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                                       READING THE BOOK OF ACTS: CHAPTER 5 Wednesday, June 29, 2022   CONTEXT FOR ACTS, CHAPTER 5 In Acts 5, persecution from unbelievers begins to accelerate. The Sanhedrin has become aware the apostles teach that Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 4). Now, they start to push back in earnest, arresting and beating the apostles. Soon a mob will kill Stephen, a deacon (Acts 7:54-60), and the Sanhedrin will empower Saul to run down and arrest any Jesus follower he can find (Acts 8:1-3). The apostles will stay in Jerusalem. Other Jesus followers will carry His offer of forgiveness and reconciliation with God into the Roman Empire and beyond. The apostles' faithfulness and submission to the Holy Spirit are why we have the gospel message today. (bibleref.com) 1) Verses 1-11, Ananias and Sapphira, Mrs. Elnora 5  Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.     With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the m

  READING THE BOOK OF ACTS: CHAPTER 4 Wednesday, June 22, 2022 An Explanation of the Gift of Tongues   The 4 Administrations of Speaking in Tongues  1. Public: Known Tongues, and Unknown Tongues 2. Private: Unknown Tongues, A. Speaking to Angels, B. Speaking to God Common Misconceptions: #1 If you don't speak in tongues you are not saved. #2 Tongues are demonic. #3 This is a gift given by the Holy Spirit and therefore cannot be turned on and off like a light switch.    CONTEXT FOR ACTS, CHAPTER 4 Acts 4 gives the first hints of the persecution the church will face throughout its history. Peter and John attract attention when Peter heals a well-known lame beggar, and Peter uses this publicity to tell others about Christ. The Sanhedrin refuse to allow the apostles to continue teaching that Jesus rose from the dead. So, they arrest, warn, and eventually free Peter and John, but that is just the beginning. Soon, they will end up arresting and beating all of the apostles (Acts 5: 17-42)

         READING THE BOOK OF ACTS: CHAPTER 3       Wednesday, June 15, 2022 1. An Explanation for "Tongues of Fire" - Mrs. Elnora In the book of Acts, the tongues of fire represent the presence of God, the Holy Spirit. This fulfills John the Baptist's prophecy that the Messiah would baptize "with the Holy Spirit and with fire." In Matthew 3:11-12 , which says (11) I baptize you with water for repentance. But there is one coming who is more powerful that I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (12) His shovel fork is in his hand, and He will gather and store his wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn up with unquenchable fire, a fire that cannot be put out.  This also means that the purifying work of the Holy Spirit carries on in our lives today.  (www.biblestudytools.com) The King James Version "cloven tongues" is somewhat misleading, for it is likely to suggest that each fire-like tongue

  CONTEXT FOR ACTS, CHAPTER 2 This chapter is essentially about the development of the church of Christ. One hundred and twenty disciples obeyed his command to wait in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4, 2-15). After receiving the Holy Spirit the disciples immediately began to share the Gospel with the large crowds of people who had come to celebrate Pentecost. At this time more than three thousand people decided to follow the ways of Christ, believing upon him as the begotten Son of God. 1) Verses 1-13, The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost, MS. DEBBIE 1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now ther

  THE CASTING OF LOTS vs MODERN-DAY GAMBLING Acts 1:24-26 (CBS – Christian Standard Bible - Tony Evans Study Bible – Footnotes) Casting lots is a practice comparable to throwing dice.  According to Proverbs, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33).  Interestingly, though, after the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, the apostles never again made a decision by this method.  Instead, they depended on the Holy Spirit through prayer. Bible Study Tools Is Casting Lots the Same as Modern Gambling? It might be easy to conclude that casting lots is similar to modern day gambling, but it is not. The only similarity to modern day gambling is the random nature of the activity. The major difference, as you can see, is that the ancient practice of casting lots was used to attempt to seek divine direction in a particular matter. This is not the motivation of gambling, which is to win money. The only divine direction sought in gambling is the prayer