Reading Acts1:15-26

The Forgotten disciple

We know little of Matthias, after this snapshot, we hear nothing about him.

We know in verse 21, that although he wasn’t part of the inner group of apostles, he was closely  associated with them and saw everything that happened. So he was a man who stayed the course, he did not leave, when many so many were leaving.  Probably this is why he was chosen, because he could be trusted.

Can the same be said about you?

Secondly, he was chosen to be a witness to the resurrection.

Here was a man who was like the apostles who had seen the miracles Jesus had done, but also he was a witness of the resurrection.

Today we are to be witnesses of that resurrection, Jesus truly rose from the dead, it is not a figment of the apostles imagination.

These twelve men and others were going to tell the world that Jesus lives.

We don’t know where Matthias ended up, but we know that he played a full role on the day of Pentecost and was imprisoned at least twice for his faith, all of the apostles except John died a martyrs death, so we know that this forgotten apostle gave up his life.

Many people in the church live in the background, they are not at the front, but serve consistently behind the scenes.

Maybe you think, just because your name is not well known that you have been forgotten, but it hasn’t. God sees all your service and will reward you in due time, with a crown of life.

JUST LIKE MATTHIAS

Tell people of the resurrection of Jesus, that he is alive.

God bless you

Kk

ACTS 1

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.”

WE HAVE A JOB TO DO

Jesus had gone, the disciples were left alone.

They had been promised the Holy Spirit to empower them, but it had not yet come.

They were sad obviously that Jesus had left them, but the angels asked them and asks us:

Why are you gazing into heaven?

As believers, we have a job to do. Jesus is coming back and our job to share the gospel and to proclaim it to the whole world.

We are to look for his glorious appearing, but also, we are not to waste any time, simply gazing into thin air and wasting our time on trivial things that don’t matter.

Jesus will come again, let it be our aim to bring as many with us as we able..

Share the gospel,  this should and has to be our main purpose for living.

Let’s make sure we don’t gaze at worthless things and focus on our main job

SHARING JESUS WITH A NEEDY WORLD.

God bless you

Keith

ACTS 1

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.

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

Why was the early church so successful?

Was there some magic formula?

Yes, the Holy spirit was poured out on the early church, but there were three things that the early church had, which we need to have.

Biblical unity

Throughout the gospels, we see the disciples as a competing force, one or the other wants to be at the forefront. They all were seeking the place of honour, but here they were in unity. God blesses unity, he does not and will not bless disunity within his church. Isn’t it time to stop all our petty squabbling and arguments? We act like spoiled children sometimes, I once heard about two deacons who fell out about what colour paint they should have in the sanctuary, this is pathetic and is evident in most churches nowadays.

Prayer

This is a powerful weapon; they were praying when the holy spirit fell. We spend too much time talking and not enough time praying. The early church was a praying church, why aren’t we?

Study of the word

To preach the word and to share the gospel, you have to know the word, you must spend time digging deep into the word. They were people of the book, not many books, we read so many self-help books, instead of the one book that can truly help.

When we have our focus on these three things, then maybe God will bless us.

God graciously blesses his church, when the church puts its focus on the right things, then it can have success and change the world.

God bless you

Keith

ACTS 1：8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

DYNAMIC WITNESSING

We saw in the first devotion, that we aren’t to be worried about when Jesus will come. It’s interesting that Jesus hasn’t even ascended back to heaven and the disciples are trying to find out when He is returning.

What is the key word here? It is BUT!

Jesus recommissions the disciples. Remember in Matthew 28, He said all power is given in heaven and earth to Him, and now that power was to be given to the Apostles and Disciples.

What would of happened if the disciples had gone directly to the temple and started preaching? Nothing would of happened, because the Holy Spirit wasn’t given to them yet!

It’s great to look into the Greek here. “Power” is the word dunamis, which is where we get the English word, dynamite. Remember, that we don’t just have a message that is powerful, but one that is ABSOLUTE DYNAMITE!  A message that shatters nations and empires.

The second Greek word is maturos. This is the word for “witnesses.” We get our English word, martyr from this; nearly all the twelve disciples became martrys, all except John.

God had a plan: first the Jews, then Samaria and then the Gentiles. God knows what He’s doing and we have to follow His leading.

Notice also that the power was personal, “ye shall receive power,” that is still the case today. We have the same power, that dunamis living inside of us. Why is it living inside of us? Because we are to be bold witnesses for Christ; we are to do the same things as the disciples did! They said they were there to tell what they had seen and heard Jesus do. It is our purpose to tell what Jesus has done in our lives.

May we be witnesses just like the disciples were to all Jesus said and did…Amen.

Filled with dynamic power.

GOD BLESS YOU

kk

Devotion 2

Chapter 1 verse 8

 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.”

IT IS FOR US

This is surely one of the most amazing promises in the whole bible, but so often we think that it was a special anointing that was just for the disciples, it applied for them, but it doesn’t apply to us.. now.

But it is truly for us, it for us., right here and now in the 21st century.

The promise still rings true, the same dynamic power that was given to the disciples back in first century Palestine is still available to us, right here and right now.

The promise of power is the same and the commission to reach the world is still the same, some of you will witness in your own backyard, some further afield and some go to the uttermost ends of the earth, wherever you share the gospel, the urgency still stands.

The call to be his witnesses is still the same, you have the Living holy spirit inside of you.

Are you being a witness for him, wherever you are?

God bless you

Keith

Acts 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[a] 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[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

THE FURTHER STORY

Acts starts where the gospels finish, what Jesus said to the disciples especially in John 13-17 was now going to come true. Jesus had gone to the cross, redemption had been done, now what?

How was God going to reach the whole world, well he would start with 120 men. God doesn’t need many to do his work, 120 men totally trusting in Him and filled with the holy spirit, are more than enough.

Why did the work succeed?

They obeyed the commands he gave them, as we look through this book, we see that the church walks closely with God.

He showed them many proofs, they must have had many questions, their minds were settled, they knew the truth of 2 Timothy 1:12

12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me

In other words, the apostles did not believe blindly. They had seen the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes, so their faith became extremely firm.

They waited for God’s time, they must have been excited, but they waited for God’s time. They were in step with the spirit of God.

All this led to success in the work of God. Acts is a how to book, how do you serve God, how do you preach the gospel. how do you address authority and how to give your testimony.

Let’s dive in to this wonderful book

God bless you

Keith

ACTS 1

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.

THERE SOME THINGS YOU NEED NOT KNOW

In life, there are some things we shouldn’t know, or to put it another way, it’s better not to know certain things.

I wonder if we know the date and time of the second coming?  How wonderful it would be if we knew the day of Christ’ return…right?  Maybe it would change the way we live and share the gospel.

Jesus is the One coming back, and even He doesn’t know the time he is coming back。

Look at the cults, nearly every cult proclaims they know the date of Christ’s second coming, and they have been made to look very foolish.

But we are given clues, yes in passages such as Matthew 24 and others.

But our primary focus is one of watching and serving God. 

The ten virgins are a prime example. Only five trimmed their lamps; many people inside the church will be caught unaware when Jesus comes again.

What will happen if he finds the Christian in adultery or doing something he/she shouldn’t? Do you think he will be taken and raptured?

We shouldn’t worry when He will return; Our focus should be on living our lives as if He could return at any moment. That means serving God and living lives of holiness that please Him.

GOD BLESS 

KK