Acts 2:46-47 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
There are several things that strike me about this verse:
1) “Every day” – That sure seems like a lot of meeting. Sometimes I think that too many church meetings can make it too hard to interact with the world, and sometimes I think that we need to meet constantly just to counteract the negative influence of the world.
2) It is interesting that they met in their homes. That is a great place for small groups of people to get to know each other, to have meaningful relationships, and to live out Christianity in a practical way. That is why we have small groups.
3) They didn’t meet out of obligation, but had “glad and sincere hearts.” It is easy for church meetings to become mundane. The acts church didn’t seem to struggle with drudgery, but they were excited to meet and enjoy fellowship. I want to model that in my life and in our church!
4) Daily growth. That is what our world needs, and that is what we need to pray for.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Sharing the Load (Acts 2:44)
Acts 2:44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
A friend from my childhood church became a missionary in Africa and I supported him a small monthly amount for over ten years. I thought of him often, especially when making financial decisions. Although I’ve always tried to be frugal in my spending on myself and generous in giving to others, I was always challenged with this thought: How could I live extravagantly when he lived primitively? I’m not saying I excelled at bringing equality to the situation, I’m just saying I thought about it a lot.
Five percent of Americans tithe. Twenty-four percent of evangelicals tithe. Even we are one of the richest people groups to ever populate this planet, we’re not even doing the minimum.
I’ve often thought about how much energy is spent on the finances of Christian work, and how much work is hamstrung for lack of funding. I imagine church leaders sitting in board meetings trying to decide which staff to cut and missionaries in Uganda on their knees praying that God will send their next meal. Undoubtedly there are medical missionaries who could save lives with more medicine. I’ve even thought about how cool it would be if our church could have a play land like McDonalds or could run commercials during the Super Bowl like Pepsi. What if every home could be given a Bible or if we could provide meals for the hungry.
Meanwhile we live in nice homes, have restaurants on every corner, bequeath money to our pets, buy lotions, make-up, and perfumes, drive nice cars, and have closets stuffed with clothes and shoes covering the floor.
I’m not saying I’m different from anyone else. I’m just saying that Christianity in 2011 is very different from Christianity in Acts. The way we view our money and duty to God and one another is certainly part of the problem.
Barna stats
A friend from my childhood church became a missionary in Africa and I supported him a small monthly amount for over ten years. I thought of him often, especially when making financial decisions. Although I’ve always tried to be frugal in my spending on myself and generous in giving to others, I was always challenged with this thought: How could I live extravagantly when he lived primitively? I’m not saying I excelled at bringing equality to the situation, I’m just saying I thought about it a lot.
Five percent of Americans tithe. Twenty-four percent of evangelicals tithe. Even we are one of the richest people groups to ever populate this planet, we’re not even doing the minimum.
I’ve often thought about how much energy is spent on the finances of Christian work, and how much work is hamstrung for lack of funding. I imagine church leaders sitting in board meetings trying to decide which staff to cut and missionaries in Uganda on their knees praying that God will send their next meal. Undoubtedly there are medical missionaries who could save lives with more medicine. I’ve even thought about how cool it would be if our church could have a play land like McDonalds or could run commercials during the Super Bowl like Pepsi. What if every home could be given a Bible or if we could provide meals for the hungry.
Meanwhile we live in nice homes, have restaurants on every corner, bequeath money to our pets, buy lotions, make-up, and perfumes, drive nice cars, and have closets stuffed with clothes and shoes covering the floor.
I’m not saying I’m different from anyone else. I’m just saying that Christianity in 2011 is very different from Christianity in Acts. The way we view our money and duty to God and one another is certainly part of the problem.
Barna stats
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Devotion (Acts 2:42)
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The followers of Jesus did lots of different activities. They preached, met, sang, prayed, evangelized, did miracles, spoke in tongues, shared the Word, laid hands on people, spoke in tongues, baptized people, and performed signs and wonders. All of those things were important to them but wouldn’t it be nice to know what they thought was really important? That’s exactly what this verse does. It summarizes their activities and highlights four that were particularly devoted to: listening to and following teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.
In the church it is easy to focus on building campaigns, numbers, image, and other issues. Those things need attention, but it is important to maintain balance. What is our heart? What are we devoted to? Is it in line with those four areas? If not, why? Do we have a compelling reason to take a different stance or focus?
The followers of Jesus did lots of different activities. They preached, met, sang, prayed, evangelized, did miracles, spoke in tongues, shared the Word, laid hands on people, spoke in tongues, baptized people, and performed signs and wonders. All of those things were important to them but wouldn’t it be nice to know what they thought was really important? That’s exactly what this verse does. It summarizes their activities and highlights four that were particularly devoted to: listening to and following teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.
In the church it is easy to focus on building campaigns, numbers, image, and other issues. Those things need attention, but it is important to maintain balance. What is our heart? What are we devoted to? Is it in line with those four areas? If not, why? Do we have a compelling reason to take a different stance or focus?
Friday, July 8, 2011
Save Yourselves (Acts 2:40)
Acts 2:40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
In this passage, Peter appeals to every man’s tendency to look out for his own interests, saying, “Save yourselves!” He is not just talking about being saved from sin or being saved from hell, he’s talking about being saved from this world. Peter does not say this as a fiery sermon point. He begs and pleads with them to pull themselves out of the quicksand that is the world.
Peter captures this thought well in another place:
1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
There is a battle being waged for my soul, and my sinful desires can gravitate toward the kingdom of the world instead of the kingdom of God.
John makes the allegiances involved in this colossal struggle quite clear. Our hearts love God or the world, not both.
1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
This is a hard teaching. We all have things in this world that we love, errrr, I mean “like”. It is hard to read this passage without doing a little self-reflection. I guess the question comes down to, who do I really love? It may be best answered by asking, “Who or what consumes my thoughts, my time, and my resources?” If the answer is the things of this world, then it is time for a heart check.
Although I think some of the Amish and Mennonite communities go overboard in detaching from the world, I do admire the idea. If we don’t engage in the world, if we don’t buy the things the world buys, play the games the world plays, and do the things the world does, perhaps the hold the world has on our hearts would loosen. I don’t see anything legalistic at all about trying to detach the grasp of my heart from its hold on the world.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
I think some of the admonitions in 1 Corinthians 7 were related to the “crisis” mentioned in verse 26 which likely relates to some of the afflictions and persecutions faced by the early church. However, I believe the admonition of verse 31 still applies, that we would not be engrossed in the worldly things we use. Instead, we should attempt to “save ourselves from this corrupt generation.”
In this passage, Peter appeals to every man’s tendency to look out for his own interests, saying, “Save yourselves!” He is not just talking about being saved from sin or being saved from hell, he’s talking about being saved from this world. Peter does not say this as a fiery sermon point. He begs and pleads with them to pull themselves out of the quicksand that is the world.
Peter captures this thought well in another place:
1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
There is a battle being waged for my soul, and my sinful desires can gravitate toward the kingdom of the world instead of the kingdom of God.
John makes the allegiances involved in this colossal struggle quite clear. Our hearts love God or the world, not both.
1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
This is a hard teaching. We all have things in this world that we love, errrr, I mean “like”. It is hard to read this passage without doing a little self-reflection. I guess the question comes down to, who do I really love? It may be best answered by asking, “Who or what consumes my thoughts, my time, and my resources?” If the answer is the things of this world, then it is time for a heart check.
Although I think some of the Amish and Mennonite communities go overboard in detaching from the world, I do admire the idea. If we don’t engage in the world, if we don’t buy the things the world buys, play the games the world plays, and do the things the world does, perhaps the hold the world has on our hearts would loosen. I don’t see anything legalistic at all about trying to detach the grasp of my heart from its hold on the world.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
I think some of the admonitions in 1 Corinthians 7 were related to the “crisis” mentioned in verse 26 which likely relates to some of the afflictions and persecutions faced by the early church. However, I believe the admonition of verse 31 still applies, that we would not be engrossed in the worldly things we use. Instead, we should attempt to “save ourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Repentance, Baptism, and an Amazing Promise (Acts 2:38-39)
Acts 2:38-39 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Repent and be baptized. It seems almost as if that is the gospel message in this passage. It is. You’ll find in the book of Acts that the gospel message is not always presented as merely belief. Does that mean it is not belief that saves us? No, it means that the disciples had various equivalent ways of expressing the message. Belief is at the core of the message, but repentance is certainly part of true belief. And someone who truly believes will get baptized. The disciples used several different terms to express just what true belief looks like, and this may be one of the greatest lessons we can learn as we study Acts.
We all know that baptism is something that occurred immediately after salvation in the book of Acts. Unfortunately, in 21st century Christianity we’ve relegated it to the back shelf. It is something that a believer may not even be presented with for years after his salvation! Perhaps we think that we will let the new believer settle in to their Christianity a little before introducing them to a topic of faith that might seem a little odd or overly religious. Not only is this foreign to New Testament thinking, but in this passage Peter brings up the topic of baptism to people who are hearing the message for the very first time, and he outright commands them to be baptized!
Verse 39 speaks of a promise for all people and generations. This promise is two-fold. If we repent and are baptized we 1) get our sins forgiven and 2) receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is part of Peter’s monolog on the day of Pentecost when the baptism of the Holy Spirit first occurred. So in context, they just saw the disciples filled with the Spirit and speaking in tongues, and then Peter said that any of them will (not may) also receive the gift of the Spirit if they repent and get baptized. So, if you are wondering if you have received the Spirit in the same way that others have received the Spirit, you do not need to go on a spiritual quest, you do not need to seek out someone to lay hands on you, and you do not need to go to a revival meeting. All you need to do is make sure that you have repented and been baptized. God will take care of filling you with the Spirit. That is His promise.
Repent and be baptized. It seems almost as if that is the gospel message in this passage. It is. You’ll find in the book of Acts that the gospel message is not always presented as merely belief. Does that mean it is not belief that saves us? No, it means that the disciples had various equivalent ways of expressing the message. Belief is at the core of the message, but repentance is certainly part of true belief. And someone who truly believes will get baptized. The disciples used several different terms to express just what true belief looks like, and this may be one of the greatest lessons we can learn as we study Acts.
We all know that baptism is something that occurred immediately after salvation in the book of Acts. Unfortunately, in 21st century Christianity we’ve relegated it to the back shelf. It is something that a believer may not even be presented with for years after his salvation! Perhaps we think that we will let the new believer settle in to their Christianity a little before introducing them to a topic of faith that might seem a little odd or overly religious. Not only is this foreign to New Testament thinking, but in this passage Peter brings up the topic of baptism to people who are hearing the message for the very first time, and he outright commands them to be baptized!
Verse 39 speaks of a promise for all people and generations. This promise is two-fold. If we repent and are baptized we 1) get our sins forgiven and 2) receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is part of Peter’s monolog on the day of Pentecost when the baptism of the Holy Spirit first occurred. So in context, they just saw the disciples filled with the Spirit and speaking in tongues, and then Peter said that any of them will (not may) also receive the gift of the Spirit if they repent and get baptized. So, if you are wondering if you have received the Spirit in the same way that others have received the Spirit, you do not need to go on a spiritual quest, you do not need to seek out someone to lay hands on you, and you do not need to go to a revival meeting. All you need to do is make sure that you have repented and been baptized. God will take care of filling you with the Spirit. That is His promise.
Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36)
Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
I tend to use some of the names of Christ interchangeably. Jesus, Christ, Lord, Messiah, Savior, and other names for Jesus. This verse points out a distinction. God made Jesus Lord, and God made Jesus Messiah.
“Lord” is not just another name for Jesus, it means “supreme in authority” or “Master”.
“Messiah” or “Christ” means “the promised savior”.
In our own lives, Jesus fulfills both of these roles. He the Savior who has freed us from sin and separation from Him, and his is our Lord or Master. In the kingdom, He is our loving King, and we live our lives in a way that pleases Him and brings Him honor.
I tend to use some of the names of Christ interchangeably. Jesus, Christ, Lord, Messiah, Savior, and other names for Jesus. This verse points out a distinction. God made Jesus Lord, and God made Jesus Messiah.
“Lord” is not just another name for Jesus, it means “supreme in authority” or “Master”.
“Messiah” or “Christ” means “the promised savior”.
In our own lives, Jesus fulfills both of these roles. He the Savior who has freed us from sin and separation from Him, and his is our Lord or Master. In the kingdom, He is our loving King, and we live our lives in a way that pleases Him and brings Him honor.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Jesus and Death Don’t Mix (Acts 2:24)
Acts 2:24 But 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.
It was “impossible” for death to keep its hold on Him. Jesus and death just don’t mix. It is interesting to note that no one ever remained dead in the presence of Jesus. Perhaps it is not even possible for death to take hold in his presence. Whether or not that is the case is hard to say, but we do know that He proved His power over death by raising Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and the son of the widow from Nain.
Later on, at the moment of Jesus’ death others were raised to life, once again proving His conquering of death.
Matthew 27:51-53 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
Jesus ultimate proof of his ministry was His resurrection. When the people asked for a sign, He gave them the sign of Jonah…
Matthew 12:39-40 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Jesus’ resurrection also relates to our own resurrection. We will be made alive because Christ was made alive!
1 Corinthians 15:21-22 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
It was “impossible” for death to keep its hold on Him. Jesus and death just don’t mix. It is interesting to note that no one ever remained dead in the presence of Jesus. Perhaps it is not even possible for death to take hold in his presence. Whether or not that is the case is hard to say, but we do know that He proved His power over death by raising Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and the son of the widow from Nain.
Later on, at the moment of Jesus’ death others were raised to life, once again proving His conquering of death.
Matthew 27:51-53 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
Jesus ultimate proof of his ministry was His resurrection. When the people asked for a sign, He gave them the sign of Jonah…
Matthew 12:39-40 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Jesus’ resurrection also relates to our own resurrection. We will be made alive because Christ was made alive!
1 Corinthians 15:21-22 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Calling on the Lord (Acts 2:21)
Acts 2:21 ‘And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
This prophecy is from Joel 2:32 and is also famously quoted in Romans.
Romans 10:9-13 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
What does it take to be saved? A person must call on the Lord. What does it mean to call on the Lord? At face value it would seem to be as simple as crying out, “Jesus, save me!” From Romans 10 it would seem to entail nothing more than believing in your heart and acknowledging it with your mouth. In any case, it is short and sweet.
This prophecy is from Joel 2:32 and is also famously quoted in Romans.
Romans 10:9-13 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
What does it take to be saved? A person must call on the Lord. What does it mean to call on the Lord? At face value it would seem to be as simple as crying out, “Jesus, save me!” From Romans 10 it would seem to entail nothing more than believing in your heart and acknowledging it with your mouth. In any case, it is short and sweet.
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