Acts 5 - 04.17.25

SCRIPTURE

“Nevertheless, more AND more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

OBSERVATION

“And more than ever believers were added to—the LORD

multitudes of both men and women,” (Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV)

We now see “men AND women” being included in the numbers added—AND—we see the first appearance of the word church (ekklesia) in Acts 5 —interestingly it is relating to God’s judgment of Ananias and Sapphira’s sin within the community of believers. God is Jealous over His Church and takes sin seriously.

As people join together in Church we are actually joining ourselves to a Holy sinless—all powerful, Sovereign, and all knowing God.

Jesus had promised The Gift of The Holy Spirit. These believers were all FILLED with the Power and the Grace of the Holy Spirit to be in One accord. They met daily at  Solomon’s  Portico-sharing about Jesus. Many were added daily to their number.

The Apostles were given special Power and worked many miraculous signs and wonders pointing people to Jesus. The Holy Spirit had given Peter great insight into Ananias and Sapphira’s deception and called on Peter to renounce it. God immediately judged them for their sin and great Fear swept through the entire church.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” (Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

APPLICATION

KEEP THE MAIN THING—THE MAIN THING

Love God—Love Others—Make Disciples

Resurrection Sunday is COMING!

Jesus changed EVERYTHING!

The POWER of the Holy Spirit is STILL Available for us Today!

And Jesus Calls me as a Believer to Be His Witness.

One day I will stand before Him to be Judged—and give an account for how I Stewarded the Gifts HE gave me. There are certainly financial resources, skills, and talents we each possess. However, The MOST Important Gift of ALL is Our Gift of Salvation. This is a GIFT that is Meant to BE Shared—with EVERYONE.

Every Single Believer has a Call to BE a DISCIPLE, THEN—to MAKE Disciples.

“Jesus came and told HIS DISCIPLES,

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Therefore, GO and MAKE DISCIPLES of all the nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach these NEW DISCIPLES to OBEY all the commands I have given you.

[in other words-Follow Jesus commands AND also—Make More Disciples]

And be sure of this: I AM with you always, even to the end of the age.””

‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Jesus said that The POWER of The Holy Spirit was for us to BE His Witnesses!

Like Asha so beautifully shared yesterday…

Here in Jerusalem Santa Clarita (Jerusalem), in adjacent areas we may travel to Palmdale or San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles etc (Samaria), and (to the ends of the earth) through Zoom I travel across the United States weekly.

PRAYER

LORD Jesus

Thank YOU that YOU sacrificed Everything for me. Thank you that You came and suffered every single aspect of the Cross. Thank You that You nailed my sins to the cross and covered them with Your blood. Thank You that You Rose again and there is NO doubt. Death has no sting. Heaven is an assurance. Jesus, You are the same-Yesterday, Today, and Forever. You have the Same Love, Grace, and Forgiveness to Give Generously. You also See Sin the Same way. You hate it. Help me to never take for granted your gracious forgiveness of my sins. Forgive my thoughts and forgive me for giving myself a pass when I’m overtired or feeling pain. Give me Patience and endurance.  You are able to meet every need. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit Fresh each day. Give me Fresh Faith and Boldness for each day. Use me Lord.

Here I am Lord, send me. Amen

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,

and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Jesus will never be disgraced.””

‭‭(Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Tina L Kudelka

Acts 4 - 4.16.25

Scripture 

“As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)

Observation

God had performed a huge miracle through Peter and John, and healed a man who was lame from his birth. This was a miracle that no one could refute, when they saw the man “walking and jumping and praising God” (Acts 3:8). The Jewish authorities arrested Peter and John and questioned them on how they were able to do this. Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter boldly declared that it was faith in the name of Jesus that made this man whole, and that there is no other name given under heaven by which men might be saved, besides the name of Jesus (Acts 4:11,12). The Jewish leaders threatened them and warned them not to speak in Jesus name ever again.

Peter and John replied that they could not help speaking about what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:20). By making this bold statement in front of the people who crucified Jesus just a few weeks prior to that time, they were declaring that they did not consider their life more important than obeying Jesus. They were truly taking their cross and following him (Matthew 16:24). We know from reliable church history and tradition that Peter was crucified upside down, and that John died while in solitary exile in the island of Patmos. Both of them considered their faith and their witness more important than their life.

Application

All of us who have accepted the Lord in our lives have tasted and known that He is good (Psalms 34:8). We have “seen” his goodness, we have “heard” our shepherd’s voice. Can we say like Peter and John, that we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard? Or do we choose to be silent about our faith to gain the approval of others?

“Woe unto me if I do not preach the gospel”, said Apostle Paul (1 Cor 9:17). Being a witness is not an option, but a commandment. The last commandment Jesus gave before ascending into heaven after resurrection was that we should be a witness for Him in Jerusalem, Samaria and the ends of the world (Acts 1:8). This is a commandment to witness Jesus in our immediate surroundings/workplace (Jerusalem), our extended environment like our social circles (Samaria) and all opportunities beyond our comfort zone (the ends of the world).

Let us also remember the words of Jesus, “If you are ashamed of me and of my teaching, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).  Let us do our best to present ourselves to God as  a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). 

Prayer

Dear Father, thank you for loving me. Thank you for choosing me to be your child. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to taste and see that you are good. Help me Lord, to obey your great commission. Help me to be a faithful witness of what you have done for me. Help me to share the good news of your salvation to all you lead me to. Help me to be faithful and obedient. I know I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me (Phil 4:13). In Jesus name. Amen.

- Asha Chacko George

2 Chronicles 7 - 4.15.25

SCRIPTURE:  2 Chronicles 7:1-3  "When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.  When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord saying, "He is good; His love endures forever."

OBSERVATION:  Solomon's prayer was answered in a very powerful way! 

The Israelites responded by saying, "He is good, His love endures forever".  I'm pretty sure that would not have been my response!  Even though I know God is good and loving, I probably would have be terrified seeing that, and just started running as fast as I possibly could!    

The priests could not enter the temple because the glory of the Lord filled it!  Can you picture how awesome/scary that must have been to see fire coming down from heaven, and the glory of the Lord above the temple!  

Fire is one of the most powerful symbols used throughout the Bible.  It has been used to represent God's holiness and judgement.  In the Old Testament God used it to reveal Himself to Moses in the burning bush.  God also used it to symbolize His wrath when He rained down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.  In the New Testament fire is used to represent purification, the Holy Spirit, and judgement.  On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire as it rested on the disciples, empowering them to spread the Gospel.  Fire also symbolizes eternal judgement, as in the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his followers.  The imagery of fire reminds us of God's greatness and His desire to make us holy, righteous, and pure. 

APPLICATION:  God cleanses, refines, and purifies our heart's.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  (1 John 1:9).  

The fire that God sent which was continuously burning under the altar of burnt offering symbolized God's presence.  When we were born-again, God's abiding presence, and continual purifying power came into our lives. 

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for hearing our prayers, and for the awesome ways You demonstrate Your power through our prayers. I praise You and thank You Jesus for Your purifying power that makes us able to stand before Father God pure and holy because of what You did for us on the cross.  I pray Holy Spirit that You will put a fire in my heart that burns away everything that is not of You.  Just as Your eyes and Your heart were on the temple that Solomon built and dedicated to You, Your eyes and Your ears are attentive to the prayers which I offer up in faith from the temple of my heart that I dedicate to You. 

- Robin Orefice