Gary Gleans

Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—     this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.   God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. Peter’s sermon continues and shifts from explaining what the crowd is testifying in the actions of the apostles to Jesus.   Peter knows that the only way for the salvation spoken of by Joel can take place is if they understand who Jesus is and what He had done for them.   The message is a short one but is filled with so much truth that I find it difficult to cover it in just one post.   This first paragraph focuses on three different aspects of Christ.   Each one of them are vital to Peter’s argument and each one is vital to our faith.   As we unde

Acts 2:14-21 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.   For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.   But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,      and your young men shall see visions,      and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants      in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above      and signs on the earth below,      blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness      and the moon to blood,      before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who

Acts 2:1-13 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.   And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.     And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.     And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.     And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.     And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?     And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?     Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,     Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, a

Acts 1:15-25 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,   “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.   For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”   (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.   And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)   “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; And “‘Let another take his office.’ So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,   beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was t

Acts 1:9-11 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.     “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Confusion and hope seem to be regular companions of those who follow Jesus.   Confusion, because things regularly go differently then we anticipate they will.   Hope because God has given us promises that should give us assurance in the face of our confusion.   It is easy for us to have expectations that are based on our understanding or desires.   Those expectations are often frustrated by reality.   During those times, it is important for us to hang onto the hope that we have from the promises of God.   God’s plans are not always the same as our plans; bu