Amelia discovered my hardcover copy of Six By Seuss saved from her daddy’s childhood and she asks to read the Lorax and more recently, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas every single time she visits. Never one to sit still for long, she is dogged when it comes to finishing these two stories in a sitting. We’ve relegated them to Ezra’s nap time because like his sister, he has favorite books that demand to be read and the paper pages wouldn’t survive his squirming for long.
I’m delighted by their love for books! It took their daddy much longer to develop a love for stories but eventually it came. I’ve loved to read for as long as I can remember. I shared a room with my younger sister so I read with a flashlight under the covers many a night. I frequented the library and school book fairs seemed like Christmas come early so long as I had a few dollars to spend. No amount of enjoyment compared to reading with my children, new books they wanted to read and my own favorites like CS Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Now I am sharing classic stories with my grandchildren.
One book has captured my heart like no other. My Bible, God’s holy Word, is alive and active. It reads me even as I read it. I am immersed in one story after another inside of a larger story and all the while, I find myself in the story. Jesus, the one who is and was and is to come is present from the first to the last page, speaking Truth, living Truth, and giving life, real life, abundant and free. As I know more of Him, I come to love Him more. I am more aware today of what my salvation cost than I was when I first believed and I am bolder now. I want the world to know what I know.
“The apostles did many signs and wonders among the people.
All the believers used to meet together at Solomon’s Porch.
No outsider dared to join them.
But the people thought highly of them.
More and more men and women believed in the Lord.
They joined the other believers.
So people brought those who were sick into the streets.
They placed them on beds and mats.
They hoped that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he walked by.
Crowds even gathered from the towns around Jerusalem.
They brought their sick people.
They also brought those who were suffering because of evil spirits.
All of them were healed.”
Acts 5:12-16 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/act.5.12-16.NIRV
Solomon’s Porch refers to the eastern facing colonnade of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem overlooking the Kidron Valley and across to the Mount of Olives. This Temple, the one in which Jesus walked, was not Solomon’s Temple. It was built after Israel’s return from exile and was never rebuilt after being destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Part of this Temple’s outermost court, the court of women, was where Jesus often taught and early Christians, followers of the Way, continued gathering after Jesus’s resurrection and ascension. In I Kings 8:10-11, scripture records God’s Spirit filling the temple built by Solomon and much later, Ezekiel records a vision of cherubim undergirding the glory of God as it moved through the eastern gate of the Temple, pausing over the Mount of Olives before departing. (Ezekiel 10:18-19, 11:22-23) God manifested His presence, His glory, as fire and cloud and made His way known through angelic messengers in our Old Testament, but after a four hundred year silence, He came in the form of man, God with us, Immanuel, foretold by the prophets. One day He will return in glory. The world needs to know.
“In the past, God spoke to our people through the prophets.
He spoke at many times.
He spoke in different ways.
But in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.
He is the one whom God appointed to receive all things.
God also made everything through him.
The Son is the shining brightness of God’s glory.
He is the exact likeness of God’s being.
He uses his powerful word to hold all things together.
He provided the way for people to be made pure from sin.
Then he sat down at the right hand of the King, the Majesty in heaven.”
Hebrews 1:1-3 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/heb.1.2-3.NIRV
This gospel has been preached across the ages and has come to us as holy scripture. I know Jesus because someone loved me enough to share this good news with me. What began for me as a child with Jesus Loves Me and For God so loved the world continues to grow and bear fruit by the power of God’s Spirit alive in me. Think for a moment of each person in your own life who gave you the gospel. Paul told the Christians in Corinth that the gospel message was of first importance, utmost importance, the most important Truth of all. To whom do you owe a debt of gratitude for sharing the most important message you will ever hear?
“What I received I passed on to you.
And it is the most important of all.
Here is what it is.
Christ died for our sins, just as Scripture said he would.
He was buried.
He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as Scripture said he would be.
Because you believed the good news, you were saved.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 2 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/1co.15.2-4.NIRV
“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.1.12.NLT
“See what amazing love the Father has given us!
Because of it, we are called children of God.
And that’s what we really are!
The world doesn’t know us because it didn’t know him.”
1 John 3:1 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/1jn.3.1.NIRV
“The high priest and all his companions were Sadducees.
They were very jealous of the apostles.
So they arrested them and put them in the public jail.
But during the night an angel of the Lord came.
He opened the doors of the jail and brought the apostles out.
“Go! Stand in the temple courtyard,” the angel said. “Tell the people all about this new life.”
Early the next day they did as they had been told.
They entered the temple courtyard.
There they began to teach the people.
The high priest and his companions arrived.
They called the Sanhedrin together.
The Sanhedrin was a gathering of all the elders of Israel.
They sent for the apostles who were in jail.
The officers arrived at the jail. But they didn’t find the apostles there.
So they went back and reported it.
“We found the jail locked up tight,” they said.
“The guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, we didn’t find anyone inside.”
When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were bewildered.
They wondered what would happen next.
Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courtyard. They are teaching the people.”
So the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles back.
But they didn’t use force.
They were afraid the people would kill them by throwing stones at them.
They brought the apostles to the Sanhedrin.
The high priest questioned them.”
“We gave you clear orders not to teach in Jesus’ name,” he said.
“But you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching.
You want to make us guilty of this man’s death.”
Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God instead of people!
You had Jesus killed by nailing him to a cross. But the God of our people raised Jesus from the dead.
Now Jesus is Prince and Savior.
God has proved this by giving Jesus a place of honor with him.
He did it to turn Israel away from their sins and forgive them.
We are telling people about these things.
And so is the Holy Spirit.
God has given the Spirit to those who obey him.”
“When the leaders heard this, they became very angry.
They wanted to put the apostles to death.
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in the Sanhedrin.
He was a teacher of the law.
He was honored by all the people.
He ordered the apostles to be taken outside for a little while.
Then Gamaliel spoke to the Sanhedrin.
“Men of Israel,” he said, “think carefully about what you plan to do to these men.
Leave these men alone!
Let them go!
If their plans and actions only come from people, they will fail.
But if their plans come from God, you won’t be able to stop these men.
You will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
His speech won the leaders over.
They called the apostles in and had them whipped.
The leaders ordered them not to speak in Jesus’ name.
Then they let the apostles go.”
Acts 5:17-35, 38-40 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/act.5.17-40.NIRV
God knows the lives of Peter and the other apostles might have ended that day without the intervention of Gamaliel. The same Gamaliel who trained Saul of Tarsus in the law cited two insurrections that came to nothing before advising the Sanhedrin to leave the apostles alone. Ultimately, God moved the hearts and minds of mortal men to accomplish His divine purpose. Their reasons, driven largely by envy and self preservation, made sense to them as they ordered the apostles flogged before releasing them. All but John would be martyred but not on that day.
“Let us keep looking to Jesus.
He is the one who started this journey of faith.
And he is the one who completes the journey of faith.
He paid no attention to the shame of the cross.
He suffered there because of the joy he was looking forward to.
Then he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
He made it through these attacks by sinners.
So think about him.
Then you won’t get tired.
You won’t lose hope.
You struggle against sin.
But you have not yet fought to the point of spilling your blood.
Have you completely forgotten this word of hope?
It speaks to you as a father to his children.
It says, “My son, think of the Lord’s training as important.
Do not lose hope when he corrects you.
The Lord trains the one he loves.
He corrects everyone he accepts as his son.” (Proverbs 3:11,12)
Put up with hard times.
God uses them to train you.
He is treating you as his children.
What children are not trained by their parents?
God trains all his children.
But what if he doesn’t train you?
Then you are not really his children.
You are not God’s true sons and daughters at all.
Besides, we have all had human fathers who trained us.
We respected them for it.
How much more should we be trained by the Father of spirits and live!
Our parents trained us for a little while.
They did what they thought was best.
But God trains us for our good.
He does this so we may share in his holiness.
No training seems pleasant at the time.
In fact, it seems painful.
But later on it produces a harvest of godliness and peace.
It does this for those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:2-11 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/heb.12.2-6.NIRV
“The apostles were full of joy as they left the Sanhedrin.
They considered it an honor to suffer shame for the name of Jesus.
Every day they taught in the temple courtyards and from house to house.
They never stopped telling people the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.”
Acts 5:41-42 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/act.5.42.NIRV
And neither can we!
“Dear children, remain joined to Christ.
Then when he comes, we can be bold.
We will not be ashamed to meet him when he comes.”
1 John 2:28 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/1jn.2.28.NIRV
Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and Life.” (John 6:63)
Speak life.
Never stop.
“I will give my people hearts that are completely committed to me.
I will give them a new spirit that is faithful to me.
I will remove their stubborn hearts from them.
And I will give them hearts that obey me.
Then they will follow my rules.
They will be careful to keep my laws.
They will be my people.
And I will be their God.”
Ezekiel 11:19-20 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/ezk.11.19-20.NIRV
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