Daily Devotional For Thursday, June 5, 2025
Good morning and it is Terrific Thursday. Before Jesus went back to heaven 40 days after the Resurrection, He had been telling them that He was going to send to them a “Helper.” Read John 14:16-17. He was referring to the Holy Spirit. And in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost, 10 days after His Ascension, the Holy Spirit came. I would imagine those early disciples and believers were afraid, nervous, anxious because up to that point they had always had Jesus in human flesh to teach them, guide them, and explain things to them. Now He was gone. Now, they were alone – but only for 10 days. It may have seemed like eternity to them. When the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2, God’s power indwelled them to fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20.
As they began to share, both Jewish and Roman opposition and persecution started. They were not about to let that stop them because they had personally witnessed the resurrected Lord. Look at Acts 4:29-31 what they prayed and what happened:
“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, (30) while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” (31) And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness” (NASB).
Initially they had no idea what it meant to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came on them in a dramatic way, and the Jesus-story pivoted again. Instead of relying on their own power, they were fueled by the Holy Spirit’s power, and the gospel began to spread. Here, in Acts 4, we see the wonderful things that happen when Spirit-filled proclamation meets Spirit-filled prayer. It is time for us to stop looking for the world’s approval and say “yes” to God. It is time for us to welcome the Holy Spirit and place our confidence in Him to act. When we make those changes, people will begin to see and hear things—amazing things—that can only be explained by the power of God at work in our world. I like what New Testament scholar Kent Hughes writes about Acts 4:
“The fatal interrogation of Jesus on the eve of the crucifixion had made an unforgettable impression on the Sanhedrin. Though they would have liked to forget it, they simply could not. And now as the two apostles interacted with them, they could not help but be reminded of Jesus. The apostles were “unlearned” (KJV; that is, unlettered), and they were “ignorant” (KJV; the same root word for “idiots, unschooled”). But when they talked, they were so much like Jesus that the presence of Christ right then and there could not be denied. Peter’s and John’s companionship with Jesus had transformed them.
What the Sanhedrin did not perhaps understand was that the apostles were still companions of Jesus. They were indwelt with the Holy Spirit and with Christ (see Romans 8:9-10. Their Lord was saturating their emotions, compelling their wills, energizing their bodies, so that the Sanhedrin was seeing not only them, but Christ. Not only that, but Peter and John, filled with the Holy Spirit, were in constant communication with their Lord. As Alexander Maclaren said, “A soul habitually in contact with Jesus will imbibe sweetness from him, just as garments laid away in a drawer with some… perfume absorb fragrance from that beside which they lie” (Source: Quotes Alexander McClaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Volume 10, p. 140).
Seeing Peter and John, the Jewish leaders were seeing Jesus. The apostles were able to respond to opposition as they did because they were walking with Christ. And as a result, “they [the members of the Sanhedrin] were astonished.” This priggish, pompous, self-consciously superior, gospel-hardened group experienced wonder, awe. Perhaps some of them even came to Christ.
The lives of all who know the reign of the Spirit resound with a display of God’s healing power that brings opposition and even persecution but also incredible joy. The Beatitudes describe this same process of persecution and spiritual bliss. “Blessed [happy, blissful] are those are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (See Matthew 5:10).
Later in Acts, when the apostles had been flogged at the orders of the same Sanhedrin, “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41). When confronted by their enemies, they responded with amazing confidence, daring aggressiveness, and no compromise! Why? Because they had been with Jesus.
Practically, what does this mean for us? When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, Christ is the focus of our lives. The Holy Spirit does not promote himself. He promotes Christ. Also, we cannot rest on the fact that we prayed for the Spirit’s fullness five years ago or even last week. But as we engage in constant prayer for his fullness, the Spirit of Christ will consistently flow through us.
We must spend time in God’s Word. The Bible is like a mirror set before us. The light of Christ reflects off the Word and into our faces, so that we shine forth Christ. We must remain in the Word—constantly learning, constantly being taught—not relying on what we have learned in the past, but interacting with it anew, so that Christ is projected throughout our entire lives.
We must spend time with God’s people. We become like the people with whom we spend time, and the light of Christ flows out of his people and into those around them. We must spend time in prayer, because as we fellowship with the Lord, the perfume of his life makes us the very “fragrance of [Christ]” (see 2 Corinthians 2:14) – (Source: Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Bible Commentary, “Acts,” pp. 564-66).
Assignment: What do you think of Kent Hughes comments above and why? How bold are you in sharing your faith? Ask your family and closest godly friends to be honest with you about how open and free you are to engage lost people with the Gospel. Each day, tell the Holy Spirit He is welcome in your life—without hesitation, reservation, or qualification. Allow Him to fill you continually with His presence, and consistently yield to His authority so He can direct you in your God-given purpose.
Scripture To Meditate On: 2 Timothy 1:7-8, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (8) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God” (ESV).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Spirit into the earth and for His presence that dwells within me. Grant me an understanding heart so I might welcome Him into every area of my life. Show me how to cooperate fully with Him. Deliver me from evil. Lead me in paths of righteousness. Open my eyes to understand the fullness of my redemption. Give me boldness to share You with others that I encounter each day, May Jesus be glorified through my life. In His name, Amen.”
I love you Southside – Pastor Kelly