03/24/2025 – Day 267 – Acts – Chapter 1 – 2 // 2 of 2// 1:8 – “If a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, his witness will not be optional or mandatory – it will be inevitable.” Richard Halverson
And I will add four more verse commentaries from “The Evidence Bible – NKJV”:
“1:10,11 The inference is, Don’t stand there gazing up into the heavens. God has granted everlasting life to sinful humanity. Go and wait for the power to take the gospel to the world.’ We haven’t been saved to gaze up to heaven, but to take the light to those who sit in the dark shadow of death. How can any person, who professes to have the love of God in him sit passively while sinners die daily and go to hell? Paul said, ‘Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!’ (1 Corinthians 9:16)”
“1: 21-26. As Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry ground, God instructed them to place twelve stones as immovable witnesses — a memorial to tell the Israelite children what God had done for them (Joshua 4: 1-7). Likewise, the Church was established with twelve witnesses so that we would know and tell what God has done for us through Christ.”
“2: 38. Repentance – Its necessity for salvation. See: Acts 3:19 and 17:30
2: 44-46. The need for church. “None of us is self-sufficient in our spiritual lives. We need God, and we need each other. A lot of people go to church because they thing God takes roll. For them, the important thing is to make sure their name gets checked off every Sunday on the heavenly roster. But that’s not the way it works. Church is not some kind of moral obligation, some habit or tradition that is ‘the right thing to do.’ Church is a place where we worship God, share our faith with the community of believers, build each other up, and get empowered to go out into the world and live out our faith!
Similarly, some people think of their spiritual life as if they were one person in a telephone booth, talking to God on a private line. They don’t want to be bothered by the demands of ‘organized religion’ and don’t think they need anyone else ‘Oh yeah, I’m spiritual,’ they say, ‘I just don’t like church.’ To those folks I say: You cannot grow spiritually in isolation.” Rich DeVos
Soli Deo Gloria!
_______________________________
Questions for fellowship generation, the lifelong sanctification process:
- What does the text reveal about God’s character?
- How has this reading generated prayer for you and/or us?
- What themes stand out to you in this bible study?
- How does our reading fit into the bigger picture (creation, the fall, restoration, etc.)?
- What verse(s) jumped out at you like never before? Is it explainable at this point?
- Do you have any questions you would like to put before the group as to how to interpret any particular verse(s) in our reading. Let scripture testify to scripture: Share with us where you sense contradiction between passages elsewhere.
- What did you find convicting and inspiring at the same time? Share with us how the Spirit of God is working within you as a messenger, both within and outside of our fellowship group.
- Share with the group how our study is calling or confirming to you a new mission to glorify God in our times.