The Book of Acts ~ Study Eight

"Alive and Active"


Acts 2:14-21 (NLT) Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
     ‘In the last days,’ God says,‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’


Peter responds to the people who called them "drunk" at nine in the morning and he did so with the eleven other disciples standing beside him united in the Holy Spirit. They stood unified. He knew it was important to direct the crowd's attention to the truth of what was happening. Standing on the Temple Mount, as people were just coming from the morning sacrifice, God's Holy Spirit descended into the followers of Jesus. Prophecy was fulfilled at this point and Peter quoted the passage from the Book of Joel. (Joel 2:28-32) 


I'm sure this scripture caught the attention of the faithful at the Shavuot (Pentecost) festival. They should have recognized the passage of Joel because it would have been something they had a learned in Hebrew School. It caught their attention and some probably realized that this prophecy was being fulfilled before their very eyes.


Peter had memorized this scripture and was now preaching to many from it. He had just graduated from his time in the Talmidim (students) of Rabbi (Teacher) Jeshua and his diploma was the Holy Spirit sealed within him. God's Holy Spirit gave him the words to say to the crowd gathered around them.


The words of scripture are not mere words. They are supernatural and are always active and accomplishing the will of God whether we realize it or not. It's important that followers of Jesus learn His Word. It equips us as we live out our lives in this world.


Psalm 119:105 (NLT)  Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.


God's Word illuminates the way God wants us to go. Without His words we walk in complete darkness. It's important to know God's Word.


Ephesians 6:17 (NLT)  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.


God's Word is our defense against the evil we encounter. Without knowing scripture we can find ourselves walking into danger. It's dangerous without the best sword for defense ~ God's Word.


Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.


God's Word is not trapped in the dust pages of a book lying on a shelf somewhere. It is "alive and powerful." Its sharper-than-razors edges cut quickly between the supernatural and the world. It divides evil from godly. It opens up and reveals what is real and what is fake. God's Word cuts away the useless information we build up in ourselves by living in this world and gives us clear direction if we are open to it.


How do you view God's Word? Is it alive and active? Have you felt the sharp edges of scripture that draws a straight line between good (His good) and evil? Do you understand the power at your fingertips?


Why do we often glaze over our need for the Bible? My daughter wrote a wonderful blog (I'm proud of her), about this very thing. pocaluzlittlelight.blogspot.com She writes, "The Bible is a nutritious, healthy, home-cooked meal that fills you up and gives you strength. You have to see it and read it for yourself to know what I'm taking about. The Bible is something SOLID. It's not an opinion, I dare say it's living fact. Its God-breathed or in simpler terms, God Inspired."


The Bible comes with a promise unlike any other book ever written. Peter quoted it in His sermon on Pentecost at the Temple. It is found in verse 21:"But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Saved from what? Saved from ourselves and this world that only promises that we will all die one day. God promises us new life now and eternal life always even after our human bodies die.


1 Peter 1:23-26 (NCV)  You have been born again, and this new life did not come from something that dies, but from something that cannot die. You were born again through God's living message that continues forever. The Scripture says, "All people are like the grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass dies and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord will live forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.


Knowing what God has to say is essential to a Believer's life. Without it we run on empty. It fills us up and nourishes us. It brings life and protects our hearts. Peter knew this and shared it with those listening to him that day. The results were that he set the record straight and brought people to Jesus.


Immerse yourself in God's Word. Write them on your heart and mind. Just like Moses told the Chosen to do many, many years ago: "Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NLT)

God's Word is active and living.

Make it part of your life.