Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #2
By Peter DeHaan
()
About this ebook
Discover how the Spirit of God moved through the early church, empowering Christians to have a personal, vibrant relationship with Jesus.
The book of Acts was a thrilling time for the early church. Now you can capture the excitement and passion of the first-century Christians in this devotional Bible study designed to take you through the book of Acts.
In Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today's Church from the Book of Acts, you'll connect the biblical narrative with today's reality in 40 easy-to-read reflections about Christian life and church.
Discover how the Spirit moved through early believers' lives, how the Gospel spread, and what we can learn as the body of Christ today. Through forty daily devotionals, you'll gain insights that can help guide your faith and expand your spiritual practices as you uncover how this book influences Jesus's followers two millennia later.
In this Bible study you'll find:
- Thought-provoking reflection prompts to engage more intimately with Scripture
- Personal applications that will challenge you to live God's truth everyday
- Practical questions to bolster your faith
- Transformational connections to your life and church
- Life-changing themes to inspire you to live like the early church, ministering to others and sharing about Jesus.
Tongues of Fire challenges us to seek answers on what today's church can learn from Jesus's first followers and how they moved under the Holy Spirit's power. This easy-to-read Bible study will give you forty days of devotional insights that can help you grow in your faith and discover how to celebrate the role of the Holy Spirit then and now. It will encourage you toward deeper community and an effective personal ministry. Perfect for women, men, or small groups.
Dive into Tongues of Fire for your next study and gain a new perspective on the teachings of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Get your copy today.
[This book was first published as Dear Theophilus, Acts.]
Read more from Peter De Haan
Dr Luke: Discover Luke’s Insight into Jesus and the Early Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJesus's Broken Church: Reimagining Our Sunday Traditions from a New Testament Perspective Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMartin Luther’s 95 Theses: Celebrating the Protestant Reformation in the 21st Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Celebrating the Spirituality of Everyday Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Big is Your Tent? A Call for Christian Unity, Tolerance, and Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Christian Church’s LGBTQ Failure: Move toward a Biblical Approach of Speaking the Truth in Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Apostle John: Exploring John’s Gospel, Letters, and Revelation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeyond Psalm 150: Discover More Sacred Songs of Praise, Petition, and Lament throughout the Bible Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Tongues of Fire
Titles in the series (16)
Dear Theophilus, Acts: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDear Theophilus: A 40 Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThat You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Hope in Him: 40 Insights about Moving from Despair to Deliverance through the Life of Job: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiving Water: 40 Reflections on Jesus’s Life and Love from the Gospel of John: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #6 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove One Another: 40 Daily Reflections from the letters of 1, 2, and 3 John: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #9 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #8 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Apostle John: Exploring John’s Gospel, Letters, and Revelation: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDear Theophilus Books 1–5: Exploring Luke, Acts, Isaiah, Job, and the Minor Prophets: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDr. Luke: Discover Luke’s Insight into Jesus and the Early Church: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiving a Faith that Matters: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDear Theophilus, Acts: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThat You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDr. Luke: Discover Luke’s Insight into Jesus and the Early Church: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDear Theophilus: A 40 Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke: Dear Theophilus Bible Study Series, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Acts of the Apostles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Acts of the Apostles: A Modern Bible Commentary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Book of Luke Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTogether for the World: The Book of Acts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExpository Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke: A Commentary Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Acts 1-12 MacArthur New Testament Commentary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5News of Great Joy(Gospel of Luke) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJourney: Lesson 24 - News Of Great Joy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHolman New Testament Commentary - Acts Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Luke 9-24: Part 2: The Way to Jerusalem Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsActions Of The Early Churches Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Randall House Bible Commentary: Acts: Acts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLuke 1-9: Part 1: Serving in Home Territory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJoining Jesus on the Way: Discipleship in the 21st Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walk Thru the Book of Luke (Walk Thru the Bible Discussion Guides): A Savior for the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsActs (Everyday Bible Commentary series) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Luke Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Luke Verse by Verse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Private Commentary on the Bible: Acts 1–14 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLuke 1-5 MacArthur New Testament Commentary Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Faking of the Book of Acts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bible Knowledge Commentary Acts and Epistles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Living Lord, Empowering Spirit, Testifying People: The Story of the Church in the Book of Acts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBible Commentary - The Gospel of Luke Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Christianity For You
Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Less Fret, More Faith: An 11-Week Action Plan to Overcome Anxiety Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Grief Observed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5NIV, Holy Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries with Kids: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Children Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Tongues of Fire
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Tongues of Fire - Peter DeHaan
Let’s Get Started
I don’t want you to skip this part, so I’ll keep it short:
Whenever you see quotation marks in the text, it’s dialogue, not quoted Scripture.
All dialogue is a paraphrase of what the speakers said or my thoughts of what they may have said.
I use the Bible to study the Bible and avoid consulting secondary sources. Mostly, I use the NIV, but I’m open to any version that gives clarity. Of course, the Holy Spirit guides me as I study.
This is the second book in the Dear Theophilus
series. If you keep reading, I’ll keep writing. My goal is to cover every book of the Bible. People on my email list will help decide what I’ll cover next. Be sure to sign up so you can vote on the topic for the next book in this series.
I pray this book helps you move forward on your spiritual journey.
Let’s go!
Who Is Luke?
Paul is the most prolific writer in the New Testament. Who’s second? Doctor Luke.
Luke wrote a biography of Jesus, called The Gospel According to Luke
(or simply Luke). Later, he detailed the activities of the early church in a sequel, The Acts of the Apostles
(or just Acts). These two books account for about one-quarter of the content in the Bible’s New Testament and give us valuable historical information about Jesus and his followers. Luke’s writings provide a compelling two-book set that can inform our faith and enlighten the practices of our church community.
Luke is the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament. As such, his words are that of an outsider, which may more readily connect with those on the outside, that is, non-Jews. This includes me, and it may include you. Luke wrote with simple, yet captivating language.
However, despite having penned two major books in the Bible—which are the longest two in the New Testament—we don’t know much about Luke. The Bible only mentions him three times.
Here are the few details we know:
First, we learn that Luke is a dear friend of Paul. Next, he’s a doctor. Third, he’s esteemed by Paul as a fellow worker. Finally, in one of his darker hours, Paul laments that everyone is gone. Only Luke has stayed with him. As such, we see Luke as a faithful, persevering friend. Luke emerges as a man of noble character.
We also know that Luke is a firsthand observer in many of the events he records in the book of Acts. We see this through his first-person narratives in some passages when he uses the pronoun we.
Although Luke wasn’t a church leader or an apostle, his contributions to our faith and our understanding of Jesus and his church are significant. Doctor Luke’s ministry function wasn’t leading people or preaching sermons. Instead, he played a silent, and almost unnoticed, supporting role.
Though his work was quiet, his legacy lives on, loudly influencing Jesus’s followers two millennia later.
What can we do to influence others for Jesus, both now and in the future?
[Discover more about Luke in Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:9–11, and Philemon 1:24.]
All About Acts
Acts is one of the sixty-six books in the Protestant Bible. It details the actions (the Acts
) of Jesus’s band of followers. As such, Acts supplies a compelling narrative of life in the early church as it emerges after Jesus’s execution.
Authored by Doctor Luke, Acts records the work of Jesus’s followers as they navigate unmapped territory. It forms a new faith perspective based on the teachings of Jesus and the supporting work of the Holy Spirit. Luke gives a valuable narrative to inform us and to reform our church practices. As a Gentile, Luke is also an outsider to Judaism—just like most of us.
As the narrative in Acts progresses, we see Luke sometimes shifting from a third-person perspective, that of a reporter, to a first-person point of view as a participant. Though the good doctor writes his first book, Luke, as an outsider, he emerges in his second book, Acts, as an insider, where he takes part in the work of Paul to develop Jesus’s church.
Clearly Luke, the former reporter, has become a follower of Jesus and part of his growing community of believers. This book explores what Luke shares in his informative description about the early church in the book of Acts, which can teach us much about faith and inform our church practice.
Each of Luke’s two books, Luke and Acts, address Theophilus.
We don’t know who Theophilus is, only that Luke writes both of his books to Theophilus so that he may know for sure what others had taught him about Jesus.
Luke has two notable traits to make him ideal for this task. First, as a doctor, he’s a trained observer. This makes him an ideal investigative reporter for Theophilus.
Second, as a non-Jew, Luke has a fresh take on the subject, without historical baggage to distract him on his mission.
This helps Theophilus, and it helps us.
What steps are we willing to take to help someone, like Theophilus, know for certain what they were taught?
[Discover more about Theophilus in Luke 1:1–4 and Acts 1:1–2.]
1: Wait for It
Acts 1:1–8
Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
(Acts 1:4)
Acts picks up where the book of Luke ended. As with many sequels, Acts opens with a review of what happened in the first book. Again addressing Theophilus, Luke references his first letter, which we call Luke, the third book in the New Testament.
Here’s the recap: In the forty days between Jesus’s resurrection and his return to heaven, he appears to his followers many times. He proves he’s alive and reminds them about the kingdom of God. Slowly, things begin to click for them. Jesus isn’t a military leader who will overthrow the Roman rule. He’s a spiritual revolutionary to fulfill God’s plan for humanity, set in motion before time began.
Finally, Jesus’s teaching starts to take on new meaning. The misconceptions of his followers’ prior thinking fall away. But it takes time to reorient their perspective from the physical world to a spiritual reality. When one of his followers asks if Jesus is ready to restore Israel as a nation, his answer is not now.
The timing is secret.
Instead, Jesus tells his followers to wait.
Waiting is counter to our modern-day thinking. Delay represents lost opportunity. We must maintain momentum to propel our cause forward. Yet Jesus says, Wait.
It seems ill-advised. However, much of what Jesus says is contrary to human wisdom. We should expect the unexpected from Jesus. If he says to wait, this shouldn’t cause dismay. Sometimes inaction is the best action—especially when God says to delay.
From a human perspective, they should organize, plan, and deploy across the region to tell others about Jesus. They have experience going out two-by-two. Jesus trained them to do just that. They seem ready, but Jesus says to wait.
Wait for a special gift promised by Papa: a new kind of baptism, a supernatural anointing. While John uses water, this new baptism will be with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will empower them to tell others about Jesus.
This new baptism doesn’t have the tangible use of water but the intangible power of Spirit. Yet the two are connected, for the Holy Spirit shows up when John baptizes Jesus with water.
Consider John’s baptism. He lowers people into the water, submerges them, and lifts them out. John’s baptism symbolically parallels death, burial, and resurrection. Cleansing takes place. It’s a powerful, beautiful imagery.
When Jesus emerges from the waters of his baptism, heaven opens and the Holy Spirit, in a visible form that resembles a dove, comes upon him. God’s voice booms. He confirms Jesus as his son, whom he loves and whose actions he affirms. In this case, Jesus’s water baptism links to the Holy Spirit. This foreshadows what is to come for his disciples with the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
While different streams of Christianity explain the Holy Spirit’s work in different ways, with varying present-day implications, we should use what happened then to inform our understanding and practices now.
Do we need to reconsider the role of the Holy Spirit in our life and our church to better align with the Bible?
[Discover more about the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:38, Acts 10:44–45, Acts 11:15–16,