This week's ongoing Biblical study will be part 1 of Acts chapter 3

The Apostle Peter Shows Us How Its Done

[Acts chapter 3, verses 1-15]

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Last week when we closed out chapter 2 of the Book of Acts in our ongoing study of the writings of the apostle Luke, I presented some discussion points regarding how churches and local economies operated back in the first century AD. The difference between then and now are so far removed and the contrast between them so stark that there is really no comparison at all. This week as we move on to the first half of chapter 3, we find Peter and John performing a healing on a man crippled from birth – today we would call this man a paraplegic, perhaps a victim of polio – which, as before on the Day of Pentecost, drew a large crowd of curious onlookers. So let's begin this week's study at verse one of Acts chapter 3.

“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at a time of prayer – about three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put there every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked him for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, 'Look at us!' So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk.' Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and Praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3, verses 1-10)

Notice in the very first verse that Peter and John, two Jewish men, preached the good news of Christ while still clinging to their traditional Hebrew upbringing. They had both been raised that way from birth. Notice too that Luke is not with Peter and John, and that this story is being told by Luke in the third person. Why? Because, as I wrote at least once before, Luke was the only Gentile out of the Twelve – the other Eleven, and Matthias after that, were all practicing Jews. Non-Jews were not allowed inside the temple or near the surrounding area at all. The next thing that happens is the encounter between the crippled man and Peter and John. The two apostles, when asked for money by the crippled beggar, gave him a lot more than he requested! “Then Peter said, 'Look at us!' So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk.' Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk.”

Again, as I pointed out in last week's study, the early Church was not cash flow driven or profit-focused anywhere near as much as much of it is today. They healed that crippled man and never asked him for money. Instead of giving him a handout, they made him self-sufficient again. Now there, right there, is an authentic example of what true love looks like. Not the romantic kind of love, although I certainly think that has its place, otherwise none of us would be here. But I'm talking about a love so real and so genuine that all the available resources the apostles needed was provided by the Holy Spirit that resided within the hearts of both men. That very same healing Spirit enabled the now-formerly crippled man not only to walk, but to leap and jump as he praised God with all his might! If the Spirit of the Living God can do that for a man crippled all his life, he can surely do that for us! As you can also see from verse 10, everybody was shocked and in a state of disbelief when they saw the formerly crippled man walking, jumping and praising God at about 100 decibels! To find out what happens next, let's move on to the second half of today's study, starting at verse 11.

“While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: 'Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the Author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are all witnesses of this.'” (Acts 3, verses 11-15)

Let's pause right here for a moment and consider this event. When Peter and John healed the crippled man with a simple command – “Walk!” – Peter then took the man by his right hand and helped him up. Next, they walked into the Colonnade together as the newly healed man stood before them, clinging to Peter and John to steady himself, but he was evidently getting stronger by the minute. Contrast this with the phony “faith healers” on “Christian” television, who walk up to people who have come to the “altar”, smacking their foreheads with the open palms of their hands, which knocks them off their feet! It's exactly the opposite of Peter and John's example as recorded by the apostle Luke in Acts chapter three. Are any of these people in the faith healer's audiences truly healed? Just go and ask one and see what they tell you. That's all I'm going to say about that for now.

Then Peter speaks up and asks them, “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” Just like before, as well as in last week's study, Peter confronts the onlookers with the reality of a risen Christ. They tried to kill him because they could not silence him, because absolute Truth can never be silenced permanently – it's impossible! If God can and has raised Jesus Christ from the dead after being in the grave for 3 days, why should they – or any of us – be surprised that a formerly crippled paraplegic can now walk on his own due to the power of a single spoken word? Granted, he may have needed a little help walking from the gate called “Beautiful” to the courts of Solomon's Colonnade, a distance of at least 100 feet to possibly 100 yards or more. But this poor man had never taken a single step in his whole life, and with no relief in sight prior to Peter and John's arrival. Now he could jump, walk and stand, and it blew the minds of everybody there, which underscores Peter's accusations all the more.

“You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go..... but God raised him from the dead. We are all witnesses of this.” Peter again confronts the mostly-Jewish crowd in the Colonnade, which was near or adjacent to the temple there, with the reality that they had killed the promised Messiah written of by the prophets of old. Peter and John, together with the rest of the apostles, plus the majority of the disciples who were succeeding them, were eyewitnesses to the entire 3 ½ year ministry of Christ Jesus, to his crucifixion and death, and to his subsequent resurrection. They had seen it all from start to finish, and they were on a mission from the Son of God to tell the entire world about what they had seen and learned. Also, as you know by now, Peter, John and the rest of the apostles were not the least bit shy about letting the whole world know what had happened to Jesus and why. Next week, when we examine part 2 of our study of Acts chapter 3, we will find out what else Peter said. Specifically, what parts of the Bible as it was known then predicted the coming of Messiah, his violent and shameful end and his triumphant resurrection, and how the salvation of Christ is a win-win for the entire world.

EXCLUSIVE: YOU TUBE IS NOW TERMINATING TRUTH -- Ron Johnson

Some of the conspiracy theories about the government turning on its citizens are turning out to be correct

Sinister FDA Won't Approve Cutting Edge Flu Drug,

Proves Our Government Is Working Against Us

by pastor Paul J. Bern

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First, I want to thank and acknowledge Yahoo News for the inspiration for this article, which was in last Saturday morning's on-line edition. The headline read, “Japan has a new drug that could kill the flu in 24 hours. So why doesn't the FDA approve it?”. I clicked on the article only to discover that it had taken down and removed from the website (hence the absence of a link). They don't want people to know what just transpired, which is that a drug that is demonstrably superior to anything we have has been deliberately withheld from the American public. I have seen articles and postings on alternative media, and even You Tube, that magnify the fact that we are currently stuck with a for-profit health care system that has a vested interest in keeping us sick! There are even stories of cures being found for various types of cancer, but they are being withheld from the world, ostensibly because that would be too many other people to feed and look after once they're cured. Evidently this is far too cost-intensive for the ultra-rich elites, the top one percent who want everything all to themselves regardless of the cost to others. These people simply have to be stopped. We can't stop them at the ballot box because they are non elected usurpers who are the paymasters of those in Congress and the Oval Office. Some far more decisive means will have to be employed, such as a massive wave of nonviolent resistance.

Now let's contrast this with what they Bible says about healing and taking care of one another. Jesus raised a widow's son from the dead in Luke chapter 7, cured a man of leprosy and healed two demon-possessed men in Matthew chapter 8, restored the sight of two blind men in Matthew chapter 20, healed a deaf and mute man in Mark chapter 7, and raised Lazarus from the dead in John chapter 11. In none of those cases did our Lord and Savior charge any money for his services. Since Christ died on the cross for our many sins without charge – having paid the ultimate penalty in our place – it stands to reason that he healed without charge as well. Now here's the kicker – many of these people who are part of America's for-profit healthcare system attend church regularly. They self-identify as Christian, as emulators and ministers of Christ, while doing exactly the opposite of what their 'faith' calls for. As you know, we call people like that 'hypocrites'.

The United States is the last developed country in the world to deny free or low-cost national health care to its citizens. Moreover, our government, together with 'Big Pharma' and the insurance lobbyists in Washington, are more than happy to rub our noses in it. So in the developed world, the US is dead last in looking after the health and well being of its citizens, but first in weapons exports, first in the number of incarcerated people, and a murder rate that's number one in the world. We should be ashamed of ourselves because it's happening on our watch, and not enough people are doing anything about it (Lord knows I'm trying)! What has me shaking my head the most is that these same “conservatives” who are administering our for-profit health care system are the ones who self-identify as being “pro-life”! Does anybody besides myself see a glaring contradiction here? It reminds me of the late George Carlin's diatribe, “They'll do anything to stop an abortion, but once that kid is eligible for military service, they're f – d!”

The Bible – the undisputed Word of God – gives us all some guidelines about how we should care for one another. In this past week's Bible study, which I publish every Thursday, Acts chapter 2 tells us how the early Church was managed and administered. “The disciples were devoted to the teachings of the apostles, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. A feeling of fear came over everyone as many amazing things and miraculous signs happened through the apostles. All the believers kept meeting together, and they shared everything with each other. From time to time, they sold their property and other possessions and distributed the money to anyone who needed it. The believers had a single purpose and went to the temple every day. They were joyful and humble as they ate at each other’s homes and shared their food. At the same time, they praised God and had the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord saved people, and they were added to the group.” (Acts 2, verses 42-47).

As you can see, authentic followers of Jesus Christ were people who placed the welfare and well-being of others ahead of their own. Today the equivalent to this would be people selling off their assets and then giving away the proceeds. When's the last time you saw that happen? Probably never, excluding rich philanthropists like Bill Gates, but he only gives away a small portion of his total net worth. But back then, everybody was doing this. In this respect the modern church by and large has miserably fallen short. If organized religion doesn't get its act together, they will find themselves locked outside heaven's gates in the darkness, “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Here's how the apostle Matthew recalled this in chapter 9 of his Gospel: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues preaching the good news of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'”

When Jesus saw those crowds of people who were hungry, hurting and desperate, “he had compassion on them”. Instead of seeing an opportunity to turn a nifty profit, Jesus felt sorry for them – exactly the opposite to the situation we currently find ourselves in here in the “good old US of A”. What else did Jesus say? “As you go, preach this message. 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick; raise the dead; cleans those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have recieved; freely give. Do not take along any gold or copper in your belts; take no bag for your journey, nor an extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.'” (Matthew chapter 10, verses 7-10) Now if Jesus said, “Freely you have received, so freely give”, that seems quite cut and dried enough for me. Under no circumstances should any money change hands when we heal the sick. I'm not picking on those in the medical profession, nor am I implying that any of them should work for free. But churches and evangelists – and so-called “healers” -- should never charge.

Churches today, taking their cue from the government instead of from God, demand 10% of people's incomes. While the term “tithing” is Scriptural, modern churches take this out of context. Leviticus 27: 30 reads, “A tithe of everything from the land....”, which meant the crops or livestock. There was no money in those days as we now know it. Moreover, “everything from the land” referred to an annual harvest. The giving of tithes on a weekly or monthly basis is something that was not started until the rise of Catholicism in the third century AD.

Now in closing, let me share one final quote from the Book of James, one of the Twelve and the eldest of Jesus' half-brothers: “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any of you sick? He should call on the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered up in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James chapter 5, verses 13-16) The Scriptural solution to sickness and disability is prayer, not an emergency room. Emergency rooms and the hospitals where they're located rely on modern technology, and quite a few doctors are atheists. While I certainly respect their right to their own opinions, many of the modern doctors need to re-examine themselves and their relationship to their patients, as well as to the Maker of them both. Until this change is made, not at the managerial or administrative level, nor at the doctor-patient level, but rather at the Spiritual level, medical care in America will be profit-driven instead of patient driven, and the God who made all this possible will continue to be left out of the picture. If that happens, God will not put up with it for long!

MESSAGE TO THE END TIMES CHURCH: Faith in the Age of Deceit

This week's Bible study will be part 3 of Acts chapter 2

The Early Church Is a Far Cry From the Church of Today

[Acts chapter 2, verses 36-47]

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Last week when we left off in part 2 of Acts chapter 2 at verse 35, the apostle Peter – filled with the Holy Spirit – was vigorously explaining the sound of a hurricane-force wind combined with the apostles and others present with them speaking in other languages, which they had not previously known. This understandably bewildered everyone within earshot, which was quite a few people considering they were near the center of town. Seeing that the crowd that formed outside the building where the 120 were staying was turning into a mob, the Twelve (which now included Matthias) came out to address the crowd. Peter quotes the Word of God liberally and with great precision as he uses the Scriptures to explain what has just occurred. This week as we finish up chapter 2, we will conclude our examination of Peter's first 'sermon' followed by a quick look at how the early Church operated. The differences between then and now are striking!

“'Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.' When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.' With many other words he warned them, and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.” (Acts 2, verses 36-41)

Let me paraphrase what the apostle Peter was saying to the crowd. It would be something similar to this: 'Hey everybody, you know Jesus of Nazareth, that dude you helped crucify on the morning of Passover? You do recall the choice you made that day between him and Barabbas, don't you?' Then Peter connects this with the scriptural quotes he recited from the books of Joel and Psalms, which most of the crowd understood since Jerusalem was mainly a Jewish city. Moreover, having been on the periphery of Jesus' mock trial, Peter undoubtedly recognized some of their faces as having been the ones who shouted, “Crucify him!!” the loudest. “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Many of the people there were evidently devastated once they realized who Jesus really was, that in fact he was the actual Messiah, the salvation of his people the Jewish nation and all of humanity. Jesus was the real deal and they had not recognized him for who he was.

Peter's response to their reaction is the same as it is today when people ask me what to do, seeking my advice, which I give out freely but only when asked for it. 'Turn away from what you have done, all of you, and be baptized with a water baptism like that of John the Baptist. Then and only then will you receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.' This simply means that water baptism must come first and Holy Spirit baptism after that. I have heard some professing Christians give testimonies about having received both baptisms at once, but I think the above scripture disproves that assertion; plus, those words came straight from Peter. The other thing we can take away from Peter's words is that anyone who declines to be baptized – and we do have the freedom to choose – cannot be saved and will find themselves condemned with the very worst of humanity. They will burn along with all the dictators, murderers, arch-criminals and habitual sex offenders. That's how important the 2 baptisms are to those who self-identify as Christians. Baptism of the water and of the Spirit (see John chapter 3, verses 1-8) are essential to everyone's salvation. What is also essential is that these gifts must be received voluntarily. At no time does Jesus force anything on anybody.

“The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” This means it's for everybody, no matter what race, ethnicity, skin color, nationality, age, gender or sexual orientation you are. God's offer of reconciliation through his Son Christ Jesus is offered equally to all no matter what. It also means God can call anyone to serve him no matter who they are. He called Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of Christianity who later became the apostle Paul, and who wrote one third of the New Testament. That being said, he has called me as well, although I consider myself a servant rather than an apostle – and, God can call you too. Has he? If he has and you haven't yet answered, why not? What's keeping you?

“....he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.” They all got baptized, all 3,000 of them. It's a good thing Peter had the other Eleven to help him, or it would have been a very long service! But what's not being said here is that there were at least as many, or more, who rejected Peter's message despite the overwhelming evidence of his truthfulness and the accuracy of his statements. All this in spite of the fact that the message was universal, for all of humankind. And now let's move on to the second half of today's lesson, starting at verse 42.

“The disciples were devoted to the teachings of the apostles, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. A feeling of fear came over everyone as many amazing things and miraculous signs happened through the apostles. All the believers kept meeting together, and they shared everything with each other. From time to time, they sold their property and other possessions and distributed the money to anyone who needed it. The believers had a single purpose and went to the temple every day. They were joyful and humble as they ate at each other’s homes and shared their food. At the same time, they praised God and had the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord saved people, and they were added to the group.” (Acts 2, verses 42-47)

I am absolutely sure that the four things listed that the disciples were devoted to are listed in their order of importance. Not that any one is unimportant, but the teachings of the apostles came first, since their teachings are that of Christ Jesus, who is the Son of God. Second was what the Bible calls “fellowship”, which is an antique word for friends hanging out together to watch a ball game or have a cook-out, or maybe both. Except that in this case it was what we call 'church' today. A church service back then was a celebration. Today, it's all over and done with in an hour or two. That's it. And then churches today wonder why they are having a hard time keeping people in the pews! Maybe what we need to do is get back to basics. You know, like less pomp and circumstance and more celebration! We need less emphasis on conservative politics and more on community involvement, like setting up a soup kitchen or distributing donated clothing and furniture. And let's not forget less emphasis on money and more on Spirit-filled preaching, fewer demands for tithes and prayers forevermore for the healing of souls.

“A feeling of fear came over everyone as many amazing things and miraculous signs happened through the apostles.” In other words, the apostles performed miracles that literally scared the onlookers, but not to the point of scaring anyone away. Also, notice that the breaking of bread was not about coming to a free meal, it was about Holy Communion. And prayer, which is fundamental and crucial to anyone's Christian faith, is given equal footing with the breaking of bread -- meaning every time we pray, our prayers are another form of communion as we converse with the Lord in reverence and humility. Soon, a form of communalism was established. Like Jesus said to the rich young man, these people sold whatever they owned and pooled the proceeds. Jesus also taught us not to collect treasures upon earth, but in heaven (see Matthew 6: 21). There was no lacking for anything, and everyone loved and looked after each other unconditionally.

“All the believers kept meeting together, and they shared everything with each other. From time to time, they sold their property and other possessions and distributed the money to anyone who needed it..... They were joyful and humble as they ate at each other’s homes and shared their food.” Contrast this with our situation today, and we find a stark contrast indeed! The majority of people today, based on personal observation, are convinced that life is all about seeing how much they can get, and what they can attain in areas of human achievement. In fact, life is all about the legacy we leave behind after we're gone. What they did back then would be like people today selling their properties, their cars and SUV's, and cashing in their investments, and then turning around and giving away the proceeds. Today people like that are called philanthropists, and they are all very wealthy. But in the days of the early church, everybody was doing it, and that, my dear people, makes all the difference in the world! The time has come for everyone to cease being servants of only themselves, and to begin becoming servants of everyone else. It's about proper priorities, people!

“....they praised God and had the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord saved people, and they were added to the group.” Every day they went to the Temple, every day they had a sunrise service there as they praised God, and everybody evidently really loved these early Christians for who they were and how they lived. Those that were able-bodied enough to work did so, and still others owned businesses. They took in the sick, the homeless, the alien, the mentally ill and the elderly, plus widows and orphans and looked after them, no questions asked. I'm sure you have noticed that at least a few so-called “conservative Christians” would recoil at the very idea of lending a helping hand to a Mexican migrant worker or a homeless person.

The early Christians who truly lived their faith as a lifestyle weren't caught up in the ''rat race' like we are today. If fact, the early Christians couldn't have cared any less about their careers, their investments, and making sure they have the best of everything all the time like we do today. They weren't materialistic like we are today. It was about a people and a faith, a church with a whole new way of living and a fresh paradigm of thinking. You know, like the kind of church we need today? The church we urgently, desperately need? Let's all contemplate different ways to put that into action in our own lives, and next week we'll start on chapter 3.

Have They Lied To Us About Absolutely EVERYTHING?? -- Bart Sibrel

The Beatitudes 2.0

The 'Flip Side' of the Teachings of Christ Jesus

by pastor Paul J. Bern

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For this week's commentary I will, once again but from a different angle, demonstrate that the teachings and presence of the Lord in Spirit and in Truth are more relevant today than ever before. I'm not talking religion and I'm not talking about doctrine, I'm just writing today about Jesus Christ and what he taught, because people everywhere seem to be hungry and thirsty for real truth and authenticity. So today I am once again putting Jesus up on a pedestal where he belongs. My topic is what we now call the Beatitudes of Christ, or just 'the Beatitudes' for short. I'm going to give you 2 different sets of quotes, the first from the apostle Matthew's gospel and the second from Luke's. These are very powerful instructions from our Lord and Savior, so let's examine what happens when we obey them, followed by what can happen if we don't. So let me begin with Matthew chapter 5 and verse 2.

“....He began to teach them, saying, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who came before you.'” (Matthew 5, verses 3-12)

“Poor in spirit” could mean a couple of things. Besides those who are dispirited and disenfranchised, it could also mean people who are mentally depressed, and so by extension Jesus could have been taking about the mentally ill or mentally challenged individuals. Most likely it's all of the above. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Most often this verse is associated with those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, particularly a spouse or a child. But this can also mean those who have suffered catastrophic losses, like the survivors of hurricanes and wildfires who have nothing but the clothes they're wearing. They too will be comforted, because they will regain much of what they have lost. Moreover, those who have lost loved ones will see them again, and maybe sooner than we all think.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Why? Because at some point in the fairly near future, all the warlike people will kill each other off because of their addiction to fighting and conflict. They thrive on it, so let it consume them. The meek, mild, compassionate, loving and gentle people will be the only ones left. Let those whose only motivations are anger and rage roast in hell! “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Notice that it reads, “for they will be filled”. That means those who get filled with righteousness will derive theirs from God, through his only Son Jesus Christ. Those whose righteousness is self-generated – this is, generated by the human ego instead relying on the Holy Spirit – is egocentric by nature and is derived from human emotions. So we can conclude that righteousness that is received from above is from God, but self-righteousness is of Satan and is Luciferian in nature. So the two are totally incompatible.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Be forgiving and merciful towards others, and you will get the same in return. Likewise, when we show mercy and kindness towards God's creations – other people – we can expect the same from God. Conversely, mean people – particularly those with violent tempers and those who seem to be always angry – and those who commit violent crimes such as murder (like school shootings!!) and forcible rape, should expect no mercy from God whatsoever unless they repent of their ways once and for good! “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Since we all have a sinful nature that we must work hard to control (see Romans 3, verses 9-18), people who are “pure in heart” are those who don't partake in the corrupt nature of the world in which we live. That is, it is not possible for any human being to keep his/her heart pure while they allow themselves to be surrounded by the gross impurities of this world. Greed, malice, hate and prejudice, wall-to-wall sex all the time, pornography, every kind of addiction you can imagine, subliminal messaging and imagery designed to program the human mind are just a sampling of what's out there. All you “Christians” who look at porn, party at clubs all night, use dangerous drugs like heroin and meth and so-called “spice” (“artificial marijuana” that is neither), you had better take a step or two away from what you're doing, and from the person you have become, and take a good long look at yourselves. You don't have much time left to get yourselves right with God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.” While this needs no explanation, it also says, 'Cursed are the mercenaries who kill for profit, the politicians who send our sons and daughters off to fight and die in wars that benefit only a few people and their families. Cursed are those who pollute the earth that God created and divert its resources exclusively for themselves, causing hardship and starvation for hundreds of millions. Cursed are they who deny electricity and clean drinking water to 25% of the planet so they can keep it all for themselves. Cursed are they, for they will be called the sons of the devil! “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” All the Christians who have died or who will die for their faith, fall into this category. So do all whistle-blowers within government and industry, all of whom see, to die mysterious deaths under equally mysterious circumstances. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., presidents Kennedy and Lincoln, as well as Malcolm X all fall into this category.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” If you have ever been cussed out, threatened, or physically attacked by Christian haters, you know exactly what I mean. What's the flip side of this one? Simple – if one has never had to defend one's faith, the depth of one's belief is directly proportional to the vigor with which one is compelled to defend one's faith. Conversely, if we never talk to anyone about our faith and what Christ has done in your life, our faith lacks depth, which limits how we interact with the Risen Spirit of Christ the Lord. Never be afraid to talk to others about your faith, because you never know when you can help someone. You could even help lead a soul to their Savior, of whom they were previously unaware. Jesus has already saved your soul, hasn't he (but if not PLEASE ask him now!!)? So go and pay it forward, that's your job! And now let me briefly quote from Luke's gospel.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” (Luke 6, verses 24-26) So there you go, that sums things up rather nicely, exactly what God's Word is saying to us, spoken through his Son Jesus (or 'Yeshua' in Hebrew, the native language of Christ). There are two sides to every teaching of Jesus, and sometimes more than that. This is just one of dozens of examples throughout the Bible where God's Word can mean more than one thing and still be consistent. In the meantime, and in closing, everyone please continue to pray for peace in our nation's schools, as well as in the Middle East and on the Korean peninsula. Shalom....

This week's Bible study will be part 2 of Acts chapter 2

The Apostle Peter Addresses the Crowd

[Acts chapter 2, verses 22-34]

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Last week when we began our in-depth analysis of Acts chapter 2, the day of Pentecost – or the arrival of the Holy Spirit that sounded like a hurricane and appeared as shimmering tongues of fire – created such a big commotion that everyone within earshot found themselves compelled to find its source. When we left off at verse 21, Peter was in the process of quoting from the Book of Joel in the Bible, where it foretold of the arrival of what is arguably the 2^nd most important event in human history – right after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, of course. Today we will take up where we left off, beginning at verse 22.

“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him, 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of your life; you fill me with joy in your presence.'” (Acts 2, verses 22-28)

I don't know about you, but the first thing I notice is that Peter brings up what was the still-hot topic of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The apostle Peter saw no need to explain who Jesus was, because everybody knew exactly who he was. What Peter clarified for the crowd was the ultimate purpose for Jesus' life, his reason for existence, which was the salvation of humankind through reconciliation with God. Although those who were listening to Peter didn't realize it yet, Peter was accusing them of complicity in the death of Christ. “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” So we can say with certainty that God nullified all the best efforts of the religious establishment to make sure Christ met with an untimely end by permanently adorning him with glory, honor and praise for all eternity, seating him at his right hand. In the process, Jesus conquered death and the grave, and so all who place their complete faith in Christ achieve immortality along with Christ.

“David said about him, 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken....'” Why did David always “see the Lord before” himself? Because he always put God ahead of himself, that's why! Since Jesus was always with David, literally at his right hand, nothing really bad could ever happen to him provided he put Jesus before himself (see Psalm 23). Except that David lived roughly 1,000 years before Jesus did – so how did David know the Spirit of the risen Lord would be beside him? Because it was prophecy, which is exactly the point that Peter had just made with the crowd that was gathered around them! “....my body will also live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” Right here is where Peter finished quoting from Psalms 16, verses 8-11, from which the previous quote had been taken. At this point is one of many places in the Bible where the resurrection of Jesus Christ is boldly prophesied with the utmost conviction. As the text says, Jesus Christ is the only dead man ever buried who did not decay while in the ground, something many modern churches don't teach. And now let's continue to follow along with Peter, starting at verse 29.

“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants upon his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.''” (Acts 2, verses 22-34)

Peter was referring to Psalm 138 verse 11 when he stated, “But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants upon his throne.” This verifies what I wrote further above as to Peter's reasons for quoting the passages of Scripture that he quoted, as well as his quoting from the prophet Joel in last week's study. For those who may have missed it, part 1 of Acts chapter 2 can be found here. Then Peter continues: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” Peter had 11 more witnesses standing by him as he spoke, ready and eager to give their own testimonies about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a man who had been publicly executed. The Holy Spirit of that risen Christ was manifesting itself in the speaking of other languages, the purpose of which was to make sure as many as possible could hear the good news of the Salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

There are, unfortunately, a few denominations that teach that everyone must speak in tongues as evidence of their Holy Spirit baptism. But this is not what the Bible says, as the apostle Paul wrote: “ Follow the way of love and eagerly desire Spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But anyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy....” (1^st Corinthians 14, verses 1-5). So, not everyone who receives Holy Spirit baptism – and there most assuredly is such a thing – speaks in tongues, since there are a total of nine Spiritual gifts (see 1^st Corinthians 12, verses 4-11). Moreover, only Jesus and the apostles, to the best of my knowledge, operated in multiple gifts of the Spirit. Human beings get one, since more than one Spiritual gift could potentially overwhelm us.

“For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” This quote is from the New International Bible, but the New Living Translation reads a little better: “The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet'.” David, Peter was explaining, had not yet ascended to heaven like Christ did, but he had witnessed Christ being seated at the Father's right hand. Therefore, David saw Christ ascended and crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords! That is exactly how Peter explained it to the crowd gathered around them. Be sure and make it back next week for part 3, when we conclude Peter's first sermon and chronicle what happens next in Acts chapter 2, including a start-up of the first faith-based economic system. Until then, everyone be sure and keep Christ in your hearts.

Free book excerpt #20 from blogger, writer and Web pastor Paul J. Bern

 

“Sole Survivor: One Man's Testimony for Christ”, by Rev. Paul J. Bern, rated 4.5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com!

Watch the video at http://youtu.be/5Bxi7x0nUc0

 

The next time I had an encounter with God – which interestingly enough never occurred when I was in church – was about a year later. By this time the abuse that had been going on had gradually gotten worse. The animosity between my parents and myself had grown a lot right along with it, and the beatings had become more frequent. I remember hating not just my parents, but my entire family situation as well as detesting school. Quite frankly, I was bored nearly to the point of insanity with school. Second grade was a rehashing of first grade, third grade a rehashing of the second, and so on, as if we needed to learn everything twice in order to grasp its meaning. I have heard some talk and read on the Internet about the “dumbing down” of America primary and secondary schools. Well, this has been going on ever since the 1960's at least, and probably even before that. It's just that no one noticed it at first because it began so gradually. To this day, education reform has been one of the causes I have undertaken in my adult life.

By the time I was age nine I had decided to take matters into my own hands. So I prayed to God and I told him, “Lord, I can't stand my home life any more. But I can't leave because I have no where to go (at this time it was during the winter, and Ohio winters can get very cold). If you won't do something to make my dad go away or to get him off my back, then I will be forced to defend myself when the time comes”. At the time I got no reply at all, and I remember being concerned that God hadn't heard my prayer. I had been saving the small weekly allowances my parents would give me, 25 cents here and 50 cents there, that sort of thing. And so I resolved in my mind that I was going to settle things between my parents and myself once and for all by spending what I had saved on a cheap handgun and shooting my parents. Fortunately, at the time I prayed this misguided prayer I barely had a third of the money I would have needed to buy a cheap 22 caliber handgun, and I had also forgotten to include the cost of ammunition, not to mention the fact that I was only nine years old. But I will tell you without a doubt that I was serious about wanting to kill my adoptive/foster father because I was very afraid of him. I couldn't even stand to be in the same room with him. I recall that the consequences didn't matter much to me at that time. As before, fortunately, I never got to carry out my dad's assassination. But it is what occurred a couple of years later that made me understand why such a heinous act would be unnecessary. It was not just because it would have been a grievous sin and a capital crime. It was because God wanted to show me that I wasn't alone, and that He was standing beside me.

After this prayer with no response, about two and a half years went by. Things were continuing to get gradually worse, and I continued to hate school all the more. I kept waiting for God to do something about my parents, especially my dad, but I saw no sign of change. So I would do things that would get me away from home more often so that my parents and I couldn't argue about anything. I played in the band at school and took music lessons, and I discovered that I was good at music. I joined the Boy Scouts so I could finally have a chance at having a few friends, and because it was one of the few things my 'adoptive' parents would let me do. The rest of the time I was kept cooped up in that little house, and the tension at times was unbearable. One Saturday morning a year or so later some of the boys from the scout troop and a number of their dads went on a 10 mile hike in the Kentucky countryside. My foster/adoptive dad went along too, much to my surprise, since he only occasionally took me anywhere. So we left Cincinnati in a small caravan of cars and drove south down I-75 into Kentucky to our starting point, with our destination being a monastery near the central Kentucky town of Bardstown. I recall that there were about 20 or maybe 25 people altogether. So we started out on our hike together on a mild November day, and we'd been hiking about 3 hours or so when my dad suddenly stopped walking and crouched down on one knee. When one of the men asked him if he was OK, I remember him saying, “I've got this pain in my chest”. So we stopped for five or ten minutes and rested before starting out again after my dad said he felt well enough to finish the hike (at this point the monastery was in sight in the distance). 

Unfortunately for him, we had only walked a few more steps when my dad abruptly collapsed to the pavement. I remember turning around in complete surprise, only to hear that little soft voice within me that I had heard three years before saying to me, “Now watch what I do for those who wait on me.” It was the same low, soft voice that had told me how I couldn't possibly imagine what God has in store for me. It was only then that I made the connection to my misguided prayer nearly three years earlier about shooting my parents, a prayer that by this time I had almost given up on. Even though God saw fit to wait until just after my 12^th birthday, I saw my dad collapse into a heap on the ground and I stood there and watched him die. God took my dad's life to prevent me from attempting to do any such thing myself. He knew I would have been making a horrific mistake in my young life long before I ever could have. What I still failed to understand at the time was that God was interceding in my life on a regular basis, and that this happens with all people whether they realize or believe in it or not. God had something really good in store for me. I didn't realize it at the time because I was still too young to comprehend the insurmountable power of God.

I was in the sixth grade when my dad died, and I remember feeling an enormous sense of relief at his passing. As I began to get older I gradually started doing better from a mental health standpoint, but I still hated school and I stayed bored most of the time. This was also a period in my life where I began drifting away from God. I had never cared for all the ritual, pomp and circumstance of the Catholic masses I was required to attend as a child (in Catholic schools the kids go to mass every day). So I was never really drawn toward the God of the church. It was not until much later that I learned that the true God does not live in buildings, he lives inside human hearts. But long before this occurred, my disconnecting from God as I understood him at the time had already begun to take me down the wrong road. This is usually what happens to people who turn from God like I did. 

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See the video at http://youtu.be/5Bxi7x0nUc0 Thanks so much! Shalom....

Passing the Dream Act is Very Compatible with Christianity

Immigration Reform, the Dream Act,

and Progressive Christianity

by pastor Paul J. Bern

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This week's message revolves around the current topic of immigration reform, a.k.a. the “dreamers”, as opposed to what the Bible says. Not any particular government, faith or denomination, mind you, but none other than the Word of God! We have all heard more than enough from the American media 'presstitutes' regarding both sides of this issue as dictated by their Republican and Democrat masters. From conservative to progressive to liberal, as well as independent voters like myself who do not follow the crowd, the issue of 'illegal immigration' festers like an open wound across America without any first aid being applied. Like any other kind of serious wound, illegal immigration is an American political issue that needs immediate attention.

First let me say that I was formerly on the conservative side of this issue due to the fact that had once lost a good job in the computer/IT profession due to my being replaced by workers who had just arrived on H1B work visas. So, I was understandably bitter because I had lost my job to an imported worker despite the fact that I was more qualified. Actually it wasn't just myself either. The company I was working for at that time had laid off everyone in the branch office where I worked and replaced us all with a batch of workers from the Philippines with green cards. At the time I felt like my career had been stolen right out from under me, and all attempts to replace this job of mine had yielded only temporary jobs that lasted from several months duration to as little as one day.

Then one day in the early summer of 2008, I took yet another temporary job out in west Texas, and so I put most of my things in storage and left Atlanta for parts previously unknown to me. I had never been to Texas before, and I found a completely different culture than what I was accustomed to back in Atlanta. There were three things I noticed immediately soon after my arrival. The first was the oppressive heat and humidity, which made Atlanta seem mild by comparison. The second was that people ate burritos in place of burgers. There were burrito joints on nearly every corner and a few McDonald's, and that was just about it. The third thing I noticed was that approximately one third of the population was Hispanic (or Latino/Latina, take your pick). One of the first things I remember thinking when I realized that one third of the population spoke only Spanish was that this must be ground zero for so-called illegal immigration, or so I thought at the time.

But I spent four months out there in Texas, and as my days turned into weeks I began to notice little things that seemed insignificant in and of themselves. For example, I saw Latino men – and a few women as well – hanging around temp agencies, construction sites, and even at a U-haul truck rental company in the hopes of getting a job at least for that day. I remember being struck by the parallels between what those immigrants were having to endure as they searched for work and a piece of the so-called American dream compared to my own job search experiences. Some of these workers lived at homeless shelters, others in campers or vans, and the more prosperous ones lived in rented mobile homes or apartments. I saw the same thing day after day, with hundreds of workers gathered around in groups of as few as eight or ten, and as many as several dozen men and women. And so I found myself beginning to question my own intense dislike of these immigrant workers.

Before I go any further with this message, I think I should point out that my basis for resenting many of these immigrant workers was economic rather than racial, and more social than cultural. Nevertheless, my beliefs and opinions were heavily slanted towards an American rather than a more realistic world view, and so I found myself beginning to question my motives for feeling the way I did. One day soon after I did some research on-line and at the local library regarding this issue, and here is what I found out. The average worker in Mexico earns the equivalent of about $50.00 per month USD, and this is so because of reasons that I was previously only generally aware of – namely, the differences in currency valuation between the two countries, and the fact that Mexico is by and large a third world country that happens to border the United States. When you live in a third world country,m the workers earn third world level 'wages'.

When these same workers come to the US they make minimum wage, more or less, which is currently still stuck at only $7.25 per hour in Texas as well as Georgia. Some are paid substantially less while those who enforce the rules look the other way. Since a sizable chunk of these workers make less than minimum wage while being paid in cash under the table, I'm going to use a rounded out number of $7.00 hourly. A 40-hour work week at seven dollars an hour yields gross pretax earnings of $280.00 per week before taxes and Social Security. But since many of these workers don't work full time their take home pay is even less. At any rate, this works out to gross earnings of $1,120.00 per month for a 40 hour week. If each worker pays a regular tax rate as we Americans do, and many don't because their employers are cheating the tax man by paying in cash, they wind up with an average net take-home pay of approximately $740.00 per month.

I challenge anybody out there to try and live even for only a month on such substandard pay as this! Seven hundred stinking dollars – go ahead and try that! I challenge anybody who thinks they can live on such an absurdly small amount of money for an entire month, especially if you're a homeowner. In order to better understand this, instead of Mexico and the US being the two countries involved, let's use the US and Canada instead. If any given American working professional were offered a job in Canada, what would that be in relation to the US and Mexico? When we do the math, for any Mexican/Latino who emigrates to America, the jump from fifty bucks a month to 740 dollars equals a pay increase that is 11.4 times the going rate in Mexico or, for that matter, any central American country.

Now, let's contrast that to an American jumping ship and leaving the US to go and work and live in Canada. With an average net earnings of roughly $35,000.00 annually (before taxes) for American workers, if any of us were to be offered a job in Canada – or for that matter any other developed or emerging country worldwide – at 11.4 times the going rate here in the US, that would amount to an increase in take-home pay to $399,000.00 annually before taxes. OK, so let's ask ourselves a simple question: Would you or I be interested in a pay increase of 11.4 times the amount we have been earning previously? Without a doubt!! So, now you know why the Latino/Latina folks are migrating – legally or not – to the US in search of work. It's not because they are foreign invaders on an economic and social offensive to overrun America. It's because they are economic refugees from the third world who are searching for a better life for themselves and their families! So, instead of resenting or even hating this influx of foreign workers, the Christian thing to do would be to reach out to the Hispanic communities in all fifty states and minister to them. Like so many long-term unemployed here in America, they don't want a handout, they simply want to go to work. But I felt convicted in the Holy Spirit for harboring such negative and bitter thoughts, and I repented immediately and have never looked back. Sometimes it's best to simply admit we're wrong and move on. So let this be a cautionary lesson for everyone.

Showing compassion to foreigners and strangers is central to biblical teaching and morality, and there are quite a few people of faith who have started joining the fight to pass immigration reform, including myself. Congress needs to pass this into law because it is the morally right thing to do. Those who base their position on immigration reform on unacknowledged or hidden racial prejudice, irrational fear, or worries about losing elections to far-right ideologues are too often the same people who loudly proclaim their religious convictions as guiding their political decisions in violation of the First Amendment's separation of church and state. Politicians who are professing Christians need to consider what their faith has to say about immigration if they want to be considered authentic. If they oppose reform and refuse to offer compassion to our immigrant brothers and sisters, they should justify their positions on moral grounds (if they can). We join with other faith communities in asking for a moral and religious conversation about immigration reform – not just a political one. God's passionate, abiding concern for immigrants and foreigners, strangers and travelers – and for our neighbors – is obvious to anyone reading through Scripture.

It is the biblical call to "welcome the stranger" and Jesus' concern for "the least of these" that inspires and motivates us. "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself … " (Leviticus 19:33-34). The biblical word "ger" for the foreigners in our midst occurs an astounding 92 times in the Hebrew scriptures, with the consistent instruction to protect them. In the New Testament, the stranger, and all who are vulnerable, are at the very heart of the Gospel (Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan (see Luke 10, verses 25-37) is just one example of many). In the book of Matthew, Jesus offers a vision in which caring for foreigners is the defining mark of God's kingdom: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me" (Matthew 25:35-36). Now let me ask you all – when's the last time you did that for somebody? When's the last time you did any of the above for a stranger?

That evangelical as well as mainstream Christians would finally act to reform the immigration system should surprise no one who has a conscience, not just for theological reasons, but also for moral reasons. Undocumented immigrants have joined our congregations; we understand the problem firsthand. They are our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. And we know that by reforming our immigration laws, we can create a system that also reflects the best values of our nation and the highest ideals of our faith. We act because, as the book of James reminds us, "faith without works is dead."

For me, I think the biggest change hasn't been in the pulpit, it's been in the pews and out in the streets. It's one thing when 11 million people are a statistic. But it's an entirely different matter when one of those 11 million is your friend, a human being who you now know as a neighbor, or as a co-worker or a worshiper. Our faith has always been about compassion and it compels us to do something. If we take the principle of compassion out of the Bible, it wouldn't be the Bible any more. Compassion is indeed all over the Bible. I pray it will also be found in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and in the workplace and our neighborhoods and subdivisions. It's time for Christians in and out of Congress to stand up in support of immigration reform, and for the Dreamers, or to explain why they won't — as Christians. If they follow their faith, we will see the miracle we need. And let's remember that there is no such thing as an illegal human being.

Walmart insider speaks about tunels underneath leading to FEMA death camps

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This week's Bible study will be part 1 of Acts chapter 2

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

[Acts chapter 2, verses 1-21]

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Last week when we concluded our study of chapter one of the Book of Acts, Matthias had just been elected by straw poll to replace the disgraced Judas. These were the 12 apostles from that point forward. There are some who assert that the apostle Paul was actually the 12^th apostle, but I disagree with that idea. Let's remember that the Gospel was preached by Christ Jesus almost exclusively to the Jews there in Judea and Israel. So after Christ ascended into the heavens, the Twelve – including Matthias and the author of the Book of Acts – continued to preach to the Jews as well as the non-Jews who were beginning to convert to Christianity. The apostle Paul, on the other hand, preached mostly to Gentiles, as you no doubt recall from my book of studies published last year, “The Apostles In Plain English Vol. 1: the Apostle Paul”. For my newer readers, this book is available in print on Amazon or from my website (at a discount!) by clicking here. The digital and audio versions are also available from Amazon (on Kindle or Audible) for anyone interested.

This week as we move on to chapter 2 of the Book of Acts, the apostle Luke begins his narration with his account of the Day of Pentecost, the arrival of the Holy Spirit promised by Christ just before his final ascension into the heavens. Please refer to chapter 1, verses 4 and 5 if you missed that study so you can get the context of today's Biblical analysis. As he begins, let's also get started at verse 1.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all gathered together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled with house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one of them hear them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they all asked, 'Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each one of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphilia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!' Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?'” Acts 2, verses 1-12)

So, the first thing we can ascertain from the apostle Luke's narrative is that the arrival of the Holy Spirit, which apparently occurred with no advance warning whatsoever, sounded similar to a category 5 hurricane. The sound they heard in that upper room – which by the way damaged nothing like damaging winds normally would – was immediately accompanied by “tongues of fire” that in actuality were pure energy. They were then filled – literally – with the Holy Spirit. Now the Holy Spirit is defined as the indwelling Spirit of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and it is a living Spirit. (That's why the Term “Holy Ghost” is a misnomer, since a ghost is an apparition of a dead spirit, whereas Jesus is alive forever.) That's why the tongues of pure energy that rested upon each person in the room had the appearance of being fiery. The “tongues of fire”, then, were alive, flickering and pulsating. They were a life form far above our own – a superlative form of life! The first thing that happened was the apostles found themselves preaching in other languages previously unknown to them. Allow me to quote further down in the text before I say something about that, OK?

“Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one of them heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they all asked, 'Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each one of us hears them in his own native language?'” There are many churches today, mainly of the Protestant variety, that teach and preach about Holy Spirit baptism. Rest assured there is such a thing (see Acts 1 verse 5), but the apostle Paul took up where Acts left off over in 1^st Corinthians chapter 14. When there is speaking or praying in tongues, Paul wrote, there must be someone there to interpret. Otherwise, the person praying in tongues must pray to themselves and not out loud, since no one else will know what is being said. There you go, that's what the Bible says about praying in tongues in church. Doing that elsewhere, such as in your car or during a time of prayer and meditation, is different, since you're praying in private. In that case, you can pray in tongues until dawn tomorrow, that would be just fine with God! Anyone, or any church, that teaches or preaches anything other than these basic facts concerning Holy Spirit baptism, or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is deviating from the truth and will bring judgment down upon themselves! The Word of God is not a play-toy, not is it an instrument meant for manipulation!

All the different places named in the original Biblical texts are situated between the Roman empire's capital on the west to Asia Minor, wrapping around the eastern Mediterranean sea to the Middle East. These are the origins of the Christian church as we know it today. The western half became the Catholic church, and the eastern half became the modern Orthodox church. Yet the apostles were preaching about Jesus in all of those different languages, which were more numerous back then than today, despite the fact that those apostles didn't even know many of them prior to receiving their Holy Spirit baptism! “Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?” What the people heard who were gathering around where the apostles were was totally beyond the scope of their collective experience. Had there been cell phones back then, somebody would have been dialing 911 already! But that's not what happened at all. The Spirit had made the apostles aware of the crowd that was gathering outside, intensely curious about what what was happening. So they went outside to address them, and presumably to calm them down.

“Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'They have had too much wine.' Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd. 'Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen very carefully to the words that I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'” (Acts 2, verses 13-21)

So here we see Peter addressing the crowd by first quoting scripture. Since the Bible as we know it today was what we now call the Old Testament, considered a Jewish document written only for Jews at that time, the apostle Peter quotes from it for 2 reasons. In the first place, it was something the crowd had prior knowledge of, so it was something they could relate to. But the other reason is far more important – it was the newly initiated indwelling of the Holy Spirit of the Lord present in Peter and all the others that was prompting Peter to quote from the prophet Joel. It does not say whether Peter had any of the scrolls from the prophet Joel or not, but since they are not mentioned at all in the entire Book of Acts, it is likely that Peter had no scrolls – meaning Peter said all those verses from memory. When we consider that many of the apostles were illiterate – most people were at that time – that makes this all the more remarkable.

“In the last days, God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit on all people....” This can be interpreted in more than one way. This is often cited by many Protestant church denominations as a prophecy of the Reformation of the early 1500's. We may get to heaven first before we find out if that is true or not, I honestly can't say for sure. Personally, I believe this could also be a prophecy about the Internet. As you all know, the Web is currently being used as a tool for evangelism and discipleship with dramatic results. My blogs and social media posts got over 11,000 hits last year, and that was without spending one nickel on advertising. That, my good people, is the power of the Gospel.

“Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” Who are God's servants? They are those people who do God's will, like a military adjutant does the will of his or her commanding officer. What does it mean to “prophesy”? It means to accurately declare the Word of God – the holy Scriptures – as it applies to an individual or group personally, or as it applies to a situation either past or present. Sometimes this can also mean to an entire nation, such as the prophecies against Babylon, Assyria and Judah in the Old Testament. In a modern context, this blog or website you're looking at is a modern example of what I mean.

“I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood....” There are only a few things that could cause this. Either this is describing World War Three or some kind of enormous natural disaster, such as an asteroid or comet impact, or possibly a huge volcanic eruption that will darken the skies for months. One thing is for sure – these days will be very perilous, and if you're not already preparing yourself accordingly, you had better get started before you run out of time. “....everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” During these times there will be an amnesty from Christ for all who have not yet placed their faith in him. This is a prophecy from Christ on behalf of those people, whose brains will not doubt be on 'overload' from all the disaster and devastation all around them. Those words from the Lord will enable those people and their families to make it through those extremely difficult days. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24: “He who stands firm to the end shall be saved.” So let us all resolve to do exactly that for the remainder of the week as we constantly draw ourselves closer to Jesus. And next week we'll move on to part three of Acts chapter 2.