Week 30

 Monday, July 21

Luke 24:28-53

         

Commentary

          Today’s verses continue the scene from yesterday’s reading – Jesus is with the two unnamed disciples, continuing towards Emmaus. They urge him to stay with them and as they eat together, the disciples finally realize this traveler is Jesus. Even after being with Jesus face-to-face, hearing him expound on how the whole Bible pointed to Christ, and feeling a “burning” in their hearts while talking to him, they still could not fully understand without God’s gracious help. Jesus disappears and the two disciples go to see the eleven apostles in Jerusalem.

          Jesus reappears with the disciples in Jerusalem. They think he is a ghost at first, but Jesus assures them he is a real, physical person by showing them the holes in his hands and feet and eating food. Why did Jesus appear in a physical body, and why was he adamant about the disciples knowing he was not a spirit? Jesus appeared in the same body that death destroyed because he defeated death and rose from the grave. Jesus paid for the sins of humanity on the cross, but he also reversed the ultimate consequence of sin, death, by his Resurrection. Patrick Schreiner explained the closing verses of Luke’s gospel well: “[Jesus] instructs them that this is a new beginning. The message of repentance and forgiveness of sins through a Savior is to be proclaimed to the whole world by the Spirit. Jesus then ascends into heaven. He blesses them as a priest who has entered the presence of God. The story ends as it began: in the temple. Jesus has born their burdens; now they are to do the same for the world.”[1]

 

Application/Discussion

1. How does Jesus’ Resurrection give you confidence to face the trials and sufferings of this life?

2. How does this passage emphasize our need for God’s help to know and serve him?

3. Jesus’ bodily Resurrection reminds us that the physical world is not inherently evil, but fallen. In the new creation, God will redeem and recreate the physical world. In what ways does the promise of future glorification encourage you to follow Christ in this life?

 

Points of Prayer

Adoration: Praise God for his infinite power and sure victory over sin, death, and Satan.

Confession: Ask God to help you rely on his strength and wisdom to know, love, and serve him.

Thanksgiving: Thank God for the mighty Resurrection of Jesus and the glorified bodies promised to believers.

Supplication: Pray for the Holy Spirit’s conviction and boldness for your church to witness in your community.

Tuesday, July 22

Acts 1

 

Commentary

Luke introduces his work as dedicated to Theophilus, with this volume covering what the disciples did after Jesus' final commands and departure. Jesus told the disciples to rely on the Holy Spirit, not worrying about when the end will come or relying on their own strength and wisdom. John Polhill explained, “He emphasized that the same Spirit who rested upon Jesus in his ministry would empower the apostles for witness. And the same Jesus who taught them during his earthly life would continue to instruct them through the presence of the Spirit once they experienced the Spirit through the presence of Jesus. Formerly they had experienced the Spirit through the presence of Jesus. After Pentecost they would experience Jesus through the presence of the Spirit.”[2] The Holy Spirit would empower the disciples to witness boldly for Jesus to the ends of the earth – they spread out from Jerusalem to the edges of the Roman Empire and beyond!

The disciples picked an apostle to replace Judas, drawing lots as a way for the choice to be up to God (through random “chance”) rather than men. Mattias is chosen, and although we do not see anything else from him in the New Testament, he certainly would have been important in the early church. Gathered in Jerusalem are 120 believers. Who are they? We can count the eleven apostles, plus Matthias and Justus, Mary and Jesus’ brothers, and probably close friends of Jesus like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Joseph is not mentioned here or in the gospels past Jesus’ childhood, and Joseph was probably several years older than Mary, so he was probably dead by the time of the gospels. The folks here in Jerusalem are former fishermen, a widowed carpenter’s wife, brothers who were recently jeering skeptics, a former tax collector – this is an unlikely and unimpressive group to start a religious revolution! Only the Spirit of God could get these few random people and use them to turn the world upside down for Christ. He can use us, too – God is in the miracle business!

 

Application/Discussion

1. Why was it so important for the disciples to be filled with the Holy Spirit before they began to spread the gospel?

2. In this chapter, we see the first of many instances of the church uniting in prayer before a significant event. Why is corporate prayer an important duty of the church?

 

Points of Prayer

Adoration: Praise God for his use of the weak and foolish to shame the self-reliant and self-righteous.

Confession: Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in loving and obeying God.

Thanksgiving: Thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit and the church.

Supplication: Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in uniting your church in prayer and service.

Wednesday, July 23

Acts 2:1-21

 

Commentary

          The story continues at the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost was a Jewish festival 50 days (seven weeks) after the Passover and it celebrated God’s provision in the grain harvest. On this day, God provided his people with something even greater than the food needed for the next year – his own Spirit. Gregory of Nazianzus, reflecting on Pentecost, observed that as God the Son lived with us in bodily form, God the Spirit dwells with us in our bodies. The Holy Spirit came in the form of tongues because of His close relation to the Word, tongues of fire perhaps because God is a consuming and purifying fire, divided tongues because of the diversity of the gifts and members of the church, appeared in an upper room because Christ instituted Communion in an upper room, and was manifest to the Jews who had traveled to Jerusalem from around the world because the gospel is to go out to every nation.[3]

          People traveled from all ends of Israel and the wider Roman Empire to celebrate Pentecost in Jerusalem. John Chrostom noted that the Spirit greatly boldened Peter, “He who had not endured the questioning of a poor girl, now in the midst of the people, all breathing murder, discourses with such confidence, that this very thing becomes an unquestionable proof of the Resurrection: in the midst of men who could deride and make a joke of such things as these! What effrontery, think you, must go to that! what impiety, what shamelessness! For wherever the Holy Spirit is present, He makes men of gold out of men of clay.”[4] This is exactly what God promised to do, not because we deserve it, but because he loves us and wants us to glorify him.

 

Application/Discussion

1. How does Peter’s bold preaching inspire you to share the gospel? Where can you share the gospel this week?

2. How is the gathering in Jerusalem a picture of the Tower of Babel? How is it a picture of heaven?

 

Points of Prayer

Adoration: Praise God for empowering and sustaining his church to glorify him.

Confession: Ask God’s forgiveness for any ways you have fallen short of his goodness today.

Thanksgiving: Thank God for Jesus’ humble submission to slander, torture, and death for our salvation.

Supplication: Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help for your church members to boldly witness for Christ in your community and his strength for persecuted Christians around the world.

 

Thursday, July 24

Acts 2:22-47

 

Commentary

Today’s reading contains the rest of Peter’s Pentecost sermon and the response of the listeners. Peter declares that they all well know who Jesus was and the works he did. Even those who traveled from the farthest corners of Rome knew about Jesus and his miracles. This same Jesus, as they also knew, was nailed to a cross to die the death of the lowest of the low, and his disciples claimed he rose from the dead. Nobody was refuting that claim – if either Rome or the religious leaders could find any evidence to refute the Resurrection claim, they would have immediately spread it like wildfire. Peter also adds that though Jesus was condemned and killed by lawless men, this was part of God’s plan all along. God works through evil to bring about good, even the greatest act of evil to bring about the greatest good. Jesus could not be held by death – he was God and thus stronger than death. David prophesied about the death and Resurrection of Christ – although David died, the Son of David defeated death.

The crowd is convicted by Peter’s message and ask what they should do. Peter tells them – repent and be baptized. Peter’s message easily could have ended with the condemnation of sinful man for sending Jesus to the cross, but instead, it ends with an invitation to come to the cross to die to oneself and live in Christ. Three thousand people are saved, folks from all over the Roman Empire who would bring this message back home with them when they left Jerusalem. The new believers dedicated themselves to the teaching of the apostles, fellowship, breaking bread (either sharing meals or the Lord’s Supper), prayer, and sharing their possessions and money to help each other. God gives them favor with those outside the church and continually adds new converts to their number.

 

Application/Discussion

1. How do verses 42 to 47 describe what the church should be like? How does your church hold up to this example?

2. The believers devote themselves to the teaching of the apostles, not just one apostle or pastor. What are the advantages of having multiple pastors?

3. The early church seems to have kept a roll of its members, as Luke knew about how many people were saved that day and that new believers were added to that number. What are the advantages of having a roll of church members?

 

Points of Prayer

Adoration: Praise God for showing his glory by convicting and converting his enemies.

Confession: Ask for God to help you hate sin and cling to what is good.

Thanksgiving: Thank God for his forgiveness and bringing the repentant into his family.

Supplication: Pray for the Holy Spirit’s conviction and enlightenment to the lost in your country and his strength and boldness for the believers in your country.

Friday, July 25

Acts 3

 

Commentary

In today’s reading, we see Peter and John heal a crippled man. They were going to the temple, as this is where the early Christians worshipped until Jewish persecution became too great. As they enter the temple, they see a paralyzed beggar asking for money. Today, we have social security, homeless shelters, and other ways to protect and help at least some of the most disadvantaged among us. In ancient Israel, begging was the way those who could not work found provision with a bit of dignity. They were often helped, as this man was, to get to a prominent place in town to beg and they “worked” by staying out and asking for support.

Peter and John help this man with the very best thing they have – the power of Christ. Through this miracle, they gave him the ability to participate fully in society and work for himself. Even more important, they pointed him to the One who enabled this miracle, Jesus. The miracle attracted a lot of people, who will now hear about Jesus. Grabbing the attention of the lost and exhibiting power that could only come from above is a large part of why the early church performed miracles. Now that a crowd has gathered, Peter boldly preaches. He declares this miracle comes from God, the same God of the Israelites and the God who sent Jesus. Though sinful man, particularly the citizens of Jerusalem, sent Jesus to the cross, God raised him from the dead. Further, God is ready and willing to forgive all who come to him in repentance. We killed God’s Son, yet he welcomes us with open arms when we turn from our sins to trust in him.

 

Application/Discussion

1. Peter and John did not have money to give, but they had the gospel. Even to someone crippled and in poverty, the greatest help possible is to hear about Jesus. How can you work to share the gospel with those around you?

2. Although our sins sent Jesus to the cross, God wants to forgive and bless us rather than destroy us if we repent of our sins. What does this say about the satisfaction of God’s wrath against sin on the cross? How does this relate to situations where we are wronged and want to take revenge or withhold forgiveness?

 

Points of Prayer

Adoration: Praise God for his loving, forgiving, redeeming grace and mercy.

Confession: Ask God’s help in making the gospel the greatest priority in your relationships.

Thanksgiving: Thank God for his perfect, complete forgiveness and future glorification for all believers.

Supplication: Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance for your church to love and reach out to the lost in your community.

Saturday, July 26

Acts 4:1-31

 

Commentary

Picking up from yesterday’s story, Peter and John are now confronted and arrested by the religious leaders. One detail to look out for as we read Acts is that the Jewish opponents of the church do not deny the events the apostles describe. They do not deny Jesus’ miracles, or even his Resurrection; they simply shut it down because they hate the message behind the miracles. Jesus was supposed to stay dead and his disciples were supposed to give up and go home. Now, instead of one person leading the people away from the Sanhedrin, there are two of them – and counting! Despite the opposition, five thousand men and a probably equal or greater number of women and children are converted by the apostles’ preaching.

Peter and John are tried before the Sanhedrin. Peter once cringed before a servant girl when she asked if he knew Jesus, now he is facing the 71 Sanhedrin and preaching a condemning message with total confidence! What changed? The Holy Spirit now dwells in and empowers Peter. God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9-10). The Sanhedrin is not sure what to do, so they simply tell the apostles to stop preaching and release them. The apostles even tell the Sanhedrin that they will not stop obeying God to obey them – what boldness! The apostles report everything that happened to the church and the church responds with a fantastic model prayer. It starts with recognizing the sovereignty of God and then they quote part of a Psalm. The book of Psalms is a book of praises and prayers, so this is quite fitting. We should spend enough time in the Word that we know things off the top of our heads like this, and when we praise God, we can use what the Scripture says about him and his character as a starting point. Be filled with God’s Word so much that is naturally flows out in your speech and prayers and be a courageous witness for him, no matter what. He will be with you and bless you if you turn to him.

 

Application/Discussion

1. Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit helping you resist a difficult temptation or share the gospel with boldness? We are sanctified through God’s Word, prayer, and the church – be active in these things and ask God for his help to live for him.

2. How can God’s Word help guide our prayers?

 

Points of Prayer

Adoration: Praise God for his great grace, mercy, and love, as displayed in the gospel.

Confession: Ask for God’s help in resisting sin, living for Christ, and proclaiming the gospel.

Thanksgiving: Thank God for the help of the Holy Spirit.

Supplication: Pray for the Holy Spirit’s encouragement for your church to love, read, and live out God’s Word.

Sunday, July 27

Acts 4:32-5:11

 

Commentary

Today’s reading starts with a summary statement like 2:42-47, another motif running through Acts. The church is selling possessions and even land to give to the common cause of the church and help each other. They used the resources they received to help the church members thrive. God often rebuked Israel in the Old Testament for allowing injustices to continue amongst God’s people and in a similar way, the church is supposed to similarly ensure its members are cared for and treated fairly. For example, remember the instructions about widow care that Paul gave to Timothy or the many exhortations to unity and service to each other. The collected money was laid at the apostle’s feet because they led the Jerusalem church as its elders/pastors.

Luke gives us two contrasting sets of characters: Barnabas, who generously sold his field and gave the money to the church, and Ananias and Sapphira, who generously sold their land as well, but deceptively (and unnecessarily) claimed they gave the full amount they sold to the church. Peter immediately knows they have lied, so he confronts Ananias about it. Peter tells him he was under no obligation to sell his land, and when he did, he was under no obligation to give all or even part of it to the church. Any part of the profit given to the church would have been much more generous than required, which makes their lying about how much they were giving all the more sinful. Careful readers may also notice that Peter uses Holy Spirit and God interchangeably in 5:3-4; the doctrine of the Trinity is consistently taught in the Bible. God strikes down both Ananias and Sapphira for this deception and the church is filled with fear as a result. God’s discipline is meant to help people see the severity of sin and its consequences, as well as preserve the purity of the church. This is quite a vivid picture, but in a smaller way, church discipline accomplishes the same means. God loves us enough to correct us, even harshly and intensely, and we should be grateful.

                                                                              

Application/Discussion

1. Are you financially generous to your church? Can you be more generous? Do you know how your church wisely manages its money?

2. Never sin in order to impress people; it will not impress the sort of people you should aim to impress anyway, and God is always watching.

 

Points of Prayer

Adoration: How can you praise God based on what you just read?

Confession: Is there unconfessed sin in your heart today?

Thanksgiving: How can you thank God based on what you just read?

Supplication: What can you ask for God’s help with based on what you just read?

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[1] Patrick Schreiner, The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament Books, ed. Connor Sterchi (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2021), 36.

[2] John B. Polhill, Acts, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 81.

[3] Adapted from Gregory of Nazianzus’ “Oration 41.”

[4] John Chrysostom, “Homily on the Acts of the Apostles IV,” in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series, vol. 11 (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1889), 28–29.