Acts 2:43

Tuesday 1/10/12

Acts 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

Interpretation:

     According to this verse, the apostles did many signs. According to Strong’s concordance, the word sign is translated “of miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God's.” There was one time in the Bible when some people came to Jesus seeking a sign. It says in Matthew 12:38-40, “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’”

     So here are two different examples in the Bible concerning signs. In one case, the Pharisees didn’t get a sign from Jesus when they asked; in the other instance, many signs were given to people who didn’t even ask. So why the difference? Well, the Pharisees were going to get a sign according to Jesus – that sign would be the fact that Jesus would rise from the dead three days after he died. But what did they do when that happened? They ignored it; they tried to cover it up. However, here in Acts, these Christians accepted the sign as they accepted Jesus into their hearts by faith; and God continued to confirm it through other signs.

     So many times we want God to do something for us, show us something, or confirm something in a particular way. However, sometimes He doesn’t. Why? It could be that He has already spoken to us or shown us a sign confirming His will for our lives, and maybe we haven’t been believing the first thing He’s spoken to our hearts. Perhaps we are being like the religious leaders in Matthew 12 who are asking God to show us something while ignoring a sign God has already spoken to us. Since it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11:6), perhaps He wants us to act on faith through that first sign He’s shown us and then once we act on faith, He’ll continue to confirm His will in our lives through other signs.

Application:

     So often I know the promises in God’s Word that tell me how He’s in control of everything and wants to bless me. He’ll bring promises to my mind and speak to me in His still small voice, speaking directly to the problems or questions that I have. Nevertheless, I still struggle and say, “Yeah, I know God, but...” and then I’ll fill in the rest with a reason why I shouldn’t believe what He says – “If it’s true why don’t I see this thing in my life?” or “Why can’t you make me more confident?” or even “Can you show me another verse?” Many times, God will be gracious and patient enough to give a second, third, or even a fourth sign just as He gave Gideon another sign when he left the fleece out for a second night and asked for a different sign. But I need to realize that there is also that possibility that God might not give me the confidence or another verse or sign that I think I need. He might be waiting for me to act out on faith in what He has already given me before He’ll confirm it through other signs. It’s not because He’s a mean God enjoying seeing me struggle, but because He’s doing a work in me as He’s helping me to learn to have faith in Him whether or not I have multiple signs.