RajahJun

Luke,  the gospel writer, wrote the book of Acts. It is a sequel to the gospel of Luke which he also wrote. Both of Luke's gospels detailed the unconditional love of God for mankind through Jesus. In the first gospel, Luke wrote about Jesus' earthly ministry. Jesus was physically present among his disciples and the people. He taught them the right way to God. Luke later accounted Jesus' death on the cross as cleansing sacrifice for the sin of man. In chapter one of the book of Acts which is the second gospel of Luke, Jesus left the disciples physically. But Jesus did not leave the disciples like orphans to fend for themselves. He promised that they will receive help when he is gone. He had promised that help even before his execution.  True enough, in chapter two of the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples during the Pentecost and stayed with them everywhere, anywhere, 24/7, and in their dreams as well. That's an extreme but reassuring presence. Th...

One of the extraordinary miracles that Jesus had performed during his earthly ministry was raising people from the dead. The gospel writers wrote their accounts where Jesus raised people from the dead. The first was the widow's son in the town of Nain's (Luke 7:11-17). Jesus  went to the town of Nain followed by his disciples and a big crowd tagged along. As he approached the town, a dead person was being carried out. A widow's only son.  Jesus took pity on the widow and asked her not to cry. He went to the coffin and commanded the young man to stand up. The young man stood up and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Everyone who witnessed it, including his disciple Peter, was surely awestruck. The second was Jairus' daughter (Luke 8: 40-56). After coming from Gerasenes where Jesus healed a demon-possessed man, Jesus crossed the lake back to Capernaum. Upon reaching Capernaum, a synagogue leader named Jairus approached Jesus and asked him if he can heal his child who was ...

In Acts 3: 1-10, Peter performed his first miracle. This happened after the Holy Spirit came down during the Pentecost. Peter met a crippled beggar since birth when he and John were about to enter the temple. The cripple asked for money. Peter replied that he had no money to give. Instead he offered Jesus of Nazareth and commanded the cripple to walk. The cripple rose up and walked. Before the miracle, Peter made his first announcement to the crowd about Jesus. He told them Jesus was the Son of God. He reminded them that they went along with the powers-that-be to crucify Jesus. Finally, he boldly gave his eyewitness account to the crowd that Jesus had risen from the dead. He was a different Peter.  In Luke 22: 54 -61, we are remined that when the temple guards arrested Jesus and they brought him to the house of  the high priest. Peter followed them, perhaps, to know what would happen to Jesus. People milled around the courtyard who were following the event. Peter sat among the...

When Jesus was crucified, it left the disciples cowering in fear. They all scampered away and hid from the public, perhaps, thinking that they might be killed too. When Jesus rose from the dead, they were fearful and  doubtful even though they met him personally. They didn't go public about Jesus coming back from the dead. They lacked the guts. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples for about forty days and talked to them about the kingdom of heaven. Perhaps, Jesus told them details about their mission although they lacked the courage to do it.  Then Jesus went back to heaven and told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. Ten days later, they received the Holy Spirit and their individual characters have changed dramatically. In the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus' disciples on the day of Pentecost. They were altogether in one room when a strong wind blew from above and they saw what seemed like tongues of fire descending on...