April 8-14
Witness Turns Ugly
Caught in the Act(s)
I highly recommend that you read or listen to Dr. Jack
Levison's commentary by following this link:
http://blog.spu.edu/lectio/introduction-on-the-journey/
Be sure to spend some time with the Questions for Further
Reflection at the bottom of the commentary.
You'll find new questions there each week.
________________________
Highlights...by Pastor Kurt
Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar
3:1-10 “But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I do
have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’”
(v. 6)
They were just going to the temple to pray. But the temple was also the place they
encountered human need - a man lame from birth asked them for money. They offered what they had – the powerful
name of Jesus. The once-lame man jumped
up and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. Everyone who saw it was filled with wonder
and amazement. There’s something going
on here!
What are your reasons for going to church? In your involvement in church, has God ever
diverted your attention from prayer to helping the needy? What do you think is the relationship between
prayer and service/mission in the Christian life?
Or Did He? Peter Preaches about Jesus in Solomon’s
Portico
3:11-26 “When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, ‘You
Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by
our own power or piety we had made him walk?... By faith in his (Jesus’) name,
his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith
that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all
of you.’” (v. 12, 16)
Peter makes it clear that he didn’t heal this man at
all. It was Jesus who did it. Peter
takes this opportunity to preach a sermon about Jesus the Savior. Notice that while Peter’s version of the
story implicates the Israelites in rejecting and killing Jesus, he says they
acted in ignorance and that through their ignorance God fulfilled a
prophecy. If they repent and turn to God
their sins will be wiped out and they will be refreshed.
What good things have happened in your life? Your family?
Your church? Have you had a hand
in helping a needy person? In all of
this, how much credit do you give to God?
What are some ways of giving credit where credit is due?
Arrested…and even then Peter just can’t stop talking
about Jesus
4:1-22 “Let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of
Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the
dead…There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven
given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (v. 10, 12)
Not everyone enjoyed Peter’s preaching. Many of the religious leaders were annoyed,
and tried to stop this nonsense before it got out of hand. After arresting Peter and John, they weren’t
quite prepared for such a bold witness.
The city was celebrating a healing miracle, so they couldn’t come down
hard on the apostles. They decided to
try to quiet them down by ordering them not to talk about Jesus. Peter and John were respectful, but honest –
“we can’t keep from speaking about what we’ve seen and heard.”
Are there settings in which you feel pressure not to say
anything about Jesus or what you know about faith and life in him? How can you be respectful of others while
also being true to God and honest about your own experience of Jesus?
Of one heart & soul…the believers put their money
where their mouths are
4:32-37 “No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but
everything they owned was held in common…there was not a needy person among
them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds
of what was sold…and it was distributed to each as any had need.” (v. 32, 34)
Simply put, these verses are often ignored in the church
because they are seen as either utterly scandalous or unreasonably idealistic. But there it is…plain as day. People gave up private ownership so that the
church would have resources to meet everyone’s needs.
What does the name “Barnabas” mean? How might a Christian encourage others by
giving their possessions or money to the church to help those in need? Do you have any experience with what the
early Christians are doing here? Why is
it difficult for people in our society to give up private ownership? Why might it be difficult for you?
Together in Christ,
Pastor Kurt
No comments:
Post a Comment