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Lesson 1: The Life Changer
Have you ever heard a doctor ask a patient before writing a prescription, "Do you have any allergies?" Does it matter whether the patient tells the truth? Yes, certainly truth matters! In fact a false answer can change that person’s life.
Many people feel that in spiritual subjects truth is unknowable and really doesn’t matter. But to the contrary we find that the Scriptures clearly tell us that truth does matter and it is life changing. Questions such as, “Is God knowable?”, “By what standard will I be judged?”, “What does God expect of me?” and “What happens when I die?” are questions that have true and knowable answers.
Q1. What does God expect you to do to discover the truth? To find the answer read 2 Timothy 2:15. Write your answer in the space provided or in a notebook.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Jesus once said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." [1]Say those words aloud to yourself or someone else, "The truth will make you free!" Now personalize the words, "The truth will make me free."
Q2. Have you ever noticed truth bringing freedom in your own life in some way? If so how?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
From the opposite perspective we could say that whatever is not true brings us into bondage. To whatever extent we are trapped in a lie or an untruth, we are held in slavery to fear or shame. Think about it, have you ever lied to someone else or even lied to yourself? Did it bring freedom to your mind or make your mind more confused and concerned?
Only truth that is lived delivers the results of deep contentment and lasting peace of mind.
Q3. What does Jesus say regarding truth? Read John 18:37.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Needless to say, the purpose of the Life Changer series is to bring about positive life change! Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and have it in abundance.”[2] Authentic “positive life change” accepts the abundance Jesus offers. For the purpose of our encouragement Jesus declared, “I am the Way, The Truth, and the Life.”[3] From contemplating those words we can see that Jesus’ mission was not just to show us the road to life, but in some unique way He is the road to life.
In these lessons you will build on the truth you have already discovered in the Fate Changer series, namely that following Jesus is the only way to obtain eternal life. In addition you know that the Holy Scriptures consisting of the Old and New Testaments are the only trustworthy guide for obtaining personal peace. No matter the cost, no matter the risk, we must agree to neither accept nor settle for anything less than knowing and living the truth!
This series of studies is intended for those who have completed the Fate Changer series. From Adam to John the Baptist and all the prophets in between we learned that our fate is changed not by trying to earn merit with God or doing religious activities but by believing in Christ.
Q4. Have you believed in the resurrected Christ for yourself?
Y____ N ____ Still Thinking _________
If you have completed the Fate Changer series, you are familiar with the use of stories to illustrate and clarify life topics from the Bible. In this series we invite you to imagine a Turkish family and a circle of their friends as they search for truth. We join their lives as they have recently completed the Fate Changer series themselves. We will look into their lives over the course of a year and learn with them as they search deeply the pages of Scripture to discover truths that positively transform their lives.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
Fatma Yıldız’s eyes sparkle as she jokes and laughs with a customer who has entered her clothing shop. Fatma is 45 and the owner of two successful women's clothing stores. She is slender with almond eyes, high cheek bones, and wavy brown hair. Her greater grace is not that she is beautiful, which she is, but that she seems largely unconscious of herself and has a wonderful manner of making others feel beautiful. Fatma has a unique way of complimenting her customers while giving very candid opinions about the clothes they are shopping for. Fatma isn’t shy to tell someone that a piece of clothing is wrong for them. A customer once told her that she would pay twice as much just to hear Fatma’s comments when buying a new blouse.
On this day, because it is Tuesday, Fatma relies on one of her workers Gülsün. In Fatma's life Tuesday and Thursday nights are far from ordinary. For over a year Fatma has been meeting with a group of friends and relatives and reading through the Old and New Testaments.
As Fatma is putting her jacket on, Gülsün hands Fatma a slip of paper with a phone number and says, “You received a call from your bank; you may want to call them before you go home. They said your debit card has been blocked because of suspicious activity.” This had happened before and Fatma wasn’t too concerned, but she did want to get that card opened immediately as she was planning on using it at the pharmacy to buy some medicine for her mother.
She quickly called the bank. They asked her a few security questions. Then they simply asked her if there was any other name registered on her account. She told the bank she was the sole person authorized on the account. With that, they assured her that her account would be opened and she wouldn’t have any more problems using the card.
Fatma walked to the bus stop. The sun was setting and all the buildings were shining like gold. Everything was glowing and the world seemed warm and welcoming. It made Fatma happy just to look at the bright setting sun, and she thought about all the events of the last year and how her life had taken such a positive turn. Financially things were still tight, but emotionally she had experienced tremendous healing. She remembered the customer who put the Fate Changer lesson in her hands. Fatma had been really struggling after her husband had died suddenly of a heart attack. After a conversation about her troubles, the customer told her how her own life had been helped when she started reading the Bible. She suggested it might be of help for Fatma. How right the woman had been!
After two weeks of privately reading the first ten studies she had shared them with her mother who in turn shared them with the neighbors one flight up, Mehmet and Aycan. Because the questions at the end of each chapter often had more than one answer, it was very interesting to hear different people's perspectives and thus the idea sprang up to get together and read the lessons all together. The arrangement had worked well and the group grew. When they all came together these days they were 11 people!
Fatma enjoyed the studies a lot. She had heard some of the stories before, but as she studied she had this strong sense that she was breaking new ground in her life. The more she read, a deep resolve grew to discover all that was there to find. Abraham could have been thought of as stale old history, but for Fatma, looking into the Old and New Testaments was like a secret trove of gold. She felt as if she were Indiana Jones or Piri Reis piecing together answers from ancient writings, mysteries and maps.
Moreover, Fatma had a great need to turn her “fate” in a new direction. Meeting the God of love and his Messiah Jesus had done just that.
Fatma arrived home, kissed her mother Türkan who was in the kitchen preparing for guests, then she went to put the living room in order. She found her twelve year old daughter Gül watching television and enlisted her to help put a clean tablecloth on the table. At first the group had sat on the sofas but as they studied the Bible more they had moved their meetings around the dining room table as the light was stronger and they could keep several books open on the table at once.
Soon the guests arrived; Ekrem who was her husband’s older brother and his wife Filiz kissed Fatma and made themselves at home. Their interest was not real high in the studies but they didn’t want to hurt Fatma’s feelings by refusing her invitations. As a result, they came only occasionally. Fatma’s cousin Reşat and his wife Afife were regular attenders. Mehmet, their neighbor and a long time family friend, was a retired history teacher. He had always been interested in studying the Old and New Testaments but never got around to it until recently. Unfortunately his wife never came with him. Mehmet, a few years before his retirement had won an award for his teaching. This night he sat at the head of the table. Fatma’s son Mert also participated often; he was 21 and studying chemistry in college. In addition, Mert occasionally brought his frıend Yusuf who came with his girlfriend Ece. It was getting crowded around the table!
This night after greeting and chatting for a bit, Fatma said, “Let’s ask God to direct our study.” Fatma’s prayer was simple, “God our Creator, we study not just to know more, but to know you. You tell us you hide from those who do not really want to know you, and you reveal yourself to those who earnestly seek you. We come together again as family and friends because we really want to find you. We praise you and thank you. Amen.” (To be Continued)
The group that night read Acts 2:42 through Acts 4:31.
Read Acts 2:42-47.
Q5. You remember 3000 were baptized after Peter’s sermon about fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead. (Acts 2). What does “all those who believe” in Acts 2:44 refer to? What were they believing in?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q6. It was only several months after Jesus had risen from the dead. There were no new legal organizations set up and certainly no church buildings as we know them today. So what was the "church" mentioned in the text of verses 46-47? Compare this with Matthew 16:18 and 19.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
It is apparent from the verses we just read, that God considered this group of believers a "church". The words translated as “topluluk” in Acts 2:46, 47 literally mean “together” in the New Testament's original language, which was Greek. If we look at Matthew 16:18, we see that the word “kilise” (derived from the Greek word "ekklesia") is used to describe the followers of Jesus. In spite of two different words being used, and the fact that a worldly government or governing body did not "officially" recognize the group as a church, it is obvious that God considered the group mentioned in Acts 2:46, 47 as a church. The simple act of adding people to the group everyday not only shows that He endorsed their teachings and growth, but that He also considered them a "kilise/topluluk" that was working together to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Read Acts 3:1-26.
Q7. How long had the crippled man been unable to walk? (Verse 2).
a) Two days
b) Twenty years
c) Since birth
Q8. What did Peter give to the crippled man?
a) Silver & gold
b) A cup of water
c) The ability to walk through the power of Christ
Q9. What did Peter say when the people marveled that he had healed this lame man? (Verse 16).
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q10. Read Acts 3:22. According to Acts chapter 3 and verses 6, 13, 20 and 26 who was the “prophet” that Moses had foretold would come?
A. ___________________________________________________________________________
Q11. According to verses 15 and 16 what made the lame man well?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Read Acts 4:1-12.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
Fatma laid down her Bible and said with astonishment, “I said those very words today!” Everyone stopped and looked at her in surprise. “I told the bank, ‘There is no other name authorized on my debit card.’" Everyone laughed. But Fatma didn’t laugh. She stared blankly in front of her for a moment as she thought deeply. Then she exclaimed, “Look, the man was healed!” Waving her hands expressively she asked, “How was he healed? By Jesus' name!” Then leaning forward she asked, “Why was he healed? Because Jesus’ name is authorized to access God’s power bank!” The picture was so clear for Fatma she could hardly stay in her seat.
Filiz looked at Fatma and softly spoke, “That was such a wonderful thing for the Jews but such a pity that they killed their own prophet.”
Mehmet jumped in, “Hold on Filiz. The text says, “There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved.” It says nothing about Jews. Taken very literally we would have to say that God provided one Savior for the whole world, not a different Savior for each nation, or ethnic group."
Fatma asked her son Mert to read out loud John 3:35 and 36. “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. The one believing in the Son has eternal life; but the one disobeying the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Mert looked up, “Those are Jesus’ own words. It doesn’t get much clearer than that.”
Fatma’s mother Türkan interjected, “I still believe that God has to have different paths for different people.” Then doubting her own logic she added with hesitation, “Wouldn’t that make sense?”
Mehmet spoke respectfully to his elderly neighbor but was clearly in disagreement, “Türkan Hanım, listen. What makes sense is that God would tell us what is sensible! If God says there is one way, why should we imagine another? Our duty must be to conform our imagination into the path He has made. That is reality. Does Jesus have some shortcoming that we should reject Him? Should we commit the same folly as the Jews? History shows us pride is the thief of many men’s souls.”
Fatma, who had taken her debit card out and was twirling it in her fingers, tapped it on the table and said, “There is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved.” Still thinking about her bank experience Fatma added, “That would make any other name attempting to provide salvation a fraud or a thief!”
It was silent for a moment as everyone thought about Fatma’s words. Then Mert broke the silence, “Let’s finish reading the chapter. I need to hit the books.”
Türkan looked at Mehmet and pondering the meaning of the text, said softly, “God is great and Jesus is our Savior.” Fatma took her mother’s hand and said to everyone, “Let’s pray together.”
Reread Acts 4:12. Our salvation is to be our chief concern in this life. Your individual salvation, that is your rescue from shame, wrath and the curse, and your restoration to God's favor and blessing must be the first priority of your heart. The disciples had found the key. They had not only found the one who could make crippled men walk, but could make sinful men acceptable to God. It wasn’t a sect they had found, nor a creed, nor a religion, nor even a set of prayers or deeds. It was a name; a living Name. Secondly, they had discovered that our salvation is not in ourselves, nor can be obtained by any merit or strength of our own; we can destroy ourselves, but we cannot save ourselves. Thirdly, there are among men many names that pretend to be saving names but really are not so; many religions that pretend to make reconciliation and restore relations between God and man but cannot do it. Fourthly, it is only by Christ and His name that the mercies we need can be released from God for our salvation. This is the honor of Christ's name, that it is the only name by which we can be saved. This name is appointed by God, and it is an inestimable benefit freely given to us.
Read Acts 4:13-21 and answer the following question.
Q12. What reason did Peter and John have for disobeying the Pharisee’s command “Not to preach in the name of Jesus?” (Verse 19 and 20).
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Read Acts 4:22-37.
Q13. Read John 14:13, 14. What is the significance of asking a request using someone else’s name?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
A name represents a role, position, authority and character. A note with the signature of the president may allow a person access to places and events that he would not otherwise have access to. The name of Jesus is unique in that it is worthy to enter into God’s presence. By the name of Jesus all those who believe in him are given similar privileges as if we are joint owners of all that Jesus has received. (See Luke 22:29). Will you take the name of Jesus as one vested with authority?
From these passages in Acts 3 and 4 we learn several significant points:
1) Jesus’ name, when believed, has power.
2) The God of Abraham glorified Jesus by raising Him from the dead.
3) God's prophets from the beginning told that a time of restoration would come.
4) That time of restoration is when Jesus comes again.
5) Jesus is in heaven until that time.
6) Our duty is to prepare for his coming by repenting and being converted that our sins may be blotted out.
7) Jesus was the prophet who would come that Moses spoke about.
8) God has appointed that there is salvation only in Jesus' name and no other.
9) These things comprise the message that the disciples were preaching to all the world.
We will end all of our lessons requesting that readers make a call to commitment to God through prayer.
For further study read:
Acts 4:22-37; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Philippians 2:9, 10; Colossians 3:17; 2 Timothy 1:12 and 1 John 3:23.
[1] John 8:32.
[2] John 10:10.
[3] John 14:6.
Have you ever heard a doctor ask a patient before writing a prescription, "Do you have any allergies?" Does it matter whether the patient tells the truth? Yes, certainly truth matters! In fact a false answer can change that person’s life.
Many people feel that in spiritual subjects truth is unknowable and really doesn’t matter. But to the contrary we find that the Scriptures clearly tell us that truth does matter and it is life changing. Questions such as, “Is God knowable?”, “By what standard will I be judged?”, “What does God expect of me?” and “What happens when I die?” are questions that have true and knowable answers.
Q1. What does God expect you to do to discover the truth? To find the answer read 2 Timothy 2:15. Write your answer in the space provided or in a notebook.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Jesus once said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." [1]Say those words aloud to yourself or someone else, "The truth will make you free!" Now personalize the words, "The truth will make me free."
Q2. Have you ever noticed truth bringing freedom in your own life in some way? If so how?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
From the opposite perspective we could say that whatever is not true brings us into bondage. To whatever extent we are trapped in a lie or an untruth, we are held in slavery to fear or shame. Think about it, have you ever lied to someone else or even lied to yourself? Did it bring freedom to your mind or make your mind more confused and concerned?
Only truth that is lived delivers the results of deep contentment and lasting peace of mind.
Q3. What does Jesus say regarding truth? Read John 18:37.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Needless to say, the purpose of the Life Changer series is to bring about positive life change! Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and have it in abundance.”[2] Authentic “positive life change” accepts the abundance Jesus offers. For the purpose of our encouragement Jesus declared, “I am the Way, The Truth, and the Life.”[3] From contemplating those words we can see that Jesus’ mission was not just to show us the road to life, but in some unique way He is the road to life.
In these lessons you will build on the truth you have already discovered in the Fate Changer series, namely that following Jesus is the only way to obtain eternal life. In addition you know that the Holy Scriptures consisting of the Old and New Testaments are the only trustworthy guide for obtaining personal peace. No matter the cost, no matter the risk, we must agree to neither accept nor settle for anything less than knowing and living the truth!
This series of studies is intended for those who have completed the Fate Changer series. From Adam to John the Baptist and all the prophets in between we learned that our fate is changed not by trying to earn merit with God or doing religious activities but by believing in Christ.
Q4. Have you believed in the resurrected Christ for yourself?
Y____ N ____ Still Thinking _________
If you have completed the Fate Changer series, you are familiar with the use of stories to illustrate and clarify life topics from the Bible. In this series we invite you to imagine a Turkish family and a circle of their friends as they search for truth. We join their lives as they have recently completed the Fate Changer series themselves. We will look into their lives over the course of a year and learn with them as they search deeply the pages of Scripture to discover truths that positively transform their lives.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
Fatma Yıldız’s eyes sparkle as she jokes and laughs with a customer who has entered her clothing shop. Fatma is 45 and the owner of two successful women's clothing stores. She is slender with almond eyes, high cheek bones, and wavy brown hair. Her greater grace is not that she is beautiful, which she is, but that she seems largely unconscious of herself and has a wonderful manner of making others feel beautiful. Fatma has a unique way of complimenting her customers while giving very candid opinions about the clothes they are shopping for. Fatma isn’t shy to tell someone that a piece of clothing is wrong for them. A customer once told her that she would pay twice as much just to hear Fatma’s comments when buying a new blouse.
On this day, because it is Tuesday, Fatma relies on one of her workers Gülsün. In Fatma's life Tuesday and Thursday nights are far from ordinary. For over a year Fatma has been meeting with a group of friends and relatives and reading through the Old and New Testaments.
As Fatma is putting her jacket on, Gülsün hands Fatma a slip of paper with a phone number and says, “You received a call from your bank; you may want to call them before you go home. They said your debit card has been blocked because of suspicious activity.” This had happened before and Fatma wasn’t too concerned, but she did want to get that card opened immediately as she was planning on using it at the pharmacy to buy some medicine for her mother.
She quickly called the bank. They asked her a few security questions. Then they simply asked her if there was any other name registered on her account. She told the bank she was the sole person authorized on the account. With that, they assured her that her account would be opened and she wouldn’t have any more problems using the card.
Fatma walked to the bus stop. The sun was setting and all the buildings were shining like gold. Everything was glowing and the world seemed warm and welcoming. It made Fatma happy just to look at the bright setting sun, and she thought about all the events of the last year and how her life had taken such a positive turn. Financially things were still tight, but emotionally she had experienced tremendous healing. She remembered the customer who put the Fate Changer lesson in her hands. Fatma had been really struggling after her husband had died suddenly of a heart attack. After a conversation about her troubles, the customer told her how her own life had been helped when she started reading the Bible. She suggested it might be of help for Fatma. How right the woman had been!
After two weeks of privately reading the first ten studies she had shared them with her mother who in turn shared them with the neighbors one flight up, Mehmet and Aycan. Because the questions at the end of each chapter often had more than one answer, it was very interesting to hear different people's perspectives and thus the idea sprang up to get together and read the lessons all together. The arrangement had worked well and the group grew. When they all came together these days they were 11 people!
Fatma enjoyed the studies a lot. She had heard some of the stories before, but as she studied she had this strong sense that she was breaking new ground in her life. The more she read, a deep resolve grew to discover all that was there to find. Abraham could have been thought of as stale old history, but for Fatma, looking into the Old and New Testaments was like a secret trove of gold. She felt as if she were Indiana Jones or Piri Reis piecing together answers from ancient writings, mysteries and maps.
Moreover, Fatma had a great need to turn her “fate” in a new direction. Meeting the God of love and his Messiah Jesus had done just that.
Fatma arrived home, kissed her mother Türkan who was in the kitchen preparing for guests, then she went to put the living room in order. She found her twelve year old daughter Gül watching television and enlisted her to help put a clean tablecloth on the table. At first the group had sat on the sofas but as they studied the Bible more they had moved their meetings around the dining room table as the light was stronger and they could keep several books open on the table at once.
Soon the guests arrived; Ekrem who was her husband’s older brother and his wife Filiz kissed Fatma and made themselves at home. Their interest was not real high in the studies but they didn’t want to hurt Fatma’s feelings by refusing her invitations. As a result, they came only occasionally. Fatma’s cousin Reşat and his wife Afife were regular attenders. Mehmet, their neighbor and a long time family friend, was a retired history teacher. He had always been interested in studying the Old and New Testaments but never got around to it until recently. Unfortunately his wife never came with him. Mehmet, a few years before his retirement had won an award for his teaching. This night he sat at the head of the table. Fatma’s son Mert also participated often; he was 21 and studying chemistry in college. In addition, Mert occasionally brought his frıend Yusuf who came with his girlfriend Ece. It was getting crowded around the table!
This night after greeting and chatting for a bit, Fatma said, “Let’s ask God to direct our study.” Fatma’s prayer was simple, “God our Creator, we study not just to know more, but to know you. You tell us you hide from those who do not really want to know you, and you reveal yourself to those who earnestly seek you. We come together again as family and friends because we really want to find you. We praise you and thank you. Amen.” (To be Continued)
The group that night read Acts 2:42 through Acts 4:31.
Read Acts 2:42-47.
Q5. You remember 3000 were baptized after Peter’s sermon about fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead. (Acts 2). What does “all those who believe” in Acts 2:44 refer to? What were they believing in?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q6. It was only several months after Jesus had risen from the dead. There were no new legal organizations set up and certainly no church buildings as we know them today. So what was the "church" mentioned in the text of verses 46-47? Compare this with Matthew 16:18 and 19.
A.____________________________________________________________________________
It is apparent from the verses we just read, that God considered this group of believers a "church". The words translated as “topluluk” in Acts 2:46, 47 literally mean “together” in the New Testament's original language, which was Greek. If we look at Matthew 16:18, we see that the word “kilise” (derived from the Greek word "ekklesia") is used to describe the followers of Jesus. In spite of two different words being used, and the fact that a worldly government or governing body did not "officially" recognize the group as a church, it is obvious that God considered the group mentioned in Acts 2:46, 47 as a church. The simple act of adding people to the group everyday not only shows that He endorsed their teachings and growth, but that He also considered them a "kilise/topluluk" that was working together to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Read Acts 3:1-26.
Q7. How long had the crippled man been unable to walk? (Verse 2).
a) Two days
b) Twenty years
c) Since birth
Q8. What did Peter give to the crippled man?
a) Silver & gold
b) A cup of water
c) The ability to walk through the power of Christ
Q9. What did Peter say when the people marveled that he had healed this lame man? (Verse 16).
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Q10. Read Acts 3:22. According to Acts chapter 3 and verses 6, 13, 20 and 26 who was the “prophet” that Moses had foretold would come?
A. ___________________________________________________________________________
Q11. According to verses 15 and 16 what made the lame man well?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Read Acts 4:1-12.
Shining Stars Series (Philippians 2:14-16)
Fatma laid down her Bible and said with astonishment, “I said those very words today!” Everyone stopped and looked at her in surprise. “I told the bank, ‘There is no other name authorized on my debit card.’" Everyone laughed. But Fatma didn’t laugh. She stared blankly in front of her for a moment as she thought deeply. Then she exclaimed, “Look, the man was healed!” Waving her hands expressively she asked, “How was he healed? By Jesus' name!” Then leaning forward she asked, “Why was he healed? Because Jesus’ name is authorized to access God’s power bank!” The picture was so clear for Fatma she could hardly stay in her seat.
Filiz looked at Fatma and softly spoke, “That was such a wonderful thing for the Jews but such a pity that they killed their own prophet.”
Mehmet jumped in, “Hold on Filiz. The text says, “There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved.” It says nothing about Jews. Taken very literally we would have to say that God provided one Savior for the whole world, not a different Savior for each nation, or ethnic group."
Fatma asked her son Mert to read out loud John 3:35 and 36. “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. The one believing in the Son has eternal life; but the one disobeying the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Mert looked up, “Those are Jesus’ own words. It doesn’t get much clearer than that.”
Fatma’s mother Türkan interjected, “I still believe that God has to have different paths for different people.” Then doubting her own logic she added with hesitation, “Wouldn’t that make sense?”
Mehmet spoke respectfully to his elderly neighbor but was clearly in disagreement, “Türkan Hanım, listen. What makes sense is that God would tell us what is sensible! If God says there is one way, why should we imagine another? Our duty must be to conform our imagination into the path He has made. That is reality. Does Jesus have some shortcoming that we should reject Him? Should we commit the same folly as the Jews? History shows us pride is the thief of many men’s souls.”
Fatma, who had taken her debit card out and was twirling it in her fingers, tapped it on the table and said, “There is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved.” Still thinking about her bank experience Fatma added, “That would make any other name attempting to provide salvation a fraud or a thief!”
It was silent for a moment as everyone thought about Fatma’s words. Then Mert broke the silence, “Let’s finish reading the chapter. I need to hit the books.”
Türkan looked at Mehmet and pondering the meaning of the text, said softly, “God is great and Jesus is our Savior.” Fatma took her mother’s hand and said to everyone, “Let’s pray together.”
Reread Acts 4:12. Our salvation is to be our chief concern in this life. Your individual salvation, that is your rescue from shame, wrath and the curse, and your restoration to God's favor and blessing must be the first priority of your heart. The disciples had found the key. They had not only found the one who could make crippled men walk, but could make sinful men acceptable to God. It wasn’t a sect they had found, nor a creed, nor a religion, nor even a set of prayers or deeds. It was a name; a living Name. Secondly, they had discovered that our salvation is not in ourselves, nor can be obtained by any merit or strength of our own; we can destroy ourselves, but we cannot save ourselves. Thirdly, there are among men many names that pretend to be saving names but really are not so; many religions that pretend to make reconciliation and restore relations between God and man but cannot do it. Fourthly, it is only by Christ and His name that the mercies we need can be released from God for our salvation. This is the honor of Christ's name, that it is the only name by which we can be saved. This name is appointed by God, and it is an inestimable benefit freely given to us.
Read Acts 4:13-21 and answer the following question.
Q12. What reason did Peter and John have for disobeying the Pharisee’s command “Not to preach in the name of Jesus?” (Verse 19 and 20).
A.____________________________________________________________________________
Read Acts 4:22-37.
Q13. Read John 14:13, 14. What is the significance of asking a request using someone else’s name?
A.____________________________________________________________________________
A name represents a role, position, authority and character. A note with the signature of the president may allow a person access to places and events that he would not otherwise have access to. The name of Jesus is unique in that it is worthy to enter into God’s presence. By the name of Jesus all those who believe in him are given similar privileges as if we are joint owners of all that Jesus has received. (See Luke 22:29). Will you take the name of Jesus as one vested with authority?
From these passages in Acts 3 and 4 we learn several significant points:
1) Jesus’ name, when believed, has power.
2) The God of Abraham glorified Jesus by raising Him from the dead.
3) God's prophets from the beginning told that a time of restoration would come.
4) That time of restoration is when Jesus comes again.
5) Jesus is in heaven until that time.
6) Our duty is to prepare for his coming by repenting and being converted that our sins may be blotted out.
7) Jesus was the prophet who would come that Moses spoke about.
8) God has appointed that there is salvation only in Jesus' name and no other.
9) These things comprise the message that the disciples were preaching to all the world.
We will end all of our lessons requesting that readers make a call to commitment to God through prayer.
For further study read:
Acts 4:22-37; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Philippians 2:9, 10; Colossians 3:17; 2 Timothy 1:12 and 1 John 3:23.
[1] John 8:32.
[2] John 10:10.
[3] John 14:6.