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May 20 - Acts 2 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Wednesday, it's the 20th of
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  May and I've just had to re record this because here I was
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  going on about how it's still Tuesday.
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  Wednesday comes after Tuesday. Well done Sean, but it is indeed
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  Wednesday. We have reached the middle of
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  the week and we have reached this absolute banger of of a
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  chapter in act, which is where the Holy Spirit comes on that
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  first day of Pentecost, a day that many churches will be
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  celebrating this Sunday, a day when the church began, when the
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  Holy Spirit came and said, hey, this is my work, join me, let me
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  empower you. And here we are 2000 odd years
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  later, still doing this work. And one of the great benefits of
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  reading through the Old Testament books like Joshua is
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  when you come to that little list of places where people are
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  from that used to seem so scary. Boy oh boy, it seems like a walk
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  in the park now compared to some of those lists that we've had to
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  go through in the Old Testament. So we will breeze through that
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  as I say that. But I might be pausing and re
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  recording and pausing and practising, we'll see.
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  But from your perspective, it's just going to sound like it's
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  flowing off the tip of my tongue.
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  Ah, clever me. Not at all Clever technology
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  that makes it all so smooth. All right, friends, let us hear
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  about the church being born. Holy Spirit, as you come in this
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  reading, Come to us now as we hear your word.
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  Shape us, teach us, and let us know you better and better so
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  you can point to Jesus. All right, friends, let's read
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  together Acts chapter 2. On the day of Pentecost, all the
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  believers were meeting together in one place.
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  Suddenly there was a sound from heaven, like the roaring of a
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  mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were
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  sitting. Then what looked like flames or
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  tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them, and
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  everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began
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  speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them this
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  ability. At that time, there were devout
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  Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem.
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  When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running and they
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  were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by
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  the believers. They were completely amazed.
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  How can this be? They exclaimed.
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  These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them
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  speaking in our own native languages.
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  Here we are Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from
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  Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontius, the province of Asia,
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  Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt and the areas of Libya around
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  Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism,
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  Cretans and Arabs. And we all hear these people
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  speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God
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  has done. They stood there amazed and
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  perplexed. What can this mean?
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  They asked each other. But others in the crowd
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  ridiculed them, saying they're just drunk, that's all.
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  Then Peter stepped forward with the 11 other apostles and
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  shouted to the crowd. Listen carefully, all of you,
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  fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem.
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  Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk as
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  some of you are assuming. 9:00 in the morning is much too early
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  for that. No, what you see was predicted
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  long ago by the prophet Joel. In the last days, God says, I
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  will pour out my spirit upon all people.
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  Your sons and daughters will prophecy, Your young men will
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  see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
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  In those days I will pour out my spirit even on my servants, men
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  and women alike, and they will prophecy.
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  And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the
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  earth below, blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
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  The sun will become dark and the moon will turn blood red before
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  that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
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  But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
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  People of Israel, listen. God publicly endorsed Jesus the
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  Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs
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  through him, as you well know. But God knew that would happen,
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  and his prearranged plan was carried out.
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  When Jesus was betrayed with the help of lawless Gentiles, you
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  nailed him to a cross and killed him.
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  But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him
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  back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
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  King David said this about him. I see that the Lord is always
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  with me. I will not be shaken, for He is
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  right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad and
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  my tongue shouts his praises. My body rests in hope, for you
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  will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy 1 to rot
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  in the grave. You have shown me the way of
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  life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.
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  Dear brothers, think about this. You can be sure that the
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  Patriarch David wasn't referring to himself, for he died and was
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  buried, and his tomb is still here among us.
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  But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an
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  oath that one of David's own descendants would sit on his
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  throne. David was looking into the
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  future and Speaking of the Messiah's resurrection.
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  He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or
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  allow his body to rot in the grave.
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  God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all the witnesses of
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  this now. He is exalted to the place of
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  highest honour in heaven at God's right hand.
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  And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy
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  Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear to day.
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  For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, the
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  Lord said to my Lord, sit in the place of honour at my right
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  hand, until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool
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  under your feet. So let everyone in Israel know
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  for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified
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  to be both Lord and Messiah. Peter's words pierced their
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  hearts and they said to him and to the other apostles, Brothers,
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  what should we do? Peter replied.
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  Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God and be
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  baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
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  your sins. Then you will receive the gift
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  of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, your
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  children, and to those far away, all who have been called by the
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  Lord our God. Then Peter continued preaching
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  for a long time, strongly urging all the listeners, Save
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  yourselves from this crooked generation.
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  Those who believed what Peter said were baptised and added to
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  the church that day, about 3000 in all, all the believers
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  devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to
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  fellowship, and to sharing in meals, including the Lord's
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  Supper, and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over
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  them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs
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  and wonders. And all the believers met
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  together in one place and shared everything they had.
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  They sold their property and possessions and shared the money
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  with those in need. They worshipped together at the
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  temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and
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  shared their meals with great joy and generosity, all the
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  while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.
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  And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were
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  being saved. Oh Lord, this is such a good
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  reminder that your church is your church.
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  It's not our church. We are members of your church,
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  and you invite us to be part of your mission of sharing your
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  good news. But this is your work, and your
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  spirit is alive and active, moving in your people to convict
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  them of your love for them. So Lord, I pray that with
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  humility we might put ourselves aside and focus on being
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  conduits of You and Your presence, Your Spirit and Your
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  work. It's not us, it's all You.
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  And we give you all the praise. And we thank you that you do
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  come and that you bring Your Spirit and that You are present
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  here with us each day as we go about day to day living our
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  lives. We are just so blown away by
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  Your love and Your presence and we thank You for it.
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  And we pray this in your name, Jesus, Amen.