Seeking the Life in Christ: January 2021

Friday, January 29, 2021

The Apostles Meet Opposition

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 29, 2021

The Apostles Meet Opposition

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”

Acts 5:19-20

Read: Acts 5:17-26

As I read today’s passage, I remembered Paul asking for prayer for boldness to proclaim the Gospel while he was in prison. (Colossians 4) Paul didn’t ask his friends to go his bail, or break him out of jail. He asked for power to preach in his present circumstance. In today’s passage, an angel of the Lord broke the apostles out of jail. Then the angel directed them to go back to the place where they had been arrested “and tell the people all about this new life.”

I laughed a bit at that statement. This new life got the apostles thrown in jail! And as they continued to teach in the Temple, they would be arrested again! But in their old life, they didn’t have an angel of the Lord attending to them. In their old life, they didn’t perform many signs and wonders among the people, the sick, and those tormented by impure spirits were not healed.

My Takeaway: Not long before the events in today’s passage, Peter had thrice denied evening knowing Jesus. Then, filled with the Holy Spirit, after being twice ordered to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, after being arrested, Peter again places himself in harm’s way. This is the power of the Holy Spirit I ask God to manifest in my life. This is the love for Jesus that I ask God to form in my life.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life. The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Thursday, January 28, 2021

The Apostles Heal Many

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 28, 2021

The Apostles Heal Many

Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

Acts 5:16

Read: Acts 5:12-16

The church, the New Community of Believers, continued to grow. Luke notes that the normal ebb and flow of people within the Temple were not participating as the Believers met in Solomon’s Colonnade, “but more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” (v. 14)

As I read today’s passage, I recalled what I wrote on January 19. A Bishop complained that he was not having the same impact in his ministry as did the first apostles. He said, “Everywhere Paul went, there was a riot. Everywhere I go, they serve tea.” In our churches, what is said is important, but what happens is also important. On Epiphany, Cheryl and I attended a worship service in an Anglican church. When the service was over, the priest met with us, He anointed Cheryl, and then he and I laid hands on her and prayed for her healing. (She is been experiencing a good deal of pain from degenerative disc disease.)

My Takeaway: Luke described an extraordinary time as the Apostles were finding their footing. But it was not a time without consequences, as we will read tomorrow. For now, I want to tarry a bit longer in wonder of our God, for whom, nothing is impossible.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Ananias and Sapphira

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 27, 2021

Ananias and Sapphira

“What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.

Acts 5:4b-5a

Read: Acts 5:1-11

This is not a popular passage. I don’t recall ever hearing a sermon preached on this passage, or me preaching one. My first thought today as I read this passage was of Hebrews 12:28-29:

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (See also Deuteronomy 4:24)

I noted previously that Luke invoked the covenant community of God’s people to describe the New Community of Believers. In this time of the birth of the New Testament church, it was vital to maintain the integrity of their witness. As the Apostle Paul would later note, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7)

Truthfulness is intrinsic to the character of a Believer. Truthfulness is not intrinsic to the character models of our culture. When our lives more closely resemble our culture, we turn our churches into associations with a Christian veneer.

My Takeaway: I absolutely believe Brennan Manning when he stated, “God loves us unconditionally, just as we are, not as we should be. Because none of us are as we should be.” I also believe God is a consuming fire. I also believe there are times when, as Luke stated in verse 11, great fear should seize the whole church.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

The Believers Share Their Possessions

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 26, 2021

The Believers Share Their Possessions

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.

Acts 4:33-34a

Read: Acts 4:32-37

The Old Testament describes what it will be like when the covenant people of God live together in community. Luke borrows a phrase from this description when he says of The Believers, “there were no needy persons among them.” (V. 34a, compare to Deuteronomy 15:4) I believe Luke’s intent is to show how this new community of believers, who had received forgiveness of their sins and new life in Christ, were living together as the covenant community God had intended.

This spirit of generosity and hospitality became a hallmark of the first century church. The church embodied what Steven Covey would describe as a Win/Win attitude in his Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. Covey said the basis of a Win/Win attitude is the belief that there is enough pie for everyone to have a slice. With this attitude it is unacceptable to win if the other person feels as though they lost.

My Takeaway: Luke introduces us to a specific person who modeled the spirit of generosity, Barnabas. We will see much more of Barnabas in the Book of Acts, as a person who shows us what it is like to make the life in Christ your way of life.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Monday, January 25, 2021

The Believers Pray

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 25, 2021

The Believers Pray

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

Acts 4:29

Read: Acts 4:23-31

Peter and John left the Temple and returned to gather with the other believers for a time of prayer. Their prayer had three movements which I believe are vital to equip the church today.

First, in their prayer they affirmed their faith in God as the Sovereign Lord, God is the rightful ruler because, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” (v.24)

Secondly, they invoked scripture from Psalm 2 which declares “The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.” (v.26) They affirmed they were living in an era that was hostile to the Sovereign Lord, just as we are today.

Then they prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” (v.29)

My Takeaway: Peter and John’s question to the religious leaders was rhetorical – and they immediately answered their question lest there be any doubt: “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (v. 20) Then they gathered in prayer asking the Lord to equip them to speak boldly in His name. May I be so bold, as to pray and ask God to enable me to speak His word with great boldness.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, January 22, 2021

Which Is Right in God’s Eyes?

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 22, 2021

Which Is Right in God’s Eyes?

As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:20

Read: Acts 4:13-22

As I read verse 20, I am reminded of the prophet Jeremiah’s statement,

“If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:9 NRSV).

This has been one of my life verses, especially as I went through the ordination process and had to articulate how I understood God calling me to preach in His name. Peter was in a place similar to Jeremiah. He faced very powerful and very hostile men who ordered him to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. Peter and John’s response is a word the followers of Jesus must hold onto today:

“But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him?” (Acts 4:19)

My Takeaway: Peter’s response invokes a principal that is not discussed much today: God’s sovereignty. We will see an example of this in our reading for January 25, 2021, but for today I need to prayerfully consider whether in every aspect of my life, I listen to God, or am I listening to all the other voices around me.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 21, 2021

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

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

Acts 4:12

Read: Acts 4:1-12

The captain of the temple guard was responsible for maintaining order in and about the Temple. The Sadducees were an elite class and part of the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law in Jerusalem. They were the who’s who of their day, and they were also masters of going along to get along. The last thing they wanted was a rag tag bunch of fishermen talking nonsense about resurrection and stirring up civil unrest.

Alas, not only did they not believe in the resurrection, neither were they acquainted with the Holy Spirit. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 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.’ (v.8,10) Peter’s response to the religious leaders is an example of what Paul would later write, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

My Takeaway: We are living in an era in which many of the Sadducees and leaders of our churches, the elders and the teachers in our seminaries, are very similar to those whom Peter faced. They don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus and they certainly are going along with the modern culture, to get along in their places of power. May our word to them be,

Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’

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

Acts 4:11-12

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Times of Refreshing

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 20, 2021

Times of Refreshing

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

Acts 3:19

Read: Acts 3:17-26

I noticed yesterday that Peter was holding the crowd gathered by the Beautiful Gate responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Five times he used the pronoun, you, in accusing the crowd, such as in verse 15, “You killed the author of life . . .” I don’t think Peter knew if any of them were actually in the crowd calling for Barabbas to be released. Rather, I think Peter was demonstrating their corporate guilt by being a part of a sinful people. We rehearse this truth when we share in our corporate prayer of confession as a part of our liturgy for Holy Communion.

Peter goes on to tell the crowd that even though they acted out of ignorance, they no longer have any excuse. The power of the Risen Savior has been demonstrated before them in the healing of the lame man. Now is the time to repent, to turn from their sinful ways, and turn to God. In making this point, Peter again stresses the continuity of God’s redemptive story by reminding the crowd that their prophets had foretold of the coming of God’s Messiah, and of his promised coming again in Final Victory. We will see in tomorrow’s reading that another two thousand men accepted Peter’s invitation to new life in Jesus.

My Takeaway: Repentance is not a one-off event. We are called daily to turn away from working out the meaning of our lives apart from God, and to seek the life in Christ as our way of life.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

It Is Jesus’ Name

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 19, 2021

It Is Jesus’ Name

You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

Acts 3:15

Read: Acts 3:11-16

A Bishop complained that he was not having the same impact in his ministry as did the first apostles. He said, “Everywhere Paul went, there was a riot. Everywhere I go, they serve tea.” What was true of Paul was also true of Peter and John. They dared to venture into uncharted waters where all they had going for them was faith in Jesus. Their actions remind me of a quote from Corrie ten Boom, “You will never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”

When questioned about the crippled man’s healing, Peter immediately attributed the healing to faith in Jesus. Peter was doing ministry beyond his power, in places well beyond where you would expect a fisherman to stand and preach. When the people saw something as astonishing as the lame man being healed, Peter seized the moment to proclaim the power of faith in the resurrected Jesus.

Notice the continuity in Peter’s preaching. He is serving the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Peter actually quoted a passage from Exodus 3, which Jesus also had quoted. The context for Peter naming the patriarchs of Judaism was Moses standing before the burning bush and receiving an assignment from God to go and set God’s people free. Peter was proclaiming that God was doing it again. He was continuing the story of redemption by setting the people free from sin and death through faith in the resurrected Jesus.

My Takeaway: I am writing this meditation on the morning after Cheryl and I visited a church to partake of Holy Communion. In the service, we affirmed our faith with the words of the Nicene Creed, which includes our entire theological heritage. In today’s reading, I am reminded of the importance of our holding onto the whole story of Jesus, or as Peter put it, “You handed him over to be killed, you disowned the Holy and Righteous One, you killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him.” (v. 13-16)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, January 29, 2021

The Apostles Meet Opposition

Thursday, January 28, 2021

The Apostles Heal Many

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Ananias and Sapphira

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

The Believers Share Their Possessions

Monday, January 25, 2021

The Believers Pray

Friday, January 22, 2021

Which Is Right in God’s Eyes?

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Times of Refreshing

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

It Is Jesus’ Name

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