Face of An Angel

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

FACE OF AN ANGEL

Acts 6:11-15

11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us." 15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

NIV

Here again, jealously along with thinking more highly of themselves brought about scheming and lies to cause trouble for Stephen, which ultimately caused his being stoned to death. However, before that happened, Stephen gave a great message to them which we will get to later. Just because Stephen was full of faith and of the Holy Spirit and because he was full of grace and God’s power and did great wonders and miraculous signs, they could not allow such power of God displayed in a man who was not among their ranks, who was not one of the schooled professional religious leaders. False witnesses are not uncommon among those who have an agenda of self-preservation. And once again, nothing is new under the sun and in this type of false testimonies have continued today among those who have personal agendas to protect themselves and keep the power over the people, as those of the Sanhedrin were doing. However, no matter what men said about Stephen, he did not waver in his faith and the Spirit was overflowing through him to the point that his face reflected the glory of God as they observed that his face was that like an angel. As Paul would say later, Stephen was transformed into the likeness of Christ with ever-increasing glory. This should be our story, not that we should be called before the leadership of the church and have them lie about how great our faith is and that we are so full of the Spirit they want us removed from their presence. Instead, we should reflect the likeness of Christ in ever-increasing glory and that we should be so filled with the Spirit that we would display his power through signs and wonders. How can the Spirit only do those things back thousands of years and then become dormant? Is not the Spirit God, and we know that God does not change? Would that not mean the Spirit is willing to do all that he did in the life of Stephen in the same way in our lives? What is the difference than if God does not change? It must be that we have changed somehow. Is there a difference in the measure of faith that God gives? Did Stephen have more faith than we do? How can that be if God does not show favoritism, which would mean he has given us the same measure of faith he gave Stephen. Then it has to do with the difference between how Stephen responded and how we respond. How can Stephen be more filled with the Spirit than we are? So then it has to be that Stephen responded fully and was used mightily by God to do many wonders and miraculous signs and if we are not seeing that in our lives, then we must not be giving the Spirit full access, or in other words, we might be quenching the Spirit. Surely there should be some evidence of the working of the Spirit, the power of God within us and it might be seen in our face. 

Grace and Power

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

GRACE AND POWER

Acts 6:8-10

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)-Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

NIV

The first time we were introduced to Stephen we were told he was full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. We are told additional that he is full of God’s grace and power. As we have discovered before, this Greek word translated as grace carries this meaning of the divine influence upon a heart and how that is reflected in the person’s life. It can also be said that grace is the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace. Stephen was totally sold out to believing in the power of God, he was full, which means complete, lacking nothing, perfect, of the divine influence of God. That would mean Stephen listen fully to the voice of the Spirit and did all that he was told to do. It would also mean that Stephen did not act on his own desires or pursue his own course in life and then expect God to bless him. He was also full of God’s power which had to be the result of being full of faith, the Holy Spirit, and God’s divine influence. As a result, Stephen did great, or mega wonders and miraculous signs among the people. It makes us wonder just how we might do if we were as full of faith, the Holy Spirit, God’s influence, and power as Stephen was. We wonder if we were, would we be doing a mega amount of wonders and miraculous signs within the assembly of believers. However, with anyone who is full of the Spirit and of God’s influence and power there is always going to be those who become jealous and speak out against such a person. That is what seems to be the only reason someone would oppose a person that is full of faith, the Holy Spirit, God’s influence, and power, and doing great things. Although they tried to argue with Stephen, their thinking was futile against the wisdom of the Spirit. Why would they argue against someone who was doing great wonders and miraculous signs? Did they argue with Peter and John too? Why did they just pick on Stephen? Was it because he was not an official Apostle, one of the leaders of the church? Was it because Stephen had been picked by the people, that is was popular with the people because of his faith, and that he lived like one who was full of the influence of God? The point is that no matter what they had to say to Stephen, their arguments could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. Stephen’s words were not his own, he was speaking through the influence of the Spirit within him. Would that we have that kind of faith and influence of the Spirit within our lives, that our words would be from God rather than from us. What would happen if we were full of grace and power? 

Full

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

FULL

Acts 6:5-7

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

NIV

This is our introduction to Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. We also have the names of the other six men who comprise the seven men who were selected per the instructions of the Apostles. It is interesting that if we are going to be a New Testament church, or as some would say a new creation church, then it would seem right that any group that is called by the name deacons should be a number of seven men, or in accordance with our current culture, seven people. It is interesting that one of the seven, Nicolas, was a convert to Judaism. We are not told of his original beliefs, which is not important. This should give us an insight into leaving our past in the past and simply seeing ourselves as a convert to faith in Jesus Christ. However, the person of most interest and the one who Luke spends most of his time on in this narrative is Stephen. We are going to see more of Stephen, but for now, let us consider that all the men would have been of the same description as Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. What does that type of man look like? What does, being full of faith, mean? The Greek word used here as full, carries the meaning of full up, as opposed to empty, as with a hollow vessel, but a more complete meaning gives the idea of complete, lacking nothing, perfect. This was the character of Stephen and the others. We would think that this is how we should live. How can we say we have little or small, or incomplete, imperfect, lacking in something type of faith? Is that than faith at all? We would think if we confess, that we have faith, then our faith should be full, complete, lacking nothing, and perfect. Our faith should be full, as with a vessel, a glass, completely full, without any more room to put more without it spilling over. That type of faith could move mountains, even casts them into the sea. That kind of faith could do mighty things in the name of Jesus. Oh, there is so much that could happen in the life of a person that is as full of faith as Stephen was. But he was also full of the Holy Spirit. It is the same full as the full of faith. So then Stephen was completely full, to the point of overflowing, perfectly filled with the Holy Spirit. Again, what does that look like in our lives today? Does the Spirit have complete influence in our lives? Stephen must have fully acted as influenced by the Spirit. If we have been baptized in the Spirit, as we are told that John the Baptist said that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit. So then we have been baptized with the Spirit and because this is the act of the most perfect Christ, then his baptism of us would be perfect, lacking nothing, complete. This could only mean that we are full of the Holy Spirit, and that should be reflected somehow in how we live out our faith. We will see this example as we look further into the life of Stephen, but as we already know, being filled with the Spirit means being full and that means there is no more room for anything other than more of Him.

Pastors and Deacons

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

PASTORS AND DEACONS

Acts 6:1-4

6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

NIV

Once again, we must ask the question, what happened to the New Testament church? Here we see that the twelve gathered to handle a situation that arose between the Grecian and Hebraic Jews. It is interesting how these two groups were identified. What appears to be the main difference is the Grecian Jews were those who mainly spoke Greek, and who lived in other lands or the diaspora, while the Hebraic Jews were born and bred in Israel, however, both were living in Jerusalem. These Grecian Jews may have returned to retire, or simply wanted to come back to the homeland, but as with today, they may have been seen as immigrants and thus not the same as those who always lived in Israel. The Grecian Jews may have adopted some of the cultural or social customs of the various countries that lived in before returning to Jerusalem and so they were not "normal" Jews. From what we learn from this narrative there must have been some sort of soup kitchen, as it were, for the poor, which was to include the widows. This would have been in line with the Torah and in Deuteronomy to take care of both the foreigner and the widows. However, it seems the foreign widows were being overlooked. Of course, that was not right, it even went against the teaching of Jesus. However, bias has always existed, and it has never disappeared. Still, what is most interesting is that the twelve felt it was not right for them to become so involved in the administration of the church which kept them from the spiritual matters of the church. Here is the introduction of the deacons into the church. There are two truths we should consider. First, the deacons need to be men known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. The second is the role of the pastors. So let us think about the deacons first being full of the Holy Spirit. What does that look like? Perhaps we could look at Stephen as one example of a man filled with the Spirit. Of course, to fully examine the life and legion of Stephen, it would take a book. Nevertheless, we know he did not just work in the soup kitchen but also preached the word of God, he would not remain silent. However, the main role of the deacons was to serve the people in the material sense. This seems to have continued throughout the years, being the administrators of assistance to the people. On the other hand, the Apostles or the pastors of the church felt they should restrict themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. This may happen in some churches today, but in other churches, it seems the pastor views himself as the CEO and becomes so involved in the administration of the church he does not have the time to spend doing that which he should, prayer and the ministry of the word, at least at the same level the Apostles did. Has life become that much more complex that we have lost certain aspects of the early New Testament church? Does it matter? Is it better to evolve to keep abreast with the local customs of our current society? After all, we may have left behind choosing men who are filled with the Spirit and wisdom and gone to accepting whoever will volunteer to serve on a deacon board, which today includes women. This is not being sexist, but merely stating that we are adopting current societal pressures. This is not to say that women have not and are not used by God in various ways. We have examples of powerful women in the bible. It is just according to this narrative; they chose men who were filled with the Spirit and wisdom. These are the qualities that must exist if someone is chosen to serve as a deacon, rather than allowing anyone who volunteers to serve. Have we left the course? Have we strayed from the standard for both deacons and pastors? Maybe it is better to change with the times, then we would be more comfortable with how things are, it is more familiar with our world’s norms. Nevertheless, it should be noted that being filled with the Spirit and wisdom are desirable tracts, and being a person of prayer and ministry of the word should be a trait highly sought after. 

Men Against God

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

MEN AGAINST GOD

Acts 5:33-42

33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." 40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.  

NIV

Once again, men think like men, rather than asking God to reveal his mind to them. In addition, we are always amazed how men who were supposed to be spiritual but were merely religious, who again, were presumably the highly schooled ones in the Holy Scriptures, first, became furious, and second, wanted to commit murder. This is precisely what Jesus taught regarding the law concerning murder. He said that if we hate we have already committed murder in our hearts. This is what is happening in this narrative with the Sanhedrin. Their hatred was demonstrated by their being furious. How do men become so jealous of others? How do men become filled with anger, and rage to the point they want another person dead, especially when they are supposed to be God-fearing men? However, from this narrative and the words of Gamaliel, we see they had already experienced other moments which were nothing but a flash in the pan, here today and gone tomorrow. He spoke prophetically in some sense; however, he expressed a profound truth as well. When men start something that comes from the mind of men for their own purposes, it will evidentially fail. However, whatever men do as a result of God, no one will be able to stop them. Trying to silence someone who speaks about Jesus, is only going to result in fighting against God. Who in their right mind would wage war on God? How foolish and futile their thinking is when they think, speak, and act in a manner that is outright against God. Many have tried throughout the ages, and all of them have ended up dead, but God has always been and will always continue to be. So then, who is the mighty righteous one? Surely not men, it is God. Why battle God? Those who do, think they are the right-minded humanist who is control of their own life and destiny but have no clue of their false thinking, for they are furious with anyone who disagrees with them and their agenda. Peter and John were flogged because of the hatred of those religious men, but they could not keep them silent, for the power of God working through his Spirit was stronger than any man, and Peter and John continued to teach the truth about Jesus. This ought to give us hope, as we serve the living God, who was, who is and who will forever be. We are on God’s side, on his team and we are in the game, playing the position he has trained us and empowered us to fulfill. Let no man stand in our way of thinking, speaking, and acting in a manner that God has directed us. 

Obey Who

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

OBEY WHO

Acts 5:27-32

27 Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead — whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

NIV

The High priest and all his associates really believed they were the ultimate authority over all the people. “We gave you strict orders”. Really? Where in the law of Moses was that order found? The priests were from the tribe of Levi, the chosen tribe to serve the Lord, and not to be in charge of the people. But as always men distort the truth to serve their own needs. Men corrupt power and power corrupts men. They did not have any biblically-based authority to give Peter and John any strict order regarding teaching about Jesus. It was all about their being threatened and the appearance that they were guilty of killing Jesus. They did not want the guilt, nor did they want anyone to see them as being guilty for they were holy men, religious men, upright and innocent of sin. The great façades men built to appear righteous continues through the ages, even to this day. However, this Sanhedrin was guilty, and they did not want to even admit it, even to themselves. Still, thinking they had the right and the power to give someone strict orders was beyond their calling, which was to serve the Lord, not be in control of people. Peter and John were right to say they must obey God rather than men. That is not to say we should disobey the law of our land, a law that is rightfully passed by those who are elected by the people to represent them in the government. But again, that is a rightful law of the land that was voted on in Congress with both houses agreeing and signed into law by the executive branch. Anything else is not a law of the land. Thus, we should obey things like a speed limit, or we should not commit a crime against a rightful law, such as stealing, murder, etc. God tells us to obey those who govern the law. However, when it comes to being told that we cannot worship the Lord, or teach about Jesus, then we must obey God despite the strict orders of men. It is right to declare that our sin, as well as all people's sin, put Jesus on that cross. We are all guilty of crucifying Jesus. It is the very reason he came so that he could redeem us all, to free us from the penalty of sin. If we declare this truth to a nonbeliever, they might become outraged and try to order us to keep silent, telling us we have no right to say those things. Have we succumbed to this social standard and remained silent so as to not offend anyone? Have we softened the message too much, saying only that Jesus loves them, trying to demonstrate it by loving them all the while they continue to live under the authority of the dark forces of evil? By not calling sin for what it is, disobedience to God, and the penalty of eternal death and damnation, are we actually obeying men rather than God? Have we lost that boldness? It is right to obey God rather than men and in doing so, we should follow the example of Peter and John by telling the truth about sin, about being guilty of sin, and how to find freedom from its penalty. 

Beyond Human Ability

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

BEYOND HUMAN ABILITY

Acts 5:21-26

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin — the full assembly of the elders of Israel — and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 "We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this. 25 Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

NIV

There is no question that Peter and John were transported right out of a locked guarded cell right into the open street. What an experience that must have been. We wonder want did Peter and John feel doing the moment of their being lifted out of that cell by the power of God. If they ever wondered at all how Jesus just appeared to them in a locked room, they must not have wondered anymore, for they got the answer in an up-close and personal way. Of course, normal men, nonbelieving men could not even come close to grasping what had happened. They were going to find out, or at least question Peter and John if they could find them. As in most situations, someone is always going to be the tattletale, and sure enough, somebody gave the location of Peter and John to the Sanhedrin. So off went the Captain and the officers of the temple guard and found them just as the man had said, teaching the people about the resurrected Jesus. We are told no force was involved which means the Captian of the temple guard must have requested that Peter and John go with them and tell the Sanhedrin how they managed to get from a locked jail cell, under guard, into the temple courts. Of course, Peter and John had to be most eager to appear before the Sanhedrin so they could testify of the power of God. We are going to see more of this narrative which will reveal the power of God, rather than the power of men. But for now, we must consider that we have this same God who transported Peter and John. We also have the narrative, as we have already noted about Philip being lifted from one place to another. Of course, these were special situations, but still, if God did that for them, what could he do for us, if we had that same kind of faith as Peter and John. Their faith has to be some kind of key to the reason things like that happened to them and we do not see that same kind of display of the power of God. They were indeed filled with the Spirit, but then so are we. Maybe the difference is they allowed that power of the Spirit to flow through them and we are somewhat holding him at bay, or maybe we just don’t believe as strongly as Peter and John did. After all, they physically walked and talked with Jesus. They saw with their own eyes His dead body on the cross and put it into the tomb. They witnessed the fact that he was resurrected from the dead and they walked and talked and ate fish with the resurrected Jesus and they watched as he ascended into the clouds until he was out of their sight. They knew firsthand the power of God. But then so do I. I have experienced a miracle I cannot explain. I have felt the hand of God as he touched my heart at the moment of my public confession of faith. I have had the power of God raise me up from what the doctors said should have killed me. I have heard his voice on several occasions, once healing a broken finger instantly so as to show his power to others. I have heard his voice telling me to move to where I am now. Why then should I ever doubt the power of God working in my life? There are more times than just those that I have felt God directed my path and called me to serve him above my human abilities. So, I understand, in some way, how Peter and John must have felt, achieving beyond their own abilities because of the power of God. 

True Power

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

TRUE POWER

Acts 5:17-21

17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life." 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

NIV

Why is it that people get jealous? This high priest and all his associates were the ones who had the official schooling, the education that enabled them to be members of the Sanhedrin. However, these men were also Sadducees who held the theological position that there was no resurrection of the dead. How it is that men who are supposed to know the scriptures and thus know God, do not believe in life everlasting. Nevertheless, they were jealous of these uneducated men, according to their standards of education. However, Peter and John had the best of educations as they sat under the teaching of Jesus. Jealously leads to actions that result in even more embarrassment for them. After arresting Peter and John and putting them in jail, they thought their problems were going to be over. This would put an end to this nonsense and trouble these two were stirring up. But God always has a different plan than men, even those who were supposed to be men of God, or at least religious men. How can any man control the power of God at work? It might be possible, as we are warned, to hold back or quench the Spirit. There is a truth that we could refuse to allow God to work within us, but it would be impossible for us to control how he works in another. This looks like this was the case in this narrative, as the High Priest and his associates refused to allow God to work in their lives, but they had no control over the work He was doing in the lives of Peter and John. Even in a locked cell, under guard, Peter and John disappeared and entered the temple courts at daybreak, as they were told by the angel of the Lord. Were they transported, teleported, from within the locked cell? That is what we must believe, as later in this narrative we are told the cell was under guard and still locked, yet the cell was empty. We can just imagine how Peter and John must have felt, knowing, and experiencing the power of God in that way. It must have been the same way that God moved in the life of Phillip when he transported him after he spoke to the Ethiopian Eunuch that we will see later in this record of the Acts of the Apostles. We wonder if God will ever do that again or why. Surely, Peter and John were boldly proclaiming the message of the resurrected Jesus and with all the opposition they needed the power of God working in and through them. But we live in a time that is becoming increasingly opposed to the message of Jesus Christ. Humanism is ever-increasingly becoming the religion of the people. Phrases such as, “Power to the people” “My body, my choice” “climate change” and so many others that mankind believes everything is under their control, that man is greater than any God if there is a God. We need more boldness to proclaim the truth, to stand up against this humanism, this human-centered religion, even if they put us in jail. Of course, they are already trying to put us in a jail of silence, wanting to control our speech. But if we will not be still, if we will speak up and speak out against the tyranny of this humanistic society imprisoned by the dark forces of evil, maybe, just maybe, we will experience the same power of God as Peter and John did. 

Believe

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

BELIEVE

Acts 5:12-16

12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.

NIV

What happened through all the years that we don’t see the same thing in the church today? Was this just for the Apostles and that was it? When they all died or were killed everything miraculous just stopped. Then we would have to say that God has changed, but we know that he does not change. Then it must be that man has changed. We still meet together although we don’t know how often they met, at least we meet once a week as a group of believers. Although again, we are not really meeting together, as we usually sit in rows and listen to a preacher. Not sure it is the same as meeting together in the same manner they did in Solomon’s Colonnade. Of course, we do not have anyone performing many, or any, miraculous signs and wonders among the people. Nor do we have more and more men and women believing in the Lord and being added to our numbers. There is one more thing that seems to have gone by the wayside as well. Of course, we do not have the shadow of Peter either, but he is not, or his shadow the source of any healing for that comes from the powerful almighty hand of God. Nevertheless, people came to the place the Apostles were, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. What has happened over the years to the believers, to us? Do we not have the same power almighty hand of God available to us? Of course, we do, then why are we not seeing and experiencing the same things that were happening then? The answer must be that we have changed, we must not have the same kind or amount of faith they did. But, again, maybe it was just for the Apostles. Maybe God only gave them that power. However, we see instructions given to the New Testament church, including those churches made up of gentiles throughout the lands around Israel by Paul, telling them of the gifts of the Spirit, which include all that we see here of His working through the Apostles. Those gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues, and interpretation are all from the same Spirit although different and all from God who works all of them in all men. So, then we would have to agree that we are part of those all men, and therefore we should be seeing the same events happening in the church today. But we do not, and it must be that we simply are not believing in the same manner the people did in those days. How do we rectify that? God has not changed or stopped working unless he has and is just waiting for us to believe. 

Being Honest With God

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

BEING HONEST WITH GOD

Acts 5:1-11

5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. 3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." 9 Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

NIV

Ananias and Sapphira is a famous story of two who wanted the glory and praise from men instead of from God. There is no other reason for them to conspire to hold back a portion of the sale of their piece of property without telling anyone that is what they did. They wanted the Apostles and the others to think they were so generous and did what the others did by selling their possessions and giving it all at the Apostles' feet. “Look, are we not being good Christians?” “Look how much we gave” Is it not true that surely our sins will find us out? This is what Moses told the Israelites and it was true for both Ananias and Sapphira. Only through the power and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit could Peter have known their conspiracy to hold back a portion of the selling price. What was amazing about this is that there was no reason for them to lie about how much they received for the land. Peter made that clear, the money was all theirs and at their disposal. They could have said that they sold some land and are giving ninety percent of the sale to the church. That would have been acceptable as it would have been the truth. This is the same truth that guides us today. We look to the concept of tithing as giving only one-tenth of our income to the church. Whether we give the exact amount or slightly less, or maybe more is completely up to us and should not be anyone else’s concern. We should be careful in making a public confession that we are faithful tithers for that may not be totally honest. The only one we need to be concerned about is the Lord. Secondly, if we are honest with ourselves, why would we tell anyone anyway that we are tithers? It would be the same as Ananias and Sapphira conspiring to lie to men, even if we were off by a penny in our giving of this ten percent. Isn’t it ours to begin with? Is not the money at our disposal? Then we must consider is the tithe a new testament concept or is it a law that Jesus fulfilled? We know that Abraham gave a tenth of all his spoils to Melchizedek and that was before the law of Moses. We also know that the same concept was given through the last prophet Malachi, about bringing the tenth into the storehouse. It is biblical to support the cost of the church, the building expenses, and the salaries of its ministers. We would never expect pastors to go without compensation. So, we give, but the point here is that we are not restricted in the amount to give or demanded to give ten percent. The only things we need to consider are what the Lord desires of us and simply follow his leading. Of course, the church keeps records of our giving, and as with any organization it has requirements for its leadership and that includes giving the tithe. However, we might also consider why the church keeps a record of our giving. Yes, that is a good accounting practice, but then why give us a report so we can claim our giving on our taxes? Is that not our reward? Would not that be our only reward? It is somewhat like boasting about our “Good deeds” so that we receive praise from men instead of from God. For the most part, preaching or teaching about money makes many believers uncomfortable and it is usually avoided. Here, Peter made it clear, just give what you decide to give and that is all that is needed and there is no reason to make it look like more than it is. Both Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead on the spot when confronted with the truth. At least that does not happen today, as we do not attempt to lie to men and to the Spirit. We only need to give however the Spirit leads us and He is the one who rewards us. There is no need to be seized with fear and fall down dead. 

Questions to Ponder

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Acts 4:32-37

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

NIV

This was certainly a unique situation that happened to this early church. It is doubtful that would happen in this post-modern church. To claim that any of our possession is not our own and to share everything we have with all the others are just not going to happen. We live in such a society, even within the church, that what is ours is ours because it is ours. Sure, we give some money, but not anything which is going to keep us from gathering more stuff for ourselves. It is still unlikely they sold their homes, but just their possessions. We also wonder just how many possessions people of that time owned. Even Barnabas who sold a field that he owned gives way to the question if that was the only field he owned. Was it the smallest of several fields he owned? Did he work in those fields? Was he a farmer, or was it a vineyard field? Still, it is unlikely that anyone today would sell any property and give all the proceeds to the church. Why did the early church conduct itself in that way and have we lost that commonness among the church today? We even wonder if we can say that all believers are of one heart and mind. Of course, we know that is not true because of all the division of theological issues among the various denominations that consider themselves either evangelical or fundamental, and then we have many who are considered mainline denominations that would not admit that a person needs to be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is even doubtful that many of us would follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, continuing, if we ever really started, to testify of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This grace that was upon them, and this is not the grace which is the gift of God, or unmerited favor, in that sense, as it carries this concept of the divine influence upon a man’s heart and how that is reflected in his life. So, then the Apostles had a great deal of influence upon their hearts, and it was reflected by the fact they testified to the resurrection of Jesus. How do we deal with the information we have been given here? Can we have all things in common? Can we all be of one mind and heart, even within a single church? Can we, or should we, adopt this type of Christianity, or was that just for those early days? Then we should also consider what would consist of having a need. In our modern era, we all have so much and there will always be some who have more than others and some who have less than others. We live in a society that does not promote either the socialist or communistic agenda and even within them, there are always those who are in leadership roles who have far more than the common people, as both fail to meet the same heart and mind concept those of the early church had as well as all people still do not have all things in common. Have we all failed to live up to the way God intended, or does the word of God allow us to evolve in accordance with our culture? Questions we may have to ponder on.

Shaken and Filled

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

SHAKEN AND FILLED

Acts 4:31

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

Would that God shake us up just a bit when we prayed. We do wonder why it was that God did that after they prayed. Was their prayer more fervent than our prayers? It doesn’t seem their words were any more special than the ones we us. Unless Luke did not record exactly the same words, or just gave a sample of their prayer. But that is unlikely, as his words are inspired by the same Holy Spirit that filled all those who were in that place that was shaken. It must be the intensity of their prayers. They wanted God to stretch out his hand and do mighty things to show the world his power. They wanted God to do miracles, signs and wonders, and healing. These are what are outside the limits of human abilities. Have we given up on God doing all this in our lives? Have we given in to God only working through the hands of men? We cannot do miracles, nor can we do signs and wonders. Mankind has, in some sense, developed through medical science some abilities to cure certain ailments and diseases, but is God or man given the credit for that? Are we even speaking the word of God boldly? Have we prayed that we would? Do we just pray out of routine because we think we should pray? Why don’t we expect the place where we gather together in prayer to be shaken and that the Holy Spirit fill us in such a way there will be so much evidence no one can deny His presence. Maybe even the surrounding ground will tremble and people we come out to see all the people pouring out of the church speaking boldly the word of God. This is what we desire, to be shaken and filled. Just as we might shake a jar to be able to get more flour into to it, they were shaken so they would be filled to overflowing with the Spirit. 

Stretch Out Your Hand

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND

Acts 4:23-30

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."

NIV

This is a powerful prayer of these believers who were the people of Peter and John. We are not sure how many there were at the place where they were meeting, but they were very glad and gave God all the glory for what happened. There is no doubt that now they were very aware that the crucifixion of Jesus was indeed the plan from the begging of God for their redemption. It is interesting they refer to the Gentiles, who would most likely be the Romans and the people of the city were those who were excited by the chief priests, yelling “crucify him”. They quoted what King David had prophesied about Jesus. There spent much of their prayer in giving their Sovereign Lord all the praise and glory for this hand at work in the lives of Peter and John. After all that praise, they finally got to their petition, “Now Lord”. Even under the threats of the Sanhedrin, they wanted more boldness to be able to continue to speak out about the word of the Lord. They knew it was His mighty hand that healed and performed miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Jesus. Boldness, not to hold back no matter the consequences, speak up with confidence the word of the Lord. They were not asking for their own needs other than to have the power of God working in them so they could tell others about Jesus. It is all about spreading the word of the Lord. Have we lost the fervor of wanting boldness to speak the word of the Lord? Have we settled into this “Us four and no more” mentality, just enjoying our little church, or maybe the big mega-church, we attend and happy with our Sunday morning routine, or maybe we should call it a rut? What would happen if we prayed for God to stretch out his hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Jesus? We know what would happen, so why don’t we pray like that? It seems all we do is continue to pray for the same stuff or people every day and sometimes we might think we see healing, but it is mostly through the hand of the physician. Is that the way the mighty hand of God works today? Maybe we need to revise our prayers. Maybe we need to pray for boldness, for the Lord to stretch out His hand. 

We Can't Stop it

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

WE CAN’T STOP IT

Acts 4:18-22

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

We have Peter and John standing before the whole of the Sanhedrin, which according to what we have already been told comprised of at least the high priest, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, the elders, and some of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and perhaps others that we are not aware of. They were amazed at how these two uneducated men could speak with such authority about the things of God, but we also feel that at the same time they were looking down on Peter and John because of their lack of formal schooling. After conferring among themselves, trying to determine how they were going to deal with this healing of a cripple man through what Peter and John described as the power of the Holy Spirit, by the authority of the name of Jesus, they came back with their command. By what authority do they have to command Peter and John not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus? Who do they think they are? Obviously, they think they are the ruling class, and as such all people should obey their commands. However, once again, the unschooled have the right answer. They asked those who are supposed to be the schooled and trained professionals in the holy scriptures to make their own judgment about whether it is right to obey them or to obey what is right in God’s sight. The fact is that anyone who has the power of the Holy Spirit coursing through them cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. Of course, Peter and John saw Jesus in the flesh, which we have not, but we have seen and experienced miracles, and we have seen and read the Holy Scriptures accounting for the eye-witness testimonies of those who saw Jesus do all that he did and then witnessed Jesus resurrected from the dead and ascending into heaven. We have the truth as it has been revealed to us through the leading of the Spirit. So then, we are not that much different than Peter and John and as believers filled with the Spirit, we cannot help speaking about Jesus, and the salvation that is available through faith in Him. This Sanhedrin could not do anything but threaten Peter and John out of fear of looking wrong in the eyes of all the people who saw this great miracle and were praising God. How could they punish men because people were praising God, who they were supposed to be His representatives to the people? Would we be punished by anyone for speaking the truth about Jesus? Maybe, in this crazy upset world we live in today, we might be warned to stay silent, because people do not want the truth, they do not want the light shining into their lives, for they love the darkness for it hides or approves of their wicked ways. However, we cannot help but speak about what we know is the truth, come hell or high water. 

With or Without

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

WITH AND WITHOUT

Acts 4:13-17

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."

NIV

Even acknowledging that Peter and John had been with Jesus and that they did this miraculous healing of the cripple man, which they could not deny was crippled and now is standing before them, they refused to believe in the name of Jesus. What does it take to make men believe? Of course, those were not just ordinary men, they were the spiritual, or rather we should say, religious leaders of the people. Being religious does not always mean being spiritual or having a personal relationship with God. Those leaders, the chief priests, even the high priest, the teachers of the law, the elders and Pharisees and Sadducees, as it was the whole of the Sanhedrin that conferred together as to what could they do to keep this movement of believers in Jesus Christ of Nazareth from spreading. They couldn’t do any miracles that like. They held their education above others, and that is why they were amazed those two uneducated men could have such courage and speak so well about Jesus and how the prophets foretold of His coming, that He was indeed the Christ. How dare these unschooled men tell us the truth, must have been in their minds. It all came down to Peter and John being filled with the Spirit. It is not that education is worthless, for there is value in learning. Peter and John spend three years being schooled and learning from the greatest teacher of all time. Here, again we cannot frond upon those who spent many years in schools of higher education, for that is a way to gain knowledge. However, unless that knowledge is coupled with the power of the Holy Spirit, it is simple knowledge and has no value for life. The Sanhedrin was filled with men with much knowledge from years of study, learning all the scriptures, but they fail because they lack the power of the Spirit, which Peter and John were filled with. All they could do is try to wheel their supposed religious-based power in an attempt to silence the voices of Peter and John. This was their decision, but we will see how that turns out. Men without the power of God always try to stop the men with the power of God. It will not work. 

Authority

  

DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

BY WHOSE AUTHORITY

Acts 4:5-12

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

Standing up to the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law requires the moving of the Holy Spirit. It is interesting how the so-called religious leaders, those who are supposed to know the holy scriptures better than anyone else, and yet they are more interested in their own self-preservation as the leadership of the people. Peter and John, on the other hand, have all the first-hand experience and knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Almighty God who the presumed leaders profess to know this almighty God, but refuse to acknowledge His Son. It is also interesting they have no compassion or praise to God, for this cripple man who was healed. There is the only interest to prove there is something wrong with Peter and John. They want to know by what power or what name did they heal the cripple, although they refused to even say those words, rather they just said, do this. It would seem they are driving at the fact that Peter and John used some sorcery or even the name of Satan, hoping to catch them in some blasphemy as they accused Jesus of. However, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the truth. First, what they did was an act of kindness. Second, they proclaimed they acted by the power of Jesus using His name to as the authority for this act of kindness. We have this same power available to us if we would only believe and act upon our belief in the name of Jesus. Maybe we are only giving God lip service, saying we believe, but we might have more doubt than faith. It could also be possible that we simply have been influenced too much by the culture we live in and look to the strength of our own abilities before looking to Jesus. No, it is time to stand up against all who oppose the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and accept the power the Spirit has given us to do acts of kindness in the name of Jesus, and not in our name. there is too much humanitarian glory given to men, and there accept that praise from men, but we are not to do that, we are to only accept praise from God, as we humbly walk in faith, doing that which we have been called and empowered to do. We live and walk and act only by the authority of Jesus. 

And The Winner Is

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

AND THE WINNING IS

Acts 4:1-4

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, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

NIV

These priests and the others were always against everything Jesus said and did. It is interesting that the Sadducees are brought into this narrative instead of the Pharisees because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. How is that possible that descendants of Abraham, Jews with all the history of God working in and through their nation, with all the prophets who spoke of Jesus and of the resurrection, such as when David wrote that God would not abandon him to the grave referring to the Lord. How could they not believe in the resurrection and yet they did not, and so their intent was to shut the voices of Peter and John who preached the truth about the resurrection of Jesus, and thus all who believe in Jesus will also be resurrected from the dead. Eternal life is available to all who believe. Even the priests who were supposed to be the representatives of God to the people, serving in the temple, doing all the sacrifices the people brought for the forgiveness of our sin, wanted to silence Peter and John. Those who believe themselves to be leaders do not want anyone to disagree or disobey their authority. However, when it comes to the power and authority of God, no one can stand in His way. When the people heard they could experience the same resurrection that Jesus did, they accepted that message and turned from their wicked ways, and believed in Jesus. More and more people will hear this same message and believe because that is the Holy Spirit at work in men. We will see the power of the Spirit working in and through Peter and John more as this narrative plays out, but for now, we must know this same Spirit that worked in the lives of Peter and John is the same Spirit that dwells within us. This should give us a great deal of confidence in our daily lives, knowing we have the power of God flowing through us. This should give us more and more reasons to live rejoicingly, always being filled with gladness and thanksgiving. Although even today we have leaders both in the secular and religious realms that would insist we accept their teachings and leadership, just as we will see with Peter and John, only the truth will guide and direct and protect us from the powers of darkness in this world. God clothed them and he also has clothed us with His armor to protect and hem us in from those evil powers of this world and those who attempt to control us, as the priests, the temple guards, and the Sadducees and, as we will see, even the high priest, the elders and the teachers of the law attempted but failed, to control Peter and John. No matter how many men try to win, God will always prevail and be the victor and we are on God’s team, so we already know we will win. 

Blessed Completely

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

BLESSED COMPLETELY

Acts 3:24-26

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

Although in the genetic sense we are not heirs of Abraham, as the Jews are, however, because we have been adopted into the family of God through faith in Jesus Christ, we are in one sense an heir of Abraham. When we consider what the most important aspect of Abraham was is that he believed God and his belief was counted to him as righteousness. This is our story because we believe in Jesus, it is through our faith in Jesus that we are counted as righteous, for He is our righteousness. Again, we can also be counted as being among the blessed because we are some of all the peoples on the earth. It is interesting the Greek word used, in the context of all peoples on earth will be blessed, has the meaning of, to confer a benefit. Because we have all the fulfillment of this promise to Abraham in the person of Jesus Christ, we can see that Jesus is the offspring spoken about and Jesus is the greatest benefit who could be conferred upon us. There is no other benefit that would or could give us, first, the forgiveness of our sins, and second, eternal life. In addition, we have all that Jesus brings into our lives through all his teachings, and by sending us the Holy Spirit to lead us into all the truth that is contained in the word of God. Secondly, there is another Greek word that is translated as bless, in this context of, Jesus will bless us by turning each of us from our wicked ways. This Greek word carries the meaning of giving a benediction upon, or speaking well of, or to prosper, which would be in the sense of a spiritual prospering, rather than a material one. In other words, because we are in Christ we are completely blessed in every possible way. 

Listening

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

LISTENING

Acts 3:17-23

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.'  

NIV

We considered the time of refreshing that comes from the Lord for those who repent and turn to God and that in doing so our sins are wiped out which means complete, as with all our sins, past, present, and future, written on a whiteboard and He wipes that board so clean that is like a brand new, as never ever written on, rather than just been cleanse. We could say it was born again. Now, Peter quotes the words of Moses, and these are a warning with dire consequences. He is saying there are two ways to live. One is to listen to everything Jesus tells us, and the other is to not listen to him. It is easy to understand that those who reject what Jesus tells them will be cut off from among his people. This would also imply that his people are the ones who listen to everything he tells them. The operative word here is everything. The Greek word translated as everything has this meaning of the whole. Therefore, we need to listen to the whole of Jesus’s words. This would also imply that if we are listening to the whole of his words, then we are supposed to act upon that which we hear, as he is our Lord and Savior. The question is whether we are truly acting on or are having the attitudes that he has told us. We could say we have in the sense that we accepted him as our Lord and Savior by calling on his name. But that is only the first step that gives us eternal life. However, are we in danger of being cut off if we do not listen to all that he has said, which implies doing or behaving in the manner he said and having the attitudes he said we are to have? Within the next sentence, Peter speaks about turning from our wicked ways. Would that imply that is just this turning from our old life to our new life in Christ? Then there is nothing else we need to do and we can just go about our lives as we always have. That does not seem right in any sense of the word. We have to change from our wicked ways and live in a manner that pleases the Lord and that would mean listening to the whole of his teachings. This could take a lifetime to incorporate every aspect of all the teachings of Jesus into our attitude and behavior. Of course, we have the Spirit to lead us in all this truth from Jesus. Certainly, the first and foremost is to remain in him for apart from him we can do nothing. This would mean that anything we do on our own is nothing, worthless, meaningless, or unimportant. The key to successful living is first, listening, second, doing what we hear.

 

times of refreshing

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

TIMES OF REFRESHING

Acts 3:17-23

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.'  

NIV

As Luke records, Peter has more to say about this, but we need to stop here and consider how Peter is showing mercy by telling them how they acted in ignorance. This word simply implies that did not have the knowledge about what they did. However, Peter also says they did not accomplish killing Jesus in their own strength, as it was the plan of God and they were just doing the bidding of God in order that their sins could be wiped away. And that they could be refreshed from the Lord. Here is where we step into the history of mankind. At one time in our life, we too were ignorant of the knowledge concerning Jesus Christ and his fulfillment of the plan of God. However, because of the plan of God and his intervention, we have become aware that our sin was the reason He sent Jesus to die on the cross. Therefore, our sins have been wiped away because we have accepted Jesus as the Christ and as our Lord and Savior. The point is sin weights a man down even if unaware that is what happens when we are captive to the whims of self. Once we have been told, as Peter told those people, that through Jesus our sins are wiped away, there is a lightness of heart that happens, a relief, a refreshing of our spirit that can only be explained as being born again. There is an inner joy that comes, and it must be expressed in our outer continence. We certainly cannot hide the glory of God residing within. We do not have veils covering our faces; hence we reveal in ever-increasing amounts the glory of God. It would seem impossible to sit solemnly in our spirit and therefore in our faces. How can we have a spirit that is filled with overwhelming joy and hide it, our mask it, with a blank face, or as it were, veiling any sighs that Jesus has wiped away all our sin and are so filled with joy? No, we cannot help but live a life of rejoicing, and shining as the light of the world throughout our daily comings and goings. In addition, because we are assured that Jesus is alive and well and is in heaven, not only making intercession for us but waiting for the time when the Father has predetermined for Jesus to come back and gather us up to be with him. How can we contain our excitement about that day? How can we not live refreshed? 

In His Name

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

IN HIS NAME

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

Once again, Peter takes the opportunity to tell the people they are the ones who killed Jesus. However, in reality, all mankind, including Peter, John, and us have put Jesus on that cross because of our sin. Although, historically, it was the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the elders who plotted to have Jesus killed. We know Peter, John, and all of us did not plot such a thing, but we are still responsible for Jesus going to the cross. However, it was also not the actions of those people who put Jesus on the cross, for it was predetermined by God that this was the way he was going to redeem us and why Jesus came to earth in the form of his creation for that very purpose. Nevertheless, it is our sin that nailed Jesus to that cross. However, Peter goes on to say that although Jesus gave up his spirit and left his body dead on the cross and was buried, he was raised up to life. Therefore we serve a risen Savior that is in the world today, we know that he is living, no matter what man may say, we see His hand of mercy, we hear His voice of cheer, and just the time we need Him He’s always near, He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today, He walks with us and talks with us, along life’s narrow way, He lives, He lives, salvation to impart, you ask us how we know He lives, He lives within our heart. The second truth that Peter makes sure the people know about the crippled man who was healed, is that he did not become healed of any power of man whatsoever. All healing comes from the hand of God because we invoke, through faith, the name of Jesus Christ. It is always because of faith in Jesus that all things are accomplished according to the will of God. We can ask for anything in the name of Jesus. He told us that Himself, as John records, “You can ask me anything in my name, and I will do it”. John also writes in his first letter that we can have the confidence in approaching God, that if we ask anything in accordance with His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we will have what we ask for. Peter and John knew this truth, as it was John that wrote all these words. He and Peter were intensely aware of the power in the name of Jesus, and they did many more powerful acts of mercy because of giving themselves over to the power of the Spirit within them, thus knowing all things are done through faith in the name of Jesus. We would do well, to call upon the name of Jesus in and for all situations in life.

 

It Takes Faith

  

DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

IT TAKES FAITH

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

It is difficult to pass up a man who is crippled and not look at him with some amount of compassion, but Peter not only had compassion on this man, but he also took action and did something to bring glory to the Lord. This is faith at work and not in the sense that Peter worked or did good deeds, but that simply believing that if he told this man to get up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that the man would get up and walk. Maybe we get confused about good works by thinking that it is about doing something at church, like volunteering in some program or doing some ministry. Maybe that is the right way to express the faith that James talks about. There are good ministries that meet the needs of people, homeless shelters, food pantries, and such, that are an expression of faith. We do have to consider faith without works is dead.  Peter’s faith was not dead, for the cripple man had a need to be healed, and Peter did not have coins to give him, but he had the power of God through the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to heal that man, to put strength in legs and ankles that have never ever been used before. This is faith at work in ways we have not seen in a while. We wonder, again, if we simply do not believe in our faith or in the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth enough to tell someone they are healed. All the physical labor type of good works, the ministries, helping hands, giving things to people can be done by non-believers with the same compassion as believers, it is called humanitarianism, but having the faith to tell a cripple to get up takes faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth that not a single unbeliever could ever do. It was said that we can only give what we have. We can give time if we have it. We can give money if we have it. We can give actually food or clothing if we have it. We can give whatever it is if we have it, but it takes faith to tell a person they are healed because then we would have faith that we can give. We say we have faith. First, are we giving that faith away to someone in need? That is are we telling them they can be healed from death by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. That would be giving what we have, salvation or faith.  Second, if we have faith, then we would be using that faith to tell someone they are healed from whatever ails them and it would be done to them as it was this crippled man. In both cases would we see a person jumping and leaping and praising God. But it takes faith. 

Signs and Wonders

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

SIGNS AND WONDERS

Acts 2:42-47

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

NIV

The power of the Spirit was at work within the Apostles as many wonders and miraculous signs were being done. Has the Holy Spirit quit working? Did he only work in the lives of the Apostles and then stopped doing anything? Are we not supposed to believe that the Spirit comes to all who repent and are baptized like Peter just said? He just told the people when they asked, “What shall we do”, to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have done that and therefore we have this gift. We believe we have received his fruit and gifts, although it seems the church in general only prays for healings, and then it does not seem many are healed, if any, through the power of prayer unless there is intervention from the medical profession. Should there not be many wonders and miraculous signs still going on? Of course, we do not have all things in common anymore either. It does not seem that anyone sells any possessions to make sure those who are in need have enough. That is surely a thing of the past. However, at least we meet in the sanctuary once a week, even though it is not every day. Didn’t any of them have jobs? Didn’t they ever do anything else? How did they support themselves? Was it only the fact they sold all their possessions? Peter does not explain all this in enough detail to give us sufficient information to make any conclusions. We know they did not sell their homes for they gathered in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. We don’t even do that very much in our society, with all the hustle and bustle that fills our time. A few of us might get together occasionally, and even then it seems we only have a few we gather with, developing little cliques, so to speak. What has happened to the church? It doesn’t seem we are enjoying the favor of all the people either. Of course, the church has divided itself up into hundreds of little denominations because we cannot agree on every point in the scripture or have different opinions regarding the scripture. It would seem all the people see us as something other than what the people saw back in those days in light that we do not have numbers added daily that are saved. In fact, many churches have dwindling numbers as the old people die off, leaving the rest to wait their turn. What are we to do? Should we not look to God, look to the Spirit for his working in our lives? Should we not believe the Spirit does not change as He is God, and we surely believe God does not change for we are told that very truth. So, we must believe the Spirit is still active and will if we allow him to, perform many wonders and miraculous signs in our lives. 

Cut to the Heart

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

CUT TO THE HEART

Acts 2:36-41

36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call." 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

NIV

It is interesting that although Jesus is one of the persons of the triune God, that Peter makes this statement, of course under the inspiration of the Spirit, that God made Jesus Lord and Savior. We know that all authority has been given to Jesus and we have to believe this authority was given to him by the Father, who in all practical sense is the one whom we call God. However, we also know in a theological sense the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the three in one Godhead, therefore each one is God, but each one is not the other. Nevertheless, Peter indicated that it was God who made Jesus Lord and Savior, and it was the Jews who Peter was talking to who had handed Jesus over to Pilate to be crucified. However, Peter does not say they handed him over, as he blames them for crucifying Jesus. Although it was mainly the chief priests, teachers of the law, elders and Pharisees that had conspired to kill Jesus, there were hundreds, even thousands of normal Jews, many from nations that surrounded Israel who were listening to Peter. These, as well as the Jews who lived in Jerusalem and nearby villages in Israel who were the ones that were insighted by the chief priests to yell, “Crucify him”, were the ones who responded to Peter's message. These were the ones who were cut to the heart. What we must also realize is that we too have been guilty of this same act of crucifying Jesus, because of our sin. This is the reason Jesus went to the cross, for the sin of the whole world, which included us and all those who were before and after us, until the Last Day. Once we became aware of our guilt, just as those people had, we repented of our sin and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This is what happened to those people as they asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?”, they knew some change had to occur, that they needed to do something because they now felt the guilt and shame of their sin. Here is where we get this theological position of the need to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. It is true that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. That would carry the meaning that all we need to do is call on Jesus and that has the implication that we are accepting him as Lord and Savior. Here, it indicates that for the complete forgiveness of sin a person needs to follow through with accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, by repenting, changing the way they live, the way they think, and the what or who they believe in, by being baptized, being submerged under the water, being buried in a sense and then rising from the water a new, resurrected person, in a fashion, being born again. We can see this scene that happened, and how glorious it must have been to watch three thousand or so people being baptized, accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The key to all that happened that day was the fact the truth cut their hearts to the core. We too have had our heart cut by the truth, and we need to always remember and not allow our hearts to become dull to that cut, but to leave our hearts wounded, although at the same time realizing that our hearts have also been healed through Jesus and the power of the Spirit. Still, our hearts need to remain soft and supple, and always open to the truth. Yet, everything, all that we are, all that we believe, and all that we do is a result that we were cut to the heart.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                             

Promised

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

PROMISED

Acts 2:29-35

29 "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." '   

NIV

Are we to believe that David’s body is still in the grave and has decayed beyond to point of existence? It has been so long that even his bones might have decayed away to nothing but dust. Is Jesus the only one who was physically resurrected? Does that mean we too will remain in the grave? Is that what Peter is saying? We know there is a day when we will all be changed. On that day we will exchange this corruptible body for one that is incorruptible. Our bodies will also be changed from this perishable form to one that is imperishable, and they will also transform from a mortal body to an immortal one. When that day is, we can not say with certainty, but we know that we are not going to be abandoned to the grave, for death cannot hold on to us for eternity. Has David been resurrected since the time Peter spoke of his tomb still being there, or will David be resurrected on the same day we are if we die before the Lord returns? What we know for certain is that Jesus is alive and sits at the right hand of the Father and is forever making intercession for us. Now, with that knowledge, we can also be sure that Jesus is going to return for us to take us to the place where he is. That is his promise, and we will not be going to that place as a dead people, but rather as resurrected children of God. We also know that as we humble ourselves before the Lord, he will exalt us in the same manner that he exalted Jesus. Jesus humbled himself before the Father when he prayed if there was any other way, but nevertheless, the Father's will be done. This showed how Jesus humbled himself to the will of the Father and was therefore exalted to the place of honor. The one thing we understand is that we too must humble ourselves before the Father, not overriding his will for us with our own will. We know that we will be exalted if we submit ourselves to the Father. Jesus made that truth when he said that anyone who exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. The other truth here is that Jesus received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father to send forth into the world to be poured out upon all people. Because we can attest to at least one of the promises of Jesus that has already come true, that is we have the Holy Spirit within us and have experienced his power and his manifestation of his fruit and gifts in us, we can be sure that all rest of the promises of Jesus will happen. Therefore we live in complete confidence that we will be with our Lord, whenever it happens is not the point, for it will happen, just as Jesus promised.