Power (Acts 5:12a, 15-16)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/16/2017 9:01 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                                      Focus:  Power

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 5:12a, 15-16

            Message of the verses:  “And at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people…15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.”

            We talked in an earlier SD about how verse 15 picks up the thought from 12a as there was a parenthesis which described the purity of the church in verses 12b-14.  We talked about the purity of the church in our last three verses and the reason that the early church grew was because it was a pure church.  They were a clean channel through which the power of God could flow. 

            Now we come to the subject of sings and wonders once again, something we have already discussed in earlier SD’s.  Signs and wonders were to point out spiritual truth and another reason they were done was to confirm the apostles’ claim to be messengers of God.  John MacArthur writes “With the passing of the apostles from the scene and the completion of the canon of Scripture, the need for miracles vanished.  They were not intended to be an ongoing part of the life of the church but a unique ministry of the apostles.  In fact, in 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul wrote, ‘The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.’  In keeping with the unique ministry, Luke carefully notes that it was ‘at the hands of the apostles that the many signs and wonders were taking place among the people.’  As noted in the discussion of Acts 3:1-10, the early church was not a miracle-working church—it was a church with miracle-working apostles.”

            In Acts 4:29-30 we read the prayer that was prayed by the apostles which God has been answering “29 “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus."”

            Perhaps we can see that this time period of the early church age came to a peek of having the apostles through the work of the Holy Spirit perform these signs and miracles as we read “to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.”

            MacArthur concludes “The stir caused by the massive number of the apostles’ healings was not limited to Jerusalem.  Additional ‘people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirit; and they were all being healed.’  This is the first record of the church’s influence spreading beyond Jerusalem.  They were beginning to fulfill the Lord’s charge to be His witnesses not only in Jerusalem but also ‘in Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth’ (Acts 1:8).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful that as I read and study the book of Acts that it teaches me to understand the truth of signs and wonders, and as I have read through the book of Acts on many occasions I have noticed that these signs and wonders diminished because the church age was established.  I am not saying that God does not heal people today because as my friend told me a long time ago that God heals you every time except the last time when, if you are a believer He takes you to heaven to be with Him.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to give me wisdom to understand what I am to talk about for our next Sunday school lesson.  Things are a bit up in the air at this point so I do need wisdom.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “700.”

Today’s Bible question:  “How shall we draw near to God?”

Answer in our next SD.

10/16/2017 9:39 AM