Gary Gleans

This chapter gives us the history of some very significant event and developments in the life of the church.  In this chapter we see believers referred to as Christians for the first time and we see Gentile believers beginning to take a prominent role the the life and leadership on the church.  Here is the progression of events. PETER DEFENDS HIS PREACHING TO GENTILES: As expected Peter was "called on the carpet" for his relationship with Cornelius and company.  Peter recounts not only his vision but what he saw the Holy Spirit do in these Gentile believers.  The evidence is undeniable so they confer with one another and rejoice at their conclusion that God had granted repentance to Gentiles as well.  This is a significant conclusion that officially paved the way for the church to become what it is today. BELIEVERS DISPERSE FROM PERSECUTION IN JERUSALEM: Once again, God uses persecution to speed the spread of the Gospel through the lives of His children.  We must always k

Peter becomes the focus of this passage as we see God beginning to work out His plan to reach the world, not just the Jews, with the message of Christ.  We saw the Gospel spread to Samaria and to an Ethiopian, and now we will see the Gospel reach into the home of a Roman soldier.  Peter is strategic to this entire plan of God. GOD RESTORES HEALTH THROUGH PETER: We have seen Peter heal many people before this, but now he is out traveling and is used to heal the paralyzed Aeneas and then to bring back to life a devoted female disciple named Dorcas.  Peter was clearly following the example of Christ and the Holy Spirit was obviously establishing Peter as a man who would continue to accomplish the work that Christ had started of bringing the world to God.  Wherever he travels God uses him to bless others.  We may not have these same miraculous powers evidenced in our lives today, but we do still have the ability to bless others and demonstrate our love to those who are in need that they

Today we see the power of the Gospel on bright display.  God takes a man who is killing disciples and turns him into one of the most effective ministers of the Gospel this world has ever seen.  God is in the business of transforming the lives of men and nowhere is it more evident than in the story of Paul. PAUL THE PERSECUTOR: Paul hated Christians and was willing to go to any lengths to persecute them.  He even wanted to take his show on the road and hunt down any believer he could find and throw them in prison.  Paul, at this time still named Saul was "all in" I think that this is the kind of person God looks for.  Sometimes it is easier to take a highly motivated person who is dead wrong and redirect his energies into that which is right than it is to take a bump on a log and light a fire underneath him.  At any rate Saul thought that he was serving God in what he was doing, but he did not know the truth of Christ.  Zeal without truth is a very dangerous thing and we see

The Gospel, up until this time has been centered in Jerusalem.  However, it is now beginning to spread to other places and people.  This chapter gives us the history of how the Gospel spread to Samaria and then as far as Africa through the ministry of Philip.  We will divide this into two different studies, first we will look at Philip in Samaria and then the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch. THE GOSPEL SPREAD TO SAMARIA THROUGH: THE PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS: If Satan thought that he was going to be able to squelch the Gospel through persecution, he was sorely mistaken.  The persecution of the church has always been used of God to promote the spread of the Gospel.  I think that believers have a very strong tendency to grow complacent in times of comfort and ease.  It is easy to get caught up in all that is going on around us to the point that we don't look outside of our own little circle.  We get comfortable sanctifying saints and forget about the salvation of sinners.  Perse

This chapter tells us of the death of Stephen the newly appointed deacon of the church.  Last chapter we saw him preaching powerfully and being the object of persecution.  This chapter tells of his defense and death.  We may no understand why God would allow such a faithful servant to face such persecution, but we can be assured that it was all a part of God's plan for him and all of us can benefit from the example he set. STEPHEN RECITES THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL: He had been accused of speaking evil against the Law and the fathers of Israel.  Stephen proves that he knows the history of his people and he knows the Scriptures.  He honors the patriarchs and the prophets and demonstrates how they all had pointed to Christ.  His knowledge of God's Word and history is a challenge to all of us and should encourage us to study the Old Testament more faithfully. STEPHEN REBUKES THE HYPOCRISY OF THE JEWS: He pulls no punches and shows them that their claims of honoring the Law and the

As the number of people in the church increased, there were new challenges that faced the young body and the leadership.  One thing that is very evident in this chapter is that problems are inevitable.  Some problems come from within and some are from without, but problems are a consistent part of the believer's walk with God.  This passage provides us with a good example of how we can handle problems, but it makes it clear that one problem will usually be followed by another one. GROWING PAINS: The number of people requiring care in the early church was so large that one group, and likely more, was being neglected.  This  is a natural part of the growing process.  As the numbers and dynamics of the group change, it is important that the ministries adapt to be able to meet those needs.  When there is a need, that need must be openly discussed and taken seriously.  Too often the person who is being neglected just clams up and takes offense and eventually leaves in a huff.  Another

It is astounding to see the work of God in His people during the life of the early church.  There are so many amazing things that we can do nothing but stand back and worship our Lord.  This chapter reveals much to us about God's dealings with His people. GOD IS CONCERNED WITH THE HOLINESS OF HIS PEOPLE: The tragic story of Ananias and Sapphira should cause a sobriety to fall over the hearts of every single one of us.  The problem with what they did was not that they held the money back.  Peter makes it clear that it was their money to do with as they pleased.  The problem was that they lied to the church by pretending that they were giving all that the had received like Barnabas had done.  It is a very dangerous thing to live a life of pretending to please God before men.  God does not "fall" for our fakes and in the end we must realize that we are simply kidding ourselves.  God wants us to be holy and He is not afraid to discipline or even kill believers who refuse to

As I read this chapter today, I was struck with the stark contrast between the disciples and the new believers and the Jewish council.  The council has all of the official power but they are full of fear because they are committed to lies.  Peter and John have virtually no power from a human perspective yet they are filled with confidence and joy because they are committed to the truth.  What a wonderful thing to know the truth!  This is what stuck out in my mind today. THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLES:  When questioned about the miracle and their preaching, they boldly proclaim that the healing was done in the name of Jesus Christ whom the counsel had crucified but God had raised from the dead.  Can these be the same guys who ran from Jesus in the Garden?  Now they are in the judgment seat and they refuse to back away from the truth of Jesus Christ.  The counsel decides that they cannot afford another mess so they let them go with a warning to never preach in the name of Christ again.  Pet

I am amazed as I read this chapter to see how much Peter reminds me of Jesus.  That should not surprise me, because, after all, that is the Holy Spirits job; to make us more like Jesus.  What a wonderful testimony this chapter is to the grace of God, the power of the Spirit and Peter's faithfulness. PETER PERFORMS A MIRACLE:  I guess it would be more accurate to say that God performed a miracle through Peter and John, but the final result was that a lame man leaped.  I love to picture this in my mind and try to imagine both the sight as well as the emotion that this man must have felt.  At the start of the encounter his greatest hope was to be pitiful enough to convince Peter and John to give him some spare change.  When Peter starts talking to him about not having any money I am sure his thoughts were something like this: "yeah right" "if you don't want to give--fine, but don't make excuses just walk on by like everyone else."  But then they touched h

This is the day that changed the lives of men and the course of history.  The Holy Spirit came into the lives of the disciples and the impact was immediate and astounding.  His ministry made a radical difference in these men and consequently they were used to impact the lives of the people around them. THE SPIRIT EMPOWERS: When the Spirit descended upon the disciples Hid did so in a miraculous fashion.  There was wind and fire and they immediately began to speak in tongues.  They were given this gift because Jerusalem was filled with people from many different cultures and languages.  As a result of this, every person heard the Gospel in his own heart language.  If we ever needed proof of the urgency of Bible translation this is it.  The Spirit's work in the life of all believers is to empower us for the tasks that we bring glory to God and the growth of the kingdom.  The Holy Spirit abides in us and we can accomplish anything in His strength. THE SERVANTS IMPART: As a result o

This chapter records the very last words of Christ on earth, and what powerful words they are.  It is clear that the disciples took these words to heart and we will spend the next several weeks looking at how they lived them out.  I am looking forward to learning from the example of these godly men who paved the way so that the message of Christ could reach even me.  Today we look at the beginning of this journey and I believe it holds the key to their effectiveness. THEY WERE REMINDED OF A POWERFUL PURPOSE: Christ, once again, tells them that the Holy Spirit will come to them and give them power so that they can take the message of salvation through Jesus to the nations of the world.  Final instructions are always so important and Christ has repeated this purpose over and over again.  Do you think it might be important?  The purpose of the Holy Spirit's empowerment and the purpose of and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is to spread the fame of Christ to the people of the world

Well, after today we will have made it through our gleanings in the Gospels.  I hope that those of you who have been following every day have been half as enriched and challenged through this process as I have.  This final chapter seems to center to a great extent upon Peter and his relationship with Christ. A RETURN TO THE PAST: Peter and the other disciples know that Christ has risen but He is no longer with them and instructed them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  I assume that these men were not very good at just waiting around and not really knowing what to do.  I know that I have a hard time with that.  They decide to go back to fishing.  I am not sure how significant this is.  There is really know way to know if they were simply going out to "blow off some steam" or if they in reality simply decided to go back to what they know before Christ came into their lives since He was no longer going to be available to follow.  At any rate, they go back to fish and

This chapter begins with a grieving and confused group of disciples and ends with these same people being amazed and having purpose.  What could bring about such radical transformation?  The resurrection.  As we go through each step of the process there are some important lessons to learn. INVESTIGATION: The chapter starts with the women and latter Peter and John going to investigate the now empty tomb.  The women had gone to grieve and to anoint His body, but found no body to anoint.  Peter and John go to try to confirm what the women were claiming.  So now they find themselves without Jesus and they cannot even find His body so the grieving process is complicated even more. FRUSTRATION: The reality in which they find themselves causes great frustration and multiplies their sadness.  They begin to make assumptions that someone has stolen the body of Christ and Mary ends up accusing Christ (the gardener) of stealing Himself.  This frustration was totally unnecessary because Christ

The crucifixion is an agonizing event that once again has several participants.  We have been over this before, but we must never loose sight of the horror and glory of this historic event. THE SOLDIERS WERE CRUEL: These hard men were used to punishing criminals, it was what they did for a living, they were following orders and doing their job.  Public floggings were a "normal" part of punishment in these days so that does not seem out of line with what they "had" to do.  However, the crown of thorns, the spitting, the purple robe, mocking Him as king, striking Him and asking Him to prophecy, ripping His clothing and gambling over his tunic were all sheer acts of cruelty and corruption.  Hard heartedness is commonly found in today's rough "macho minded" society.  If we are not careful it can infect us when we work in these rough settings.  We must strive, no matter where we work or what our surroundings might be, to be tenderhearted and kind. PILAT

This chapter records the events leading up the the crucifixion.  As I read over these once again the unfairness of all of these situations stands out to me.  There is so much evil in each situation and I am ashamed to realize that all of these same actions and attitudes are bound up in my sinful heart.  But for God's grace I would do all of these and more.  As we look at each stage of this process I want to examine the evil attitudes that are displayed along the way and hopefully learn to avoid these in my own life. THE BETRAYAL OF CHRIST: The fact that Judas had spent so much time with Christ and seen all that He did and still was so greedy for money that he betrayed Christ into the hands of these evil men is astounding to me.  It shows me just how dangerous money can be and how it can motivate us to do desperately wicked things.  The other thing that just astounds me in this situation is that when Christ identified Himself as "I am He" they all fell down and then had

Jesus prays for the disciples and us and it is recorded for us in this chapter.  He has several requests to the Father concerning us, and those requests should be seen by us as priorities in our own lives.  Christ had accomplished what He came to do on earth and now He prays that the Father will keep them in many areas. KEEP OUR IDENTITY WITH THE FATHER: Christ and the Father are one and we are in Christ and Christ is in us so we are in the Father.  Christ prays that we will be "kept" in that wonderful position.  It is not that Christ was concerned that the Father would not be able to maintain our position or that our position could in some other way be lost.  I believe that Christ was praying that the Father would assist us in maintaining our awareness of this blessed and unique relationship and help us to live in light of it. KEEP OUR PURITY WITH JOY IN THE WORLD: Christ was leaving earth but He was very aware that His disciples would stay behind.  He asks the Father th

We all learn by repetition.  Jesus and John must have know this as they teach and record the last messages to the disciples prior to the crucifixion.  The last several chapters have had recurrent themes that are presented in different contexts and in different ways but have basically the same overriding message.  This post, like this chapter, will not have much new information but it will focus of some of the most vital truths in all of Scripture.  These messages are worth repeating because they are vital to remember. THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT: Christ clearly tell the disciples and us that the subsequent for them, current for us, ministry of the Holy Spirit is superior to the earthly ministry of Christ.  Christ plainly tells them that it is better for them that He go away and send the Spirit.  The holy Spirit is able to minister in our lives with out the self imposed limitations of the incarnation that Christ experienced.  We must recognize that in the person of the Holy Spirit we poss

Christ continues to prepare His disciples for the coming time when they will no longer be together.  These are some of the most important instructions for every believer to keep in mind as we seek to honor and serve the Lord. ABIDE IN CHRIST: The principle of abiding in Christ is one of the most important concepts for us to understand as we seek to serve Him.  It is easy for us to think that we are capable in our own strength of living a life that will be fruitful and productive.  It is natural for us to feel self sufficient and capable in our own strength.  This is spiritual pride and finds its source in Satan.  Apart from Christ we are unable to produce anything of true spiritual fruit.  We must recognize our dependence on Christ.  He is the source of life.  Our ability to live in a manner that pleases Him and to be productive in His kingdom is proportional to the depth of our relationship with Christ and our dependence upon Him.  He is in the business of producing fruit through us

Jesus had just given the disciples some startling news; He was going someplace that they could not follow.  They had abandoned everything in order to follow Christ, and now He was telling them that they could no longer be with Him.  It light of this new revelation, Christ teaches them, and us, how to cope with and what to do during this time of separation from Jesus. LOOK FORWARD TO THE FATHER'S HOUSE: The greatest comfort that Christ gives all of His disciples during this time of brief separation is heaven.  Christ did not simply "go away;" He left with a purpose.  He has gone to prepare a place for all of the believers in the Father's house and He is coming again.  One day we will all have the privilege of seeing, hearing, hugging and worshiping Jesus in a wonderful place that is free of sin.  He has been preparing this place for us and preparing us for this place for a very long time.  It will be spectacular and it will provide us with joys that exceed anything w

As Christ prepares for the cross, He uses this final teaching time with His disciples to emphasise, once again, the truly key lessons.  The life principles that the Lord would have us live are not complicated to understand, but they are difficult to live.  If we could just grasp and practice these few teachings, our lives would be so much happier and productive. SERVE ONE ANOTHER WITH HUMILITY: Christ picked up a basin and a towel then proceeded to wash His disciple's feet.  He did this to illustrate to all of us the importance of serving as well as the attitude of humility.  Most people consider that they have achieved greatness when they climb the social ladder to the point that others serve them.  Christ wants all of us to understand that true greatness comes from serving others.  If we are going to be influential leaders in this world, we must learn that our leadership must be vastly different from that of the world.  God wants us to be servants who humbly meet the needs of o

The people were constantly asking for Jesus to give them a sign that would prove to them His identity.  He did miracle after miracle yet so many of them simply refused to believe.  This chapter has testimony after testimony of people who attested to the deity of Christ through their words and their actions yet all around these multitude of testimonies there are people who ignore the message and persist in their unbelief. THE TESTIMONY OF LAZARUS: Lazarus had been in the grave and now he was hosting Jesus and many others in his home.  In today's world Lazarus would have been on CNN or at least FOX and had a book published about his after death experience.  Lazarus was literally a living testimony to the deity and power of Christ.  Many people believed his testimony, but the Pharisees, thought they knew it to be true preferred to try to kill Lazarus again in order to protect themselves and try to suppress the truth. THE TESTIMONY OF MARY: Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with a per

The death and resurrection of Lazarus gives us some unique insights into Christ and the way that He handles our problems.  I believe that there are lessons to learn from what Christ did, from what Mary and Martha did as well as how the Pharisees reacted to all that happened. CHRIST KNOWS HIS PURPOSE IN OUR PROBLEMS: When Christ found out about Lazarus being sick, He immediately knew what was going to happen and how all of this would be used in His larger plan.  What is important for all of us to realize is that no sickness, death or circumstance is ever out of God's control and beyond His knowledge or purpose.  Every problem He allows us to face in life or death is a part of His ultimate purpose for us and what He is doing on earth.  We might not be able to understand or even discern what this purpose might be but it should be a comfort for us to know that God does. CARES ABOUT OUR PAIN DURING OUR PROBLEMS: Even though Christ knew that Lazarus would soon be alive, He still wep

Christ presents Himself as the Good Shepherd who meets each need of His sheep.  Two times the Pharisees ask for Him to tell them openly who He is and when He does they try to stone Him.  They flippantly reject Christ and in so doing bring condemnation on themselves.  Christ came to bring salvation to men but those who prefer their sin and refuse that which He offers are doomed to destruction. CHRIST POINTS TO SALVATION BY LEADING US TO LIFE: He is the Shepherd who leads and protects His sheep.  He makes sure that they are safe, well fed and he takes them where they need to go.  If we want to be safe, we must follow where He leads.  We may be free to chose to rebel and go astray as many sheep do, but it we would be saved we must follow where He leads.  He is the only one who can point us to salvation for He is the author of salvation.  The sin in which we are bound will only lead us to death, but the Lord wants us to experience an abundant life that only He can provide.  The path to t

We have seen the theme of this passage over and over again during our study of the gospels.  Christ heals a man on the Sabbath and the Pharisees are much more concerned about the day of the week than they are happy for the healing or more importantly convinced of Christ's deity because of the miracle. CHRIST DOES THE MIRACLE: Christ comes across a man who had been born blind.  His blindness was not because of his sin or his parents sin, but it was for this very day when Christ would demonstrate His deity by healing the man.  This may not be a very popular thought, but we must realize that God's glory is always much more important than our comfort.  There are times that God allows us to suffer great pain and hardship because He has a plan as to how He will eventually use this for His glory.  We might never understand this on this side of eternity, but I am convinced that when we reach heaven all of these things will be made plain to us.  Christ heals this man by putting clay o

Who was Jesus?  That is the question that seems to dictate the content of this chapter.  The people repeatedly ask the question and Jesus seems desperate to reveal the answer, but no matter how often or how clearly He tells them who He is, they reject His answer.  They turn from the truth because they did not like it.  Because most of them rejected the truth about the identity of Jesus they are eternally lost.  So let us look at this text and try to answer that same question.  Who is Jesus? JESUS IS MERCY: There are several things that don't add up in the story of the woman caught in adultery.  The most obvious of which is that if she was caught in the very act of adultery, than so was the man who does not appear to be present.  It all looks like a "set up" Jesus does not take the bait.  He tells them to go ahead and stone her if they are without sin.  I don't have any idea what the was writing on the ground, but I do know that His words convicted the men of their s

It was time for the feast and the debate was to go or not to go. Jesus decided to go "in secret" so as not to attract too much attention but then ends up teaching publicly in the temple so I am not sure what the point of secrecy was. At any rate, there were several reactions to Christ and His teaching by several different groups presented in this chapter. HIS BROTHERS WERE DOUBTFUL: It is amazing to think about Jesus having siblings and, at least for me, brings up questions of what that household was like with all these boys growing up in it. Brothers tend to know way too much about one another, and no matter how much they mature and accomplish great things with the passing of time, it is impossible to erase the images of " indian torture" and " nugies ." Imagine if your older brother were God. I am sure that Mary and Joseph had told them all about who Jesus really was. But it appears that in adulthood there were still many doubts in their minds. THE