Having One Mind

What a wonder-full time for the new believers after Pentecost. "Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles."(Acts 2:42-47)

It really sounds like a big party. "Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people."

What a difference that "one mind" made. When outsiders see such enthusiastic people of one mind and purpose, they notice and want to be involved. The real evangelism begins:"And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved".

Lord, give us Your Spirit of love for You and others so we may have this "one mind".

Amazing Grace

That crowd at Pentecost! Even though they had done the unimaginable (crucified their Creator), they had an advantage. They realized their dastardly deed.

"Now when they heard this (that God had made this Jesus whom they crucified both Lord and Christ), they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, what shall we do?'" (Acts 2:32-41)

Our problem is that we are not getting it! The fact that Jesus died because of my sin; that my sin was the reason He laid down His life; that my sin was the cause of the greatest sacrifice ever made .... is slow to sink in.  

But when it does, we need and rejoice in the same remedy this crowd got: "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

How precious is forgiveness when you take it personally! How encouraging is the gift of the Holy Spirit when you accept Him willingly. How good is our God!

Holy Spirit Power

Peter didn't mince words. As he was talking to the crowd on Pentecost, he said that they knew God had confirmed Jesus with miracles in their midst. And "this Man ... you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death." (Acts 2:22-31)

I imagine such an introduction got their attention. Then Peter could use that familiar Psalm 16 and explain its prophecy of Jesus' resurrection. It all must have been like a light coming on in their heads. The happenings started to make sense. 

And it is all such a turn around! Here the former uneducated, denying-Christ coward is forcefully confronting and convicting one huge crowd. Really such is the change God can do in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Lord, we need your Holy Spirit power today. Change us and encourage us to be Your message today.

The Promise

The world belittles the most valuable. For the new believers, at Pentecost the long awaited promise had come. But mockers wrote off these men speaking in different languages as merely drunkards. (Acts 2:1-21)

"That's when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: 'Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren't drunk as some of you suspect. They haven't had time to get drunk - its only nine o'clock th the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen..." (The Message)

So its been over 400 years since Joel had predicted the Spirit's outpouring.  And wonderfully it is happening just as he said: "I will pour out My Spirit on every kind of people". Young and old, men and women. All have the opportunity to be the residence for God. 

These Jews were used to some special leaders or significant prophets getting the gift. But now. Now the promise is for all. 

"Amazing love, How can it be?" Only through Jesus. And it is for you and me!

The Cork Flies Off!

The pressure is building. The believers had been meeting and praying and hoping and waiting in Jerusalem for that Promise. This bottling up of anticipation and prayer had been going on for weeks. (Acts 2:1-13) 

And now it is the great feast day (Pentecost). Jerusalem is full of devout seekers from "every nation under heaven". The stage is set. And the cork flies off!

Hurricane noise suddenly fills the house. The Holy Spirit spreads like wildfire. The believers begin shouting out strange languages, And a bewildered assorted crowd gathers. They are actually hearing God's great works proclaimed in their native tongue! How are these uneducated Galileans able to speak so? Hmm...

Then we delight to see the newly emboldened Peter stand up. He raises his voice above the din, and begins the first proclamation of the Good News. Further reading reveals that the church is being birthed as 3,000 souls are added the to bodyl 

Wow, who is going to forget that service? You gotta love God's thrilling ways! He is so out of our neat, controlled, orderly boxes. We love You, Lord.

Drawing Straws?

They might have all been thinking, "He's gone. Jesus is really gone. What in the world do we do?" (Acts 1:9-26)  It seems that Peter went to the scripture to find out more about God's plan. And they all went to prayer and waiting - like Jesus had said.

Soon Peter is emboldened to stand up in front of the 120 devout praying folks and proclaim that all that had happened with Jesus and Judas was just as the scripture had foretold. (Really that betrayal must have been a terrible blow.) So Peter says that another must take Judas' place. (Psalm 109:8) 

In short, it was time to move on. So the folks came up with the names of two men who had been through it all. But how to choose? Well, they prayed and "they they drew straws. Matthias won and was counted in with the eleven apostles." (The Message)

How's that for faith! I love it.

The Grace to Wait

It was His last command. His parting instruction. It was paramount: "Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised..." (Acts 1:1-6)

Jesus, Himself, had already learned to wait. We probably would have thought He was ready when He got to His full stature. In fact it sounded like He had the wisdom at 12: "All who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers". (Luke 2:47)  

But He did not begin at 12 or 18 or 21. He was 30 years old. Years of suffering and oppression had gone by for His people. But Jesus had waited. He waited until the Father said it was time. ("I have come down from heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." John 6:30).

We so need to learn to wait. We run ahead. We run around. We get a good idea and go with it. But is it from our Lord? 

Lord give us the grace to wait - to wait upon You. Then we will be in the right place to receive Your promises as the first disciples were: "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."