Be Still And Know

READ: Acts 4.18-20 NLT The council of the Jews called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” The miraculous healing of the lame man attracted great attention and so Peter found himself with a further opportunity to speak to the crowd. He explained that the healing had been done in the name of Jesus pointing out that they had “killed the author of life but God raised him from the dead”. This was too much for the Jewish authorities who were desperate to find a way to shut him up. Peter responded by making it clear that if it was a choice between obeying the Jewish council or God, he would choose God. Nothing would be able to stop him from witnessing about his faith in Jesus. It is worth stopping for a moment and reminding ourselves that this bold, confident speaker is the Peter who only a few weeks before had den

READ: Acts 3.4-6 NLT Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John went up to the Temple for the service at which one of the daily sacrifices was made. As they walked through one of the city gates they met a beggar who was strategically placed to receive people’s money as they came to worship. Beggars knew that worshippers often gave them gifts and so the man looked at the apostles expectantly. Peter told him that he didn’t have any money but in the name of Jesus he healed the man. With these few words Peter made it plain that what he was doing was continuing the ministry of Jesus who, only a few weeks before, had walked through these same streets. Nearly 2,000 years have passed but it is still our privilege to continue the ministry

READ: Acts 2.46-47 NLT 'They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.' What amazing days these were! The believers were seeing astonishing things happen and, not surprisingly, their numbers were growing day by day. It was an exceptional period in every way, and they had the added advantage that everyone spoke well of them. In the days to come the church would often be reviled, rejected and persecuted by other people so this was a time of great favour. And amidst all the excitement and encouragement the believers maintained their regular rhythm of prayer and worship. In these early years of the church the Jewish Christians continued to worship in the Temple and to maintain their Jewish identity. Alongside their Jewish acts of worship, they met regularly with the other follo

READ: Acts 2.43-45 NLT 'A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.' In his Pentecost day sermon Peter referred to the fact that in his earthly life Jesus did “powerful miracles, wonders and signs” (verse 22). Now the apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit, are able to continue Jesus’ ministry as they performed miraculous signs and wonders. It was an amazing time and it’s no wonder that there was a deep sense of awe as people saw God working in power. At the same time the fledgling Christian community adopted a new way of looking at their possessions. They shared all that they owned in order to be able to support one another. This was all done voluntarily and shows the depth of commitment that they had for one another. It has never been a rule that Christians must pool all their money, pro

READ: Acts 2.41-42 NLT 'Those who believed what Peter said were baptised and added to the church that day— about 3,000 in all. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.' I love the fact that this earliest description of the church is so similar to what we do today. The world looks completely different in almost every respect, but Christians continue to be nourished in the same way. Teaching was at the heart of their life together. We need to remember that it was decades before any part of the New Testament was written, and so teachers had a crucially important role in the early church. We have the privilege of easy access to the New Testament and innumerable books of Christian teaching, but we still need gifted teachers to help us to understand the Bible and to apply it to our lives. The New Testament knows nothing of solitary Christianity. Christians belong to one another and are sustained by mutual

READ: Acts 2.38 NLT Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” I was very fond of my first satnav. It became a great friend to me and I knew that I could completely trust its wise directions. On one occasion I was taking a group of friends to a railway station at the end of a conference. I spoke movingly to them about the excellence of my satnav and the help that it had been to me. We weren’t far away from the station when my passengers expressed some surprise at the route we had taken. There was grass growing up the middle of the road and it certainly didn’t look ideal. And then, to my horror, the road came to an abrupt halt. It was a dead end! The only way to remedy the situation was to turn around and retrace our steps, and I had to admit that my wonderful satnav was, after all, not infallible. There are times when the only way to correct a situati

READ: Acts 2.36-37 NLT “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” In his Pentecost sermon Peter had carefully explained to his Jewish audience that what had happened had all been in fulfilment of God’s plans. He had been very respectful of their patriarch King David, but in all his greatness David had not risen from death, unlike Jesus the Messiah whom they had had a hand in crucifying. Peter’s challenge pierces them to the heart and they want to know what to do in response. I wonder whether you can think of a moment when you were pierced to the heart. It’s an agonising moment when you know that you cannot avoid the challenge that has been put to you. It reminds me of the time when King David was confronted by the prophet Nathan. David was feeling so pleased with himself. He believed his adultery with Bathsheba would

READ: Acts 2.17-18 NLT ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.’ Peter responds to the suggestion that Jesus’ followers were drunk by making the practical observation that it was far too early in the morning for anything like that! He then goes on to point out that Joel, in the 9th Century BC, had prophesied that in the last days the Spirit would be poured out upon everyone in exactly this way. In Old Testament times we often see the Spirit coming upon people but it was always to the prophets, priests and kings. In this new era of the Spirit it would be fundamentally different. The leaders of the church would continue to play a crucial role but now the doors were flung open to everyone to receive the Spirit and to hear God speak with them. We are still living in t

READ: Acts 2 11-13 NLT “We all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!” I love the carefulness of Dr Luke’s account of the day of Pentecost. He is giving us only a very brief summary of what actually happened on that amazing day, but he doesn’t miss out the fact that many people struggled to work out what on earth was going on! For us it is absolutely clear what a significant day it was, but for many people at the time it was thoroughly perplexing. Some asked genuine questions, and Peter is just about to give them a very full explanation. But other people concluded that the bizarre events could only be explained by alcohol. When God works in your life in a big way there will always be a variety of responses. Perhaps you have felt led to be confirmed or baptised, or to change your job in obedience t

READ: Acts 2.5-7 NLT At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. The arrival of the Holy Spirit caused a stir in Jerusalem. The city was packed with Jewish pilgrims from a huge area and they were eager to find out what was going on. What amazed them was that they were hearing God’s name being praised in their own languages. Dr Luke provides us with a fascinating list of where the pilgrims had come from. To use their modern names they had come from, amongst other places, Rome, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and other parts of North Africa. What a perfect moment for the Holy Spirit to be given. By the end of the day thousands of people would have heard the good news of Jesus for the first time. They were able to take the message back home and start drawing together Christian

READ: Acts 2.1-4 NLT 'On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.' Pentecost Sunday marks the birthday of the church. Jesus had asked his followers to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit – and now he has arrived. Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival and was held fifty days after Passover. It was one of the three annual pilgrimage festivals and so Jerusalem would have been heaving with pilgrims from all over the region. The group of Jesus’ followers was probably gathered in the upper room where they had been in the habit of meeting. One can imagine them meeting quietly and prayerfully as they had done since the time of Jesus’ As

READ: Proverbs 16.32 NLT 'Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.' It’s good for us to ask the question, “What matters most in life?”. Time and again the book of Proverbs helps us to think through this question. Many people would assume that it is good to be powerful and to have control of people and even whole communities. Some would want to be a powerful politician or the head of a major company. To be in charge of a whole city might seem like an amazing and very desirable achievement. But the writer observes that it is far more important to have patience and self-control than to have great power and influence. He is talking about what the New Testament describes as the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Bible never suggests that it is wrong to have wealth or power. If either of them have come your way then you should give thanks to God for them. What matters is that we put them in their proper place. They are nowhere near as important as living for God with the lo

READ: Proverbs 13.11 NLT 'Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.' Oscar Wilde wrote, ”The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.” That seems to summarise a lot of people’s thinking about work. Work is seen as something bad which needs to be avoided if at all possible, and if it can’t be avoided immediately then one should aim to retire as early as possible. This thinking is in complete contrast with Proverbs where work is seen as something inherently good. It is worklessness and laziness which are to be avoided at all costs. It is interesting that the writer of Proverbs refers to get-rich-quick schemes. This all sounds very modern, but the fact is that throughout the whole of history people have wanted to find shortcuts to wealth. There’s nothing new about laziness! God wants us to work hard because it not only provides for our needs and those around us, but also enables us to bless other people with the gifts that God has giv

READ: Proverbs 12.15-16 NLT 'Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.' The language of Proverbs is very black and white. The writer speaks of the wise and does everything he can think of to illustrate how wonderful it is to live in this way. It’s a life of happiness, prosperity and peace and is marked by humility, grace and generosity. It stands in complete contrast to the fool whose way of life is miserable, poor and full of conflict. I suspect that all of us recognise that we lurch between these two extremes. We can see the huge blessings of being wise but have to admit that we are still capable of foolishness at times. If that describes you (and it certainly describes me) the value of Proverbs is that it gives us some clear practical pointers to how to live wisely. These verses give us two pieces of valuable advice. Firstly, listen to others with care because by doing so we are allowing ourselves to be blessed b

READ: Proverbs 11.24-25 NLT 'Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.' The whole Bible is concerned with the issue of money and what to do with it, and Proverbs devotes a huge amount of energy to the issue. The quick summary of his teaching is that if you use money badly it will destroy you and those around you. But the writer also paints a picture of the wise use of money and that is wonderfully attractive, because, when it is used well, money brings life to everyone it touches. At the heart of the wise use of money is generosity. Generosity is a key theme throughout the Bible’s teaching on money for the simple reason that God is always generous. In our use of money God is inviting us to reflect his nature. In his teaching on the subject the apostle Paul writes, “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” 2 Corint

READ: Proverbs 10.19-21 NLT 'Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.' I love the straightforward and down-to-earth language of this amazing book. Written nearly three thousand years ago, the words leap off the page as if they were written yesterday and the writer forces us to sit up and take note. He offers wise advice on a wide range of life issues and all of it is intended to help us to keep our eyes fixed on living life to the full, by walking in the ways that please God. And God loves it when we use our words carefully. Words can build or they can destroy. They can leave people encouraged or depressed. In short, opening our mouth is a huge responsibility and so we need to ensure that our tongue is under control and, if we can’t do that, to keep our mouths shut. The writer encourages his readers to see the

READ: Proverbs 6.9-11 NLT 'But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.' Laziness is the subject of many fridge magnets. “I’m not lazy, I’m on power-saving mode” caught my eye and “I always say “morning” instead of “good morning”, because if it was a good morning, I’d still be asleep.” Laziness is seen as a very amusing and even desirable way of life. The writer of the proverbs strongly disagrees and points to the example of ants who are constantly industrious. “Learn from their ways and be wise!” he writes. At the heart of his concern is that lazy people run the risk of poverty and expose themselves and their family to risk. The apostle Paul also has some very harsh things to say about laziness. In his second letter to the Thessalonians he warns the church to “stay away from any Christian who lives in idleness

READ: Acts 1.24-26 NLT Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. After the Ascension of Jesus, the eleven disciples needed to find a successor to Judas Iscariot. They chose two candidates whom they considered to be suitable, Barsabbas and Matthias. We don’t know anything about them but clearly they had spent time with Jesus and were part of the wider circle of his followers. What might strike you as strange is that, having committed the decision to God in prayer, they then cast lots. This certainly isn’t a method that I have ever employed but it was their way of leaving the decision up to God. They played their part in choosing people who they believed to appropriately qualified, but then they let God decide. We don’t hear of anyone else casting lots in this way in

READ: Acts 1.12 and 14 NLT 'Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying... They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.' The days between Jesus’ Ascension and Pentecost were filled with prayer. All the disciples knew was that they had to wait and they didn’t want to do this alone. We read that they met together in an upper room and this may well have been the place where they had gathered for the Last Supper. What matters is that they were together and it is interesting to note that the eleven disciples were joined by Jesus’ mother and his brothers. We know little about Jesus’ brothers but John records that, prior to his death, they did not believe in him (John 7.5). What an amazing time of prayer that must have been! Jesus had told them that the Holy Spirit would be poured out

READ: Acts 1.9-11 NLT Jesus was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” The Ascension of Jesus brought his ministry on earth to an end in an amazing way. It is not surprising that the disciples looked intently into the sky to see where he had gone. I am sure we would have all done the same. As they stood there they were informed that the day will come when Jesus will return in the same way as he left. The Second Coming of Jesus should be our confident expectation. It should be constantly in our minds, not as a threat but as the most wonderful promise. When I was a small boy I must confess that I thought of it entirely as a threat and whenever I couldn’t find my mother in the house,