Read Through The Bible

After people were “saved,” we see the church committed to several objectives:  Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread—either Lord’s Supper Celebration which is worship or further extension of fellowship, and prayer.  Notice that the church was “continually devoted” to these things.  The word devotion implies that the church was committed to doing these things.  Every believer must reflect occasionally on his/her commitment to these essentials.  We must come to understand that it is not enough to do these things on our own or as a family.  The instruction of God’s word is that we should be part of these activities in the context of a community of faith.  Learning God’s word, for example, can certainly be done on your own as a Christian and should be a part of your personal devotional life.  However, we are instructed by the testimony of the early church to learn within an established community of believers.  The result of this commitment by the early church was that they kept feeling a “sense of awe.”  That is worship.  Worship is not necessarily something we do.  Real worship happens spontaneously when we commit ourselves to the things that God has prescribed for His followers to do.

We remember that the address to Theophilus helps us to understand that Luke is the author of this book.  This book is helpful to us to understand how the church got started after the ascension of Jesus.  Like the Gospels, Acts doesn’t tell us all that happened, but tells us enough to understand that the apostles had power to proclaim the good news about Jesus.  The story of Acts gives us a historical account of how the Gospel began to spread.

Acts 1:8, Acts’ version of the Great Commission of Matthew 28, is without a doubt the theme verse of this exciting book.  Simply put, the church exists to be “witnesses.”  The church was to begin to be witnesses in Jerusalem but eventually extend this witness to every corner of the world.  Jesus’ challenge to the church of the first century is His challenge to us today.  Jesus’ statement recorded in Acts 1:8 not only states the purpose of the church, but also reveals some practical clues as to how to fulfill that stated purpose.  First, evangelism is to be the priority.  The disciples wanted to know the time of Jesus’ return, but the Master revealed that their priority is to be witnesses.  Second, Jesus, as He did in Mathew 28, indicated that the Holy Spirit would be their power to be witnesses.  To attempt to witness without invoking the power of God in your life is merely holding a religious debate.  We only see converts when we witness in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Third, Jesus indicated a pattern to follow in their witness.  They should start in Jerusalem, but then reach beyond Jerusalem.  In order to fulfill the Great Commission, we must start where we are, but we also must reach the world.

As we progress through reading through the New Testament, I want to pause and remind us of the reason that we read God’s Word.  We don’t read merely for information; we read for transformation.  As many have indicated, the Bible is our map for life.

As a freshman at a large high school, I spent the first couple of days trying to find my way from class to class.  I quickly learned that I could trust no one for directions.  Fellow first year students, out of ignorance, might lead me in the wrong direction.  Evil minded upper classmen might purposefully point me in the wrong direction to get a laugh.  To find my way correctly I needed to consult the map.

Some today give wrong advice out of ignorance; others pervert God’s laws out of deceit for His word.  The only way to stay in the truth is to follow the map—the Bible.  Paul warned the young pastor, Timothy, that evil men would deceive and be deceived.  Whether a person is deceived ignorantly contrary to the truth or intentionally distorts the truth, the result is the same—theological error.

The only way to protect ourselves is to immerse ourselves in the Word of God.  Certainly and thankfully God uses individuals through preaching, singing, and writing to point us to the truth.  However, only in knowing and growing in God’s Word with the Holy Spirit as our ultimate teacher will we be able to navigate through the false directions that get sent our way.

As we continue our journey through the New Testament, thank God for His Word, but pray for the courage to obey His Word.  

We have read through the Gospels in the last several months.  On July 1, I will suggest that we begin working through the book of Acts.

As we have been reading about Jesus, I think about all of the responses to Jesus today.  We are familiar of Pilate’s “no response” washing his hands of Jesus.  We are less familiar (only Luke gives the story) with Herod’s reaction to Jesus.  The text says that, “for a long time he had been wanting to see Him.”  He tried to get a response from Jesus, but Jesus offered none.  Herod’s mistake is the mistake of many today.  They want Jesus to perform for them.

The lesson in this morsel is that Jesus will not be mocked.  He sees right through the games that people play with Him.  Those who try to play the game end up being disappointed.  However, those who truly seek Him will never be disappointed.  (See Romans 10:11)

God is the God who loves to give a second chance!  In fact, God loves to give second, third, fourth, etc. chances.  We read today the account of “the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.” (John 21:14)  The resurrection appearance culminated with a conversation between Jesus and Peter.  Many of us, like Peter, have denied Jesus along the way.  For a season, we have abandoned our faith and fellowship with Jesus.  Like Peter, we can begin again.

It’s hard not to fast forward just a bit and remember what happened to Peter.  Did this breakfast on the beach make a difference?  The Book of Acts tells us that it did.  It is Peter who preaches as recorded in Acts 2 and 3,000 people are saved at one time.  It is Peter before the Sanhedrin who proclaimed, “There is salvation in no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).  And it is Peter, when commanded to not preach the name of Jesus replied, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

Just as Peter, you can begin again today!

Twenty centuries ago, a phrase entered our vocabulary that has never left.  What is that phrase?  Doubting Thomas.  From Thomas’ story I see several principles.  First, some people seem to be more likely to doubt.

We don’t know much about Thomas, but we do see a pretty consistent pattern from Thomas.  We see in Thomas a pattern that moves from doubt to belief.  Consider these examples.  John 11:16—Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

The context is the story of Lazarus’s death.  The disciples are concerned about Jesus re-entering Judean territory.  Upon Jesus’ announcement that they will be returning to the family of Lazarus, Thomas, the realist, exhibited what one commentator termed loyal despair.  Thomas has “zero” faith in anything other than their certain death.  John 14:5—Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Thomas’s question may be among the most important in the whole Bible.  If not for Thomas’s question, we would not have got that most foundational statement from Jesus, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  But, again, here is another example of Thomas, not only as the realist, but, now, the questioner.  John 20:25–The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” That brings us to John 20:25 where we see Thomas to progress to the position of seeker.

The second principle that we see in Thomas’ life is that the other disciples did not reject Thomas because he doubted.  You notice in the text that 8 days elapse, but Thomas is still with the disciples.  They don’t run him off, because of his statement of 8 days ago.

Third, Jesus did not seem to be bothered by the doubts of Thomas.  As a matter of fact, the whole purpose of Jesus’ second appearance to the disciples is to show Thomas.  Notice in the text that Jesus greets the disciples, but then very specifically greets Thomas.  It is as if to say, “Thomas, I’m seeking you.  I have come to show you.”

Finally, we see that Jesus did confront Thomas with his doubts.  While it is true that Jesus was not bothered by the doubts of Thomas, He did confront Thomas with those doubts.  Notice two very specific and very important aspects of verse 27.  Notice, first, that Jesus confronts Thomas at the heart of Thomas’s questions.  Jesus confronts him with the specific claims that Thomas made as recorded in verse 25.  Can I tell you that God is not afraid of your toughest question?  God is not afraid of your greatest argument.  You may think that you have found the reason not to believe in God or His plan for your salvation.  Present your case to God and watch Him present His case to you.  The second aspect that you ought to notice is that Jesus confronts Thomas with a specific challenge:  “Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”     

Sometimes, people get into great debates as to who put Jesus on the cross.  Was it the Jews?  The Romans?  Pilate?  Judas, because He handed Jesus over to the authorities?  Let’s be clear about the answer.  We did!  Our sin put Him on the cross.  But it is also true that He did!  Ultimately, Jesus put Himself on the cross because He wanted to save us from our sins.

John contains this conversation between Jesus and Pilate that we read today.  Pilate asks, “Where do you come from?  Jesus gives no answer.  Pilate says, “You refuse to speak to me?  Don’t you understand that I have power to set you free or to crucify you?”  Jesus replied, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above!”  Jesus is fully in control.  The cross was God’s idea out of His deep love for every one of us.

“What is truth?”  That was the question of Pilate.  It is also the question of many today.  I seem to remember a cartoon that I read with a little boy doing a math problem on the board.  He was working on “7 X 5.”  He wrote “55.”  When the teacher informed him that that was wrong, the little boy insisted that “It was right because he felt like it should be 55.”  Such is the case with truth today.

Many say that there is no such thing as true.  I have one question for those folks about that.  If they don’t believe that anything is true, how can their statement be true?

Truth is a person.  Jesus is truth.

The way that Jesus revealed His resurrection to the two disciples as recorded in verses 13-36 is really no different than the way that He moves today to reveal Himself.  First, the prophecy of His resurrection is contained in Holy Scripture.  Second, He personally reveals Himself.  (To us, of course, through the Holy Spirit)  Third, He confirms that reality to every person according to the need in each person’s life.  Then, everything comes down to belief.

The last week of Jesus’ life is often called “Passion” Week.  Jesus communicated His passion for people through the last week of His life.

You have read these chapters many times before, but today reflect on His passion as though His love is just for you.  As you read the beating that Jesus took, know that He took it just for you.  As you read the mockery, “Save yourself!” remember that He did not save Himself so that He could save you.  As you read that He breathed His last, rejoice that He would be resurrected.  However, the death that He died, He died for you so that you might be dead to sin (Romans 6:10-11).

Most of all know that here is His passion—for you to know Him!

For you to know Him—that is His passion!

We are so fortunate to have the details of the faith statement of the thief on the cross given to us.  In only these three verses, we can glean so many deep theological truths.  First, we learn much about the nature of grace.  Salvation did not belong to the criminal for any other reason, except Jesus extended Him grace.  He never had a chance to validate his conversion with good works.  Jesus extended the man grace because of who He was, not who the man was.  Second, we learn that salvation does not come through baptism, but through grace.  The man could never be baptized, but that day he entered Paradise.  Third, we understand something about the nature of eternity.  Some people teach that you go into a place of holding until the resurrection.  Jesus’ words to the criminal is that fellowship in Paradise (Heaven) with Him started that very day.  Fourth, we learn something about the power of the Holy Spirit.  This criminal heard no sermon that day, but he still got saved.  When the Holy Spirit moves in a person’s life, salvation comes.