Acts 4:5-12

The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"

 

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then 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. He is

 

“ `the stone you builders rejected,

    which has become the capstone. '

 

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

 

When Peter was confronted and asked by what power or name (authority) he and John had healed the lame man, he was prepared. He was prepared because Jesus had given him the Holy Spirit just as he has given us the Holy Spirit, to tell people about our King Jesus.

 

First, Peter defined the question. The question was about an act of kindness (understatement, but accurate) done to a cripple, and the question is how this man was healed. But there’s something important to know about that word healed. It is the same word as saved. This man was healed; he was saved from his deformities and restored to health. So Peter says, “You ask how this man was healed? You ask how he was saved from what destroyed him?”

 

If that is the question, then the answer is simple: By the name of Jesus this man stands before you healed. Believe it or not, there were probably quite a number of men named Jesus in the apostles’ days, so Peter specified which Jesus he was referring to: The Jesus whom you crucified. The Jesus whom God raised from the dead. The Jesus you have rebelled against and made yourselves enemies of. The Jesus with all the power of God sustaining Him. By this Jesus’ name – by His authority, by His power – the lame man stands healthy before you leaders.

 

Peter continues, citing the Scriptures. The Scriptures had predicted these things. Peter identifies the religious leaders before him as the builders who rejected the stone mentioned in Scripture, Jesus Christ. And Peter attaches the truth that God raised Jesus from the dead to the prophecy that this rejected stone would become the capstone. It had always been God’s plan to make Jesus the Christ, and God had always known that the religious leaders would oppose Jesus and crucify Him. So Peter reminded these men of God’s words – the words of the God they claimed to obey and serve – to show them how they had been rebels.

 

Peter concludes with these words: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved

 

In other words, not only was this lame man healed by Jesus, but there is no other person who could have healed him. The word Peter used for healed was the word for saved. And Jesus’ salvation begins now. The lame man’s restored body was not only a picture of salvation; it was a part of it (albeit temporary). Jesus had saved him from his infirmity.

 

Do you understand how fully Jesus intends to save you? Yes, he wants you to stop sinning, and He saves us from our sins. But we are living in a world of sickness, decay and death. Even this lame man, whom Jesus healed, has since died. The salvation Jesus gave him from his infirmities was only a weak reflection of the full salvation Jesus intends for us all. Jesus saves us not just from our sins, restoring us in our relationship with the Father; Jesus saves us from the curse, from decay, from frustration in our work, from injustices, from sickness, from death! Now and then he gives us a glimpse of this full salvation by healing a man, as he did through Peter and John. But those miracles are temporary. We may ask for them, but Jesus has not told us that His full salvation comes now, so we can still rejoice and be at rest when Jesus does NOT heal in this life. Jesus has told us that His full salvation comes when He returns! That is our hope! And there is no such hope in any other person besides Jesus.

 

Why? Why do I have nowhere else to look? Because there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Look to Mohammad. Does he guarantee salvation? No. Can he? No. Look to any other religion, and see if there is any person pointed to who saves people the way that Jesus does, just for trusting in Him. God has only revealed one name on earth whereby men must be saved – only one name that guarantees salvation without my help and without yours. Not Jesus and Matt saved Matt. Jesus saved Matt. Jesus saves everyone. The only Savior is Jesus.

 

So when this man was healed, there was no question in Peter’s and John’s minds about the source of the salvation. Peter and John couldn’t restore a lame man’s walk. Only Jesus could. And He did. He offers His salvation even to His enemies if they will only trust in Him – an even better salvation than what we see in this lame man’s healing because it is a complete healing, restoration and salvation for every part of our lives: physical, relational, spiritual, emotional, cognitive, everything. And Jesus saves not just for this life, but forever.

 

Father, thank You for choosing to reveal even one name by which we are saved. We certainly cannot save ourselves, and if you had not revealed Jesus, we would be as good as dead. Help me when I read the stories about Jesus healing people and restoring their lives to see myself in the place of the cripples, the sick people and the dead. Help me to realize that every healing, every story of restoration, is a picture to me of the full salvation that Jesus has offered to me forever. May I not complain about my temporary pains and aches, my short-term sicknesses, my aging, my frustrations at work, my broken equipment – because one day I will be saved from all of this, given a body that can never perish or hurt, work that is always worthwhile, friends who are true forever, joy that never ends! May I place my hope fully in the grace that is to be given me when Jesus Christ is revealed, gladly suffering temporarily as I look forward to eternal bliss!

 

Acts 4:1-4

Acts 4:1-4

 

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

 

Father, it seems as though there are always those who oppose Your teachings and Your servants, even when they are supposed to be Your followers, too. Please help me to be faithful to Your message and Your truth even when I’m being attacked by people I think are friends… and keep me from attacking Your servants. Even when I am physically opposed in some way or another for the sake of Your truth, for the sake of Jesus Christ, may I be able to see the good that You are doing through my service and persevere. May I be encouraged to see those who hear the message believing, and may that be enough for me.

 

Acts 3:17-26

Anyone who keeps up with my devotional thoughts has probably noticed that I’m not the most consistent, especially lately. Sometimes, this is because I feel like I need a lot of time to read the Scripture passage, learn from it, type out my thoughts about it, respond to it, and send it to my blog. To free my time up a little, I’m sometimes going to go straight from reading the Scriptures to response – at least as far as what you will see. If you have any questions about how I got from the Scripture passage to my prayer response (what the connection is), feel free to email me and ask.

 

With that said, I think all those who follow along in the Scriptures with me will find greater consistency in listening to God through His words to be a great blessing. His words are higher than my words, and His thoughts than my thoughts. With that said, today I’m reading…

 

Acts 3:17-26

 

 "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For 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. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.'

 

"Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And 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.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

 

Father, thank You that You have fulfilled Your promises despite the wicked ignorance of men – and through it. Thank You that You offer times of refreshing to those who repent of their sins and turn to You, seeking the second coming of Jesus – when all things will be restored. Thank You that Jesus is the servant foretold, apart from whom there is no hope, but in whom there is every hope. Thank You that Your promise to Abraham was blessing for all peoples on earth – turning not only the Jews, but everyone from our wicked ways. What a blessing!

 

Help me to be humble before Jesus. Help me to seek His coming. Turn me away from wickedness and make me loving, patient, and generous as I look forward to Christ’s return.

 

Acts 3:11-16

Acts 3:11-16

 

And while he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered up, and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

 

Why are we so surprised to find that Jesus does things we can’t do? When we are so surprised, it demonstrates that we don’t understand and believe a few essential truths about Jesus, as Peter points out to this astonished crowd.

 

Peter begins with two questions, both of them intended to tell the amazed people that they’re not seeing things the way they should. First, they shouldn’t be amazed/surprised that this lame man has been healed. Second, they shouldn’t be thinking that Peter and John healed the man by their own power and godliness. Why not?

 

First, the people should understand who Jesus is. They should understand that God has glorified Jesus – the same Jesus they condemned when Pilate wanted to release Him, the same Prince of life they put to death in exchange for a murderer’s life. God glorified Jesus and raised Him from the dead, and the apostles have seen Jesus alive. So Jesus is God’s living, glorified, accredited Servant. If the people had understood this, they would not have been surprised at the lame man’s restoration.

 

Second, the people should have understood that the name of this Jesus strengthened the lame man. They should have understood that restoration comes through faith in God’s servant. Instead, they were thinking that men like Peter and John could be powerful and godly enough on their own to work miracles. But they were wrong. No mere man has ever been powerful or godly enough to do miracles on his own. Every miracle done by God’s servants is done by the God they trust, regardless of men’s imperfections and weaknesses. And this trust in God comes through trust in Jesus. Jesus strengthened this man because of the apostles’ faith in Jesus, not because of their own power or godliness.

 

Jesus is the glorified servant of God. He is the source of all good things. No one should be astonished that He does good things for His people. And no one should think that men are able to do Jesus’ works; all men can do is trust in Him.

 

Father, help me to see Jesus as Your glorified servant. Help me to remember that every good and perfect gift comes from above, and that He is able to do anything. Help me to ask for good things from You, knowing that I cannot do them at all. And help me to point people toward Jesus, as Peter and John did, when Jesus sends good things to others through my faith.

 

Acts 3:1-10

Acts 3:1-10

 

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. Now 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. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

 

Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

 

Sometimes we limit what can be done by thinking it is defined by what we can do. As Christians, what can be done is always to be defined by what God can do.

 

When the lame man asked Peter and John for money, they could have given him only the first part of their answer, “Silver or gold I do not have,” and walked right on into the temple. But that would have left this man outside the temple and unaware of the relationship he could have through Jesus with God.

 

Instead, Peter and John recognized that they were far more wealthy than people who can only help with their silver and gold. They were so wealthy because they had a relationship with Jesus Christ, who is God. They shared with this lame man from what they had. “What I have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

 

The man walked. The man praised God. And the people who recognized him were, likewise, amazed to see the works of God.

 

Everything is ours in Christ. Everything. So as Christians, we have everything to give. If our God is not capable of restoring a lame man’s legs temporarily, then he is not able to restore our bodies forever.

 

There may be limitations to what we are authorized to give. We must always look to Christ for direction. I wish this passage said more – or that I understood more – regarding how we can know when to offer miraculous healing to someone. Perhaps there’s a limitation of who is authorized to heal; Acts 2:43 only says that the apostles were doing miraculous signs, and 1 Cor. 12:9 makes it clear that not all Christians are given the right/authority/ability to heal, even though all Christians are, by definition, rich in Jesus Christ.

 

Regardless of the difficulty in knowing when we can expect Jesus to heal people in this life, we must believe the words of God when they teach us that this – and many other things – is part of the vast reservoir of riches we have because we are in God’s family. When people ask for help, when we see people in need, we must remember that we have much more by which to help people than our own resources. I can help not just with my money, effort, skills, and time, but with the resources of my family, my Christian friends, my church, the universal church, and ultimately with the resources of God Himself in Jesus Christ. I may not have silver and gold, but I have everything in Christ. Will I remember my enormous riches the next time someone asks me for help?

 

Father, help me. When I am overwhelmed by other peoples’ needs, why do I not take the opportunity to point them to Your vast resources? Why don’t I ask my Christian friends to join me in helping? Or my church? Or my denomination? Or, simply You? Why do I assume that, if I can’t help, I can’t be a part of helping? Why do I forget my relationship with You, the great Helper? Remind me and teach me to point people to You. You meet all needs. Thank You.

 

Acts 2:14-41

Acts 2:14-41

 

Then 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. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

 

"`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. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below,blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

 

"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. This 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. 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. David said about him:

 

"`I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand,I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;my body also will live in hope,because you will not abandon me to the grave,nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life;you will fill me with joy in your presence.'

 

"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing 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. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted 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. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

 

  "`The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."'

 

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

 

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

 

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."

 

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

 

Many people talk about the Holy Spirit and the day of Pentecost. They assume that the point of the Holy Spirit is our empowerment, our gifting, our illumination. All of these are important results of the Holy Spirit’s coming. But these are secondary, believe it or not. Peter explains in this passage that the main reason the Holy Spirit has been given is to prove that Jesus is Lord and Christ. If we receive the Holy Spirit and rejoice only in the Holy Spirit, then we have missed the point. The Holy Spirit is here to exalt Jesus!

 

Let’s see what Peter says. He briefly dismisses people’s assumption that the disciples are drunk, saying instead that Joel’s prophecy is being fulfilled. What did Joel prophesy?

 

Joel prophesied three basic events that would take place in the last days. First, God would pour out His Spirit so that all His servants would prophesy. Second, God would send wonders and signs. Third, everyone who called on the name of the Lord would be saved.

 

Did Peter turn from this prophecy to talking about the Holy Spirit? No. Instead, he immediately began to talk about Jesus. Apparently, Jesus was the one who fulfilled Joel’s prophecy.

 

First, Jesus was the one who brought signs and wonders to men. Even so, men killed Him. But just as David prophesied, the Christ was not abandoned to the grave. He rose again. And the disciples, along with all Israel, were witnesses of these wonders.

 

Second, Jesus is the one who poured out the Holy Spirit. David prophesied that the Christ would be given the right to sit at God’s right hand until the Christ’s enemies were put under His feet. Jesus is the Christ, and He has been exalted to God’s right hand. God has given Jesus the promised Holy Spirit and, as Joel foretold, Jesus has poured out the Holy Spirit on His servants so that they are now prophesying.

 

Only two of Joel’s three prophecies have been explained at this point, but Peter announces to the crowds that these two fulfilled prophecies announce one truth: “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Jesus is the Christ. The Holy Spirit’s coming proved it! The very fact that the Holy Spirit is here, teaching Jesus’ followers to proclaim Him, proves that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, the Savior, the Lord!

 

Of course, the Jews were horrified! They realized that they had rejected the one person in whom they had been taught to hope. If they had rejected Him, what hope was left? So they cried out to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

 

And Peter proclaimed the fulfillment of Joel’s third prophecy: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” What promise? Peter mentions the Holy Spirit – that’s one of Joel’s prophecies. But forgiveness of sins is the other promise Joel prophesied. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

And so Peter kept urging the people to repent and call upon Jesus, their Lord and Christ, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Why? Because the coming of the Holy Spirit proved to them that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord upon whom all men may call and be saved.

 

This is why believers proclaim Christ; the Holy Spirit has been given to us precisely for this purpose. The very fact that we prophesy at the Spirit’s prompting – that we proclaim to people that Jesus is Lord – is proof that Joel’s prophecy has been fulfilled. So we should not stop short of proclaiming the full truth when we talk about the Holy Spirit. We confuse people when we speak only about the Holy Spirit as though God had sent Him merely so that we could do cool things. The Holy Spirit is here because of Jesus, the miracle-worker, the Messiah, the Lord. The Holy Spirit is here so that Jesus’ servants will prophesy to the world, telling everyone to call on Jesus for forgiveness and be saved. Salvation comes through Jesus!

 

Father, thank You that everyone who calls on Jesus will be saved. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to make me capable of telling people about Jesus, His power, and His forgiveness. Make me a faithful witness, a faithful servant, a faithful prophet. Speak Your truth through me! And draw many, many people to Jesus Christ, beginning with my family, friends, relatives, co-workers, and neighbors, and extending to the ends of the earth!

 

Acts 2:5-13

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

 

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

 

When God poured out the Holy Spirit on the disciples and they began to speak in other human languages, it made quite a stir. The reason we know that the disciples were speaking in different human languages is the response we see here: People who spoke all different languages heard the wonders of God in their native tongues! And they asked, “What does this mean?” At the same time, though, some responded in mockery – even to as amazing a sign of God’s wondrous power as they were seeing.

 

But what did this mean? Peter is about to explain what it means, and while we will cover that in more detail, the gist of the matter is that this is the fulfillment of prophecy, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and that this prophecy is attached to the promise that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

The Holy Spirit’s coming is not just some really, really cool thing God did to make His people able to do cool things, like talk in other languages. No, the Holy Spirit’s coming has a deep, profound purpose – the same purpose as Jesus’ coming to die and rise again. The Holy Spirit came so that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. He came so that God’s disciples would proclaim God’s words of salvation to all mankind. This event proved, just by the number of languages spoken at one time while the disciples announced God’s wonders, that the Holy Spirit had come to announce God’s wonders broadly, throughout the earth. The good news of salvation was not limited to Hebrew-speakers. The good news of salvation is for men of every language. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. So call on Him!

 

Father, thank You. I am not a Jew. I don’t speak Hebrew or Aramaic (though I’m trying to learn those languages). But before I cared about speaking the language of the Jews, You spoke to me through my parents and other Christians by the power of the Holy Spirit. And you did not speak to me in Hebrew, so that I could not understand You. You spoke to me in English to make it plain to me that I will be saved as I call on the Lord. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to speak through Your disciples in my language, and in all the languages of the earth so that people from every language may have the opportunity to call on You and be saved. You are so good!