Acts 9

Acts 9 (New International Version)


Saul’s Conversion
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Aeneas and Dorcas
32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 Peter sent them all 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. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.




Commentary/Significant points of discussion:

• [See v.2] 'if he found any there who belonged to the Way...he might take them as prisoners to Jersusalem'- Saul continued to go all out to persecute the Christians, going all the way to Damascus which was 150 miles away from Jerusalem
  
• The name used for this early Christian movement was 'The Way', implying that being a Christian was not just about having a set of beliefs or principles but living in such a way that would reflect those beliefs; Jesus himself said that he was 'The Way' to salvation in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
  
• In today's modern world the name Christianity is tossed around with all the other different religions and classified as just another belief; it's almost as if humans have forgotten that in their early history Christianity was known as "the way, the truth and the life"
  
• [See v.3-4] 'a light from heaven flashed around him...fell to the ground'- just as Saul is about to reach Damascus, a light so bright that it terrifies him appears and Saul literally collapses to the ground in fear
  
• '"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me"'- Saul had thought the whole time that he was serving God and doing the Lord a favor by persecuting Christians when he was actually persecuting God Himself
  
• The fact that God repeats Saul's name twice shows His great emotion rather than anger; how many people do you know that would be sentimental towards you instead of angry and enraged if you killed their brothers or sisters ?
  
• [See v.5] '"I am Jesus"'- Saul knew who Jesus was because he was a member of the Pharisees who sat in judgement of Jesus before he was crucified; we can just imagine at this moment how convicted Saul must be of his guilt having thought that Jesus was a false prophet and that he was no longer alive
  
• '"Who are you, Lord"'- this is a question Paul would spend the rest of his life trying to figure out and Jesus would be the one to show him who God was
  
• '"Now get up and go into the city"'- Instead of telling Saul what to expect and to do in the city, Jesus gives him only one command at a time without revealing the whole plan that will eventually unfold
  
• God guides us step by step and moment by moment even though we might not understand or know exactly what to expect
  
• [See v.8] 'Saul got up...but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing'- the entire time Saul had shut his eyes against the light of the Lord, too terrified to even look, but when he does open his eyes again, he cannot see the light; God took away his sight
  
• [See v.9] 'For three days he was blind'- Saul's physical blindness now becomes a representation of his spiritual blindness and of the Israelites' as well
  
• 'did not eat or drink'- how humbling this must have been for Saul, unable to have even the basic necessities of life to satisfy his hunger; yet God had done this so that Saul might grow deeper spiritually and hunger for the truth in the silence of his thoughts which was the only thing he had during those three days
  
• We can guess the thoughts that Saul must have come to face in those dark hours; he must have begun to realize how his persecution against the Christians was not favorable to God and to question his misconceptions about who Jesus was
  
• In his blindness Saul must have felt the pain of what it feels like to not know where you are going; Saul must have hungered for God's guidance and searched for a future desitination- one he could not see- eternity
  
• In these three days Saul died to himself so that he would be raised to new life afterwards just as Jesus was resurrected three days after his death; how radical of a change that Saul goes from being this dogged persecutor of Jesus to getting a taste of what it's like to be in Jesus' shoes
  
• [See v.10] 'The Lord called to him in a vision'- a disciple by the name of Ananias receives a vision from God where he is told that he will be the one to place his hands on Saul and restore his sight; by Ananias' response "Yes, Lord" he shows his willingness to be God's servant
  
• God uses ordinary people like Ananias to do His work; all we have to be is willing
  
• [See v.11] 'for he is praying'- God tells Ananias that Saul was praying; for the first time Paul was really praying to God with Jesus as the mediator and not merely repeating formal prayers as he had done before
  
• [See v.13] '"Lord...I have heard many reports about this man"'- as logical and justified Ananias' comments seem in regards to Saul's persecution of the church, God does not need to be told by man anything He does not already know; God knows everything
  
• [See v.15] '"This man is my chosen instrument"'- if Ananias wasn't already reluctant enough to support Saul, he must have went from feeling bad to bitter and resentful when God told him that Saul was the one He had chosen to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Messiah to the Gentiles and his fellow Israelites
  
• How differently does God see our potential from the way the world sees our potential ? God sees what we can become without looking at our past records as the world often judges our character according to the good or bad things we have done
  
• [See v.16] '"how much he must suffer for my name"'- Saul's higher calling from God comes at a price- he will have to endure much suffering; we like to think of suffering as the lowest of human conditions but God eventually takes us to higher places
  
• [See v.17] 'Then Ananias went to the house'- despite having to swallow the bitter pill, Ananias obeys the Lord's command and goes to the house of Judas where Saul is
  
• '"Brother Saul"'- Ananias addresses Saul as a 'Brother' and thus as a fellow believer in Christ and lays his hands on him to bestow the blessing of the Holy Spirit upon Saul in an act of love; how much faith in God it must have taken for Ananias to accept Saul as God's appointed one after all the horrible things that Saul had done to his brothers and sisters in Christ
  
• '"you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit"'- Saul is physically healed of his blindness as well as of his spiritual blindness as he receives the Holy Spirit
  
• Afterwards, Saul was baptized and 'regained his strength' [v.19] by breaking the fast with food; he was now a new man in God, strengthened both physically and spiritually
  
• [See v.19-20] 'spent several days with the disciples...began to preach in the synagogues'- Saul's radical conversion is apparent as he now desires to fellowship with the same saints he wanted to kill before and boldly proclaims Jesus to be the 'Son of God' [v.20], a term that was understood to refer to Israel's awaited Messiah
  
• In the context of today's world, people seem to understand 'The Son of God' to mean that Jesus is not God; in Jesus' times, to be called a "son of" someone meant that you were wholly identified with that person and that their identity was your identity- in Jesus' case everyone knew what he meant when he called himself the "Son of God", i.e. he was God
  
• [See v.21] 'All those who heard him were astonished'- Saul's conversion is amazing and a testimony to the power of Jesus in changing a life; Paul himself would later write in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
  
• The promptness with which Saul serves the Lord reminds us that we can serve the Lord even if we are new in faith; when we are willing to serve, God gives us strength just as He did with Saul who 'grew more and more powerful' [v.22]
  
• [See v.22] 'baffled the Jews...proving that Jesus is the Christ'- the Israelites could not refute any of the claims or arguments that Saul was making; his expert knowledge of the Old Testament made it easy to see that Jesus was the Messiah as promised in the Scriptures
  
• [See v.23] 'Jews conspired to kill him'- after three years had passed, the Jews had grown desperate in their attempts to silence Saul and prove him wrong, and now realize the only viable way is to get rid of him; what the Lord had told Ananias about how much Saul would have to suffer for His name has now become reality and Saul will find out what it's like to be on the other side as the persecuted having once been the persecutor himself
  
• [See v.25] 'lowered him in a basket'- Saul wouldn't only find out what it was like to be persecuted but would also come to know the might deliverance of God; here he escapes the city at night by hiding in a basket
  
• [See v.26] 'he came to Jerusalem...but they were all afraid of him'- Saul returns to Jerusalem converted in Jesus Christ and seeks to fellowship with the disciples but they aren't convinced that he still isn't the Christian murderer that he was a few years ago
  
• [See v.27] 'Barnabas...brought him to the apostles'- yet thanks to Barnabas who welcomes Saul into the family of God, Saul is able to join the apostles
  
• Just as Barnabas reached out to Saul with the love of Jesus, our hospitality as Christians welcoming others into the church community regardless of their background or record is an extension of the love of Jesus; Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:8, "love believes all things"
  
• [See v.28] 'in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord'- Saul continued to proclaim Jesus as the promised Messiah in Jerusalem; he was essentially taking Stephen's place and consequently the same Jews who'd persecuted Stephen now 'tried to kill him' [v.29]
  
• [See v.30] 'sent him off to Tarsus'- Saul's Christian brothers in Jerusalem send him off to Tarsus by way of Caesarea for his own protection in the midst of threats and assassination plots; how humbling it must have been for Saul to know that the very people he tried to kill before are now saving his life
  
• [See v.31] 'the church...enjoyed a time of peace'- persecution was no longer needed to spread the gospel and for the church to grow in great numbers 'throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria'; this time of peace corresponded with Saul's exit from the Holy Land (Jerusalem) to return to his native land (Tarsus)
  
• 'encouraged by the Holy Spirit...living in the fear of the Lord'- many were comforted by the presence of the Lord but also lived with an awareness of their actions according to the word of God; fearing God is a way of 'living', a way of making choices that train us against our natural instincts to fear all other things besides God
  
• What does it mean to fear God ?
  
• It says in Proverbs 8:13, "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech"; 'evil behavior' and 'perverse speech' are outward evidence of the inward attitudes of the heart- a God-fearing heart loves to do what is right, good and pleasing to God
  
• [See v.32] 'Peter traveled about the country'- whereas before people were coming from afar to Jerusalem to receive the ministry of the apostles, now the roles are beginning to shift with Peter travelling 25 miles outside of Jerusalem to Lydda
  
• Peter heals a paralytic and raises a dead woman to life by the power of Jesus; we can see the transformation of Peter in how he now follows Jesus and the Holy Spirit as opposed to before when he was the one trying to get Jesus to follow his ways, e.g. in Matthew 16:22, Peter was the one who tried to convince Jesus from going to the cross
  
• [See v.43] 'Peter stayed in Joppa...with a tanner named Simon'- it was forbidden by Jewish law to even go near anyone who worked with dead animals because it was considered unclean; Peter had made contact with the dead woman's body earlier which was also unclean
  
• God is breaking traditions and rituals that Peter has held onto for his entire life as a Jew, esp. the notion of being clean
  
  

Acts 8

Acts 8 (New International Version)


1 And Saul approved of their killing him.
The Church Persecuted and Scattered
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
Philip in Samaria
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
Simon the Sorcerer
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Philip and the Ethiopian
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.




Commentary/Significant points of discussion:

• [See v.1] 'giving approval to his death'- Saul, who we later come to know as Paul, had no hesitation in persecuting Stephen or any other Christian
  
• 'a great persecution broke out'- Stephen's death as a martyr was just the beginning of the persecution of the early Christians; a much greater persecution was coming now
  
• 'all...were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria'- except for the apostles who stay behind, all the Christians in Jerusalem are forced to flee
  
• [See v.2] 'Godly men...mourned deeply for him'- not all the Israelites had been opposed to Stephen and because of his death some of them are repenting now
  
• [See v.3] 'Saul began to destroy the church'- Saul was the ringleader in the persecution of the church, mercilessly attacking Christians
  
• [See v.4] 'Those who had been scattered preached the word'- remember that Jesus had told his followers earlier to spread the word not just in Jerusalem but 'in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth' [Acts 1:8]; they are following his command now but not without a wake-up call from God
  
• As Christians do we often get too comfortable in our situations that God has to literally wake us up by turning up the heat of the situation (persecution) and making us aware of what needs to be done?
  
• One could look at Stephen's act of martyrdom and see that it had little effect but to increase opposition against the church; yet it was his very act of courageousness and bravery that woke up the church to spread the gospel
  
• God is a Sovereign God who does not need the obedience of man to accomplish His purposes; He can use both those who oppose Him and the faithful, to His glory
  
• [See v.5] 'Philip went down to a city in Samaria'- Philip had been one of the seven men appointed to serve the church and its widows back in Acts 6; he was one of those forced to flee Jerusalem in the face of persecution
  
• [See v.6] 'the crowds...paid close attention to what he said'- the hand of God was clearly evident in Philip's preaching of the gospel as 'miraculous signs' such as the casting out of demons and healing of paralytics were performed by God's power
  
• After the Israelites had rejected God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, God was now extending this offer to the Samaritans; ironically, the Samaritans were despised by the Israelites who considered them to be half-breeds (intermarriage of pagans and lower class Israelites) who stained the pure worship of God
  
• It was Jesus who had broken down this wall of hostility by speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well; Jesus had sown a seed in Samaria- his offer of "living water" to the woman was a foreshadowing of Philip's nurturing of that seed through preaching of the word which would lead to a great revival of the Samaritans
  
• [See v.8] 'there was great joy'- the fruit of Philip's preaching of the word was evident in the joy of the Samaritans; Philip was now reaping the harvest of what Jesus had planted
  
• [See v.9] 'a man named Simon had practiced sorcery'- before this great revival in Samaria, a magician named Simon had deceived many people into thinking that he was literally a god to be worshipped, i.e. 'the divine power known as the Great Power' [v.10]
  
• But Simon's magic powers had nothing to do with God or being Godly; the power of magic doesn't come from God but from Satan, e.g. recall in the Old Testament when the Pharaoh's magicians performed the same miracles as those done by God until God did something they did not have the power to do
  
• Magic is an occult sin because it seeks power from somewhere else other than God
  
• [See v.12] 'But when they believed Philip as he preached...they were baptized'- the power of Simon's magic was nothing compared to the real power of God manifested through Philip in miraculous healings and exorcisms throughout Samaria
  
• Even 'Simon himself believed and was baptized' [v.13] and became a follower of Philip and his ministry
  
• [See v.14] 'Samaria had accepted the word of God'- before when the people had witnessed Simon's magic, they had focused on man; now, as they witnessed the miracles which God performed through Philip, they became focused on the message , i.e. 'the word of God'
  
• 'they sent Peter and John to them'- this fulfilled what Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:19, '19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven'; Peter and John are now welcoming the Samaritans, who had previously been excluded from being part of God's people, into the kingdom of Heaven
  
• [See v.17] 'placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit'- the laying on of hands by Peter and John as they pray for the Samaritans seems to be of particular importance as if the actual act of touching the person who is receiving symbolizes the transfer of God's gift being the Holy Spirit (in the Old Testament the laying on of hands on the sacrificial animal symbolized the transfer of the Israelites' sins and thus was a punishment, not a gift)
  
• The empowerment and filling of the Holy Spirit is received through the laying on of hands as prayer is offered, in accordance with 2 Timothy 1:6, '6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.'
  
• [See v.18] 'When Simon saw that the Spirit was given...he offered them money'- Simon wants to buy the power of God and thus have authority over the Holy Spirit; he wants to play God!
  
• This makes us wonder if Simon believed and followed Philip and his ministry with a genuine heart of faith or if he simply was trying to appear to the people as doing the "right" thing; no matter how much a person appears outwardly to be faithful, deep down in the secret place of their heart they may still not have submitted to Jesus Christ
  
• Simon clearly had not repented of his old ways of practicing magic which got him hooked on possessing powers that would give him much fame and acclaim; his entire focus was on having power for personal gain and not on serving others which would cost him
  
• A Christ-centered life is reflected by complete submission to the power of the Holy Spirit which in turn builds up gifts that benefit others
  
• Simon had followed Philip and his ministry because he was 'astonished by the great signs and miracles' [v.13]; do we as Christians follow certain ministries because we are taken back more by their power than the message they are presenting ?
  
• [See v.20] 'May your money perish with you'- Peter discerns that Simon is 'full of bitterness and captive to sin' [v.22] and tells him the equivalent of "to Hell with you and your money", implying that Simon was on his way to hell
  
• 'you thought you could buy the gift of God with money'- Peter doesn't rebuke Simon for his craving of power and prestige but rather for his faulty assumption behind it all which was that one could buy the grace of God; no man is worthy nor deserving of God's grace which is given unconditionally- it is God's gift
  
• Simon's sin is turning away from the grace of God and seeking instead to manipulate God (to give him his desires), who is sovereign; it amounted to disobedience towards God's new covenant of grace (on the scale of seriousness for sins, think of how the Israelites in the old Testament disobeyed God's commands and were cursed as a result)
  
• The purpose of Peter's rebuke was to turn Simon towards repentance, prayer and righteousness so that he may be saved
  
• [See v.24] 'Pray to the Lord for me'- instead of humbling his own heart before God, Simon asks Peter to humble his heart for him; Simon seems unwilling to go directly to God for forgiveness
  
• 'nothing you have said may happen to me'- Simon is more concerned with the consequences of his sin than the sin he has committed; apparently he thinks he didn't do much wrong!
  
• How many Christians consider themselves sinners but do not recognize their sins ? If we can't identify our sins against God then how can we repent from our sins ?
  
• [See v.26] 'an angel of the Lord said to Philip'- just as Philip and his ministry is flourishing and prospering in Samaria, God commands him to go to 'the desert road'
  
• It seems like a foolish thing to do to leave a successful ministry and to go out in the desert in the middle of nowhere but Philip obeys God's command and goes; how willing are we to obey God when it doesn't seem to make any sense ? How often do we rationalize our disobedience according to our fears ? (e.g. "I'm not sure it's right for me")
  
• [See v.27] 'he met an Ethiopian eunuch'- this Ethiopian man was accomplished and respected yet he seemed to be seeking spiritual answers and he was obviously hungry for God's word, 'reading the book of Isaiah the prophet' [v.28] for which he must have shelled out quite a bit of money
  
• 'This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship'- how strange that this man had not been saved in Jerusalem; God's timing is mysterious but there is a purpose to it all!
  
• [See v.29] 'The Spirit told Philip'- the Holy Spirit speaks to Philip and gives him specific directions to go up to the chariot
  
• [See v.30] 'heard the man reading'- at this moment Philip knows that God had arranged this meeting; God had prepared this man's heart to be open to the preaching of the gospel
  
• After reading the prophecies of Isaiah concerning the Messiah, the eunuch asks Philip 'who is the prophet talking about' [v.34] and Philip 'told him the good news about Jesus' [v.35]
  
• [See v.38] 'Philip baptized him'- the emphasis here is on baptism being an important part of being a believer
  
• [See v.39] 'Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away'- through the Holy Spirit Philip is supernaturally transported to Azotus which was about 20 miles or so away
  
• 'went on his way rejoicing'- the eunuch's great joy is evidence of his salvation; his faith was firmly rooted in God despite Philip's departure
  
  
  

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'