Don’s Daily Devotions

Thurs 3^rd September            Read Acts chapter 2:29-35:

V29:  David could not be the one these verses really spoke of, Peter says, for he died, was buried, and they know where his tomb is. ( Long gone, of course, after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70.)

V30-31:  But David was inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak prophetically of his great descendant, Jesus, the true Christ, the real “Anointed One of God”, who would be raised from the dead and know no bodily corruption.

V32:  Peter and those who stand with him are the witnesses to the truth of Christ’s resurrection ( one of the qualifications for an Apostle in the full sense of that word.) They testify to what they have seen and experienced. The NT emphasises the vital importance of this first-hand witness as the historic foundation of our faith. ( See John15:26-27; 1 Corinthians 15:4-8; 2 Peter 1:16-18; 1 John 1:1-3.)

V33:  Jesus, now ascended to the Father, in the place of highest exaltation ( compare Philippians 2:9-11 ) has poured out His Spirit upon His people, as promised and as His Father has given through Him. ( John14:16-17; 15:26.) Those he speaks to now witness this.

V34-35:  Again, he quotes David’s words in Psalm110:1, clearly speaking of the exaltation of One who is HIS Lord, ” great David’s greater Son”, as the hymn says.

Wed 2^nd September              Read Acts chapter 2:22-28:

V22:  He takes them at once to Jesus – how God testified to who He was by the ” works and wonders and signs” He did through His Son – they know of these, they were public knowledge. We remember that John’s gospel always speaks of Christ’s miracles as signs – signs point to something or someone – the signs of the Lord’s ministry said ” look who is here!”

V23:  He speaks of the crucifixion, that it was the responsibility of all who rejected Jesus, and applying this to his hearers directly, but also emphasising that it was God’s plan and purpose, fully known beforehand – though this does not negate the human responsibility of unbelief and rejection.

V24:  But God has raised Jesus from the dead – indeed it was not possible for death to hold Him, for it had no claim on His sinless life.

V25-28:  Again, he supports this from OT Scripture, quoting the words of David from Psalm 16:8-11. As so often, these verses had an initial application to David, God’s anointed in his own generation, but their ultimate fulfilment was in Jesus, and His resurrection.

Tues 1^st September  Read Acts chapter 2:13-21:

V13:  Some mock, suggesting the believers are drunk – though how that would explain their speaking clearly in many languages is mystifying! But there will always be those who, sceptical of any manifest work of God, seek to explain it away, however implausibly.

V14:  Peter, the other Apostles standing with him, calls on the crowd to listen to him. Some suggest there was a further “miracle of hearing”, and each heard him in their own tongue, but there is no real indication of this in this verse. More likely, he addressed them in a “common language”, either Aramaic or Greek, both of which most Jews of that day would know.

V15-16:  He brushes aside the suggestion that they are drunk ( almost sarcastically saying it is much too early for that.) But he comes at once to the serious truth – this is a fulfilment of what the prophet Joel foretold.

 V17-21:    He quotes fully and accurately Joel ch 2:28-32 – a prophecy of what God would do in ” the last days.” Biblically, the “last days” often speaks of the whole period between the Ascension and the Second Coming of Christ. In this OT prophecy, God spoke of the pouring out of His Spirit upon all His people, young and old, male and female, with accompanying signs and wonders. Perhaps there is a further fulfilment of some of these things to come at the end of the age, when Jesus returns, but many were clearly fulfilled at the time of the crucifixion – remember the 3 hours of supernatural darkness – and resurrection. Note the promise, so long before, that ” everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved” – saved through faith in Christ, as the later verses of this chapter make clear.

Mon 31^st August        Read Acts chapter 2 :5-12:

V5:   In God’s overruling providence, Jews from many nations are gathered in Jerusalem on this significant day. They were already a scattered people, spread throughout the Roman world. These were probably pilgrims, in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Weeks, some may have been there since the Passover, 7 weeks before. ( We are told they were ” devout men.“)

V6-7:  They were amazed to hear these Galileans speaking in their own languages – and the sheer number of those gathered may suggest that this supernatural endowment with languages never learned humanly happened to the wider company of believers, not just the 12. Remember, this was a unique event to demonstrate the coming of the Spirit on that day.

V8-11:  Those present cover much of the Roman empire. Surely many of them – among the 3000 saved that day ( v41.) – would have returned to their own countries as witnesses for Christ. What Acts records is only a tiny part of the early spread of the gospel.

V12:  Of course, they can find no logical human explanation for what they are witnessing, for there is none. Only a Sovereign work of God’s Spirit explains what happened that day.

Sat 29^th August    –   Read Acts chapter 2:1-4:

V1:  Now comes the day of Pentecost, originally the Jewish ” feast of weeks”, long held to commemorate the giving of the Law, and now to become the day God would give the Holy Spirit to his NT people, first to the Apostles. The believers were still gathered together, still totally obedient to theLord’s command – are we?

V2:  Outward physical signs are given – first, a sound like a powerful wind – that is, not just a natural wind, but only describable as ” like” one. Both in OT Hebrew and NT Greek it is surely significant that the same word can mean wind or spirit. The noise fills the house where the believers are.

V3:  Again, we are told of the appearance of ” tongues as of fire”. What occured is compared to things in normal human experience – not exactly these things, but they help us to visualise what they experienced – physical likenesses to spiritual realities.These “tongues” are seen to rest on each of the Apostles.

V4:   The reality behind the appearances is now declared – the Holy Spirit comes upon them and fills them. It is not quite clear whether this speaks of just the Apostles or all the believers who were gathered. All would receive the Spirit, as would all believers since that day ( v 38-39.) but perhaps the next stage – the speaking in other tongues as the Spirit enables them to do – was just the Apostles. Note, these are not the ecstatic (“charismatic”) tongues of which other NT Scriptures speak, which some claim still happens in worship. Clearly, as the next verses show, these are ordinary human languages, but supernaturally given to men who have never learned them, for the proclamation of the gospel, a “one-off” for that day, evidence of the Spirit filling these believers, for others to hear and understand the gospel on this seminal day.

Fri 28^th August    –  Read Acts chapter 1:20-26:

V20:  Again, Peter speaks of OT Scripture fulfilled in Judas and his fate – he quotes and applies Psalms 69:25 and 109:8. These verses seemingly had a partial reference and fulfillment in enemies of David in his own lifetime, but this ultimate fulfillment in Judas. Some quibble at the application, but we realise this is now inspired Scripture – God’s word spoke so long before of what would happen to His Son.

V21-22:  One of that wider company of believers, beyond the 12, should be added to the now 11 to restore the full number – he must be one who had experienced the whole ministry of Jesus, and a witness to the resurrection – crucial for an Apostle. ( Perhaps among Paul’s ” more than 500″ in 1 Corinthians 15:6.)

V23:  2 such men are now nominated. ( We know nothing about either of them.)

V24-25:  Prayerfully they seek the Lord’s leading as to which of these men is His choice. We should still prayerfully seek the Lord’s will in appointing to office and leadership in the church, of course.

V26: The casting of lots follows an established OT practice, and is in prayerful submission to the Lord’s will. The lot indicates Matthias, and he is added to the number of the Apostles. Some suggest that since we hear no more of Matthias, this act was in error, for Paul was God’s appointed 12th Apostle ( 1 Corinthians 15:8-9.) but we need to remember that we know little or nothing of what most of the original 11 did either. Surely, they served the Lord faithfully, but Scripture does not record how – so, with Matthias.

Thurs 27^th August        –         Read Acts chapter 1:15-19:

V15:  Now Simon Peter takes an early lead – he had been prone to do so at times during Christ’s earthly ministry, of course, but surely this is now at the Lord’s leading – he stands up to address them, and we learn for the first time there were ” about 120″ believers gathered – gospel fruit is already evident.

V16-17:  He speaks of how OT Scripture was fulfilled in the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, how the Holy Spirit inspired David to speak prophetically of this ( Psalm 41:9.) Yet Judas was chosen by Jesus to be among the disciples! This is a mystery to us, and must remain just that, part of the sovereign will and purpose of God. Though all was preordained, Judas remained responsible for his sin – compare Jesus’ own words in John 17:12.

V18:  The horrible outcome for Judas is starkly recorded. Matthew 27:3-5 shows Judas falling into black remorse ( not repentance ) and hanging himself. We need to dovetail the 2 accounts, though we do not have the precise details to do so fully.

V19:  Again, we must compare this with Matthew 27:7-8, though the overlap of the 2 accounts is not straightforward. Perhaps Judas himself did not buy the ill-omened field ( Matthew 27:5 says he threw the blood-money back at the chief priests ) but they then used it to buy the field where, presumably, Judas had already hanged himself. How solemn these things are, how sure and awesome God’s judgement is!

Wed 26^th August   –  Read Acts chapter 1:12-14:

V12:  So they return to Jerusalem, to wait as Jesus commanded them. We learn here that the Ascension was from the Mount of Olives ( Olivet ). A “sabbath day’s journey” was the permitted distance under the law – only about 3/4 of a mile.

V13:  They go to a large upper room, where it seems they are all staying, waiting for the gift of the Spirit as the Lord has told them. Was it the same upper room of the Lord’s supper. and the precious teaching in John, chapters 13-16, we may wonder. The names of the ( now 11 ) disciples are given. In God’s purpose, we know very little about what most of these men went on to do. Legends and traditions abound, but Scripture is silent about them.

V14:  While they wait, they ” devote themselves to prayer” – this indicates a deep commitment, they give themselves whole-heartedly to prayer, a great example to us all ( and compare chapter 2 v42.) We learn they also have with them the faithful women who followed Jesus and whom we glimpse in the crucifixion and resurrection accounts in the gospels, as well as Mary, the Lord’s mother, and his brothers – i.e. those later sons of Mary and Joseph, who had not been believers during his earthly ministry ( John 8:5.) but have now come to living faith, and one of whom, James, went on to become the leader of the Jerusalem church, and the author of the epistle which bears his name.

Tues 25^th August   –    Read Acts chapter 1:6-11:

V6:  Luke now reverts to the day of the Ascension, the disciples asking Jesus if He will now ” restore the kingdom to Israel?”. Clearly at this stage they still think of the kingdom of God in terms of the nation of Israel and interpret all OT prophecies and promises this way. They have yet to learn from the Holy Spirit of the world-wide kingdom of God, and the inclusion of the Gentiles, which the gospel age will see.

V7:  The times and details of God’s final dealings with Israel and indeed all that the end of the age will bring are in God’s own hands and will – not everything is revealed even to the apostles- for God is Sovereign, working out His own purposes. ( See Deuteronomy 29:29.)

V8:  But their task is to be the first ” gospel ambassadors”, the first witnesses to Christ, once they have received the Holy Spirit and His power is at work in and through them.That witness will begin at Jerusalem, then spread to all Judea, to Samaria ( ” beyond the pale” for these 1st century Jews, remember ) and then into all the world. So Jesus speaks of ever-widening circles of gospel witness and fruit, of the growth of God’s kingdom “to the ends of the earth”. The book of Acts shows the beginning of that growth, but it is still going on and is the task of the church still today – and till Jesus comes again.

V9:  After this, the Lord is taken up into heaven in a cloud. What it must have been  to witness that mystery, a visible sign to show that He was indeed ascending to the Father’s glory, through the physical heavens to the spiritual realm of heaven beyond our comprehension, but where He has gone to prepare a place for all His people. ( John 14:2-3.)

V10:  The disciples still gaze up where He has disappeared from their sight, when ” 2 men in white robes” appear to them – clearly, angels, who in some resurrection appearances are also described in this way ( Mark 16:5: Luke 24:4-5.) But if their physical form was human, there was clearly also something awesome about them, as these gospel references indicate.

V11:  They ask the disciples why they are gazing after Him ( as if expecting His immediate return?) but declare that one day He WILL come again from heaven in a similar visible way. ( See 1 Thessalonians 5:16; Revelation 1:7.) This is a great and only partly revealed mystery. We still wait for that day, but never let us doubt it’s reality. Christ will come again!

Mon 24^th  August   –   Read Acts chapter 1:1-5.

V1:  Luke, the author of Acts, writes it first for ” Theophilus”, probably a real individual, though since the name means ” lover of God” some suggest that it is a general title for believers. The “first book” is his gospel ( was that also sent first to Theophilus? ) where he says he wrote about what Jesus “began to do and teach” in His earthly life. This book, then, records what the Lord continues to do and teach, through His apostles.

V2:  His gospel ended on the day that Jesus ascended into heaven, having commanded His disciples – now called Apostles – literally, “sent ones”, with Christ’s gospel commission – as to what they must now do. ( See Luke 24:44-51.)

V3:  Luke emphasises the reality of the Risen Christ’s appearances to His disciples over a period of 40 days, when He continued to teach them – clearly more appearances than the gospels record. ( Compare 1 Corinthians 15:5-7. )

V4-5:  Jesus told them they were not to begin their mission until they had received the promised Holy Spirit – the Father’s promise, through Jesus ( see John 14:16-17; 15:26-27; 16:12-15.) Our ministry today, like theirs, is not to be in our own strength, but by the power of the Spirit. ( So, Zechariah 4:6.)