Acts 1:1-11 Amplified Bible

Introduction

1 The first ^[a]account I made, Theophilus, was [a continuous report] about all the things that Jesus began to do and to ^[b]teach ² until the day when He ascended to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given instruction to the apostles (special messengers) whom He had chosen. ³ To these [men] He also showed Himself alive after His suffering [in Gethsemane and on the cross], by [a series of] many infallible proofs and unquestionable demonstrations, appearing to them over a period of forty days and talking to them about the things concerning the kingdom of God. ⁴ While being together and eating with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Of which,” He said, “you have heard Me speak. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized and  empowered and united with the Holy Spirit, not long from now.”

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked Him repeatedly, “Lord, are You at this time reestablishing the kingdom and restoring it to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me]  both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.”

The Ascension

⁹ And after He said these things, He was caught up as they looked on, and a cloud took Him up out of their sight. ¹⁰ While they were looking intently into the sky as He was going, two men in white clothing suddenly stood beside them, ¹¹ who said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This [same] Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Some thirty plus years ago, shortly after I was discharged out of the Army, I was subpoenaed by the Army Judge Advocate General to temporarily return to active duty to serve as a witness on a legal matter. The lawyers determined to make sure that my memories were clear and that the timeline of events was accurate.

On the witness stand, they told me to testify everything about the situation that I could; they would decide which details were important, which ones weren’t.

It is significant that Jesus, before he ascended to heaven, commissioned his followers with these covenant words: “You will be my witnesses. . . .” We, being the Body of Christ, the church, serve as witnesses to Jesus, Lord of the universe.

I don’t know about you, but this feels like a daunting task, especially when Jesus says that our witness begins where we are and extends to the ends of the earth.

Acts 1:8 Amplified Bible

⁸ But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all of Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.”

Do I have what it takes to be that kind of witness?

Thankfully, we do not do this alone.

As Jesus commissions us, he promises the gift of his Holy Spirit.

He also commissions us, his followers, his church, as a unified community. This is our task, together.

This month, let’s read scripture, take time explore how to bear witness to Jesus.

In my daily writing of this blog, I read examples of faithful witness every day.

The Holy Spirit is alive and well, empowering God’s church around the world!

I look forward to exploring and sharing with you what mission looks like in our lives today.

When it Comes to Miracles, God Does it His Way

John 5:1-9Amplified Bible

The Healing at Bethesda

5 Later on there was a Jewish feast (festival), and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

² Now in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there is a ^[a]pool, which is called in Hebrew (Jewish Aramaic) Bethesda, having five porticoes (alcoves, colonnades). ³ In these  porticoes lay a great number of people who were sick, blind, lame, withered, ^[b][waiting for the stirring of the water; ⁴ for an angel of the Lord went down into the pool at appointed seasons and stirred up the water; the first one to go in after the water was stirred was healed of his disease.] ⁵ There was a certain man there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus noticed him lying there [helpless], knowing that he had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?” ⁷ The invalid answered, “Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am coming [to get into it myself], someone else steps down ahead of me.” ⁸ Jesus said to him, “Get up; pick up your pallet and walk.” ⁹ Immediately the man was healed and recovered his strength, and ^[c]picked up his pallet and walked.

Now that day was the Sabbath.

I remember when I was growing up, there was a lot more work, competition, between Burger King and McDonalds than there seems to be these 2024 days.

And as you may remember, the truly brilliant marketing slogan for Burger King was, “Have it your way at Burger King!” You could custom order your burger with the pickles or without the pickles, with the ketchup and onions or without, cheese or no cheese – just any old way you wanted it. And the implied message to us was, at McDonalds, you’ll get a cookie-cutter, assembly line burger, but at Burger King, we will create your own perfect burger for the way you want it.

What was so novel an idea back then has become commonplace now.

We have personalized and customized everything.

We can order custom made cars with all the bells, and none of the whistles we want. We customize our workout plan for the type of body we desire, and our diet plan to complement our individual health profile or nutritional philosophy.

We each customize our social media and news feeds to hear only our favorite commentators and create personalized watchlists to see favorite TV shows and movies at any time of day or night we like. 

It’s interesting then, that the Church seems too often, to squeeze God in a box.

We tend to think when He stated that He never changes (Malachi 3:6), that means He always operates in exactly the same way. But I have great news!

God was not, is not, never will be, an assembly line or cookie-cutter God.

God’s character never changes, but His actions, His works, His labors, are all 100% unique and custom made, perfect for each individual and situation.

That means, regardless of how we may presume He will answer our prayers, God doesn’t necessarily deliver miracles our way, but rather He does it His way!

One of the most interesting, and unusual miracles Jesus did is found in John 5.

John 5:1-10 Complete Jewish Bible

5 After this, there was a Judean festival; and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. ² In Yerushalayim, by the Sheep Gate, is a pool called in Aramaic, Beit-Zata, ³ in which lay a crowd of invalids — blind, lame, crippled. ^4 [a] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. ⁶ Yeshua, seeing this man and knowing that he had been there a long time, said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” ⁷ The sick man answered, “I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I’m trying to get there, someone goes in ahead of me.” ⁸ Yeshua said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk!” ⁹  Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and walked.

Now that day was Shabbat, ¹⁰ so the Judeans said to the man who had been healed, “It’s Shabbat! It’s against Torah for you to carry your mat!”

What Is the Pool of Bethesda?

The text says this pool was by the Sheep Gate, which was located next to the Temple in Jerusalem.

And we are told that the name of the pool was Bethesda, which means House of Mercy. 

But the place was originally named the Virgin’s Well when priests discovered a hot spring adjacent to the Temple. As a result, they dug out a huge pool around the opening fed by this hot spring to create, in essence, a bible land Jacuzzi. 

And because the priesthood in those days was an exclusive, high-ranking social group who hobnobbed with society’s rich and famous, they built walls around the pool to make it an exclusive hangout for the elite.

Inside was ornate and beautiful; the pool and pavement were overlaid with the most expensive and precious marble. And because the Mediterranean sun was so hot, they built a porch or a colonnade around the pool for shade. 

This place was so popular that they eventually built four more breathtakingly beautiful porches around the pool. They were supported by marble columns, and filled with comfortable furnishings. But by the time Jesus walked through, the place had changed dramatically.

The pool had been abandoned by top society, and had become a place for the down and out, especially those in need of healing. It was no longer beautiful and ornate but run down and dilapidated. What happened? The hot spring had dried up, the rich moved on, and the sick moved in.

John 5:4 is somewhat of a mystery, and many Bible translations have removed it to a footnote.

Some believe that it was not part of the original manuscript but was added at a later date for the purposes of clarity.

What I find interesting is that Bethesda, or House of Mercy, was the name given to it by the sick and infirmed, not by the rich and famous (called Virgin’s Well). 

⁴ for an angel of the Lord went down into the pool at appointed seasons and stirred up the water; the first one to go in after the water was stirred was healed of his disease.]

Now the reason why this verse would have been added for clarity is because this was what the sick people who gathered there actually believed and had faith in.

And it was apparently true that from time to time, without warning, the waters of the pool would begin to be violently shaken. Furthermore, as the story goes, the first one in was healed of whatever affliction they had.

And so the sick would wait and watch, hoping that they would be lucky enough to be the first into the pool and finally receive a miracle.

But even though their odds were poor they would be the one healed, people still waited.

In their minds, this was the only way they thought God would work to heal them.

The paralytic in John 5 also had this belief.

He had been working his plan for 38 years, staying firm in faith, praying, waiting for his miracle. His continued hopefulness after so many years of disappointment is both admirable and commendable for its perseverance.

But as I examine this man’s story, the thing that strikes me most is that I’m glad God is not limited by our presumptions, but delivers miracles His way.

God’s Way Is Better Than Our Way, So Leave it Up to Him

John 5:7 Amplified Bible

⁷ The invalid answered, “Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am coming [to get into it myself], someone else steps down ahead of me.”

Clearly, this man’s plan was flawed from the beginning: be the first one among hundreds into the pool when the water is stirred. Sounds a bit like a man is hoping for a lottery win to fix an imminent financial crisis. And it only gets far worse.

Without help, his plan was doomed to fail. But when we ourselves need a miracle from God, we usually don’t have much of a better plan than his.

How often do we come to God with our ideas, our programs, our presumptions, of how God should fix things in our lives?

How often do we go beyond asking God to intervene, and advise Him how to proceed?

How many years are we willing to wait for God, Jesus, Holy Spirit to reveal his answer – thirty eight years … when we can probably arrive at a better plan?

Okay God, here is how you can fix my financial problems. I come home and there is a check waiting for me for a million dollars in the mailbox from Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes!

And God, here is how you can give me a marriage miracle. Today when my spouse comes home from work, you will have them fall down at my feet, start weeping uncontrollably, and apologize for everything they’ve ever done wrong (even though I will never confess to anyone that I am just as responsible for all our problems). 

It never ceases to amaze me how we often have the “how” figured out for God, and concoct a thoroughly thought out master plan for Him to follow. Our faith should never rest in how God does a miracle, but simply on He will make a way.

And God’s way is always better than we can imagine! 

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

Jesus was not interested in the man’s plan, only his faith. So He asked:

“Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6).

I believe what He was really asking the man was: 

Son, what do you want? You can have it right now. Regardless of the water, or friends, or luck. I’m here, the Living Water, and I see your faith. Trust Me, this is a better plan. 

If we also would let God figure out all the details for our miracle, we will discover He has a much better plan for our lives as well (Jeremiah 29:11).

God’s Way Is Better Because it Also Makes Us Better!

“Do you want to be made well? “

Isn’t that an interesting question to ask someone who had been lame for 38 years? But God often begins His miracles with asking us obvious questions. 

“How many loaves of bread do you have?” was the catalyst to the feeding of 4,000 people (Matthew 15:34).

“Who touched me?” was the catalyst to the miracle healing of the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:45).

“What do you have in your house?” was the beginning of a supernatural multiplication of oil for financial provision (2 Kings 4:2).

Pay attention when God asks you a question; He may be setting you up for a miracle. But moreover, God’s questions can even make us a better Christian when they cause us to pause and evaluate our priorities, motives and methods.  

In the moment the question, do you want to be made well, is asked. it forced the man to consider whether or not he was truly up to the challenge of changing his priorities. Was he willing to replace faith in his plan, with faith in God’s plan?

Most people want and pray for at least some of the following things: money, fewer hassles, more time, more choices, health and long life, to be loved, to make a difference, or get a fresh start.

It’s not a bad list, nor would God necessarily disapprove.

But when God asks us the question, what do you want, He’s ultimately signing a blank check asking, confronting us Are we willing to put me at the top of that list? 

If you put God first in your priorities, He withholds no good thing:

Matthew 6:25-34 Amplified Bible

The Cure for Anxiety

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they? ²⁷ And who of you by worrying can add one ^[a]hour to [the length of] his life? ²⁸ And why are you worried about clothes? See how the lilies and wildflowers of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin [wool to make clothing], ²⁹ yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive and green today and tomorrow is [cut and]  thrown  [as fuel] into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ³¹ Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ ³² For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But first and  most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Philippians 4:10-14 Amplified Bible

God’s Provisions

¹⁰ I rejoiced greatly in the Lord, that now at last you have renewed your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned about me before, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹ Not that I speak from [any personal] need, for I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances. ¹² I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need. ¹³ I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and  empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.] ¹⁴ Nevertheless, it was right of you to share [with me] in my difficulties.

God’s questions also cause us to evaluate our motives. That is, why do you want to be made well? God is less concerned with what we want, and more concerned with why we want it. And it’s the why that often determines the outcome.

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3).

And God’s questions will also convict us and cause us to check our methods. 

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be financially successful, but scamming people is not the right method. And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to win a sports competition, but cheating is the wrong method.

When God asks us a question, He is setting us up not only to receive our miracle by His plan, but also for an internal adjustment to bring us more in alignment with God’s character and His will.

Are you asking God for a miracle today? Don’t try to tell Him how to do it. Let God do it His way. He’ll come up with a customized, personalized miracle better than anything we could ask for or imagine, and it makes us better to boot!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Jesus, as we explore what it means to be your witnesses, we want to open our hearts to your call. Fill us with your Spirit teach us how we can grow as witnesses for you. Amen.

Psalm 103 Complete Jewish Bible

103 ⁽⁰⁾ By David:

⁽¹⁾ Bless Adonai, my soul!
Everything in me, bless his holy name!
² Bless Adonai, my soul,
and forget none of his benefits!

³ He forgives all your offenses,
he heals all your diseases,
⁴ he redeems your life from the pit,
he surrounds you with grace and compassion,
⁵ he contents you with good as long as you live,
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

⁶ Adonai brings vindication and justice
to all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made his ways known to Moshe,
his mighty deeds to the people of Isra’el.
⁸ Adonai is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in grace.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
he will not keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He has not treated us as our sins deserve
or paid us back for our offenses,
¹¹ because his mercy toward those who fear him
is as far above earth as heaven.
¹² He has removed our sins from us
as far as the east is from the west.

¹³ Just as a father has compassion on his children,
Adonai has compassion on those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he understands how we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ Yes, a human being’s days are like grass,
he sprouts like a flower in the countryside —
¹⁶ but when the wind sweeps over, it’s gone;
and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But the mercy of Adonai on those who fear him
is from eternity past to eternity future,
and his righteousness extends
to his children’s children,
¹⁸ provided they keep his covenant
and remember to follow his precepts.

¹⁹ Adonai has established his throne in heaven;
his kingly power rules everything.
²⁰ Bless Adonai, you angels of his,
you mighty warriors who obey his word,
who carry out his orders!
²¹ Bless Adonai, all his troops,
who serve him and do what he wants!
²² Bless Adonai, all his works,
in every place where he rules!
Bless Adonai, my soul!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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