Burunche’s Blog

Acts 9:36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas), who was always occupied with works of kindness and charity. 37 At that time, however, she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upper room. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to urge him, “Come to us without delay.”

39 So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41 Peter took her by the hand and helped her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her to them alive.

It happened in a village in northeastern Ghana not too many years ago. One lady from Togo had been in the local hospital several times but had now been discharged. One evening at 7:30 this lady died. There was no doubt; this was not a coma. There was no breathing and no heartbeat. The pastor came and prayed for the lady, but nothing appeared to happen….. until two hours later, when the lady suddenly sneezed and sat up! God had chosen to heal this lady, and she is still alive today.

Why did God raise Dorcas from the dead? And why did God choose todo the same thing for this lady in an obscure African village? The answer is the same in both cases: God knew in His infinite Wisdom that those around these two people needed to be encouraged. In both cases, the women were believers. But both women were surrounded by others who were not believers and who needed a sign from God. And the believers among them also had their faith strengthened. What a miracle!

Today, many are losing friends or loved ones to COVID – 19 and may be asking God, “Why?” “Why my mother, my father, my sister, my brother, my child, my friend, my doctor, my pastor, my teacher?” Many hearts are breaking throughout the world over these deaths.

Corrie Ten Boom survived a concentration camp while her beloved sister Betty died there. When Corrie Ten Boom began speaking around the world, she carried with her a piece of embroidery. On one side of the embroidery, there was no pattern, only stray threads and loose ends; it looked like a mess! But on the other side, you could see that there was a crown of shining gold. And Corrie would always point out that here on earth, we only see the messy side of things; meanwhile, God has a purpose and a plan and God is working things out in love.

It is human to demand answers and explanations, but that is not always the best choice. Far better to trust that God is a loving Father who is working things out and providing for us.

PRAYER: Father God, many of us have never known the love and protection of an earthly father and we find it difficult to trust. Lord, help us to trust you, even when we don’t understand. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

Acts 8: 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, a queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his return was sitting in his chariot, reading Isaiah the prophet.

29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.” 30 So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. 33 In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”

34“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Philip was sitting up in Samaria in that city where God had just brought revival. Philip and Peter and John had enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship, and God had done incredible miracles. Surely, Philip should have been allowed to rest a little and bask in the glow of the success and take it easy for awhile. But just as Philip was relaxing, something happened. AN ANGEL OF THE LORD CAME TO PHILIP AND SAID, “GET UP AND GO SOUTH TO THE DESERT ROAD THAT GOES DOWN FROM JERUSALEM TO GAZA!”

There are several things to notice about this story: 1) God sent an angel to make sure Philip got the message. 2) God was sending Philip to a dangerous lonely road in the desert; Philip may have wondered if he was about to be set upon by bandits because there weren’t lots of other people down that way. 3) Philip immediately started out; he didn’t argue or give any excuses. 4) God was sending Philip to a highly influential man from Ethiopia who already followed the Jewish forms of worship. This man was in charge of the entire treasury for Candace, an Ethiopian queen. And this man was so hungry for God that he was reading Isaiah’s prophecies and was hoping for someone who could explain them to him. 5. When Philip had told the Ethiopian about Jesus, they just “happened” to come to some water. Finding any kind of water in that area was a miracle all in itself, because the land south of Jerusalem was very dry. And it was the Ethiopian who suggested that Philip baptize him, yet another miracle!

After the Ethiopian had been baptized, God picked Philip up and sent him north to Azotus and eventually on to Caesaria on the Mediterranean coast. Why didn’t God give Philip more time with the Ethiopian? Timing was everything. Philip had fulfilled God’s purpose for that encounter. Had Philip remained with the Ethiopian, he might have said something to confuse him; as it was, the Ethiopian returned to his country with the message of the Gospel. There are some traditions in Ethiopia that suggest that this was one of the first ways Christianity reached Ethiopia.

What about God picking Philip up and moving him someplace else? Does that kind of thing really happen? In the spring of 1980, my mother was becoming quite sick with cancer and a fungal infection of the brain. Not knowing about any of this, I was working in Charleston, WV, 800 miles away from northwestern Illinois, where my mother lived. One afternoon I was driving from one of the hospitals where I was working back to my apartment…. except all of a sudden I found myself on the way to South Charleston, where there was an excellent Christian bookstore. I had no memory of traveling the streets before I turned onto the bridge to cross the Kanawha River to South Charleston. Finding myself at the book store, I prayed and then bought books and sent them to my mother. Those may have been the last books she read before she entered the hospital where she eventually died. To this day, I have no other explanation for the events of that afternoon, apart from the idea that God wanted my mother to receive those books at that time.

Sometimes we are certain we know how our lives ought to work, and we become angry with God when things don’t turn out the way we think they should. But we need to remember that God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8). Philip was probably just enjoying the success he had had in one city of Samaria; meanwhile, God had a plan of salvation for the entire country of Ethiopia. God is always doing more than we realize and always has several more reasons for events than we can imagine. Is God sending you to a desert road? Just wait! You might represent the means of salvation for thousands or even millions of people.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you that your ways are far, far higher than ours! Thank you that you never waste time or waste people. Thank you that you have many purposes for each one of us. Lord, let your kingdom fully come, let your will be fully done in our lives! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Acts 8: 18 “When (the magician) saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. 19 “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.” 24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

There is a story about a rich man who was obsessed with taking his gold with him to heaven. This man prayed and prayed, and finally, God granted his request. So, the man arrived in heaven, dragging a wagon of gold behind him. Now according to the Bible, the streets of heaven are paved with gold. So, the man reached the pearly gates, and St. Peter allowed him to enter. “But,” St. Peter asked, ” what do you have in the wagon?” “Oh! That’s all my gold,” the man replied. “Gold?” St. Peter asked. “Why did you bother bringing common paving material to heaven?” And the man had no answer.

Philip had preached in this Samaritan city, and Simon the magician had gotten converted – presumably a true change of heart. But Simon had spent years manipulating people by deception. Perhaps Simon had been able to do pseudo miracles by getting power from demons. Now the disciples were demonstrating a kind of power that Simon had never seen before! And Simon reverted to his previous way of thinking and behaving. Perhaps Simon had actually thought about his request quite a bit before he made it. Perhaps Simon had rationalized his request by telling himself that REALLY, he just wanted to help people have a deeper experience of God and to become closer to God. But one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is discernment, and Peter immediately realized Simon’s true motives. Peter refused Simon’s request but also went on to advise Simon that Simon was “poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”

Simon was rich and probably influential. One of the striking things about this story is that Peter did not hesitate but instantly refused Simon’s offer to pay for the ability to transfer the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, throughout the history of the church, there have been times when some leaders have been willing to compromise for the sake of money. There is no doubt that an offer of support may initially look quite attractive. And really, all one has to do is just to compromise a tiny bit.

Peter told Simon that Simon’s heart was not right before God and that Simon was poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity. We are not told about the rest of Simon’s history but Simon may have become a magician in the first place because he felt weak and powerless and wanted to get revenge on someone. At any rate, Peter called Simon to repent. Please notice that Peter did NOT say Simon was beyond the reach of the grace of God! Peter seemed fully confident that if Simon would repent and pray, that God would forgive him. Simon, suddenly realizing how badly he had erred, also begged that Peter pray for him as well, indicating that Simon accepted Peter’s warning.

What Simon failed to realize was that his request was actually an impossible one. Nobody, not Peter, not John, not anybody apart from God could give the Holy Spirit. As the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is not bounded by either time or space and is not under the control of any man. God gives the Holy Spirit to those whose hearts are pure because they have confessed their sins and have asked for the Holy Spirit. But nobody controls the Holy Spirit.

God is not impressed with money! Psalm 50:10 tells us that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. God spoke the universe out of nothing. God can care for those who love Him.

This morning you may be very worried. The COVID – 19 pandemic is threatening to destroy your means of livelihood and you don’t know how you will feed your family. Take heart! God knows. God sees. And God can still provide. Go to the Lord, ask Him to show you any sin you need to confess, and then tell him your problems. Rest assured, He has the answers.

PRAYER: Father, thank you that you are a good Father and that you love us! Thank you that you give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. And thank you that you are a God of infinite resources. Save us! Defend us! And provide for us! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen and Amen.

Acts 8:14 “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

By now, the disciples must have really been scratching their heads! In the beginning, most of the disciples were Jews; however, now God was sovereignly bringing in all kinds of people without regard for anybody’s prejudices. Philip preached in a large city in Samaria and many people came to Jesus. Now Peter and John came and laid hands on these Samaritan converts, and they received the Holy Spirit. For the Jewish believers, this was mind – blowing! And this experience was also necessary. God was trying to show the disciples that Jesus really did mean it when He told them to go to the ends of the earth to tell people about Him. And in case the disciples hadn’t really gotten that message clearly, God sent the Holy Spirit to confirm that there was no distinction between Jews and Samaritans any more.

Today as we face the problems raised by COVID – 19, all kinds of new alliances are taking place. Groups that previously had nothing to do with one another are finding that they need one another and that in fact, the contributions from each group are valuable. God is always doing new things, and He is still working, even in the middle of this pandemic.

Today, why not ask God to show you new ways that you can be kind to people and reach out to someone new? Wonderful things can happen when you allow God to guide you!

PRAYER: Father God, forgive us for our prejudices and our blindness! Help us to look beyond our fears and our preconceived notions to see the people you want us to help. Thank you that you will guide us and also provide the strength and wisdom so that we can truly minister to others. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

Acts 8: 4 “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. 6 The crowds gave their undivided attention to Philip’s message and the signs they saw him perform. 7 With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

9. Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great, 10 and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.” 11 They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.”

Yesterday, we spoke about the Samaritans and the reasons that the Jews ostracized them and felt superior to them. This sense of superiority was based on an assumption of ethnic purity as well as purity of religious practices. Now, both of these assumptions could easily be challenged. The Jews went into exile in the first place because they indulged in shameless idol worship of the worst kind, sacrificing their own children. And many of the families that returned with Ezra or Nehemiah were found to have intermarried, so the bloodlines were not that simple. But, the Jews felt superior nonetheless and also refused to have anything to do with Samaritans.

But Jesus had already told the disciples that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) You might think that once Jesus gave that command, the disciples put away their religious scruples and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit …. and you would be WRONG! Things were comfortable in Jerusalem; okay, the Sanhedrin was unhappy and had arrested and whipped some of the disciples, but really, things weren’t too bad. And then persecution came, and nothing was ever the same again.

Until now, the Christians had been huddling together in Jerusalem, but that was no longer a safe place. When Stephen testified mightily about Jesus and was stoned, severe persecution broke forth. It took persecution to accomplish that command of Jesus. I am sure that at the time, the Christians were horrified and some of them might even have questioned God as to why He was being so unkind. God, on the other hand, had a far bigger purpose in mind than merely having a few thousand believers in Jerusalem. And so the Christians scattered and preached as they went, and Philip found himself in a Samaritan city. When Philip preached, revival broke out, and many of both sexes believed and were baptized.

There are several points to notice in this story:

1. God can use what we call “catastrophe” to accomplish His sovereign purposes. God used this persecution to spread the Gospel.

2. God desires that all people come to know Him. God is not interested in the class or race of a person; Jesus died for all mankind.

3. When given a chance, the Samaritans – these allegedly hard – hearted pagans – responded to the Gospel in large numbers. It’s likely that nobody was more surprised than Philip when all these people began repenting, but he went ahead and baptized these new converts without hesitation.

Today, the world is convulsed by the COVID – 19 pandemic and many people are living in fear. But the questions are these: What is God doing? God is always doing new things, so what is His perfect will for this situation? How does God want us to respond?

Someone has commented that this pandemic has brought out the best in the good people and the worst in the bad people. This is a true statement. A recent Facebook post showed the 96 year old mother of one of our friends enjoying a family encounter via a computer and the Zoom program. The elderly lady in question was in a nursing home, while the family was at their house 25 miles away. Churches have put services on – line so many more people are now accessing them. All kinds of new resources have become available, and can be downloaded free or very cheaply. On the other hand, there have been some horrible racial incidents. Satan is alive and well and continues to use anyone He can.

There is a famous quote Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” has repeated many times. When Fred was little and he became frightened, his mother would tell him “always look for the helpers.” Today, we should not only look for the helpers, but we should be the helpers and encourage those who are already helping. But more than that, those of us who are Christians should follow Philip’s example. We should tell others about Jesus and allow them to experience the love and peace and joy that we know.

PRAYER: Father God, this morning help us to look for your purposes in everything that is happening around us. We thank you that your hand is not shortened and that you are still on the throne. Help us to trust you and to act in love and not out of fear. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

2 Kings 17: 24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.”

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the requirements of the God of the land.” 28 Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD.

29 Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places. 30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of the Sepharvaim.

32 So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts to serve in the shrines of the high places. 33 They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away. 34 To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.”

The story of ancient Israel is a tragic one. God gave the Israelites their promised land and brought them great kings; yet, they fell away and worshiped demons instead of the one true living God. The idol worshipers indulged in ritual sex, sacrificed their children as burnt offerings, and even involved themselves in witchcraft of various kinds. Finally, God allowed the Jews to be carried away by the Babylonians and Assyrians. Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722-721 B.C. while Judah fell to the Chaldeans (Babylonians) in 586 A.D. Rather than allow the land to remain empty, the conquerors brought in people from other conquered lands who brought their own idols with them.

When the Jews returned under Ezra, they were extremely concerned about purity of worship and the ethnic purity of their families; after all, compromise and idol worship had led to their exile in the first place. Priests who could not verify their lineage were allowed to return to the land but were not allowed to minister as priests. And the people who now were occupying Samaria were a mongrel people made of several different ethnic groups, each with its own idols. So when these people approached the prophet Ezra offering to help build the temple, Ezra and the Jews who had returned from exile in Persia vehemently rejected this offer. Incensed, the Samaritans wrote to King Ataxerxes, complaining that the Jews were rebels who should be stopped. Eventually, Nehemiah came and brought revival with him and the temple was rebuilt, but the Jews never forgot what the Samaritans had done and the corrupt forms of worship that they continued to pursue. To the Jews, the term “Samaritan” came to symbolize a pagan unbeliever who was pretending to worship God but who was really playing religious games.

“Great,” you say, “but why should I care?” You should care because truth is not relative. Ever since Adam and Eve had that interview with the snake in the Garden of Eden, people have always been tempted to compromise and twist the word of God to fit their desires. The snake interview turned out badly, and compromising God’s word turns can be a deadly mistake. God gave the Samaritans a chance to worship Him fully, but they merely added Him to the list of idols they already had. When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, he told her that “God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

Today we are struggling to discern the truth about COVID – 19. We are overwhelmed with experts who contradict one another. Youtube is full of all kinds of videos, many of them frightening. In the middle of this struggle, where do we find truth?

Jesus gave us the answer in John 17:17 when he was praying over his disciples. “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.” We may not be able to trust any of the news media, but we can trust God’s Word. Today, allow God’s word to speak to your heart.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please turn our hearts to you. Let us feed on your Word. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Acts 5: 41 “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 “Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. “

It was a horrible story, and every bit of it was true! Islamic militants had captured a Nigerian seminary student in Northern Nigeria. The terrorists were hoping to convert this Christian to Islam; instead, the seminary student just kept telling them about Jesus. Finally, the terrorists gave up and killed the young man because that was the only way they could silence him. This promising young man died praising Jesus! The terrorists may have succeeded in killing this man, but they lost!

How much would we really be willing to give up for the Gospel? In these verses, the disciples were rejoicing that they had been arrested, dragged off to jail, and then humiliated in front of the highest religious leaders in their land. Despite this discouragement, the disciples continued to teach and proclaim Jesus.

Those who heard the disciples were attracted to them for several reasons. First of all, these men had been eye – witnesses to Jesus’ arrest, death, and resurrection. Second, these men had received the Holy Spirit and were now preaching and teaching wisely, winsomely, and compassionately. Nobody hearing these men could deny that they had encountered something marvelous. There was also the evidence of the miracles that were happening wherever these men began praying for people. People were even getting healed merely by being touched by Peter’s shadow.

To understand the impact that the witness of the early believers had, we need to understand the world in which they were living. There were all kinds of gods – the Romans had gods, the Greeks had gods, and then there were all the gods of the other countries around them. But none of these gods was holy. Without exception, all of the pagan gods were corrupt and their worship was deplorable. Contrast that with the early Christians. Many people in Jerusalem had seen Jesus and had heard him teach. Many had recognized Jesus as the Messiah, even if the religious leaders had been able to whip up a mob to howl for Jesus to be crucified. Now here were the intimate friends of Jesus preaching and teaching the same things that Jesus had taught – teachings that satisfied rather than confusing the hearer. Little wonder that many watched the disciples closely. When the disciples were willing to risk everything to keep preaching about Jesus, many may have decided that these men were truly serious; after all, nobody would take on the Sanhedrin unless they were willing to suffer or even to die for their beliefs. So the people of Jerusalem watched and many believed.

We have no idea if any of the Nigerian terrorists had a change of heart after killing that young man, but it is entirely possible. There are recorded cases in Roman times where centurions charged with tormenting Christians chose to believe, stripped off their armor, and joined the Christians in their deaths.

PRAYER: Father God, we grieve for this young man who died witnessing for you! But Lord, at least he stood for you! Lord, give us grace and courage so that we will be willing to stand for you, no matter how many threats come against us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Acts 5:24 When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this account, they were perplexed as to what was happening. 25 Then someone came in and announced, “Look, the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts, teaching the people!”

26 At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear the people would stone them. 27 They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.”

29 But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree. 31 God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel’s Advice

33 When the Council members heard this, they were enraged and wanted to put the apostles to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a short time. 35 “Men of Israel,” he said, “consider carefully what you are about to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and drew away people after him. He too perished, and all his followers were scattered.

38 So in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone. Let them go! For if their purpose or endeavor is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”

40 At this, they yielded to Gamaliel. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.

41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

After the angel led the disciples out of jail, they followed instructions and began teaching at the temple as soon as people began coming in for morning worship. The religious authorities were incensed! The high priest accused them of blaming the Sanhedrin for the death of Jesus; this in a city where everybody knew exactly what had happened. Most of the religious authorities were ready to kill the disciples and end the whole thing; however, Gamaliel, a highly respected teacher and a Pharisee, pointed out the fact that in the past, false messiahs had arisen and had perished. (None of those pseudo – messiahs had ever performed so much as a single miracle.) Gamaliel very sensibly pointed out that if this movement was only man – made, it would fail, but if God was in the thing, those persecuting the disciples would find themselves fighting God.

Today many of us are worried and upset about some of the high – handed orders being handed down by mayors and governors. While caution is necessary, many of us are worried that our civil rights are being seized and will not be returned. But please remember something: God is still on the throne. If these modern rulers are found to be wrong, they may find themselves fighting God.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we bow before your throne. We beg you to guide all of us, those of us who are ordinary citizens and those of us in positions of authority. Lord, do not allow the hand of the wicked to rest on the land of the righteous! Save us from despots! And Father, guide these leaders so that they will look to you for their help and strength and guidance and not to someone else. To the praise and glory of your holy Name. Amen.

Acts 5: 17 “Then the high priest rose up, along with all his associates, who belonged to the party of the Sadducees. They were filled with jealousy, 18 and they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying, 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

21 At daybreak the apostles entered the temple courts as they had been told and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin —the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they returned with the report: 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards posted at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

Remember the Sadducees? The Sadducees were the aristocratic Jewish rulers who had absorbed humanistic teachings to the point that they did not believe in an afterlife or in the resurrection of the dead. In addition, the Sadducees were the the group who interacted most closely with the ruling Roman hierarchy. Part of the motto of the Sadducees could have been “go along to get along.” The Sadducees wanted to remain as quiet sophisticates, manipulating the general population behind the scenes. The very last thing the Sadducees wanted was undue attention from the Romans. The Romans had reduced ruling difficult groups of people to a grisly science, and part of their strategy was to identify trouble makers and get rid of them as expeditiously as possible. If a horrible example could be made to discourage others from outlandish behavior, so much the better. The balance of power was extremely delicate, and the Sadducees realized this. For the Sadducees, this new sect preaching that Jesus the carpenter’s son from Galilee had risen from the dead was heresy and a dangerous heresy at that! But then there were the miracles! If ONLY these crazy people would just quit healing the blind, the lame, the deaf, the dumb, and the lepers! If ONLY they would cease casting out demons! Why, such behavior was scandalous! (The Sadducees conveniently overlooked the fact that the prophet Isaiah had foretold all of these things.) There HAD to be some way of intimidating these religious fanatics so that they would crawl back into the hills where they had come from! And so the Sadducees arrested the apostles – at least the eleven plus Matthias, and perhaps even more followers than than that! Jails being what they were in those days, everybody was probably thrown into one cell together. Can you imagine the conversations? “Hey, buddy! Why are you guys here? Aren’t you the ones who have been healing people?” “Sir! Sir! I’ve had a crippled leg all my life. Do you think you could help me? Oh WOW! I can walk! Thank you!” Whether or not they wanted it, the disciples probably found themselves preaching and teaching and healing right there in the Jerusalem jail. Instead of intimidating the disciples, the Sadducees had just provided them with lots more opportunities to witness one on one to some of the people who probably needed their message the most!

About 2 A.M. when everybody was sound asleep, the disciples suddenly heard a low melodious voice, “Friends, arise from your sleep!” Waking, the disciples were stunned to see a eight – foot tall man in glowing robes opening the jailhouse doors and beckoning to them. The other prisoners continued to sleep. As the disciples walked quietly out of the prison, they passed the prison guards, but the guards behaved as if there was nobody there. Peter looked at John and John looked back at Peter and shrugged his shoulders. If this was a dream, they were all sharing the same dream! Quietly the angel led the disciples out into the street and around to the teaching steps on the south side of the temple. “Wait here,” the angel instructed. “In the morning, return to the temple courts and tell the great things God has done for you. Jesus says to tell these people the full message of this new life.” Peter turned to pull his cloak up a little further, and when he turned back, the angel was gone.

“Well, friends,” said Peter, “I guess we all have our orders. Let’s see if we can find shelter in a corner and get a few more hours of sleep. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us!”

Do such escapes really happen? Yes, they do. In the days when Bibles had to be smuggled into Communist countries, there were many stories of people carrying suitcases full of Bibles who were ignored completely by border guards. Other Christians told of friendly strangers who would suddenly appear, conduct them to their meeting places, and then disappear as mysteriously as they had come.

Why did God bless the disciples with such a wonderful deliverance? The disciples needed to know that God was really with them. The early church had no traditions, only the teachings of Jesus and the Jewish scriptures. Those people needed the assurance that God really would care for them and could even deliver them from locked cells. At the same time, God was probably trying to get through to the Sadducees. Even though the Sadducees were more politicians than religious leaders, there may have been many who secretly longed for a real experience of the one true living God. God is very economical; in any given situation, He is trying to reach as many different groups of people as possible. Who knows how many of those prisoners may have become Christ followers that night or the next morning when they realized that the disciples had disappeared?

Do you need a touch from God in your life? Do you feel as if you have been stuck in a dry religious rut with no sign of holiness or of the power of a righteous God? God does not play favorites! Nobody can predict how God will act, but one thing we can definitely say: God is still a miracle – working God who desires intimate friendship with us. Find a quiet place. Open your heart, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you as you pray.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we come to you begging for you to make yourself real in our lives! Lord, come in your might and your power and speak to our hearts. We are waiting for you to guide us. Help us to know your still small voice and to recognize your messages of love to us. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

Acts 5: 12 “The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 Although the people regarded them highly, no one else dared to join them. 14 Yet more and more believers were brought to the Lord—large numbers of bo”th men and women.

15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.

When God is handling a situation, there is a divine balance in everything. Peter denied Jesus three times and for awhile was away from Jesus and had to be reconciled. Then Peter underwent questioning by Jesus. Jesus already knew Peter’s heart but Jesus wanted to make sure that Peter was aware of his own motives. In Matthew 23:12 Jesus told his disciples,”For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Peter had to be humbled sufficiently that when the Holy Spirit descended and began working through him, Peter would never again exalt himself.

The Holy Spirit has descended twice and Peter and John have been arrested and then released. Ananias and Sapphira have paid for their greed and their lies with their lives. And now something new is happening, something Peter never anticipated.

Old Asher was the first one to experience a healing. It was late afternoon and Asher was sitting in his doorway feeling the warmth of the sun. That’s all Asher had been able to do for years, ever since the stroke withered his right arm and leg. Asher’s house just happened to be on one of the streets leading to the temple, and Peter was passing by. Asher was a boyhood friend of Peter’s father, so Peter naturally stopped to greet him. As Peter bent over to take Asher’s hand, Peter’s shadow fell on Asher. Suddenly, Asher hopped up and embraced Peter! “My friend!” Asher exclaimed, “I have no idea what just happened, but my legs and arms are as strong as they were when I used to help your father pull in the nets!” “Praise God!” replied Peter, shocked at what had just taken place. Puzzled, Peter proceeded down the street. As Peter turned the corner, he saw Ishmael, the thirteen year old son of the local fruit seller Miriam. Everybody knew about Ishmael and everybody felt sorry for Miriam. From early childhood, Ishmael had been demonically tormented. If Miriam didn’t watch Ishnael closely, he would throw himself into a cooking fire or fall on the ground in fits.

When Ishmael saw Peter, he threw himself on the ground, rolling and foaming at the mouth and crying out in a deep unnatural voice. As Peter approached Ishmael, his shadow fell on the boy. Suddenly, the street became deathly quiet. Ishmael picked himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. Looking at Miriam, Ishmael asked,” Mama, what just happened? Who is that man?” “Son,” Peter replied, “I am Simon Peter, a disciple of Jesus and a servant of the one true living God.” “Master,” Ishmael replied, “you have delivered me! I felt as if I was at the bottom of a deep dark hole. When your shadow fell on me, suddenly a brilliant light appeared and a giant hand grabbed mine and lifted me out of the hole. Then the hole completely disappeared.” “Son,” replied Peter, “give God glory! This is not my doing but God’s. The Lord Jesus Christ working through me has delivered you. Come with me to the temple and we will worship together.”

We read about these miracles and wonder if anything of the sort still happens today. There are several important things to notice: First, Peter was not attempting to do anything. God sovereignly moved. Second, there were no particular requirements for these healings. The sick came, and God healed them. Third, everyone was healed.

The short answer to that question is: yes, God still heals.

The story began when I was a third year surgery resident in Charleston, WV. One poor woman had had uterine cancer and had had all the drugs and radiation treatments her body could stand. She had huge masses of tumor causing her abdomen to protrude. Her right leg was three times the size of the left and she had to have a filter put into her inferior vena cava to stop blood clots from going to her lungs. After that, she ruptured her appendix and required an appendectomy. When I visited her during my rounds and prayed for her, all either of us thought we were doing was just begging God to take away the pain in her right leg. She went home, and I forgot about her. Two years later, I was making preoperative rounds and entered the room of a patient scheduled for an incisional hernia repair the following day. When the lady on the bed saw me, she said,” You don’t know me, do you?” “No, Ma’am,” I answered. This patient scheduled for a relatively minor procedure was that cancer patient. She had gone home to die, but God had other ideas. The tumor melted away; , and her legs became equal size. The only reason this lady was returning was for the repair of a small hernia at the site of her appendectomy. Both of us agreed that God had done a miracle!

Does God always heal miraculously? No. Sometimes God gives us the grace to go through the suffering. But in every situation the grace of God will be sufficient.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you that your grace is sufficient. Thank you that we can freely ask you for healing and that you may grant immediate healing, delayed healing, or the grace to bear whatever suffering is involved. We thank you that you are sovereign and that your mighty power still works. Help us to accept your will, whether it is for instant healings or for something else. Help us to continue to praise and glorify your holy Name. Amen.