Acts 7

Acts 7 (New International Version)


Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin
1Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"

2To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 3'Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.'

4"So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. 5He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6God spoke to him in this way: 'Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 7But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, 'and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.' 8Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

9"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

11"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our fathers could not find food. 12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. 13On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family. 14After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. 15Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. 16Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.

17"As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased. 18Then another king, who knew nothing about Joseph, became ruler of Egypt. 19He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our forefathers by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.

20"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.For three months he was cared for in his father's house. 21When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 22Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

23"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. 24He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, 'Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?'

27"But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' 29When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.

30"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord's voice: 32'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

33"Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.'

35"This is the same Moses whom they had rejected with the words, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36He led them out of Egypt and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert.

37"This is that Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.' 38He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us.

39"But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 40They told Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don't know what has happened to him!' 41That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and held a celebration in honor of what their hands had made. 42But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:
" 'Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?
43You have lifted up the shrine of Molech
and the star of your god Rephan,
the idols you made to worship.
Therefore I will send you into exile' beyond Babylon.

44"Our forefathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the desert. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 45Having received the tabernacle, our fathers under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, 46who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47But it was Solomon who built the house for him.

48"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says:
49" 'Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
50Has not my hand made all these things?'

51"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."
The Stoning of Stephen
54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.




Commentary/Significant points of discussion:

• [See v.1] '"Are these charges true?"'- back in Acts 6, Stephen was charged with speaking blasphemous words against Moses and against God (the temple where they thought was the only place God dwelt)
  
• Instead of answering the question by trying to defend himself or prove himself innocent, Stephen goes on the offensive and proclaims the truth about Jesus
  
• [See v.3] "'Leave your country and your people,'God said"- Stephen begins his sermon going all the way back to the beginnings in the Old Testament when God had commanded Abraham to leave his hometown and family
  
• [See v.4] 'settled in Haran'- Abraham did not completely obey God's command to go to the land that God had in mind for him and to leave his family behind, going to Haran instead of Canaan with his father and his nephew Lot
  
• [See v.5] 'God promised him...even though at that time Abraham had no child'- when Abraham does finally obey God's command God's promise for his descendants to possess the land of Canaan is reinstated; God's promises for us are kept on hold when we do not obey His commands
  
• [See v.2] 'The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham'- from the start of Abraham's journey God had been with him, guiding him and blessing him; Abraham didn't need a temple like the high priests to be with God
  
• [See v.9] 'God was with him'- again the emphasis here is on God's intimacy with Joseph, who did not have a temple to go to be with God
  
• Stephen mentions Joseph for good reason; in Joseph, we are able to see his likeness to Jesus because he was rejected by the sons of Israel ('twelve patriarchs' [see v.8]), sold as a slave into Egypt and became their savior later on when God made him 'ruler over Egypt' [see v.10] and helped them when 'a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering' [see v.11]
  
• Although he does not say it outright, Stephen is clearly trying to get across the point that the leaders of the temple need to stop rejecting the saviors God has sent, beginning with Joseph, and now, Jesus
  
• [See v.16] 'the tomb that Abraham had bought'- this happened to be the only piece of land in Canaan that Abraham had paid for with his own money; the rest was given to him by God as a result of his faith in God
  
• Stephen's next story is about Moses who was born into a time when the Israelites were being oppressed in Egypt
  
• Moses, much like Joseph but unique in his own ways, resembled Jesus in that he was favored by God from birth being 'no ordinary child' [see v.20], was miraculously kept from harm when he was thrown away into the river as a baby and 'Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son' [see v.21] and was 'powerful in speech and action' [see v.22]
  
• [See v.25] 'God was using him to rescue them'- when Moses avenged his people, the Israelites, 'by killing the Egyptian' [see v.24], God was using Moses as their savior to deliver them from the Egyptians; but the Israelites did not realize this and rejected Moses, denying that he had any right to be 'ruler and judge over us' [see v.27]
  
• Stephen uses Moses' rejection as another case of where the Israelites throughout their history rejected God's appointed saviors; and even worse now they reject Jesus, who is greater than Moses or Joseph and is literally the ruler and judge over the Israelites
  
• Despite Israel's rejection of Moses, God's divine appointment was revealed to Moses when 'an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush' [see v.30]; this is another case where Stephen emphasizes that you don't need a temple to be in the presence of God just as Moses encountered God in the desert, of all places (one might figure there isn't much out in the desert)
  
• [See v.37] 'God will send you a prophet like me'- Moses spoke of the prophet that was to come next, Jesus, who was like him in a lot of ways, leading God's congregation, being close to God and bringing forth the revelation of God
  
• [See v.39] 'they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt'- the Israelites continued to reject Moses, even after God had clearly shown signs and wonders that Moses was the appointed leader
  
• [See v.41] 'made an idol in the form of a calf...held a celebration in honor of what their hands had made'- while with Moses the Israelites had rejoiced in worshipping the works of their own hands; in the same way Stephen is using this analogy to show how the leaders of the temple are worshipping the temple and not God
  
• [See v.42] 'But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies'- God detested any kind of idolatry and his judgement was to let the Israelites continue to worship their idols- the sun, moon Gods, etc.
  
• Stephen is saying, "If you reject Jesus do you know what you will be given up to ?"
  
• [See v.44] 'Our forefathers had the tabernacle'- when Moses was with the Israelites in the desert they still had the tabernacle which they supposedly thought represented their intimacy with God; yet they rejected God's messengers and thus God Himself
  
• How many Christians today believe that they can only meet God at church and that God is absent once they go home and back to their lives ?
  
• As Stephen was stressing to the worshippers of the temple, we cannot confine God to one place because 'the Most High does not live in houses made by men' [see v.48]; Heaven is God's throne and the earth is His footstool- His hand has 'made all these things' [see v.50]
  
• [See v.51] 'uncircumcised hearts and ears'- Stephen rebukes the people of the temple who have rejected Jesus; what good is circumcision as a sign of God's people if their hearts are hardened and they won't listen to God ? In a way they are no different from the Gentiles (non-Jews) who have rejected the Lord
  
• 'You always resist the Holy Spirit'- Stephen lets them know that they are not only rejecting Jesus but the Holy Spirit, another messenger sent by God
  
• Instructed by the Holy Spirit, Stephen conveyed one of Jesus' teachings from Matthew 9:17, '17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins'; just as old wineskins cannot hold new wine, the old traditions of the Israelites cannot hold this new offer of salvation- the blood of Jesus Christ
  
• Stephen's absolute fearlessness despite his impending conviction and martyrdom is the kind of courage it takes to spread the gospel
  
• [See v.53] 'you who have received the law...but have not obeyed it'- Israel received the law of God and were appointed to protect it but they failed to keep it; Stephen's remarks are equal to "you are all betrayers and murderers"
  
• [See v.54] 'When they heard this, they were furious'- after Stephen delivers his history lesson of the Israelites, the crowd's bells have been rung and they are convicted by the Holy Spirit; but instead of responding by submitting to the Holy Spirit they become filled with rage
  
• 'gnashed their teeth at him'- these men who have the outward appearance and reputation of being prominent, successful and highly religious in their society suddenly reveal themselves as citizens of Hell who have rejected God
  
• [See v.55] 'Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to Heaven'- as his sermon comes to an end, it is clear where his boldness, wisdom and power to preach the truth about Jesus has come from- being filled with the Holy Spirit
  
• 'Jesus standing at the right hand of God'- usually the description of Jesus is "sitting" at the right hand of God but here Stephen sees him "standing"; Jesus stands up for Stephen, not leaving him to be alone at a time of crisis and Stephen, who confessed Christ to the men, is confessed as Jesus' servant before God
  
• [See v.57] 'covered their ears...yelling at the top of their voices'- for Stephen to say that Jesus stood in a position of authority next to God was blasphemy to the crowd; they mistakenly believed that a crucified man was cursed by God
  
• This fulfilled what was said in John 16:2-3, '2They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me'; those who reject God become so lost in their spirituality that they cannot even control themselves any longer
  
• [See v.58] 'young man named Saul'- Saul was the supervisor of the execution, one of the Sanhedrin who approved the stoning of Stephen
  
• [See v.59] '"Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit"'- Stephen shows absolute trust in God even as he is about to die, ending his life the same way he lived it- trusting that Jesus would take care of him
  
• [See v.60] '"Lord, do not hold this sin against them"'- Stephen prays to God that He would touch the hearts of the very people who killed him- Saul, one of them, would receive God's blessing as a result of Stephen's prayer and become Paul who we know well as the author of several books in the Bible
  
• It's hard to imagine forgiving someone for taking your life but here Stephen does it, sharing in the suffering of Jesus at the same time
  
• [See v.60] 'he fell asleep'- this implies that Stephen did not "die", but actually woke up to a much better, new world- Heaven!
  
• It is amazing to see how when one walks in the power of the Holy Spirit, they can be used by God to do great things
  
  
  
  
  
  

Acts 5

Acts 5 (New International Version)


Ananias and Sapphira
1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
3Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."

5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?"
"Yes," she said, "that is the price."

9Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."

10At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

The Apostles Heal Many
12The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.
The Apostles Persecuted
17Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20"Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life."
21At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23"We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." 24On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.

25Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." 26At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

27Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."

29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

33When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

40His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.





Interesting points of Discussion:

• [See v.1] 'a man named Ananias, together with this wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property'- recall that at the end of Acts 4 a man named Barnabas sold a field and brought the money to the apostles; Ananias and Sapphira saw how respected Barnabas was for his generosity and wanted the same respect for themselves
  
• [See v.2] 'kept back part of the money for himself'- Ananias, with his wife right by his side watching and aware of what he was doing, stores away part of the sale proceeds and gives back the rest to the apostles; this wasn't just Ananias acting alone, both him and his wife had clearly conceived this plan together
  
• In an attempt to deceive the apostles that he and his wife were real generous people who were sharing their wealth for the good of the people, they lie to the apostles that the money that they laid at their feet was the full amount from the sale of the land
  
• Their sin was rooted in pride desiring a good reputation in the community and also coveting wealth- the love of money
  
• [See v.4] 'Didn't it belong to you...wasn't the money at your disposal?'- the apostles didn't care about how much Ananias had kept for himself, he could have kept even all the proceeds for himself if he wanted to because he was the owner and was free to do whatever he wanted with the money
  
• But what the apostles did care about was that Ananias deliberately 'lied to the Holy Spirit' [v.3] and consequently he had 'not lied to men but to God' [v.4] since the Holy Spirit is God; the implication here is that when you lie to God's people, the church, you are lying to God because God and the church are intertwined with the Holy Spirit dwelling in the church
  
• [See v.3] 'Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied'- Through the Holy Spirit Peter receives supernatural knowledge of what Ananias has done; surely Ananias was fully expecting to be praised and instead he is rebuked by God through Peter
  
• Instead of trusting God and receiving the gift of faith through the Holy Spirit, Ananias and Sapphira believed that they could serve both God and man- and in so doing fell victim to Satan's lies
  
• What began as a "little white lie" conspired between the two of them end up being much bigger than that- matters concerning Satan and the Holy Spirit of God in the holy order of God's church
  
• Rejecting the Holy Spirit and closing your eyes and ears to God's commands leads to a complete breakdown of the armor of God and the belt of truth suddenly comes apart, allowing the enemy to slip in uninvited like a thief in the night looking to steal, kill and destroy- in this case trying to hinder the progress of the church with greed and corruption
  
• [See v.5] 'he fell down and died'- God strikes Ananias dead for his sin
  
• Ananias' death could have possibly been caused by a heart attack; living in a time and among people who really believed that there was a God to answer to, having his sin exposed and having to be accountable in front of the Lord probably frightened him so much that he died of fear
  
• 'great fear seized all who heard'- this sign and wonder performed by God has the crowd terrified rather than amazed and awed; we must fear God and acknowledge his supremacy
  
• If we believe in man's supremacy and have no fear of God, we take the attitude of "How dare God not employ His powers on behalf of man" when it really should be "How dare I steal his air"; the truth is He could strike us down at any moment just as He did to Ananias and his wife
  
• [See v.8] 'is this the price you and Ananias got'- Peter asks Ananias' wife to see if she will tell the truth but she gives the same answer that Ananias gave earlier concerning the final sale amount of the land
  
• [See v.9] 'How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord'- Peter exposes their sin which is two-fold in that first they didn't trust God's promises to provide for them and second they did not obey God's commandments by lying
  
• God tests us to see if we will obey Him- disobedience is equal to testing the Lord; do we trust God that He will provide for us and wait for His timing?
  
• [See v.10] 'she fell down at his feet and died'- God strikes Ananias' wife dead for her sin; she had clearly conspired with Ananias and had known everything that was going to happen and just went along with it pretending to be an innocent bystander
  
• Ananias and Sapphira looked to provide security for themselves on their own and acted according to their own interests- to the flesh- which was used by Satan to influence them to sin which ultimately led to their deaths
  
• The physical death was important in seeing how God sees certain sins as worse than others and accomplishing His purpose of causing man to fear Him; yet just as important was the outcome of the sins- death- for when we sin it leads to death, as much spiritual as it was physical here in this context
  
• Is God's punishment of death too harsh?
  
• It is a greater wonder when you consider why God hasn't struck any of us down for our sins as He delays His righteous judgment in most other cases
  
• God takes the sin of lying serious enough to pronounce a death sentence upon it; the sins of greed and pride was actually the lesser of the sins that Ananias and his wife committed
  
• Today, people get really serious about sins involving money but when it comes to a "little white lie" here and there, it's almost expected; it's important to see how God's values are different from ours if we want to live up to His standards
  
• Why would God take the sin of lying so seriously?
  
• Because the church was founded upon the truth, grows because of the truth and maintains its unity through the truth; the art of deception is an attack employed by the enemy, Satan, the liar and deceiver, against the truth which would destroy the very heart of the church and its foundations
  
• And with the church at its very early roots, there couldn't be any impurity or sin to corrupt the very means by which the church grew; the church could not be pure if there were members of the body of Christ serving Satan and not God
  
• This is a serious reminder of why we must follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit at all times; the moment Satan steps in and we act according to the desires of the flesh, something that was supposed to be a good deed and pure in motive is turned into a heinous sin-- a generosity out of love for others corrupted by self-interests, the very opposite of being 'one in heart and mind' [v.32, Acts 4]
  
• [See v.12] 'all the believers used to meet together'- as much as the 'miraculous signs and wonders' [v.11] performed by the apostles display the power of the Holy Spirit, even greater is the power of the Holy Spirit in bringing God's people together
  
• 'Solomon's Colonnade'- this was a large area in the temple complex that was open to everyone
  
• [See v.13] 'No one else dare joined them...were highly regarded by the people'- the people begin to see that it is no casual commitment to follow Jesus and the unity and honesty of these early Christians earned them a glowing reputation as if God had put them on a pedestal
  
• [See v.14] 'more and more men and women believed'- despite the initial reaction of the people that following Jesus is serious and probably too much so for their current lifestyle which is far from the ways of this early Christian community, the power of the Holy Spirit sweeps through the whole community adding to the numbers of the rapidly growing church
  
• [See v.15] 'Peter's shadow might fall on some of them'- the people were so convinced of the realness and power of what the Christians believed that they thought they could be healed by the mere touch of Peter's shadow-- this is in reference to the belief in ancient times that shadows had magical powers
  
• Yet it wasn't Peter's shadow that had any power; there was power when a person believed in Jesus to heal
  
• Jesus was working through the apostles as a healer, in this case using Peter as a vessel through which people would release their faith in Jesus as the healer
  
• As the church grows out of its purity and unity, God blesses them with great power through the Holy Spirit, healing the sick and casting out demons by the work of Jesus Christ
  
• As their good works and growing reputation clearly and powerfully become evident in the community, persecution comes, again
  
• [See v.17] 'high priest and all his associates...were filled with jealousy'- the Jewish leaders envy the power and influence of the apostles, focused only on their own reputations which may be threatened at the moment
  
• [See v.18] 'arrested the apostles'- these high ranking officials exercise their power thinking they are the supreme authority of the land when in fact what they are doing amounts to declaring "How dare God not give us His powers" and not "How dare we try to hide God's glory" in humbleness to the almighty King
  
• [See v.19] 'an angel of the Lord opened the doors'- God intervenes as He sends angels forth to free the apostles from prison; no wall is great enough to keep God's purposes from being fulfilled as they are set free, not to celebrate, but to continue teaching and spreading the Gospel
  
• [See v.21] 'At daybreak they entered the temple courts'- the apostles promptly obey God's command to go and teach the people, going to the most public area, the temple, at the crack of dawn; we might like to think that the apostles would try to flee for their lives or hide out for their safety after having been locked up but what supernatural boldness they show in going back to doing the same thing that got them arrested!
  
• [See v.22] 'officers did not find them there'- we can picture the high priest and his associates waiting pompously for the apostles to be brought in to face the highest court of the land, 'the Sanhedrin' [v.21], hoping that their plan to intimidate the apostles overnight in jail and "soften them up" would work in their favor and the apostles' courage would dwindle away
  
• Even though they didn't want to admit it, in the silence of the court these proud people must have realized they were no longer in control but that something greater was happening that wasn't in their hands
  
• [See v.24] 'wondering what would come of this'- the Jewish leaders still are wondering what the outcome will be; the apostles know that God's work will continue
  
• [See v.26] 'They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them'- when the apostles are arrested again, the crowd is obviously on the side of the apostles; the apostles could have appealed to the crowd and asked for help in resisting to be arrested, but they trusted in God alone, bowing not even to popular opinion that might benefit them and cause them less harm
  
• On the other side of it, the temple guard and his officers who arrest the apostles are fearful of losing their lives because the crowd might stone them; what a contrast between the apostles fearing God and the Jewish council fearing men
  
• [See v.28] 'you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching'- how ironic that the high priest's accusation is a testimony to the effectiveness of the apostles' teaching and spreading of the Gospel
  
• 'determined to make us guilty of this man's blood'- the high priest continues his accusations, saying that the apostles are trying to hold the Jewish leaders accountable for Jesus' death; but this very guilt the Jewish leaders are trying to deny and avoid is the very thing that will bring them to faith in Jesus Christ- covered, and cleansed, by His blood- another testimony to God's work through the apostles in saving men by the power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ
  
• [See v.29] 'We must obey God rather than men'- the apostles explain to the Sanhedrin why they have taught and preached in the name of Jesus in a straightforward manner that challenges the core of what the Sanhedrin believe- man's opinion
  
• [See v.32] 'Whom God has given to those who obey Him'- The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God; no matter how powerful or influential rulers of the world may be, we should not obey those who try to diminish the honor and authority of God
  
• [See v.30-31] The apostles give testimony to the foundation of Christian faith, speaking of man's guilt ('whom you had killed' [v.30]), Jesus' death ('hanging him on a tree' [v.30]), Jesus' resurrection ('raised Jesus from the dead' [v.30]) and man's responsibility to respond ('he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel' [v.31])
  
• [See v.32] 'We are witnesses...so is the Holy Spirit'- not only were human eyes witnesses of this, God was
  
• [See v.33] 'they were furious and wanted to put them to death'- not only had the apostles disregarded the Sanhedrin's orders, they were now declaring that the Sanhedrin had murdered Jesus; what was supposed to be a trial indicting the apostles now was an indictment of the persecution council
  
• God, through the apostles, passes judgment on the court that sentenced Jesus to death on the cross and now the court and its council were the criminals; God can turn the tables quickly and bring His justice to pass
  
• All rationale and law were thrown out the window as the Sanhedrin seethed with anger, out of control and unable to think clearly, calling for the unlawful deaths of the apostles
  
• [See v.33] 'a Pharisee named Gamaliel...stood up...ordered that the men be put outside'- all the sudden in the middle of this chaos, Gamaliel, a well-known and highly regarded teacher who happened to be a Pharisee, gets up and quiets the crowd down but has the apostles leave because he doesn't want them to hear this; he pleads with members of the Sanhedrin to calm down, regain their composure and come to a more reasonable conclusion
  
• [See v.38] 'if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail'- Gamaliel proposes to the members of the Sanhedrin to wait a little while to see if this movement of the apostles will fail just as many other movements led by men in the past have failed; his premise was based on history and stated that movements led by men will die with the death of the leader but that a movement led by God would last beyond the death of the leader
  
• He may have appeared to be speaking for God but he was not; he was defining God's truth by the success and duration of a movement (how many manmade movements are successful and have nothing to do with God) and speaking from his own intellect
  
• Gamaliel took the "wait and see" attitude, "sitting on the fence" even after all the apostles had testified to the resurrection of Jesus Christ; how often do people see God speaking through others yet they themselves won't accept Jesus, repent and trust God, instead seeing God behind the church as being a "hypothetical" possibility
  
• [See v.40] 'had them flogged'- the Sanhedrin figured a beating might intimidate and discourage the apostles from preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus Christ
  
• [See v.41] 'left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing'- the apostles instead rejoice, not because they suffered, but because they were 'counted worthy of suffering disgrace' for Jesus Christ; it was a privilege to be associated with Jesus, even to suffer, if it brought glory to God
  
• [See v.42] 'Day after day...house to house...never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ'- the apostles show a relentless courage and determination to stand firm for Jesus Christ despite the severe beatings and growing opposition from the leaders of the land
  
  
  

Acts 4

Acts 4 (New International Version)


Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin
1The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
5The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"

8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.' 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

13When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16"What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."

18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

21After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

The Believers' Prayer
23On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
" 'Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.' 27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

The Believers Share Their Possessions
32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.




Interesting points of Discussion:

• [See v.2] 'greatly disturbed'- the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection or an afterlife
  
• [See v.3] 'seized'- as Peter and John teach at the temple about the resurrection of the dead through Jesus Christ, the "police force" of the temple precincts, priests and Sadducees come together to arrest them
  
• [See v.5] 'many who heard the message believed'- despite the opposition against the spreading of the Gospel, the church continues to grow in large numbers, jumping from 3,000 in Acts 2 to 5,000 in Acts 4- all started by a group of just 12 apostles transformed by the Holy Spirit to be bold and confident in speaking the words of truth
  
• [See v.5-7] 'the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met...had Peter and John brought before them'- this was no small mob of an opposition that Peter and John faced; they were brought to stand before the highest Jewish civil and religious court of the land
  
• These were the same people who had rejected Jesus and put him on trial, convincing the crowd that Jesus was a fraud so that they would cry out for his crucifixion; we wonder if Peter and John also might expect to be crucified
  
• In today's Western world, why is it that Christians face very little or no persecution at all?
  
• If our faith was exhibited in clear and powerful ways, persecution should be the natural result; the world takes notice and the works of God's kingdom are offensive to the world, which was true for every prophet, including the greatest prophet Jesus Christ
  
• We are not called to be accepted, to have social status and to build empires as many Western Christians seem to cling to as their Christian identity; we are called to glorify God just as Peter and John have deomonstrated- they didn't sit around caught up in the daily matters of life conforming to the fashions of the day because they were afraid the world would be hostile if they proclaimed the basic, essential Christian moral or religious teaching
  
• Today's world regards the only sin as being intolerant of any kind of religion or lifestyle practice; you will be ridiculed and frowned upon if you say that there is one way or one truth in such a pluralistic world
  
• But this is exactly what each Christian is called to believe, proclaim and defend even when you know that you will be socially ostracized, denied promotions and lose your job
  
• In a survey where the question asked to non-Christians in America was: why don't you want to become a Christian? The most common answer was "Look at Christians and the way they live."
  
• Why did the Jewish leaders persecute Peter and John? Shouldn't they have been happy and excited about this amazing healing?
  
• And yet they seemed afraid and worried, so much so that they opposed Peter and John with their most powerful civil and political body
  
• They knew that if the people knew about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, they would be proved dead wrong besides the fact that they already had failed to explain the empty tomb of Jesus and the healing of the lame man
  
• To them, it was about power, more specifically, their right to teach the people on their own turf (temple) with their own teachings and their approval; they clearly saw Peter and John as a threat to their ability to control the masses
  
• Maybe they wanted to find out how they could do it themselves or they simply couldn't rationalize how such a miracle might occur and thus did so to protect their own ideals?
  
• On a bigger scale they may have been afraid of political upheaval or the start of a social revolution that would greatly disturb the religious climate of the time; after all they were under the authority of the Roman government who they feared
  
• The resurrection of Jesus Christ made everything possible but these people want to keep everything the same and the way it has been, fearing change and caring more about their security
  
• [See v.7] 'By what power or what name'- to them, power comes from the name, which gives you that special privilege or status that they recognize; it explains why they wouldn't recognize Jesus or his authority for fear of losing their own position and authority
  
• [See v.9] 'If we are being called to account'- as Peter boldly preaches in the Spirit cutting directly to the heart of the matter, he challenges the court's absurd charges 'for an act of kindness' and shows absolutely no fear of the court's possible ruling against him
  
• [See v.12] 'Salvation is found in no one else'- Peter can't make it clear enough, repeating twice that there is only one way to salvation and that is through Jesus Christ
  
• In today's world of freedom to choose between many different options, this would be offensive to many; there are some out there who believe they can get to heaven without knowing or accepting Jesus but by worshipping God alone or some combination of other faiths and works
  
• [See v.13] 'unschooled, ordinary men'- Peter and John were fishermen from Galilee but they didn't need a formal education to have the 'courage' to do ministry; their only requirement was to have been with Jesus
  
• It seems as if being with Jesus makes us shine as if Jesus was in us and those who see this will be able to see plainly Jesus in us; many people won't go to Jesus directly and it becomes the duty of Christians to show who Jesus is through our example
  
• We shine because this is how Jesus glorifies the weak, humble and the lowly
  
• 'took note'- all the sudden, it dawns upon them that Peter and John remind them of Jesus and they remember "those two" who had been with Jesus before; the problem that they thought they resolved has come back to haunt them as the Holy Spirit has transformed the apostles to continue Jesus' teachings and miracles
  
• [See v.17] 'we must warn these men'- out of fear and self-interests, the leaders try to cover up this "Jesus mess" by trying to stop Peter and John from preaching the Gospel
  
• [See v.19] 'Judge for yourselves'- Peter appeals to them telling them that they should know better than to listen to man over God; the apostles are obeying Jesus' teachings to testify as witnesses about what they 'have seen and heard'
  
• [See v.21] 'could not decide how to punish them...because all the people were praising God'- despite seeing and hearing about the miracle, the leaders still choose to listen to the people's opinion and not God's opinion
  
• It is clear overall that God has worked through this seemingly troubling situation for the apostles to: spread the gospel to the non-believers in growing the church and to have Peter and John preach to the Jewish leaders continuing to enlarge their confidence and boldness all the more while confusing His enemies making them powerless to even lock up Peter and John, all to His glory
  
• [See v.23] 'reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them'- upon their release by the perplexed and handcuffed Jewish leaders, Peter and John almost can't believe what had just happened as if they had just been under the supernatural hand of God, preaching the Gospel to some of the most powerful people of the time and actually having them listen to them seriously instead of being taken for fools or kicked off the doorstep before they could even get in
  
• [See v.24] 'raised their voices'- the apostles acknowledge God not in silent prayer but out loud and 'together' in unity; praying out loud can be more effective because it is easier to focus your thoughts and praying together allows everyone to have the same mind about what they're praying about, being in agreement with each other about everything that is lifted up to the heavens
  
• They begin their prayer with 'Sovereign Lord', reminding themselves of who God is- the Lord of all creation, the God of all power, the one who is in control and not us; our prayers have power when we know who we are praying to and not just some imaginary God we pretend to know or make up names for
  
• Furthermore, their prayers are in light of the Scriptures as they identify their own current circumstances being persecuted by the Jewish leaders with God's spoken word through David in the Old Testament; God's word speaks into our situations all the time
  
• When we recognize that even the most wicked acts of man don't fall outside of God's control- His enemies could only do what His 'power and will had decided beforehand should happen' [v.28], it gives us great peace to know that God will not allow our enemies to do whatever they want
  
• [See v.29] 'enable your servants to speak your word'- instead of thanking the Lord for what they have done so far and being satisfied with their accomplishments, the apostles take hold of God's cause and glory, asking for something that might lead to more confrontation; aren't they supposed to be asking for less?!
  
• They don't pray "I stretch out my hand to receive the power to heal" but rather 'Stretch out your hand' [v.30]; they are not asking to do the miracles themselves and to take pride in themselves being chosen to do such things, they are delighting in the power of God because it is through Jesus and his hand that healing is done
  
• [See v.31] 'place where they were meeting was shaken'- God answers their prayers loudly and clearly in the form of an earthquake
  
• 'they were all filled with the Holy Spirit'- this sounds like the first time during Pentecost when they were baptized with the Holy Spirit and yet it seems to be happening for a second time; there seems to be a special emphasis on continually being filled with the Holy Spirit all the time and not just when you are baptized for the first time
  
• [See v.32] 'one in heart and mind...shared everything'- because the believers were unified in heart and mind, being in agreement with each other, they came to regard each other as more important than things or possessions which belonged to God
  
• Some people may think this is Communism but there is a clear difference: in Communism, they take what is yours, not share what is yours
  
• [See v.33] 'With great power...much grace was upon them all'- as a result of the apostles putting God and each other above things and material possessions, they were given greater power to preach and spread the Gospel, not to mention that everywhere they went, God's favor was evident as if the heavens were smiling down on them
  
• [See v.34-36] We see this picture of early Christians and the overwhelming generosity and eagerness to give to those who had need; no one waited around for someone else to give as 'those who owned lands or houses sold them'
  
• This was necessary in order for the church to grow as rapidly as it did since many of these Christians came from abroad as refugees with little money and no housing
  
• Once again the importance of money here is not just giving it to the needy but so that they may be able to join the church and community; they are literally being offered a new life and not just to improve or to sustain their old life, like saying "Hey come here and join us" and not "Here's a couple bucks, have a nice life"
  
  
  
  
  

Acts 3

Acts 3 (New International Version)


Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar
1One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2Now a man crippled 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. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
6Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10they 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.

Peter Speaks to the Onlookers
11While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, 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? 13The 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. 14You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16By 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 given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
17"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.'

24"Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 25And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' 26When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."



Interesting points of Discussion:

• [See v.1] 'at the time of prayer'- Peter and John seem to be going to the temple to pray at the customary hour- 'three in the afternoon'
  
• Instead of walking by the beggar in front of the temple and going about their business, they recognize this as an opportunity to spread the Gospel and go out of their way to help this man as Peter shouts, 'Look at us!'
  
• [See v.3] 'he asked them for money'- the man just wanted enough money to "get by" for the day
  
• [See v.5] 'expecting to get something'- the man expected to receive something which was faith on his part but much less than what he would actually receive and not the right thing
  
• In the same way, how many of us lower our expectations and settle for less when God wants to give us so much more?
  
• Also, do we always ask for and expect the right things from God?
  
• The man asks for money but he is given the Holy Spirit; God's abundance is far greater than any kind of worldly abundance
  
• [See v.6] 'silver or gold I do not have'- rather than giving this man what he is asking for which is to support his mess of a condition without changing anything significant in his life, Peter transforms him from lame to walking by the power of the risen Jesus Christ
  
• As people of the church, are we called to simply make better or make bearable the present condition of those in need or are we to completely change their condition by releasing the redeeming work of God in Christ?
  
• And in doing the work, is what we really need more money and funding for the church to meet the natural needs of the poor or the spiritual power to say "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk"?
  
• [See v.6] 'what I have I give you'- Peter gives him the power to walk in the name of Jesus; he couldn't have done this if he himself hadn't received the power of Jesus in his own life
  
• [See v.7] 'he helped him up'- it was one thing for Peter to say to the man to get up and walk, it took a supernatural prompting of the Holy Spirit for Peter to trust God completely for something way out of the ordinary and believe that the man would actually get up and walk; he was receiving the gift of faith as described in 1 Corinthians 12:9,
  "9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,"
  
• Faith is a gift! It is not our self-inspired belief alone that is called faith, it is a supernatural gift from God to trust God beyond natural human abilities
  
• Being open to receiving this gift of faith is what leads to the healing; listening to the Holy Spirit and its commands seems to be critical in performing these miracles
  
• Often doubts and fears can consume our minds and cause the Holy Spirit to grow weak even though it is willing
  
• [See v.10] 'they recognized him'- this man was a familiar sight at the temple which means Jesus must have seen him before, but why did he never heal him?
  
• This shows how important God's timing is; it was for the greater glory of God that Jesus healed this man from heaven through his apostles
  
• [See v.12] 'why does this surprise you?'- Peter knew it wasn't enough to save these people to merely see and hear a miracle and to be amazed and interested
  
• Peter knew well that seeing and hearing about miracles wasn't going to save these people or bring them to Jesus for it says in Romans 10:17,
  "17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
  
• [See v.12] 'as if by our own power or godliness'- Peter gives the credit all to Jesus and none to himself; healing doesn't happen because the people who are performing them are super spiritual, so close to God, Godly, holy, etc.
  
• [See v.13] 'God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob'- as Peter preaches about Jesus, he makes sure that the God he is talking about is not any of the other gods people have invented or imagined
  
• [See v.14] 'asked that a murderer be released to you'- Peter boldly confronts the crowd convicting them of their sin in choosing to reject Jesus Christ all the while embracing a criminal and a murderer
  
• [See v.15] 'You killed the author of life'- Peter himself having witnessed the resurrection of Jesus lets the people know that they betrayed and killed the very one that created them and gave them life
  
• [See v.16] 'By faith in the name of Jesus'- once again Peter stresses that what healed the man wasn't his own faith but because of God's gift of faith; just iterating "in Jesus name" has no power on its own if you are not consciously doing it in the authority and power of Jesus
  
• It is clear that there is a third person, the Holy Spirit, that allows Peter to consciously perform the healing in the authority and power of Jesus
  
• [See v.17] 'I know that you acted in ignorance'- Peter seems to be offering a second chance to these people who killed Jesus- he doesn't say that they're innocent but he realizes that they didn't know about God's eternal plan which they ignored
  
• [See v.18] 'God had fulfilled what he had foretold'- Peter reveals how God took the most evil act (crucifixion of Jesus) and used it for the good of mankind; this is the God that is at work in our own lives as described in Romans 8:28,
  "28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
  
• [See v.19] 'times of refreshing'- Peter refers to the time when Jesus Christ will return for the second time to restore all things and to establish the kindgom of righteousness on Earth; he points out that this will only happen if the Jews (Israel) repent as a nation
  
• [See v.23] 'will be completely cut off'- if the Jews do not listen to Jesus they will no longer be God's people
  
• [See v.26] 'turning each of you from your wicked ways'- not only does God want to bless us and do good for us, he also wants to turn us all away from our sins
  
  
  
  

Acts 2

Acts 2 (New International Version)


The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."

Peter Addresses the Crowd
14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'

29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
35until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet." '

36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38Peter 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. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The Fellowship of the Believers
42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.



Interesting points of Discussion:




•[See v.1] 'day of Pentecost'- fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and ten days after his ascension into Heaven, Jesus' promise to the apostles of 'the gift my Father promised' [see v.4, Acts 1] is fulfilled as God suddenly reveals his glory to mankind and pours out the Holy Spirit upon everyone in the community (takes place in Jerusalem)

•[See v.1] 'they were all together in one place'- as we see the disciples preparing for the Pentecost, it is clear that God has spoken to them to gather and wait in this certain 'place'; they are obeying God's command along with prayer and organizing themselves as a group

•[See v.2] 'a violent wind came from heaven'- just as God's appearances earlier in the Old Testament was accompanied by powerful, magical acts of nature- recall the burning bush and cloud of fire before which Moses and the Israelites appeared, the Holy Spirit's arrival is signified by this hurricane-like wind and 'tongues of fire' [see v.3]; the similarity with which the Holy Spirit is revealed goes back to the idea of the Trinity being God, the Son and the Holy Spirit who are all revelations of God in three persons and share the same essential and unique attributes of God

•It is interesting that the Holy Spirit is the last of the Trinity to be revealed; it came to carry on Jesus' work and is a pivotal presence in the establishment of the church

•These signs of God that Israel was used to was now being presented to people from all nations who had come to Jerusalem to observe the Pentecost; it was God now making a covenant with those outside of Israel for those who would believe in his son Jesus Christ

•[See v.4] 'began to speak in other tongues'- people began to speak in languages other than their own native language

•[See v.6] 'each one heard them speaking in his own language'- all these people from different nations and cultures with distinct languages are not only speaking in languages other than their own; it seems that every single person who is listening to another person speaking is hearing his own native language!

•In this moment we can see the amazing supernatural power of the Holy Spirit allowing people from radically different backgrounds to engage with each other in conversation; God not only finally extends his branch (formerly Israel) to the whole world but he goes even farther to break all the barriers between these nations and unify them as one body of believers

•The Penetecost in the Old Testament was the feast of Weeks as set forth by God- a celebration after 7 weeks of the joyous harvest season on the "fiftieth" day, which means "Pentecost" in Greek

•Concerning the Penetecost, the Lord said 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.' [Leviticus 23:22]

•God was referring to 'the poor and the alien' as the Gentiles (non-Jews) to whom he would reach out to by baptizing them with the Holy Spirit, extending his grace through Jesus Christ to those outside the assembly of Israel and revealing his divine plan to spread the Gospel beyond the limits of Israel in what was the birth of the church

•Tongues is a spiritual gift of the Holy Spirit and its wonders have been known to be uttered in both a unique heavenly language and other people's native languages as in the context of Acts 2

•[See v.16] 'spoken by the prophet Joel'- Peter speaks out the truth in response to some of the Jews who doubted this wonder of God and called it a result of having 'too much wine' [see v.13]; the Holy Spirit's powers were revealed in many forms including prophesying, having visions and dreams

•Prophet Joel's prophecy here as stated by Peter was not just concerning the Penetecost and the first coming of the Holy Spirit but what was yet to be fulfilled- the restoration of Israel and the second coming of Christ in the last days in which once again the Holy Spirit would be poured out

•[See v.34-35] David said that "The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"; this was God telling Jesus upon his return to sit next to Him and expect Him to bring his defeated enemies under his feet

•[See v.38-41] Peter establishes the foundation of the church in introducing repentance and forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ and the receiving of the Holy Spirit; we see the power of the Holy Spirit in ministry making believers out of non-believers en route to the beginning of the church

•[See v.42-47] This early church is described as full of joy and excitement being unified in their hearts to the point that they 'sold their possessions and goods' for each other; God grows this church not only in size but transforms them on the inside through the power of the Holy Spirit to live joyfully among each other, to learn from each other, to teach other and to help one another

•In modern times, this picture of a Utopian society where everyone shares equally is hard to fathom and too ideal for a survival-frenzied, profit-driven, luxury-striving world

•But it's clear that from the beginning God has called us to be generous in sacrificing for the sake of others and also to live with each other for each other, not forgetting that he has called us to be one and the same having 'everything in common'

Acts 1

Acts 1 (New International Version)


Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven
1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."

18(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

20"For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms,
" 'May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,' and,
" 'May another take his place of leadership.' 21Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."

23So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs." 26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.



Interesting points of Discussion:

• Background of the Book of Acts: The book of Acts follows the four books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that composed the eyewitness accounts of the "Gospel" (good message or good news) as delivered by Jesus' own words; Luke, author of one of the four "Gospel" books, has long assumed to have been the author of Acts
  
• The book of Acts is a bridge to the New Testament writings as it joins what 'Jesus began to do and to teach' [See v.1] as told in the "Gospel" books with what he continued to do and teach through the apostles' preaching and the establishment of the church
  
• Q: What kind of 'Acts' is this book in the Bible referring to ?
  
• A: Acts of the Holy Spirit performed through the apostles of Jesus Christ
  
• Q: What was your experience of the Holy Spirit when it came upon you ?
  
• A: Felt a sense of overwhelming peace, boldness to share the love of God, the world around me seemed different as if I was judging through a new set of eyes, felt a desire to be holy and to know the goodness of God, absence of fear when sharing as a witness
  
• The disciples faced a transition from watching Jesus' work on Earth and having Jesus do everything for them to having to do these same works without Jesus present (physically) and instead replaced by the Holy Spirit
  
• How did the apostles deal with his departure ?
  
• [See v.10] 'two men dressed in white'- angels come to tell the apostles to start living (i.e. 'Why do you stand here looking into the sky?' [see v.11]) instead of keeping on wondering why Jesus left and thinking, "He's really gone?"; Jesus died for us so that we might live!
  
• [See v.11] 'will come back in the same way'- the angels tell the apostles of the second coming of Christ which is just as certain and glorious as his ascension into heaven at that hour
  
• [See v.8] 'you will receive power'- before Jesus ascends into Heaven he tells them that they will be given power from the Holy Spirit to do the same amazing signs, wonders and miracles that Jesus himself performed in his time on Earth
  
• 'you will be my witnesses'- Jesus foreshawdows the works that the apostles will do through the Holy Spirit in founding churches, spreading the gospel, establishing congregations and evangelizing
  
• [See v.5] The baptism with the Holy Spirit that Jesus promises to them is quite different from the baptism with water that John had performed earlier
  
• Baptism with water is physical whereas the Holy Spirit cannot be seen and is spiritual; going into the water represents death to self and coming back out of the water represents the resurrection of Christ in you
  
• Other than the physical/spiritual contrast, baptism with water is very much symbolic of the baptism with the Holy Spirit
  
• [See v.13] All the names of the apostles are listed, stressing their roles as a body of divinely appointed witnesses to Jesus' life, teachings and his resurrection
  
• There seems to be a symbolic element to why the disciples chose to replace Judas and maintain the 12-apostle arrangement- recall the twelve tribes of Israel in the old Testament; this number twelve could represent the Christian church (founded by the 12 apostles) which in turn represents a reconstituted Israel
  
• [See v.18] Judas' death is portrayed differently here than in Matthew 27:5 where he was said to have hung himself; here he purchases a property with the betrayal money and kills himself in a fall
  
• Judas' suicidal fate reminds us how serious God's punishment can be
  
• As we learn about how the Holy Spirit works it's important to look at how the apostles prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit
  
• Besides constant prayer [see v.14], they organized themselves as a group
  
  
  
  

John 19

John 19 (New International Version)


Jesus Sentenced to be Crucified
1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.
4Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

6As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

7The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

8When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

12From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

13When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.
"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

15But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"
"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

16Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:|sc JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

22Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

23When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
"They divided my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus
28Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

The Burial of Jesus
38Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.


Interesting points of Discussion:

• [See v.2] 'clothed him in a purple robe'- the Roman soldiers mock Jesus, dressing him up to be a king with a crown and a robe yet treating him as if he was the lowest of lowest criminals by physically beating and striking him
  
• [See v.8] 'he was even more afraid'- Pilate hears from the Jews that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and suddenly the fear of God comes upon him
  
• [See v.11] 'You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above'- at the same time that Jesus sternly rebukes Pilate about how his power comes from God and not from man, Jesus also conveys how perfectly he is submitted to God's will
  
• [See v.19] 'Pilate had a notice prepared'- Pilate made the sign "JESUS OF NAZARETH KING OF THE JEWS" even though the chief priests insisted that the Jews had 'no king but Caesar' [see v.15]; did Pilate do this to mock Jesus or did he actually do it out of respect and fear of the Lord?
  
• [See v.22] 'What I have written, I have written'- Pilate stands behind his decision to make the sign for Jesus, much to the chagrin of the Jews who were protesting; perhaps Pilate felt an obligation to carry out the fulfillment of God's work after all
  
• The sign was written in 3 different languages [see v.20] and symbolizes how Jesus is "Lord over all"
  
• [See v.24] 'divided my garments...cast lots for my clothing'- the prophecy from the Old Testament scriptures is fulfilled that the soldiers would gamble for the clothes of Jesus as he was naked on the cross
  
• Being stripped of your clothes is a severe form of humiliation as was done to Jesus; instead of being honored as a king he suffered the treatment worthy of a slave
  
• [See v.25-27] Jesus takes care of his family and loved ones even as he is dying on the cross; we see how important it is to take care of those around us just as he did
  
• Jesus displays remarkable control even during his crucifixion as he tells people about their positions (gives a disciple to be his mother's son in place of him) and unites people (mother and son); can we have the same composure and determination to stick to what is right when we run into difficult circumstances?
  
• [See v.28] 'I am thirsty'- this is another fulfillment of the scriptures as Jesus has lost a lot of blood and water from his body
  
• The blood and water that flows from Jesus is quite ironic because he is the one who is thirsty yet he is also the one who truly satisfies our thirst and hunger; to best put it, even as Jesus was dying, life was flowing out of him that would be the source of new life for us
  
• Taken figuratively, Jesus' thirst on the cross is an example of how we should live like him to thirst for God
  
• [See v.29] The soldiers giving vinegar to Jesus was equal to mockery since vinegar only makes you thirstier
  
• [See v.33] 'they did not break his legs'- the other two men had their leg bones broken but Jesus was pierced instead; this was God's way of lifting him up in front of the world, to 'look on the one they have pierced' [see v.37]- "standing above all"
  
• [See v.36] 'Not one of his bones will be broken'- just as God commanded Moses and the Israelites during the Passover Feast not to break any of the bones in the sacrificial lambs, God wanted Jesus, the lamb of God, to be preserved in the same manner
  
• [See Psalm 34:19-20] 'A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken'- this suggests that God was also protecting Jesus and spared him from having his bones broken
  
• God keeps those who are righteous out of harm's way even though we may encounter situations where we may feel harmed