A Burning Dove

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 2:3

A Burning Dove

by Robert T. Cooper

So there was this wind sound that filled the whole house. Now, there were 120 adult men there, not counting the women and under 13’s. So don’t go thinking house. Not even the wealthiest residents of Jerusalem had a personal abode like that. Think meeting hall. But the point of the sound filling the entire structure is to indicate that no person present failed to hear the sound.

So when we get to verse 3, we find that all saw this phenomenon. It seemed to be flickers of flame like one would see burning on the wick of a candle. So we have this additional metaphor going: a sound and a flame.

So everyone hears the sound and everyone sees the flickers which divide in such a way that there is a separate flicker that comes to rest on each one present. The traditional way of visualizing this is to imagine flames like each person was a candle with a wick coming out of the top of each person’s head.

Interestingly, we are not told how long this phenomenon lasted. Surely the image was gone by the time anyone outside the room heard what happened next. (We’ll get to that another time.)

Now, compare this with the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at the Savior’s baptism. In that case, the Spirit descended in a form that gave one an impression of something similar to a dove. The text does not say that an actual bird flew down and sat on Jesus. It says that the Spirit descended like a dove.

If this is the exact same Holy Spirit, why was the image like a dove in one case and like tongues of fire in the other case? One possible answer is that the Holy Spirit was marking Jesus to be Isaiah’s prophecies Prince of Peace, while He was marking the 120+ as being on fire for God.

Remember that Jesus said the Apostles (and others present at that time) would have power when the Holy Spirit came on them. So when the Holy Spirit came to rest on each one, it was in order to fuel the witness of each believer as the Gospel began to be carried to the uttermost part of the world.

Today the Holy Spirit comes to indwell each person who places his or her faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He is the source of our peace that passes understanding. He is the source of our power to witness to our community and beyond. He is like a burning dove. Let’s make sure we don’t quench the Spirit.

What are some other metaphors for the Holy Spirit? Also, please share with us some times the Holy Spirit gave you peace or empowered your witness.

More Than One Might Guess

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                Acts 1:21 – 22

More Than One Might Guess

by Robert T. Cooper

If you study the Bible for very long, you quickly come to understand that the biblical writers under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit did not record every detail of every incident. Modern writers are mostly careful to give plenty of details in every scene, particularly if one of those details is going to matter later in the story. That is simply not the case in the Bible. Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Let’s start with the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. And let’s look at it particularly from the perspective of the Gospel of Luke, since Luke is the one who also wrote the book of Acts. Luke says that when “all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized too. But Jesus hasn’t been tempted yet. He hasn’t begun His public ministry yet. He hasn’t selected His apostles yet. The women aren’t yet following Him, not that Luke will quickly get around to mentioning them either.

Comparing Luke’s Gospel with John’s, the first two men who would eventually become apostles didn’t start following Jesus until the next time John the Baptist saw Jesus after His baptism.

For the second example, let us consider Luke’s account of the Ascension. The way the Gospel tells that incident, Jesus has just appeared to the apostles (plus Cleopas and Cleopas’ companion) on what we would call Easter Sunday night. We learn elsewhere that Thomas was not with the other 10 apostles that night. The very next thing Luke tells in his Gospel is that Jesus took this group out to the vicinity of Bethany for His Ascension.

The book of Acts begins with the Ascension. In this case, Luke only indicates that Jesus took the apostles (presumably the Eleven) to the Mount of Olives. It was there that He ascended.

Having laid all of that groundwork, let’s look at what Peter says later in Acts 1.

Acts 1:21 – 22 NIV

²¹Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²²beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

Acts 1:21 – 22 NIV

They were going to select someone to replace Judas as an apostle so there would once again be Twelve. To qualify to be a candidate, this person would have to have been with the apostles the entire 3½ years of Jesus’ ministry, just like the Eleven. The candidates would have to have been there for everything from Jesus’ baptism to the Ascension.

What does this mean? It means that all of the original Twelve, the two who were nominated to replace Judas, and presumably some others were present at Jesus’ baptism. It means that the two who were nominated to replace Judas, and presumably some others, were present at the Ascension. It means that the two who were nominated to replace Judas, and presumably some others, were present during virtually the entire ministry of Jesus between His baptism and His ascension, particularly for the post-Resurrection appearances.

Now tell me. When you were reading the Gospels, did you pick up that Matthias and Barsabbas were present at most all of those events? Did you pick up that there were others besides these two who were present at most all of those events? Did you even pick up that the ten besides Andrew and John were present at Jesus’ baptism? I confess I didn’t.

So when you are reading the Bible, understand that we are not getting all the details we would expect from a modern author. But understand that by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit we are getting everything we need to know for a proper spiritual understanding of what God is saying to us. Thanks be to God!

Which of these things have occurred to you previously? Which were new ideas to you? Do you indeed have confidence that God is communicating to you all you need to understand for your spiritual benefit? I look forward to reading your comments.

Two or More Ways of Seeing Something

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                        Acts 1:18

Two or More Ways of Seeing Something

by Robert T. Cooper

I was recently looking at a book that included the optical illusion involving a black and white line drawing that can be seen as a young woman if looked at one way or can be seen as an older woman if looked at another way. Most people have seen similar optical illusions. One simply has to change one’s focus and the way in which one organizes what is being seen.

It is something like a policeman getting the stories of several eyewitnesses. No two stories will totally match, but all will contribute to the truth of what really happened. It can even be the same if a single person tells more than once something that happened. The details will vary, but it is possible to harmonize the stories.

There is a story of a teacher who had four students who missed a test. The four insisted they had been headed to the test on time, but their car had a flat tire. Something about the situation made the teacher suspicious, but the teacher agreed to give them all a one-question make-up exam. The teacher had them sit in the four corners of the room. Then the teacher told them what the one question on the make-up would be: “Which tire was it?”

In Acts 1:18, it is reported that Judas used the 30 pieces of silver to purchase a field. While at that field, he fell headlong, his body burst open, and his intestines spilled out. That is one graphic and memorable image. But the Gospels report that Judas threw the money back to the priests and that it was the priests who bought the field. Then the Gospels say that Judas went out and hung himself. So just who bought the field? Just how did Judas die?

Is it possible to harmonize the two accounts? When the priests bought the field, they might have done so in Judas’ name so that the legal records showed that it was Judas who bought it. We don’t know that is how it was, but it is a plausible explanation. But harmonizing the rest of it takes a lot more imagination. One suggestion is that Judas was running with the rope around his neck (picture the crazed Judas of The Passion of the Christ) when he tripped. As he fell, the rope caught on something so that he hung himself. But rather than being suspended in the air, his falling body hit a jagged bit of ground that caused his body to burst open and his intestines to spill out. Gruesome, huh? Again, we don’t know that is how it was, and it is a little less plausible than the purchase of the field, but it might have been that way.

So what is the point of all this? Different people might see certain things in more than one way. Don’t you want people to believe you and be gracious to you when you say what you understand and they don’t understand it your way? We too should be gracious when others say things that we genuinely believe not to be so. The other person may not be a liar and may not be crazy. The other person might not even be mistaken.

If we truly love one another, we will think the best of one another and be gracious to one another.

What do you relate to in this blog post? Can you share a story of a time you and someone else saw something different ways?

Quo Vadis?

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 1:8

Quo Vadis?

by Robert T. Cooper

Quo vadis? Where are you going? The quote comes from an old novel about the life of the Apostle Peter. You might want to look it up and read it. Peter had a mission, a place in life God was taking him. He knew where he needed to go and what he needed to do. Yet, as God is wont to do, it was a difficult mission, one that could only be seen through to the end with the Lord’s help. Peter started to leave so he would not have to continue to the end of his mission. Only God wouldn’t let Peter do that. He confronted Peter. When Peter confessed and repented, the Lord gave him the strength he needed to see his mission through to the end.

You and I have been brought into the Lord’s mission, the mission to take the Gospel to everyone everywhere. When we placed our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, He gave us His Holy Spirit to live within us. When the Holy Spirit came upon us, we were commissioned to be witnesses to the saving power of Christ. We are to be witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” That is commonly interpreted as starting where you are, and then moving outward to neighboring areas until the entire world is reached.

Is this out of the comfort zone of most? Yes! Can anyone do it in his own strength? No!

So we are confronted with the questions of where we are going and of what are we doing as we go. Are we being witnesses where we are? Are we witnessing to ever-broadening areas as guided by the Holy Spirit? Do we witness to our social media “friends”? How is the Holy Spirit using us to get out the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ?

Don’t let yourself off the hook. Ask the Lord whether He is satisfied with your faithfulness to the mission. Ask where and how He wants you to witness today. Who knows? Perhaps you will be amazed at the places He will take you.

Questions:

1.      Are you a witness where you are?

2.      Are you witnessing to ever-broadening areas as guided by the Holy Spirit?

3.      Do you witness to your social media “friends”?

4.      How is the Holy Spirit using you to get out the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ?