Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 5:17-21
17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”
21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.
17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”
21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.
Commentary:
5:17 filled with jealousy. These Sadducees were “jealous” not for God’s honor or for the advancement of his kingdom but for retaining their own influence and power (this theme is repeated later; see 7:9; 13:45; 17:5; and note on 12:3).
5:20 The words of this Life means the words of salvation and eternal life. It seems that early Christianity may also have been called “the Life,” as well as “the Way” (see note on 9:1–2).
5:21 It was daybreak, and a crowd would be gathering at the temple for the morning sacrifices. The council and all the senate are almost certainly two names for the same group, the Sanhedrin (“council” translates Gk. synedrion, “Sanhedrin”).
5:20 The words of this Life means the words of salvation and eternal life. It seems that early Christianity may also have been called “the Life,” as well as “the Way” (see note on 9:1–2).
5:21 It was daybreak, and a crowd would be gathering at the temple for the morning sacrifices. The council and all the senate are almost certainly two names for the same group, the Sanhedrin (“council” translates Gk. synedrion, “Sanhedrin”).
Questions:
- Once again, the apostles are arrested by the high priest and his officials, the Sadducees. As they sat in jail, an angel from the Lord came to them, let them out of the jail, and told them to go to the temple to share their message of life. So that's exactly what they did. If you remember back to the first time they were threatened, they responded that they could not stop telling all they had seen and heard. The angel that God sent is confirmation to them that he supports their mission. They could've given up when things got difficult, but they remained faithful... and God provided. Is there an impossible situation in your life right now where you need to pray for God to intervene and provide? Take some time to pray!
- Even the most faithful Christian can become discouraged when things get difficult and it seems like things will never get better. We can even get frustrated and impatient with God. Is there a situation in your life right now in which you are tempted to give up? Where might God be urging you to stay faithful and keep your trust in him?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would be faithful to pray for God's help.
- That you would never give up on God, but grow your level of trust in him.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
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