Read Acts 3-6:7
 
Acts 4:5-10 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. 7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, 9 are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.”
 
PETER was perhaps only a few physical steps from the man who said, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” (Matthew 26:74), but he was an eternal distance from his denial of Jesus.
   There is Peter, standing before he same people who killed Jesus. The fearful disciple had become the faithful apostle. He is a healer, a proclaimer, an evangelist, a teacher, a leader and a preacher. Peter’s voice is the first in history to preach the gospel. His fisherman hands have tenderly restored the broken and lifted the lame. Peter’s pride has become a servant’s humility through his confidence in Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
   When someone asks, “What do you think of Peter?” our response often speaks to his broken life. “He denied Christ.” “He was impulsive.” “He didn’t have faith to walk to Jesus on the water.” “He cut off the guard’s ear.” Seldom do we mention, if we even know, Peter’s Spirit-empowered work to advance Christ’s Great Commission.
   Acts will later record how he raised Dorcas from her deathbed in Joppa and how the Spirit appointed Peter to begin the gospel to the Gentiles at Cornelius’ home. We also will read of Paul’s rebuke of Peter in Antioch when Peter favored the Jews and ignored the Gentiles (Galatians 2:11). Ultimately, the apostle who denied Christ, died for Christ, crucified upside down.
   Each of us has sins and weaknesses in our past. We deal with those each day. But they are no reason for us to say, “I’m not qualified.” Jesus wants our hearts. He wants our repentance. He wants our love and confession, “You are the Son of God.” Then he wants us to live into that confession under the Spirit’s power.
          Are you made new in Chris, too? Then each day you can tell someone, “I’m healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene.”

Read Acts 1:1-5, 2
 
Acts 2:4242 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
 
A normal point of many church meetings relates to discussion of ministries or “programs” that will be effective to grow the church. The question, “What do we do?” is asked and leaders share their opinions. That can be a critical moment in the church’s life. Unfortunately, “What do we do?” is too often answered with, “I think we should do this.” Or “I have an idea about what we can do.” Church leaders often ignore or don’t even know of God’s blueprint for his church as revealed in Acts 2:42.
   “What do we do?” is pointedly answered in Acts 2:42-44. In the brand new church, the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to do God’s work, not their own. These anointed leaders fully trusted God’s power to change lives because God had changed theirs. The apostles fanned God’s salvation flames with prayer, teaching, sacraments and fellowship.
   That’s it! These are the marks of the church. No other ministry or program is essential for a church’s strength, influence and growth. Simple and direct, the Bible teaching and preaching is to be under prayer’s canopy. Fellowship, too, is to be for the purpose of encouragement, prayer and correction of one another. What else should a church be than a body of believers devoted to God, to one another and to the means of grace?        
   Through this ministry, “What do we do?” will lead to repentance unto salvation. Acts 2:37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins, turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to show that you have received forgiveness for your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The preaching produced grief over sin. The sinners asked, “What should we do?”
   Peter didn’t say, “Do what you think is best.” He said, “Repent.” Out of the true preaching came the first converts. And the first community of Christ was formed to advance Jesus’ Great Commission.
   This is God’s way. Many new churches begin this way. But too soon ideas and preferences misdirect the church. For the sake of pleasing people, a pastor or church leadership will often displease God. Be careful your Christian walk and your church community keep these essentials as the essentials. If you have gone away from prayer, fellowship, communion, preaching and teaching, you or your church, too, should ask, “What do we do?” Then repent and be saved.
 

Read John 20-21:31, Mark 16:9-20 Matthew 28:1-20, Luke 24:1-53, Acts 1:6-26
 
Luke 24:1-3 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.
 
YOU understand how these women, Jesus’ faithful followers, are feeling that morning, don’t you? You work hard to do things well. You follow instructions, meet deadlines and adjust to others’ demands and needs. But often your efforts seem to become fruitless labor when too many unplanned things happen. You have likely wondered, “Now what do I do?”
   The women had been faithful to Jesus during his ministry. At his death, they had been faithful to God’s commands to rest on the Sabbath. Then they were even faithful to Jesus’ dead body. They went to properly prepare his body to lay in the tomb, even as they were unsure of how they would enter the tomb. Their lives had suffered a traumatic three days, as they tried to stay true to all they knew.
   But then the tomb was empty. What had happened to Jesus’ body? What new trouble would they experience? Should they just give up and go home? But I don’t believe these women had “I give up.” in their vocabulary. Two very important character elements of discipleship are perseverance and integrity. These women had persevered with Jesus for some time as they journeyed with him and the other disciples. Some of them had personally received God’s favor as Jesus healed them and removed demons from their bodies. Others had witnessed close relatives and many others healed and saved. Their personal experience with Jesus taught them to answer the “Now what?” with “Have faith in God!” (Mark 11:22)
   Mary and her friends persevered to act with an integrity of faith and obedience. They went to the tomb when it could be a danger to their own lives. No excuses came from their lips. Instead, they looked into the tomb. Then they stayed to discover what they must do next.
   What they were about to do would lead to the greatest discovery ever. Their next steps would begin to change the world as they encountered the Living Savior.
   Discipleship is like that. We can be easily overwhelmed when our plans fall short. Daily challenges and disappointments can quickly weaken our determination. “Now what?” is too often a common phrase in the church and our lives when too many unplanned events change our plans. We can ask the question as an excuse to quit. Or we can ask the question as an opportunity to see what life-changing events the LORD has planned for us.
 

Read Mark 15:23-45, Luke 23:33-56, John 19:19-42, Matthew 27:39-66
 
John 19:17-18 Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). 18 There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them.

IS it not enough that Jesus’ back is a mass of excruciating, torn flesh? Blood from the piercing crown of thorns streams from his forehead into his eyes. Jesus’ wrists and arms are numb from the ropes that tied him to the lashing pole. Is he not bruised, bleeding, torn, broken and weakened enough? Now he is carrying the cross by himself – a weight of nearly 100 pounds (45 kgs.) Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Resurrection and the life, bears his cross to be crucified in the place of Barabbas, the murderer. How deep is the Father’s love for us that he would move his Son to such a bloody altar. The Servant literally suffered the truth of his own words, Mark 8:34 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
   Yes, Jesus’ words of committed discipleship are symbolic of sacrificial living for Jesus and perseverance through trials. To carry a cross for Christ, we must call on his strength to release our desires to the LORD’s will for his eternal kingdom. Cross bearing is about your mission.
   That’s why you need help. How does the brutalized Jesus reach Golgotha? Matthew 27:32 Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.
   This pilgrim from Africa, Simon, is forced to help when Jesus can bear the wooden beam no longer. Likely he had come for the Passover. Think of it. Simon was preparing to eat the Passover meal. But first he became personally involved in delivering the Passover Lamb of God to the altar!
   God put Simon there. Then see how the LORD rewarded his cross-carrying obedience as it seems his sons became Christians: Mark 15:21b Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.
   Cross carrying is usually unexpected, isn’t it? And as we begin our Christian journey in faith, our Lord will step in to say, “Here, I know this is too heavy for you alone. Let me help you.” The people who have assisted our ministry for Jesus are innumerable. What joy awaits through the cross!
   Yes, take up the cross God gives you. Yes, you may suffer. You may experience a great spiritual burden to weaken your walk. But you can trust the LORD God will help you fulfill your work. And you will personally know the power of such scriptures as Psalms 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the hills –  where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Read John 12:12-36, Matthew 21:1-16, Mark 11:1-19, Luke 19:29-48
 
Matthew 21:1-5 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.” 4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, 5 “Tell the people of Israel, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt.’”
 
GOD'S prophets spoke many prophecies and many signs to help the Jews know the Messiah when they would see him. That's one of the reasons the Jews kept pressing Jesus for more signs. They had seen false teachers come to say, “I am the Messiah.” and the Jews had seen these men proven false.
   Now as the week of Passover began, Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the fulfillment of a sign given by the prophet Zechariah: Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)
   Yes, Jesus will come in the manner of the King proclaimed come to save. He comes to deliver himself into the hands of his enemies, to ultimately tell the Jews that their King has come in victory.
   The remarkable truth of Jesus’ victory is that it comes from his own chosen people murdering him in the city he had given to them! Jesus’ greatest sign would come out of his greatest humiliation and abuse.
 
The Triumphant Entry
 
Matthew 21:7-9 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. 8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”
 
The Jews welcoming Jesus were another of many generations who had lived under severe political and religious oppression. Fear marked their lives. They longed for the promised Messiah to destroy their oppressors, to cast this great weight from their souls. When they called out to Jesus, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the LORD we bless you.” (Psalms 118:26) there was hope that the one who had offered life-changing healings and teachings would free Israel from all foreign rule!  
     But his purpose was for the world’s eternal freedom. Today we sing the Psalm of praise because Jesus came to bless our souls into life everlasting.   
 

Read Luke 22:46-71, John 18:1-27, Matthew 27:3-10
 
John 18:7-10 Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 “I told you that I AM he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” 9 He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.” 10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest's slave.
 
JESUS said in John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father –  and I lay down my life for the sheep.” And he prayed in John 17:11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one.
   At his arrest, Jesus was the good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd stood between the authorities and his appointed apostles. Peter’s violence is put aside as Jesus heals Malchus’ ear (Luke 22:51). Jesus calmed the emotional storm here as he calmed the sea in Mark 4:39-40. The Good Shepherd protects.
   Do you believe Jesus’ protection is still very active for you and his church? He knows, of course, many forces will oppose you. Some opposition are seen in your own hesitations, doubts, worries and misunderstandings about your kingdom role. Other oppositions can be outward threats against you. 
   The Good Shepherd has sent you on a mission. He aids your work through the Holy Spirit, so you can teach, inspire, empower and encourage people with the gospel. The epistle James directs us toward Jesus’ protection: James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. The second sentence lists the reasons we are far from God. If we go near to the Shepherd, we will put aside those obstacles to be safe in his exceptional peace.
   Trust God. Amid life’s ongoing turmoil, strive to live in peace. Expect the Lord’s Good Shepherd leading. Be confident, knowing the holy God invites you to be near in heart, mind and soul to him. God has called you into a remarkable relationship with him. Know he is protecting you forever.

Read John 15 thru 17
 
John 16:25-30 “I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. 26 Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, 27 for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God. 28 Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.” 29 Then his disciples said, “At last you are speaking plainly and not figuratively. 30 Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.”
 
MANY times the disciples could not fully grasp Jesus’ teachings  because he spoke of heaven and a future they could not see. Jesus used parables and illustrations that related to what we see on earth to explain heaven.
   With the cross quickly approaching, Jesus assured the disciples they would soon completely know what he had been telling them. After his resurrection, he “will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly.” His ascension would clarify his teachings further. And the disciples would have the full grasp of Jesus’ teachings when the Spirit anointed them to preach the gospel.
    There are three points he emphasized. First he tells the disciples of a new relationship they will have with the Father. “Then you will ask in my name.” The disciples won’t need Jesus to ask for them. Jesus will still intercede for them, but they will have full access to pray directly to the Father and receive what they need for their work.
   Second, Jesus teaches, “the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.” This is a significant change in the disciples’ view of God. Remember how Jesus has declared his love for the Father and the Father’s love for him. Jesus now says that same love from God will come to them! Third, Jesus summarizes his incarnation and identity as God. “I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.” Peter, James and John witnessed at the Transfiguration, and all will witness soon as they stand by the resurrected Lord to watch him ascend to heaven.
   What are the disciples going to do with this strong, personal three-point message? They seem to confess their understanding: “Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.”  Do you wonder, are they just beginning to believe in Jesus at that moment? The evidence will show they still don’t fully understand. They will flee from Jesus in Gethsemane. Only John, it seems, was at the cross. And not one of them expected to see Jesus alive after the cross. They were emotionally strained and still spiritually immature in that room. They were as most of us are. We declare, “I know Jesus.” But do we fully grasp his identity?
   God would continue to work on the disciples’ hearts and minds to “that day” when the risen Jesus and the Holy Spirit unified their minds to truly know, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
   How about you? Are you getting this? Do you know who Jesus is? Really? What then, are you doing about your belief?

Read Luke 22:14-38, John 13-14, Matthew 26:22-25
 
John 14:18-19 “No, I will not abandon you as orphans. I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.” 
 
JESUS’ promises abound, don’t they? John here records two of several pledges our Savior affirms to his disciples in John 14:12-19.
   The first promise is to know he will not leave us as orphans! What joy this is! Consider an orphan’s circumstances. An orphaned child is without parents and has no sure home. There is no one to model good behavior and true obedience. An orphan can be aimless, very uncertain of her place in the world. Orphans often feel unloved because they are. They experience loneliness and have no purpose. Easily an orphan is often victimized for another’s gain.
   I was talking with a neighbor here in our Tennessee town, and she told me of having to suddenly help a 12-year-old girl whose mother had died. Because her mother had been sick for a long time, the girl had received no proper parenting. The girl knew nothing about right and wrong, social manners or essential self-care. She needed a helper to teach her right living. Many of you around the world deal with these orphan issues daily.
   My neighbor wanted to show Jesus to this child. So she committed to not leaving the child as an orphan. She helped the girl learn how to live under rules and a constant love. As a result, the child’s life was transformed when her helper, her new mother, taught her. The orphan learned and became a daughter of the family.
   Are you unsure of truth, of life, of your own worth in God’s sight? Jesus promises he will send his Helper, the Holy Spirit for you. He wants to help you overcome your sin nature that rejects God’s ways, so you will live joyfully in God’s household. How sad it is that we in the church often act as if God has left us to struggle on our own. We think God is “up there”, and we are “down here” without aid. We are prone to reject Jesus’ promise the Helper is with us because we know too little of God’s great love for us.
   Jesus’ second promise here is, “Since I live, you also will live.” Jesus is the Living Lord, who promises you will have a good life to live while on earth. And you will never die because he lives in heaven awaiting you. I know you’ve heard this often, but do you really believe this? How quickly doubts and fears will vanish as you trust Jesus’ eternal life promise!
          Dear Christian, be assured in Jesus’ promises. You are never alone. You have life in him. The Holy Spirit, Jesus’ Helper,  helps you to know Jesus. When you truly believe and know, you will see him as your help to experience a full life in Jesus’ resurrection power. 

Read Matthew 26:1-19, Luke 22:3-13, John 12:34-50
 
John 12:44-50 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. 45 For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. 47 I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. 48 But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. 49 I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
 
THE Son repeatedly spoke of his intimate relationship with the Father. After all, this is one God who is of three persons. The two persons, Father and Son, are working as One God through the third person, the Spirit. Believing in God is believing in the Holy Trinity. Any other belief is unbelief.
   Then Jesus issued a warning. Warnings are good, aren’t they? They keep us safe, for example, when a road sign warns us of sharp curves ahead. We slow down and drive along the road safely, unless we disregard the warnings. If we ignore the signs that are meant to save us from destruction and decide to drive too fast, our unbelief in the signs does not change the truth. The curves are still there, and fast driving can condemn us to an accident, even to kill us and/or our passengers. In a like manner, Jesus teaches us to obey his “signs” – his words and his actions – so we will navigate our lives on his true roadway. If the Jews dismissed his words as lies, they are headed for destruction. He, the Way, will judge them.
   Please understand Jesus’ words in verse 47. They are not a universal salvation message such as this: “Jesus didn’t come to judge me. He loves me regardless of what I do or believe!” Yes, he did first come to save sinners through preaching the gospel. But pay sure attention to  verse 48! H will come to complete the full gospel message. Believe in Jesus’ judgment. It will happen, and you must be prepared, or you will perish.
   How horrible to travel through life ignoring Jesus’ judgment warning! Unforgiveness would constantly be dangerous curves on our hearts. Dismissing the truth does  not change the truth. Right and wrong would be based on our own way. No one could trust us because we reject truth. But worst of all, we would end our journey in death, Jesus judging us into Hell! It’s an indescribable, horrific picture.
   This is judgment with no parole, no clemency or no delayed sentencing. It is a judgment for eternity (Let this sink in: e-t-e-r-n-i-t-y). If you reject Jesus as God, you are rejecting God. He will reject you, and you will have no second life for a second choice. Final judgment is final forever. Heed Jesus’ words. Help others do the same. Be loving and urgent to tell the gospel truth. Recognizing sin, we come to know the essence of his grace and the joys of his love.
 

Read Mark 13:1-37, Matthew 24:1-25:46, Luke 21:8-36
 
Matthew 24:32-37 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. 36 However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 37 When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.” 
 
MATTHEW 24 is known as Jesus’ Olivet Discourse – his communication – to the disciples regarding future events as he sits on the Mount of Olives just prior to his crucifixion. Jesus is a prophet. He teaches the truth and foretells God’s salvation plan for the world.
   But sometimes the prophetic words can be difficult, even impossible to fully understand. This happened with the Old Testament prophets and it occurs here with Jesus’ prophecy, “I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.” “These things” include judgment on Israel’s sins, destruction of the Temple, wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, the gospel’s global expansion, cosmic alterations and the Son of Man’s return in glory. In other words, these things encompass the entirety of God’s kingdom come, his will to be done on earth. How, then, do we see this as prophetic truth that these things would happen in this generation? As we understand “this generation” to be about 20 years, was Jesus in error? All people of Jesus’ day have passed away. Much kingdom work is to still be done.
   Let’s first remember prophets often spoke of the near future and far future at the same time. There was a “near” judgment event of great turmoil and cosmic disturbances in Jerusalem that many younger people (about the disciples’ age) would experience. In 70 AD, Rome completely destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. And Josephus’ history of the Jews records many cosmic disturbances as the Romans lay siege to the city.
   Second, prophets tell of the far – the eternal – future. This generation can also be Jesus’ definition of the entire generation of the New Covenant. This generation is the church generation proclaiming the gospel to the world. Persecution will happen throughout the church age. The church will not pass away before Jesus comes. Jesus’ prophecy was not to specify the time of his return. Instead, he foretells that each human generation will experience persecution, false teachers, signs in the heavens and signs on earth. The gospel will be preached and save souls until he returns in judgment and salvation. Jesus’ will is that all disciples - those standing before him that day and all of us since then – are aware of God’s ultimate salvation plan. He is constant. He will be with us always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
   The church is the fig tree. As the fig tree gains strength through the winter months to bloom at the right time, we must gain strength in God’s Word. Our role is to eat of God’s Brad of Life, so we are prepared to feed a hungry world as we withstand persecution. Jesus’ discourse goes from Olivet to the world, imploring all of his disciples in history to be urgent, to be strong and to be committed to the Good News. It is the only news that will save us from generation to generation unto eternal life.