Wednesday Acts 10:9-16

Peter has a vision.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 10:9-16

As the three men sent by Cornelius approached Joppa, Peter went up on the roof to pray. It was about noon and the afternoon meal was being prepared. Peter was hungry. He went into a trace and had a vision.

A sheet came down from heaven with all kinds of animals on it. Most of them would have been unclean and prohibited for a Jewish person to eat them. A voice from heaven told Peter to get up and kill one of the animals and eat it.

Peter refused. He say that he had never eaten an unclean animal. He recognized that God was there, but what do you do in this situation? This must be a test. God is seeing if I will remain faithful and not succumb to my hunger. But then, the voice said that God had declared these animals clean. So, you had better not call them unclean. The event repeated itself two more times.

Jesus had declared all food clean back in Mark 7:19. Peter doesn’t know it yet, but the issue here is not food. The issue is people. God is softening Peter to the idea that Gentiles matter to God.

Tuesday Acts 10:1-8

Cornelius is visited by an angel.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 10:1-8

Thirty miles north of Joppa on the coast, was the city of Caesarea. It was the Roman capital of Israel. It had been renovated by Herod the Great between 25 and 13 BC. He renamed the city Caesarea in honor of Augustus Caesar. The city had the first artificial harbor and had a 13 mile long aqueduct to provide fresh water.

There were 3000 Roman soldiers stationed in Caesarea. They were divided into five cohorts of 600 each. A Tribune commanded each cohort. Cornelius was part of the Italian Cohort. Six centurions each commanded one hundred soldiers. Cornelius was a centurion.

Cornelius believed in God. He was not a Jew, but believed in the God of the Jews. He was a “God fearer.” He believed, but did not practice the Jewish customs or practices. He was a Gentile.

An angel appeared to him while he was praying. The angel told him to send for Peter. Notice that the angel did not give Cornelius a reason to fetch Peter. He just said to go get Peter. Cornelius obeyed without question. Without knowing the rationale, he explained everything to his attendants and sent them to Joppa.

A couple of things to note: God revealed more to Cornelius while he was in prayer. It was not the first time he prayed. He was disciplined in prayer. We all should be disciplined in prayer. Also note that Cornelius obeyed without question.

Monday Acts 9:36-43

Peter raises Tabitha from the dead.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 9:36-43

God is moving Peter into position to launch the rest of the book of Acts. Saul has been chosen to be the apostle to the Gentiles, but he is still in Tarsus. The gospel has yet to reach the Gentiles. Luke’s narrative is setting the stage.

Peter healed Aeneas in Lydda. Meanwhile, a lady named Tabitha died three hours away in Joppa. Rather than prepare the body for burial like normal, they washed the body and sent for Peter. Raising people from the dead was unusual, but it had happened before. Jesus had raised three people from the dead and Peter was there each time.

Luke tells us that her name was Tabitha in Aramaic and Dorcas in Greek. Both words translate as gazelle. She might have been a widow since the other widows of Joppa seemed to be prominent at the scene.

You might want to go back and read chapter 5 of Mark’s gospel. When Jesus raised the daughter of Jarius from the dead He said to her, “talitha kumi,” which means, “little girl, get up.” When Peter raises Tabitha from the dead, he said in Aramaic, “Tabitha kumi” – only one letter different.

As with other miracles, many people saw the miracle and believed in Jesus.

But Peter is now in Joppa, a town on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. He is in position for the next phase of God’s plan.

Sunday Acts 9:32-35

Peter heals Aeneas.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 9:32-35

We have probably about a three-year gap in the narrative. In verse 31, Luke told us that the persecution seemed to settle down and the church steadily grew in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. About three years after Saul went to Tarsus, Peter was traveling around Judea visiting the churches. He came to the town of Lydda in the plain of Sharon.

Lydda was about 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem. The church probably began with the believers who fled because of the persecution six years earlier.

In Lydda was a man named Aeneas. He had been paralyzed for eight years. Peter brought healing to the man by proclaiming the healing in the name of Jesus Christ. There is no indication that Aeneas asked to be healed. We can assume that Peter acted at the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

As a result of this miracle, many people became believers.

Notice that Luke said that all of the people in Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas and turned to the Lord. Don’t get freaked out over his use of the word “all.” Luke used language much like we use language. Here he is using a literary form called hyperbole. It is a deliberate exaggeration to make a point. We do the same thing. If I said, “Everybody in town is excited about the new restaurant that opened,” then I am using hyperbole. I did not survey everybody in town. What I mean is that a lot of people are excited. It is the same thing here with Luke. He is saying that a lot of people saw the healing and came to Christ.

Why is this incident here? Even when things are going smoothly in church, the Kingdom is still marching on. We never get to settle down and coast.

Saturday Acts 9:26-31

Saul returns to Jerusalem.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 9:26-31

After three years, Saul returned to Jerusalem. His desire was to meet the apostles. At first, all of the Christians were afraid of him. Barnabas stepped in and acted as an intermediary to take Saul to the apostles.

We see in Galatians 1:18 that he spent 15 days with Peter. Saul needed the legitimacy of his time with the apostles to gain the trust of the Christian community. He began to preach the gospel to the Hellenistic Jews. This was the same community that Stephen had tried to reach with the gospel. Their response to him was the same as it was with Stephen. They tried to kill him too.

The Christian community stepped in and protected him and sent him back to his home town of Tarsus. He spent the next five years there and we don’t really know much about what happened there.

Luke has been showing the expansion of the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth both geographically and by demographic groups. He began with the Jews in Jerusalem and surrounding Judea. Next the gospel went to Samaria and then to “partial Jews” (the Ethiopian eunuch). Next he introduced us to Saul (Paul) who will be the main character to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

His next account will be back with the apostles as the gospel makes the unthinkable jump to the Gentiles.

Friday Acts 9:19b-25

Saul proclaims the gospel.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 9:19b-25

Saul had gone to Damascus with letters from the High Priest which authorized him to arrest Christian Jews. He intended to go to the synagogues and enlist local help in his mission. After his encounter with Christ outside of Damascus, he stayed in the home of a man named Judas.

Ananias came to Saul as a messenger from God and Saul regained his sight. He moved to stay with the disciples in Damascus but still went to the local synagogues. But instead of enlisting help to arrest Christians, he proclaimed the gospel to the Jews in Damascus.

Saul was a zealous Pharisee who was trained by the rabbi Gamaliel. He could out-argue most Jews in any theological debate. Now he argued with the Jews with the claim that Jesus was the Son of God.

This section of Acts does not mention Saul’s time in Arabia. In Galatians 1:17-18, he tells us that he left Damascus and went into Arabia, then returned to Damascus. He went to Jerusalem three years after his encounter with Christ. We don’t know how long he was in each place. He was in Damascus for some time then in Arabia for a while, then back in Damascus. The whole time was three years. We also don’t know if Acts 9:22 refers to the first time in Damascus or the second time or if it is just a blanket transition for the three years.

Sometimes we look at Saul’s time in Arabia as three years in solitude, but that is not necessarily the case. Damascus was the north-west corner of Arabia at that time. The area went south to the Red Sea. There were many Gentile cities in Arabia. Paul’s theology was already complete. There was no New Testament and he was already an expert in the Old Testament. He knew the gospel. The bottom line is that we just don’t know what he was doing.

He returned to Damascus and continued to preach the gospel. There was a plot to kill him by the Jews in collusion with the governor (2 Corinthians 11:32-33). The believers helped him to escape by lowering him from the city wall in a basket.

Saul did not wait to “grow up” in Christ before he started serving. We too often think that we have to grow more before we can be of any use to the Kingdom. Unfortunately, we get comfortable in that mode and never get beyond it. Anyone who has faith can talk about their faith.

Thursday Acts 9:10-19a

God sends Ananias to Saul.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 9:10-19a

Saul had been struck blind just outside of Damascus. He was led into the city by the hand and remained blind for three days. During this time, he prayed.

God spoke to a man named Ananias. We know something more about Ananias from Paul’s account in chapter 22. He was a devout Jewish man who had become a believer in Jesus. He was well respected in the Jewish community in Damascus. Since he was already a resident of Damascus, he was not part of the Christians fleeing Jerusalem.

God told Ananias that Saul had received a vision about Ananias. He told Ananias to go to Saul and restore his sight. Ananias was naturally afraid since he knew Saul’s reputation. But, God reassured him that everything was under control. God told Ananias that Saul would suffer for His name and would take the gospel to the Gentiles.

Ananias was obedient to God. He went to Saul and laid his hands on him. Saul was healed. Then because of his faith in Jesus, he was baptized.

Sometimes God calls us to do something that we would rather not do. This was the case with Ananias. But he was obedient to his call and did what God told him to do.

Wednesday Acts 9:1-9

Saul encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 9:1-9

We saw Saul earlier at the dead of Stephen. He was part of the persecution of the believers in Jerusalem that caused them to scatter to the surrounding areas. Saul was zealous in his persecution of the Christians. He even went to the High Priest to receive authorization to arrest Christians in Damascus.

The city of Damascus was not in Judea, however, the High Priest had been given authority over all Jews in the Roman Empire. So, Saul’s plan was to go to the synagogues in Damascus with the letter from the High Priest. There he could receive local help in apprehending the Jews who had become followers of Jesus.

The believers had fled from Jerusalem, but Saul considered them to be so dangerous that the new group had to be stopped before it could spread. He traveled the 150 miles to Damascus with a group of men. As they got close to Damascus, Saul had an encounter with Jesus.

You need to read Acts 22 and 26 to get Saul’s recollections of this event. He provides a few details later that Luke does not include here. A bright light occurred and they were all knocked down. They all heard noise, but only Saul understood the words. Saul actually saw Jesus (9:17, 27), but the others did not see anyone.

Saul understood that something of a divine nature was happening, but he didn’t seem to know who was speaking to him. He could have thought that it was an angel. Jesus identified Himself to Saul and asked why Saul was persecuting Him.

Saul was blinded by the occurrence and had to be led into the city by hand. For three days, God left in this condition.

God was preparing Saul for the message that a believer in Damascus was going to give him. God had been preparing people around us to hear the message from us.

Tuesday Acts 8:26-40

Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 8:26-40

After the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in Samaria, the apostles went back to Jerusalem and Philip moved on. Philip was not just wandering aimlessly; he was guided by God. An angel from God told him to go south to the road that goes through the desert from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip obeyed and there he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch.

The biggest question of this passage concerns who the Ethiopian is. He obviously is a believer in the one true God. He follows Judaism since he has gone all the way to Jerusalem to worship. There are several options for this man’s status:

1. A Jewish man living in Ethiopia. This is possible, but there is nothing in the text to support this.
2. A “God-fearer.” These were people who believed in the true God, but did not adopt the Jewish practices.
3. A “proselyte of the gate.” These were people who not only believed in God, but adopted a modified level of Jewish practice. They did everything except circumcision.
4. A full proselyte. These were people who had fully converted to Judaism. This included undergoing circumcision.

There is also the question of what Luke meant by “eunuch.” The term means a castrated male. But since many royal officials in some eastern cultures were castrated, the term could also be used generically of any court official. The simplest reading is usually the best practice. Luke probably meant that the man was not only a court official but also a physical eunuch. That would fit with his position as an attendant to the queen of the Ethiopians. In that case, he could not be a full proselyte.

We also know that he probably was not a God-fearer. In that case, he would have still been considered a Gentile. The first Gentile to come to faith in Christ is Cornelius in chapter 10. Understanding this man to be a proselyte of the gate fits well with the picture that Luke is painting for us in the spread of the gospel.

Jesus told the apostles in chapter 1 that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. Luke shows the gospel spreading. One of the big concerns is the legitimacy of each new group as they respond to the gospel. The initial group is the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea. Then the Samaritans are added. Now with the eunuch, a new category is added. He is a “half-proselyte.” He is not completely acceptable to the Jewish faith due to his physical condition. However, he is fully acceptable to Christ. The gospel is available to everyone. Luke is leading up to the call of Paul to reach out to the Gentiles and the Gentiles actually coming to faith in chapter 10.
Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to approach a man who was already searching for spiritual answers. Philip was available to show the answers with the gospel of Christ

Monday Acts 8:14-25

The apostles come to Samaria.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 8:14-25

Philip had preached the gospel in Samaria and many people believed. Word got back to the apostles in Jerusalem that Samaritans had accepted the word of God. They sent Peter and John to investigate.

Remember, up to this point, all of the followers of Christ were Jews. To the first Christians, Jesus did not establish a new religion; He was the next step in God’s plan for His people. The Christians were not going off in another direction; they were following the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was the Jews who did not follow Christ that were heading off in the wrong direction.

But Samaritans? There had to be some doubt in Jerusalem about Samaritans coming to Christ. It is ironic that John was one of the apostles to go to Samaria. In Luke 9:54, after the Samaritans in a village rejected Jesus, it was John and his brother James that wanted to call fire down from heaven to destroy the Samaritan village. But in this case, Peter and John, the two main apostles came to Samaria to see what was going on.

When they got there, they found true faith, but the Samaritans had not yet received the Holy Spirit. So the apostles laid their hands on people and prayed that they receive the Holy Spirit. Luke does not describe any events surrounding the receiving of the Holy Spirit, but there must have been something to elicit the response from Simon. He was so impressed that he wanted to buy the ability to impart the Holy Spirit. It is likely that the same kind of events as Pentecost occurred.

So what are we to make of this? Why did the Samaritans not receive the Holy Spirit when they first believed? Why was there a “Samaritan Pentecost?” Remember the day of Pentecost from chapter 2. This was a sign from God showing the legitimacy of faith in Christ. This event is a sign from God showing that Samaritans could become Christians too. Each of the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” events was a transitional event which needed the special sign from God to show its legitimacy.

Unity of the church is a big deal to God. Remember the tension between the Helenistic Jewish Christians and the Hebraic Jewish Christians. That would be nothing compared to Jewish Christians and Samaritan Christians. God provided an undeniable sign at the hands of the apostles to show that Samaritans could be brothers and sisters in Christ and provide for unity in the church.

Poor Simon; he just doesn’t get it. From his background, this ability to impart the Holy Spirit would be transferable. He would like to have that power. He offered to pay the apostles in order to get it. Obviously, to Simon, Philip did not have that power. Peter strongly rebuked Simon and told him to get his heart right with God.

So, was Simon really saved? Luke doesn’t tell us. Two people can read this passage and come up with different answers. Some would say that Peter’s comment about perishing with his money shows that he was not saved. In addition, Simon did not repent, he asked Peter to intercede for him. Therefore, Simon was not a believer – end of discussion. Others point out that it seems as if Simon were a participant in the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Peter’s rebuke did not tell him to believe in Christ. Peter was basically saying that Simon was lucky not to be struck dead like Ananias and Saphira. We can’t say, but we can learn from Simon’s bad behavior.

There is a term for Simon’s approach. It is called “simony.” It is the buying of ecclesiastical office. This was common in the middle ages when people purchased offices like bishop. A similar practice was the buying of indulgences which was paying off of peoples sin so that they could get out of purgatory early.

A similar problem occurs in churches today where large givers throw their weight around to exert influence.

Simon’s problem was that he took the ways of the world that he was used to and tried to apply them to Christian living and spiritual life. We do this all the time. An example would be how we put people into leadership positions in the church based on their ability and personality rather than their spiritual maturity.

What’s the solution? Biblical worldview. Spiritual Disciplines. Transformation.

Sunday Acts 8:9-13

Philip encounters a sorcerer in Samaria.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 8:9-13

Philip preached the gospel in Samaria. He encountered people that were of a very different culture than he was used to in Judea. The people followed a sorcerer named Simon. He amazed people with his magic and they considered him to be very important.

This probably couldn’t have happened in Judah. The Jewish people would not have tolerated a sorcerer. The Law of Moses was very clear about the prohibition against sorcery and magic. Looking to magic for power rather than God would fall under the category of chasing after false gods and idolatry. From God’s perspective this is spiritual adultery. Many of the Jews had lost sight of God. They practiced a religion rather than a relationship. But sorcery was way out of bounds.

The Samaritans had been drifting away from God since they separated from the southern kingdom of Judah about 930 BC. They set up idols pretty quickly and fell further and further away from God’s word over time. After the Assyrian conquest of 720 BC, they mixed with the pagan religions even more. So, by the time of Philip coming to Samaria in about 34 AD, sorcery was no big deal.

Simon amazed people with his magic. They said he was a divine power called “The Great Power.” So, the people attributed his power to God. We know that demonic power was at work since Philip was casting out demons. Satan masquerades as an angel of light, so it is no stretch to believe that Simon had real power, although it was demonic in origin.

When the power of God and the truth of the gospel come up against the power of Satan, many people will turn to God. That is what happened in Samaria. Many people turned to the truth of God and believed in Jesus. They were baptized in the name of Jesus. Even Simon himself believed and was baptized.

A question about Simon continues to be debated. Was he truly saved? Did he really turn to Christ and experience new life, or did he just get caught up in the excitement and profess a belief in Jesus that was not real? His behavior in the next section is problematic. But it may not mean that he was really not a believer. It may just mean that he still had the enormous baggage of his past and culture. We can not say for certain.

There is also a lot of mythology surrounding Simon. A Samaritan sorcerer named Simon Magus is a figure in history. Is he a real person, or just a fictional action that was built up from this biblical account? Everybody has their opinion, but we can’t say for sure. Simon Magus supposedly had magical powers and was confronted by Peter in Rome. Simon allegedly was one of the early Gnostics who believed that they had special knowledge of God that only a few were privy to.

What we do know is that the power of God is superior to the power of Satan. We know that the truth of the gospel can liberate people from the darkness of cults and false religions.

We also see the world has very different standards from what we find in church. When Philip went into Samaria, he found people who knew nothing of the truth of God. They accepted as normal and good things which God had clearly set out of bounds. God is not a big killjoy who delights in stifling our fun. He care for our wellbeing and sets things off-limits which are dangerous. Magic and sorcery open people to demonic influences and powers. This is so dangerous that God labeled it unacceptable in no uncertain terms.

In our world today, we see the acceptance and even celebration of values and practices that are so clearly beyond the limits that God has given us. Just as they called the demonic Simon “the Great Power of God,” people today call sexual immorality freedom and individual expression. They call abortion reproductive choice. They call occultism spirituality.

Like Philip, we have to leave the safety of the religious culture and get our into the world. We should not despise the people who have embraced the values of the world. They don’t know any better. We must share with them the truth of the gospel with love showing the power of Christ in our own lives.

Saturday Acts 8:4-8

Philip takes the gospel to Samaria.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 8:4-8

With the killing of Stephen, a persecution broke out throughout Jerusalem. Most of the Christians fled from the city. Wherever they went, they shared the good news of Jesus Christ.

Philip went to Samaria. Remember Philip from chapter 6. He was one of the seven that was chosen to take care of the problem with the feeding of the widows. Like Stephen, we see him now as a powerful preacher and worker of miracles.

There is an interesting contrast between the ministry of Stephen and of Philip. Stephen preached in Jerusalem which was the center of the Jewish religion. Philip initially after the persecution went to Samaria. The Samaritans and the Jews despised each other. After Solomon was King, Israel split into the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel. The northern kingdom is synonymous with Samaria. The Samaritans made their center of worship at Shechum near Mount Gerizim. Israel was conquered by Assyria and a mixing of the surrounding cultures occurred. The Jews from Judah considered the Samaritans to be half-breeds and religious heretics.

After the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile, they rebuilt the temple (Ezra and Nehemiah). Some Samarians offered to help but were turned away. Samaritans were prohibited from entering the temple area. So, the Samaritans built their own temple at Mount Gerizim. Around 150 BC, the Jews attacked and destroyed the Samaritan temple. The Samaritans retaliated by sneaking into the Jewish temple in the middle of the night and leaving dead bodies in the temple thereby desecrating it. So the Samaritans and the Jews pretty much hated each others guts.

Luke tells us that Philip went to a city in Samaria. He was probably referring to the city of Nablus (Neapolis) which was formerly Shechum. There, he healed people and cast out demons. The people of Samaria listened to him and many believed. To people who have been told that they are outside of God’s love and grace, the gospel is indeed good news.

As we share the gospel with people we need to remember that it really is good news. The gospel is about reconciliation with God.

Friday Acts 8:1-3

Saul persecutes the church.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 8:1-3

Stephen was killed by the angry mod which was led by the Sanhedrin. We say that they left their coats with Saul while they killed Stephen. That was the introduction to Saul.

Now in chapter 8, the focus shifts to Saul who we later know as Paul. What do we know about him? We know from the rest of the New Testament that Saul was from Tarsus which was in modern day Turkey. So, Saul would have been a Hellenistic Jew. We know he was from the tribe of Benjamin and that he was a Pharisee. He was a student of Gamliel who we saw earlier in Acts. He was very zealous about the Law. Saul approved of stoning Stephen.

With the murder of Stephen, there began a persecution against the followers of Christ. Everybody who followed Christ was now considered a traitor to Judaism. Christians were arrested and put in prison. Saul took up the cause of destroying the church.

Because of the persecution, the Christians fled from Jerusalem. A few, most notably the apostles, stayed in Jerusalem. Some went to other areas of Judea outside of Jerusalem, but some went to Samaria.

How could God allow this persecution? Remember the mission of the church. Jesus said that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. God did not cause the persecution, but he can even use the evil actions of people to advance His plan. The persecution is taking the gospel to Judea and Samaria.

When we find ourselves in unpleasant circumstances, we often blame God. Or we ask why did God allow this? What we should do is ask God what He would have us do in light of our circumstances. The answer is always: get closer to God and get serious about the mission.

Thursday Acts 7:54-60

Stephen is murdered by the mob.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:54-60

Stephen had been accused of blasphemy. They said that he spoke against Moses and the Law. They said that he claimed that the temple would be destroyed. The high priest asked him if the charges were true and he gave them a history of Israel. He highlighted the pattern of disobedience to God throughout time. He also criticized their faith in the temple as a place rather than having faith in God Himself.

He finished with a strong accusation against the Sanhedrin. He said that they were stiff-necked people who were following the pattern of persecuting the prophets sent by God. He said that they had the Law of Moses but did not really follow it. He said that they had not only rejected the Messiah from God, but had murdered Him.

Their response to his accusation was furor and gnashing of teeth. They were high enraged. But Stephen showed no fear. They were ready to kill him but he was unafraid. How could he face this situation without fear? Luke tells us. Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit. God revealed Himself to Stephen.

Faith is the opposite of fear. Stephen could face the circumstances without fear because of his faith in God. The people could abuse him. They could torture him and kill him. But he knew that God was in charge. God strengthened his faith when he needed it most. Stephen was given a glimpse of heaven.

So Stephen announced to the Sanhedrin that he could see Jesus in heaven next to the glory of God. This was the equivalent of throwing gasoline on a fire. From their perspective, Stephen was committing blasphemy right there in front of them. They covered their ears and yelled at the top of their voices to drown out the blasphemy. They rushed him to stop the blasphemy.

The Law of Moses called for the community to stone to death a blasphemer. Witnesses and a trial were required. Here, they were in the midst of a trial and they were all witnesses. They were so enraged at Stephen that they dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death.

Even in the middle of his mob execution, Stephen is still following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. His last words were like the last words of Jesus at his execution. “Receive my spirit, and do not hold this against them.”

What can we learn from this incident? Focusing of Stephen, we see that there will be opposition to God’s plan. If we are following Christ, there will be those who will take offense and attack us. We must keep a heavenly perspective. We could lose our reputations, our jobs, our finances, our families, our health, and even our lives. But if we value the things of God more than the things of the world, then obedience to God is a net gain.

Focusing on the Sanhedrin, we see the danger of valuing tradition and culture over God. Those who get caught up in this problem don’t recognize it. The people of the Sanhedrin thought that they were protecting the honor of God and following His instructions. They so thought that they were right that they killed Stephen for telling them that they were wrong. We are all subject to this danger. We get used to a style and routine of how we follow God. We like the routine, but God is not bound by our routines. He often uses something new and different to reach more people. Our initial reaction can be to stop this new thing. But if God is really using something new and different, then we find ourselves in opposition to God. We have to stay close to God. It is all about transformation. We have to be transformed so that God’s values become our values and His priorities become our priorities. Keep up the spiritual disciplines.

Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with tradition. But when tradition replaces God, it becomes an idol. God had some pretty strong language about following idols.

Wednesday Acts 7:51-53

Stephen accuses the Sanhedrin of faithlessness.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:51-53

Stephen let’s them have it. He has been showing the parallels of many events in the history of Israel to the current events regarding Jesus. Now, he blasts them.

At the incident of the golden calf in Exodus 32, when God told Moses that He was going to destroy the people, He called them “stiff-necked.” Stephen is comparing the Sanhedrin (the religious rulers) to the idol-worshiping people who infuriated God.

Stephen said that they had uncircumcised hearts and ears. He was basically saying that at the heart-level, they were not really the people of God. They did not listen to God anymore than a pagan.

He said that the history of Israel has been to reject those sent by God and that they are continuing in that pattern. They rejected the prophets who spoke of the coming of Christ and they rejected Christ Himself.

They may have received the Law, but they were certainly not living by it.

Go Stephen Go!

He blasts them with both barrels. He pokes them in the eyes. He gives them a spiritual wedgie.

Of course, we have the same problem. I have used the term “functional atheist” before. We refer to people who may have gone to school, but lack basic reading and writing skills as “functionally illiterate.” They are not really illiterate in that they do not have the ability to read or write, but their skills are so bad that they really function in life as if they were illiterate. A functional atheist may have some level of faith in Christ, but there is no evidence of faith in their daily lives. They may not really be an atheist, but they act like one.

Does my life reflect my faith? Do I live like I say I believe? Is my faith in God or in me? Am I any better than the Sanhedrin?

Tuesday Acts 7:44-50

Stephen recounts the history of the temple.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:44-50

Stephen really starts poking the religious leaders in the eye here. He quickly reviews the history of the temple. God gave Moses the instructions for building the tabernacle. It was the portable shelter for the ark of the covenant. It was the place were Moses went in to meet with God. Solomon built the permanent temple with God’s permission.

Stephen is not criticizing the temple or the worship associated with the temple. He is criticizing the attitude adopted by the people. The Jews did not teach that God lived in the temple, but people had seemed to adopt that idea. This is what Stephen is denouncing. God does not live in houses build by people. From His vantage point, the earth is like His footstool.

This idea is nothing new, the people had the same attitude about the ark of the covenant. They believed that it was endowed with power from God. When the war with the Philistines was not going well, they brought the ark out to the front lines and to their embarrassment, it was captured by the Philistines.

The same problem exists today. How many times have you heard a church building referred to as the “house of God?” How many times have you heard parents tell their children not to run in God’s house? We often adopt the attitude that we are going to church to meet God. Two problems there. One – it reduces God to being in a location. Two – we don’t go to church, we are the church.

Our faith is not in religion, it is in God. Our faith is not centered on a building, it is centered on a person – Christ.

Monday Acts 7:37-43

Stephen reminds them of Israel’s rejection of God.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:37-43

The Jews revered Moses. He was the man that God had sent to deliver them from slavery and lead them into the Promised Land. He received the Law from God on Mount Sinai. But even Moses pointed to another that would come later.

Stephen recounts well-know history. The pattern that the Israelites followed was often nothing to be celebrated. They were the people of God, but they had often rejected God throughout their history. While Moses was up on the mountain receiving the Law, the people made idols to worship. This turning to idols occurred often in their history. As you read through the Old Testament, you see again and again the people rejecting faithfulness to God and turning to idols.

Stephen is making a big dig at the Sanhedrin with his talk about idols that were made by men. He specifically mentions the golden calf incident at Mount Sinai. But, he also quotes Amos 1000 years later chastising the people for turning to idols. In every case, people placed their faith in things that they had made rather than God Himself. That was the problem in Stephen’s day. The people trusted the temple rather than God.

God is often patient with His people, but there comes a point when He says, “No more!” He was ready to wipe out the people over the golden calf, but relented. When they refused to enter the promised land, He put them in timeout in the wilderness for forty years so that the faithless generation could did in the desert. In the quote that Stephen uses from Amos, God is explaining that the Babylonian captivity resulted from their faith in idols rather than Him.

We are just as bad. We trust ourselves, our money, our abilities, our intelligence, our church, our plans, our programs, …. – but we don’t trust God. We should not be surprised when God puts us in timeout with respect to His plan – as individuals, as Sunday School classes, as churches, as a nation, …

Sunday Acts 7:17-36

Stephen explains the life of Moses.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:17-36

Stephen continues his history of Israel. This is not new information to the people that he is talking to. They know all of the history of Israel. Stephen is using the familiar stories that they all know by heart to paint the picture of the Christ.

He started with Abraham and then continued with Joseph. Now he moves on to Moses. Stephen highlights certain aspects of Moses’ life to show the parallels with Jesus. Moses is a type for Jesus. They both were sent by God to deliver God’s people from bondage. Moses was sent to rescue the people from physical slavery and lead them into the promised land. Jesus came to deliver people from spiritual bondage and lead them into the Kingdom of God.

Like Jesus, Moses had a supernatural element to his infancy. Pharaoh had decreed that all of the male Hebrew babies would be killed. Moses’ parents hid him for three months then his sister put him in a basket in the Nile river where he was found by Pharaoh’s daughter. She assigned Moses’ mother to nurse Moses until he was old enough to come live at her house. Like Jesus, Moses was rejected when he tried to bring reconciliation. Moses was not fully accepted as God’s representative until his second appearance. This points to the second coming of Jesus.

Stephen is also making the point that God is not concerned with geography. God led Moses in Egypt and even in Midian. God appeared in physical form through the burning bush in Midian.

God has a plan. The center of His plan is reconciliation through Jesus. Stephen is making the case for Christ. We need to see our lives in light of God’s plan. We are here as followers of Christ to point others to Christ.

Saturday Acts 7:9-16

Stephen explains the life of Joseph.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:9-16

Stephen is on trial before the Sanhedrin. He has been accused of blasphemy. People said that he spoke against Moses and the Law. He also is accused of speaking about destroying the temple.

The high priest asked Stephen if the charges were true. Rather than a simple yes or no answer, Stephen gives the longest speech in the book of Acts. Stephen basically says, “You want to know what I think about Moses, the Law, and the temple? Let me ‘splain it to you.”

He began with the promises that God made to Abraham. The Jews had adopted the mindset that the central aspect of the promises of God was the promised land. Stephen is stressing that the biggest part of the promise to Abraham was, “I will be their God and they will be my people.” Abraham did not receive the land, but he followed God.

Stephen now continues his history with the account of Joseph. Abraham had a son named Isaac who had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Even though Jacob was the younger twin, he was chosen by God to carry the promise from God. God gave Jacob the new name of Israel and he had 12 sons who are the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel. Stephen refers to the 12 sons as the patriarchs. Joseph was the eleventh son, but he was the favorite son. Jacob was not even the least subtle about his favoritism. He made Joseph the famous “Technicolor dreamcoat” which filled the brothers with jealousy.

In Bible study, we often see what are called “types.” A type stand on its own, but also represents something else. Joseph is a type for Jesus. He was rejected by his own but turns out to be a savior. Stephen picks up on this line of thinking and points out the common points between Joseph and Jesus. The brothers were jealous of Joseph. They rejected and betrayed him. But God was with Joseph. After God elevated Joseph to power and the brothers traveled to Egypt, they did not recognize Joseph. They did not recognize him until the second visit. Similarly, the majority of the Jews did not recognize Jesus the first time around, but at His second coming, they will all recognize and acknowledge who He is.

God was with Joseph even in Egypt. He is not limited by geography. He does not live in the temple. Even their father Jacob was buried in Shechem, which was then Samaria.

Stephen is using the stories that the Jewish leaders knew to explain Christ. The Law of Moses and the temple point to Christ. This line of explanation would make no sense to anyone who did not know and appreciate the history of Israel. As we explain Christ to people, we should find out where they are and what they understand and value and use that as a beginning point to explain Christ. The goal is to explain separation from God because of sin and the reconciliation that is available through Christ.

Friday Acts 7:1-8

Stephen talks about Abraham.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:1-8

Stephen has been accused of blasphemy against the Law of Moses and against the temple. The high priest asked him if it was true. Stephen responds with the longest speech in the book of Acts. At first glance if appears that Stephen does not really answer the question. Actually, he does answer the question. But, it is not just a yes/no question. In some respects, he is guilty of their accusations. He has been telling people that they should not trust in the Law of Moses. He has been telling people not to trust in the temple. He has been trying to change their traditions. However, he is not guilty of blasphemy. He is calling people back to God.

So, he uses the history of God’s people to answer the question. Stephen’s response has two themes to it.
1. God is not tied down to a location. He does not live in the temple. He has been the God of His people wherever they were. His people were actually the closest to Him when they were pilgrims without a land.
2. The people of Israel have a history of rejecting the people that God has appointed as their leaders. This pattern has been repeated in the rejection of Christ.

He begins with a review of Abraham who was revered by the people of Israel. He was their father. Abraham was called by God to be the father of God’s people. But, God first spoke to Abraham when he was still in the pagan land of Ur. Abraham never possessed any of the promised land, yet God was still with him. The promise of the land to Abraham was so that his descendants would have a place to worship Him.

Stephen is making the case that the central point of the promise to Abraham was not land to possess, but the freedom to worship and serve God. The Jews may have been occupying the land, but they were not truly worshiping God. They had the temple, but they were not following God.

The Jews of that time had replaced faith with traditions. They had replaced God with the temple. We can be guilty of the same problems. We can replace faith with traditions. We can replace God with the church. We substitute church service for serving God. We substitute church activity with following Christ. We do not go to church – we are the church. When we gather together on Sunday we are the church gathered. When we are following Christ the rest of the week, we are still the church.

Thursday Acts 6:8-15

Stephen is accused of blasphemy.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 6:8-15

In choosing the men to deal with the division within the church, the apostles told the people to choose men who were full of the Spirit and wisdom. The first man listed is Stephen. He is described as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. His assignment, along with the other six, was to fix the division within the church. It was much more than just waiting on tables. It was a spiritual issue. They needed spiritual men, who could see the spiritual dimension at work, in addition to meeting the physical need of the Greek widows.

Now, we see Stephen out in the community as a witness for Christ. He was performing signs and wonders. We don’t know exactly what he was doing, but he attracted a lot of attention. Stephen is a Greek name. He seems to be one of the Hellenistic Christians. Remember, all of the Christians at this time were also Jews. So, Stephen, as a Hellenistic Jewish believer was chosen to make sure that the Hellenistic Jewish Christians widows were taken care of. It seems that Stephen was reaching out to the other Hellenistic Jews in Jerusalem. He encountered men from the Freedmen’s Synagogue.

From the name, it seems that the Freedmen’s Synagogue was founded as a place of worship for former slaves. We don’t know how long it had been there, so at the time of these events, it may have become the place for descendants of former slaves. We also know from the text that the men who opposed Stephen were from Northern Africa and Asia. While Stephen seems to have something in common with these men as Hellenistic Jews, they still rose up in opposition to him. Some people believe that the Hellenistic Jews were more nationalistic than the locals since they were motivated to relocate to the holy city of Jerusalem.

The tried to argue with Stephen, but could not match his wisdom. He also had the advantage of truth and the Holy Spirit. They stirred up people at falsely accuse him of blasphemy against the Law of Moses and plotting to destroy the temple.

He was arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin. The liars stirred up massive opposition to Stephen. This is the third trial in Acts before the Sanhedrin. The first resulted in a warning. In the first trial, the Sadducees were the main opposition. They could not do anything because the people supported the apostles. In the second trial, the Pharisee Gamaliel advised the council not to act too harshly. It ended with a flogging. Now in the third trial, there is no group to provide restraint. The people are stirred up. The scribes (Pharisees) are stirred up. And the elders (Sadducees) are stirred up. This third trial ends with the death of Stephen.

Luke describes Stephen as having the face of an angel as he is falsely accused by a bunch of liars. Luke doesn’t tell us what he means by “the face of an angel.” I think he means that Stephen was calm, confident, and unafraid. How can he be unafraid in this setting? Everybody wants his blood. There is no restraint. How could he remain calm? The answer is in Luke’s description of Stephen. He was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He knew that he was operating in God’s will. He was doing what God had called him to do. He trusted God more than the circumstances. His mission was to be a witness. He might not survive this witnessing event, but he could be obedient until they killed him.

I see two lessons to focus on here. First is the faith of Stephen. How did he have so much faith? He had seen God at work all along. He had performed signs and wonders. So, what about us? We don’t see so many signs and wonders. Maybe not, but we do see God at work. When we engage in serving God, we see His hand at work. This strengthens our faith and enables us to serve Him all the more. This leads to more opportunities to see Him work which increases our faith. When we are afraid to trust God, it is often because we have not seen Him do much. The solution is to dive in. Serve God and watch Him work.

The second lesson is the opposition to Stephen. The people who attacked him were unbelievers. They were witnesses to a movement of God and it scared them. So, their response was to attack Stephen. They could not rely on facts or truth, so they stirred up the fears of other people. Unfortunately this happens all too often in our churches today. I am amazed at how many people I have encountered very recently who have been like Stephen. They were part of a movement of people toward God in churches. Then some people in the church got scarred by the movement and resorted to personal attacks. Rather than dealing with the facts and looking to God for guidance, they stirred up a group to participate in the attacks. In just about every case, the movement was quashed. In every case, dedicated servants of God were devastated. In most cases, the churches continued in their death spiral. The really sad part is that the attackers were not from outside the church, they were supposedly believers in Christ.

So, what do we do? There are things that crop up in church all the time that need to be dealt with. We have to have discernment. Every exciting thing is not a movement of God. Every new idea is not necessarily a good thing. Many new things are just flat wrong. We must develop biblical worldviews. We must be close to God. When confronted with an issue, we must seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We have to know God’s will. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” “Discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness.”

Wednesday Acts 6:1-7

The church deals with an internal problem.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 6:1-7

The church continued to grow. As with any organization, the bigger it gets, the more problems arise. One aspect of the early church was its mutual care for one another. They particularly looked out for the widows who had nobody else to look after them.

All of the early Christians were Jews who came to faith in Christ. However, there were two communities of Jews. The Hebraic Jews were the natives of Judea. They were born and raised in that area. They spoke Aramaic as their native language and probably spoke Hebrew as well. They worshiped in Hebrew synagogues. The Hellenistic Jews were immigrants to Jerusalem. They were Jews, but they had lived in the Greek culture. Their native language was Greek and they worshiped in Greek synagogues. Many scholars believe that it was common for older Jews to move back to Jerusalem to die and be buried there. This may have resulted in a large group of Hellenistic widows who had no family in the area, so they needed care from the church.

A disagreement erupts in the church. The Hellenists complain that their widows are getting short-changed in the food distribution. They also seem to be accusing the Hebraic Christians of purposely mistreating the Hellenistic widows. The text just says that they complained. It does not say that they complained to the apostles. However it occurred, the apostles got wind of the problem. They gathered all of the disciples together. Notice that they did not get involved in fixing the disagreement. They did not discipline the Hebraic Christians for picking on the Hellenistic widows. They did not tell the Hellenists to quit whining. They recognized that there was a problem, but they were not going to solve it. But they did recognize the seriousness of the problem. Nothing will derail a church from its mission like fighting within the church.

They suggested to the church that they choose seven spiritually mature men to fix the problem. The suggestion was well received and they choose seven men. All seven of the names seem to be Greek names. That would make sense; those who care most about a problem are the likely candidates to be part of the fix. The church presented the men to the apostles who prayed over them and empowered them to fix the problem.

We usually look at this passage as the origin of the deacon ministry. That is probably not completely accurate. The office of deacon did not seem to come into place until a little while later. But it is not a bad passage to look to for our deacon ministry. The role of the deacons is to fix problems that could result in a distraction from the mission of the church.

The result in this situation was that the church continued to grow. It grew rapidly. Even many priests became believers.

Many dying churches have adopted the model that the role of the deacons is to make sure that the pastor is properly ministering to the widows. This model reduces the number of people doing ministry to one. It also causes the pastor to neglect the ministry of the Word and prayer. It is a recipe for church death. A better model is to maximize the number of people doing ministry – to maximize the ministry of the Word and prayer. The result is Kingdom growth.

Tuesday Acts 5:33-42

The apostles were beaten and ordered to stop preaching.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:33-42

Verse 33 shows the real risk that the apostles were taking. By speaking the truth about the gospel, they incited the Sanhedrin to order their deaths. Just as they were able to orchestrate the death of Jesus, they could have condemned the apostles. They could have pressured the Roman government to execute them as they did with Jesus, or they could have agitated an angry mob to take matters into their own hands.

A Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel brought things back to order. Gamaliel was the most honored teacher of the law in that stage of history. He was the leader of the “school of Hillel.” Gamaliel was the teacher of Paul (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel warned against acting too rashly. He said that similar movements had arisen in the past and then died out.

So, instead of killing the apostles, the Sanhedrin had them flogged. They would have been beaten with a whip with three leather straps. The Law prevented whipping anyone more than 40 lashes, so 39 lashes were used in case of a miscount. They would have been stripped to the waist and tied to two pillars. They would have received 13 lashes to the front and 26 lashes to the back. This was not just a “roughing up.” Sometimes people died from the whipping.

The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to refrain from preaching about Jesus and send them away. The punishment did not stop them. They continued to preach about Jesus. They even continued to preach in the temple courts.

Two points to consider. First, they rejoiced that they could suffer for the gospel. It is hard for us to fathom that level of commitment. We don’t even like to be inconvenienced for the gospel.

Second, Gamaliel made an interesting remark. He warned that if they were not careful, they could end up fighting against God. It is ironic that the Pharisees who opposed Jesus thought that they were protecting the tradition given by God. But in reality, they were fighting against God. The same warning should strike us in the church. We do not just allow anything to go on because many things are clearly contrary to God’s word. Yet throughout church history, people in the church have opposed movements of God. We have to learn to follow God and know the difference between God and tradition. Most movements of God challenge man’s tradition.

Monday Acts 5:21-32

Opposition intensifies.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:21-32

The high priests had arrested the apostles and put them in jail. During the night, an angel released them from jail with instructions to go preach in the temple area again. In the morning, when the guards went to bring the apostles to the Sanhedrin, they were missing. Then they were found preaching in the temple area.

Notice the motives of the people in this passage. The guards who go and get the apostles are afraid for their physical safety. They feared that if they used force with the apostles, that the people in the temple area would rise up and attack the guards.

The priests were upset because the apostles were blaming them for the death of Jesus. They were jealous of the attention that the apostles were getting.

Many people are only interested in healing. Others are interested in the gospel. The apostles are motivated to obey God at any cost.

When they are brought before the Sanhedrin, they tell the leaders that they must obey God rather than men. Their mission from Jesus was to be witnesses. They tell the leaders that they are just being witnesses to what they have seen God do.

The apostles are in an interesting situation. They have been arrested now at least three times. At any point, the religious leaders may have them killed. They have been delivered by God in miraculous ways. Yet even Jesus was killed by the religious leaders.

There is a cost to following God. It may be giving up the things that we would like to do to satisfy our own desires. It may mean receiving criticism or negative comments. It may even mean death. But the cost is worth the result. The result is being part of God’s plan.

Sunday Acts 5:17-21

Opposition to the gospel arises.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:17-21

The high priests were jealous of the attention that the apostles were receiving. They had the apostles arrested and put in jail. Their intention was to bring them before the Sanhedrin, the ruling council, for trial. Obviously, they needed to nip this thing in the bud before it got out of hand.

An angel from the Lord released the apostles from the jail and told them to go preach in the temple courts. Notice that God did not fix the bad circumstances of their lives. He enabled them to carry out the mission which He had given them. Jesus told them that they would be witnesses of Him. They were arrested for being witnesses of Him. Now, an angel releases them from jail with the instruction to go back and be witnesses some more.

Whenever there is a movement of God, we can expect opposition. Satan does not want us to follow God. He will do whatever he can to cause us to not do what God wants us to do. We call this opposition spiritual warfare. Satan is warring against God and those who follow God. Satan’s objective is not to make us miserable. His objective is to make us disobedient. His desire is to make us take our eyes off of the mission of God and worry more about the circumstances of life.

The Holy Spirit will help us to stay with the mission. He will empower us to remain faithful to the call. His desire is not to keep us from problems, but to keep us on track. When we obey God and follow Him despite the circumstances, He will empower us to obey.

Saturday Acts 5:12-16

The church continues to grow.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:12-16

The apostles performed many miracles. A lame man had been healed very publicly and Ananias and Saphira had been struck dead by the Holy Spirit. News about these events spread. There were mixed feelings about all of this.

When the believers met regularly at the temple, people were fearful of being too close. Yet others heard about the miraculous healings and brought their sick to be healed. Many people became believers in Jesus.

Peter had become something of a celebrity. He was obviously the leader of the apostles. He was the spokesman when he and John had stood up to the Jewish leaders. He was the one who pronounced Judgment on Ananias and Saphira. People believed that if his shadow would touch them as he walked by then they would be healed.

Many people miss the message of the gospel. They only want healing. Others heal and accept the gospel and are saved.

We always need to be reminded of the big picture. We can get so busy with the work of the church that we too miss the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is not about church programs; it is about knowing and serving God.

Friday Acts 5:1-11

God strikes two dead for lying.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:1-11

We just saw the example of Barnabas selling a piece of property and giving the money to the church. Barnabas was a godly man. Now we see another example of people selling land. But in this case, there is a very different outcome.

Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land and donated some of the money to the church. They were not required to sell the land. Peter makes it clear that the land was theirs. He also makes it clear that the money from the sale was theirs. The problem was that they pretended to donate all of the money from the sale to the church. Their concern was appearances. They wanted to appear to be more generous than they really were. We can fool other people (not as much as we think), but we cannot fool God. The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter that they were lying.

Peter challenged Ananias about the deception. We don’t know what would have happened if Ananias had confessed to the lie and repented. I suspect that there would have been some kind of consequences but there would also have been reconciliation. Ananias continued the lie. Peter pronounced judgment and the Holy Spirit struck Ananias dead.

Later, Sapphira arrived. Peter confronted here about the deception. She maintained the lie and the Holy Spirit killed her too.

Is this too severe? Absolutely not. The judgment was from God and enacted by God. He is perfect so this response is perfect. The problem is not that God is too severe. The problem is that we too often have a soft view of sin. After all, all that Ananias and Saffhira did was to desire honor for themselves rather than honor for God. Woops, I guess maybe that is pretty serious.

But are we any better? Do we pretend to be more holy than we really are? How was your quiet time today? Oh, it was great (both minutes)… (last week). I’m just as bad as anybody.

Thursday Acts 4:32-37

The early church was a unique community.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:32-37

Here we get a picture of what the early church was like. There was mutual concern and care for each other. The basis for this community was that they were of one heart and one mind. They were all completely devoted to Christ and the mission of the church. Nobody considered their property as their own. They understood that God was the owner of all. They took care of each other.

Notice that Luke does not say that everybody liquidated all of their assets and gave everything to the church. He says that they took care of needs as they arose. People who had the means provided money for the common good. The selfless generosity was not limited to wealthy people. Everybody contributed. But he specifically notes that those who had property even donated the proceeds from the sale of their properties to the church.

An example of someone selling property was Barnabas. Luke introduces Barnabas here. We will see much more of Barnabas in the coming chapters. Here we get a picture of the character of Barnabas. He must have been an encourager since the apostles gave him the name “son of encouragement.” We also see his selfless generosity.

We can still take care of each other. Every now and then a person will give me an envelope full of cash and ask me to give it to someone that they know is in need. They give cash and use me as an intermediary because they know that this way the money can not be traced back to the source. It is nice to see the surprise and gratitude of the recipient. But a bigger joy for me is to see the selfless love and generosity from a brother or sister in Christ.

Wednesday Acts 4:23-31

Peter and John return for prayer with the other believers.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:23-31

This is one of my favorite passages. Peter and John returned to the gathered Christians after their release. They reported everything that had happened. Luke specifically tells us that they reported all that the chief priests and elder had said. So what did they say? They said to quit preaching about Jesus. They made threats. The threat is to quit talking about Jesus or end up like Jesus.

The response of the people was to pray. They praised God and proclaimed His power and control. They acknowledged that everything that had happened was according to God’s plan.

Don’t miss verses 29 and 30. They made note of the threats that the chief priests had made. Then they prayed that God would enable them to speak boldly perform miracles and healings. Wait a minute! It was preaching and healing that got them into trouble. Now, they are praying that they can continue to do that which got them arrested and threatened with more.

Imagine if we were in that situation. We would be praying for God to protect us from the mean priests. We would pray for the chief priests to have a change of heart. We would pray for all future healings to occur well away from the chief priests. Their prayer was for boldness in the face of the threats.
Notice the result. They place where they were praying was shaken. Why don’t we see prayer meetings like that? Because we don’t pray like that. They valued the spread of the gospel more than their own lives.

Tuesday Acts 4:13-22

The religious leaders order Peter and John to stop preaching about Jesus.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:13-22

The boldness of Peter and John amazed the high priests. They noticed two things. Peter and John were unschooled fishermen and they had been with Jesus.

The high priests were in a quandary. They wanted to put a stop Peter and John preaching about Jesus, but they had a healed lame man standing before them. They sent Peter and John out of the room so they could confer with each other. Not only did they have a healed lame man, but everybody in Jerusalem knew about it.

They ordered Peter and John not to preach about Jesus any more. Peter told them that they had to obey God rather than men. The religious leaders made some more threats. It doesn’t say what kind of threats, but I wonder if they reminded Peter and John what happened to Jesus a few weeks earlier.

Monday Acts 4:5-12

Peter and John appear before the leaders.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:5-12

The temple police held Peter and John in jail overnight. The next morning they brought Peter and John to the religious leaders. Notice the names of those assembled. Annas and Caiaphas were there. Remember the night of Jesus’ arrest. Review John 18. When Jesus was arrested, they took Him to the house of Annas. Peter and John followed Jesus. John went into the courtyard and watched Annas interrogate Jesus. Peter stayed outside and denied knowing Jesus. Annas sent Jesus on to be interrogated by Caiaphas.

Now Peter and John are standing before Annas and Caiaphas. These two high priests had just orchestrated the execution of Jesus two months earlier. Peter, who was afraid to admit to a slave girl that he knew Jesus, is now boldly proclaiming the gospel to the high priest.

Peter is beyond bold. He makes it clear that they are responsible for the death of Jesus. He quotes from Psalm 118 and applies it to them as having rejected the Messiah. Then just in case they missed it, he says that there is salvation in no one other than Jesus.

Why such a difference in Peter? The answer is in verse 8; he was filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who will also guide us in what to say when we speak up for Christ.

Sunday Acts 4:1-4

The religious leaders investigate.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 4:1-4

There was quite the commotion over the healing of the lame man. The people were amazed. Peter presented the gospel. The head priests came to investigate. They brought the temple police with them.

There were two main groups of religious scholars amongst the Jews – the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Sadducees controlled the temple. The Sadducees disagreed with the Pharisees over the resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees believed that there would be a resurrection while the Sadducees did not. So Peter and John were double offenders in the eyes of the Sadducees. They were preaching about Jesus and talking about resurrection.

So to stop the preaching, they arrested Peter and John and held them in jail until the matter could be resolved the following day.

But many people believed what Peter was saying. They came to faith in Christ and became counted among the Christians.

Whenever God acts, some people will be opposed to what He is doing. The real opposition is Satan, but he prompts people to rise up in opposition. He can even use Christians by pushing our buttons to cause us to fight among ourselves over secondary issues.

Saturday Acts 3:11-26

Peter explains the healing of the lame man.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 3:11-26

God healed the lame man at the gate of the temple. He followed Peter and John into the temple area, jumping and praising God. Many people saw what happened and were amazed. A crowd gathered around them.

Peter addressed the crowd. He quickly pointed the attention away from themselves and toward God. They did not heal the man – God did. Then he quickly pointed to Christ. The same God that healed the lame man has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ. Then Peter pointed out their sinfulness before God.

He told them how to respond. They must repent. They must turn from their sin and turn toward God. The only solution is forgiveness in Christ. He promised that Jesus would return some day in God’s timing.

Peter explained the gospel in terms that they understood. He talked of Jesus being the fulfillment of God’s promises through the prophets. He explained their sinfulness in terms of rejection of the Messiah.

We too can explain the gospel in terms that people understand. They understand guilt and forgiveness. They understand reconciliation. These are the terms of the gospel.

The opportunity arose because God had acted in the life of the lame man. As God acts in our lives we should use the opportunity to explain His actions with the gospel.

Friday Acts 3:1-10

Peter and John heal a lame man at the temple.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 3:1-10

All of the original Christians were still Jews. They faithfully followed the Jewish customs and traditions. Peter and John went to the temple for the 3 PM prayer time. On their way in to the temple area, they encountered a lame man.

The lame man was carried to the temple every day so that he could beg at the temple gate. Almsgiving was practiced by faithful Jews. It was a virtue to give to the needy. Faithful Jews go to the temple, so a temple gate was an excellent place to beg. The irony here was that the lame man was not allowed inside the temple. Leviticus 21:16-20 says that people with deformities were not allowed into the temple.

The lame man asked Peter and John for money. They stopped and told him to look at them. They wanted his full attention. The lame man gave them his full attention, but he expected to get some money. Peter told him that they didn’t have any money but he would give the man what he did have. He told the man to get up and walk.

Was the man healed by his own faith in Christ or by Peter’s faith in Christ? Later, in verse 16, Peter says that it was by faith in Christ that the man was healed. He didn’t say whose faith. We can’t say for sure. Luke does not record Peter explaining the gospel or anything about Jesus to the lame man, so unless there was more conversation that Luke did not record for us, it is hard to see how the man responded in faith.

The simplest reading of the account is that the man was healed based on Peter’s faith. The healing then brought about the lame man’s faith.

The man had been lame since birth. We see a little later that the man was forty years old. Imagine the joy that he experienced when he was healed. He was walking and jumping and praising God. It is easy to pass over this one detail – he followed Peter and John into the temple. For years he had sat outside the temple area begging. He could never enter. Now, for the first time in his life, at forty years old, he could go inside. He had not only experienced physical healing, he experienced spiritual healing.

The people in the temple saw the lame man. He had been sitting at the gate for years; they recognized him. Now he was healed. He was probably hard to miss. He was jumping around praising God for his healing. The people were amazed.

We don’t see stuff like this. It is easy to forget that we are every bit the representatives of God that Peter and John were. We can have an impact on people for the gospel too. We may not see many healings, but like Peter and John, we can give what we have. So what do we have? We have the love of Christ and the gospel of salvation.

Thursday Acts 2:41-47

The early church experienced unity in Christ.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 2:41-47

Peter explained to the crowd the truth of the gospel. They asked what they should do. Peter told them to repent and be baptized. Luke records that 3000 people were baptized.

Luke then gives us a picture of what life in the church looked like. The people devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles. They met daily in the temple courts. That is likely where the teaching took place. They met together regularly in people’s homes. They met together regularly and celebrated the Lord’s Supper. They freely shared their possessions with each other.

As I look at this picture of church, it seems to me that the driving principle was the unity in Christ. Each person gave up the pursuit of their individual desires and made God the primary desire of their lives. The unity of the church can only be based on a common desire to follow Christ.

We all want unity, but too often the unity we pursue is for everyone to agree on a style or a specific point of view. If each person sought to wholeheartedly follow Christ, then unity becomes much easier.

Unity in Christ goes back to Romans 12:2. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We have to learn to think differently. We have to learn to think like Christ. That can only happen if we are engaged in spiritual disciplines.

Wednesday Acts 2:37-40

The crowd responds to Peter.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 2:37-40

The crowd had just experienced a miracle. Peter explained it in light of who Jesus was. The miracle that they had just witnessed along with the miracle of the resurrection that they had heard about a few weeks earlier along with the miracles that Jesus had performed all point to the identity of Jesus. He is the Savior – the Messiah – the Christ – the Son of God.

Luke tells us that they were “pierced to their hearts.” This passage began with the people asking in Acts 2:12, “What does this mean?” It ends with their asking, “What should we do?”

Peter answers their question. They must repent and be baptized. What does it mean to repent? It means to make a complete turnaround. In this sense, it means to turn from sin and turn toward God. Repentance from sin was not a new idea. That was the message of John the Baptist. He told people to repent and be baptized.

Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Is baptism necessary for forgiveness? The construction of this sentence is a little clunky. It is clear from all of the New Testament that salvation is by grace through faith. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Salvation does not come from baptism.

You must repent of your sins for forgiveness. Then you must be baptized as a sign showing that you have repented. If you repent, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism is not required for salvation, but is required as an act of obedience. It is a sign showing that you are a follower of Christ. Baptism is done after coming to faith. I often get questions about baptism.

What if I was baptized as a baby? That was not done after coming to faith. You should be baptized as a believer.

What if I was baptized by sprinkling? The word “baptize” means to immerse or dunk. Every example of baptism in the New Testament is by immersion. Sprinkling for baptism was adopted when they started baptizing babies a few hundred years after Christ. So, even if you were sprinkled as a believer, you still were not really baptized.

If I get baptized now, won’t people be critical of me? No way! When people say they want to be scripturally baptized, the people of the church are excited. It shows that somebody is getting serious about following Christ.

Do I get the gift of the Holy Spirit at salvation, baptism, or at a later time. When you come to faith in Christ and repent of your sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit is given. The 3000 who responded to Peter on the day of Pentecost all received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet there were no more strange languages spoken.

Tuesday Acts 2:29-36

Peter tells the crowd the savior.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 2:29-36

Peter continues to explain the meaning of this movement of God that the people around the temple had witnessed. It all is meant to testify to who Jesus is. The Holy Spirit has just come upon the followers of Jesus who was known to have been a miracle-worker and now had allegedly been raised from the dead.

The Holy Spirit authenticated the testimony of Peter and the other apostles. Peter explained the fuller meaning of these events. He quoted David from Psalm 16:8-11. As Peter pointed out, David is still in his grave, so he must be looking ahead to the Messiah. Jesus is that Messiah. He is a descendant of David and has inherited the throne of King David.

Peter quotes from Psalm 110:1. He focuses on the phrase, “The Lord said to my Lord.” Who was David talking about? Notice in your Bible that the first “Lord” is in small capital letters. If you read the notes at the front of your Bible, you will find that they use LORD in all capital letters to translate the Hebrew YHWH (Yaweh), the covenant name of God. The second “Lord” is the Hebrew word “adonai” which generically means “lord.” So the phrase literally means, “God said to my lord.” So, who is the lord over David the King. There was no one but God over David. Peter provides the explanation. David was looking ahead to the Messiah.

The word “Messiah” is a transliteration of the Hebrew word “mashiach.” It means “anointed one.” The word “Christ” is a transliteration of the Greek word “christos” which also means “anointed one.” So some English Bibles use Christ in Acts 2:36 while others use Messiah.

So Peter wraps up his message with the bottom line. All of the events witnessed by the people at the temple are to verify that Jesus is the Savior. He is the Christ. He is the Messiah. He is the Lord.

Monday Acts 2:22-28

Peter tells the crowd about the resurrection.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 2:22-28

The Holy Spirit came upon the Christians on the day of Pentecost. They were miraculously empowered to speak in other languages to show the validity of the event. The Jews in the temple area were amazed at what had happened, so Peter stood up and explained what was going on.

Peter reminded the people about what Jesus had done. He had performed miracles. Most of the people there would have known about Jesus the miracle-worker who had been executed by the Roman governor just seven weeks earlier. There never seemed to be a doubt among the people about whether or not Jesus performed miracles. They just couldn’t agree on the authority by which He performed the miracles. Peter told them that everything happened according to the plan of God.

God raised Jesus from the dead. Remember that Peter is preaching in Jerusalem. This is the place where Jesus was executed. This is were Jesus was buried. This is were Jesus rose from the dead. If Jesus really did not rise from the dead, then this would have been the appropriate time for the opponents to bring out the body of Jesus and stop it all.

Peter quoted David in Psalm 16. He said that David was prophesying about Jesus and the resurrection. Peter is not providing proof of the resurrection. He is explaining the meaning of the resurrection. The proof of the resurrection was the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus to witnesses.

We cannot prove that God exists. We cannot prove that Jesus rose from the dead. But we can explain it. When God provides the proof, He then allows us to provide the explanation.

Sunday Acts 2:14-21

Peter addresses the crowd at the temple.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 2:14-21

The people in the temple area were astounded that the followers of Christ were proclaiming the wonders of God in all of their native languages. Some scoffed and accused the Christians of drunkenness. It is an odd accusation since no matter how liquored-up you get, you don’t speak unknown foreign languages. But Peter addresses the concern. He pointed out that it was only 9 AM. The Jews did not break their fast on festival days until 10 AM.

An interesting change has occurred in Peter over the last seven weeks. He was afraid to admit that he knew Jesus on the night of His betrayal. But, here he is boldly speaking in front of a large and potentially hostile crowd. How did he undergo such a change? There are two huge events that have taken place in Peter’s life in the last 50 days. First is the resurrection of Jesus. Second is the coming of the Holy Spirit. Peter was a faithful follower of Christ before, but now he has been radically transformed. He knows the truth of the gospel and how it relates to life and death. He has been empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Peter explains that what has happened was prophesied by Joel hundreds of years earlier. In Joel 2:28-32, the prophet predicts an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the people of God. He also predicts miraculous astronomical events occurring. Part of this prophecy obviously has been fulfilled with the coming of the Holy Spirit.

But what about the parts that were not fulfilled? The sun was not darkened. The moon did not turn red. Peter began his speech with the phrase, “In the last days, God says…” Many people (including me) understand the “last days” to have begun at the first coming of Jesus. They will end at the second coming of Jesus. Some of Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled at the beginning of the last days and others will be fulfilled at the end of the last days.

Even Peter did not have a grasp of what he was saying. All of the believers thought that Jesus would come back very soon. They had no concept of the last days going on so long. Also, he did not fully understand Acts 2:17. He said that God would pour out His spirit on all people. Yet he did not understand that God meant that it also included the Gentiles until the events of Acts 10.

God’s plan is still in progress. We are in the last days and Joel’s prophecy is still in play. However, the last days will end and there will be judgment. It is up to us to boldly proclaim the gospel with the same empowerment as Peter in the meantime.

Saturday Acts 2:1-13

The Holy Spirit comes.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 2:1-13

Pentecost was celebrated 50 days after Passover. It was also know as the day of first fruits. It began the Feast of Weeks also known as the Feast of Harvest. Pentecost was one of the three festivals that faithful Jews traveled to Jerusalem for. The first was Passover. Since Pentecost was only 50 days later, people who lived far away often stayed in the Jerusalem area for the whole time. So, Jerusalem was a busy place on Pentecost.

Luke says in Acts 2:1 that they were all together in one place. He doesn’t say who they were. Some believe it is the 120 mentioned in Acts 1:15. Others think it only applies to the twelve since they were mentioned last in Acts 1:26. You can make a great case either way. An argument for more than just the apostles is that there were 15 language groups mentioned in verses 8-11. In support of the idea of just the apostles is the question in verse 7 about the men being from Galilee. Also, in verse 15 Peter seems just to be talking about the apostles.

The other question is where they were. We usually picture the event in the upper room. But the scene suddenly shifts to the temple area in Acts 2:5. The word “house” is used in verse 2, but it is also used to describe the temple in Acts 7:47. Whatever happened seems to catch the attention quickly of the people at the temple area. So, they may have been gathered at the temple.

So what happened? There was a sound like a blowing wind. It was not a blowing wind but a sound. There was what seemed to be tongues of fire. It looked like fire. The fire split apart and came to each person and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they began to speak in other languages declaring the wonders of God.

In order to get the full picture we need to think about what Pentecost meant to the faithful Jews. The focus of Pentecost was commemorating the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. It was there that God spoke to His people and told them how to relate to Him. Remember the scene in Exodus 19. God told Moses that He would speak so that the people could hear and they would know that He was speaking to Moses. There was a loud trumpet. The mountain was covered with fire and smoke. There was thunder. The Jewish rabbinic legend (midrash) was that as God spoke the Law, it divided into the 70 languages of the world and went out. They believed that they actually saw the words of God in a fiery form come to each Israelite. It was under this understanding of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit came.

What was the purpose of the fire and smoke and sound at Mount Sinai? It was to give credibility to Moses. If Moses just showed up one day and told everybody what God had told him he would have been ignored. The events where to endorse Moses as the spokesman for God. The same holds true for the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The incredible events following the same form of Mount Sinai were to endorse the apostles as representatives of God and to legitimize the gospel.

There is a lot of finger-pointing and emotion when it comes to the subject of tongues. There are four instances in Acts like this: 2:1-4, 8:17, 10:46, and 19:6. Each one of them is a new phase in the spread of the gospel. In chapter 2, the apostles begin the work of the church. In chapter 8, the gospel spreads to Samaria. In chapter 10, the gospel spreads to Gentiles. In chapter 19, followers of John the Baptist hear the whole gospel. The first three instances involved Peter and the last one involved Paul. All of these instances were to authenticate the spread of the gospel to a new group.

Tongues in Acts is the speaking of real languages previously unknown to the speaker. It is clear in chapter 2 that real information in real languages is being transmitted to real people. The purpose was not so much to explain the gospel. That could have been done in the local language. Everybody in Jerusalem probably spoke Aramaic and Greek. The gospel could have been given in that language. In fact, that is what Peter does beginning in verse 14. The tongues were to show that God was behind the message.

These were unique events. But the principle that the Holy Spirit enables us to do what we have been called to do is a timeless principle. We have been called to grow as disciples and to make disciples. The Holy Spirit will empower us to do it.

Friday Acts 1:15-26

Matthias is chosen to replace Judas.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 1:15-26

“In those days” means the ten days between Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost. The eleven apostles devoted themselves to prayer. At one point Peter addressed the crowd about the issue of only having eleven apostles. Luke tells us that there were about 120 people there.

Peter reviewed what had happened. Judas was one of the twelve then betrayed Jesus. There seems to be a discrepancy between Matthew’s account of what happened concerning Judas and Luke’s account in Acts. Matthew (27:3-10) says that Judas was overcome with remorse after betraying Jesus and returned the money to the Priests. They said that they could not keep the money so they bought a field to be used to bury foreigners and it became known as the field of blood. Judas hanged himself.

Luke quotes Peter as saying that Judas bought the field. The priests said that they could not accept the money since it was blood money so they bought the field in the name of the donor of the money (Judas). So, in essence, Judas bought the field through the priests. It was called the field of blood because it was purchased with blood money.

Another problem is that Matthew said that Judas hanged himself while Luke says that Judas fell headlong and his body burst open. There are several possible explanations. In hanging himself, the branch of the tree might have broken and his body fell and broke open. Some people believe that after the body hung on the tree for a while, either the rope broke and the body fell or as people cut him down, the decomposed body fell and broke open. Some theorize that the body was removed immediately since it was the Sabbath and was thrown over the city wall into the Hinnom valley where it broke open. The point is that there are a variety of scenarios which reconcile the two accounts of the death of Judas.

Peter viewed Psalm 69:25 and 109:8 as applicable to their situation. David wrote these Psalms about his trusted associates which later betrayed him. Psalm 109:8 speaks of replacing the betrayer. Also, Jesus seemed to think that the proper number of apostles was twelve. That was an important number. There were twelve tribes of Israel. It made sense to replace Judas. Peter said that the replacement should have similar experience to the other apostles. He should have been a follower of Jesus from the time of Jesus’ baptism. He should be a witness to the resurrection. The group came up with two names, Justus and Matthias. I suspect that these were the only two that met the criteria that Peter gave. Both were qualified so how should they pick the right one?

Jesus chose the original twelve so it makes sense to let God select the replacement. They cast lots. The method was likely writing the names on two stones and putting the stones in a jar. The jar would have been shaken and either one shaken out or drawn out. Matthias was chosen. We never see him again in the New Testament, but whenever there is a reference to the twelve, it would include him.

So what do we make of this lot casting? Is it biblical? Should we practice it? We see several times in the Old Testament where decisions were turned over to God through the practice of casting lots. So it seems reasonable for the 120 in the upper room to use this method. Both men were qualified. However, we never see it used again in the Bible. A new way of discerning the will of God occurs in chapter 2. The Holy Spirit comes in power and changes forever how we follow God.

A couple of points for us to consider. First the importance of placing the proper people into leadership. Of the 120 people there, only two would be considered appropriate to appoint as apostles. They had high standards and sought God’s leadership. Secondly, they interpreted life in light of the scripture. They saw themselves as part of God’s unfolding plan and sought direction in view of the word of God. It is still the same for us. God’s plan is still unfolding and we are in the middle of it. We must interpret our lives in light of the scripture.

Thursday Acts 1:12-14

The disciples returned to Jerusalem.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 1:12-14

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples went back into the city of Jerusalem. They gathered together in an upper room and prayed. We are not told specifically where they assembled. Some people believe that it was the same room where they had celebrated the last supper and the same room where Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection. There is no harm in believing that, but we have no concrete information. The place is not really important.

Luke tells us who was present. The eleven disciples were there. Also there were several women. We don’t know who they were other than Jesus’ mother. We could guess that the women included: Mary Magdalene (John 20:18), Mary the mother of James (Mark 16:1), Salome (Mark 16:1), Joanna (Luke 8:3), Susanna (Luke 8:3), Mary and Martha (John 12:2-3), Jesus’ aunt Mary (John 19:25), and others.

Also present were Jesus’ brothers. Notice the difference between this point and John 7:5 where His brothers did not believe in Him. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:7 that Jesus appeared to His brother James after the resurrection. Now His brothers are part of the faithful group in the upper room. Jude was probably there too. James and Jude are brothers of Jesus who became leaders in the early church and wrote books of the New Testament.

The group gathered together and prayed constantly. The picture in my mind is the eleven disciples and a few of the faithful staying in this building pretty much all the time for the ten days between the ascension of Jesus and Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came. There were probably many followers of Jesus who filtered in and out for prayer during that timeframe. The eleven devoted themselves continually to prayer.

We know that there were hundreds of believers. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that during the forty days after the resurrection that Jesus appeared to a group of 500 believers. I suspect that the upper room was a vibrant place of prayer.

What do we do when we are waiting for God? We pray and we do what He has already told us to do. He told us to make disciples.