Can the Dead Live? 

Acts chapter 4

     About 5,000 men came to believe in Christ, following the old, crippled man's healing. 

     As if this wasn't difficulty enough for religious elites, Peter and John proclaimed the resurrection of the dead. They were thrown in jail overnight. 

     Next day, leaders prodded them, "By what power, by what name do you speak such things?" 

     Peter, filled by the Spirit, answered, "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead... Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven ... by which we must be saved." 

     Elites knew Peter and John were unschooled, and that they had been with Jesus. The old cripple was miraculously healed, as thousands saw for themselves. After consultation, they commanded the disciples not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. 

     Peter, on his own, responded: "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." 

(C) commentary

(C)  The disciples were convinced the great need for every individual is salvation, escaping the wrath of God. The church has a heavy responsibility to preach the gospel. It is the "missionary imperative." 

     We need to pray, and to overcome fear of embarrassment, rejection, criticism or persecution. Has God stopped confirming the gospel with miracles? Or, did we stop believing in the supernatural? 

1. The disciples knew they were commissioned by Christ.

2. We witness based on God's Word, and conviction given by the Spirit.

3. The Holy Spirit through men brought conviction regarding sin, Christ's righteousness, and God's judgment.

Tomorrow: What is right? 

 

Times of Refreshing 

Acts chapter 3

     You may have seen on TV or otherwise heard about the two week "revival" at Asbury University in Kentucky. Students and professors experienced the presence of God, around the clock. Others travelled from other states to take part. 

     Cedarville University in Ohio and possibly other schools had or are having similar "revivals." Cedarville students (14) felt compelled to witness and pray with students at Michigan State University.  

     We conclude these are "times of refreshing." Acts 3:18-26, Peter addressed onlookers after the crippled beggar was healed. The Lord was speaking through Peter, who wouldn't have known this information. Years later, the Lord repeated Peter's remarks for Luke to write, for history. 

     Just because "it was a long time ago" doesn't mean it isn't important today. 

(C) Moses: "The Lord your God will raise up a prophet like me" (Deut. 18:18-19).

1. Moses was anointed by the Spirit (Nu. 11:17). The Spirit of the Lord was on Jesus (Luke 4:18-19).

2. God used Moses to initiate the old covenant. Jesus brought in the new covenant. 

3. Moses led Israel out of Egypt and established the covenant relationship with God. Christ redeemed his people from sin and satanic bondage and established a living relationship whereby people might enter the very presence of God. 

4. Moses in OT laws referred to the sacrifice of a lamb to bring redemption. Christ himself became the Lamb of God to give salvation to all who accept him.

5. Moses pointed to the law and the obligation of God's people to obey its commands in order to receive God's blessing. Christ pointed to himself and the Holy Spirit as the way to fulfill his will and receive God's blessing and eternal life.

Tomorrow: Resurrection of the dead?

 Monday

     What's Asbury University got to do with Acts chapter 3? 

Beginning of God's Harvest 

Acts chapter 2

     It was Pentecost, the harvest festival. "God-fearing Jews from every nation" gathered together to celebrate. They were soon to be schooled in harvesting souls. 

     "A sound like a violent wind came from heaven. They saw tongues of fire coming to rest on each of them." God had their attention, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. 

     "Repent and be baptized (in water) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call." (vv. 38-39) 

(C) > commentary 

     Thus began the fulfillment of God's promise in Joel 2:28-29, to pour out his Spirit on all people. The last days of the age (our age) had begun, and all would be confronted with a decision concerning repentance and belief.

       The Holy Spirit, giving glory to Christ, strives for the salvation of people in every nation. Those who received the Spirit's baptism were filled with the same longing. The Lord's (uneducated) disciples became ministers of the Spirit. They preached Jesus-crucified and resurrected, leading others to repentance and faith.   

       Followers became successors to Christ's earthly ministry. Peter, now under the influence of the Spirit, quoted Joel and assured the gathering this was authentic. 

       Christian converts separate from evil companions, forsake the ungodly world, unite with Christ and his people, and give themselves to God's work.  

Monday: Acts 3, Times of refreshing

     

A New Beginning 

     It is still dark. Men who had plotted "official" murder - still asleep. The man who made it official - likewise. Men who had done the beating and hanging - likewise. Two men who buried him according to Jewish customs - asleep. Men who had trusted in their "teacher" were asleep, or too troubled to sleep. 

      Then there was Mary, determined to be there at daybreak, the morning after the Sabbath. The tomb was empty! No guards. 

     In panic she ran to find Peter and John - who arrived first but hesitated. Peter charged in. Then John saw the burial cloth folded, and now the first to believe his eyes.   

     That's 1.

     They returned to their homes, but Mary stayed, tears running down her cheeks. A man asked her, ""Woman, why are you crying?" She assumed he was the gardener. Then the risen Christ said, Mary. 

     That's 2. 

Acts Chapter 1       (C) > commentary.

     Soon, the other 10 disciples believed who they saw and touched. Jewish themselves, they locked their doors for "fear of the Jews." 

     That's 12.

     Jesus told Thomas, Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. The number kept rising. The disciples asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" A reasonable question. 

     "He said to them, It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive - what's the word? - Power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth."

(C)  We are born degenerate, but responding to the gospel, we are regenerated, spiritually alive, our spirit in communion with the Spirit of God. 

       Belief by faith replaces belief by sight. But faith can produce results. Christ will indeed restore the kingdom to Israel. But first, he offers the Spirit in power to add believers by the hundreds, thousands, millions and...? His offer of eternal life involves human responsibility...to make oneself available to the Holy Spirit, commit to God's will, and pray. 

Tomorrow: Harvest of souls

    

 Friends and relatives 

     I've returned from a stay in Georgia to conduct 

a "celebration of life" for my cousin, who was 

my playmate when we were kids and a life-long friend,

although our paths often separated us, even as far as

Vietnam is from Ohio. 

     You read last week the warm-up for this series

on the commentary - not so much the verses of the

book of Acts. Tomorrow, Thursday, join us for the beginning.

of a story that still continues two millennium later.

     The world does not welcome change like a few 

hundred believers were challenged to make. But change

they believed in, at great personal cost, with the help of

one word. Look for it tomorrow.  

      Jim 

Prologue 

   Page 6

     In 585 B.C., the Lord chose the worst time in Israel's history to prophesy its magnificent future, yet to arrive. Excerpts from Jeremiah chapters 30-33: 

     "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah."

     "For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more."

     "I will heal my people and let them enjoy abundant peace." 

     "Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise, and honor before all nations...and they will be in awe."

     "They will serve the Lord their God and David (the Messiah) their king, whom I will raise up for them." Then off to Babylonian exile they went. 

      About 30 years after the ascension of Jesus, missionary Luke writes about "eyewitnesses" and "carefully investigated" events. 

     An angel had told Jewish priest Zechariah that he and his barren wife Elizabeth - both "well along in years" - will have a son. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit like the prophet Elijah. He would be named John, not a Jewish name. Zechariah praised the "Lord, the God of Israel, who would raise up a horn of salvation." 

     Months later, the angel Gabriel told a virgin, Mary, that she will have a son, and to name him Jesus. "He will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever." 

     Thirty years later, John "prepares the way," preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." He tells the crowd at the Jordan River, one is coming "who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Jesus appeared, told John to baptize him (in water), and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in bodily form like a dove. A voice from heaven said, "You are my Son..." 

I have an obligation that requires me to delay commentary on Acts.

Please mark your calendar for Thursday, Feb. 23. Until then, peace!

   

 

Prologue  

   Page 5

     God spent centuries introducing himself to mankind, primarily through Abraham and his descendants. He also had words for Israel's ungodly neighbors. 

     Time came for God to take the battle to the ends of the earth. First, Jesus, the Son, demonstrated spiritual authority in confrontation. He sent his 12 disciples among fellow Jews - not to Gentiles or neighboring Samaritans. (Matthew chap. 10 and Luke chap. 9)  

     They were not to take any money or extra clothing, like sheep among wolves. They would rely on the Holy Spirit to drive out demons, heal disease, even raise the dead. And they would teach that the Kingdom of heaven is near - not yet here. At the judgment, hearers who rejected their message would be worse off than Sodom and Gomorrah.

     Next, Jesus appointed 72 to travel in twos (Luke chap. 10). They would visit towns ahead of Jesus. As with the 12, they took no purse or spare clothes. They too would heal and teach that the Kingdom is near - not yet here. He that listens to you, listens to me, Jesus said. He who rejects you rejects me and him who sent me. 

     The 72 returned with joy, telling Jesus "Even demons submit to us in your name." He replied, Do not rejoice that spirits submit to you, but that your names are written in heaven. 

     Fast forward - the arrest. The trial. Whipping. The cross. Burial. The Resurrection. Day of Pentecost, a holy day. Jews from other nations are here. The Holy Spirit pours out in fullness.

The Kingdom is here!

     "Onward Christian soldiers! With the cross of Jesus. Christ ... leads against the foe. We are one in hope and doctrine, one in charity." 

     "Neither male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, rich nor poor, slave nor free." And we add: neither catholic nor protestant. 

 Tomorrow: The bridge from old to new

Prologue 

Page 4 

At a conference of liberal Christian women a few decades ago, leaders were offended by the hymn, "Onward Christian Soldiers." We're supposed to love everyone. Remove this falsehood from the hymnals, they fumed! 

     Maybe they hadn't read how war began in the Garden of Eden and continues to rage between Satan and followers of Christ...and the Jews. They probably didn't know the song was written by a teacher just for his children in 19th century England. It turned up in hymnals, and we often sang it in our 1950s Methodist Church. 

     We'll give liberal women this: Paul's weapons were "love" and "goodness." Paul also called for the "armor of God" - all defensive - except for a "sword of the Spirit," the Word of God (Ephesians chap. 6).

     As with any soldier, Paul encouraged preparedness and courage. He wrote to Timothy, "A soldier wants to please his commanding officer. Endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ Jesus." 

     Jesus himself said the mission would "not be without cost." A new kingdom must confront the incumbent. This means war. Not with destructive weapons but with truth, love, obedience to God, giving oneself...even loving one's enemies. 

     Jesus prepared his disciples for battle: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? (Matthew chap. 16; Mark chap. 8). 

Commentary: We suffer in a lifelong battle against sin, by crucifying our desires. We suffer in a war against Satan as we advance the kingdom of God. We suffer the hatred and ridicule of the world, by testifying in love that its deeds are evil. Like Jesus, we may suffer ridicule and persecution from the religious world.

Tomorrow: demonstrations

Prologue  

Page 3

     The original gospel was good news for Israel, and ultimately for the world. 

     In Isaiah, chapters 40-66, there is a messenger - "your God" - and great promises. In chapter 52, the gospel is not about heaven and the afterlife, but a new creation and renewal of all things. 

     Inspired writings speak of a Messiah, a great king like David, who will overpower unrighteous rulers and...

We interrupt this blog to bring you breaking news.

A revival has broken out at Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. 

For several days students overflow the auditorium, many on their knees.

One boy brought a mattress so he can stay the night. Classes were cancelled. 

They talk of "utter peace, body and mind. Gentle. Sweet. Serene. Still."

A busy professor, Jason Vickers, meant to visit for only 10 minutes.

He says, "the impression will last the remainder of my lifetime."

                    Goggle Asbury Seminary to find this report, with photos.                                 Jason Vickers is a friend of my high school classmate and friend. 

^^^ 

     A woman broke into a men's-only dinner hosted by a Pharisee. Her tears fell on Jesus' feet, and she wiped them with her hair. She anointed his feet with expensive perfume, kissing them. Jesus forgave her.      (Luke chapter 7)

     Some 500 people interacted with Jesus following his resurrection. He told them, Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 

     Surely, I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.

     Then he left them. 

Tomorrow: this means war 

Prologue 

Page 2 

     So, Jim.    What do you want us to do?     Speak in tongues?    Understand all knowledge?                       Give our possessions to the poor?      Heal the sick? 

Our priority

     If and when I receive any of those gifts, I'll let you know. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about spiritual gifts, which he acknowledged. But he called them "imperfect," and that they "would cease, be stilled, pass away." Perfection is yet to come. 

     He ended chapter 13 listing the ways of love, which never fail. There is faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.

     God so loved ... that he gave his one and only Son (God in one body). Then he sent the Spirit (God the world over) to help us, beginning in Jerusalem, to go (in love) and make disciples of all nations... The book of Acts is the first 30 years of this mission ... now our mission. 

     The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).      Is that scary?

Unpardonable sin

     This is scary. Jesus said, blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven (Matt. 12:31). 

     Commentary: Blasphemy is the continual and deliberate rejection of the Holy Spirit's witness to Christ, his Word and his conviction of sin. Those who reject the voice of the Spirit remove themselves... (see Acts 7:51; Heb. 3:7-15). 

In the beginning, God created...

Tomorrow: the new beginning

Prologue 

Page 1

     What got into you, Jim?      Why commentary on the Book of Acts?     That was a long time ago.        We receive the Spirit when we're baptized, right?    We don't want false Christs and false teachers deceiving us (Mark 13:22).        So how about we forgo the spiritual business and be satisfied with what we know? 

 

     Much of my life, I was right there. Being a Christian meant attending church on Sundays. Then, about age 48, my world crashed. Loved ones were hurt and I couldn't help them. I questioned God's existence. For two months I prayed like crazy, repented of every no-no that came to mind, and lost much sleep. People in the office tolerated me. 

     Still hurting one evening, God suddenly flooded me with presence. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. This lasted three weeks. The office noticed. I realized it was the Holy Spirit - representing Jesus and the Father. Weeks later, he silently slipped seven words into my mind: "I have reserved her for your wife."  

     That was about four hours after Marge and I had met, 36 years ago today, February 13. (I didn't plan this time coincidence.) I sure wasn't looking for a wife.     

     Jesus is who - not what - got into me. If the Holy Spirit will do that for nobody/somebody like me, what might he do for you? Or through you ___________? 

     God says, "a thousand years are like a day." Two millenniums are not a long time ago. My Mom remembered Holy Spirit presence in her teens. Where has he been lately? 

Tomorrow: Our priority, and the unpardonable sin

 

Make a note.

Our special series starts Monday.

One of a kind.

Jimmy

 

We're working on it.

Be sure to see us Monday.

Crossing the Line

     "The FBI's investigation into links between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign, Crossfire Hurricane, crossed the line. 

     "DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz reported how agents failed to follow the most basic procedures and misled the FISA Court. Then there was Trump's security advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn. According to the Heritage Foundation, two FBI agents interviewed him, finding nothing wrong. Then FBI agent Peter Strzok, their supervisor, edited their summaries, which were used to prosecute Flynn for supposedly lying. The general went broke defending himself. 

     "The FBI has prosecuted nearly 1,000 people connected to the January 6, 2021 scramble at the Capitol. According to a House whistleblower report, "The manipulative case-file practice creates false and misleading crime statistics. Capitol, FBI and DOJ officials claim significant increases in domestic violent extremism and terrorism around the United States.

     "Whistleblowers say the FBI is cooking the books. There were definitely people in that group who...are dangerous. The majority were mere trespassers. 

     "A whistleblower believes strong congressional oversight and protections for whistleblowers are needed. Authority should be returned to field offices, where agents are tied in with a local community. A dozen or so more pro-life activists were arrested. The FBI shows no signs of curbing splashy enforcement actions against soft targets made for television - and the party in power." 

How many agencies are there in Washinton? 

Could all of them be quietly cooking books?

Jimmy

The Rot Within

     A report by House Judiciary Committee Republicans says the problem lies with the FBI structure that centralizes high-profile cases in D.C., in the hands of politicized actors. "Quite simply, the problem - the rot within the FBI - festers in and proceeds from Washington." 

     "Christopher Wray disagrees. He says all is well within the FBI. But the agency's history has never been squeaky clean. 

     "In 1975, Congress limited future FBI directors to a 10-year term. In 1992 an FBI sniper shot and killed the wife (holding her baby) of a separatist the FBI was trying to arrest. A year later, the FBI was in a 51-day standoff with members of a cult, resulting in a fire that killed 50 adults and 25 children. 

     "Recent enforcement seems to suggest a return to such tactics, and recent targets seem more political. Not that political views mattered to most agents. But that may not last much longer. 'The generation of agents that grew up under Freeh and saw all these changes under Mueller and Comey - we could not wait to get out,' said retired agent Jim Long. 

     "FBI managers have begun policing agents' personal politics. Two agents attended Trump's speech on Jan. 6, 2021 - on their own time - and did not go to the Capitol afterward. Still, the FBI withdrew their security clearances...a convenient and effective way to punish agents. 

     "A lost clearance is lost for 12 years, and the bureau has to approve everywhere you get a job. The FBI handles its own security clearances. There's an appeal process, but the people who authorize a removal are the same people who do the appeal.

 Tomorrow: Conclusion - no sign of change

 

FBI History

     "For most of its history, FBI operations were handled at 56 field offices. A single office was responsible for running a case. This ensured that power was diffused rather than concentrated. 

     "Mueller never served in the FBI. An FBI retiree says, 'Mueller felt like HQ knew better than anybody, and did not trust the agents on the streets. He created squads that would fly from HQ rather than use boots on the ground.' 

     "Another retiree says Mueller began hiring non-FBI agents for important functions, such as contacts with the public and congressional offices. The end result was a cultural shift. Politics became more important than real world investigative experience. 

    "James Comey in 2013 accelerated these trends. The day Comey announced Hillary Clinton would not be prosecuted was the day they knew the FBI had lost its way. The FBI investigates, and the DOJ attorneys make the decision to prosecute. 

     "President Trump fired Comey in 2017, but some say he missed an opportunity to reform the FBI when he appointed Christopher Wray. Wray had an opportunity to clean up the leadership culture, to restore trust and integrity. By any objective measure, Wray has failed. 

     "A report by a House committee lists 11 instances of alleged politicization, including the raid on Mar-a-Logo. It also lists 69 attacks on pro-life facilities."  

Tomorrow: A troubled history

Locked and Loaded

First in a series on the FBI; WORLD magazine

     "When Mark opened the door, agents swarmed in, weapons aimed at Mark and Ryan-Marie. One told Mark he was under arrest while another handcuffed him."

     "Enter the FBI. It boasts of sweeping authority in many areas, from domestic terrorism to civil rights. It also can apply for warrants to wiretap American citizens set up by FISA. The FBI could inflict enormous harm if weaponized for political ends. 

     "Critics say that's already happened. Journalist Matt Taibbi released documents provided by Twitter CEO Elon Musk. Emails between formeer Twitter execs and govt officials show the company honoring requests to censor content and users. The FBI reportedly paid Twitter $3.4 million to review requests for election-related information etc.

     "After dragging Mark Houck from his home, agents chained him to a table for about 4 hours. Houck's children are still processing the trauma. Their 4- and 6-year-olds don't understand how their daddy was taken away in handcuffs by men with guns. 

     "Retired agents say the FBI is both politicized and weaponized. They trace these problems to the reorganization by former Director Robert Mueller after 9/11. Citing intelligence failures leading up to the attacks, critics demanded reform. Mueller decided the answer was centralized control from Washinton, DC."

Tomorrow: HQ knows better...?

  

Future Shock 

  conclusion

     What's to come of this? 

1. Old values of social engagement are being overthrown. Old virtues - modesty, reserve, respect for authority, etc. - start to look like signs of repression. 

2.  Sexual exhibitionism and the destruction of traditional mores becomes a central part of cultural transformation. For the progressive, this much reach early into childhood. Children will be taught to express themselves sexually because that - in cultural assumptions - is actually who they are. Families with children cheering at pride rallies is a narrative of the modern self. The modern world thinks kids are born sexualized. They merely need to be helped to realize that. 

3.  Cultural principles such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion will become increasingly vulnerable. Once the self (believes) happiness is an inner sense of contentment, words become weapons. To refuse to use someone's preferred pronouns is to refuse to acknowledge them for who they think they are. Such refusals will be regarded as an assault on their person. 

     This will lead to further difficulties because not all identities are compatible...for example the vocal Christian and the outspoken drag queen. Somebody will have to decide whom to recognize and whom to silence. Radical individual freedom fosters intolerant and sometimes totalitarian policies in the workplace and society at large. 

     The good news? It is built on a myth. We are not born free, but radically dependent on others and subject to nature and her God.

     The bad news? Strangeness has a logic to it. Grasping that logic is surely the first step to mounting a thoughtful response. 

Carl Trueman, Grove City College

The Digital Self 

- Carl Trueman

     Technology is decisive for the way we interact, how we imagine who we are. 

1. Technology weakens the bonds of community. Today, most of us experience music by individual consumption. We listen in private. Entertainment captures how technology shapes the way we imagine ourselves. We are sovereign. We can bend the world to suit our desires. 

2.  Technology gives us a sense that we are all-powerful. We can simply bend the world to our wills. Institutional authority is eroded. We no longer connect with bricks and mortar...or the institutions.

3.  Technology fosters a third cultural intuition. Phenomena once considered moral problems now are no more than technical problems. STD infections simply are solved with the right antibiotics. The risk of disease or pregnancy once meant that sex came with responsibilities. Technology has broken that connection. 

     These three strands of imagination come together in transgenderism. It assumes that nature is just raw material. Technology is key in determining what is right and wrong, and what is possible. Our bodies lose authority to our minds, feelings and inner desires...and medical procedures. 

     Technology allows for public performance. Social media makes all the world a stage. We can present any part of our lives to a vast audience...for exhibitionism. You don't have to read Nietzsche to think that nature has no intrinsic authority...that reality is whatever you might care to make it. 

     You don't have to have heard of Freud. You need only a steady diet of social media...or to follow the plotlines of mainstream movies or TV shows.   

Conclusion tomorrow: Future Shock

The Twisted Self 

by Carl Trueman

     "Karl Marx took definitions of what it means to be human and molded them to assert bold, new "realities." For example, marriage between one man and one woman for life was not really "natural" at all. Rather, it was a social arrangement to serve the economic interests of the ruling class. 

     "That has so many parallels in the modern progressive movement. These days, arguments against the traditional family - whatever the diatribe of the month may be - abound. Other 19th-century thinkers also helped undermine the notion of inherent morality. 

     "Charles Darwin denied that humanity had any special purpose or meaning. The implications with Marx were very similar. 

     "Friedrich Nietzsche argued that all moral systems were merely power plays by one person or group designed to manipulate others. The very notion of 'human nature' was only an invention, a sly construct. 

     "Nietzsche's dark view of human psychology found a scientific counterpart in the work of Sigmund Freud. He saw human beings as dark and destructive, characterized above all by sexual desires. 

     "Few today have read Rousseau, Marx, Nietzsche, Darwin or Hegel. So how did their ideas become the instincts and intuitions of society at large? Technology panders to the myths that fallen human beings want to believe about themselves. First that we are free, answerable to no one, and masters of our own destinies. Second, that human nature involves no accountability to some set of objective moral standards."

Thursday: the digital self