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Speaking the Word of God with Boldness
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness
Acts of the Apostles 4:29 NIV

The Believers Pray for Boldness
- DO YOU?
- How do YOU ACT Confidently in Christ Jesus?
παρρησία – parrēsia

Now as they observed the confidence^G3954 of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
Acts of the Apostles 4:13 NASB20 – Reaction of the rulers and elders of the people to Peter preaching at Solomon’s Portico, filled with the Holy Spirit

Luke’s account of events in Jerusalem has already revealed boldness in the Apostles not seen before Pentecost.

(Of course if YOU had seen the RISEN Crucified Christ Jesus in His flesh and received the HOLY SPIRIT in Jerusalem’s upper room, YOU would have had some added confidence as well.)
- Invite the Holy Spirit of God and Christ Jesus into your life; and then boldly ACT for Him.
By what power? Political prowess by the powers that be

After having been arrested, imprisoned overnight and then released, Peter, John and the Apostles will continue to preach with boldness.

ACTS of Confidence and Boldness

ACTS of Jerusalem’s First Century Believers 4:
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The believers continue to lift their voices together with the Apostles to God:
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30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
ACTS of the Believers in Jerusalem 4:31 NIV

Where will 21st. Century Christians find such BOLDNESS?

Christian confidence seems hard to come by in this world opposed to GOD and Jesus Christ, doesn’t it?

The Apostles and many first century saints who became their disciples gained such boldness because they knew Jesus Christ personally.

And like us, first century believers receiving the Holy Spirit came to know Christ through the Holy Spirit. New believers met the Apostles as living witnesses, God’s anointed shepherds of Christ’s living Church.

ALL feared God and basked in the light of Christ’s grace and unfailing eternal love.
Roger@TalkofJESUS.com

παρρησία – Strong’s G3954 parrēsia
- all out-spokenness, i.e. frankness, bluntness, publicity; by implication, assurance:—bold (X -ly, -ness, -ness of speech), confidence, × freely, × openly, × plainly(-ness).
1. freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech
  1. openly, frankly, i.e. without concealment
  2. without ambiguity or circumlocution
  3. without the use of figures and comparisons
2. free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance
3. the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity
Conspicuous Confidence of Christian Witness

The fear of their Messiah in the flesh and blood always infected the multitudes who surrounded Jesus, along with recognition of God’s love in His Person.

The Apostle John tells us in his Gospel:

And there was a great deal of talk about Him in secret among the crowds: some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He is misleading the people.”
However, no one was speaking openly [G3954] about Him, for fear of the Jews.
So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this man not the one whom they are seeking to kill? And yet look, He is speaking publicly [G3954] , and they are saying nothing to Him.
Gospel of John 7:12-13, 25-26a NASB + talk of JESUS at the Feast of the Booths in Jerusalem

And just two months earlier in Jerusalem, at Jesus’ trial (when Peter cowered secretly beyond the gaze of official witness by the powers that be who cross-examined Jesus):

The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching.
Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly G3954 to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple area, where all the Jews congregate; and I said nothing in secret.
Gospel of John 18:19-20 NASB + True testimony of Jesus before the Jewish High Court prior to the Passover Sacrifice

This is Annas, the same High Priest who now recognizes Peter and John as Jesus’s Disciples.

More Miracles and Boldness
- ACTS 2:2 And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
- 2:3 And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them.
- 3:8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them..
- 4:4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
- 4:13b-14 ..they [Annas, the High Priests and ruling Council] were amazed, and began to recognize them [Peter and John] as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.
  - 22 for the man on whom this miracle of healing had been performed was more than forty years old.
- 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken,
- and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
- 4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
  - and abundant grace was upon them all.
  - 34-35 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each to the extent that any had need.
A Witness of Grace by the saints

Five thousand disciples of the Apostles of Christ SPEAK the word of God with much BOLDNESS!

These confident new Christians share Christ’s love as a community of faith in Jerusalem SHARING all blessings of the Lord God as if their money is not their own, but solely the LORD’S. And the saints, disciples learning of Christ JESUS from the APOSTLES trusted them completely with EVERYTHING.

From his introduction to the church in Jerusalem in second account, next Luke will insert a caution to believers about NOT being ‘ALL IN.’ But for our conclusion noting these ACTS of BOLDNESS we will proceed just a little ahead in Luke’s list of signs and boldness of ALL.

Returning to Solomon’s Portico

Preaching from Herod’s Porch

We’ve been there before; but Peter & John, who had stirred the crowds with a healed lame man at their sides, were NOT supposed to come back.

Acts 5:

The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.

ACTS of the Apostles 5:12 NIV

Why does the NIV translate this in the past tense?

5:12 διὰ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγίνετο σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα πολλὰ ἐν τῷ λαῷ καὶ ἦσαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἅπαντες ἐν τῇ Στοᾷ Σολομῶντος

Luke wrote ACTS of the Apostles about three decades after these signs in the Temple.

AD 44 Judaea is annexed as a Roman province after the death of Herod Agrippa.

Luke’s readers may not have seen the temple prior to it’s destruction.

Opposition to our Boldness

Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared to join them, but the people spoke well of them.
Acts 5:12-13 CSB

The NASB states:

But none of the rest dared to associate with them
Acts 5:13A NASB20

‘WHY NOT,’ Luke’s readers must have wondered?

Do you ever feel like the crowds do NOT want to associate with you once you boldly claim faith in Jesus Christ?

14 Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers—multitudes of both men and women. As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
ACTS 5:14-15 CSB

Luke tells us that these accompanying signs of miracles from God also occurred in towns surrounding Jerusalem as well. But of course, ALL of this had taken place prior to Rome completely eliminating any threat of these Judean Jews.

Luke then makes the opposition to Christian boldness in Jerusalem apparent to any now persecuted by Rome. Once again, the powers that be in JERUSALEM meet to reign in the boldness of these ‘Galileans.’

Their persecution of these BOLD opponents begins

Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
ACTS of the Apostles 5:17-18 NIV

Arrested AGAIN!
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To be continued...
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November 29, 2021
We are Beggars in the House of God
Begging for Blessing

You may have had a beggar at your door recently. My new neighbor asked me if he should expect any ‘trick or treaters’ invading our neighborhood. Probably not, I responded. We generally have sweets here for ourselves that I could give away to a beggar, I assured. But he thought it might be best to go out and buy some treats just in case.

My neighbor then left to buy some sweets so as to not disappoint some little child at his door expecting a blessing.

ACTS of Simon Peter

Building a New Synagogue of Simon – שִׁמְעוֹן

Continuing in Jerusalem from where we last left Peter:

You may ask what my neighbor buying a treat to bless some little beggar at his door has to do with Peter and the Apostles as they enter into the gates and public courtyards of the Temple in Jerusalem.

I can think of more than one parallel to our 21st century walk as disciples of Jesus Christ.

So as we resume our journey with Simon Peter in Acts of the Apostles, don’t miss the Apostles’ hearts of graciousness accompanying the powerful signs of the Holy Spirit continuing to attract crowds to yet another sermon by Peter.

Acts of the Apostles

What has happened so far?

Miracles, Wonders & Signs: Peter’s Amazing Answer

Luke’s account begins with a brief look back at his first account, the Gospel.
- To these [the Apostles] He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days.. – Acts 1:3a
- [The risen Christ Jesus had assured them] “..but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
The Apostle Simon Peter has already preached to the crowds:
- Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (a group of about 120 people was there together) [in an upper room in Jerusalem]. – Acts 1:15b
- And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. – Acts 2:2
- .. they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different [languages], as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.. [Those in the crowds of Jerusalem were amazed and asked each other] And how is it that we each hear them in our own [dialect in] which we were born? – Acts 2:4,7,8 excerpt
- But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, [preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit from Old Testament scripture]:
And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
Acts 2:14a, 17a – Simon Peter preaching to the crowds of Pentecost in Jerusalem from the prophet Joel
- [Simon tells the crowds: ] ..he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. It is this Jesus whom God raised up, a fact to which we are all witnesses. – Acts 2:32
.. the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear.

Into this context and setting in first century Jerusalem we continue with Simon Peter and the Eleven as they obediently have remained in Jerusalem and the church continues to grow.
Be saved from this perverse generation!

Peter said to them,
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

44 And all the believers were together
and had all things in common;
45 and they would sell their property and possessions
and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need.
46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and
having favor with all the people.

HERE ARE SINNERS REPENTANT, BLESSING EACH OTHER AND OTHERS — DAILY — IN WORSHIP AND COMMUNITY.

THIS is the WITNESS OF THE CHURCH to ALL who encounter them, THAT, an evidence and sign in itself.

And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
ACTS of the apostles 2:47b

A Beggar at the Temple Door

ACTS 3:

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

The Day of Pentecost is past and three thousand souls have been worshiping day by day with the Apostles.
And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple
What will be the next ACT of the Apostles Peter and John?

Christian Witness with an Everyday Beggar

Imagine it — this is no child at your door, a costumed beggar charming you out of some candy.

NO, these desperate men of no means were as familiar at the entrances and exits of the public places as defeated men by the highway having no place to go with temporary signs – beggars asking alms of ANY who might help the invisible poor.

Yet Luke reveals that this beggar must had friends. They carried him to the place of worship daily. Or perhaps these men were part of his family who relied on his help by generated mercy of others.

The crowds who passed him by knew who he was; NOT a child, but a man handicapped from birth. No fault of his, but what could they do?

And mostly, their alms on occasion made them feel a little better about their own charity to him.
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Note: Peter and John do not simply give the man something (or look away from him and move on, but the Apostles engage this beggar in conversation of lasting consequence.
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Peter and John had witnessed the power of Jesus’ compassion

Luke 10:

The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; but the one who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

Now the seventy-two returned with joy, saying,

“Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!”

Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see..

Eternal Life

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

26 He said unto him, What is written in the law?

Jesus engages the man in conversation, meaningful conversation which the Lord illustrates with the now familiar to us parable of the Good Samaritan. (Remember, Judeans did not particularly like the Jews from Samaria and those from other distant states or regions.)

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers..
But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.”
Gospel of Luke 10:30b,33 CSB + Jesus addressing the question: ‘Who is my neighbor?’

This man who was robbed on his journey to Jericho was no beggar. But Jesus points out that he certainly needs help.

Jesus asks, ‘Which of the the three helped the man;’ that is, ‘who was his neighbor’?

The Apostles knew both the parable and the accompanying miracles. Seventy-two disciples of Jesus had just worked many miracles when the lawyer had asked what to do to inherit eternal life.
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Returning now to Peter and John headed to the temple for worship:
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Peter’s ACT of compassion

Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms.
Acts of the Apostles 3:3 RSV

And Peter directed his gaze at him, with John, and said, “Look at us.”

The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money.

But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you:
Acts of the Apostles 3:6a NASB20

Do you suppose the two-way conversation between the eyes of the lame beggar and Peter continues in intense anticipation here?

You are the beggar at the door and the man says ‘I have no money.’

Peter is a neighbor who has gone out of his way to give a sweet blessing to this poor man…

So many do little or just pass by.. YOU lay there HELPLESS still.. you, a poor lame beggar.

Yet Peter and John continue with their own intense and compassionate stares…

They ACT personally, as if the two are alone in their transaction..

Then the man who has NOT passed by you, helpless at the gate of the place of worship continues:

In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!”
The command of Peter: Acts 3:6b

Peter had witnessed Jesus Christ the Nazarene make a man walk!

And Simon Peter had touched and seen the Lord’s hands and feet which had been nailed to a Cross!

Peter and John had a commission from Christ to build His church once receiving the Holy Spirit.

Yet another sign of the Holy Spirit

With John at his side, as they had both been observers of Jesus healing a man like this lowered by friends into a room full of Jews listening to Jesus preach, Peter now reaches down to the man near the crowds before him:

And grasping him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.
Act of Peter reaching down to a man lame from birth + Acts 3:7

Recalling Christ’s Authority to Heal

Luke 5:

Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s…

But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying,

“Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” ..

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.”

When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

This had been three years ago. Since then, Peter and John have seen MANY more miraculous things — unexplainable signs from God — ACTS of Jesus’ power and authority over men and creation.
- While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And He reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
- One day He was teaching, and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.
Simon Peter and John had witnessed the power of God through Jesus many times.

A Beggar Worshiping with the Apostles

And leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
And all the people saw him walking and praising God; and they recognized him as being the very one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg for charitable gifts, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Acts of the Apostles 3:8-10 NASB

The very sight of this crippled man everyone knew LEAPING UP must have taken away the breath of those who witnessed this great sign!
- REMEMBER the lame man lowered by his friends into a crowded room so that Jesus could heal him?
- What was it the Lord had said?
And seeing their faith, He said,
“Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” .. “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
Gospel of Luke 5:20, 24b NASB + Jesus commanding a Lame man to walk

Peter and John saw a beggar’s faith

And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
Acts of the Apostles 3:11 Authorized Version

Friend, your sins are forgiven you, or at least they could be — IF only you would come to the Lord Jesus Christ.

For by our admitted failings, like Peter, we are all sinful men and sinful women.

In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!”
The command of Peter: Acts 3:6b

Won’t you walk on in witness in the name of Jesus Christ beside John and Simon Peter and the Apostles? For they were, after all, just sinners like you and like me.

ALL are beggars before the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will greet us at the gate.
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NEXT: Simon Peter walks to Solomon's Portico to preach to the crowds
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November 3, 2021
Be saved from this perverse generation!
And the people stood by, watching. And even the rulers were sneering [G1592] at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”
Gospel of Luke 23:35 NASB20 – The Perverse witness of Jesus suffering on a Cross sacrificed for the sins of the world

Do perverse leaders not manipulate the crowds of every generation?

Not everyone had ears to hear Peter on Pentecost, nor were all touched by the Holy Spirit.

Public trials and crucifixions of the first century included a mocking of criminals, a public perversion of the LORD’s mercy for the Jews, theatre for the mobs at the expense of the marginalized. (Certainly media for the multitudes is no different today.)

Some Jews coming to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost spoke of Peter with similarly sneering questions like those they had formerly asked Jesus or mocked Him at the Cross.

WHY is this Galilean preaching about that supposed King Jesus the Nazarene we crucified on a cross just two months ago?

Luke has already told us about the motives of these men in his Gospel about Jesus, the Christ.

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were ridiculing G1592 Him. And He said to them,
“You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts; because that which is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the sight of God.”
Luke 16:14-15 NASB20 – following Jesus’ parable about ‘The Unrighteous Manager’ –

Peter would have previously witnessed opposition by these religious men to teaching of their promised Messiah Jesus. Some of these same religious men present this Pentecost had won political followers by their perverse sense of justice at the Cross of Jesus.

The Heart-piercing POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT!

Peter Preaches to Jerusalem’s Crowds

ACTS of the Apostles 2:

¿Cómo, pues, les oímos nosotros hablar cada uno en nuestra lengua en la que hemos nacido?
Hechos 2 :: Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR60)
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ACTS 2:
1550 Stephanus New Testament; Arabic Bible: Easy-to-Read Version حُلُولُ الرُّوحِ القُدُس; Revised Chinese Union Version (Simplified Script) Shen Edition; Hindi Bible: Easy-to-Read Version
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“How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language?
Acts of the Apostles 2:8 CSB

but others were mocking..
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ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΩΝ 2
SBL Greek New Testament
Biblia Sacra Vulgata
King James Version
מעשי השליחים Habrit Hakhadasha/Haderekh
ACTS 2:13

ἕτεροι δὲ διαχλευάζοντες ἔλεγον ὅτι γλεύκους μεμεστωμένοι εἰσίν
alii autem inridentes dicebant quia musto pleni sunt isti
Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
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13 אולם בקרב הקהל היו גם כאלה שלעגו: “הם סתם שיכורים!”

WAIT! Did you get that?
- “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? – Acts 2:7b CSB
- “How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? – Acts 2:8 CSB
- They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean? ” – Acts 2:12 CSB
- But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.” – Acts 2:13 CSB
SOME got it AND some did NOT.

Those with ears to hear were ‘pierced to the heart’ [v.37] AND some stiff-necked leaders simply mocked the Apostles [v.13] as they had the Lord, Christ Jesus.

A Perverse Generation Misses the Point

Those who turn their backs on the Spirit sneer at God’s punishment for sin.

Peter had preached of David:

.. he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay.
Acts 2:31 NASB20

Yet the scoffers would neither see the signs, hear the Spirit nor listen to the truth of Scripture. These always make excuses for their own perversity against the righteousness of the Lord.

Peter said to them, “Repent..

Many did, yet those who sneer at God refuse to be convicted by abandonment to Hell and Death.

And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
Appeal of the Apostle Peter to those who will repent – Acts of the Apostles 2:20

σκολιός –
- Outline of Biblical Usage Strong’s G4646 – skolios
- crooked, curved
- metaph. perverse, wicked
- unfair, surly, froward [that is: habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition {source: Merriam-Webster]
Strong’s Definitions σκολιός skoliós, skol-ee-os’; from the base of G4628; warped, i.e. winding; figuratively, perverse:—crooked, froward, untoward [that is: Improper; unseemly; Unfavorable or adverse; Froward; perverse {source: ibid}]

Can you think of any of THIS GENERATION who are like THAT?

See the description [above] of a generation against whom the Peter warned when the Apostle exhorted those of his first century listeners to REPENT and

“Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Acts of the Apostles 2:40b KJV

How would YOU respond to Peter’s sermon?

ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΩΝ 2 [ACTS 2:]

‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND..’

And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
ACTS of the Apostles 2:21 NASB

‘This Man Jesus..’

.. this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him from the dead, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
ACTS 2:24-25 – The Apostle Peter preaching of Jesus’ death in the flesh and resurrection of His body!

Therefore, since He has been exalted..

.. He has poured out this which you both see and hear.

ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE WHO WOULD NOW ASK THE APOSTLES WHAT TO DO?

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
ACTS of the Apostles 2:38-39 NASB

Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2:40 New Living Translation

ARE YOU ONE WITH EARS TO LISTEN TO PETER’S CONTINUED PLEA?

For surely we are a generation nearer THE END of these last days.

AGAIN, when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” And they did what Peter and the Apostles taught them to do.

TO A GENERATION NEARER THE END OF THESE LAST DAYS?

So then, those who had received his word were baptized;
and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
ACTS of the Apostles 2:41-42 NASB

Do YOU ‘devote’ your ‘self’ to ‘the Apostles teaching‘ OR to hours lost to sin in a perverse 21st century generation of these ‘last days?’
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To be continued...
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October 21, 2021