Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is gospel Saturday, and we’ll begin the last book of the books of the gospels. We’ll read Acts 1-2.  I’ll have some comments after the reading. And of course I’ll have an “On This Date In Church History” segment for you, too. I’m calling today’s episode “Dynamite.”

Comments on Acts 1-2

The Acts of the Apostles, which is the full name of the book of Acts, was written by Luke. At one time, the Gospel of Luke and Acts were considered one book of two volumes, with Acts being the second volume. Acts is a sort of a bridge between the four gospels and the epistles. Without Acts, there would be no record of how Christianity spread from Jerusalem, which is where the Gospel of John ended, to Rome which is where the book of Romans takes place. 

The book of Acts is about the dawning days of the Christian church. How it began. It’s about the empowerment of the seemingly defeated followers of Jesus after His crucifixion and resurrection. 

Jesus knew that his disciples would need encouragement and courage and ability from God to be able to take the message of the Gospel to the world, so just before He ascended to Heaven, He told them stay in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit.

Put yourself in their place. Yes, they had seen and spoken with the resurrected Christ over a period of forty days before his ascension. But they had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. What was Jesus talking about? How would this happen, and how would they know?

They gathered in an upper room of a house in Jerusalem and spent their time praying. The remaining eleven disciples (remember that Judas Iscariot had been one of the twelve, but he betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide), Jesus’ mother, some other women, and Jesus’ brothers were there, and they waited…for what?

Well, when the Holy Spirit arrived, there was no doubt that His presence was a game-changer. When the day of Pentecost arrived, which was 50 days after Passover, He came into the upper room accompanied by the sound of a strong wind. Note that the text doesn’t say it was a wind. It was the sound of a strong wind. 

And then there were what looked like tongues of fire which came and rested on each one of the people. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in languages which they had never spoken before, led by the Holy Spirit.

All of this noise drew a crowd. Some thought that the speakers were drunk, but it was early in the day. Of those that heard, many were from other lands who were not Jews. And they heard what the believers were saying in their own languages.

And then Peter stood up and told those in attendance of the words of the prophet Joel. And he preached his first sermon to them, telling them all about Jesus. And 3,000 new believers were added to the church that day.

What a beginning! What a miraculous event! When the Holy Spirit works through His people, Jesus Christ is glorified and lives are changed. 

Every believer is meant to have this experience of power from the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for this power is dunamis, which is the root of the English word, dynamite, dynamic, dynamo. Every believer is called to share the Good News of the risen Christ, and whether or not you believe in the Pentecostal experience, God calls each of us to be a light to the world with Jesus’ message of hope and salvation. That is your call and mine. Jesus said, “…you will receive power (dunamis) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Wherever you are, you are called to share the Good News.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1 GNT; Ch. 2 NIRV

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Transcript

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Dynamite. Dynamic. Dynamo.

INTRO S12E269 – 0:10
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year.

This shows pre-recorded because of my cardiac ablation procedure which took place yesterday. I’m recording this on May 23. And hopefully everything went well on the procedure yesterday, and I’m at home right now recovering nicely.

Okay, on with the show. Today is GOSPEL Saturday, and we’re going to begin the last book of the books of what we call the books of the Gospels. We will read Acts 1 and 2. And by the way, Acts is not always grouped with the Gospels, but with our Bible reading plan this year, we’re including Acts in the Gospels.

I will have some comments for you after the reading and we’ve gotten On This Date In Church History segment. And I think that with all that– Oh, I do need to say the show notes page for today’s episode– yeah, I’m a little bit scatterbrained today. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e269. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. I’d love to hear from you. Let’s get started.

ACTS 1 (GNT) – 1:21
Acts, chapter 1. (1) Dear Theophilus:
In my first book I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work (2) until the time he was taken up to heaven. Before he was taken up, he gave instructions by the power of the Holy Spirit to the men he had chosen as his apostles. (3) For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God. (4) And when they came together, he gave them this order: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised. (5) John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

(6) When the apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”

(7) Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. (8) But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (9) After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

(10) They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them (11) and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go into heaven.”

(12) Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is about half a mile away from the city. (13) They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James. (14) They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.

(15) A few days later there was a meeting of the believers, about a hundred and twenty in all, and Peter stood up to speak. (16) “My friends,” he said, “the scripture had to come true in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, made a prediction about Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. (17) Judas was a member of our group, for he had been chosen to have a part in our work.”

(18) (With the money that Judas got for his evil act he bought a field, where he fell to his death; he burst open and all his insides spilled out. (19) All the people living in Jerusalem heard about it, and so in their own language they call that field Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”)

(20) “For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘May his house become empty;
may no one live in it.’
It is also written,
‘May someone else take his place of service.’

(21-22) “So then, someone must join us as a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He must be one of the men who were in our group during the whole time that the Lord Jesus traveled about with us, beginning from the time John preached his message of baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us to heaven.”

(23) So they proposed two men: Joseph, who was called Barsabbas (also known as Justus), and Matthias. (24) Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the thoughts of everyone, so show us which of these two you have chosen (25) to serve as an apostle in the place of Judas, who left to go to the place where he belongs.” (26) Then they drew lots to choose between the two men, and the one chosen was Matthias, who was added to the group of eleven apostles.

ACTS 2 (NIRV) – 4:51
Acts, chapter 2. (1) The day of Pentecost came. The believers all gathered in one place. (2) Suddenly a sound came from heaven. It was like a strong wind blowing. It filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) They saw something that looked like tongues of fire. The flames separated and settled on each of them. (4) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in languages they had not known before. The Spirit gave them the ability to do this.

(5) Godly Jews from every country in the world were staying in Jerusalem. (6) A crowd came together when they heard the sound. They were bewildered because they each heard the believers speaking in their own language. (7) The crowd was really amazed. They asked, “Aren’t all these people from Galilee? (8) Why, then, do we each hear them speaking in our own native language? (9) We are Parthians, Medes and Elamites. We live in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia. We are from Pontus, Asia, (10) Phrygia and Pamphylia. Others of us are from Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene. Still others are visitors from Rome. (11) Some of the visitors are Jews. Others have accepted the Jewish faith. Also, Cretans and Arabs are here. We hear all these people speaking about God’s wonders in our own languages!” (12) They were amazed and bewildered. They asked one another, “What does this mean?”

(13) But some people in the crowd made fun of the believers. “They’ve had too much wine!” they said.

(14) Then Peter stood up with the eleven. In a loud voice he spoke to the crowd. “My Jewish friends,” he said, “let me explain this to you. All of you who live in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I say. (15) You think these people are drunk. But they aren’t. It’s only nine o’clock in the morning! (16) No, here is what the prophet Joel meant. (17) He said,

“ ‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Holy Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions.
Your old men will have dreams.
(18) In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on those who serve me, both men and women.
When I do, they will prophesy.
(19) I will show wonders in the heavens above.
I will show miraculous signs on the earth below.
There will be blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
(20) The sun will become dark.
The moon will turn red like blood.
This will happen before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
(21) Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

(22) “Men of Israel, listen to this! Jesus of Nazareth was a man who had God’s approval. God did miracles, wonders and signs among you through Jesus. You yourselves know this. (23) Long ago God planned that Jesus would be handed over to you. With the help of evil people, you put Jesus to death. You nailed him to the cross. (24) But God raised him from the dead. He set him free from the suffering of death. It wasn’t possible for death to keep its hold on Jesus. (25) David spoke about him. He said,

“ ‘I know that the Lord is always with me.
He is at my right hand,
I will always be secure.
(26) So my heart is glad, joy is on my tongue.
My body also will be full of hope.
(27) You will not leave me in the grave.
You will not let your holy one rot away.
(28) You always show me the path that leads to life.
You will fill me with joy when I am with you.’

(29) “Brothers, you can be sure that King David died. He was buried. His tomb is still here today. (30) But David was a prophet. He knew that God had made a promise to him. He had taken an oath that someone in David’s family line would be king after him. (31) David saw what was ahead. So he spoke about the Christ rising from the dead. He said that the Christ would not be left in the grave. His body wouldn’t rot in the ground. (32) God has raised this same Jesus back to life. We are all witnesses of this. (33) Jesus has been given a place of honor at the right hand of God. He has received the Holy Spirit from the Father. This is what God has promised. It is Jesus who has poured out what you now see and hear. (34) David did not go up to heaven. But he said,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand.
(35) I will put your enemies
under your control.” ’

(36) “So be sure of this, all you people of Israel. You nailed Jesus to the cross. But God has made him both Lord and Christ.”

(37) When the people heard this, their hearts were filled with shame. They said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

(38) Peter replied, “All of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then your sins will be forgiven. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (39) The promise is for you and your children. It is also for all who are far away. It is for all whom the Lord our God will choose.”

(40) Peter said many other things to warn them. He begged them, “Save yourselves from these evil people.” (41) Those who accepted his message were baptized. About 3,000 people joined the believers that day.

(42) The believers studied what the apostles taught. They shared life together. They broke bread and ate together and they prayed. (43) Everyone felt that God was near. The apostles did many wonders and miraculous signs. (44) All the believers were together. They shared everything they had. (45) They sold what they owned. They gave each other everything they needed. (46) Every day they met together in the temple courtyard. In their homes they broke bread and ate together. Their hearts were glad and honest and true. (47) They praised God. They were respected by all the people. Every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.

COMMENTS – 10:42
Well, beloved, the Acts of the Apostles, which is the full name of the book of Acts was written by Luke. At one time, the gospel of Luke and Acts were considered one book of two volumes with Acts being the second volume. Acts is a sort of bridge between the four Gospels and the Epistles. Without Acts, there would be no record of how Christianity spread from Jerusalem, which is where the Gospel of John ended, to Rome, which is where the book of Romans takes place. The book of Acts is about the dawning days of the Christian church, how it began. It’s about the empowerment of the seemingly defeated followers of Jesus after His crucifixion and resurrection. You see, Jesus knew that his disciples would need encouragement and courage and ability from God, to be able to take the message of the gospel to the world. So just before He ascended to heaven, he told them to stay in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit.

Now put yourself in their place. Yes, they had seen and spoken with the resurrected Christ over a period of 40 days before his ascension, but they had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. What was Jesus talking about? How would this happen? And how would they know. They gathered in an upper room of a house in Jerusalem and spent their time praying. The remaining 11 disciples, Jesus’ mother, with some other women and Jesus’ brothers were there and they waited. For what? Well, when the Holy Spirit arrived, there was no doubt that his presence was a game changer. When the day of Pentecost arrived, which was 50 days after the Passover, he came into the upper room accompanied by the sound of a strong wind. Note that the text doesn’t say it was a wind, it was the sound of a strong wind. And then there were what looked like tongues of fire, which came and rested on each one of the people. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And they began to speak in tongues which they had never spoken before, enabled by the Holy Spirit. All of this noise drew a crowd, some thought that the speakers were drunk, but it was early in the day. Of those that heard, many were from other lands who were not Jews. And they heard what the believers were saying, in their own languages. And then, Peter stood up and told those in attendance of the words of the prophet Joel, and he preached his first sermon to them, telling them all about Jesus. And 3000 new believers were added to the church that day.

What a beginning, what a miraculous event! When the Holy Spirit works through His people, Jesus Christ is glorified and lives are changed. Now listen, every believer is meant to have this experience of power from the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for this power is “dunamis”, which is the root of the English word “dynamite,” “dynamic,” “dynamo”. Every believer is called to share the Good News of the risen Christ. And whether or not you believe in the Pentecostal experience, God calls each of us to be a light to the world with Jesus message of hope and salvation. That is your call and mine. Jesus said, “You will receive power”–dunamis–“when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” So, beloved, wherever you are, you are called to share the good news.

What do you think? Leave a comment at lifespringmedia.com/s12e269. Tomorrow is EPISTLES Sunday. We’ll begin the book of Hebrews and we’ll read chapters 1 through 4.

BOOST! – 14:17
And now, as the French say, it is time for le boost.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 14:33
On this date in church history, May 28, 1954–same year I was born–President Dwight Eisenhower signs into law the congressional act Joint Resolution 243, which adds the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. In a speech given soon after, he declared in support of the new bill, “In this way, we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future.” We could use another Ike right about now, don’t you think?

CLOSING PRAYER – 15:13
Let’s pray. Our gracious heavenly Father, we thank you for the Holy Spirit. And we ask that he would give us the boldness that he gave the early Christians to spread the good news. As unpopular as that is in our culture today, it was much more so in the first century. We really have no excuse, Lord. Forgive us for being timid. Holy Spirit give us opportunities to share and words to say to the people that you have already prepared to hear. Bless the Lifespring family today, Lord, I thank you for each one who’s listening right now. You call them here and I pray that the words I speak will be an encouragement to them, and that you’ll use my words to draw them closer to you. I thank you and I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise, send it in at prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E269 – 16:09
Share the show. Tell some people about it. Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e269. Email me at st***@*************ia.com. I’d love to hear from you while I’m recuperating. Thank you to the team, Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. Thank you for inviting me into your day today. Support the show please at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow may God bless you richly My name is Steve Webb. Go with dunamis.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Corrected by Denise.