The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection from Leawood, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 21 May 2016 "What Peter (and the disciples) did with their second chance"

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection from Leawood, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 21 May 2016 "What Peter (and the disciples) did with their second chance"

Saturday, 21 May 2016 - "What Peter (and the disciples) did with their second chance"
Daily Scripture: Acts 2:14 Then Kefa stood up with the Eleven and raised his voice to address them: “You Judeans, and all of you staying here in Yerushalayim! Let me tell you what this means! Listen carefully to me!

22 “Men of Isra’el! Listen to this! Yeshua from Natzeret was a man demonstrated to you to have been from God by the powerful works, miracles and signs that God performed through him in your presence. You yourselves know this. 23 This man was arrested in accordance with God’s predetermined plan and foreknowledge; and, through the agency of persons not bound by the Torah, you nailed him up on a stake and killed him!

24 “But God has raised him up and freed him from the suffering of death; it was impossible that death could keep its hold on him. 25 For David says this about him:

‘I saw Adonai always before me,

for he is at my right hand,

so that I will not be shaken.

26 For this reason, my heart was glad;

and my tongue rejoiced;

and now my body too will live on in the certain hope

27 that you will not abandon me to Sh’ol

or let your Holy One see decay.

28 You have made known to me the ways of life;

you will fill me with joy by your presence.’[Acts 2:28 Psalm 16:8–11]

29 “Brothers, I know I can say to you frankly that the patriarch David died and was buried — his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that one of his descendants would sit on his throne, 31 he was speaking in advance about the resurrection of the Messiah, that it was he who was not abandoned in Sh’ol and whose flesh did not see decay. 32 God raised up this Yeshua! And we are all witnesses of it!

33 “Moreover, he has been exalted to the right hand of God; has received from the Father what he promised, namely, the Ruach HaKodesh; and has poured out this gift, which you are both seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into heaven. But he says,

35 ‘Adonai said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’[Acts 2:35 Psalm 110:1]

36 Therefore, let the whole house of Isra’el know beyond doubt that God has made him both Lord and Messiah — this Yeshua, whom you executed on a stake!”

Reflection Questions:

It was just over a month since Jesus’ Passover crucifixion. Crowds came to Jerusalem again for the feast of Pentecost. And the same Peter who cursed and swore in the high priest’s courtyard that he didn’t know Jesus now boldly said “People of Israel, listen to this…”! What had happened to change Peter, in such a short time? The risen Jesus had forgiven Peter, and called him to “feed my sheep.” So Peter triumphantly declared, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact” (verse 32).

• Richard Bauckham’s book Jesus and the Eyewitnesses showed that in New Testament times people scorned histories not based on eyewitness evidence. With no film or video, eyewitnesses were crucial. How did “we are all witnesses of the fact” give Peter and the apostles credibility? Based on what you know about human nature, how likely do you find it that Peter’s boldness was the result of a made-up story about Jesus' resurrection, rather than an actual event he had witnessed? In what areas do you want to open your life to the same divine power that had transformed Peter?

Today’s Prayer:
Lord Jesus, your resurrected, living presence transformed Peter. You are still alive, and I ask you to continue the work of transforming me from the inside out. Amen.
Family Activity:
The Bible teaches us about who Jesus was and how he helped others. Create a stack of “Jesus Scriptures” for your home. Distribute colorful index cards and pens or pencils along with a Bible to each family member. Ask each person to choose 3-4 favorite Bible verses or stories about Jesus and write one reference on each card. (Invite very young family members to draw pictures describing the stories or to help other family members with their stacks.) Collect the cards and keep them on the dining table. Before each meal, select a card, read the passage. Pray to become more like Jesus, and thank God for Jesus. Place that card on the bottom of the stack and repeat daily. Add to your stack during the weeks ahead.Insights from Ginny Howell

Ginny Howell serves as the Mobilization Program Director at Resurrection. She oversees All Church Serve Events, New Member Connections and our Re-Connection Team. Ginny is passionate about helping people get engaged in the life of the church and would love to visit with you if you are looking to find a way to get involved.
I love words. I think they are one of the most powerful resources we have. The words we use are tools to help each of us be who God intended us to be, and glorify God with the gifts and talents that we have been given. But just like Peter, sometimes what we say in a given situation doesn’t represent our truest selves. His words in the high priest’s courtyard cursing Jesus were not the words of a beloved disciple.
I am sure each of us can think of times when we have fallen victim to anger, frustration, fear or some other circumstance that lead us to saying or doing something completely against our character. These challenges present us with a defining moment in life. We can get stuck and become stifled within our own minds, paralyzed and afraid to move forward, or we can act with bold faith and make a conscious choice to participate in our own second chance.
The resurrection is our ever-present reminder that there is a second chance available for each and every one of us. I believe Peter was ignited by this realization when he spoke to the Israelites, and I am inspired by the conviction in his words:
“Listen to this…” he commanded.
“I tell you confidently…”
“be assured of this…”
I encourage you to let go of any words or actions that you feel might be holding you back from being who God has called you to be. What ways can you exercise your faith boldly like Peter did?

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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue

Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States

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