Mouth Agape
We had safe bus runs to and from even in the bitter cold. Thank You, Father, for keeping us safe – bus drivers, parents, kids, teachers, and all.
Acts 4:13-22 (<<click here to read the passage)
I cannot say that it has ever happened to me, but I have seen movies where it has happened. And I am sure that there have been people through the ages that though they by everyone else’s assessment didn’t amount to a whole lot, had laid low the educated and mighty before them with simple yet profound statements.
The closing sentence in yesterday’s post was that Peter’s sermonette had left his audience speechless. There Peter and John stood – just the very minimal amount of education, plain and simple fishermen of all things – and they found themselves before this mighty group of men – leaders, educators, and well educated themselves. At least in their small corner of the world, they held great power and anyone in their right mind wouldn’t think of challenging them, much less calling them on the carpet for who they were and what they had done. But that’s exactly what Peter did!
Peter laid them out and left them with their mouths agape! These most learned men stood there astounded and befuddled! With the evidence of Peter and John’s miraculous act standing right there among them (literally!), there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves. vs14b-15 NLT
They were the power players in this scenario (at least they thought so), and they were the ones who had to step back and figure out what in the world they were going to do! They couldn’t deny what had happened – many faithful Jews had seen it take place and the word was spreading like wildfire through all of Jerusalem. All they could come up with was damage control and to put their best bullying foot forward, they commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. v18 NLT
But much to their chagrin, Peter nor John were bothered one iota at their empty threats and gestures. Their retort?
“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves]; for we, on our part, cannot stop telling [people] about what we have seen and heard.” vs20-21 AMP
Can’t you see them standing there all flustered? They were at a total loss! They couldn’t punish them. I mean really, for the healing of a man who had been lame for more than 40 years? v22 They would’ve had a riot on their hands for sure.
God was at work and whether the religious elite acknowledged it made it no less true. As we continue in the days ahead God’s elect surely felt God’s hand at work among them and rejoiced!
Jan 26th, 2022, Wed, 7:55 pm
Crystal Clear
We had another day off with the snow and icy road conditions. Though the sun has hopefully melted much of what was on the backroads, I would ask, Father, that You would keep us safe as we head out in the morning. Amen.
Acts 4:8-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
I’ll tell anyone right up front, that I’m not a good debater. If I’m called on the carpet to defend something, I might do a passing job, but probably not a good job.
If someone corresponds with me via email, unless it needs a very simple reply, for the most part I won’t give an off-the-cuff response. I may not reply until much later in the day or even the next day. I’ll type out what I want to say and read over it a few times to make sure it is thought through and given the attention it needs. I take important things seriously. I strive to make myself crystal clear and am determined to be honest and straightforward at all times.
Now the Apostle Peter was much better at on-the-spot retorts. Granted at this point, he was working fully under the direction of the Holy Spirit. God was using him in a mighty way!
It’s obvious as we read this passage that Peter was being crystal clear. He took this whole interaction with the Jewish High Court very seriously. No falsehood slipped over his tongue, and he minced no words but went directly to the core of the issue at hand.
Verse 7 tells us that Peter and John were repeatedly asked by the High Court, “By what sort of power, or in what name [that is, by what kind of authority], did you do this [healing]?”
Peter clearly broke his answer down, spelling it out for them.
…if we are being put on trial today [to interrogate us] for a good deed done to [benefit] a disabled man, as to how this man has been restored to health, let it be known and clearly understood by all of you, and by all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene… vs9-10a
Did he leave any base uncovered? He missed nothing! But he wasn’t quite done! He wanted to make sure they understood who he was referring to when he said Jesus Christ the Nazarene – though you’d think that that was pretty obvious.
…whom you [demanded be] crucified [by the Romans and], whom God raised from the dead—in this name [that is, by the authority and power of Jesus] this man stands here before you in good health. v10b
He then quotes Psalm 118:22,
This Jesus is the stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief Cornerstone. v11
They may have held themselves to be the pillars of Judaism, but Jesus was the Chief Cornerstone and the building stood on Him and Him alone!
And he drove home that point by proclaiming at the end,
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation].” v12 AMP
Needless to say, his audience was speechless! And that in itself was quite an accomplishment!
Jan 25th, 2022, Tues, 6:16 pm
Cards Stacked Against Them
I’m not totally surprised that we had another snow day – we slid around quite a bit just getting home from church yesterday morning! Thank You, Father, for Your protection and for the opportunity to get a little further ahead on some things.
Acts 4:1-7 (<<click here to read the passage)
I believe I’ve mentioned before that my family’s background is pretty conservative, specifically from a religious perspective. One thing in particular that we didn’t even have in the house when I was growing up, was playing cards – you know the ones with diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs. In the denomination I grew up in, they were strongly associated with gambling and that was a major taboo!
It was funny when I started dating Karen, her family had no such taboos, and she was a pretty good euchre player (her dad was very good). I came to find out that euchre was pretty much the same as a card game we did play, called Rook. Over time, that mindset has changed.
The reason I bring it up is when reading through today’s passage, and the accompanying notes in my Life Application Study Bible, I got to thinking of how Peter and John found themselves in a situation where the deck was stacked against them.
According to Merriam-Webster, the idiom “cards are stacked against (someone)” is used to describe a situation in which one person or group is disadvantaged or faces difficult circumstances as compared to others often in a way that is unfair.
Peter and John found themselves standing against the same stacked deck that had condemned Jesus to death, leading to his crucifixion! The rulers, elders, and teachers of the law made up the high council… It had 70 members plus the current high priest, who presided over the group. The Sadducees held a majority in this ruling group. These were the wealthy, intellectual, and powerful men of Jerusalem.
The deck being stacked, in reality, is nothing more than a human notion. Factor God into the equation and the deck is simply a house of cards waiting to be blown down!
The Holy Spirit was a part of who Peter and John were and because of that, the “power” the high council thought that had over them equaled absolutely zilch! You would think that Peter and John would have been fearful…that they would have gone into defensive mode when brought before them. But, nope, it set the stage for another powerful sermon from Peter. God was on the move, and nothing was going to stop Him! The house of cards would soon fall!
Jan 24th, 2022, Mon, 3:25 pm
A Frigid Steering Wheel
O nations of the world, recognize the Lord;
….recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Psalm 96:7-8a NLT
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One thing that I notice on my bus every day this time of year is how cold my steering wheel is first thing in the morning! There have already been several mornings this winter, where our “feel like” temperature has been in the single digits. Though we can throttle up our buses and let them run for several minutes, diesel buses especially, do not warm up well.
I can’t speak for other drivers, but I wear a glove on cold days on my right hand which is closest to the door that opens and closes multiple times. I don’t like wearing one on my left hand because it’s too hard to scratch my nose or get something out of my eye with a glove on. So, when I grab the steering wheel, my right hand is fine, but it is absolutely frigid in my left hand!
It starts out that way but after a while the heat from my hand, a balmy 97 point something usually, warms up that portion of the steering wheel. And as long as I don’t move it too much – we’re supposed to keep our hands at 9:00 and 3:00 for the greatest control – it is no longer frigid but instead is warm to the touch.
My body temperature is the overriding power in this situation. If I had no heat on the bus and all the windows were open, the outside temperature would eventually affect my body temperature but since that is not the case, my body temperature impacts the steering wheel and not the other way around.
You may be wondering. “Where is he going with this?” Well, let me tell you!
As followers of Jesus, when we live our lives out amongst the world, we have His warmth running through us all the time. As long as we are in a relationship with Him, the cold world in which we live cannot impact us…we instead impact the world.
Most of you know that before I began driving a school bus, I worked at the same Kohl’s Department Store for 18 years. As with all things new, when I started there, it took a little while for people to warm up to me. Over time I developed several cherished relationships with my fellow workers. Many of those who allowed me to “touch” them in caring interaction, became dear friends.
Over the years I have been privileged to be a pastor to some. I have officiated marriages as well as funerals. When we began online services with COVID, a few, from what I lovingly referred to as my third church, began attending our virtual services. They call me with prayer requests and we all, as the body of Christ, gather around them and pray for one another.
What was once cold, by no choice of our own – it’s just the way things were – has now become warm. Indifference for many has become relationships of compassion, they care for me, and I care for them. And all because of Jesus! His love for me readily transferred through me to them. And truly we are all the better for it!
Lord Jesus, may we diligently maintain our relationship with You as we reach out and touch the world. Use us to love others. When we strive to love You with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we can surely love others as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27). Amen.
Jan 23rd, 2022, Sun, 7:37 pm
God’s Perfect Agenda (Part 2)
Father, thank You for the blessings on this relatively normal day. It’s easy to forget to be grateful for normal, but I sure am. All praise to You!
Acts 3:12-26 (<<click here to read the passage)
(This is part two of yesterday’s post – God’s Perfect Agenda – check it out before you read this one.)
When Abraham came along, he listened to God. He followed God’s leading – and yes, he messed some things up, too – but overall, things continued to move in the right direction. Of course, for Israel, there were plenty of ups and downs…alright probably quite a few more downs, but God kept encouraging them to move forward.
God gave them all the direction they needed to be a nation set apart and holy. But they couldn’t escape sin’s constant intrusion. Selfishness, arrogance, lust, greed…they all wiggled their way into the mindsets of God’s holy people.
God desired to reach the world through His people. But they lost interest in the things of God. They chased after their own heart’s desires. And even when God’s Chosen One, the Messiah – Jesus, stood right in front of them, they rejected Him. Sin did what sin always does. It put up a wall between us and God.
Peter, with his infilling of the Holy Spirit, continued to proclaim what God had wanted us to understand from the beginning. We messed things up but God had made a Way for the chasm between us to be eliminated.
Jesus Christ’s self-sacrifice – taking upon Himself the sins of the world, dying in our stead, and His victory over death and the grave became the Way to overcome sin’s control. Yes, we still struggle. We still fall. But the Holy Spirit is there to pick us up, dust us off, and encourage us to keep moving upward and onward!
We are still called to separate ourselves. We are still called to be holy. Peter and company succeeded in bringing literally thousands of people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but only because they allowed the Holy Spirit to fill them and use them. When He is in control, He enables us to remain separate and holy. We think differently than the world does. We act differently than the world does. When we do things the world’s way, sin influences us, and both we and the world lose. When we do things God’s way, He influences us, and we are victorious.
Lord Jesus, You created us so that You could have someone to love and that we would love You back. And though we messed up Your plan, You have put everything in place so that we can get back to that place. And You use us to accomplish that goal. May we willingly be used as Your hands and feet to reach the world with the Good News of that message. Amen.
Jan 20th, 2022, Thurs, 8:38 pm