The Heart of God: The Covenant People (1)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on Acts 1 and 2.
The New Covenant burst onto the human scene on the first Christian Pentecost. With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ reign on earth began in earnest, and the Church was birthed as a sign and outpost of that coming rule and domain.

For reflection
1.  Meditate on Acts 1.1-8. What did Jesus do to further prepare His disciples for the coming of the Kingdom and the New Covenant? What does this suggest about the place the Kingdom of God should have in our lives in the community of God’s covenant?

2.  Jesus instructed His disciples to “wait” for the promised Holy Spirit. How did the disciples interpret that instruction? What did they do as they waited on the Lord? What do we learn from this to guide us in seeking and advancing the Kingdom of God?

3.  When the Spirit finally came (Acts 2), Peter connected this with the promises of the Old Testament concerning the “last days.” How does Peter’s sermon help us think about passages such as Micah 5.1-8? How should these Old Testament texts guide our thinking, planning, and living today?

4.  Peter proclaimed the Good News of Jesus in Acts 2.14-39. Summarize the Gospel he proclaimed. How does this guide us in thinking about sharing the Gospel with people in our Personal Mission Fields?

5.  How did the people respond to the preaching of the Gospel in Acts 2.40-47? Should this guide us as we think about how we should be the community of the covenant in our day?

Summary
The pouring out of the Holy Spirit marks a watershed in human history. From that time forward, everything has changed. The Kingdom has come. The Church is planted. Life-transforming power is unleashed and roaming about the earth, looking to connect with the Gospel lived and proclaimed for making all things new. What is your role as a witness (Acts 1.8) in these last days?

Closing Prayer
Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
For the LORD Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.
Selah
God has gone up with a shout,
The LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
The princes of the people have gathered together,
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.

Psalm 47

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understood the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your Goddevelops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

We are happy to be able to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in this series by clicking here. Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.