Read Acts 5:33-39

                                don’t fight against God

            Sometimes we put an awful lot of energy into evaluating and judging other people.  We enter into disputes and fights—even over “ministry”!  In the church, we do this not just with individuals but with services, other congregations and organizations.

            Yes, there is a place for discernment—that is a gift of the Holy Spirit—but care must be taken so that what is exercised is a gift from God and not simply criticism, jealousy, insecurity and the like.  How do you distinguish between true discernment and judgmental or critical attitudes? __________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

            True discernment will follow the guideline of Love.  If you are not sure on the details of that guideline, read 1 Corinthians 13.  Can you list a few of the characteristics from that guideline that would apply to exercising discernment:

_________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

If thoughts and opinions cannot come under the authority of that passage, then they are probably more self-motivated than Spirit-led.  In that case, they would be more destructive than constructive.

            I like the way that Gamaliel displays wisdom in dealing with a group of peers who seem to have had some pretty mixed motives for wanting to silence the disciples of Jesus.  Gamaliel brought the issue back to God, the Creator of the Universe, the Sovereign One, the Almighty.  Who in their right mind wants to struggle against such Awesome Power? 

            There is certainly a time and place to come against the evil works of men and of darkness.  But if it is unclear whether you are dealing with the works of men or of God, wouldn’t it be wise to pray, observe, speak only if/when necessary, and let God reveal Himself in the situation?  We need His wisdom combined with His love.

Read and Pray:  1 Corinthians 2:9-13, 1 Peter 4:15-16, Psalm 131:1-2, Proverbs 2:1-5

Read Acts 5:29-32

                                        honest answers

                Peter and the other apostles are willing to lay out the truth in no uncertain terms.  Do you understand these terms?

1.       We ought to obey _______ rather than ________

2.       ________ raised up Messiah whom ________ crucified

3.       Jesus is ____________ and  _____________

a.       to give r_________________

b.      to grant f__________________

4.       We are His _________________ and so also is the ______  _______

5.       The Holy Spirit is given to those who __________ God

These were not new thoughts—they had expression throughout the Old Testament.  Repeatedly, God has called people into relationship and has set parameters for that relationship to thrive.

Spend some time reflecting on God’s character as you go through the following verses.

Read and Pray: 1Samuel 15:22-23a, Hosea 6:1-3, 1 Corinthians 6:12-14, Hebrews 10:12-17

Read Acts 5:12-28

                                           Shocking Exploration

What are a few things we can learn about the Spirit of God from this passage?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

The Holy Spirit is great at taking people by surprise....

Signs and wonders are used to display God’s grace and power

Healing results from His touch

Offense comes to human pride

Confounded people experience both fear and awe

Keeper of His own, God ministers in the body of believers

Inviting through human curiosity about supernatural things

Never controlled by man’s whims

Giving Himself to those who will obey and receive

Just as the disciples in this passage could not be contained by the religious leaders, so God’s truth is uncontained by man’s indignation.  How shall we respond to this?

Eyes open, see the works of God

eXperiences can help teach truth

People are often His vessels—don’t resent that, embrace it!

Let go of pride and manipulative control

Open up the Bible to discover God’s truth, character, and ways

Repent of sin and receive His Spirit

Explore the Spirit-filled, Spirit-led life!

I strongly encourage you to spend some time on the verses listed below, and then jot down what you sense God may be saying to you.

Read and Pray:  1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Mark 4:11-20, 1 Timothy 3:16, Romans 11:33-36 .___________________________________________ ____________________________________________

____________________________________________

Read Acts 5:1-11

              Voluntary Vows
           By its very nature, a vow should be something that rises from a personal decision and conviction.  It requires something of the individual making the vow.
           Unfortunately, we are somewhat desensitized to unfulfilled vows--think of the divorce rate, media presentation of business, religion, relationships, etc.  In ancient times, the concepts of sin and vows were taken very, very seriously.  Though our current culture may not, as followers of Jesus, we are to understand the gravity of unfaithfulness and deception.
            When we enter into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we are led by the Holy Spirit.  In that relationship, we are to continue being led by the Holy Spirit.  But if we come into agreement with deception, we come into agreement with the father of lies himself, Satan, and he becomes our leader (John 8:42-47).  On an individual level, we are presented with this option frequently--that is part of temptation.
            We know there is really no temptation that is uncommon to man, but power can increase with numbers.  Collusion with another person is beyond an individual temptation and becomes a conniving anti-God pursuit.  This is to one's own detriment:  how can you take a stand against the enemy of your soul if you have come into agreement to have him as leader of your "pack"?
            Destiny lies with the vow(s) of the heart.  Ananias and Sapphira agreed together to walk in deception--that is, be led by Satan--to try and present themselves as being led by God, motivated by love.  And that was a lie.  There was no obligation, they could have freely chosen to donate nothing.  They could have freely chosen to donate part.  What was required was honesty and sincere love.  They chose poorly by choosing to deceive in order to appear, rather than be, holy--set apart for God.
            Deception leads to destruction, and our destruction is an offense to God's creative presence.  May God grant us repentance that we would not operate in the mentality of Ananias and Sapphira which vowed godliness, but chose to be faithful to deception.  May we walk in a rightly focused fear of being an offense to our holy, gracious, loving God.
Read and Pray:  Deuteronomy 23:21, Proverbs 19:5, Psalm 56, Revelation 21:22-27

Read Acts 4:32-37

                                                                         sharing

One of the highest goals of Christians should be unity.  Over and over again, we see in the scriptures how God desires those who love Him to be of one heart and one mind.  Obviously that is not to abandon individuality, culture or ethnicity, but it is to be unified in our aim of loving God and loving others.

It seems the early church was doing this quite well.  There is considerable evidence that poverty and food shortages were an ongoing problem for the Jerusalem church, and the general food crisis occurring in the years 45-48 A.D. had real potential to become an early church crisis.[1] It became an opportunity for one part of the body of Christ to help another part, and social networks were strengthened.

It should be noted of course, that all giving was voluntary and that people chose to give as they saw need.  Not only in words were the apostles giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, but in the great grace of Jesus, they were expressing that Life in practical ways, and encouraging others to do the same. 

Joses, who was also named Barnabas, (meaning Son of Encouragement),  is especially pointed out in verse 36 possibly because it was an outstanding gift he gave, and because he appears later in the history as a Christian leader conspicuous for his sheer goodness.   Interestingly, he was a Levite by birth, and since he was one who owned land, this indicates that some of the ancient laws (such as Levites not owning land), were no longer embraced.[2]  So here was a man, from the priestly line of the Levites, who did not really live according to all the Old Testament mandates, yet who is compelled by love and compassion to fulfill the heart of those same mandates.  Here is a true fulfillment of the Law!

We will all benefit from a little self-evaluation done in light of the gospel.  Are we expending our time, energy and money for the sake of love?  If so, at least two basic things are accomplished which are dear to God’s heart: 

1.       We come into unity with others who also desire to express God’s love.

2.       In practical ways we express our faith and care for others.

When we were young children, most of our teachers and parents tried very hard to teach us to share.  It was a hard lesson since it goes so against our self-serving interests, and at times, I imagine excuses were made in the face of failures because of our tender age.  But that was when we were children.  Are there now any “good excuses” for not sharing?

Read and Pray:  Isaiah 58:6-11, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

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[1] Witherington, Ben, New Testament History, (Baker Academic, 2001) pp.226-227

[2] Marshal, I. Howard, Acts  (InterVarsity Press, 1980),  p. 116

Read Acts 4:23-31

                                                           truth  and  dare

                There are a variety of ways to monitor our progress in academics, physical health, and career moves.   But how is boldness monitored? 

_____________________________________________________________________________

When you think of boldness, do you find it an attractive trait? For me, when I see boldness coupled with humility and kindness I admire it greatly.  When it is lacking those qualities, it seems more like belligerence.  In our current culture, we may find the disciples’ words a bit too direct (“…whom you crucified…rejected by you builders), but in that culture at that time, their response was well in keeping with educated rhetoric.

It is interesting that the religious leaders found the articulation and boldness of the disciples notable (verse 13), and yet, that is what the disciples state as their recurring need.  Perhaps it is one of those things, which requires a periodic “filling up”.  And the disciples themselves must have sensed some degree of success in the interaction since when they are released, they rejoin their friends, praising God, and acknowledging that it is God who ultimately triumphs.  It is God who is able to use even the wickedness in men’s hearts [that is their desire to stomp out the gospel of Jesus] to work toward the accomplishment of His purposes [proclaiming the gospel of Jesus].

The apostles apparently felt they were still in need of boldness, so they prayed for more.  They had experienced the Truth.  They were willing to dare to tell others about that Truth even if it cost them their job, their family ease, their own way of living the “good life”.   In spite of the political tensions, and the loss of work experienced by at least some of the disciples, [like the fishermen], their number one request was for greater boldness to give witness to the risen Christ. 

                Do have a relationship with Jesus?  If so, you have the Truth.  Are you living for that Truth?  How do you currently dare to make that Truth known to others?

_____________________________________________________________________________

So often it is easy to pray for things which I see and feel as being so important to me right now.  But this is not the way of Jesus—take a look at His prayer in John 17.  And this is not the way of the early church as we can see here in this passage and others.  The larger picture—bringing people into relationship with God—is really the heart of the prayers of Jesus and the apostles. 

The Acts of the Apostles is a book that is inspiring me to pray for more boldness, so that my life will be spent on the thing dearest to God’s heart:  drawing people unto Himself.  I am praying for the boldness I need to be daring with the Truth!

Read and Pray:  Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 6:18-19, Hebrews 13:5-6

Read Acts 4:1-23

                                                           check your building

                It quickly becomes apparent that the apostles were acting in much the same way Jesus had.  And like Jesus, the early Christians could not give up witnessing to the truth.    In both cases, the individuals involved were willing to pay the price of obeying God rather than man.  They were part of something much, much greater than a temple building and tradition.

                At the time of the events in this book, most of the temple affairs and business was in the hands of a few powerful families.

·         Elders:  lay leaders, heads of aristocratic families , mostly Saduccean outlook

·         Scribes:  drawn from a class of lawyers, mostly Pharisaic party

·         Rulers:  the Priestly element in the Sanhedrin

These leaders were bluntly confronted with evidence which was very much against the “goodness” of their actions.  Peter offers them a way out of their guilty position—repent—but they choose rather, to defend their position, and hope that the convicting sermons, the signs and wonders, and the testimonies, will all come to a stop, or at least fizzle out over time.  This new community of believers was, by its simple existence and vitality, threatening the very fabric of temple life, not to mention it challenged the status quo.

                I wonder if we sometimes react like these leaders did.  Maybe I am convicted about something in my life, but I know that if I acknowledge the truth of the matter, my lifestyle and my preferred way of looking at things  and thinking about things will be threatened. 

How do you react when evidence is against you, showing you are guilty? 

____________________________________________________________________

How do you react when a different perspective threatens your lifestyle?

____________________________________________________________________

How do you react when someone challenges your comfortable beliefs?

____________________________________________________________________

It seems that the ancient leaders had the concept of Messiah as one of the stones in the building of their lives, but when faced with Jesus, they were unwilling to have him as the Chief Cornerstone—the cost was too great.  They stumbled.

We build our lives on thoughts and actions.  If we have Jesus as the cornerstone of our life, our thoughts and actions are brought in line with Him.  Meaning when we experience life, we interpret events, assimilate information and ideas, according to their relationship to Jesus.  When He is the cornerstone, Truth dictates where and how all the rest fits together.  In that light, how is your building?

Read and Pray:  Matthew 5:24-27, 1 Corinthians 3:5-13, Jude 17-23

Read Acts 3

                                                     Guilt and Repentance

In Peter’s sermons he uses bits and pieces of OT prophecy, but the overarching message is that the whole of the Old Testament is seen to bear witness to Jesus as Messiah and the setting up of the church.  Along with this, Paul gives four descriptive names of Jesus in verses 14 and 15.  What are they?

_____________________________     ______________________________

_____________________________     ______________________________

Imagine what it would have been like to have someone standing there telling you that you are guilty of denying the Holy One and that you are responsible for requesting one who is a murderer, and calling for the death of the Prince of Life –Jesus.   Do you think those who actually lobbied for crucifying Jesus were more or less guilty than yourself?  Why do you think that? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________        

 I know we often hear things like this in Christians circles, but it is worth really reflecting upon.  

It was not only those Jews back then who sinned greatly.  We should take a look at ourselves…

·         when we deny the truth, we deny the Holy One

·         when we ask for, and seek the very things which have brought harm to us and our communities, we seek the murderer rather that the Giver of Life.

·         when we quench the Spirit, we seek to put down that Life which God has raised up.

These are great and serious offenses.  Perhaps we have at times behaved in ignorance.  And perhaps not.  Either way, there is an appropriate response—repent and be converted!  We are invited to repent, rather than simply be destroyed, and then, we are offered something wonderful in verse 19: ______________________________________________________________

If a person chooses not to repent, what outcome should they expect? (verse 23) ______________________________________________________________

Ultimately, what is the “blessing bestowed upon men”? __________________

_________________________________________________________________

Have you received this blessing? 

If not, do you know how to receive it? 

Do you need to seek out someone to talk to, or some scripture to read? If so, do it!  

If you have received this blessing, are you enjoying it?

Are you sharing it with others?

Read and Pray:  Matthew 1:21, Romans 2:1-4, 2 Timothy:24-26, Psalm 103:11-18

Read Acts 3:11-26

                                           find a “launching pad”

                Peter and John have had an experience with a lame man which has caused quite a stir and a gathering of people.  I love the way Peter takes the opportunity to explain the larger meaning behind the particular healing.

                What kind of opportunities might you have to impart truth as Peter did?  Assuming you have had, or will have the opportunity to testify to the truth of Jesus as Savior and Lord, how might your message differ from, or be similar to Peter’s? 

            I have been mulling this over as I do not live in the midst of a community of people steeped in Old Testament scripture and knowledge –which happened to be Peter’s “launching pad” for his sermon.  His audience had scriptural knowledge, some knowledge of Jesus and His teachings, and close contact or connections with the events surrounding Jesus’ life.

 What is the worldview of people I may speak to?   What would my “launching pad” look like? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Now look at the core of his message:

1.        Shift the focus from myself to God (v.12)

2.        Touch on our collective history, and our guilt  (v.13-15)

3.        Explain what others receive from faith (v. 16)

4.        Emphasize grace and don’t be judgmental (v.17-18)

5.        Offer the way of change (v.19)

6.        Point out the benefits of repentance (v.19)

7.        Express God’s love and desire to communicate with people (v.22)

8.        Don’t be shy about the terrible consequences of rejecting truth ((v.23)

9.        Blessings come in order to continue blessing others (v.25)

10.     Jesus is interested in helping turn us from our sin (26)

Truth is true for all people, in all places, at all times.  Look again at the ten points above.  Do they seem bound by time, place or culture, or are they relevant any time, any place, in any culture?  The heart of the message is consistent, the “launching pad” may vary from audience to audience; it’s not a simple formula when one takes into account varied histories, experiences, and beliefs.  There is some work involved—we need to understand the people with whom we speak in order to be effective.[1]  I pray God grants us the diligence and the grace to do so.

  Read and Pray:  Romans 1:16-21, Romans 10:14-17, 1 John 4:1-11  

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[1] Dyke, Drew, Generation Ex-Christian, (Moody Publishers, 2010)  A great resource!

Read Acts 3:1-10

                                          personal  encounters

                Why is the historical account in these verses important?  _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Just as we saw themes which carry from the Old Testament to the New Testament, one can easily see themes which carry from the life of Jesus to the lives of His disciples.  His wondrous acts did not terminate upon His departure from walking the earth in the flesh.  Those works continued in and through His Spirit operating in multiple other people. 

Something that I find particularly interesting in this passage is that the importance of face to face, eye to eye contact was recorded here.  Why do you think this was important enough to record?

__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

                Can this, or does this speak in any way to you about your interactions with others?  If so, how?  __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

Often, it may be pretty easy to simply go through the motions of mechanical charity:  give the money, sign your name, send the gift, give the hand-out.   I do not mean to in any way diminish the importance of these activities.  But we should also be honest with ourselves:  this demands nothing of our selves beyond what we have attached to our material goods. 

On the other hand, to enter into a personal encounter can be another matter entirely.  A personal encounter creates a connection that may then invite an invasion into my little world, my neat and tidy control of my own life.  A personal connection links me to another human being that may disable my apathy and my freedom to some extent.  And yet, personal connection is the very essence of love.

I am challenged to fix my eyes on some of the needy people in my life, and invite them to look at me—to share a personal encounter.  I am challenged to offer to them some of the goodness that God has offered me.  I am challenged to love, not just as an idea, but as a practical reality.

Read and Pray:  Luke 5:16-26, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, 1 John 4:19-21

Read Acts 2:41-47

                                                   resulting  responses

                One of the things I love about scripture is that it is true and speaks on so many different levels:  history, philosophy, logic, sociology, education, economics, health, ethics, law, theology…

                How unfortunate that reading the Bible is sometimes regarded as a duty, simply to be performed, rather than writing to be engaged which has power to transform!   The early Christians had Old Testament scriptures, and eyewitness testimonies with which they engaged.  We have that record here in Acts.  Though our starting places may be different, are the results?

1.  What behaviors result in one who truly receives the gospel? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

2.  What attitudes result with a true understanding the gospel?  _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

3.  What are some resulting responses of those observing from the outside?  _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

Going through Acts  is a wonderful challenge to reflect upon our own beliefs and traditions, and their impact on the world around us.

4.  In what ways does your current faith community reflect the devotion and commitment of the early Christians of Acts? _______________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

5.  In what ways would you personally like to grow to be more like the early Christians Luke has written about?  _________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Read and Pray:  1 Corinthians 2:9-12, 2 Corinthians 3:16-4:2, 1 John 5:6-13

Read Acts 2:14-40

                                                     sermon  notes 

In your own words, summarize the following:

1.  What do you think is/are the main point(s) of the sermons highlights in verses of 14-21? ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

2.  What do you think is/are the main point(s) of the sermon highlights of verses 22-36? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

3.  What is/are the main point(s) of the last part of Peter’s sermon summarized in verses 37-41? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

When we break the message down to its core meaning, it is pretty simple:  all are welcome to receive God’s goodness, all have sinned and done what is contrary to the love of God, we are called to respond to the truth, and in so doing, we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

What is the response Peter calls for? 

R_____________ and be b__________________

Find and give a definition for each of these:

R______________ :  _____________________________________________

B_______________: _____________________________________________

Have you ever wondered how these two are related to one another, and to faith?  Can a person have faith without repentance, or repentance without faith?  I believe faith and repentance are two sides of the same coin.  Baptism is like the edge of the coin that is touched by both sides and displays the depth that is present.  It is not simply a ritual, it is a very real expression and confirmation of a new reality ushered in by new life in the Spirit of God.

            Repentance, baptism, faith—these are not simply words to write about in our notes from sermons, they are realities to be lived.  Are you living them?

Read and Pray:  Mark 1:1-6, Matthew 20:17-23, 28:18-20 

Read Acts Chapter 2

Beyond history

It is fascinating to me how many parallels we find between the Old and New Testaments.  In the book Sitting at the Rabbi Jesus, authors Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg point a few of these out:

“…the rabbis noted that the Israelites reached Mount Sinai fifty days after they left Egypt…On Sinai, God had given his people the covenant of the Torah meaning “law” or “instruction”.  On Pentecost he gave his Spirit to seal a new covenant of the forgiveness of sin.  Like the Torah, the Spirit reveals God’s truth, instructs us, and convicts us of sin.”

“Many centuries before, on Passover, God had redeemed

Them from Egypt.  Fifty days after their departure, God enacted his covenant on Mount Sinai to form Israel into a nation.  The death and resurrection of Christ on Passover brought redemption to all who believe in him.  And fifty days later, God poured out his Spirit to seal a new covenant for the forgiveness of sins.  Believers were commissioned to make disciples of all nations and empowered by the same Spirit who spoke through the prophets of long ago.  Just as Passover and Firstfruits illuminated the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection, Shavout [Hebrew for Pentecost], communicated what God was accomplishing on the birthday of the church.”

Though these parallels are fascinating, the significance goes beyond history:  What does the gift of the Holy Spirit mean to us in our own lives?  It is apparent that in the first century it was much more than speaking in tongues and it went far beyond any exclusive group.  It overcame barriers of communication, barriers of physical differences and disabilities, barriers of socio-economic status.  The Spirit of God set the believers free from their own sin of self-preservation, and shifted their focus toward generous expression of God’s love.

            Is your church emphasis on spiritual gifts?  Evangelism? Caring for the poor?  The early church embraced all three.  Consider how you can be a part of an early church type of holistic approach where the Spirit of God overcomes a wide variety of barriers.

Read and Pray:  1 Corinthians 12, Isaiah 61:1-3

                                    finding  parallels

Look up these passages, and jot down your thoughts about each.

Old Testament	New Testament	Present Application
Exodus 12:1-13:16	John 1:29	Luke 22:14-20
Exodus 19-20	Acts 2:1-4	Romans 8:5-15
Isaiah 60:1-3	Luke 2:1-20,  John 1:1-14	Matthew 5:14-16
Exodus 24:12-18	Matthew 4:1-11	Acts 1:3
Leviticus 23:9-14	1 Corinthians 15:20-23	2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Leviticus 23:15-22	Acts 2:1	Ephesians 5:15-21
Jeremiah 31:33	Luke 2:1-7, 34-35	2 Corinthians 3:2-8
Joel 2:28	Luke 24:44-49	Acts 2:1-4