The Church is Unstoppable

Be sure to read today’s passage all the way through.

Acts 5:17-42

17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.

Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

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Gamaliel, who was the Pharisee teacher of the Apostle Paul, says something startling here about the church:

“So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. ”

— Rabbi Gamaliel [Acts 5:38-39]

In this world, it is easy to become discouraged, but we must actively fight against discouragement!

Why?

Because discouragement comes from a lie.

That is, the idea that God is losing is a lie—God’s purposes will be realized, no matter what, and his church will be victorious.

So, don’t give up and don’t give in.

Solomon's Portico

Our scripture passage for today (Acts 5:12-16) mentions “Solomon’s Portico” (“Solomon’s Porch” in some translations).

In the image above, you can see an historical recreation of the Temple Mount, with the columned porticos running around the perimeter. Solomon’s Portico is the one that cannot be seen at the bottom of the image, along the Eastern Wall.

(By the way, the Greek word for porch or portico is spelled stoa in English, which is the word from which we get our term Stoic. The Stoics got their name from teaching on a portico in Athens.)

Why I Am Not a Communist

Well, one reason among many. But first, today’s reading:

Acts 5:1-11

5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

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The deadly sin of Ananias and Sapphira is not that they kept back part of the money for themselves; the deadly sin of Ananias and Sapphira is that they pretended to be better than they were.

It’s as if Luke is telling us that the one thing that will kill the church is dishonesty.

I find it very interesting that Peter explicitly states that the money of Ananias and Sapphira is completely their own to dispose of as they see fit (v. 4).

Note, therefore, that the Bible supports the idea of private property. This is because the Bible teaches that each of us is a steward of the gifts that God has given us. That is, the Lord has given each of us the responsibility to make something out of the gifts we have received and to use them according to the values of his Kingdom. And, we will be held accountable for our stewardship.

So, one of the many reasons I am not a communist is because I believe it is actually against God’s will for us to abolish private property ownership. But, that does not mean that it is God’s will for us to use our gifts solely and selfishly for ourselves. Rather, God gives gifts so we can bless others.

How can you do that today?

How to Be Antifragile

My apologies for missing Friday’s post—our house was actually burglarized on Thursday evening, though later that evening my friend and I actually caught the bad guys! A story for another day. The point is that I didn’t get my post finished.

I preached on Acts 3-4 Sunday, and I’ve included the video below.

[Today’s scripture reading is Acts 4:32-37—a summary statement from Luke about the generosity of the early church toward people in need.]

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How to be Antifragile

Something fragile is hurt by stress and difficultly.

Something ANTIFRAGILE becomes stronger through stress and difficulty.

A candle in the wind is quickly snuffed out;

A fire in the wind gets stronger.

If ever there were a time to learn how to get stronger through difficulty, now is that time.

Now is the time to become ANTIFRAGILE.

The early church in Acts faced great difficulties and it grew because and not in spite of those difficulties.

When Peter and John are arrested, for example, their response to the threats they face is astounding.

(Hint: they don’t ask for the threats to be removed.)

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Sermon Video: “How to Be Antifragile”

Why Are They So Threatened?

Today’s Scripture: Acts 4:1-22

4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

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Seriously, I want to know what you think:

Why are the religious authorities so threatened by the actions of Peter and John in the healing of the lame beggar?

Leave me a comment and let me know.

No Israel, No Jesus; Know Israel, Know Jesus

Can you imagine trying to tell the story of January 2021 WITHOUT first telling about 2020? EXACTLY.

If you read today’s scripture reading (Acts 3:11-16), you’ll see that Peter connects the story of Jesus with the story of Israel.

One of the MAJOR failings of the American church is that we have somehow thought that you can have Jesus without the Old Testament—as if he just drops from the sky without any context.

Here’s the truth, however: Jesus ONLY makes sense as the fulfillment and culmination of Israel’s story. Jesus is not just anyone—he is a Jew who lived in the 1st century.

In other words,

no Israel, no Jesus.

This also means that we can understand Jesus best when we understand Israel best—the Old Testament is vital to understanding what the Kingdom of God is like.

To put it another way,

know Israel, know Jesus.

(This is why we have spent so much time at Munger studying the Old Testament.)

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If you missed my Bible study on Acts from last night, you can find it here.

Apocryphal Story About Aquinas

ANNOUNCEMENT: I’m teaching an online Bible study tonight, 8:00-8:30 PM CST. Tune in at www.facebook.com/mungerplace or www.mungerplace.org/watch.

Acts 3:1-10

3 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

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I doubt this story about Thomas Aquinas is true, but I love it nonetheless.

“Once, when Thomas was in Rome and in the presence of Pope Innocent II., before whom a large sum of money was spread out, the Pope observed, “You see, the Church is no longer in that age in which she said, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’”—“True, holy father,” replied Aquinas; “but neither can she any longer say to the lame, ‘Rise up and walk.’”

Lord, keep us from trading spiritual strength for earthly approval.

Why We Need to Be At Church Every Sunday

After Pentecost, Luke gives us a summary statement at the state of the church in its earliest days (Acts 2:42-47):

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

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“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

The early Christians made the practice of the faith central to their lives, and cool things happened as a result.

The reason we need to be at church every Sunday is because that’s how the Lord strengthens us and gives us what we need to love God and love neighbor.

There’s just something that happens when we make the commitment not to miss a Sunday.

I dare you to try it.

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By the way, this is the exact topic I preached on last Sunday, January 3.

You Have What You Need Today

My apologies for missing yesterday’s post—technical difficulties. Today’s post combines 2 days into one.

Acts 2:1-41

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Let’s recap:

Jesus, risen from the dead, gathers the disciples together and teaches them about the Kingdom. Then he says:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

That is, the Holy Spirit will empower the church’s witness about Jesus, and their witnessing will begin first to Israel (Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria), and then move on from there “to the ends of the earth”.

Pentecost is the first step in that sequence.

Pentecost is a harvest festival, observed by the Jews 50 days after Passover. At Pentecost, Jewish pilgrims from all over the Mediterranean came back to Jerusalem. Though they were ethnically Jewish, they spoke different languages. How are the disciples to witness to such a polyglot group?

The Holy Spirit provides the answer: he gifts the church with the gift of tongues, so that they can witness to Jesus in every necessary language on that day of Pentecost, AD 30.

Here’s the point: Jesus tells them they will be witnesses, starting with Israel, and that they will be given power to make their witness successful. They are given what they need.

The same is true for us. We have what we need today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to witness to Jesus wherever we go.

Therefore, be bold. You have what you need today!

I Think Judas Is So Interesting

Acts 1:15-26

Peter here leads the early Christians (Luke tells us they numbered around 120) in a process to replace Judas by casting lots.

What I always find so interesting about Judas is that—as Peter points out here—he was in the inner trusted circle of Jesus and betrayed Jesus anyway.

What do you think the betrayal of Judas says about human nature?

Fascinating Detail About Jesus's Mother and Brothers

What would it take for you to believe your brother was the Son of God?

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Acts 1:12-14

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

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Some quick points:

“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…”

That means that these Messianic Jews were disciplined in attending the prayer services at the Temple—they were structuring their lives around the hours of prayer.

“together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” [or brothers and sisters]

I find it fascinating that the family of Jesus has come to believe in him as the Messiah, which means that he must have appeared to them after the Resurrection. (In the Gospels, Jesus’s siblings are definitely NOT his disciples.)

How cool is that?!

The Ascension

Acts 1:6-11

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

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After the Resurrected Jesus has spent 40 days (i,.e., a long time) teaching the Twelve about the Kingdom of God, they want to know, “When will all this begin?” Jesus’s answer: “It’s not for you to know the exact timeline, but this is the sequence: it starts in Jerusalem, will move to Judea and then to Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth.” It’s like a series of concentric circles, with Jerusalem at the center. (Which, by the way, is also the outline of the book of Acts itself.)

And then, Jesus ascends into heaven, bringing his bodily life on earth to a close.

We’re now in the period between the Ascension of Jesus and his Second Coming, which means we’re still in the period of the preaching of the Gospel and the proclaiming of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth.

How can you play your missionary part today?

How can you bring the Good News wherever you go today?

Read Acts With Me in 2021

At Munger in 2021 we’ll be focusing on the Apostle Paul, and we’re kicking off the year reading through the Book of Acts.

Readings are weekdays only, and are usually relatively short: we’ll finish the book the first week of April, just before Easter. (We’ll read Paul’s Letter to the Romans after that.)

If you are receiving this post via email, you don’t need to do anything to keep getting my Acts posts. (If you don’t want to receive them, simply unsubscribe.)

If you are reading this on my blog, you can subscribe here to have my Acts posts delivered straight to your inbox every weekday morning at 4:00 AM Central.

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Today’s Scripture

Acts 1:1-5

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

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“In the first book, O Theophilus”

Luke is the author of Acts, which is part 2 of his history of early Christianity. Part 1 is the Gospel of Luke. “Theophilus” was most likely his patron, who funded his research and writing.

As Acts begins, Luke reminds us of how his Gospel ends: with the Resurrection of Jesus.

What’s really intriguing is that the Resurrection is not the end of the story, but merely the beginning.

What might the Holy Spirit want to begin in and through your life this new year?

Cosmic Christmas

Our Final Advent Reading!

Christmas is finally here, and today we have reached the end of our Advent reading plan. (Sorry about yesterday’s post—I forgot to send it out!)

John 1:1-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

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Summary: John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation.

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Matthew and Luke start with the events leading up to the birth of Christ, but John starts before the beginning: with the pre-existent Word.

I’m grateful for the particularity and earthiness of the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke, but I’m also grateful for John’s beautiful prologue that sets the Incarnation in a cosmic context.

And I love his beautiful reminder:

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Be encouraged. Christmas means Hope!

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Christmas War

Advent Reading - Day 17

Luke 2:8-20

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

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Summary: The shepherds go to see the Savior of the world, lying in a manger.

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The meaning of the entire Christmas story changes when you understand that the word “hosts” is just an old fashioned way of saying “armies.”

Christmas is about WAR—war with spiritual weapons.

I preached on this idea last Christmas Eve.

Census at Bethlehem

Today’s Advent Reading - Day 16

Luke 2:1-7

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

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Summary: Against a backdrop of emperors and taxes, Jesus is born.

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Caesar had no idea that God was using his census as a way to move Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, thereby ensuring that the Messiah was born in David’s city.

What might God be using today?

Joseph the Righteous

Advent Reading - Day 15

Matthew 1:18-25

The Birth of Jesus Christ

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

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Summary: The righteousness of Joseph.

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Joseph finds out Mary is pregnant before he hears from the angel.

Thanks be to God Joseph decided to act mercifully toward Mary.

To whom can you show mercy—unmerited favor—today?

"Strong in Spirit"

Advent Reading - Day 14

The Birth of John the Baptist

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah's Prophecy

67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
    for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
    and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74     that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

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Summary: The birth of John the Baptist.

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I like that last sentence:

“And the child grew and became strong in spirit.”

Sounds like something for which we each should be aiming in the year ahead.

You Have No Idea What's Hanging On Your Obedience

Advent Reading - Day 13

Luke 1:26-56

Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

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Summary: The angel Gabriel announces to the virgin Mary that she will give birth to God’s promised Son whose kingdom shall never end.

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You have absolutely no idea what’s hanging on your obedience.

Like Mary, obedience opens up opportunities that cannot come any other way.

What is it that you’re resisting? What might be waiting on the other side?

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What's the Longest You've Ever Waited for Something?

Advent Reading - Day 12

Luke 1:5-25

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

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Summary: The birth of John the Baptism is foretold.

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What’s the longest you’ve ever waited for something?

I think this story is one of the sweetest ones in the scripture—this old, faithful couple, waiting all these years for a child, only to be surprised by the angelic message that the Lord is answering their prayers. So poignant.

Are you waiting for something? Don’t lose heart. Keep hanging on.