The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 17 June 2016 - “What should we do?”
Daily Scripture: Acts 2:22 “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!”
37 On hearing this, they were stung in their hearts; and they said to Kefa and the other emissaries, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Kefa answered them, “Turn from sin, return to God, and each of you be immersed on the authority of Yeshua the Messiah into forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh!
Reflection Questions:
On the day of Pentecost, Peter boldly laid out the case for faith in the risen Jesus. In John 15:26, Jesus had said the Holy Spirit “will testify about me,” and that was just what the Spirit did that day. Deeply troubled and convicted, the crowd asked the key question we must all ask when we encounter the claims of Jesus: “What should we do?”Peter’s Spirit-inspired sermon said, “Listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose credentials God proved to you through miracles, wonders, and signs.” How have you sensed the Spirit testifying about Jesus to your heart? When you have a chance to share your experience with Jesus, how can you rely on the Spirit to make your sharing as effective as possible?
- The crowd asked Peter, “What should we do?” “Change your hearts and lives,” he answered. Scholar William Barclay wrote, “When repentance comes something happens to the past. There is God’s forgiveness for what lies behind…. When repentance comes something happens or the future. We receivethe gift of the Holy Spirit and in that power we can win battles we never thought to win and resist things which by ourselves we would have been powerless to resist.”1 Have you claimed the Spirit’s power to give you not only a fresh start from your past, but a future altered decisively for the better?
Lord Jesus, when your Spirit speaks to my heart, keep me attuned to ask, “What should I do?” And as you show me, give me a willingness to follow wherever you lead. Amen.
1 William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Acts of the Apostles (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 29.
-------Insights from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.It seems like today we are inundated with a quick-fix mentality to problems &/or learning skills:
Just 14 days to a slimmer you
Earn $10,000 in one month with one simple phone call
Learn to speak Esperanto in 5 easy lessons
Aside: Like the story of the piano teacher, hired by a music store to give piano lessons, who is approached by two women. “Do you wish to learn to play piano, Madam?” he asked one. “Oh no,” she said, “it’s my friend who wants to learn. I learned yesterday.”
Today’s passage is evidence of another amazing quick fix. Our friend Peter, who seemed slow to fully grasp Jesus’ admonitions & teachings during Christ’s 3-year ministry, is now passionately preaching the Good News to crowds in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost. The Feast of Weeks was one of 3 major Israelite festivals when males were required to make an offering before the Lord. It was known as Pentecost (Pente = 5 x Konta = 10) since it occurred 50 days after Passover marking the conclusion of the wheat harvest.
Peter, not particularly known for a scholarly background, is preaching an amazing sermon, including a treasure trove of theological insights & Old Testament allusions. In his sermon Peter references the prophet Joel, the 16th Psalm, the 132nd Psalm, 2 Samuel, & the 110th Psalm to offer his listeners a case to believe that Jesus Christ was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. This is the same Peter who 50 days earlier was admonished by Jesus at the Last Supper for failing to understand Christ’s teaching of agape love, who was scolded for pulling out his sword in a violent act of defiance in the garden, & who even denied being a friend of Jesus. We have to conclude that during this 50-day period the Holy Spirit &/or Jesus helped Peter to finally comprehend Christ’s earthly mission.
Now, we’d be remiss to expect such an “information dump” for us today. While we may be justifiably frustrated that we can’t have immediate answers to all our questions & clarification for all of our wonderings, I would submit that perhaps we are the better for it.
When we recognize that our faith walk is a life-long learning process, we begin to fully appreciate the Scriptures & what they can tell us about God & ourselves at each stage of our journey.
For example, I may highlight a particular Biblical passage with a comment, date, & note of its significance to me that day. Let’s consider Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully & wonderfully made…”. During a Disciple 1 class back in 2000, when we were welcoming our oldest son, Matthew, into the world, I bracketed “wonderfully made” with an accompanying, “Amen!!!!” In 2003, when our youngest son, Jacob, at the age of 18 months had a Febral Seizure where the temperature rises in the body so quickly it forces the body to shut down, I underlined “fearfully made” noting with awe at how our own body can work & can protect itself. In 2008, with the passing of my Grandmother Rosalie, I noted that the phrase “wonderfully made” meant we could be confident that God must have incredible plans in mind for us even after our earthly bodies have given out.
So, perhaps we should approach each study time with the Bible with the expectation of what might the Scriptures be uniquely telling us this day? The meaning won’t change, but the significance of that passage might just take on a dramatically different light in the midst of our everyday travails & triumphs.
Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to make one simple phone call, or as they say in Esperanto, “telefonvoko.”
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
---------------------
---------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment