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.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
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.
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, November 27, 2008
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.
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, November 26, 2008
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.
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, November 25, 2008
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.
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, November 24, 2008
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.
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, November 23, 2008
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.
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.
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