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The disciples were never the same after the Day of Pentecost. They changed the world with the power of the Holy Spirit! Believers who take the leap into Spirit Baptism discover the power of all God wants to do through them! Praise God!
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Peter quoted from Joel 2:28-32 on the Day of Pentecost. There was tongues speech in the background and 2 different responses from the observers that had come from around the world. One was dismissive. "These men are drunk". The other was inquisitive. "What does this mean". Luke tells us that when Peter stood up he was full of the Holy Spirit! Joel lived hundreds of years before this event. On this day, He prophecy began to be fulfilled.
Joel 2:28 After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 I will even pour out my Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days. 30 I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 32 Then everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the LORD promised, among the survivors the LORD calls. The fulfillment of this, meant the Spirit was now available to everyone! Praise God! The Day of Pentecost as described in Acts 2 is filled with wonder and grand truth. There was the command of Jesus to wait in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. (Acts 1:8) The disciples did what Jesus told them to do. It didn't happen immediately. Jesus's own instruction told them to wait. Acts 2:4 is the verse that tells what happened when the Spirit came. As they were all praising God in unknown tongues, Peter stood up to preach. The interesting thing here is that he didn't start a discussion on the Holy Spirit, except only in terms of introduction. "These men are not drunk as you suppose..." (Acts 2:15-16) Peter was now full of the Holy Spirit! He preached the Gospel message of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is our Guide and Comfort. He points us to Christ! Praise God!
Peter would quote from Joel 2 when He preached his great sermon on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came! Jesus promised that it would. Both the prophecy of the Old Testament in Joel and the promise of Jesus to the disciples were realized on that day! When Jesus makes a promise, it always comes true. Praise God!
Jesus taught many things while on the earth. He taught of the Holy Spirit that would be our Guide, Counselor, and Helper. (John 14). He taught about the role of the Holy Spirit in connecting believers with the presence of God. (John 7:37-39). He gave one instruction to His disciples as He was about to leave the earth. (Acts 1:8). The disciples followed the command of Jesus and the result was the Day of Pentecost. The Church was born on that day as over 3000 responded to the Gospel message that Peter preached. Following the command of Jesus brings a vitality and newness to life. The purpose of God is realized in His Church as it reaches out to the world. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit! Praise God!
Saul found Jesus on the way to Damascus. It was a truly divine encounter. God knows where to find us and how to speak clearly to us. Praise God!
The majority of Jesus' miracles were physical healings. If your the one being healed, it's the most important miracle. It was rare in the Bible for Jesus to do a financial miracle. He was about alleviating physical suffering. Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years into the future about the healing ministry of Jesus (Isaiah 53:4-6) If you suffer today or are praying for someone in a hard situation, be reminded that our Savior is also the Great Physician. Dare to ask. Take the risk and keep on asking, seeking and knocking. (Luke 11:9-10) The Great Physician is in. Praise God!
No one would want to conclude that when tragedy strikes, it is for some noble purpose. It's a tragedy. There can be pain and sorrow that will seem at times unbearable. Time and years help to bring perspective to hard and tragic events. The same is true when you read a historical narrative like the book of Acts. Here is a situation when something tragic happened, and the outcome that followed. God's high purpose is accomplished in even the most bizarre of circumstances. Praise God!
We can depend on the truth of the Bible. There are even phrases in the New Testament that are identified as "trustworthy". The closer we examine and process Scripture, the more reliable we discover it is. Praise God!
It would become the final book of the Bible and at the same time be the narrative that lived in our future. Heaven was opened for John the apostle on the Lord's day. What we see in Revelation is a privileged view of eternity that God gave Him. This enables us to treasure, value and hope. Praise God!
Sometimes a simple phrase can communicate so much. In the New Testament, writers use this phrase 3 times. Each time it has clarity, focus and hope.
The first time, in the middle of Paul's grand discourse on the resurrection. He describes how Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of ours. 1Cor. 15:23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. The next time, the issue is spiritual formation. Paul's reflecting on the wonderful work accomplished in the lives of the Thessalonians. Still yet, the hope of eternal life is present. 1Th. 2:19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? The final time, the apostle John conveys the hope that abides with each believer through all the stages of life. It's an appeal to righteous living. 1John 2:28 So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. Not righteous living to gain the hope, but righteous living because of it! Praise God! Is through His Church! Jesus commissioned His disciples right before His resurrection and it took hold as the church began to take the good news seriously. The mission of the Church, is a mission for the world! Praise God!
Waiting means we are usually hoping for something. We hope for a solution to a problem. We hope for a missing piece to make something complete. We hope for an improvement on a condition. I'm so glad the Bible tells us the truth, even when the truth itself is a little disappointing. One of the Proverbs said this:
Prov. 13:12 Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. The writer was correct! Hope delayed results in WAITING. One thing we can be sure of is this: God's love and presence abides, even while we wait. (1 Peter 1:8). Praise God! Faith is a gift that God gives us. It empowers us to believe, even when we can't see! Belief, trust and faith keep us logged on to the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit! Praise God!
The book of Hebrews is a masterful presentation of the best news ever. It tells of a new covenant. I like the specific way the author mentions it. He is the mediator of a new covenant. He brought it to pass! It is neat to see how he delivers it from chapters 8-13. Here are the references. Heb. 8:6–10; 9:15; 12:24; 13:20. This "mediator" became our Savior! The writer actually introduced this in chapter 7.
Heb. 7:22 Because of this oath, Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant. The "oath" was the sinless life that he lived on the earth, the efficacious sacrifice on the cross and His bodily resurrection from the dead. True redemption for all who believe! Praise God! We often think of "predictive prophecy" as information in the Bible about the end times. The Bible does promise certain victory at the end, but much of prophecy in the Bible centered around Jesus. Across the 4000 thousand years from Genesis to Malachi, God's Spirit gave the prophets clear direction about the coming redemption of the world. David was used by God as well. We refer to these as "messianic prophecies" because the hope of the coming Messiah was clearly called for. Here is one from David (quoted in Romans 4:7 concerning Psalms 32:1-2)
Blessed are those whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the person the Lord will never charge with sin. As Paul wrote these words, it built to a crescendo of high theology in Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God! The Gospels declare boldly that Jesus came doing miracles. As the living expression of God's love on the earth, he met human need and addressed it. One day on the roads of Galilee, Jesus was interrupted. Catastrophes and interruptions are opportunities for Jesus! Praise God!
We are surrounded by evidence every day of the miraculous. Oxygen is everywhere. Gravity never fails. The earth rotates and orbits in sequence being neither too far from it's sun or too close. As a child our church was very small. I was often only one of two children in church. One summer, a woman and her daughter came to the church for about 4 weeks and had children's lessons while the adults had church. I remember the visuals and the one song they taught. Here is a link to the great Sandi Patti singing it with her father. "It Took It A Miracle" Genesis records it as truth! Praise God!
Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets preached the hope of a coming Messiah. I think of Jeremiah when he talked about the "Righteous Branch" He mentions Israel's hope twice in his book:
Jer. 23:5 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the LORD’s declaration-- “when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. Jer. 33:15 In those days and at that time I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. This righteous branch from David would have 4 Bible books written about Him. Praise God! Simply believing is a Credit to Righteousness!!! Praise God!
God gives more grace, when the burden is greater! It comes from the words of the song "He giveth more grace". The phrase "grace given" is in the New Testament many times. The grace of God is a gift, and it's a gift with a purpose. Praise God!
Isaiah called Him the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) Paul uses an intensive personal pronoun to declare HE IS our Peace. A relationship with God is not a religious catchphrase, but rather a vibrant reality for the believer. God gives each believer the Holy Spirit to guide us, convince us when we are wrong, correct and lead us. Romans 5:1-2 talk about the peace of God that is experienced after the grand "justification by faith".
Ephesians 2:14 For He is our peace, It's vital to understand that Jesus doesn't just bring peace. HE IS OUR PEACE. Praise God! Psalm 145 is special for several reasons. First, it's my favorite Psalm. Second, it's written in an accrostic pattern which shows the intentionality of the author to communicate the wonderful truths of God's nature. Third. It's encouraging to read. There is one spot where the eternal aspect and plan of the writer conveys the hope of every believer.
Psa. 145:1 I exalt you, my God the King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 I will bless you every day; I will praise your name forever and ever. Psa. 145:21 My mouth will declare the LORD’s praise; let every living thing bless his holy name forever and ever. For the believer, the value and worth of God will be proclaimed for all eternity! Praise God! There is something to frequency especially when it references the Bible. Like today when we speak and write, we re-emphasize certain words. The number of times we reference a word is how "frequent" we do it. In Romans 8, Paul is teaching about the Holy Spirit. He references the Holy Spirit 21 times! This frequency by itself makes the point of the high activity that the Spirit has in the life of a Christian.
Rom. 8:2, 4–6, 9–11, 13–16, 23, 26–27 Show those 21 times. God's Spirit frequently helps the believer live a victorious life! Praise God! I love the Greek word THARSEO because of the times it's used in the New Testament, it's always associated with the work of Jesus. In John 16:33 Jesus Himself uses this word when He says
John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” The conquest and victory of Christ makes it possible for us to LOOK UP! Praise God! |
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April 2022
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