Devotionary

In Acts 3:17-26, Luke continues his record of Peter’s address to the crowds gathered in Solomon’s Portico. Peter has placed the responsibility for the death of Jesus on the shoulders of the Jews in his audience. They had rejected and been complicit in the murder of the Righteous One of God. But now he is going to give them some great news. First of all, he’ll let them know that they had acted in ignorance. Then, he’ll assure them that God is not done with them. And he’ll refer to a coming day which he calls the times of refreshing. In spite of their unfaithfulness, God will prove faithful, doing for the people of Israel what they never could have done for themselves, and providing for them a blessing they in no way deserved. Peter longs to see his fellow Jews come to faith in Christ. He wants them to recognize that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies and that He was the Messiah for whom they had so long waited. Jesus was the fulfillment of the covenants made with Abraham and with Dav

Peter and John have just healed a man born lame. The crowds are amazed and perplexed by what they have just witnessed. They had just seen a miracle and it must have brought back memories of the kinds of things Jesus had done when He was still alive. The people of Israel had been amazed at His capacity to heal the sick and lame, cast out demons, and even raise the dead. In fact, just weeks prior to Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, news had spread regarding His raising of Lazarus from the dead. It had happened in the nearby town of Bethany, and when Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem, He had been accompanied by Lazarus. But Jesus had died. Lazarus had returned home. But here were the disciples of Jesus performing similar miracles and preaching in the name of Jesus, even claiming that He had risen from the dead. It was too much for the Jews to handle. They are at a loss as to how to explain what they have just witnessed. So, in Acts 3:11-16, Luke records Peter’s response to their questions and concerns. For Pet

In verses 1-10 of Acts 3, Luke provides us with a retelling of an encounter Peter and John had with a man who had been lame since birth. While Luke seems to present this as a chance encounter, it was anything but that. This was a God-ordained appointment, providing these two apostles with an opportunity to perform a miraculous sign and validate their role as ambassadors for Christ. What we have here is a continuation of the very same work Jesus had done when He was doing His earthly ministry. He had performed signs and wonders. He had healed. He had cast out demons. And He had told the disciples that they would do the same. “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” (John 14:12-14 NLT). Peter and John were going to rock this man’s world. They were

What should a true, New Testament church look like? For an answer to that question, many have turned to the book of Acts. They see in Luke’s account a detailed, God-ordained agenda for the church of Jesus Christ in any and all ages. But is that what Luke was really out to provide? Was he writing a manual on church polity and ecclesiastical methodology? In Acts 2:42-47, we have some very familiar verses that some would use as proof that Luke is out to describe and prescribe that proper manifestation of the church for not only the 1st-Century, but for the 21st. But while there are some aspects of the early church that we can find helpful, we must not lose sight of Luke’s primary objective in writing this book. He opened up with the words, “In the first book, O Theophilus”, referring to the gospel that bears his name. Then he stated that in his gospel he “dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom h

What better way to address a crowd of Jews than to quote their revered patriarch and former king, David. Which is what we have recorded in Acts 2:29-41. In his ongoing address to the crowd that had gathered as a result of the Spirit’s indwelling and the disciples speaking in foreign languages, Peter uses the words of King David to prove that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and that what they had just witnessed was the work of God. Crucial to Peter’s explanation of what had just happened that day was his attempt to link the events to the resurrection of Jesus. While the Romans and the Jews had seen fit to put Jesus to death, God had chosen to raise Him back to life. And Peter uses David’s psalm to prove it. This was all part of God’s divine plan and, David, acting as a prophet, had predicted Jesus’ death and His subsequent resurrection. The one they had crucified, God had crowned Lord and Christ. He was the Messiah. And He had come, but had now returned to glory. Yet, He had sent His Holy Spirit to take His

In Acts 2:22-28, Luke records part of Peter’s address to the crowd of Jews who had gathered as a result of the Holy Spirit’s coming and the apostles’ miraculous display of the Spirit’s power as they spoke in foreign languages. Peter took the opportunity to speak to the very people who had been complicit in the death of Jesus. It had been the Jewish citizens of Jerusalem who had rejected Pilate’s offer to release Jesus, screaming instead, “Crucify Him!” They had demanded that Pilate release to them a known and notorious criminal, Barabbas, rather than seeing Jesus set free. But Peter wants them to know that all of this had been the will of God. He states that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” In other words, it had been God’s decision that His Son die, not theirs. That doesn’t mean they were guiltless or unworthy of God’s judgment for the role they played. It simply means that Jesus wasn’t put to death, but as He Himself stated, He “willingly gave His life as a r

God is always at work, but not everyone recognizes His efforts. Some refuse to acknowledge God’s presence and power, simply writing it off or attributing it to something or someone else. That is exactly what we see going on in Acts chapter 2, in the immediate aftermath of the Spirit’s coming. The disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, had spoken in foreign languages and communicated verbally the mighty works of God. But some in the crowd had tried to discredit what had happened, saying that it was the result of the disciples having imbibed a bit too much wine a bit too early in the day. But in verses 14-21, Peter is going to address this accusation and use the Old Testament Scriptures as proof that what had taken place that day was the work of God. And it was just the beginning. The beginning of the end. With the Holy Spirit’s arrival, the end times had begun. God was doing something new and it would all culminate one day with His Son’s second coming and the final judgment of the world and all who live in it

When God shows up, He always makes an impact and leaves an impression. In the Old Testament, His appearance typically left people face down in the dirt, quivering in fear. When His presence was announced with smoke, thunder and lightning on Mount Sinai, the people of Israel begged Moses to speak to God, so they wouldn’t have to. They were petrified. God’s presence is powerful and palpable. It’s impossible to ignore. So, when the Spirit of God showed up at Pentecost, it was spectacular and memorable. There were flames of fire. There were Galilean disciples speaking in foreign tongues. There was the ear-splitting sound of rushing wind. And those in attendance were left bewildered, amazed and perplexed. They weren’t sure what had happened, but there was no question that something incredible had just taken place. In verses 5-13 of Acts 2, Luke records the reactions of the people as they witnessed the supernatural display of the Spirit’s indwelling presence in the disciples. They were stunned. They were left scrat

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform. Contrary to popular belief, those words are not from the Bible, but are the lyrics from a hymn penned by William Cowper in 1774. But while not Scripture, they do reflect the words of Paul found in Romans 11:33: “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” And they certainly illustrate the unexpected and inexplicable way in which God worked on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit arrived on the scene. The events described by Luke in Acts 2:1-4, are extraordinary and certainly not what the disciples had been anticipating. In fact, they had been completely in the dark as to exactly what was going to happen when the promised Holy Spirit showed up. All they had known was that Jesus had commanded them to return to Jerusalem and wait. And so, they had. What was going to happen remained a mystery to them. And, if while they waited, they happened to think back on the words of G

Jesus had told His disciples to return to Jerusalem and wait. Sounds easy enough. But think about how difficult that assignment would have been. Jerusalem had been the scene of one of the darkest days of their lives. They had seen their friend and Messiah put to death. Yes, they had been eye-witnesses to His resurrection, but He was gone again, having returned to His Father’s side in heaven. Now, they were alone once again, and to obey the command to return to Jerusalem, the scene of the crime against God’s anointed Son, was far from easy. They knew there were those in Jerusalem who hated them and held them in contempt. They were not welcome in Jerusalem. But Jesus had told them to go back, and had instructed them to watch and pray. Watching requires waiting. They were having to await the arrival of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised He would send in His absence. But waiting is difficult. It requires patience. And praying isn’t exactly easy either, because it demands that we trust. Jesus didn’t tell them wh

In verses 6-11 of Acts 1, Peter is going to address the Kingdom of God. The disciples of Jesus had a strong desire to see it come about. They had followed Jesus, in part, because they had heard the testimony of John the Baptist, as he preached that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. They had even heard Jesus preach the very same message. And they had spent more than three years of their lives following Jesus, hoping that He was going to set up His kingdom on earth and assign each of them positions of power and authority. But with Jesus’ death, all those hopes had quickly faded. Then, when He rose from the dead and appeared to them, their hopes and dreams were restored. But once again, they were to see their Messiah and friend leave them. This time, not because of death, but because He was returning to heaven. What they were going to learn was that the kingdom Jesus came to set up was of a spiritual nature, and they were citizens of it. While He returned to heaven, they were going to remain behind and continue

In the opening lines of his book, Luke reiterates the promise made by Jesus to His disciples. He had told them that He was leaving, but He had promised to send them another comforter, the Advocate or Holy Spirit, who would indwell and empower them. And He had instructed them to return to Jerusalem and to wait for the Spirit’s arrival. Unaware of just what they were getting themselves into, the disciples would end up doing just as Jesus said. And Luke is going to provide us with a blow-by-blow, detailed account of what happened after Jesus ascended back into heaven. This chronicle of those days following the ascension of Jesus, as the disciples sat waiting for His promise to be fulfilled, is a first-person glimpse into a once-in-a-lifetime event that was going to revolutionize not only the lives of the 11 disciples He had left behind, but the world itself. The pages of this book are filled with the record of actual, historical events, but also with unbelievable and theological insightful details regarding the

What we find recorded in the pages of the book of Acts is nothing less than miraculous, a series of events that turned the world upside down as the gospel turned sinners into saints and the Holy Spirit empowered ordinary men and women to do extraordinary things for God. And the story continues. As always, let me encourage you to read along as we work our way through this incredible book. Take time to go over the Scripture reading for each day. It will make these sessions much more memorable and applicable.

As we wrap up this Devotionary on 2 Peter, we will deal with a question with which each of us as believers should wrestle. How will Jesus find you when He returns? This last portion of Peter’s second letter has addressed an issue that had come up in the churches to whom he was was writing. There were false teachers who had been propagating the idea that there would be no second coming of Christ. But Peter strongly and vehemently disagrees. He assures them that Jesus will return, and only God knows when it will happen. The apparent delay of His return was not to cause any confusion or consternation. God had everything under complete control and His timeline for these events was perfect and unchanging. The greater question for Peter was whether or not the people of God would be ready when Jesus DID return. Would they be growing in Christ-likeness? Would they be fulfilling the great commission and sharing the gospel with anyone and everyone they met? Would Jesus see them as good and faithful servants? When it co

What kind of person should you be? These days, it seems like everybody has an opinion. And if you don’t meet their expectations, they are more than happy to let you know. They may express their disappointment and disapproval in anger, rejection, shame, humiliation, or outright hostility. But in 2 Peter 3:8-13, Peter is going to point us to God, and remind us to worry about what He thinks about us and what He expects of us. False teachers were having a negative influence on the believers to whom Peter was writing, by casting dispersions on their beliefs and tempting them to doubt the validity of Christ’s second coming. But Peter warns that God was far from done. Just because things seemed to be delayed and there was no real evidence that Christ’s return was eminent, did not mean it wasn’t going to happen. And rather than worrying about when Jesus was going to return, Peter wanted his readers to concern themselves with what they would look like when He did. Would they be holy and godly? Would they be ready? The

Doubt. It is an ever-present reality for all believers. And we don’t need any help with it. It comes naturally. But the enemy has always taken advantage of our natural propensity to doubt God, by sending false teachers with faulty information that gets us to question what God has promised. That’s exactly what was happening in Peter’s day. The false teachers had entered the local fellowship to whom Peter was writing and had begun raising questions about the second coming of Christ. They raised doubts about its plausibility and caused the believers to begin wondering whether it was ever going to happen at all. Well, if you remove the possibility of Christ’s return, then you end up putting all the emphasis on this life and all it has to offer. There is no future life – no true eternal life. And that is what has Peter so riled up. He will not tolerate these false teachers casting dispersions on the promises of God by raising doubts about the future return of God’s Son. And so, he goes out of his way to remind his

In 2 Peter 2:17-22, Peter provides us with some less-than-flattering descriptions of false teachers and a warning against falling prey to their persuasive words. He sees them as dangerous and to be avoided at all costs. And he pulls no punches in his searing attack on their message and methods. In a way, Peter seems to express an equal portion of anger mixed with sorrow over their state. They are self-deceived, not knowing the full impact of their actions. Because of their close association with the church, they have been exposed to the gospel message, but have refused to believe it, preaching and teaching their own version of the truth. And it their exposure to the truth regarding Jesus Christ and their rejection of it, that makes their future so bleak and sad. Peter expresses his sincere belief that it would have been far better had they never heard the gospel at all, rather than to have heard and rejected it. But more than anything else, Peter wants us to recognize them as what they are and to recognize th

Peter’s not done dealing with the false teachers threatening the spiritual well-being of the churches to which he was writing. This was serious stuff to Peter and he gives it the topic the weight he believes it deserves, going out of his way to describe these individuals in terms that would persuade the believers in his audience to avoid them at all costs. In 2 Peter 2:10-16, Peter will describe them as blots and blemishes, like stains on the white garments of the church of Jesus Christ. And, once again, he will turn to the Old Testament Scriptures for an illustration of just how wicked these men were. These stories would have been well-known to the Jews reading Peter’s letter, but it is unlikely that they would have connected the dots and seen the parallels between the Old Testament character, Balaam, and the false teachers who were stirring up trouble. But Peter’s point seems to be that this methodology is nothing new. It has been around a long time and is the work of Satan himself. These men are nothing mo

The life of righteousness sometimes gets a bum rap. It gets written up as some kind of Puritanistic, pietistic, religious lifestyle that is high on holiness, but devoid of any happiness. Images of glum expressions and gloomy outlooks on life tend to come to mind. But Peter warns that the life of righteousness has its rewards. We may not get to experience them in this life, but that doesn’t negate their validity or value. Remember, Peter has been addressing the issue of false teachers and their ever-present threat on the people of God. These are people who sneak their way into the body of Christ, propagating clever-sounding insights that are nothing less than outright heresy. And the temptation every believer faces is confusing what these people say with the Word of God. They are subtle and dangerously deceptive in their tactics and tend to sprinkle their falsehood with just enough truth to make what they say plausible and acceptable. But in 2 Peter 2:4-10, Peter is going to remind us that it pays to obey. And

False teachers. It almost sounds like an oxymoron. Those two words just don’t seem to go together. Teachers should be known for telling the truth. After all, their job is to educate and to disseminate information. Why would a teacher want to pass on falsehood? Well, the easy answer is: Because it fits their personal agenda. Teachers have been guilty of spreading lies for years. Not all teachers, but enough of them to make a difference. These kinds of teachers twist the truth and play with the facts in order to pass on their particular view of things. This is true in history, science, literature, and even religion. And it’s not a new phenomena. It’s been going on for generations. Even Peter had to deal with false teachers and the flawed content coming out of their mouths. In 2 Peter 2, verses 1-3, Peter is going to begin a diatribe against any and all who attempt to deceive the people of God with clever-sounding, ear-tickling truth claims that are nothing more than the lies of the enemy disguised with piety an