The Blueprint - Part 3 [44:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Acts 2:36-47 [+/-]Acts 2:36-47 [36]Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." [37]Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" [38]And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39]For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." [40]And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." [41]So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. [42]And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [43]And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. [44]And all who believed were together and had all things in common. [45]And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. [46]And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, [47]praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)

Anne came home from Cleveland this summer with a book she wanted me to read. Our son-in-law’s mother is an avid reader and had shared the book with her. The book is the autobiography of a once devoutly Muslim and now openly atheistic humanist Ayan Hirsi Ali entitiled Infidel. It is not a book to read when you are feeling down and depressed. But it is a book that at least should be read by Christian women. It will help you see the destitution, deprivation, and devastation experienced by Muslim women so that you can know how to pray for them. The Koran teaches that women exist for the pleasure of men and when they do not please men as they desire to be pleased they are to be punished. And you will read of the severities of these punishments.

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 The Blueprint - Part 2 [42:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Acts 2:36-47 [+/-]Acts 2:36-47 [36]Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." [37]Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" [38]And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39]For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." [40]And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." [41]So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. [42]And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [43]And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. [44]And all who believed were together and had all things in common. [45]And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. [46]And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, [47]praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)

One of my most special childhood memories is young couples coming to our house to meet with my father about building their dream home. They would ordinarily bring a picture of that home and my father could look at the picture and tell them about how much that home would cost. It was then that the happy faces turned to horrified glances as the couple saw their dream home collapsing right in front of them. It was about that time that my father would say, let me take your picture and develop a blueprint for you. I will design a floor plan based on what you have here, and then we will work together to get what you want for the price you can afford. The smiles returned. He would always somewhere near the end of the conversation tell every young couple the same thing; I can hear him even today: You need to know two things before we even begin. First, you have to build at least three houses before you ever you get what you are looking for and second, you need to understand that the day I give you the key to your new house, you will walk in that day and find something that you would have changed if you had to do it all over again. You could see they doubted him, but he was never wrong about that basic building truth. They would leave; he would always begin immediately to work on the blueprint.

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 The Blueprint - Part 1 [42:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Acts 2:36-47 [+/-]Acts 2:36-47 [36]Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." [37]Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" [38]And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39]For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." [40]And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." [41]So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. [42]And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [43]And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. [44]And all who believed were together and had all things in common. [45]And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. [46]And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, [47]praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)

The second chapter of the Book of Acts opens with these words, When the day of Pentecost had come in its fullness, they were all together in one place. There is nothing peculiar about the Day of Pentecost. It came every year for the Jewish faithful. Fifty Days after Passover. Passover was a wonderful time of remembering the redemptive grace of God; God saw the blood on the doorposts of His people and passed over them as He prepared to bring them out of the dark night of their bondage to begin the wonderful journey toward the light. Pentecost was a wonderful time of remembering the receiving of the law of God at the foot of Siniai in the midst of blazing fire and mystery provoking smoke in the midst of which came the booming voice of God bringing to His people His way which was revealed in His Word. People came every year from everywhere to celebrate these two great festivals.

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