I am the Lord your God

On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.” Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; (Exodus 19:1-6; 20:1-2, NRSV)

How are the 10 commandments supposed to be utilized by us?

Are they a list of rules we must follow to earn God’s favor?

A way that we earn our way into heaven?

Is that why God gave us the commandments?

God says in 19:4 “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” God brought His people out of Egypt and brought them to Himself. Notice that this comes before any of the commandments. God called His people to Himself before he gave them rules to follow. God established the relationship and then offered a model for how His treasured people should live. Notice God didn’t say if you don’t obey my voice and keep my covenant you will no longer be my people. He said, “if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples.” We do not lose the relationship by not obeying but we are also not His treasured possession…

God established a relationship with us and then gave us an understanding of how to help others see the love He has given to us. It isn’t about doing it right, it is about loving as God did.

The Believers Share Their Possessions

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4:32-37, NRSV)

Community is a word we use in different ways. We live in communities. We are a part of communities, be that the one we live in, or one we are in because we attend a particular religious setting or other reasons. Scouts, sports teams, bands, they all have unique communities. But God intended for those who follow Him to intentionally be in community.

Here we see how that community worked. They held all of their possessions in common and gave to anyone when they needed something. No one had more than another because they cared for each other. This passage even tells of a member who sold a field and gave the proceeds to the apostles. No one wanted anything another follower didn’t have. That is community, being one together in the fact that Jesus died for us all.

Do we live up to this community?

The Believers Pray for Boldness

After they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant: ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:23-31, NRSV)

Here the believers pray with Peter and John when they leave the high council. Because the will of God will be done in spite of people getting in the way.

Many people will try and thwart the message of the gospel. But God will not let that happen. Either through us following Him or Him using us to spread the message, the will of God will be done.

If we do not share it, God will make the rocks cry out!

So pray together with others that God may give you the boldness you need to share His love with all the world!

Peter and John before the Council

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. They said, “What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed was more than forty years old. (Acts 4:13-22, NRSV)

Peter and John healed a man and now the high council wonders what to do. They can not deny the miracle because so many have seen it and they can not do anything to Peter and John because everyone saw the miracle and knows it was done through them by Jesus. So what can they do?

They order them to be silent and to no longer share the news of Jesus. And of course, Peter and John cannot do that. They, as we, must share what we have been given with the world. Do you share the news of Jesus with the world?

Peter and John before the Council

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand. The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem,with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:1-12, NRSV)

The Sadducees are like a lot of us and can’t believe what we have never seen. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. They had never seen it or wouldn’t say that they had. We get hung up on others thoughts and beliefs when they don’t match to ours. We need others to up hold our beliefs and reinforce what we believe. We don’t like when people make us question our beliefs. Even though it might make us grow closer to God.

Do you let others help you grow or just want to hear thoughts that reinforce what you already beleive?

Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico

“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you. And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.’ And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:17-26, NRSV)

Are we trapped by our ancestors?

Are we held to beliefs because that is what our family told us and learned and believed?

We need to realize that the things we hold as truth and were once thought to be heresy. Some of the things we think have always been have not. They have only been for decades…

We need to allow God to move through our lives and allow Him to move us to His truth.

Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico

While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. (Acts 3:11-16, NRSV)

Why are they amazed?

Why are we amazed?

We don’t think the lame should be miraculously cured. We’ve never seen it so it can’t be.

We get hung up on the I haven’t seen it so it can’t be. We like to put God in our neat little box and keep Him tucked away where He won’t change our world with things we don’t understand.

So why can’t we believe things we’ve never seen?

Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:1-21, NRSV)

Are we ready for the Spirit to descend upon us?

Did you see here that everyone is surprised by what happens? Even Peter seems to stumble about what to say about what is happening. We are usually surprised by how the Spirit works in our lives or moves us in the world.

You see the Spirit comes in and takes us from a comfortable place and changes the world around us.

Are we really ready for the Spirit to come and shake our world up or do we want to be comfortable in life?

Are you ready for the Spirit?

Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (Acts 3:1-10, NRSV)

Have you ever done this?

It is hard for us to believe these things happened because we have never seen them happen?

But how many of us believe things we have never seen?

Is seeing believing?

Many believed because they saw Jesus but we never have and we still believe. Many times we see things that aren’t real either. I saw the Statue of Liberty disappear. But it was an optical illusion. Not real but one second it was there and the next it wasn’t.

One of the best quotes I believe there is from a movie comes from The Santa Clause 2, “Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing.”

If you believe it you will see it. If we believe we can heal we will. Christ said we would do greater things than him and we do see people healed everyday.

Believe it and you will see it.

Life Among the Believers

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. (Acts 2:43-47, NRSV)

As those who believed shared everything in common and fellowshipped together, God added to their numbers.

The believers took care of each other and learned more about who Christ is and who they are together in Him. And doing this had others around wondering and seeking what was happening with these people. And God opened their hearts and brought them in to see what was going on.

How do we live our faith so that others wonder what we have and how they can get it? Or maybe the question is do we do this?

Do you?