6.2.24 Acts 2:1–21 (again) Part III

In the excitement of what God is going, can we be patient and content with what God is doing? There are at least two dangers, here, I think. One is to try to rush ahead of God to get to the end before he does his slow work. That might be looking at current events …

6.2.24 Acts 2:1–21 (again) Part II

In Genesis 1, it is the Trinity that brings order into the chaos. The Spirit hovers—like a bird. I want you to get this image in your mind. Don’t think of a hawk or a vulture soaring on a thermal without beating his wings. Think of a bird trying to remain in place. When birds …

6.2.24 Acts 2:1–21 (again) Part I

From Genesis 1:26–28, we read this about God’s plan for us, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping …

5.26.24 Acts 2:1–11 Part IV

And we see Peter responding to the mocking, not with mocking but by pointing to God’s word. He points the crowd and us to the Scriptures as if to say, “This should not surprise you, for Joel says, … .” And he quotes something that is almost a millennia old.  Hey, this is what God …

5.26.24 Acts 2:1–11 Part III

And so God was faithful in sending the Spirit, and the disciples were faithful in witnessing to what was happening, but there were three responses from the people. And what is interesting is that Jesus encountered these same three responses in his life. It’s as if he’s still there—which he is, in the Spirit. There …

5.26.24 Acts 2:1–11 Part II

The first thing we see is God fulfilling his promise of sending the Spirit. Remember from both the upper room in John 16 and right before his ascension in Acts 1, Jesus promised that he would send the Spirit which would empower the disciples to be witnesses. And he specifically disentangled the coming of the …

5.26.24 Acts 2:1–11 Part I

In Genesis 12, God promises Abraham a son. And it takes 25 years before that promise is fulfilled. It’s just nine chapters in our Bibles, so the painful, dreadful waiting is partially obscured for us. Even the missteps with Hagar can be passed over because—well, just turn a few pages, and that episode is seemingly …

5.12.24 Acts 1:12–26 Part III

And Peter stands up to give OT warrant to their decision. Maybe his reasoning goes like this. If Psalm 69 and 109 speak at least in part if not quite fully of Jesus’ life and death and his enemies, then we should be able to find help here in terms of what to make of …

5.12.24 Acts 1:12–26 Part II

Second, they waited in prayer. We don’t get a glimpse into any specifics—except right before they cast lots. So while we don’t get any words, we surely know that prayer involves humility. They were coming before someone that they believed had the answers they were looking for and the power to affect things that they …

5.12.24 Acts 1:12–26 Part I

What do you do while you wait? When I was little and my brother and I would be waiting for cousins to arrive for a visit, we would take turns kneeling on the couch, looking out the window. Whoever was not looking was supposed to be getting ready: cleaning our room, setting the table, some …