Proclaim Hope Daily | Week 32

Below is a short summary or synopsis of the Bible reading for the day. Use it as a helpful tool to think through the Scripture. There are also some cross references to study other passages of Scripture to highlight or better understand that passage.

Throughout history the Lord has acted supremely and old language will not do justice in regards to praising Him properly. The Lord our God deserves a fresh song, an updated hymn of rejoicing in response to the marvelous things he has done, particularly making known his plan of salvation to all the world. Just as his mercies are new every morning, so must there be a reply in return to his great deeds and character. This royal psalm is one of immense victory, visualizing the Lord reigning from his eternal throne before all of creation, which shouts and applauds in wonder and with extreme joy. Not only does this hymn worship the past and present works of God, but it also looks to the future redemption with powerful hope and assurance.

(Jeremiah 29:11; Lamentations 3:22-24; Romans 8:23-25; Ephesians 1:13-14; Titus 2:13; Revelation 21:4)

God’s standard of righteousness is good and just, proven to manifest beneficial providence to the lives of those who have wisdom and live in adherence. However, those who continuously live according to their own pride and desires, rejecting the righteousness of God, will always find themselves on the receiving end of destruction and calamity, for they are outside of the direction and protection of the Lord. The contrasting style of these wisdom teachings intentionally dichotomize the tangible benefits of living for God verses the travesties of living a life guided by self. True hope is only found in the Lord, outside of ourselves, thus explaining the root of justice and injustice, self-control and unrestraint, faith and fear, peace and unrest.

(Psalm 62:5; Proverbs 22:8; Isaiah 32:17; Romans 1:18, 15:13; Colossians 1:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:12; 1 Timothy 4:10; 1 Peter 1:3)

Of course those of the circumcision party, the devout Jews who had only known the old covenant, were reluctant to accept the inclusion of the Gentiles. Yet upon hearing of Peter’s vision and the miraculous work of the Lord, they began to understand that a new covenant solidified in the death of Christ had been established for all peoples. The reality is that many outside of the nation of Israel had come to faith in God throughout the Old Testament period. So, the fact that Gentiles were receiving the word should come as no surprise. The shock and awe of the whole ordeal is truly seen in Christ’s fulfilment of the Law and by so doing the Hebraic customs and traditions which separated them from other nations were now done away with. Christ had indeed grafted in the Gentiles and all peoples had been unified into one body, the Church. It is in Antioch, as the good news of Jesus spreads and the church multiplies, that the body of believers in Jesus became known as Christians. This was intended to be a derisive term which believers wore like a badge of honor.

(Jeremiah 31:31; Matthew 5:17; Luke 22:20; Romans 10:4; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:14-17; Hebrews 8:6, 9:15)

The Herod mentioned here (Herod Agrippa I) was the grandson of Herod the Great (Herod I), the king who attempted to kill the infant Jesus by decreeing a massacre of all male children in the region under the age of two. Due to his tumultuous reign and struggle for authority, Herod Agrippa I tries to win favor with the Jews by persecuting the Christians. The first Christian martyred was James, the brother of the apostle John. What those attacking the church, like Herod, did not understand was the emboldening power of the Holy Spirit, which was miraculously increased during persecution. To this day the gospel advances in the face of adversity and oppression, because the gospel of Christ is eternal, giving hope and victory in death.

(Proverbs 28:1; Matthew 2:16; John 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; 2 Corinthians 3:12; Ephesians 3:12; Philippians 1:12-14; Hebrews 2:14-15, 13:6)

This chapter marks a transition in the spread of the gospel, as the focus of Peter addressing the Jewish institutions progresses into Paul initiating his first missionary journey by delivering the good news of Christ to the gentiles throughout the nations. Expanding from the growth and outpouring in Antioch, the Holy Spirit calls out his messengers, commissioning Saul (for the first time mentioned by his Roman name Paul) and Barnabas as evangelists and church-planters. Paul, being a Jew himself, desired his brethren to find salvation in Christ, yet his ministry was intended to focus on the Gentiles. After attempting to convert his fellow Jews, Paul’s calling unto the various peoples of the world is justified and set in motion.  

(Acts 18:6; Romans 1:16, 11:11-25, 15:14-21; Galatians 2:7-9; Ephesians 3:7-8)

Where the gospel is proclaimed, opposition is to be expected. There are indeed enemies of the cross who seek to distract and deceive those who would believe. Suffering for the gospel is part and parcel for devout followers of Christ and can be evidenced here with the hostility towards the missionaries, particularly the stoning of Paul. God’s plan cannot be thwarted and despite the efforts to stop the evangelists, they are only strengthened by their faith, continuing on their journey, boldly proclaiming Christ and making disciples in the very cities where their lives were threatened. The crowd clearly recognized the divine authority with which Paul healed the crippled man, yet their hardened hearts were exposed as they responded to the call of repentance with attempted murder.

(Matthew 7:15, 10:22-25, 24:9; Philippians 1:29, 3:18-19; 2 Timothy 2:3, 3:12; 1 Peter 4:12-19)

Now that the Gentiles and believing Jews were being unified together in faith, there arose some issues concerning their view of salvation. If different people groups were to be of one accord how were they to reconcile the various traditions and beliefs? Particularly some of the circumcision party were teaching and demanding that the Gentiles, upon faith and conversion, should be circumcised and inducted under the Hebraic Law. As the Council of religious leaders convene they recognize that the adherence to the Hebraic Law is not a requirement for salvation, as the Gentiles had previously received the Holy Spirit apart from the Law. Therefore the doctrine of grace by faith was recognized. By God’s grace alone, evident through profession of faith in Christ alone, both Gentiles and Jews are saved and reconciled to God. In order to aid in the fellowship of the church, the Council immediately documented some practical expectations for the body of believers.

(Deuteronomy 30:6; Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 2:15-21, 3:1-9; Ephesians 2:4-10)