The Church Persecuted and Scattered

Thank you for the shortest passage. Sorry.. Christine =)

Even in these short three verses, we can see the significant events that would take a place.
1. Persecution forced people to scatter. The Christians needed to move out of Jerusalem to spread the Gospel to the people in different regions. As we read in Acts 1:8, Jesus commanded His followers to go to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth to be His witnesses. God used what seemed to be tragedy and evil for His ultimate purpose and will.

2. The infamous Saul who had a such hatred toward Christians was at Stephen's murder sight (8:1). He was charged up after the incident and continued to pursue in destroying Christianity. We all know how Jesus grabbed hold of this evil man and turned him into the greatest missionary through whom many people came to know Jesus Christ as their savior. There is no one else like Paul understood what it means to be touched by Jesus Christ; life that was completely changed. Again God uses something impossible from our understanding to more than possible for His purpose and glory.

The Stoning of Stephen

Acts 7:54-60

54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.


Imagining Stephen getting stoned while praying to the Lord and asking Him not hold "this sin against them" really shows the faith and obedience of Stephen. It's amazing what one endure when they are faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin

WOW this was a long passage! Stephen basically tells the story of God's chosen people and shows God's continual grace toward his people and how generation after generation they continue to disobey. This is all in response to his charges of blasphemy against Moses and God. He ends with directly accusing his accusers of being just like their forefathers and having hardened hearts. He goes on to say how they have murdered God's chosen one.
Essentially accusing them of what they were charging him for. This passage has so much going on...but I was reminded of God's mercy and grace toward his people and how easy it is to still disobey and turn our backs even though we are constantly forgiven.

stephen seized

"but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke."

there are many who don't bear witness for Jesus in any way.  they are silent about their faith, afraid to offend, so much so that there is no discernible difference between them and a non-christian.  the very few times they are challenged they are so intimidated by conflict that they silently shrink into themselves. stephen was not such a man. he did not live for the approval of the world. the Spirit of God lived in him--and his faith was a natural extension of himself.

this passage reiterates what the NT says over and over--that if you are a christian--your faith will not and cannot be hidden. jesus said, "a city on a hill cannot be hidden". this truth works two ways--if you have faith, it will come out in obvious ways--but if you don't your unbelief will also be evident--whatever you are deep inside cannot be hidden.  if we don't have genuine Spirit-filled faith, then whatever values that we are "filled" with will also express themselves eventually and unmistakeably.

those who tried to argue with stephen "could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke". this should be a great encouragement to all of us.  we may never be able to defend the christian faith as eloquently as stephen. but if the Spirit of God truly lives in us, we will be given a wisdom that the world will not be able to stand up against. the passage also states that as the enemies of God accused stephen and brought him to trial, they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.   even his accusers could not deny stephen's goodness and purity of heart. the secret was that he was completely at peace with God--so confident was he that "whether he lived, he [would] live to the Lord and whether he died, he [would] die to the Lord". 

Choosing Colaborers 6:1-7

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.
4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the world.
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the world of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.


In korean history, those who brought God's words to this land helped this country independence and grow up to be a no-more-hungry nation. Without God's will like this, I can't imagine what kind of circumstance I would live with. I'm so grateful for that! I don't know if the number of christians is still increasing or not, but I pray we have more real christians. We need to care not the number, but the people.

The Apostles Persecuted

¹⁷Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. ¹⁸They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. ¹⁹But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ²⁰"Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life."

²¹At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. ²²But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, ²³"We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." ²⁴On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.

²⁵Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." ²⁶At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

²⁷Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ²⁸"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."

²⁹Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! ³⁰The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. ³²We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

³³When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. ³⁴But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. ³⁵Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ³⁶Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. ³⁷After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. ³⁹But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

⁴⁰His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

⁴¹The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. ⁴²Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Jealousy can be a powerful tool that Satan uses to persecute the church. It's ugly and reveals the true evil nature that we all try so hard to hide and suppress. We need to be careful around this lethal emotion and guard our hearts not to fall into its trap.

I was thrilled when I read the end of this passage, when it describes how the apostles rejoiced when they left their prison. They found themselves worthy to carry the suffering that comes along with the bearing Christ's name. Their suffering and the persecution that they faced didn't discourage them one bit but fueled their passion to spread the Gospel to the farthest reaches of the Earth. I was amazed and awed by this and rebuked as well because I wondered if I would do the same if facing the same kind of torment. We live in such a sheltered world that keeps us from facing the kind of suffering that the apostles faced or other Christian in modern Christian hating regions. But we face a different kind of persecution which is indifference, apathy, and tolerance to the evils around us.

the apostles heal many

"all of them were healed"

we are told from the previous passage that "great fear seized the whole church" when the members heard of God's frightful judgment on ananias and sapphira.  there must be a correlation between godly fear seizing the church and God's power being demonstrated through "miraculous signs and wonders" in the way of healings and demon exorcisms.  the "fear of the Lord" is "reverence and awe before the reality of God's presence", literally a humble recognition of who God is in all His might and power and holiness and purity.

the modern-day church is greatly lacking in this godly fear. we can tell this by the very casual attitude we have when we come into His presence as a body on the Lord's Day. we are not still and quiet and reverent before His presence. we come late to worship service; we blatantly disobey and refuse to repent of our sins, and we live idolatrous lives. this is why we lack power in our witness for the Lord, why we so lack awareness of His presence in our lives. 

the fear of the Lord leads to reverence for His word, an obedient and humble heart, and greater faith in both His promises and in His warnings. most of all, "the fear of the Lord" is the beginning of wisdom--wisdom that leads to salvation and to eternal life. in the case of the early church, many many were saved and healed by a few humble men and women who lived in obedience rooted in the "fear of the Lord".

Ananias and Sapphira : hypocrisy and deception

There was a time when I was a little torn on how I should respond to people that thought of the church as a place of hypocrisy. On one hand I wanted to defend the church and say that hypocrites are not "truly" part of the church and that they only give "real" Christians a bad name. On the other hand, I wanted to confess that the church has it's flaws because the people in it are flawed "sinners". We come to church not because we are good and perfect but because we are not and need guidance though the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Today's passage however made me look beyond the problem of flaws and imperfection and into what hypocrisy really is. Hypocrisy is something more deadly than the issue of flaws alone because there is that element of pretense and deception. Hypocrites pretend, deceive and lie. It's a direct opposite of what a child of God should be like but how can it be found in the church?

Perhaps hypocrisy comes when people pretend to have changed their priorities from the world and self to God and His Kingdom. Or when people pretend to be "good' while harboring evil thoughts and desires. Or when people pretend to have given themselves over to God and His instructions but really have not and hold on to their own ways and desires. Hypocrisy is when you deliberately display acts of piety while deliberately hiding those things you have not fully given over to God.

Yes, hypocrisy is in the church and it is very deadly. I am convicted of the hypocrisy in my own heart and how it has no place in the church. People in the church sin but can and will be accepted through forgiveness but hypocrisy cannot be acceptable in the church. It's insidious nature allows sin to grow in the church as it creeps within the shadows of our own sinful hearts. When sin is realized it must be confessed but hypocrisy keeps and shelters those things we should bring to light before God for there can be no forgiveness when there is no confession.

If Ananias and Sapphira openly disclosed the fact they kept part of their own money, this story would have played out so differently. If what they did was wrong in holding the money back, would the leaders not instruct and guide them towards correction? If what they did was right, would they not rejoice and worship together in truth?

The Believers Share Their Posession

V32 we read that all the believers were one in heart and mind. They were united to pursue one mission that was to preach the Gospel and to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. With that mission and vision as their priority, their material possession became secondary. It was only mean to be used for what needed to be accomplished. Their eyes were opened and hearts enlightened. They saw themselves as instruments which God used for His great mission. Their contentment didn't come from their possessions or wealth but it came from contributing as much as they could for the good cause and participating proactively in furthering the Kingdom of God.
It's almost impossible to see any replicas of the early churches in the modern day churches. We Christians become selfish and stingy when it comes to giving. I am guilty of that. I may give more when I am plenty. However, when I face financial difficult I cling onto what I have. It shows lack of faith. You put your faith in money not in God. I believe that the passage not just shows us not only how important it is for people giving to the mission but also it teaches our generation about how God's great purpose and mission have been carried out through the people who were willing and obedient. The early Christians listened, understood the Will of God and finally carried on what needed to be done faithfully and prayfully.

the believer's prayer

Acts 4:23-31

In this passage john and peter prayed to God once again with such confidence and assurance that He will listen to their prayer and deliver through His promises. They also prayed in allignment with God's desire and will for His people.

How do we come to God in prayer? Do we with pray with full faith and trust or with doubt and lack of confidence?? Also, what do we find ourselves praying for most of the time?? When do we pray?

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

As I read this passage a couple of things jumped out at me:

Peter and John's stand for Christ seems like a perfect example of how we are to stand and witness for Christ. They had done an act of kindness by healing a crippled man in Jesus name, they preached the word of God boldly and courageously and then when faced by their opposition they did not back down and proclaimed that they answered to a higher authority and were just speaking the truth of what they have seen and heard.

¹⁹But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. ²⁰For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." 

What also caught my attention was verse 12: 

¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." 

The exclusivity of Christianity has always been a hard pill to swallow for people both back then and now. I mean, this is what the Sanhedrin were after really right?  They were trying to punish Peter and John to find a way to stop the message of the resurrection of Christ.

seeing is not believing--but believing is seeing

"men of Israel, why does this surprise you? why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?"

after the miraculous healing of the crippled beggar, people gape at peter and john in open-mouthed wonder and astonishment. how did these uneducated, unschooled, illiterate men bring about the complete healing of a severely crippled man? we might well "gape in open-mouthed wonder and astonishment" at the miraculous change in peter. he was a scared and cowering disciple who could not stand up to a little servant girl on the night of Jesus's arrest, but now he has turned into a mighty prophet who enacts miraculous healings and preaches with such authority as to bring about the conversion of 3000 people on the day of pentecost. 

the difference in peter is almost as amazing as the healing that occurred through him. what is the secret? peter recounts to the crowd the suffering and death of Jesus and how God raised Him to life. then he makes this simple statement "we are witnesses of this". herein lies the secret to peter's boldness and his access to God's power to heal and convert a lame beggar.  peter has seen with his own eyes Jesus raised from the dead.  peter realizes that the same Power that raised Christ from the dead is the same Power that could heal a cripple, change his own heart so dramatically, bring about the conversion of thousands of people through one sermon, and change the hearts of hardened sinners throughout the ages.  it is one and the same Power, and he was a witness to it.

it is one thing to say that we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and another thing entirely to truly know the living Christ raised from the dead, to be "witnesses of this". seeing is not necessarily believing, but believing is truly to see. if peter can be changed so dramatically then there is hope for all of us, even for you and for me.

The miracle(Act 3:1-10)

1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer- at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Chirst of Nazareth, walk." 7 Takin him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.


What an amazing miracle it is! As Jesus' disciples,I hope we have that kind of strong power to change a person. People in trouble might want you to lend some money or to give a help to keep up their lives. But they don't ask you what they really need because they don't know they need it. Peace and freedom God gives us by forgiving our sins. That's what we should give them. Changing what someone believes in is really a miracle because it's too hard, maybe hardest. We need to be that powerful.

The Fellowship of Believers

Sorry for posting late...my bad! I misread the schedule... >.<

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Today's passage talks about the characteristics of a healthy church and true fellowship in Christ. As I read this passage, first of all I got goosebumps because this description of the early church honestly feels so surreal to me. I really wonder if there's a church out there in our time like the early churches. Then I began to wonder if our church was like the early churches and whether we held these characteristics of a healthy, thriving church of God.
But something that captured me while reading this passage was that it was obvious that the believers in the early churches loved God and each other zealously because they had shown it through not only their faith to Christ's calling and teachings but to each other and to community around them. People, non-believers, saw this and must have been captivated by this because the last verse says their numbers grew daily.
I love our church and the members of our ODM family. I'm blessed to be apart of this family. ^-^

Peter Addresses the Crowd

Peter explains the Pentecost event to the crowd and presents the good news of Christ and the fulfillment of the messianic prophesy.

³⁶"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

³⁷When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

⁴⁰With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." ⁴¹Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

And this was Peter's first sermon.

What I am left pondering is that we are suppose to have access to the same power... the power of the Holy Spirit!

Unity through the Holy Spirit

⁷Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?

What struck me the most from Act 2:1-13 is how men of different race and tongues were able to have a supernatural fellowship. Though these men came from different backgrounds and spoke different tongues, they gathered with the same purpose of waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit as Jesus instructed them to do. As promised, the Holy Spirit came and filled each man causing them to proclaim the wonders of God in their native tongue. Though there were "Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"

In our midst, we may not have any language barriers but certainly, we each have our own thoughts, opinions, dreams, desires and personalities. Yet, in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit we can be united in proclaiming the wonders of God. I hope each person will be filled with the Holy Spirit not only to share and proclaim God's glory but also to recognize and understand the work of God being spoken among us. For there were other witnesses to this miracle but they could not take part in the blessed fellowship and instead " made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."

Matthias chosen to replace Judas

The believers were told to remind in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit. Before the Pentecost happened, many people including 11 apostles gathered together prayed and anticipated in what was to come. They elected 12th apostle to replace Judas. They did it to fulfill the prophecy. They prayed and prepared their hearts to receive God's will for the apostle.
I read a commentary about the significance of having 12 apostles.
This is what the commentator said:
"Why was there a need for a 12th apostle? It is because 12 represents the fullness of Israel. There is a sense in which each apostle would represent a tribe in Israel. Jesus told the 12 apostles that they would sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Then we have the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem with 12 foundation stones, each with the name of an apostle. But the city also has 12 gates, and each gate has the name of one of Israel's tribes."
Every events in the Bible has a significant meaning. We may not understand completely. However, we know everything from the beginning and the end of the history has been orchestrated by God's sovereignty and there is absolutely nothing that is out of God's control and will. The very God is your Heavenly Father!!
What an awesome privilege we have as children of God!!!

Jesus Taken up to Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."


Verses 7 & 8 struck me personally because I hate not knowing when something is going to happen. I need to know for certain the time and date so I can plan my life accordingly. This passage reminds me that it is not important for me to know of Jesus' exact arrival, but instead continue to spread the Gospel until His coming. It is a great reminder to live everyday as if it were my last.

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20)

The book of Matthew ends with Jesus asking the disciples to finish what he has started here on earth. This passage also applies to the church today. We have seen and heard and if we believe that Jesus is the risen Lord, we should be finishing what he has started in our every day lives.

not just a lie . . . but a whopper

despite all the best efforts of the conspirators in sealing and securing the tomb, not to mention posting guards around the clock, Jesus rises from the dead. the guards are utterly at a loss as to explain how it happened. they are bribed by the chief priests to concoct a story that the disciples came during the night and stole the body. in other words, they are now having to spread the very lie that they had made every possible human effort to prevent from happening. 

the chief priests tell the guards: "you are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep'. in essence, they are to tell everyone, not only that they "fell asleep"--the very thing the guards were not to do under penalty of death--but that the disciples broke into the heavily sealed tomb and snuck away with a body, all without their knowledge.  this passage reveals that denying the resurrection, especially in the light of such irrefutable evidence as an empty tomb , is very hard work indeed. it takes a lot more faith to believe that the disciples rolled away a huge stone and unsealed a tomb which had been sealed so securely as to be unbreakable, all without the faintest knowledge of a whole legion of heavily armed, well-trained guards--than it does to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God.

we have all said to ourselves at one time or other that it is so hard to believe, but this passage makes clear that it is so much harder not to believe. we are only called to examine the evidence honestly.

Mattew 28:1~10

 1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." 8So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

It shows how hard it was even for the people who had seen Jesus with their eyes to believe that Jesus would rise after his death. This fact might make me look into myself what kind of image I have of His rising from the tomb. Is it still a mysterious scenery like from any movie or comic book? Or Do I really believe that Jesus win the death without question. Do we feel so excited and touched about this amazing night? This moment is when Jesus proved that he is Christ and son of God. It's not a fantasy novel. It did happen for real.

Gaurd at the Tomb

⁶²The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³"Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' ⁶⁴So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."

⁶⁵"Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." ⁶⁶So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

I'm amazed in how the chief priests and the Pharisees feared Jesus Christ, even after they put him through so much humiliation, pain, and suffering, leading up to his death. In reading this passage, I could see all the hatred and jealousy they held against him. They called him "that deceiver" and take every possible measure to undermine Jesus's authority. They try to set up traps to ensue that they can suppress Jesus's influence and authority even after they put him in the grave.

I remember something that Dulla told me recently about how Satan sets up traps in our lives to snag us and make us trip and fall. And its not big dilemma or tragedies but little things that are geared to distract us from our responsibilities to God. Each time Satan does this, it discourages us from getting back up and trying again. We need to guard our hearts and be mindful of our surroundings. Most importantly, we have to persevere and fight against his traps. I know it's easier said than done because something like this happened to me yesterday that kept me from coming to church last night for the prayer meeting. Even though I failed to do this, I can't dwell on it and beat myself up. I now understand how easily I let my guard down, which makes me slip up.

On a happy note, I do believe and am learning that even in the little victories in our day to day life build up, it should encourage us to grow in our walk with Christ and to keep on striving to give Him our best, even though we're doomed to fail. We should keep our eyes opens for Satan's traps and snares. Even doing these daily blog faithfully is a little victory that makes us stronger in the end.