Acts 3:11-16 Alive in Jerusalem!

Acts 3:11-16  While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.  When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you?  Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.  You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.  You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.  You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.  We are witnesses of this.  By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.  It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

In the above focus, Peter accuses the Jews of performing a dastardly deed when they crucified Jesus.  They handed Jesus, the righteous one, over to the Romans to be murdered.  The Jews of Jerusalem knew well of Jesus’ many healings and wonders.  They knew He was a man of peace, who taught of God’s love and that they were even to love their enemies.  He possessed a light that no other man among them could equal.  He was a man of divinity, a gift from God.  Peter told them, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.  As these people look at this miracle of a crippled man running, jumping and praising the Lord, Peter proclaims loudly and maybe even defiantly that the cripple they see before them restored to complete health is the result of the name of Jesus pronounced in his life.  By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.  It is in Jesus’ name, his power, that this man walks.  He reminds the people who are staring that they, the disciples, are mere men as they are, without any power to bring strength back into a crippled man’s legs.  Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?  What the people were seeing in the Temple was a reminder of Jesus’ work and also reminded them of what they had done to this righteous man, Jesus.  This act of goodness that they see before them in this crippled man walking, condemns them for their opposition to Jesus and his Good News.  Jesus had been sent to them specifically.  His presence and ministry within the Jewish community was to remind them of God’s enduring love towards the Jewish people.  Their father, Abraham, pleased God because he believed in God’s words more than his surroundings or rational mind. Abraham had faith in God’s words; he had faith that he would inherit the land of Canaan and that he would be the father of many nations even though he and Sarah are childless.  Peter now relates to these Jews standing in Solomon’s Colonnade that faith in God’s words through the name of Jesus brought complete restoration to this lame man’s legs.  Jesus was divine and healed during his lifetime; now He is healing even though He is not present on the earth.  Faith was involved with Jesus' very existence.  Jesus’ beginning and ending on earth were accomplished through faith in God’s words.  A childless couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, heard from God and were given a baby boy, John.  Gabriel, the angel from God’s presence, came to them and announced that they would have their hearts’ desire, a baby.  This baby boy would be filled with the Holy Spirit from conception.  A childless virgin, Mary, was approached by Gabriel, too.  He told her that she would be be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit to bring forth a baby boy, Jesus.  To assure Mary of what was happening to her, Gabriel tells Mary that Elizabeth her relative is going to have a child.  Mary, probably apprehensive about her own situation, goes to Elizabeth to confirm what Gabriel said about Elizabeth being with child.  Because both of these mothers have fetuses that are godly, the voice of Mary causes baby John to leap in Elizabeth’s womb. As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”  (Luke 1:44-45)  What we see in this scene is that Mary was functioning with the same faith that Abraham possessed, that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her.  As with Abraham, Mary believed what God told her.  Now in the above focus, we see Peter and John’s belief in God’s word through faith in the Lord would heal this cripple.  At the end of Jesus’ life, we see faith again come into action.  Jesus believed the Father would resurrect him into new life.  From beginning to the end in Jesus' life, faith in God’s words were in operation.

Jesus’ presence with the Jews during his lifetime did not mean that He loved them more than other people.  God loves all of his people; He made all of them in his image.  He does not prefer one above the other.  But, He had promised the Jews because of Abraham’s faith in his words that he would make them a light in the world.  He gave them the law, revealing his righteousness, his perfection.  In addition, the law revealed man’s sinfulness, his natural proclivity of being opposite of God’s goodness.  Consequently, sacrifices of animals would be needed to maintain a relationship with God, without judgment on their sins.  However, even though they were chosen to be children of the light, they were not loved more than any other people.  Abraham was to be the father of not only the Jews but of all people.  By the cross, Jesus would unite all people as one through faith in him.  Paul expresses this oneness IN CHRIST by saying,  I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.  For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith."  (Romans 1:16-17)  Peter tells the people in the Temple, faith in Jesus caused this man to be renewed.  If God can do this to the physical man, He can do the same to the spiritual man: make him completely whole.  However, Peter knew that the majority of the these people in the Temple were in open rebellion to the name of Jesus, to receiving God’s blessings through faith in Jesus’ name alone.  They had crucified the Lord, and they were a threat to the disciples who proclaimed the name of Jesus.  The Sanhedrin would lock them up and then flog them because of their boldness about ministering in the name of Jesus.  Later, we will see some of them stone Stephen, and many rejoice over the death of James, John’s brother.  It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.  He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.  When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.  (Acts 12:1-3)  Even though many were being saved in Jerusalem, they could not come out openly proclaiming unity with the disciples because of the animosity towards The Way.  This hatred would still be seen many years later when Paul was arrested.  Even though thousands of Jews were now believers in Jesus, Paul, while being arrested heard the same sounds that Jesus heard on his day of death: KILL HIM, CRUCIFY HIM.  The majority of the Jews were resistant to the Good News of grace alone though faith in Jesus Christ.  They who were once lights were now an image of darkness, for they would not accept God’s gift to them, to ransom their souls.

Peter performed many miracles, even his shadow brought healing to the lame, the sick, the hurting.  But because Jesus’ ministry was mainly to the Jews, it was hard for him and others to leave the works of men in the temple to faith alone in Christ.  He heard Jesus talk to the Canaanite woman.  A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!  My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”  Jesus did not answer a word.  So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”  The woman came and knelt before him.  “Lord, help me!” she said.  He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”  “Yes it is, Lord,” she said.  “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.  ”Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!  Your request is granted.”  And her daughter was healed at that moment.  (Matthew 15:22-28)  We see in this account the faith of Abraham, the idol worshipper, the faith of Mary, the virgin girl, being revealed.  The Canaanite woman believed God was able to do anything, and to anyone if they believe in his word, his works.  This woman was not coming to an idol or intermediator to the living God.  She was coming directly to the Lord.  Her faith was in the Lord, the creator of all things.  From the beginning of time this has been the reality of life.  God created it and He governs it supernaturally.  Jesus went to the Jews because God had made a special covenant with them.  He ministered faithfully, revealing the mercy and grace of God to them.  But they, as the perfect example of mankind and his rebellious nature, chose other gods, other ways to live without God’s authority in their lives.  The Canaanite women did not say, What must I do to have my daughter healed?  What sacrifices must I perform, what vow must I make, what cleansing act must I perform?  No, she said, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!   This is the quintessential statement of faith.  Jesus accepted this, her statement of faith, Woman, you have great faith!  Your request is granted.  When the crippled man stood up with the help of Peter, this faith was in action.  Wholeness was the result.  When Abraham accepted the words of God, a new covenant with mankind came into existence.  When Mary believed what Gabriel said to her, a Savior was born, the implement of the New Covenant.  But sadly, the Jews were stuck on man’s work to appease a righteous God.  They were in the Holy Place where man served God.  But God is now with us in the Holy of Holies, where it is God’s work not man's.  We find in the Ark, Aaron’s staff blooming, God’s work.  We find the jar of manna, God’s work, not man’s.  We find the tablets of the law, written by God’s hands, not man’s.  God is a supernatural God, not made out of stone or wood.  All of the Old Testament reveals that understanding.  Peter proclaimed boldly that through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord all things are possible.  Act upon the reality of that faith in your life today and you will see miracles happen that glorify God.     

 

Acts 3:1-11 Filled with Wonder and Amazement!

Acts 3:1-11  One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.  Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.  When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.   Peter looked straight at him, as did John.  Then Peter said, “Look at us!”  So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.  Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.  ”Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.  He jumped to his feet and began to walk.  Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.  When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

At the gate Beautiful we see a miracle that could not be denied by any group of people.  A man lame from birth was CARRIED to the temple gate so he could beg for money from the many people who walked by him to the temple.  The beggar was familiar to all who attended the temple.  Peter and John were going to the temple at 3 o’clock, probably to meet with other Christians.  The lame man cries out to them for alms.   Peter and John do not brush by him, but stop and address him.  Their act of stopping and talking to him probably made this beggar uncomfortable.  He expected the usual comments, either derogatory or a greeting and maybe a coin flipped his way, but not these two men stopping and talking to him in such a direct way.  But they stopped and looked at him purposefully, much like Jesus would.  When a blind man yelled out to Jesus when He and a crowd of people passed by, Jesus stopped when he heard the man’s cry.  He healed that man of his blindness on that day.  We know Jesus did only what He was led to do or say by God’s direction.  He was not functioning as an independent entity away from his Father’s will.  We know that in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said,  “Not my will but your will be done."  These two disciples were now doing God’s will in this scene.  They probably had passed other cripples on the way to the temple, but this cripple was destined by God to walk and jump.  As Jesus, who was led by the Spirit under God’s will, they stopped and addressed this beggar’s desire for money.  Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.  Surely they had already passed other indigents, but this beggar's daily existence was at the temple gate, so he was very familiar to all who went into the temple.  The  people knew he had atrophied legs, not conditioned for walking or jumping.  But now after his healing, they see him not only walking but jumping with vigor.  The people in the temple were astonished at such a scene.  He jumped to his feet and began to walk.  Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.  This miracle was fully developed, he had strong legs to walk and jump.  Atrophied legs are not made for that kind of activity.  No one could discount such a great miracle.  But Jesus who was always led by the Holy Spirit had told the disciples that they would be imbued with power after He was gone from their presence.  Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  (John 14:12-14).  Jesus will glorify his Father by the acts of his disciples.  They too will follow the Father’s will of blessing all people through the name of Jesus.  Jesus had commissioned the disciples to minister in his name when they visited towns in Judea.  They were to glorify God by doing marvelous works.  These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.  Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.  As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.  Freely you have received; freely give.  (Matthew 12:5-8)  Now, however, after Jesus’ departure from the earth, they are under the control of the Holy Spirit.  They are to do the mighty works of God for all people.  Peter and John stopped that day before this beggar to reveal God’s glorious power to the people of Jerusalem.  As Jesus did, they were revealing the love God has for the people He has made.  

Jesus also promised them that they would do greater things than what He had done.  They were doing the miraculous such as raising the dead.  In Joppa we see Peter raising the dead woman, Dorcas.  She was a righteous woman, well respected in her community, especially among the widows, for she sewed clothing for them.  Now she is dead, bringing much pain and sorrow to those who benefitted from her kindness.  Peter, as Jesus did before him, raises her from her deep sleep of death.  Peter sent them all (mourners)  out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed.  Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.”  She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.  He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet.  (Acts 9:39-41)  As with the lame man at the temple gate, Peter helps her to her feet.  Jesus assisted the blind man by using his spit.  He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.  When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”  He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”  Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes.  Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.  (Mark 8:23-25)  Jesus is not done with this man until his sight is restored completely.  Peter is not done with the lame man and the dead woman until he knows they can get up and function.  But Peter is doing only what he saw Jesus do in his lifetime.  Peter also heals a paralyzed man, something he saw Jesus do at the pool of Bethesda.  After Jesus heals this man, He tells the man to pick up his mat and walk.  Peter in Lydda tells the healed paralyzed man to do the same thing, pick up your mat and walk.  There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years.  “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you.  Get up and roll up your mat.”  Immediately Aeneas got up.  All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.  (Acts 9:34-35)  This is not a past tense healing, but his healing is active, present.  Jesus Christ heals you.  Rolling up his mat is part of that healing.  He is in the midst of the healing process; Jesus is with him now, healing every step.  This is often what Christ does for each of us in our walk, saying to us, “I have healed you.”  Either physically or spiritually, but God is inside us doing the work of healing.  This act of healing is accomplished through the Holy Spirit inside us.  Peter does the will of the Father.  He is telling this man that Jesus Christ has done the work of healing in your body, get up and walk.  In both of these situations in Jobba and Lydda, we see Peter going to specific people, not to all the dead, to all the paralyzed, but to two people.  As with the lame by the temple, God was using these people’s situations for his glory and for spreading the Good News to all people everywhere.  

What about Jesus’ statement of greater works than I have done?  How could anything be greater than calming the wind, knocking down the sea waves?  When the disciples saw Jesus display such power, they wondered what kind of man do they have in the boat.  Of course, they had God who performed the miraculous deed of creating the world and the galaxies with his Word.  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  (John 1:1-3)  Jesus, manifesting God in the flesh, was in the process of bringing eternal life to the world, restoring the eternal breath of God in human beings.  Darkness had permeated the souls of men and women, but now Jesus brought God's eternal life into the lives of men and women of faith.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  (John 1:4-5)  No act can be greater than that restoration, but we do see men doing things that Jesus did not do on earth.  One is the judgment of men immediately for their sins and woefulness.  Jesus did not do that.  When James and John wanted to call judgment on a Samarian town that did not receive Jesus, the Lord rebuked them for such an attitude.  Jesus came to restore, to heal, to love people, not to destroy them.  Now we see Paul doing something Jesus never did, an act that might seem to be greater than anything Jesus had done while living.  Paul is in the mode of judging someone; penetrating God’s domain of rightfully judging all people at the end of time.  He  brings retribution on a man in Paphos.  They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos.  There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus.  The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.  But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.  Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!  You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery.  Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?  Now the hand of the Lord is against you.  You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”  (Acts 13:6-11)  God is just and He will bring judgment on all people in the last day.  In this scene with Bar-Jesus, Paul precludes that day of final judgment by judging this sorcerer, causing blindness to enter his life for a while.  We see the same thing happen with the waywardness of Ananias and Sapphira.  Peter tells them, you have sinned against God by lying to the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, your days on earth will be terminated today.  He steps into God’s domain of judging sin, causing the immediate demise of the two liars.  Both of these events are different from anything Jesus did on earth, but we do not know if they were greater, but they definitely through the Spirit’s empowerment were opposite of Jesus’ deeds.  Angels were heavily involved with the disciples’ lives, delivering the apostles out of prison, giving them direction and dreams.  Angels ministered to Jesus in the wilderness during his 40 days of fasting; however, in the custody of his enemies, He was not delivered.  God is in the driver's seat in everything Jesus did and everything the disciples did.  God’s will was to be performed in Jesus’ walk on earth and God’s will is the guiding force in believers’ lives.  The Holy Spirit came to Jesus in the Jordan River in fulness; from that time He completely satisfied the will of God.  This is true of the disciples after the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Peter and John were going to the temple to meet with other believers and stopped at a beggar because the Holy Spirit and God wanted them to; Jesus wanted them to for the glory of his Father.  Peter under the unction of the Holy Spirit said to this man lame from birth, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.  The earth stopped that day for the lame man.  He for years had watched the activity of men and women as they passed him.  The world was going as it always had for him for years.  But God stopped the world for him and said get on.  I am going to heal you today and this world will be a totally different place for you.  The whirling mundaneness of his life and the activity around him stopped.  He would have a new life now, a new beginning, a born again life.  We too are people who have had God stop our old life.  No longer will we be satisfied with eating, drinking and being merry.  God has told us to get on with his life in us.  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)  Peter lifted the beggar up to a new life.  We too have been lifted up to a new life; the old has past; we now live IN HIM FOR HIM.    

     

Acts 2:42-47 Have A Glad and Sincere Heart!

Acts 2:42-47  They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

After Pentecost the collective body of Christ penetrated the Jewish community in Jerusalem.  These believers in the resurrection of Christ enjoyed the favor of all the people.  The disciples were in the temple courts every day praising God for the new life they were experiencing.  The apostles were busy teaching the converts about life in the Spirit of God, about the nature of the kingdom of God, and about the necessity of living their daily lives in Christ.  Consequently, They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.  The poor and disadvantaged were now one of their primary concerns.  They were well aware of Isaiah's prophesy about the Messiah ministering to the poor. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  (Isaiah 61:1)  The disciples knew Jesus’ commission from God focused on the poor.  When John the Baptist was in prison, he was concerned about whether Jesus was the Messiah sent from God or just a good man who follows the mission God has placed upon him in his life.  Jesus tells John's disciples to go back to John and tell him what they have seen and heard.  “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor."  (Luke 7:22)  Jesus  assured John that He was appropriating Isaiah’s prophesy into everything He did.  He was doing marvelous acts that no man from the beginning of time had performed and He was ministering daily to the poor. The latter was important to the nascent church.  They decided to have everything in common.  James speaks very clearly about ministering to the poor.  Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?  (James 2:5)  The poor were ground zero in Jesus' mission on earth.  James says that if people discriminate against them in any way, they have violated God’s written law.  Therefore as a lawbreaker, you might as well have broken every law, for you are guilty before God of being unrighteous, deserving judgment.  Of course we see the early church focused on the disadvantaged because of recently being baptized in the Spirit of God.  Jesus emphasizes the love God has for the poor by relating the story of Lazarus and the rich man.  We see the rich man living a very comfortable life.  He has organized life around his own needs and welfare.  “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  But on the other side of the coin of life was Lazarus who sat at the rich man’s gate every day.  At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.  Even the dogs came and licked his sores.  (Luke 16:19-21)  The rich man lives a life for self: self-indulgent, self-satisfying.  In this story we hear Abraham as the voice of God explaining the situation of Sheol, an eternal abode.  He explains to one of his own descendants why he is now located in Sheol under horrendous torment and why Lazarus is in the comfortable abode with Abraham.  Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  (Luke 16:25)  The rich man lived a life of many amenities, but Lazarus’ only amenity was the dogs who licked his sores.  However the rich man was not without love.  His love was so great for his five brothers that he begged Abraham to send back someone from the dead to tell his brothers to change their way of living so they might escape this hellish torture he was experiencing.  He had great love for them, but as Jesus said, anyone can love their own relatives, but I am asking you to love your enemies, or in Lazarus’ case, the unlovely.  I am sure Abraham reluctantly had to tell him the facts of human rebellion to God and his goodness, even if he could send someone back from the dead to inform them of the need to change their lives, they would not alter the course of their existence.  They are hardened in their lifestyle like the Pharaoh of Egypt: they desire to write their own script of how they should live.  In this story, we see how much God cares for those who lose out in society.  Now the nascent church filled with God’s Spirit and nature focuses willingly on the disadvantaged, insuring the best they can that there will be no poor among them.  

The apostles continued Jesus’ amazing ministry of healing the bodies of people and casting out demons.  Their power to do such marvelous supernatural acts amazes the people in Jerusalem, causing many to find Jesus as their Savior.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.  Jesus had told his followers not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  With this power of the Spirit in the midst of them, their lives were changed dramatically.  The Spirit of God brought great contrast between their previous lives and the ones they were experiencing now in the church of the Living God.  This contrast of their natural lives to their present spiritual lives affected all who saw them.  Their willingness to forsake the natural passions of living in the flesh to lives committed to God and to others opened the eyes of many.  For their own spiritual leadership in the Jewish community was focused mostly on fleshly matters.  They knew their own priestly leadership was not focused on helping the poor and disadvantaged but on regulations and rituals of the law.  Jesus knew the hearts of their priests; they loved the deference the people gave them, and they loved money, the wealth they accrued through their priestly positions.  Jesus called them hypocrites; his discernment of them was correct.  The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.  He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.  What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.  (Luke 16:14-15)  However, the leadership in the early church functions opposite of the priesthood.  They were not focused on earthly gain, but were literally willing to die to the things of this world.  They laid down their fleshly desire for recognition.  Instead they allowed themselves to be ostracized by the Jewish community.  They were open to be disinherited because of their dedication to their Lord.  Their temporal lives were of no worth to them and they considered the wealth of this earth as meaningless.  Their only focus was on Jesus and his resurrected life.  They understood that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. They were willing to give their all to obtain the resurrected life.  Consequently, the attitude of Jesus was very important for them to hold dear. They knew Jesus was very fond of the poor, so they too were focused on the poor.  Jesus pointed out to his disciples when they were with him to look at a widow who put only two coins into the coffer of the Temple.  He told them that the widow gave her all to God; her offering indicated her great faith.  She was dependent on God’s goodness to her, not on her circumstances.  Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.  Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”  (Mark 12:41-44)  This poor, frail woman might have even been pushed aside by the more prosperous.  The winners in society often want others to know that they are successful and have a good heart by giving money from their excess, but the widow placed her life in the treasury, knowing she had no one to depend on but God.  Now we see the early church willing to be as the widow, dependent on God.

How difficult all of this teaching is on Christians today when wealth is so plentiful.  The average ticket to the Super Bowl cost $6,559; the cost of attending a concert or a pro basketball game reaches into the hundreds of dollars.  Money is plentiful for many, but the world’s population consists of billions of people who are living in great poverty.  John the Baptist preceded Jesus, preparing the people to repent of their lifestyle.  He was plowing up the ground, so Jesus could plant the seeds of eternal life.  John lived a  rudimentary life.  His whole life was focused on doing the will of God.  When the people heard his dire warnings of the judgment of God on their wayward, self-indulgent lives, they wanted to know how they could be right with a living, righteous God.  John gave them a way to be pleasing to God: repent of your sins and seek to please God by doing good in your lives.  He warned them, The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.  John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”  (Luke 3:9-11)  True repentance is a turning around in your lifestyle, even if you consider yourself somewhat poor.  He states, if you have two shirts in your closet, you should share with the one who has none, and if you have any food at all, you should do the same, share.  No one is off the hook; all are accountable to God on how he or she lives.  We see the early church with this attitude.  Why?  Probably because they were filled with the Holy Spirit in such a marvelous way.  The Spirit of God came to them in power, revealing the nature of the living, merciful God, full of grace for all  people.  Yes, for some people in this world, they must see the marvelous signs of a supernatural God in their midst to believe or to know God exists.  But Jesus said those kind of people are corrupt and degenerate.  Nothing will really change their minds if they only want to see a God of supernatural acts.  But for most people, they want to see a God of love and mercy, one who cares for them.  Enduring love is a trait of the living God.  He loves all men and women.  He will seek them even if they are his enemies.  Supernatural signs are few, not often can people see God in the love displayed to them by Christians.  Christians should exist in an environment of love, for the Bible says God is love.  God asks us to spread his love to the world, especially to the least of these.  We are not out to judge the world or to castigate the world, but to love the world as God loves people who are sadly embedded in darkness.  Jesus said, we are lights.  Light displays the truth to all people that Jesus--the epitome of love--is the light, the way, the truth.  No one will step out of darkness on their own.  A blind man cannot find his way out of darkness; he needs someone to lead him out of his desperate place.  The early church, filled with the Holy Spirit, was the bright light in Jerusalem.  They were the way, the truth, the light to the community of Jews in Jerusalem.  They came to the needy, sharing all they had for the glory of God.  What a challenge that is to us who exist today in the body of Christ.  Full of God’s Love, may we meet that challenge today.    

       

     

   

  

Acts 2:36-41 Light of the World!

Acts 2:36-41 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”  When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”  With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”  Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

This day of Pentecost was as no other, for we see a crowd excited about Galileans speaking a multitude of languages all at once. The crowd had gathered there in the midst of them with bewilderment because they had heard a sound like the blowing of a violent wind.  Peter stands up before the people, taking the opportunity to minister to them about the crucified Jesus and his subsequent  resurrection.  He focuses on the prophesy of Joel who foresaw this day when the Holy Spirit of God would fall on people.  He offers the people the opportunity to accept or to reject this phenomenon of ordinary people speaking in many tongues.  Some already thought these people speaking in a variety of tongues were but drunk, but Peter tells them it is way too early for people to be drunk, for it is only 9:00 in the morning.  This crowd is made up of people who are celebrating the giving of the Torah and the atonement of God.  They were present on this day of Pentecost to serve God.  Now they hear the cutting words of Peter, relating to them that a righteous man named Jesus, who did only good in his lifetime was put to death on a cross by the hated Romans at the behest of the leadership in the Jewish nation.  Peter’s words cut them to the heart, for they know what he is saying is true.  They have murdered a righteous man, a crime against the law of Moses.  Therefore, they cry out to Peter and the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do?  They needed to rectify somehow with God this unjustified act that has been committed against Jesus.  They needed a cleansing of their consciences, spiritual restoration to a righteous God.  Peter’s reply goes a step further than just cleansing them of their guilt before God: he expresses to them a chance to be permanently united to the eternal, righteous God.  Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.  He tells them they have a choice to be made that day, either accept this work of God or turn away from it.  If they will turn to God, He will cleanse their souls and give them his Spirit, about three thousand were added to their number that day.  

Peter described this generation of theirs as being very corrupt.  Jesus had described this generation as being wicked and adulterous.  Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”  He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign!  But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.   For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  (Matthew 12:38-40)  The leadership of the Jewish society was filled with hypocrisy and corruption.  Jesus was a threat to their way of life.  They received much respect and deference from the Jewish community.  They could not and would not join as followers of Jesus as the Messiah sent from God.  The few priests who did believe Jesus was divine and that his works were from God hid their belief from the people because they would lose their position of favoritism with the people if they switched their allegiance to Jesus and away from the priesthood.  They hid what was in their hearts, even though they knew Jesus was the Messiah.  John the Baptist understood well the nature of the Israelites, that they were engrossed in a sinful and materialistic lifestyle.  He knew their leadership kept the people in darkness for their own benefit.  Consequently, when John saw them coming to watch people being baptized by this strange man from the wilderness, he castigated them as wicked and hypocrites.  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.  And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’  I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.  The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  (Matthew 3:7-9)  He understood their whole lifestyle and beliefs were deadly to the population of Israel.  He called them vipers, for viper snakes lie by paths undetected and then strike viciously at people who pass by.  The Pharisees' and Sadducees poison is undetected by the general population, but the priests poison all who who come into contact with them, preventing the people from knowing God’s mercy and grace.  Peter knows this is an untoward generation, a godless generation, corrupt in the heart, unable or unwilling to please God in their lifestyle.  Their hearts are hardened as Pharaoh’s because of their worldly nature.  But 3,000 of those who heard God that day turned to God to receive eternal salvation, and the gift of the Spirit so evidently prominent in those who were speaking in tongues would be theirs if their hearts were truly repentant of their sinfulness.  Jesus came to a wayward people, the same people that God brought out of Egypt, a people who carried their idols out of Egypt and through the wilderness, who carried them into the Promised Land.  These same people put shrines at every crossroad in Canaan, the same people who had Asheroth poles in their yards to bring fertility to their family, the same people who had idols in their groves and on high places.  Their ancestors on this day of Pentecost were given the promise of the Holy Spirit if they would turn wholeheartedly to God in repentance and seek him with all their heart and strength.  This reveals so clearly what the prophets said about God: He is faithful and enduring, a God for all people, regardless of their waywardness.  The Jews revealed so clearly that God's love is forever, everlasting in the heart of God for his creation that He made in his likeness out of dust.

The  people of Israel were given the law to cleanse their houses, land and families.  They were washed clean by the law if they would believe it and put it into effect in their daily lives.  God tested them many times in the wilderness on whether they would believe in his faithfulness in their circumstances.  They failed often, even threatening to kill Moses and Aaron, for to them, these two were responsible for taking them out of Egypt into an environment that could be lethal for them: starvation and thirst.  The children of Israel failed often to please God, but God was faithful to them.  He led them to Canaan, but they would not go in because they did not believe God’s words that He would be there for them and that he would provide them strength to conquer the six nations that inhabited Canaan.  So God judged that generation and made them retract back into the wilderness until all of the older generation died out.  But God remained faithful and brought them back to Canaan, the gift He had prepared for them.  Now in Jesus’ time we see again God’s faithfulness to a corrupt people, a broken generation under the authority of a foreign nation: Rome.  Jesus revealed his divinity in city after city in Israel.  He was sent specifically to the wayward Jews, revealing God’s faithfulness to this people He delivered from Pharaoh, Satan’s hands.  Jesus in his travels through Israel manifested light to the Jews.  He did miracle after miracle in Judea.  John said, Jesus did many other things as well.  If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.  (John 21:25). Jesus saturated the land of Israel with so much of his presence that no man or woman could deny that he is a good man, sent from God.  But the Jews did reject this man, Jesus. In fact the last thing Jesus probably heard from the Jewish lips were, CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY THE MAN OF LIGHT.  When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  (John 8:12)  As Peter ministered on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit stirred in the hearts of the men and women who were listening to him.  They realized the darkness in their lives.  They knew Peter’s words were true.  They HAD crucified the light of the world.  Now they wanted life, true life that only comes through the Son of God: Jesus Christ.  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  (John 1:1-4)  What must we do to be saved from our corrupt world was their response to Peter?  Peter offered them a permanent solution to their condition, succinctly and clearly: be baptized in the name of Jesus, commit to him and turn from your old lifestyle.  Jesus said, if people walk in his light, they will not stumble around in darkness.  The world will become purposeful and clear.  Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.  It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”  (John 11:9-10)  Salvation is a work of God, not man, but man must accept this work of God that comes to us, born out of Mary’s womb.  We have a choice, just as the people on Pentecost had a choice.  They could have scoffed and said these Galileans are just drunk or they could say, No, God is visiting us this day through these people who are talking about the glory of God in our language.  We are presently in the days of redemption, known as the last days as Peter proclaimed.  We still have light offered to us freely through the works of Jesus Christ.  By faith, grasp hold of this light.  “You are going to have the light just a little while longer.  Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you.  Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.  Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.  (John 12:35-36)  Jesus offers us a choice: Believe in the light while you have the light.  Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world; He came to bring salvation to ALL MEN, good or bad, right or wrong.  Peter expresses well how to know God, how to be right with God: Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Let us do so dear friends around this breakfast table.