The Holy Spirit reveals the darkness of people's inner souls.

July 20, 2013 - Acts 5:1-11

    ^1 1-2 But a man named Ananias—his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him—sold a piece of land, secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it.

   ^3-4 Peter said, “Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn’t lie to men but to God.”

   ^5-6 Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.

   ^7-8 Not more than three hours later, his wife, knowing nothing of what had happened, came in. Peter said, “Tell me, were you given this price for your field?”

   “Yes,” she said, “that price.”

   ^9-10 Peter responded, “What’s going on here that you connived to conspire against the Spirit of the Master? The men who buried your husband are at the door, and you’re next.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than she also fell down, dead. When the young men returned they found her body. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

   ¹¹ By this time the whole church and, in fact, everyone who heard of these things had a healthy respect for God. They knew God was not to be trifled with.

The Holy Spirit spoke to His people and people responded to sell their properties and share with other b/s. They had everything in common. Ananias and Sapphira might hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, but they responded by lying to the Spirit and to the congregation. They sold their property but offered part of it to the congregation, pretending to the Spirit that they had followed His voice. Peter, the apostle, heard the voice of the Holy Spirit directly, condemned Ananias for his lying to the Holy Spirit. Judgement from God occurred on him and he was dead before the congregation. Peter again heard the voice of the Holy Spirit, challenged Sapphira for her motives of selling the property, and again issued the words of judgment from God on her. She was dead as well before the congregation. God was fearful before the congregation as everybody knew that God was holy and His Name must not be abused. 

My dear Holy Spirit, You are the Spirit of truth. You lead us to experience truth and also reveal the darkness from human's inner souls. Speak to me as I follow your will to grow and to serve your people that I know how to live a life of holiness before you and also know how to restore b/s who may be trapped in sins. You desire to purify your people that they may become true witness for the Name of Jesus in this world of darkness.  

Proclaim Jesus as Lord with fearless confidence by the power of the Holy Spirit.

July 19, 2013 - Acts 4:23-37

    ^23-26 As soon as Peter and John were let go, they went to their friends and told them what the high priests and religious leaders had said. Hearing the report, they lifted their voices in a wonderful harmony in prayer: “Strong God, you made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. By the Holy Spirit you spoke through the mouth of your servant and our father, David:

   Why the big noise, nations?
Why the mean plots, peoples?
Earth’s leaders push for position,
Potentates meet for summit talks,
The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers!

   ^27-28 “For in fact they did meet—Herod and Pontius Pilate with nations and peoples, even Israel itself!—met in this very city to plot against your holy Son Jesus, the One you made Messiah, to carry out the plans you long ago set in motion.

   ^29-30 “And now they’re at it again! Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message, as you stretch out your hand to us in healings and miracles and wonders done in the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

   ³¹ While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence.

   ^32-33 The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.

   ^34-35 And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need.

   ^36-37 Joseph, called by the apostles “Barnabas” (which means “Son of Comfort”), a Levite born in Cyprus, sold a field that he owned, brought the money, and made an offering of it to the apostles.

In the midst of persecution, the people of God worshiped and prayed to God in one heart and one mind, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a spirit of timidity but of power of God. The apostles were empowered to preach Jesus with fearless confidence - even sacrificing their lives for Jesus was a honor and blessing to them. God continued to use the apostles to witness the Name of Jesus with signs of wonders, healing, and miracles. People of God saw the heavenly reality, moved by the Spirit to take care of other b/s in needs, and even sold all their belongings for providing other people's needs. They shared their material things in common. The heavenly reality was realized in the early church which was filled with the Holy Spirit. 

My Father God, we desire to be filled with Your Spirit of power and transformation. Give us fearless confidence and faith in our Master Jesus Christ who has been exalted. Let us rely on Your Spirit to proclaim the Name of Jesus with Your works of wonders, healing, and even miracles. Jesus is the Lord. Revive your church that we live out this heavenly reality that the world knows that Jesus is the only answer to the world's problems. 

Stand firm for Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

July 18, 2013 - Acts 4:1-22

  ^1 1-4 While Peter and John were addressing the people, the priests, the chief of the Temple police, and some Sadducees came up, indignant that these upstart apostles were instructing the people and proclaiming that the resurrection from the dead had taken place in Jesus. They arrested them and threw them in jail until morning, for by now it was late in the evening. But many of those who listened had already believed the Message—in round numbers about five thousand!

   ^5-7 The next day a meeting was called in Jerusalem. The rulers, religious leaders, religion scholars, Annas the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander—everybody who was anybody was there. They stood Peter and John in the middle of the room and grilled them: “Who put you in charge here? What business do you have doing this?”

   ^8-12 With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: “Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.”

   ^13-14 They couldn’t take their eyes off them—Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright—so healed!—what could they say against that?

   ^15-17 They sent them out of the room so they could work out a plan. They talked it over: “What can we do with these men? By now it’s known all over town that a miracle has occurred, and that they are behind it. There is no way we can refute that. But so that it doesn’t go any further, let’s silence them with threats so they won’t dare to use Jesus’ name ever again with anyone.”

   ^18-20 They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, “Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question—we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.”

   ^21-22 The religious leaders renewed their threats, but then released them. They couldn’t come up with a charge that would stick, that would keep them in jail. The people wouldn’t have stood for it—they were all praising God over what had happened. The man who had been miraculously healed was over forty years old.

Peter boldly preached the Name of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. The enemies were indignant with the people of God. Peter was put to jail and threatened not to preach the Name of Jesus Christ to others. Peter, by the power of the Holy Spirit, did not give in but more courageously witness Jesus before the opposition. There is no other name, except the Name of Jesus Christ, people can be saved. It's always right to listen to God rather than to people no matter how hard the persecution may be. Following the will of God and exalting the name of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, miracles happened again and again. The man who were crippled since his birth was healed, five thousands of people repented, the mouths of the enemies were shut as they found no way to stop the spreading of God's name, Peter was courageous enough to stand firm before the enemies. 

My Father God, you intend to exalt the name of Jesus Christ by the power of your Spirit. We are your witnesses and instruments. Let's submit and entrust ourselves to your leading, listening and relying on the Spirit to speak to us and to minister to people, exalting the name of Jesus Christ to people that our God can be glorified.  

The illumination and empowering of the Holy Spirit in our ministry.

July 17, 2013 - Acts 3:12-26

^12-16 When Peter saw he had a congregation, he addressed the people:

   “Oh, Israelites, why does this take you by such complete surprise, and why stare at us as if our power or piety made him walk? The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his Son Jesus. The very One that Pilate called innocent, you repudiated. You repudiated the Holy One, the Just One, and asked for a murderer in his place. You no sooner killed the Author of Life than God raised him from the dead—and we’re the witnesses. Faith in Jesus’ name put this man, whose condition you know so well, on his feet—yes, faith and nothing but faith put this man healed and whole right before your eyes.

   ^17-18 “And now, friends, I know you had no idea what you were doing when you killed Jesus, and neither did your leaders. But God, who through the preaching of all the prophets had said all along that his Messiah would be killed, knew exactly what you were doing and used it to fulfill his plans.

   ^19-23 “Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, ‘Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.’

   ^24-26 “All the prophets from Samuel on down said the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come. These prophets, along with the covenant God made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God’s covenant-word to Abraham provides the text: ‘By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil ways.”

Peter, being filled up by the Holy Spirit, healed the man who was crippled since his birth, and addressed the people as directed by the Holy Spirit. Peter preached with the Spirit to verify that Jesus the crucified was the one promised by God to their ancestors Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The Holy Spirit illuminated Peter to grasp the full meaning of the Scriptures that he never had before, and the Spirit also empowered Peter to powerfully preach to the inner souls of the audience and invite them to turn their faces to God. Understanding and preaching of the words of God are not merely based on intellectual human faculties but due to the powerful illumination and empowering of the Holy Spirit in Peter's ministry.

My dear Holy Spirit, I also deeply hunger for your works in my life, illuminating my mind that I can grasp the meaning of Your promises in your words, filling up my life with God's love and Jesus' image that I can witness Jesus as the Lord in my ministry. Pl. show me the signs of God's grace in my life that my faith can be strengthened and my way can be straightened as I faithfully follow Your will to glorify your name. 

Listen to the Holy Spirit - Minister to people in the Name of Jesus Christ.

July 16, 2013 - Acts 3:1-11

 ^1 1-5 One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Look here.” He looked up, expecting to get something from them.

   ^6-8 Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked.

   ^8-10 The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing.

   ¹¹ The man threw his arms around Peter and John, ecstatic. All the people ran up to where they were at Solomon’s Porch to see it for themselves.

Peter and John were on the way to the temple for worship and prayer meeting. As they prayed and entered the temple gate, they saw the man who were crippled since birth and the Holy Spirit spoke to them. The man asked an alms while the apostles heard from the Spirit that God would heal him through their hands. The crippled man expected to get some food or money from the apostles and didn't expect to see anything miraculous in his life. But Peter instantly healed his feet and ankles, pulling him up to even walk and jump. Jesus healed people as followed by Father's works; Peter healed the man who was crippled as listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Before the Day of Pentecost, the apostles followed Jesus, hearing from what Jesus said, and doing what Jesus did. After the Day of Pentecost, the apostles, being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, walking with the Holy Spirit, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and ministering to people by the power of the Holy Spirit. They spoke in tongues, understood the Scriptures, interpreted the Scriptures, preached the words of God, healed people's diseases as they continued to walk closely with the Holy Spirit, prayed to God and listened to His voice.

My dear Holy Spirit, You desire to fill up our hearts and speak to us in all circumstances that we follow according to your will and not to our flesh and men's intellect. Continue to draw me closely to my heavenly Father's love each day, listening to your voice and ministering to people as You lead and instruct. 

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit - God's words are illuminated.

July 15, 2013 - Acts 2:14-47

    ^14-21 That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:

   “In the Last Days,” God says,
“I will pour out my Spirit
   on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
   also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
   your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes,
   I’ll pour out my Spirit
On those who serve me, men and women both,
   and they’ll prophesy.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
   and signs on the earth below,
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
   the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Day of the Lord arrives,
   the Day tremendous and marvelous;
And whoever calls out for help
   to me, God, will be saved.”

   ^22-28 “Fellow Israelites, listen carefully to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man thoroughly accredited by God to you—the miracles and wonders and signs that God did through him are common knowledge—this Jesus, following the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God, was betrayed by men who took the law into their own hands, and was handed over to you. And you pinned him to a cross and killed him. But God untied the death ropes and raised him up. Death was no match for him. David said it all:

   I saw God before me for all time.
   Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
   I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.
I know you’ll never dump me in Hades;
   I’ll never even smell the stench of death.
You’ve got my feet on the life-path,
   with your face shining sun-joy all around.

   ^29-36 “Dear friends, let me be completely frank with you. Our ancestor David is dead and buried—his tomb is in plain sight today. But being also a prophet and knowing that God had solemnly sworn that a descendant of his would rule his kingdom, seeing far ahead, he talked of the resurrection of the Messiah—‘no trip to Hades, no stench of death.’ This Jesus, God raised up. And every one of us here is a witness to it. Then, raised to the heights at the right hand of God and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out the Spirit he had just received. That is what you see and hear. For David himself did not ascend to heaven, but he did say,

   God said to my Master, “Sit at my right hand
Until I make your enemies a stool for resting your feet.”

   “All Israel, then, know this: There’s no longer room for doubt—God made him Master and Messiah, this Jesus whom you killed on a cross.”

   ³⁷ Cut to the quick, those who were there listening asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers! Brothers! So now what do we do?”

   ^38-39 Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.”

   ⁴⁰ He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, “Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!”

   ^41-42 That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

   ^43-45 Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.

   ^46-47 They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter and other apostles experienced the down-pouring of the Holy Spirit. They experienced how the Holy Spirit spoke through them in various languages - the breathing (like strong wind) and the cleansing (like wildfire) of the Spirit. But that's not the end of the work of the Spirit - the Spirit led Peter to really understand the words of God and start preaching to the audience. Peter now understood what the prophecies of Joel, Psalms, and other Scriptures mentioned about Jesus. Jesus before the Day of Pentecost was meant to be their Master, but after the Day of Pentecost and with the illumination of the Spirit, Jesus was Christ the Messiah as explicated by various OT authors. Peter not only had correct interpretation of the Scriptures, his preaching was also powerful with the Holy Spirit in piercing the hearts of the audience. People's hearts were touched and yearning for repentance. 

My dear Holy Spirit, I also yearn for Your filling and illumination of God's words in my life. With your illumination, God's words become not dead letters but living words for me - words with life-giving power for changing my life and ministry. Life would not be the same anymore. Dear Heavenly Father, lavish your Holy Spirit on us and allow the Spirit speak to us with God's words in dreams, prophecies, visions, signs, wonders, miracles, according to the promise of the Heavenly Father that people know Your Name and Kingdom. 

Holy Spirit! Come on your people like strong wind and wildfire.

July 14, 2013 - Acts 2:1-13

    ^1 1-4 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

   ^5-11 There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

   Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
   Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
   Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!

   “They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”

   ¹² Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”

   ¹³ Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”

The Holy Spirit was poured out from God on the disciples unexpectedly on the Day of Pentecost as a fulfillment of the Abraham's Promise on the New Testament believers. The Holy Spirit was sounded like a strong wind; the Holy Spirit was like a wildfire which spread on the disciples. They spoke in tongues - the various languages of those pilgrims who were in Jerusalem; they praised God with various languages. People around them were puzzled as they never heard or seen this thing before. Without faith and experience of God, they couldn't figure out what and why happened, they joked on their behaviors and considered that the disciples were drunk. 

Dear Holy Spirit, I admit that though I know that You are the third Person of the Triune God, I don't know much about You. You indwell me but You have the sovereignty and will to do things according to God's will that is not under my prediction and control. But I believe that You are like strong wind - You desire to spread across Your church and breath life into Your people; You are like wildfire - You desire to baptize your people, cleanse them, and burn their hearts with holy passion for God. I can only humble myself before You, submitting to Your Lordship that You lead, and You fill up my heart with Your power, peace of Jesus, and the love of my heavenly Father to conquer my weakness and all kinds of sufferings, and to advance the Gospel and Kingdom of God.