Acts 1:1-11 I...
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Acts 1:1-11
I am not afraid to admit that as a child, I was guilty more than once of peeking at some of my Christmas presents early. I even learned how to cut a small slit in the wrapping paper to get a little peek inside. As an adult now, I have left aside my gift-peeking ways, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't been tempted every now and then!
Sometimes in life and in faith, the best gifts don't come to us right away. We have to wait until the time is right to receive them. The disciples discovered this when Jesus was about to ascend. "He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father" (v. 4). That promise, the gift of the Holy Spirit, had to come at the right time, and the disciples would find it was definitely a gift worth waiting for!
Craig K.
Acts 1:1-11
One Saturday, Lori found herself running errands around town. As she drove past her church she recalled the announcement the previous Sunday concerning one of the church's shut-ins. She had wanted to visit Martha, who returned home after a week in the hospital, but never actually did. Like most of us Lori wanted to visit this dear woman from the church but other activities always seemed to crowd out her good intentions. When she returned home she decided that she would stop to see Martha that afternoon.
The two women, born years apart, discovered their mutual love of reading. Martha told her wonderful stories of her mother reading to her when she was a young girl. It was her mother who stimulated her lifelong passion of reading. Martha asked if Lori would read to her the next time she visited, her eyesight made it difficult if not impossible to read. Lori said she would read to her then. Martha picked out one of her favorite books and Lori began reading. She continued reading past the time she intended to leave. She found it difficult to stop reading. Lori promised that she would return on Friday to continue reading to her and would make it a point to visit her every week. Lori was also intrigued by her reminisces of her childhood.
On Wednesday came the news that Martha had died. Lori was devastated. There would be no more stories from her childhood, no more afternoons reading together. The following week Lori met with her pastor, asking if there might be other shut-ins that she could visit on a regular basis. Lori was soon visiting with several women from the church, for one she cooked, another she helped with the cleaning, another she took grocery shopping.
During the forty great days of Easter, the risen Lord was with the disciples turned apostles. This must have been a wonderful experience, being with Jesus, the type you hope never ends. Luke reports, "After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God." When Jesus dramatically ascended into heaven the apostles momentarily stood speechless. However, they would not be silent for too long, they would share the good news of Jesus Christ to the entire world. Telling others about Jesus quickly became their passion.
Tim S.
Ephesians 1:15-23
A bed has both a headboard and a footboard. These are important pieces of a bed: They help keep the mattress aligned on the bed frame and are often beautiful to look at. However, a bed that is made up only of a headboard or a footboard is no bed at all. The headboard and footboard border the bed, make the bed attractive, make a person lying in bed feel protected, but they are not the be-all end-all of that bed. The part of the bed that does the real work in this setup is the mattress. Without a mattress -- the "body" of the bed -- this is not a bed that is useable. Just so: Jesus has set himself as the head of the church, the alpha and omega, the headboard and footboard that make us feel safe. But the work of the church cannot be done without its people. The mattress. The body in Christ.
Leah T.
Ephesians 1:15-23
Paul writes the people of Ephesus some important God-principles of life. He tells them that they were marked and sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Ephesians readers would understand his point. They were citizens of a maritime community that carried on an extensive timber trade. Merchants of the neighboring port cities would buy the timber from the lumber sellers of the area. Once selected their lot of timber was stamped with a signet ring, which was an acknowledged sign of ownership. The timber was left at the harbor, and then others took the timber and floated it down the river. Once at the designated spot the merchant would send his purchasing agent with the signet ring to claim the timber. Without that signet ring the timber would not be given to the agent.
Bickersteth wrote, "The Holy Spirit impresses on the soul now the image of Jesus Christ; and this is the sure pledge of the everlasting inheritance."
His impression on the Christian is emblazoned with:
* The spirit of Truth
* The spirit of Faith
* The Spirit of Promise
* The Spirit of Praise
* The Spirit of Redemption
The Holy Spirit is not an option, but an essential possession in our Christian experience. Where's your mark?
Derl K.
Luke 24:44-53
For many years, Egyptian hieroglyphics were a mystery to scholars. There was nothing to provide a basis for translation, so a verifiable, accurate description of the walls of hieroglyphics at the Pyramids and at other historic Egyptian sites and on ancient Egyptian artifacts was next to impossible. However, in 1799, an artifact was discovered that radically changed the entire science of Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone had the same message inscribed on it in two Egyptian languages and classical Greek. Scholars had found their map into the uncharted territory of ancient Egyptian culture.
For many of us, the scriptures can be just as enigmatic as hieroglyphs, leaving us scratching our heads. The disciples had similar problems until Jesus "opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (v. 45). As we prayerfully read God's Word, the Holy Spirit can be our Rosetta Stone, opening our minds up to new depths of meaning in those pages.
Craig K.
Luke 24:44-53
Ron was in his first year of seminary and had the opportunity to worship at a variety of churches. There was one large downtown church that he felt drawn to even though it was a different denomination. At first he thought it was the pipe organ and the way it seemed to vibrated the rafters was why he came. Ron later realized that it was not the music but rather the pastor. The pastor who was nearing retirement had a distinctive way of reading the scripture and preaching. It was evident that this pastor had read the Bible for many years and knew just what words to emphasize. Some might say that his preaching style was simple, yet he retold the biblical story in such a way that it came to life.
Ron knew the Bible passages, some of which he researched for seminary classes, yet this preacher made them come alive in a fresh way. Ron once told his classmates that is was as if Jesus were present with him.
Easter afternoon two friends were on their way to the village of Emmaus when they encountered a stranger. While they did not know his identity we know that it was none other than the risen Lord Jesus. As they walked together the risen Lord taught them scripture. In the presence of the Lord Jesus, scripture took on new meaning; their faith came alive in a new way. Before evening these two individuals would return to Jerusalem and share with the disciples that they experienced the presence of the risen Lord Jesus when suddenly Jesus stood in their midst.
Tim S.
I am not afraid to admit that as a child, I was guilty more than once of peeking at some of my Christmas presents early. I even learned how to cut a small slit in the wrapping paper to get a little peek inside. As an adult now, I have left aside my gift-peeking ways, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't been tempted every now and then!
Sometimes in life and in faith, the best gifts don't come to us right away. We have to wait until the time is right to receive them. The disciples discovered this when Jesus was about to ascend. "He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father" (v. 4). That promise, the gift of the Holy Spirit, had to come at the right time, and the disciples would find it was definitely a gift worth waiting for!
Craig K.
Acts 1:1-11
One Saturday, Lori found herself running errands around town. As she drove past her church she recalled the announcement the previous Sunday concerning one of the church's shut-ins. She had wanted to visit Martha, who returned home after a week in the hospital, but never actually did. Like most of us Lori wanted to visit this dear woman from the church but other activities always seemed to crowd out her good intentions. When she returned home she decided that she would stop to see Martha that afternoon.
The two women, born years apart, discovered their mutual love of reading. Martha told her wonderful stories of her mother reading to her when she was a young girl. It was her mother who stimulated her lifelong passion of reading. Martha asked if Lori would read to her the next time she visited, her eyesight made it difficult if not impossible to read. Lori said she would read to her then. Martha picked out one of her favorite books and Lori began reading. She continued reading past the time she intended to leave. She found it difficult to stop reading. Lori promised that she would return on Friday to continue reading to her and would make it a point to visit her every week. Lori was also intrigued by her reminisces of her childhood.
On Wednesday came the news that Martha had died. Lori was devastated. There would be no more stories from her childhood, no more afternoons reading together. The following week Lori met with her pastor, asking if there might be other shut-ins that she could visit on a regular basis. Lori was soon visiting with several women from the church, for one she cooked, another she helped with the cleaning, another she took grocery shopping.
During the forty great days of Easter, the risen Lord was with the disciples turned apostles. This must have been a wonderful experience, being with Jesus, the type you hope never ends. Luke reports, "After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God." When Jesus dramatically ascended into heaven the apostles momentarily stood speechless. However, they would not be silent for too long, they would share the good news of Jesus Christ to the entire world. Telling others about Jesus quickly became their passion.
Tim S.
Ephesians 1:15-23
A bed has both a headboard and a footboard. These are important pieces of a bed: They help keep the mattress aligned on the bed frame and are often beautiful to look at. However, a bed that is made up only of a headboard or a footboard is no bed at all. The headboard and footboard border the bed, make the bed attractive, make a person lying in bed feel protected, but they are not the be-all end-all of that bed. The part of the bed that does the real work in this setup is the mattress. Without a mattress -- the "body" of the bed -- this is not a bed that is useable. Just so: Jesus has set himself as the head of the church, the alpha and omega, the headboard and footboard that make us feel safe. But the work of the church cannot be done without its people. The mattress. The body in Christ.
Leah T.
Ephesians 1:15-23
Paul writes the people of Ephesus some important God-principles of life. He tells them that they were marked and sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Ephesians readers would understand his point. They were citizens of a maritime community that carried on an extensive timber trade. Merchants of the neighboring port cities would buy the timber from the lumber sellers of the area. Once selected their lot of timber was stamped with a signet ring, which was an acknowledged sign of ownership. The timber was left at the harbor, and then others took the timber and floated it down the river. Once at the designated spot the merchant would send his purchasing agent with the signet ring to claim the timber. Without that signet ring the timber would not be given to the agent.
Bickersteth wrote, "The Holy Spirit impresses on the soul now the image of Jesus Christ; and this is the sure pledge of the everlasting inheritance."
His impression on the Christian is emblazoned with:
* The spirit of Truth
* The spirit of Faith
* The Spirit of Promise
* The Spirit of Praise
* The Spirit of Redemption
The Holy Spirit is not an option, but an essential possession in our Christian experience. Where's your mark?
Derl K.
Luke 24:44-53
For many years, Egyptian hieroglyphics were a mystery to scholars. There was nothing to provide a basis for translation, so a verifiable, accurate description of the walls of hieroglyphics at the Pyramids and at other historic Egyptian sites and on ancient Egyptian artifacts was next to impossible. However, in 1799, an artifact was discovered that radically changed the entire science of Egyptology. The Rosetta Stone had the same message inscribed on it in two Egyptian languages and classical Greek. Scholars had found their map into the uncharted territory of ancient Egyptian culture.
For many of us, the scriptures can be just as enigmatic as hieroglyphs, leaving us scratching our heads. The disciples had similar problems until Jesus "opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (v. 45). As we prayerfully read God's Word, the Holy Spirit can be our Rosetta Stone, opening our minds up to new depths of meaning in those pages.
Craig K.
Luke 24:44-53
Ron was in his first year of seminary and had the opportunity to worship at a variety of churches. There was one large downtown church that he felt drawn to even though it was a different denomination. At first he thought it was the pipe organ and the way it seemed to vibrated the rafters was why he came. Ron later realized that it was not the music but rather the pastor. The pastor who was nearing retirement had a distinctive way of reading the scripture and preaching. It was evident that this pastor had read the Bible for many years and knew just what words to emphasize. Some might say that his preaching style was simple, yet he retold the biblical story in such a way that it came to life.
Ron knew the Bible passages, some of which he researched for seminary classes, yet this preacher made them come alive in a fresh way. Ron once told his classmates that is was as if Jesus were present with him.
Easter afternoon two friends were on their way to the village of Emmaus when they encountered a stranger. While they did not know his identity we know that it was none other than the risen Lord Jesus. As they walked together the risen Lord taught them scripture. In the presence of the Lord Jesus, scripture took on new meaning; their faith came alive in a new way. Before evening these two individuals would return to Jerusalem and share with the disciples that they experienced the presence of the risen Lord Jesus when suddenly Jesus stood in their midst.
Tim S.
