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
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