Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Opening Scripture

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4 (selected)

Opening Prayer

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be. Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with ten thousand beside! Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 1:12-26

Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.” (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

“For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his place of leadership.’ Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

Reflection  

A “Sabbath day’s walk” was about half a mile. Luke tells us that, “when he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”

The apostles returned to the upstairs room where they were staying in Jerusalem. Along with a number of devout women, they continually spent their time at the temple praising God. Though we aren’t told specifically about Joseph, Judas, Simon, and Jesus’ sisters, apparently His siblings – including James, who would become a leader in the Jerusalem church – came to believe in Jesus after His crucifixion and resurrection.

At some point, Peter further established his leadership among the growing group of Christ followers by calling a business meeting. If this movement was going to continue, they needed to fill Judas’ empty spot.

The group agreed that the “complete” number twelve was established by Jesus and needed to be preserved – “when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Isarel” (Matthew 19:28). Peter also invoked the Psalms to justify this process because “the Scripture had to be fulfilled.”

The qualification for apostleship was someone who had been with the other disciples “the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us.” The fact that there were multiple candidates indicates that a larger group had been faithfully following Jesus for His entire ministry. These “eyewitnesses” were likely among the seventy-two that Jesus sent out in Luke 10.

It seems that nearly everyone in first century Israel had multiple names. The group selected Matthias and Jospeh-Barsabbas-Justus as candidates for next apostle. Perhaps for less confusion, the lot fell to Matthias, and that’s the last we hear about him. He became one of the (now) Twelve and the journey continued to Pentecost.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Congregation

After Jesus’ ascension, His followers had to figure out how to carry on. The new Jerusalem “church plant” of over a hundred people quickly needed to make a decision. In a sense, they had to elect a new “church leader” to replace one who had failed.

Peter explained the situation. Another spiritually mature follower of Jesus who had been with Him for at least three years was needed to help “shepherd the growing flock.” The group selected two candidates who met the qualification and one was chosen. That action served to strengthen the “organizational structure” of this fledgling movement in preparation for an imminent expansion that none of them could have imagined.

Flourishing Christians are supposed to come together to form Flourishing Congregations that help create Flourishing Communities. As individual believers take seriously their devotion to Jesus within a healthy family of faith, their shared mission – living sent – should impact the community around them in positive ways.

In a recent article entitled Flourishing Communities: The Role of Faith Communities in the Promotion of Flourishing and the Common Good, our friends Kate Long, Victor Counted, Byron Johnson, and Tyler VanderWeele (among others) cite ways that churches are impacting their cities through health programs, school support, training programs, prison outreach, addiction recovery, and disaster relief.

The article includes this summary statement: “While individual faith and congregational health matter enormously, without consideration of the outward- facing actions of Christians, there is a risk of missing the important ways in which faith communities operate in society more broadly and the ways they do (or do not) contribute to communal flourishing and the common good.”

In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby identifies these characteristics of a congregation that is “flourishing”:

• God is always at work in and around a church.
• God pursues a continuing love relationship with His church that is real and personal.
• God invites a church to become involved in His work.
• When a church sees where God is at work, that is their invitation to join Him in what He is doing.
• God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and members of the body of Christ.
• A church will face a crisis of belief when God invites them to become involved in a work that only He can accomplish. Faith and action will be required.
• A church will have to make major adjustments in order to join God in His work.
• A church is totally dependent on God for accomplishing tasks of Kingdom value.
• Apart from God, a church can do nothing of Kingdom value.
• As a church obeys God, they will come to know Him by experience as He does wonderful things through them.

Are you a Flourishing Christian serving as part of a Flourishing Congregation that’s contributing to a Flourishing Community?

If not, why not?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!