@MinutesWord

In Acts 12:23-24, God deals with Herod Agrippa I who was responsible for the death of Apostle James and the imprisonment of Apostle Peter. All of this was done to placate the Jews. I suggest you go back and listen to the entire study of Acts 12 on Spotify (Five Minutes in the Word)! I found it interesting that two historians have completely different versions of death of Agrippa. Josephus says that Agrippa saw an owl sitting over his head, which he recognized as a messenger of evil to him. Eusebius, quoting Josephus Eccl. Hist.,' 2. 10.), leaves out the owl, and says that Agrippa saw an angel sitting over his head, whom he recognized as the cause of his sufferings. (Pulpit Commentary) Jews believed that owls are bringing messages of bad news. They also believe that an angel is assigned to each person Again, this is interesting because Agrippa was a Jew!  Herod knew the word and worship of the living God. But he accepted idolatrous honors without rebuking the blasphemy. 

Acts 2.  On the day of Pentecost, the rushing mighty wind and the tongues, as of fire, accompanied the true gift – being filled with the Holy Spirit .  In response to the filling of the Holy Spirit, those present (not only the twelve apostles) began to speak with other tongues. These were languages that they were never taught, and they spoke these languages, speaking as the Spirit gave them utterance. People from Galilee (Galileans) were known to be uncultured and poor speakers.   This was all the more reason to be impressed with their ability to speak eloquently in other languages. “Galileans had difficulty pronouncing gutturals and had the habit of swallowing syllables when speaking; so they were looked down upon by the people of Jerusalem as being provincial” (Longenecker). This makes me think of my Dad.  He had a speech impediment, until he began preaching!  When he got up to preach, his speech was excellent.  But, he still could not sing.  Th...

Acts 2. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost marks the official inauguration of the new covenant and serves as a witness to the nation of Israel. The Church’s reception of the Holy Spirit, preaching, and sudden growth testify to the reality of Christ’s resurrection and His ongoing reign. It was when the day of Pentecost was fully come, that is, the night preceding, with a part of the day, was fully past. This was a Jewish feast held 50 days after Passover. It celebrates the first fruits of the wheat harvest. It was now 10 days after the time Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 1:3); Jesus had commanded them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.   The Holy Ghost came down at the time of a solemn feast; there was then a great crowd of people to Jerusalem from all parts of the country, and the proselytes from other countries, which would make it the more public, and the fame of it to be spread the sooner and further, which would contribute much to the propagating of the gospel i...

The Gospel of Luke concentrates on Jesus’ ministry on earth, the book of Acts concentrates on His ascension and heavenly rule.  Acts 1:6–11 Christ ascends on high; not fetched away, as Elijah was, with a chariot of fire and horses of fire, but rising to heaven, as he rose from the grave, purely by his own power, his body being now, as the bodies of the saints will be at the resurrection, a spiritual body, and raised in power and incorruption. Matthew Henry

Acts is the only biblical book that chronicles the history of the church immediately after Jesus’s ascension. It provides us with a valuable account of how the church was able to grow and spread out from Jerusalem into the rest of the Roman Empire and is still spreading today. In only three decades, a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ.  When you look at the history of the times and the hostility they faced, even from the religious leaders, that makes the movement that much more significant.  Not only were religious rulers enemies of the Christian movement, so were political leaders.   As we study the Book of Acts we gain a greater appreciation for their faith because it has become the foundation of our faith!  God wants His message of hope and salvation to extend to all people, Jesus commanded His disciple to be His witnesses, of His life, death, resur...

  I began the study of the Book of Acts on October 24, 2022. I'll be sharing some interesting tidbits I learned in my studies.  The Book of Acts is the activity of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus promised His Apostles that we would receive power after the Holy Spirit endues them.  The Holy Spirit came with power upon the believers in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit continued to guide and strengthen the church and its leaders throughout the events reported in the Acts.  He continues to guide and strengthen our lives and churches today. 

 Five Minutes in the Word is celebrated 3 years of consistently sharing God's Word. Thanks to all who listen, like, and share!💖🎧

Insight that gave me clarity about the gift of prophesy. Prophets were not limited to Old Testament times (Acts 13:1; 15:32; 21:9). God appointed certain people to be prophets to the church, and Paul ranked “prophets” second only to apostles in his list of those gifted by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:28).  Peter, in the book of Acts quoted the prophet Joel in his sermon at Pentecost: “Your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:17). The prophet Agabus in Acts 11:28 foretold a famine. This famine is validated by historians like Josephus.  Prophets have special gifts in ministering God’s messages to his people. At times, prophets did foretell the future (as Agabus did in Acts 11:28), but the gift of prophecy is also valued for its role in exhorting, encouraging, and strengthening God’s people (1 Corinthians 14:31).  God speaks today through prophets, inspiring them with specific messages for particular times and places.  I don't mean the ones chasing you down ...

  Welcome to the Five Minutes in the Word Blog! Five Minutes in the Word Podcast began on February 28, 2020.   I find so many interesting insights from my favorite commentaries that I cannot share on my podcast because of time constraints.   I will share the overflow that I have learned by reading and studying God's Word in the blog! Stay tuned.