Seeking the Life in Christ: February 2021

Friday, February 26, 2021

An Angel of the Lord

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 26, 2021

An Angel of the Lord

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

Acts 12:7

Read: Acts 12:6-19

This is a fun passage to read. My favorite part is when Rhoda recognized Peter’s voice at the door, she left him there, locked out, and ran to tell the others, “Peter is at the door!” (v.14) I am also amazed at how Luke is able to record the intricate details of the Angel leading Peter’s escape from jail. I wonder how many times Peter regaled Luke with this story.

There is also an interesting insight to prayer in this passage. Verse 5 tells us that the church was earnestly praying to God for Peter. But when Rhonda kept telling the people Peter was at the door, they didn’t believe her; they thought it was Peter’s angel. (v. 15) Did they assume he had already been executed? Romans 8:26-27 tells us that when we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit intercedes for us, perfectly according to God’s will. I may talk to God about how I see the concerns in my life, but my ultimate prayer is like the one Jesus modeled for us in the Garden of Gethsemane, “"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42) I always want to leave room for the Holy Spirit to intercede for me.

My Takeaway: Herod was determined to kill someone, so he had the guards executed. Herod confirms what Lord Acton would note in 1887, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

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, February 25, 2021

Peter Imprisoned (Again)

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 25, 2021

Peter Imprisoned (Again)

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

Acts 12:5

Read: Acts 12:1-5

The Apostle James, the brother of the Apostle John, was executed by King Herod. This found favor among the Jews in Jerusalem who were becoming increasingly hostile to the Christians. So Herod decided to take on the leader of the New Community of Believers and had Peter arrested.

Luke mentioned the Passover seven times in his Gospel once when Jesus was a child and got separated from his parents (Luke 2) and six times in chapter 22 when Luke describes the Last Supper. In our passage today, Luke mentions the Passover once and another name for it, the Festival of Unleavened Bread, once. This is the only time the Passover is mentioned in the Book of Acts.

Passover is the highest on the Holy Days for the Jews. It was during the Passover when Jesus was crucified, and in today’s reading, we see more violence in the execution of James and the arrest and intended execution of Peter. There is no mention of a trial for James, so perhaps Herod was intending to make a public spectacle of Peter, much like what was done for Jesus.

My Takeaway: Jesus said the thief, that is the forces of evil, comes to kill, steal and destroy the people of God. The forces of evil were clearly evident in the world of the first century church, and the forces of evil are clearly evident in the world of the twenty-first century church. But Jesus said,

“In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33b

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 24, 2021

The Church in Antioch

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 24, 2021

The Church in Antioch

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.

Acts 11:19

Read: Acts 11:19-30

Today’s passage took place approximately twelve years after Pentecost. As I read the opening verse, I recalled Joseph’s statement in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” The persecution that followed the martyrdom of Stephen was used for good by God to proclaim the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth.

(On January 31, I shared in my Zoom Sunday School class how God was using the persecution of Christians in China for the good of extending His Kingdom. You can watch a short video of pastor Wayne Cordeiro’s story of teaching in an underground church in China on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iwf7rmA1y9M )

In Chapters 2, 4 and 5, we saw how the disciples had everything in common. In today’s passage we see a little different take on the hospitality and generosity of the New Community of Believers, or the Christians as they were called in Antioch.

“The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea.” (v.29)

The Apostle Paul later affirms this in 2 Corinthians 9:7,

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

My Takeaway: Barnabas is described as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” (v.24) I can think of no finer epitaph.

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, February 23, 2021

Peter Explains His Actions

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 23, 2021

Peter Explains His Actions

When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Acts 11:18

Read: Acts 11:1-18

Two things caught my attention in today’s reading. First, Peter models the importance of the witness of the church in helping us discern God’s will for our lives. Even though Jesus told his followers to go to Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, for the Jews this was thinking way outside the box, especially going to Samaria and to the Gentiles (the ends of the earth). Peter carefully replayed all the events leading him to Cornelius’ home, and emphasized the outpouring of the Holy Spirit following his message. The believers listening to Peter were able to follow the Hand of God throughout the Jewish history and to the ends of the earth.

Secondly, the believers in Jerusalem noted, “even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (v.18) It is repentance that leads to eternal life. We are living in an era where we are being called to accept everything and everybody just as they are. If we talk of change we are being accused of being judgmental. We don’t hear much about Jesus, “whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” (v.42) I believe it is worth noting again the observations of Dietrich Bonhoeffer I shared when we were reading about Ananias and Sapphira.

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

My Takeaway: The core foundation of my faith is my affirmation that I am not my own. I belong to God. By creation and redemption, I belong to God. This truth calls me to repentance for all the ways I try to work out the meaning of my life apart from God. This truth calls me to seek to make the life in Christ my way of life.

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 22, 2021

Peter Sermon at Cornelius’s House

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 22, 2021

Peter Sermon at Cornelius’s House

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.

Acts 10:44

Read: Acts 10:34-48

Peter’s sermon came about because Cornelius, a Gentile, a Roman Centurion, was fed up with all of the idolatry and wimpy little gods in the Roman Empire. He wasn’t a Jew, but he was attracted to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because of the positive influence of the Jews living around him in Caesarea. He was on the outside looking in, practicing the best he could faithfulness to the God of Israel. His openness to God opened the door for God to speak to Cornelius and arrange this meeting with Peter.

In just a few words, Peter displays his passion for Jesus and his belief that God’s plan of redemption for the entire world, first begun with the Jews, is now complete in Jesus: “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (v.43)

Cornelius’ hope in inviting Peter to his home was that he would be welcomed into the family of God through forgiveness and transformation. He was!

The Holy Spirit came on Cornelius’ household, just as it did on the day of Pentecost. A definitive statement that in seven years, Peter and the others were witnesses for Jesus in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

My Takeaway: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5: 17-21)

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 19, 2021

Peter Arrives at Cornelius’ Home

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 19, 2021

Peter Arrives at Cornelius’ Home

“Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

Acts 10:33b

Read: Acts 10:17-33

Cornelius, a Roman centurion, had no use for the idolatry of Rome. He wasn’t a Jew, but he prayed to the God of the Jews. Just as God had been working in the life of the Ethiopian (Chapter 8), God had been working in the life of Cornelius. And just as God sent Phillip to the Ethiopian, God sent Peter to Cornelius.

God gave Peter a vision (v.11-15) that set the foundation for taking the Gospel to the Gentiles. Cornelius was not a Jew, and he did not have to become a Jew to hear and received the Good News of Jesus Christ. The New Community of Believers was open to all people everywhere. The invitation goes out to all people, just as they are. All people are equal before God. All people are invited to repent of their sin and believe in Jesus.

My Takeaway: Peter’s visit to Cornelius’ home reminds me of a motto of a twelve- step recovery group. “It is OK to not be OK, but it is not OK to stay that way.

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 18, 2021

Cornelius Calls for Peter

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 18, 2021

Cornelius Calls for Peter

“Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

Acts 10:5-6

Read: Acts 10:1-16

Cornelius and Peter received very specific instructions. And as we shall see in this and the next two readings, God validated the instructions, first with the consistency between what Cornelius and Peter received, and later by the fruit of their obedience.

Under the Old Covenant, Israel was intended to be a light for the nations. They were marked as God’s people by circumcision, forms of worship and dietary laws. Under the New Covenant, God is using His New Community of Believers (The Christian Church) to be a light to the nations. We are marked as God’s people through justification by faith – that is, coming into a right relationship with God the Father through faith in Christ Jesus, God’s Son. In our passage today, God is setting the stage to announce this foundation of the New Covenant. In our reading on Monday, February 22, Peter will take center stage and proclaim this incredibly Good News.

My Takeaway: God is still leading His people, and I believe it is essential that we validate what we perceive God is revealing to us through scripture and the witness of the church.

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 17, 2021

Aeneas and Dorcas

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 17, 2021

Aeneas and Dorcas

“Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.

Acts 9:34

Read: Acts 9: 32-42

First, another tidbit for context. It was approximately four years after Pentecost that Saul had his Damascus Road encounter with Jesus. It may have been another year or so before Peter left Jerusalem and traveled to Lydda.

Two things stand out to me in Peter’s encounters with Aeneas and Dorcas. First, as noted in the scripture quoted above, Peter is very clear that Jesus is the one doing the healing. Secondly, I noticed how Peter’s words, and actions, are identical to the words and actions of Jesus that Peter witnessed. Peter is doing exactly what he had been taught by the Master.

My Takeaway: I also noted that in today’s passage three individuals and three places are named. I believe Luke wants us to know that the disciples were doing real ministry with real people in real places. This is just like the New Community of Believers Luke noted in Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

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, February 16, 2021

Fear of the Lord

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 16, 2021

Fear of the Lord

Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, (the church) increased in numbers.

Acts 9:31

Read: Acts 9:19b-31

First, a few tidbits for context. It is not until Paul’s first missionary journey in chapter 13 that the name Paul is introduced. There is no explanation other than simply stating “Saul, also known as Paul.” (13:9) From that point only the name Paul is used. At the end of today’s reading, Saul sails from Caesarea to Tarsus. Caesarea is on the Mediterranean coast northwest of Jerusalem. Tarsus is in Turkey to the north of Caesarea and across the Mediterranean Sea. Saul remained in Tarsus until a revival broke out in Antioch (also in Turkey) and Saul was summoned there to assist in the work.

Two things stand out to me in today’s reading. First, Saul was so persistent in speaking boldly in the name of the Lord, even in the face of death threats, both in Damascus and Jerusalem. Secondly, the phrase, “Living in the fear of the Lord” caught my attention. Fear of the Lord is not afraid of the Lord. Again, I go back to 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.”

My Takeaway: I am writing this mediation on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I remember worshiping in St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Tallahassee on this weekend last year. That church modeled for me worshiping God with reverence and awe. It was joyful, edifying, and transformative. That experience also modeled for me what it can mean to live in the fear of the Lord.

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 15, 2021

Ask and You Will Receive

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 15, 2021

Ask and You Will Receive

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.

Acts 9:15

Read: Acts 9:10-19a

Jesus has a great sense of humor. Often his humor is seen in the stunning reversals from the norm used to accomplish his purposes. If I were to pick the one person who would have the greatest influence on building God’s new church I would have had several good candidates. Peter, John and Phillip immediately come to mind. And God did use them in mighty ways to build for His Kingdom. But the one who was picked is the one person who had dedicated himself to destroying the new church: Saul.

Who could have I chosen to be the most influential person to take the Gospel beyond Israel? Peter and John had already distinguished themselves as being inclusive when they went to Samaria to help Phillip, and Phillip was the one who went to Samaria first. No, God chose Saul.

Saul is the most hard-liner, fanatical, ultra-nationalist, super-orthodox Pharisaic Jew in Israel. Saul is the last person I would have chosen to invite foreigners into the Kingdom of God. But God picked Saul.

This little story of Saul coming to faith in Christ reminds me that God sees things in an altogether different way than I do. It is a reminder to pray intently and earnestly before making decisions so that I may have the mind of Christ and do things God’s way.

My Takeaway: Today’s passage also reveals that it is perfectly OK to enter into a discussion with and to ask questions of God. Ananias’ assignment from the Lord is another example of God going against the norm. God affirmed his call on the life of Saul, and Ananias was obedient. May our Lord find such obedience in me.

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 12, 2021

Saul’s Conversion

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 12, 2021

Saul’s Conversion

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

Acts 9:5

Read: Acts 9:1-9

Saul was on his way to Damascus, “so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” (v.2) As I read this verse, I immediately thought of Jesus’ parable of The Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25,

‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Note that in Jesus’ reply to Saul, he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Philippians 2:5 calls us to let our relationships with one another arise out of our life in Christ. We have already read of severe persecution for the New Community of Believers. Here, Jesus is making it clear that the persecution they received was persecution Jesus received also. The Apostle Paul will elaborate on this truth. (E.g. Romans 8 and Philippians 3)

My Takeaway: I’ve shared before that I prefer to avoid conflict. In our present cancel-culture, conflict is inevitable for those who seek to make the life in Christ their way of life. Today’s reading gives me pause to consider and appreciate the comfort of Christ sharing with me when I encounter conflict for the cause of the Gospel.

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 11, 2021

Philip and the Ethiopian

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 11, 2021

Philip and the Ethiopian

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”

Acts 8:36

Read: Acts 8:26-40

The Ethiopian man was not, and could not by Jewish law become a Jew, because he was a eunuch, a man who has been castrated. Nevertheless, he was deeply interested in the Jewish worship of their God. He was reading one of the most important prophecies of Jesus in the entire Old Testament. Look at the progression in Isaiah: Chapter 53 tells of a servant who will do what Israel would not do; be a light to the nations. This servant would take upon himself the judgment against Israel; Chapter 54 - the servant’s faithfulness to God will usher in the dawn of the New Covenant; Chapter 55 - God promises a new creation; Chapter 56 – God’s blessings for the New Creation are even for outsiders and foreigners. Yes, even Ethiopian Eunuchs.

This incredible story of redemption is fulfilled in the servant of Isaiah 53 – Christ Jesus the Messiah of God. No wonder the Ethiopian halted his chariot and ran to the water to be baptized, as he fully embraced the Good News of Jesus.

There is more to this great story. Let me briefly jump ahead. Chapter nine tells us that Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. In an instant everything he believed so passionately was turned upside down. In the next instant, that which he never imagined could be true was fulfilled in a flash of light so brilliant he was blinded. Out of this event, Saul would become Paul, God’s greatest ambassador of the Good News to the non-Jewish world.

God’s not done yet. When we get to chapter ten, Peter will have a vision to take the Gospel to the Gentiles in Caesarea.

My Takeaway: God’s still not finished. God has planted my church, and your church, in a place where the Good News of Jesus can be proclaimed to a very hurting community, a community where the love of God is still a stranger.

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 10, 2021

They Received the Holy Spirit

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 10, 2021

They Received the Holy Spirit

But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 8:12

Read: Acts 8:4-25

Samaria was the land between Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee. The inhabitants were Jews, but had not been exiled to Babylon, and over time their forms of worship changed from that at the Temple in Jerusalem. Generally, there was great enmity between the Samaritans and the Jews. (see the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, and Jesus’ talk with a Samaritan woman in John 4.) Even so, Jesus included Samaria in his charge to the Apostles in Acts 1, so Phillip was off to Samaria to preach the Good News.

The description of how the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit in today’s passage is more of what God was doing in that moment than a prescription for all believers to receive the Holy Spirit. I believe because of the enmity between the Jews and Samaritans, and because Jesus specifically included the Samaria in his charge, God wanted to make it clear that the people coming to faith through Philip’s ministry in Samaria were fully included in the New Community of Believers.

My Takeaway: The story of Simon is quite interesting, and Luke doesn’t tell us how it ends. I think Luke’s takeaway for us is that the Holy Spirt is the Spirit of our sovereign God. It flows where He wants and how He wants. The Holy Spirit is not ours to control.

Sē’lah

<>< <>< <>< <><

(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, February 26, 2021

An Angel of the Lord

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Peter Imprisoned (Again)

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The Church in Antioch

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Peter Explains His Actions

Monday, February 22, 2021

Peter Sermon at Cornelius’s House

Friday, February 19, 2021

Peter Arrives at Cornelius’ Home

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Cornelius Calls for Peter

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Aeneas and Dorcas

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Fear of the Lord

Monday, February 15, 2021

Ask and You Will Receive

Friday, February 12, 2021

Saul’s Conversion

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Philip and the Ethiopian

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

They Received the Holy Spirit

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