word within the complete Bible. That the men who penned the words were inspired, and indeed they were, as all scripture God breathed and is profitable for rebuking, correcting, teaching, and training in righteousness, so that we will be thoroughly equipped for every good work. So then we should not just read the word, but listen to it, invest in it, and digest it so that we not just hear it, but listen. We want God to listen to our prayers, our requests; should we not listen to him? If we do not give an audience to his every word, understanding what he is saying to us, and learning from the mouth of the teacher of all truth, we will be cut off. That is a harsh thought, but it is the truth. Let us listen, let us learn, let us comprehend, let us reflect the words spoken into our hearts. Then we can be assured we will not be cut off. 

Wiped Out

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

WIPED OUT

Acts 3:17-26

17 "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you — even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.'   24 "Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'   26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

NIV

First things first, our sins have been wiped out by Jesus. There is one caveat: we need to repent, change the way we think, turn from wrong thinking to right thinking, and turn toward God. Having our sins wiped out makes it clearer than having our sins forgiven. The Greek word exaleifoo carries this direct meaning to wipe off, wipe away. It has also been used in the sense of anointing or washing every part. That means God not only forgives our sins because of Jesus, but he wipes them out, blots them out, so they are no longer there, or visible. Because our sins have been wiped out and are no longer seen, we must accept that truth and not hold ourselves guilty. God does not declare us guilty, as he wiped out our sins and has declared us innocent, holy, and blameless in his sight. When we accept that truth, then and only then will we find that refreshing, a cooling as the Greek word means. Jesus told us to learn from him, for he is gentle and humble of heart, and we would find rest for our souls. That is this refreshing, this cool feeling within our soul, our spirits, knowing we are his. We no longer have to be heavily laden or burdened because we came to Jesus and he gave us rest, which the Greek word translated as rest means to repose or be refreshed. This is the best way of living in Jesus, to have a refreshed soul, restored, at peace, first, with God, and secondly, within our own selves, our inner selves. We are also among all the people on earth who will be blessed because we are in Christ, and He is in us. So let us live with that refreshing, knowing our sins have been blotted out. 

Believe It or Not

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Acts 3:11-16

11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, 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? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

NIV

This should give us the clue to how we should live. Peter knew he and John had no power within themselves. In fact, not only do we not have any power, but we have no righteousness of our own. Everything is about Jesus. Peter makes that clear in his explanation of why this crippled man is now walking. It is the name of Jesus and the faith that comes through him that gives complete healing to the man who was once lame, but is no longer. That is the question we must ask ourselves when we face an infirmity. Do we have faith in the name of Jesus for a complete healing? We wonder if sometimes we would rather just talk about our infirmity, even comparing ours with others, to see who has the worst one, or more pain and suffering. We may complain at times, so others will feel bad for us. The point is, have we accepted our crippled state, not looking, with the measure of faith God has given us, to Jesus, or using the power in the name of Jesus to have a complete healing? Do we really believe? If not, why not? We know our spirits have been healed. Once we lived in the darkness, and at some time in our lives, the Spirit came to lead us into the Light of Jesus, and we were changed from being dead to having life. That is the grandest healing of all, yet within our bodies we may experience many problems, sickness, diseases, infirmities, and pain. Maybe that is just part of the aging process, or maybe it is the lack of believing in the power of the name of Jesus. Peter asked the men of Israel why a healing in the name of Jesus should surprise them.  If we saw or experienced a complete divine healing in the name of Jesus, would we be surprised? It still comes down to one point: it is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that gives complete healing. We either believe it or not. 

In The Name of Jesus

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Acts 3:1-10

3:1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer — at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled 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. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they 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.

NIV

We are at one of the great examples of the power in the name of Jesus. This crippled man received something more precious than gold or silver. We are told that Peter and John did not have any gold or silver to give this man, but they had the authority in the name of Jesus to heal this man. Peter invoked the name of Jesus and commanded the man to walk. Peter did help up; however, the man's feet and ankles became strong. He was healed, and he went walking, leaping, and praising God. Interestingly, the people who had walked by this man every day on their way to the temple were amazed to see him walking, leaping, and praising God. These people, filled with wonder and amazement, were religious men as they went to the temple during prayer time. Did they not know the power of God? We will see Peter speak to them, accusing them of disowning Jesus and handing him over to Pilate. Yet they should have known better, as they had all the words of the prophets and the history of their forefathers, led by the power of God, into the place they now called theirs. They practiced their religion, followed the laws given to Moses, and celebrated the festivals: Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks), and the Feast of Booths (tabernacles), among others. Yet, they could not accept Jesus as their Messiah. It is good that we are not like those men; however, we are filled with wonder and amazement because we know the power of the name of Jesus. Yet do we avail ourselves of the name of Jesus, or do we just practice our religious traditions? We have accepted the free gift of salvation because of Jesus. We have accepted the forgiveness of our sins because of Jesus. We have accepted the Holy Spirit because Jesus sent him to us. But have we accepted the power in the name of Jesus? We do go through all the motions of religion, but are we truly walking, leaping, and praising God? Are we ready for the power that is in the name of Jesus? Do we really want this power, or do we just believe in the power? Silver and gold can buy the things of this world, but the name of Jesus can heal the sick, raise up the lame, restore sight, give hearing to the deaf, and speech to the mute. Peter and John had faith in Jesus, in the power of his name. Would we forfeit that measure of faith God gave us and resign ourselves to a crippled life? We wonder. Just a thought to ponder. Maybe we could start by first walking, leaping, and praising God, in the name of Jesus