In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3
All Three Persons at the Beginning
Before anything existed, God was already there. He did not emerge from the darkness. He spoke into it. With nothing but his powerful word, he brought everything into being. These opening words of the Bible remind us that creation is not random or accidental. It is intentional, ordered, and purposeful because it comes from God himself.
And already here, at the very beginning, we see the mystery and beauty of the Trinity. The Father is the Creator, the one who wills and designs. The Spirit of God is hovering over the waters, present and active, sustaining and preparing. And the Son is the One through whom all things are made. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together bring light into darkness.
That matters more than it might seem at first. The same triune God who created light out of darkness is the one who speaks into the darkness of our lives. There are times when life feels formless and empty, when sin, guilt, or uncertainty leave us without direction or hope. Left to ourselves, we cannot create light. We cannot fix what is broken.
But God still speaks.
Just as surely as he said, “Let there be light,” he has spoken again to us in his Word. In Jesus, the living Word, God steps into our darkness. He brings forgiveness where there is guilt, life where there is death, and clarity where there is confusion. The Spirit continues to hover, working through the Word to create faith in hearts that were once empty.
So, when your world feels chaotic or empty, remember where everything began. Not with darkness, but with God. And where God speaks, light always follows.
Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for putting me into this world you have created. Continue to bless me with the promises of your holy Word. Amen.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3
A Mystery for Our Comfort
Already at the very beginning of time, we see God in three persons working to bless us. God the Father created all things. The Holy Spirit participated in a miraculous way as he hovered over the waters, and the apostle John reveals that it was through Jesus, God the Son, that all things were called into being.
The Bible clearly teaches that there is one God in three persons. Each person, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is separate and distinct, yet there is only one God. In other words, One + One + One = One. Obviously, this equation does not add up. Throughout history, people have tried to understand the mystery of the triune God. But no matter how hard we try, finally, it just doesn’t add up.
But should it really surprise us? Is it really all that unreasonable that we can’t completely fathom the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-holy God? When we are confronted with this mystery, there are two ways we can respond. We can arrogantly raise our voices and argue with the creator of heaven and earth, or we can humbly bow our heads in worship to praise the one who is above all. The Holy Spirit moves us to do the latter. With the psalmist, we can proclaim: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Psalm 139:6).
But the Bible doesn’t reveal the triune God only to humble us, but also to comfort us. Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were active and working in creation, they were also active and working in our salvation. The Father sent his one and only Son. The Son freely offered his life for our sins. The Spirit brings what Jesus accomplished to us personally by creating faith in our hearts, enabling us to receive forgiveness of sins and the promise of everlasting life.
Prayer:
Almighty God, you are beyond my understanding and intellect. Thank you for revealing yourself to me in the pages of the Bible, and leading me to your Son, Jesus Christ, my Savior. Amen.
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” John 7:37
Swank or Saving?
Exclusive. Trendy. Natty. Dapper. Chic. Swank. These adjectives describe Ty Nant.
Ty Nant is a company in Wales that bottles and sells water. In 1976, a water diviner instructed a British farmer to bore beside his house through 100 feet of rock. He did. And he hit a powerful spring. Thirteen years later, the water that wells up adjacent to the stone farmhouse was on the market. And these days, Ty Nant bottled water graces the tables of some of the world’s most esteemed restaurants.
Ty Nant’s water may wet one’s taste for being trendy or chic, but it cannot quench the thirst of the soul. That’s because every person enters this world with a hellishly parched soul. Ty Nant’s hydrating properties can’t soothe such sin-scorched souls. And Ty Nant’s social status can’t soften what is shriveled in death.
But there is water that springs from eternity. It is effervescent from the peace and power of Almighty God. It cannot be discovered by any human diviner, but is graciously revealed in the divine man, Jesus Christ.
In his own words, Jesus explains: “Let anyone who is thirsty, come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
This is not about being swank but being saved from our accursed selfishness. This is not about being trendy but being quenched in our thirst for life with God. This is not about being chic but being confirmed in a child-like faith that declares, “Jesus is my Savior from sin.”
Ty Nant, when translated, means “House by the Stream.” How chic! But Jesus Christ opens his home in heaven to us. Ty Nant is temporarily trendy while Jesus Christ is eternally satisfying. And Jesus is free.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, when I’m feeling down or worried or sad, help me realize that I’m experiencing spiritual thirst. Then help me turn to you and your promises to quench my thirst. Amen.
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44 “Our fathers had the Tent of the Testimony in the wilderness. It was just like the model Moses had seen, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it. 45 After our fathers received it from him, they brought it in with Joshua when they took possession of the land from the nations God drove out before our fathers. It was here until the days of David. 46 He found favor in the presence of God and asked that he might obtain a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. [1]47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him.
48 “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands, just as the prophet says:
49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? says the Lord, or what is my resting place? 50 Did not my hand make all these things? [2]
Stephen Condemns the Jewish Rulers
51 “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit! You are doing just what your fathers did. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who prophesied the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers— 53 you who received the law as transmitted by angels, but did not keep it.”
The Stoning of Stephen
54 When they heard these things, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed up into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 He said, “Look, I see heaven opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 But they screamed at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and rushed at him with one purpose in mind. 58 They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” After he said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 8
1 Saul agreed with putting Stephen to death.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen, and they mourned deeply for him.
3 But Saul was trying to destroy the church by going into one house after another, dragging off both men and women, and putting them in prison.
The Word of God Spreads in Samaria
4 So those believers who were scattered went around proclaiming the gospel message.
Footnotes
Acts 7:46 A few witnesses to the text read house of Jacob.
1 Then the high priest asked, “Are these things true?”
2 Stephen said, “Gentlemen, brothers and fathers, listen! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 3 God said to him, ‘Leave your land and your relatives and come to the land that I will show you.’ [1]
4 “Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this land where you are now living.
5 “He gave him no inheritance in this land, not even enough to set his foot on. But God promised to give it as a possession to him and to his descendants [2] after him, [3] even though Abraham still had no child. 6 God revealed that his descendants [4] would live as strangers in a foreign country, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. 7 God added, ‘I will judge the nation that they will serve as slaves, and after that they will leave there and serve me in this place.’ [5]
8 “Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
Stephen Defends Himself
9 “The patriarchs, filled with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him. 10 God rescued him from all his troubles and granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Pharaoh made him governor over Egypt and over his whole palace.
11 “A famine came over all of Egypt and Canaan, causing great suffering, and our fathers found no food. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. 13 On their second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent word and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five people in all. 15 Jacob went down to Egypt, and there he died, he and our fathers. 16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17 “As the time approached that God spoke about in the promise he had made [6] to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt. 18 This continued until another king who knew nothing about Joseph became ruler of Egypt. 19 He took advantage of our people in a cunning way, and he mistreated our fathers by forcing them to get rid of their babies so that they would not survive. [7]
Stephen Defends Himself
20 “At that time, Moses was born, and he was favored by God. For three months he was cared for in his father’s house. 21 After he was placed outside, [8] Pharaoh’s daughter took him in and brought him up as her own son. 22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in his words and actions.
23 “But when he was forty years old, it entered his mind to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24 When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him and avenged the oppressed man by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He thought that his brothers would understand that God was giving them deliverance by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 The next day, he came across two of them while they were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them. He said, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you harming each other?’ 27 But the one who was harming his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me the same way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ [9]29 At this remark, Moses fled and lived as an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel of the Lord [10] appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flames of a burning bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went closer to look, the voice of the Lord said, 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of [11] Jacob.’ [12] Moses trembled and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning. I have come down to rescue them. Now come, I will send you to Egypt.’ [13]
35 “This is the same Moses they had rejected by saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ This is the one whom God sent to be a ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This is the one who led the people out, as he performed wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the people of Israel, ‘God [14] will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ [15]38 This is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our fathers. He received living messages to give to us, 39 but our fathers refused to obey him. Instead they pushed him away and turned back, in their hearts, to Egypt. 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him.’ [16]41 That was the time when they made a calf, offered a sacrifice to the idol, and were taking delight in the works of their hands.
42 “But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
Did you bring me slaughtered animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel? 43 No, you even took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the statues you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon. [17]
Footnotes
Acts 7:3 Genesis 12:1
Acts 7:5 Literally seed
Acts 7:5 Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 48:4
Acts 7:6 Literally seed
Acts 7:7 Genesis 15:13-14
Acts 7:17 Some witnesses to the text read sworn.
Acts 7:19 Pharaoh commanded the Israelites to throw their newborn baby boys into the Nile River (Exodus 1:22).
Acts 7:21 Moses was set in a basket by his mother and placed among the reeds of the Nile River (Exodus 2:3).
Acts 7:28 Exodus 2:13-14
Acts 7:30 Some witnesses to the text omit of the Lord.
Acts 7:32 Some witnesses to the text read Isaac and Jacob.
Acts 7:32 Exodus 3:6
Acts 7:34 Exodus 3:5,7,8,10
Acts 7:37 A few witnesses to the text read The Lord your God.
1 In those days, as the number of disciples was increasing, a complaint arose from the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrew-speaking Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve called together the whole group of disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, carefully select from among you seven men with good reputations, who are full of the Holy [1] Spirit and wisdom. We will put them in charge of this service. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the entire group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch.
6 They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 The word of God kept on spreading, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly. Also a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.
Stephen Is Arrested
8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Some men who were from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia) rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to stand up against the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.
11 Then they secretly induced some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the experts in the law. They came, dragged Stephen away, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops making threats against this holy place and the law. 14 In fact, we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 All those who were sitting in the Sanhedrin were looking intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
17 The high priest rose up, along with his associates (that is, the party of the Sadducees), because they were filled with envy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, brought them out, and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and keep on telling the people the whole message about this life.” 21 After they heard this, they entered the temple courts at daybreak and began to teach.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin (that is, the whole council of elders of the people of Israel). Then they sent orders to the jail to have the apostles brought in. 22 But when the officers arrived, they did not find them in the prison. They returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” 24 When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were puzzled about them, wondering what could have happened.
25 Then someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts and teaching the people.”
26 Then the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles in without force, because they were afraid that the people might stone them. 27 After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin. The high priest asked them, 28 “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name? [1] Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man’s blood down on us!”
29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you arrested and killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his right hand as Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. 32 We are witnesses [2] of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, they were furious and began making a plan to put them to death. [3]34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was highly respected by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men [4] be put outside for a little while.
35 Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you are about to do with these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, all his followers were scattered, and it all came to nothing.
37 “After him, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and led many [5] people in a revolt. He also was killed, and all his followers were scattered.
38 “So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and leave them alone! For if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. [6] Perhaps you might even be found to be fighting against God!”
40 They were convinced by him. They summoned the apostles, beat them, ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to suffer shame for the Name. [7]42 Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
Footnotes
Acts 5:28 Some witnesses to the text read We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name!
Acts 5:32 Some witnesses to the text read his witnesses.
Acts 5:33 Some witnesses to the text read were furious and wanted to put them to death.
Acts 5:34 Some witnesses to the text read apostles.
Acts 5:37 Some witnesses to the text omit many.
Acts 5:39 Some witnesses to the text read it.
Acts 5:41 Some witnesses to the text read for the name of Jesus.
32 The whole group of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they held everything in common. 33 The apostles continued to testify about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ [1] with great power, and abundant grace was on all of them. 34 There was not a needy person among them. For from time to time those who were owners of lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds received from what was sold, 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet. It was distributed to each one according to what anyone needed.
36 Joseph, who was called Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated “son of encouragement”), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him. He brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Ananias and Sapphira
Acts 5
1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s knowledge, he kept back part of the proceeds for himself. Then he brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? 4 Was it not yours before it was sold? And after it was sold, was not the money at your disposal? How could you plan such a thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. Great fear gripped everyone who heard about it. 6 The young men got up and wrapped up his body. Then they carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this how much you got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that was the price.”
9 Then Peter said to her, “How could you two agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who buried your husband are standing at the door, and they will carry you out too!”
10 Instantly she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in, they found her dead. Then they carried her outside and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the whole church and all who heard about these things.
Many Miracles
12 Many signs and wonders were done among the people through the hands of the apostles. With one mind, they all continued meeting in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared to join them, but the people held them in high regard. 14 More and more believers in the Lord were added to their group, large numbers of both men and women. 15 As a result, people were even carrying the sick into the streets and laying them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, [2] bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.
Footnotes
Acts 4:33 Some witnesses to the text omit Christ.
Acts 5:16 Some witnesses to the text read from the neighboring towns to Jerusalem.
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