Wait for the Promise of the Father

“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”-Acts 1:1-4 (ESV).

The book of the Acts of the Apostles has as its purpose to give a selective history of the early church and the spread of the gospel following Jesus resurrection. Its theme is the witness of those who received the Holy Spirit and were compelled to share the good news of Jesus Christ to all, beginning in Jerusalem. In the introduction, the “I” is believed by scholars to be Luke, author of Acts. who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. Both the Gospel of Luke and Acts are addressed to Theophilus, a name which means “friend of God.” Speculation about the unknown Theophilus holds that he might have been one who was in high political standing and was a benefactor of the apostles and the early church; other scholars hold that Theophilus was a generic term meaning, as the name implies, any who are friends of God. 

 

Luke himself is not mentioned either in his gospel or in Acts, but we learn about him in the three places Paul names him in his writings (Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11 and Philemon 24). He was present with Paul on occasion and he was a physician. The name Luke is Greek, and he wrote both his gospel and Acts in excellent Greek. The date usually accepted for the writing of Acts is about 70 to 80 AD. Luke’s knowledge of the Old Testament as often reflected in his writings. This shows that he was well acquainted with the Hebrew writings of the law, the prophets and the wisdom literature, and that he may have been first, before becoming a Christian, a Gentile convert to Judaism who regularly worshiped in a synagogue. Or, through study, he could have gained this knowledge after he became a Christian. Dr. John B. Polhill who wrote the study helps for Acts in the English Standard Version Study Bible (Crossways, 2008, p. 2077) states: “The book of Acts is a small anthology of individual literary genres. The list includes hero story, adventure story, travel story, conversion story, and miracle story. Drama also figures prominently; there are 32 speeches in Acts.” He notes that a common pattern is repeated throughout the Acts account of early church beginnings: (1) Christian leaders preach the gospel; (2) listeners hear, are converted, and are added to the church; (3) opponents begin to persecute Christians; (4) God intervenes to rescue leaders or to protect the church (Polhill, p. 2077). Acts is an exciting account of God’s work. It is fitting that, after the introduction, Luke tells of how the apostles are to “wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father.” Note name change from disciples (learners) to apostles (those who had been with Jesus and were sent on a mission). 

 

The “promise of the Father” for which the apostles were to wait was the Holy Spirit. They were to be “baptized” with the Spirit soon. Jesus had promised the disciples on many occasions that the Holy Spirit would come upon them and be in them (Greek paraclete—“walk beside”). One of the notable promises is found in John 14:16-17: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” In his post-resurrection appearances, and especially at his ascension, Jesus promised His disciples again that the Holy Spirit would come upon them. I can imagine the anticipation, the eagerness, with which the disciples awaited the “baptism” (or coming upon them) by the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had announced it (see Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16 and John 1:33).

It is significant that they waited for the promise of the Father, the imbuement of power by the Holy Spirit. To be “baptized” by the Spirit can be interpreted as being completely immersed by the Spirit, to have one’s life directed by Him and propelled forward by Him in the work God intends. The disciples did not have long to wait. On the Day of Pentecost the Spirit descended in their midst as Jesus had promised. In the meantime, there was the period of preparation, of expectantly waiting, and prayer. This pattern for receiving the promise of the Father has not changed: preparation, waiting, prayer. May we be faithful, even in these and may we wait expectantly for the Holy Spirit to guide us into the work Christ has called us to do. We sing, “There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place, and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord.” (Kurt Kaiser, c1962) May we recognize the Holy Spirit’s presence, follow His leadership. –Ethelene Dyer Jones 04.12.2015

Holy Week:–Sunday, the First Day of the Week-Resurrection!

“Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus Who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him. See, I have told you. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!” and they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” –Matthew 28:1-10 (ESV).

Not yet good light; the dawn was just breaking and shadows of darkness played about the garden tomb. Sorrow and fear walked with the two women, Mary Magdalene ‘and the other Mary,’ female disciples of Jesus, last at the tomb on Friday, first at the tomb on Sunday. They were afraid. I would have been too, going early before good day, and then being shaken by a reverberating earthquake! How strange to be greeted by such shaking and clattering of the earth. And fear overtook them again, for seated there upon the great gravestone was an extraterrestrial being whose garments glowed in the half-light like lightning. Even the strong, burly Roman guards lay on the ground, out cold, like dead men!

But when the angel spoke, for by now the women realized the person meant them only good and not harm, they listened, for his message reechoed what Jesus Himself had told them before He died: “Fear not!...He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.” And with that I can imagine that the angel stepped aside, inviting Mary Magdalene and Mary to step up to the tomb and look in.

Matthew does not give these details, but accounts of the resurrection in other gospels tell us that the grave clothes lay there on the rock ledge where the body had been—as though the corpse of Jesus, now alive, had just escaped from them and left the clothes lying in the tomb. And folded, the napkin, or handkerchief, that had covered Jesus’ face was placed neatly to the side. Even this had significance. Scholars tell us that if a napkin were folded instead of being “wadded” up, it indicated that the person would be back again. This did not mean for Jesus to come back into the tomb and to death, but to the earth again! With all the excitement of the angel’s message, the women would not have had time to give more than a cursory glance into the tomb. But later, they would remember an important aspect of the neatly-folded napkin: It lay folded in readiness, a sign that the Master would be back again; He had not gone far away.

Listen, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the angel has directions for you, an important errand for you to run: “”Go quickly and tell His disciples He has risen from the dead! Tell them to go to Galilee; there He will meet them!” What joy, what delight! The Marys did not need their urns of burial ointment and spices they had so lovingly brought to embalm the body. No dead body was there to receive the embalming.

They left the garden grave, excited and exulting that they had such a message to give to the disciples! And as they rushed through the garden, behold, Jesus Himself met them and said, “Greetings!” There was no mistaking that voice! No one ever spake like Jesus speaks. They fell to His feet, worshiping Him! But He, like the angel, had a message for them to bear, “Go! Tell My disciples that I am alive. I will meet them in Galilee! Do not be afraid!”

Each of the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection is slightly different. We are not to wonder at the different approaches four different writers took to recount this most marvelous of occasions—Jesus rising from the dead! It is the central truth of the gospel story, the Word, the Lord, alive and victorious, as He had said. For my edification and amazement, I am reading each account today, allowing the Holy Spirit to teach me all facets and views of the great truths of the resurrection accounts in Matthew 28:1-10: in Mark 16:1-11; in Luke 24:1-12; and in John 20:1-18. I pray that you, dear reader, will take the time to do the same. Because Christ is victorious over death, we, too, know assuredly that death is not the end, that the soul is quickened to new life. “O grave, where is thy victory? O death, where is they sting?” (I Corinthians 15:55, KJV).

Matthew records Mary Magdalene and the other Mary meeting the angel and being greeted by the living Lord. Mark records three women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bringing spices and hearing the news from ‘a young man dressed in a white robe.” Mark later records His appearance to Mary Magdalene. In Luke’s account, they (meaning the women mentioned being last at the tomb on Friday) came with prepared spices to find the stone rolled away and a man in dazzling apparel giving them the news of the risen Christ. Luke identifies these women as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and “the other women” (Luke 24:10). But when the women told the disciples, they didn’t believe. Peter himself went and saw the grave clothes as the women had said. He had to see for himself. Then he marveled at what had happened. In John’s account, Mary Magdalene went first, saw the tomb empty, and ran to tell Peter and ‘the other disciple’ (John). They rushed to the tomb, saw the grave clothes, the napkin folded neatly, and John “saw and believed” (v. 8). Peter and John returned to their homes, but Mary remained in the garden, and Christ appeared to her, calling her by name and asking her to go and tell His disciples that He was alive.

Many poems, songs and hymns, essays and books have been written about the resurrection. Myriad are the accounts of Jesus conquering death, not only that of the gospel writers, but many throughout the ages since. On Easter around the world Christians celebrate anew the glory of the cross where Jesus died and the majesty of the empty tomb where Jesus shed the bonds of death and rose victorious. Millions of voices on Easter proclaim the words of the gospel hymn written by Alfred H. Ackley (1887-1960):

“I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;

I know that He is living, whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.

He lives! He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way;

He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives: He lives within my heart!” --Ethelene Dyer Jones 04.05.2015

Shout Hosanna! Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” –Zechariah 9:9 (ESV). “Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.’”-Matthew 21:8-11 (ESV).

All four gospel writers record what we have come to term Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

You might like to read all four accounts in their entirety: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; and John 12:12-19. In Christendom, we call the observance “Palm Sunday,” marked by the triumphant waving of palm branches. On that day in Jerusalem the jubilant waving of palm branches and laying of cloaks in the path were outward acts declaring the people’s recognition of and submission to Jesus as King. Waving palm branches had been associated with important Jewish victories of the past. Imagine the tenor of the crowd as they anticipated that soon their long-expected Messiah would declare His rule and free them from Roman oppression.

Jesus rode on a donkey. That, too, had significant symbolism. One who rode in triumph on a lowly donkey brought peace—not war. Of the four gospel writers, Matthew is the only one who mentions two animals, both the donkey and her colt. We are not to see a problem here, but that both were brought by the disciples sent to get them. It is fitting to recognize that the donkey would have walked alongside her unbroken colt to give confidence to the young animal on whom no one had ever ridden. But Jesus rode on the foal. The shout of “Hosanna in the highest!” is from Psalm 118:25-26. The translation from the Hebrew (hoshiahna) is rendered “Save us!”: “Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.”

An atmosphere of celebration and jubilation was everywhere. Noted by the religious authorities whose critical watch was ever upon the prophet and healer—whom they termed an impostor—they commented on the commotion at the city gate: “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him” (John 9:19). When some of the Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke his disciples for the celebration and demonstration of loyalty their shouts and actions displayed, Jesus told them, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out!” (Luke 19:40). Jesus was referring to the words from Habakkuk 2:11: “For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.”

Those who cast palm branches and cloaks before Jesus and cried so fervently, “Hosanna in the highest!” so quickly turned against the King of King and Lord of Lords. Their cry became “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Let us view the triumphal entry in the earthly life of our Lord in the perspective of His purpose for coming to earth. He was, indeed, King of King and Lord of Lords—but not in the way anticipated. He was not just for the Jews to be declared their king alone and to establish His rule in the holy city of Jerusalem. He is indeed the righteous Messiah who would “save His people from their sins” (see Mark 8:31, Romans 5:6-8). His triumph as Christos, Saviour, Messiah, Emmanuel was His ultimate purpose: Not for the Jews but for everyone who will crown Him King! Not for an age, but for all ages! Not for an earthly dominion but for the glory of an eternal kingdom! Let us indeed shout “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” - Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.29.2015.

The Helper Promised and Present

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” -John 14:16 (NKJV) These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” –John 14: 25-16 (NKJV). “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth…He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” -John 16:7-8; 13-14 (NKJV).

Jesus knew his earthly time with his disciples was drawing to a close, that his death was imminent. Within the fifth discourse of Jesus given in the Gospel of John, Jesus draws his disciples aside and teaches them many things, reinforcing some He had previously taught, and giving them new promises. 

 

In this intimate discourse, Jesus assured the disciples that He was praying to the Father that He would send a Helper to them, One that would be with them forever. This presence was paraclete, the Greek word for “one Who walks beside,” the Comforter, the Helper. This third person of the Trinity has the power to indwell each believer and to make possible spiritual work of the highest magnitude in and through believers. The Spirit will be Teacher, helping the believer to study and understand the Word of God. The Spirit will stir up the gift of remembrance in the believer, so that when words for witnessing or teaching are needed, they will be brought to the mind of the believer. The Spirit will be Convictor, showing the world the condemnation of sin, and stirring those who will respond to turn to righteousness. He will guide believers into truth. But always He will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Helper is the third person of the Trinity, the Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that without the Spirit present in believers, they would not be able to function as His followers in a world gone awry with sin. We are to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), worship in the Spirit (Philippians 3:3), and witness in the Spirit (Acts 1:8). These references teach us a very important doctrine about the Holy Spirit. He works through believers in whom He lives. A very important true illustration of the Spirit at work is on the Day of Pentecost when Peter was empowered to preach and over 3,000 people were convicted of sin and accepted the new and glorious Truth of salvation through faith in Christ. One of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit is to enlighten us with God’s Truth. He is Teacher, but He is also Comforter, Helper, and Friend. He empowers us to do the work Jesus left for his followers to do.

“I will not leave you comfortless,” Jesus promised us in John 14:18. That Comforter comes in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity is hard to explain and much mystery surrounds it still. Although we can grasp in part the concept of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, one in Three, yet One God, monotheistic, because the persons of the Trinity are in complete harmony working to bring the highest of God’s created order to a restored relationship with God in whose image we are made. May we take time to consider the wonder, majesty and power of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and open anew our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit to convict, to judge, to empower, to comfort, to teach, to enlighten and to motivate.     Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.22.2015

Examine Your Motives in Good Deeds and Giving

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” –Matthew 6:1-4 (ESV).

Jesus taught much on the theme of living the Christian life in the real world. He warns that practicing righteous acts, giving to the needy and praying can, if the disciple is not careful, inadvertently or deliberately call attention to the doer so that he does these acts of Christian righteousness and piety to be seen of men and to receive praise from men.

He warns strongly against being hypocritical in behavior and in good deeds. Public acts of obedience are honorable, but if they are done merely to be seen of men, then there is no reward from the Father in heaven.

To be a hypocrite—pretending one is something he is not—uses the Greek word for “play-acting,” or wearing different masks, as on a stage, in order to be seen in the role of various characters. We can do the right thing for the wrong reasons, and thus be a hypocrite. The Pharisees were known for making public ado about their giving. This public show of their charity was the only reward for their giving, for the Father in heaven was certainly not pleased with their calling attention to their gifts and generosity. The only reward they will receive is the public acclaim they seek for their action.

“Let not your left hand know what your right hand does” is a metaphor for secrecy in giving. The best Jewish thought held to giving alms without boasting or making public what the gift was. In the Temple, alms boxes were placed strategically to provide charity gifts for widows and orphan children and other needs of the Jewish community. Most of the givers did not make a public outcry of how much they gave, and that was good. Those who tended to proclaim their generosity for the adulation of men were condemned by Jesus. Our motives for giving are always open to God. We should give from an open, generous heart, and that not for praise from our fellowman, or for bragging purposes of how much we gave. Now with our income tax returns requiring that we show proof of our gifts to charitable and authentic religious causes, we know that those who are accountants of such funds know what we give. As we say, “times have changed,” and we have to comply with the laws of our land. But even in our modern means of accounting for our gifts, we can still have a good conscience, one that does not seek adulation of men, but seeks the approval of God who looks on the heart and knows whether we give willingly and cheerfully.

Is our giving done in a loving and generous spirit, without calling attention to how good and caring we are by the gifts we render? - Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.15.2015

Prayer: In the Fellowship of God

“O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You, my soul thirsts for You, my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul shall be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips, when I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to You, Your right hand upholds me.” -Psalm 63:1-8 (ESV).

Often I awake in the morning with a Bible verse I have memorized going through my mind. Again I may awake with the words of a hymn and its tune filling my waking thoughts. This morning I awoke with the words of an old hymn going through my mind:

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,.Unuttered or expressed,

The motion of a hidden fire .That trembles in the breast.

I could have selected from many scriptures verses to go with the title of today’s devotional, “Prayer: In Fellowship with God.” I took my Bible concordance and traced several references on prayer, reading how saints of old prayed, and how our Lord went aside often in His earthly ministry to seek God, be refreshed and renewed and enjoy fellowship with the Father. And then I thought I came to a good understanding of why the words of the James Montgomery hymn had been in my mind when I awoke. “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire.” Sometimes it is unuttered; sometimes it is expressed. Always it is “the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast.”

I must admit I was disappointed that I could not find the hymn and its beautiful words in a current hymnbook, and because most of my “old” hymnbooks are still in the “house in the mountains,” I had to go online to satisfy my curiosity about the beautiful words James Montgomery (1771-1854) wrote so long ago and set to the “Camp Meeting” melody harmonized by Robert G. McCutchan.

Psalm 63 is David’s prayer as he was hiding out in the wilderness of Judah, seeking to escape Saul, jealous and vengeful, who wanted the life of the one anointed to be the next king of Israel. Someone has aptly stated that when we have no other way to turn, we turn to God in prayer. Prayer should not be just a “last-ditch effort” for any of us, although God welcomes and hears even our desperate pleas. Even though Psalm 63 is a Psalm of Lamentation, it is still rich in expressing the heart of prayer which is fellowship with God. The one who prays seeks God, thirsts for fellowship with Him, longs to be in His presence, and is rewarded by experiencing God and beholding His power and glory. The one who prays embraces God’s love and recognizes it as strong, steadfast, enduring. Fellowship with God satisfies as a needed meal satisfies a hungry body. It is wonderful to remember God when upon one’s bed and to experience the protection of His mighty wings. Prayer develops a special relationship between God and the one who frequently and constantly turns to Him in prayer: “My soul clings to God; God’s right hand upholds me!” Christians are very familiar with the Lord’s instructions that we ask in His name (John 14:13-14). James Montgomery ended his wonderful hymn with these words:

“O Thou, by whom we come to God, The Life, the Truth, the way:

The path of prayer Thyself hast trod; Lord, teach us how to pray!”

And Jesus did just that! He gave us the Lord’s Prayer. Will you pray it sincerely now?

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.08.2015

Praying through Pain

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground.” –Psalm 147:3-6. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart: I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33b (ESV).

In the world we meet many people who go through brokenheartedness, trials, tribulations. We ourselves may have burdens hard to bear. I see major significance in the writer of Psalm 147 saying in verse 3 that God ‘heals the brokenhearted, binds up their wounds.” And in the very next statement he tells that God “determines the number of the stars…gives all of them names.” God who is in charge of all creation, orders the stars and the heavenly bodies is the same one who stands to heal persons of whatever burden troubles them. The God of this vast universe is also the caring, healing God of the individual. He knows of all the stars in their courses, but he also knows all of us who suffer. He watches over all.

We enjoy a multitude of blessings that we do not deserve. We also suffer pain, some of which is probably deserved, and some of which may not be. Some are beset with terrible illnesses that oftentimes seem undeserved. We pray and some are relieved of suffering. We pray, and some must continue to bear the suffering. Why the difference? It is not for us to question why, but to bear with faith the pain and burdens we have. Jesus did not promise us that the way of the Christian would always be easy. In fact, He said in John 16:33 that “in the world you will have tribulation.” But He gave us the example of an overcomer: “Take heart, “ He said, “I have overcome the world.”

Sometimes God answers our prayers for relief, not by eliminating the pain, but by giving us strength and faith to overcome. A little girl fell and cut her eyelid badly. For some reason, the doctor felt it best not to give the child any anesthetic to stitch up the eyelid. He explained to her why and asked if she could be brave and not flinch as he “fixed” her eyelid. She said, “Yes. I can do that if my Daddy holds my hand.” And there was her Daddy, right beside her, holding her hand during the procedure. The little girl bravely bore the pain and did not flinch or cry.

Our Father God is wise, loving and tender. Like the little girl with her father, we can put our trust and dependence in God to see us through the pain and suffering we must bear. Even in the midst of pain, we can grow in strength and find victory through Him who helps us overcome. Selah!

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.01.2015