• Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s jouney. (13) And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room Where they were staying: Peter, James, John and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. (14) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication , with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus and with His brothers .

Luke was the author of the Acts of the Apostles, and the theme of Acts is historical apostolic witness to the gospel and the beginnings of the Christian church. The frightened disciples had fled Just weeks before when Christ was arrested and now, after the resurrection of Christ Jesus, and the many witnesses to the risen Lord, Luke’s purpose was to show that the supernatural events he was unfolding were the ultimately the work of the Christ and not just enthusiastic followers. Something had drastically changed in these men and Luke is giving an orderly account of the rise and progress of early Christianity. The disciples had just witnessed the ascension of our Lord and had been given the great commission to evangelize the known world. As Christ disappeared from sight two angels addressed them as men of Galilee – it’s interesting that only the absent Judas Iscariot was not from Galilee but from Judea. The Ascension in the gospel is the end of the earthly life of Christ and in Acts it is the beginning of the story of the church.
A feature of our verses was the submission of the disciples who were told to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit. Jesus had said he could not send the Spirit until He left and the Spirit was the key and power for the apostles to witness to the world. In mentioning the journey was a Sabbath days journey from mount Olivet we now have the location of the Ascension. Luke is careful to mention it was an allowable distance for travel on the Sabbath. This distance came from the wandering of the Israelites in the desert where the tabernacle was positioned in the middle of the encampment and the farthest distance to travel to the tabernacle was 2000 cubits.
In verse 13 Luke tells us who was gathered in waiting and submission for the Spirit. The history always included the women and of course the apostles and disciples and the brethren of Jesus. This mention was important because we are told that the half brothers of Jesus did not believe He was the Christ but now apparently they did. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also mentioned – here for the last time in the Scriptures. The message here is that Mary had no place of superiority and she also needed to be redeemed.
The arrival of the Spirit didn’t depend on their prayers – the Spirit was and is the sovereign dispensing of God’s grace apart from prayer. There was nothing man could do to affect this sovereign act of God. In my mind the Spirit gives us grace and power and discernment to live our lives as we need to behave as we believe.

• Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. (6) And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (7) For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. (8) And there was great joy in that city. (14) Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, (15)who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. (16) For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (17) Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

The Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke, historian and companion to the apostle Paul on many of his travels. In the early days of the Church the apostles remained in Jerusalem and the number of disciples to Christ was multiplying so that the 12 (again) told the disciples that their time was more desirably spent teaching the word of God than serving tables – so they chose 7 men to serve as evangelists and assist in ministry. One of these men was Phillip of our story today.

At a certain point the Jewish leaders decided to persecute the early Christians and their miserable efforts ended up with the execution of Stephen, one of the evangelists. The resulting persecution stepped up against the Christians at Jerusalem caused at least Philip to leave that city and go to Samaria to preach the word of God. This city had for hundreds of years been a mix of Jews and Gentiles and the Samaritans had been shunned by the Jews. Now Philip preached Christ there and as our verses tell us, many heeded the gospel. Philip also worked miracles. Men and women who apparently believed in Christ were baptized In Christ’s name.

We are told that the Samaritans heeded the word of God and were baptized. But we are also told that the Holy Spirit had not fallen on them. So the apostles at Jerusalem sent Peter and John to help Philip and when The apostles laid their hands on them they “received the Holy Spirit.” The doctrine of the church is that at the moment of faith man/woman are transformed and at that instant the Holy Spirit becomes indwelling. But the story of this baptism of the Samaritans is an anomaly occurring only here in all the New Testament and I could not find agreement explaining this in my resource work.
Baptism does not save anyone; people are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus apart from any external works. Salvation is not a matter of human decision but of God changing a person’s heart.

• Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. (5) you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (6) Therefore as it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay on Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will be no means be put to shame” (7) Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ”The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” (8) and ”a stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble , being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. (9) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

The apostle Peter wrote this letter to the scattered churches of that long ago day as the Christians were under persecution and needed to see their identity as God’s people. Christian Jews and Gentiles had become by virtue of their faith in their redemption in Christ a new priesthood in the world analogous to the priesthood of Israel. Israel preferred to be a nation like all the other nations but Christians were not just living stones of the church of Christ but also priest with access in Christ to God. This was done by denying acts or good works as accepted not for their own merits but ONLY through faith in Christ do they find worth. And in Christ we have direct access to God. The efforts of those who reject Christ as revealed in the gospel are in vain. Peter has established that the faithful have been transformed and are new people in Christ and are now moved to behave as they (us) believe. Our souls can only find rest in Christ.

The Scripture quoted tell us that Christ is the stumbling block for those with a false and meaningless opinion of this world; Peter includes the words of the prophets to warn us. The prophet introduces God as the speaker who is telling us that Christ has been ordained as the foundation of our salvation. The faithful of which the prophet speaks must look on Him alone. In Christ we are beyond danger of failure.

A chosen generation or race are the faithful. And to what honor and purpose they have been raised and are partakers of Christ Jesus’s priesthood. They have been called out of darkness into eternal light

• For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. (21) For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: (22) ”Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; (23) who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; (24) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed. (25) For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Our verses today from this first letter of Peter addresses Christians under the authority of others – and specifically Christian slaves. In that society there were no moral demands on slaves but Christians considered them as full and equal persons with no distinction; all were brothers and sisters in Christ. These verses were not applicable just to slaves – all the godly are called by the Lord to bear wrongs and indeed are appointed to do so. Christians are to suffer wrongs, not to avenge them. God is our defender; He is the righteous judge and we are to live a holy(separate) life.
We are all victims of unfair treatment at one time or another and the overriding principal of our response is that we endure with our eyes on the prize – I always think of Bob, the wonder dog, who never ever took his eyes off the tennis ball in my hand. Our verses are not teaching us to be a Christian doormat but to ask what authority we are under. Are we reacting properly? Are we witnesses to the truth? What is our responsibility for an adversarial situation?
The holiness and justice of God demanded a penalty to be paid for man’s sin; we were bought by Christ at a price. The fact that God sent Jesus Christ to bear the penalty for sin means God is not shrugging off sin; people misjudge God’s justice. We have been like the straying sheep. We were lost and didn’t know it. The shepherd has to take the initiative to look for the lost and salvation never comes from man but is only by the election of God. Christians still sin but in Christ, in faith, we are reborn. The key to understanding the death of our old nature is that sin is not eradicated as long as we are in this world. The power of sin has been broken by the cross but still we must work on our darling sins and turn from self to Christ Jesus.
The power of sin requires ongoing care of our shepherd but through faith in Christ Jesus we are delivered from the penalty for sin. God took the initiative with the faithful but we are still responsible to turn from sin to God.