Law. Faith. Justice. Community. Culture.
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. – Acts 4:31
What should we do after being threatened to silence?
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.” – Acts 4:19-20.
In this era of fake news, hate speech, speech-chilling, echo chambers, incitement passing as reportage, name-calling, mud slinging and straw men attacks passing as academic debate, and people reporting any slightest thing they disagree with to the police, I often find myself threatened by fear to refrain from speaking about things which are important to me. I once feared talking about my faith in secular media or public online statements, as I thought that’s what the world would crucify me for. Once, someone wanted to ‘call out’ my faith in public for something I did as though it’s some sinister motive. Someone also once threatened to report what I said in a sermon to the Internal Security Department (ISD) for allegedly violating the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA).
What should we do when threatened to silence?
Continue reading “Acts Meditation 4:19-20 – We Cannot But Speak”
“25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” – Acts 3:25-26
The crippled beggar who had been a permanent fixture outside the Temple, the Jewish centre of religion, was now standing and clinging on to the arms of Peter and John. The “men of Israel” were astounded. So Peter preached to them, not about the healing of this crippled beggar, but the healing of the people of Israel.
Continue reading “Acts Meditation 3:11-26 – Blessings of the Covenant”
J.J.
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!” – Acts 3:6
What did Peter have that this crippled beggar did not? Peter had faith in the name of Jesus Christ.
Here, at the gate called “Beautiful”, this man crippled from birth had been begging for money for years. He was not begging for beauty.
Continue reading “Acts Meditation 3:6 – Faith unfolds beauty from suffering”
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” – Acts 2:42.
What were believers of Jesus being saved to?
After Peter’s Spirit-led sermon on Pentecost, 3,000 souls were added. What were they added to? Luke describes the day-to-day scene of this new community of new believers living new lives.
Continue reading “Acts Meditation 2:42-47 – Disciples’ Devotion”
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” – Acts 2:36
These words cut the hearts of the Jewish pilgrims that fateful day, and they cried out, “what shall we do?”
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” – Acts 2:4
“… we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” – Acts 2:11
What’s the significance of the Holy Spirit giving the disciples supernatural utterance in other languages?
Continue reading “Acts meditation 2:4, 11 – Thousands of Tongues”
“21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us-one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” – Acts 1:21-22
“to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” – Acts 1:25
What was the main reason for the apostles to appoint a replacement for Judas Iscariot?
Continue reading “Acts meditation 1:21-22 – A Few Humble Witnesses”
J.J.
“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.”” – Acts 1:10-11
“[Jesus] whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” – Acts 3:21
Why does it matter that Jesus should return to earth in the same way that He ascended to heaven? What is this “same way” anyway?
Continue reading “Acts Meditation 1:10-11; 3:21 – King on Clouds”
J.J.
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.” – Acts 1:6-8
Now that Jesus had shown Himself to be the Messiah-Christ, would He at this time finally restore the Kingdom of Israel? The disciples had in mind, still, an earthly kingdom. One with military and executive government, taxes and territory.
Jesus does not reject the question outright. It was a valid question. The Kingdom of Israel would eventually be restored. But the question was too narrow.
Continue reading “Acts Meditation 1:6-8 – Whither the Kingdom?”