Luke 24:36-49 (NIV); reference Acts 2

36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Reflection:

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and told them to stay in the city. He promised them that, as they waited, they would be clothed with “power from on high.” What was it like to stay and wait? Did the disciples just sit around and do nothing? No, “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” (Acts 1:14) As they continued to meet together and pray day after day, the Holy Spirit came down powerfully at Pentecost, filling them and empowering them to speak the gospel in all different languages and thus doing things far above anything they could have imagined. As it was back then for the early church, it is the same in our churches today. We wait on the Lord as we meet together constantly. We pray as He leads us into His next steps on the sweet journey. As God enables His church with the Spirit, this is how we walk together without growing weary, run without falling and soar high as on eagles’ wings.

Response:

Let’s pray for each of the churches and the New York church plant. May we wait on the Lord and the Spirit’s filling and leading. Let’s pray that we will walk, run and soar relying on God’s strength and power. Let’s ask that God will use us, His church, to do greater things for His glory and kingdom.

Psalm 130 (NIV)

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Reflection:

Many times when we are utterly desperate, all we need is the smallest of hope. We are like the night watchmen who wait for the first glimmer of the morning light. And as certain as the rising sun, God always comes and lifts us up when we wait on Him. Because we have this assurance that God hears our cries, we have an unending hope even when our nights are dark and difficult. Our cries can be long, loud or urgent, and full of silent tears or relentless pain, but it is a guarantee that God will come to our rescue. The Spirit within us affirms that He is with us. Even when we think that our shameful sins may keep God away, He will still come to cover and wash us again and again. With Him, there is much forgiveness and unfailing love, unwavering hope and complete redemption.

Response:

With the hope and unfailing love that God has given to us, let’s pray for healing - for ourselves and others who are sick. Because He is attentive to our prayers, let’s persist in prayer believing and trusting that God will come and lift us up.

Isaiah 41:8-14; 18-20; Isaiah 66:19-24 (NIV)

8 “But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 “All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the LORD your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
14 Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
19 I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
20 so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

19 “I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the LORD. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels. 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the LORD.
22 “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

Reflection:

When we are waiting upon the Lord as His servants and friends, it is reassuringly good to know and believe that it is God who did everything and does everything. It is God who chose us and called us out from the ends of the earth. Because He is our God and is with us, He will strengthen us and help us. He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. He will turn our barrenness into fruitfulness. He will quench our thirsty and parched mouths so we can proclaim life to the lifeless ones and love to the unloved ones. Whenever our hearts are feeling dry and wasted, He will refresh our hearts so that we can proclaim Christ to the unsaved souls in the barren heights, deepened valleys and abandoned deserts. Not only does God help us with our troubles, but He strengthens us, so that many others will see, know, consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done everything and will do everything.

Response:

Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid of anything but take courage in everything. Let’s remember who God is. Let us lift up our hearts to the Lord. May our faith and hope be raised and may we praise the Lord. Wherever you are today, let’s take a moment and pray for the unsaved souls around us, so that they can know that the Lord is the powerful God, our Helper and Redeemer!

Isaiah 40:25-31 (NIV)

25 “To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Reflection:

Have you ever looked up at the clear night sky to see a multitude of shining stars? It is like a sparkling white blanket that stretches from one end to the other. With so many stars, does it matter if one star were not there? Would anyone notice or care? In our thoughts, nobody would notice or care. But to the One who created them one by one and called each one forth by name, it does matter and it does make a difference. God notices and He cares. Sometimes, we may feel like a tiny star – hidden, insignificant and alone in a myriad of others. But it is at these times that God reminds us of who He really is. “Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard?” God asks us. The Lord is the everlasting God and the Creator of all. He does not grow tired or weary. He gives strength to the weak ones like us. So, as we wait and hope in the Lord, we will soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary, and we will walk and not be faint.

Response:

Because of who He is, we can wait on Him. We can rest assured and put our hope in the Lord who renews our strength. Let us bring all of our weariness and lay them before the Lord. He will help us so that we will soar, run and walk as we wait on His strength and power.

Isaiah 40:1-24 (NIV)

Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever. ”
9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD,
or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
or showed him the path of understanding?
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.
18 With whom, then, will you compare God?
To what image will you liken him?
19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol that will not topple.
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

Reflection:

Seventy years is a very long time. It can encompass a whole lifetime, several generations and an entire era. It was especially long for the Israelites who had been taken captive and exiled to a foreign land. Feeling forgotten and abandoned by God, they were losing their identity, purpose and, most of all, hope. It was particularly hard because, in the midst of their troubles, they saw no end to their despair. Yet God, even before the start of the captivity, had already promised the end of their misery. “Comfort, comfort, my people” was God’s promise that came from the prophet Isaiah. God alone can come in power to forgive, restore and lead tenderly like a shepherd. As He sits enthroned above all rulers, princes or idols, we can wait on the Lord and trust in His enduring words of power and comfort.

Response:

When there seems to be no end to our troubles or pains, we look desperately for easy answers or rely on our own stamina or will power to get us through. But we can be assured that there is no one else like our God. Nothing compares to His love and comfort. As we wait on the Lord, let’s take hold of God’s enduring word that declares that “the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and He rules with a mighty arm.”

James 3: 3-12 (NIV)

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Matthew 15:10-11, 17-20(NIV)

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

Reflection:

If only it were as easy as washing our mouths out with soap. But Jesus clearly states that it is a matter of the heart – that’s where it all starts. And that is where God started with us – He gave us a brand new, totally regenerated heart, therefore the crucial battle has been won by Christ through the power of the Spirit. It is the Spirit who governs our hearts now so it’s not so much about “language” as it is about the intention of our hearts and lives. We can now use our very mouths – the words we speak – to bring fresh water and good fruit to bless others and advance the desires of God.

Response:

Let’s thank God that He makes it possible to build up others and advance God’s desires through our words. As we continue to experience the regeneration of our hearts, our words bring life to others. Let’s ask the Lord for even greater transformation, from the inside-out, so words of encouragement may overflow from our hearts and bless all who we interact with.

Romans 8: 1-17 (NIV)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Reflection:

How great it is to know that in Christ we are not condemned! But even greater than not being condemned is that we are truly forgiven by God. This forgiveness is the way of love that God has given to us in His Spirit. We are now governed by His Spirit and therefore our lives are now set on what the Spirit desires – life and peace. A misdeed would be not to forgive, but we are to put that misdeed to death and truly live! Our way of life now is one marked and motivated by the forgiveness of God. We no longer need to live in fear, rather love casts out that fear, so we now live in the forgiveness of God that came to us through the glory of Christ.

Response:

Let’s testify with the Spirit by forgiving each other as God in Christ has forgiven us. Let’s ask the Lord to give us discernment and to reveal any unforgiveness we may be harboring in our hearts. As we extend forgiveness, may we experience true freedom from the law of sin and death.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)

26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

Exodus 34:4-7 (NIV)

4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Psalm 103:8-12 (NIV)

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Reflection:

The Lord is compassionate and slow to anger. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. But the enemy of God is also our enemy. He will do anything to cast a dark shadow on the glory of Christ’s death and resurrection that has saved us from the anger and wrath of God. God’s enemy wants us to taste being treated or treating others as our sins deserve – anything to breed disunity and unforgiveness. There are certainly times to be appropriately angry according to God’s ways, but we are also to not stay angry because it will lead us to a sinful path.

Response:

Let’s be mindful that the enemy wants to divide God’s people, but let’s not allow him any opportunity to gain that foothold. Let’s ask God to extend His mercy toward us during those times when we become angry or feel mistreated, so that the devil will not gain a foothold in our hearts and our anger leads us toward sin. During those moments, may we come before the Lord and ask for His Spirit so our hearts may be changed.

Galatians 5:13-26 (NIV)

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Reflection:

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. This is the deep, immovable foundation – God has created us new and made us united with Christ. To “put on” is the fruit of the Spirit and not the result of what we make because we can’t. But our entire being, starting with our hearts, has been regenerated, and therefore we can now obey God, meaning we can now keep in step with the Spirit and put off falsehood.

Response:

Let us walk by the Spirit, believing and trusting that we are fundamentally new creations in Christ. Serving one another humbly in love is who we are and how we are meant to live. Let’s thank God for the gift of His Spirit and in faith embrace the freedom that we have been given to live this way.

1 John 4:9-17 (NLT)

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

Reflection:

We are called to live with the roots of our lives planted deep in the love of Christ for us. Being loved by Christ and knowing His love is the ground for becoming loving, and the root we put into that ground is the trust we put in His love. By His Spirit, we have come to know His love, and as we believe more and more in His love for us, love for one another and for others will grow and deepen.

Response:

May we consider the depth of Christ’s love for us – the cost, how little we deserve it, and all that we have received from His love. Let’s ask God to transform our hearts even more to receive and believe in this love – this love He demonstrated by sending His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Let’s also ask to be rooted in His love and so become more like Him.