April 6, 2010 (Acts 1-6)

I had forgotten how much I liked Acts. More good stuff. In the first chapter are recorded Jesus' last words before He ascends to heaven. I may have missed it in the gospels, but here we see that He was on earth for forty days after His crucifixion, proving to them in many ways that He really was alive!

^{Acts 1:3} During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

He had just finished telling them that soon they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, when the following happens:

⁹ After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. ¹⁰ As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

Some day He will come back in the clouds and the Bible tells us every eye will see Him. How that happens, I have no idea, but I believe it will.

Here's what happened after that:

¹⁴ They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

It looks as if finally, Jesus' brothers believed. It took them a while, but His resurrection must have been the defining moment. I think that's the defining moment in all our lives - when we come to the realization that only God could rise from the dead and accept the truth of that as our own.

Peter turned into quite the preacher. You couldn't shut him up now. He had an encounter with the risen Savior, the One who forgave him for his failings, and he couldn't help but proclaim Him to others. He gave a lengthy speech, followed by this conclusion:

^{Acts 2:36} “So let it be clearly known by everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

³⁷ Peter’s words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” ⁴⁰ Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!”

⁴¹ Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

⁴² All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

⁴³ A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. ⁴⁴ And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. ⁴⁵ They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. ⁴⁶ They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—⁴⁷ all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

The early church - this is how it started. How awesome would that have been! They had 'community' with each other. They worshipped together every day. Peter's message to them took root in their hearts. It continues to speak to me. Not to the point of selling all we have and giving it to those in need, but to the point of seeing that 'this generation has gone astray' and to wanting to live differently. Wanting to join in prayer and worship and to devote myself to God's teaching and being in fellowship with other believers. Wanting to share that great story that Jesus is alive, and that He changed my life and wants to bring new life to those in darkness.

Peter and John were headed to the Temple one day and saw a man, forty years old, who was lame from birth. People carried him to the Temple so that he could beg for money from the people who entered. He saw them coming and then asked them for money. Here is the actual account:

Acts 3:1 Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. ² As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.

⁴ Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. ⁶ But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

⁷ Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. ⁸ He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.

⁹ All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. ¹⁰ When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! ¹¹ They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.

The thing that struck me as I read this, was that he saw them coming, and then must have looked down and asked them for money. He couldn't look them in the eye. He was ashamed that this was "his lot in life". That he was reduced to begging for a living. He must have been looking away because of Peter's response. It says that Peter looked at him intently. I got the impression that he stood there, over him, staring at him for a while. And the beggar never returned his gaze because of his shame. Then he looked at them eagerly, expecting a gift, since they had actually spoken to him. You have read the rest. They didn't have money, but they had something better. They gave him an 'encounter with God'. That's what people need. That's what we all need. An encounter with God who can truly change our lives.

Peter used this opportunity. I love his response:

^{Acts 3:12} Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? ¹³ For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. ¹⁴ You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. ¹⁵ You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

¹⁶ “The name of Jesus has healed this man—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has caused this healing before your very eyes.

It's not about us - it's about Jesus. The enemy of our souls wants to make it about us. When I pray for something and God answers it, it's so easy to say "that was because of my prayer" - instead of "Jesus wanted to bring glory to the Father" and keep me totally out of it. I'm reminded of when Jesus sent His disciples out and gave them power to heal and cast out demons. They came back so excited about what they were able to do - Jesus' warning to them was to "rejoice that their names were written in heaven" - not to rejoice in the miracles. God help us to always give You the glory, as all the glory is Yours.

There's only one other verse I'll share, as this is quite long. So much more, but I guess that will wait for the next go around...

^{Acts 4:13} The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.