Abri Brancken - The Chaplain’s Commentary

Acts 2:4 - and they spoke in tongues.... This message is a study on speaking in tongues.

A study on Acts 1

Jesus said that the Father promised the Holy Spirit, but when did the Father promise the Holy Spirit? Where do we find that promise in the Bible? There are instances in the Gospels where the Holy Spirit is promised, e.g.• John 14:16 – The Father will give “another Helper” (the Spirit of truth).• John 14:26 – “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name…”• Luke 11:13 – “The heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”• Luke 24:49 – “I am sending the promise of my Father upon you…”Even though the Holy Spirit is promised in the Gospels, we need to go further back to understand Jesus’ statement in Acts 1:4. In this session, Abri takes us through a journey of the Hebrew Scriptures to better understand the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts.

The New Testamentis deeply rooted in the language, imagery, and theological framework of the OldTestament. Its writers consistently employ allusions, quotations, and narrativeechoes drawn from the Hebrew Scriptures to interpret the life, death, andresurrection of Jesus and to articulate the identity and mission of the earlyChristian community. These OldTestament allusions are not merely decorative or incidental; they function as aprimary means of communication, shaping meaning and grounding new claims in theauthoritative texts familiar to their original audiences. When we as modernreaders fail to recognise these allusions, we risk overlooking the richness anddepth of the New Testament’s message and, in some cases, misunderstanding the writer’sintent altogether. When we get to a passage in the NT thatalludes to the OT, we need to locate the OT passage and read it so that weinterpret the NT passage in the redemptive historical context that the authorintends you to locate it. When the apostle Paul is alluding to a passage inDeuteronomy, we need to go and read that passage or else depth is lost. Missingthe allusion is missing the message that Paul, Peter, John, etc. want us tounderstand.

From Genesis to Revelation,Scripture consistently pulls back the curtain on a world beyond sight, filledwith angels, fallen angels, and demonic powers, and other spiritual entities,contending for influence. The Bible never treats this realm as myth but as apresent and active reality shaping human history and destiny. For the believer,the real battlefield is not fought in flesh and blood, but in the unseenspiritual arena where faith, obedience, and authority in Christ determinevictory. As a born-again follower of Christ,you have been given authority to live a victorious life over the forces ofdarkness. Jesus gave authority to His Body, the believers, meaning that I donot have more authority than anyone else. Authority does not rest in a person,but in Christ.

In our walk with the LORD, we gothrough various stages of spiritual growth. Not only do individuals go throughthese stages, but churches and even cultures do as well. Understanding thestages will help you extend more grace and mercy to those around you who arenot at the same Stage you are. Here are the four stages of spiritual development.

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, commemorates God dwelling with His people in the wilderness, and it prophetically points to Jesus as the true Emmanuel, God dwelling among us, who provides living water and eternal shelter for all who believe in Him.

This is part 2 of a series entitled "Go tell the world". It is all about sharing your testimony as a witness to others. This series aims to help Christians share their faith in Jesus Christ practically and straightforwardly. We will focus on the salvation of people and how you can play a role in guiding someone to Christ. Although the information I will be sharing is “basic” and “simple,” it will be life-changing if applied to your life.Many well-known verses in the Bible are often poorly obeyed. One such example is found in Matthew chapter 28, "Go and make disciples...". As believers, it is not enough to merely believe; we must also act in accordance with our convictions and beliefs concerning Biblical truth.

This is Part 2 of the Episode entitled, "The Tallit".For us to understand he Bible better, we must adopt a hermeneutical (Bible interpretation) approach that prioritises interpreting the Bible within its original ancient context. This means that we should aim to interpret the Bible through the historical and cultural lens of its original audiences. To achieve this, a careful examination of the contextual background, original languages, and the surrounding ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman cultures is required to gain a deeper understanding of how the biblical writers and their contemporaneous audiences would have interpreted the text. The Tallit, also known as the Jewish prayer shawl, is a traditional garment worn by men during prayer. It symbolises several things, including reverence, obedience, and a sense of covenantal identity. The Tallit is prominently featured in several biblical texts. Still, because many Christians are not familiar with the Tallit, they read over those passages without understanding the deeper “heartbeat” of the Biblical story. Let’s explore the meaning, symbolism, and purpose of the Tallit, as well as its usage within Jewish customs. This study will shed light on how this garment enriches our understanding of various biblical narratives and enhances our interpretation of Scripture in its original context.

When it comes to the most prominent and significant events in Scripture, God’s pattern is one of intimate protection. He walks with His people through fire, flood, famine, persecution,and wrath while judging the world around them. “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23). That is something to rejoice over. Jesus never taught escape theology. He promised persecution and His presence in it. AsGod’s children, it is imperative that we anchor ourselves in the pattern of God’s divine protection.

About this podcast:Chapter 1: God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. Jonah disobeys and boards a ship to Tarshish. A violent storm hits; Jonah tells the sailors to throw him overboard. As soon as they do, the sea calms, and Jonah is swallowed by a great fish.Chapter 2: From inside the fish, Jonah prays a poetic prayer of repentance and thanksgiving. After three days and nights, the fish vomits Jonah onto dry land.Chapter 3: God gives Jonah the same command to go to Nineveh. This time he obeys. He delivers a message: “Forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The people of Nineveh believe, repent, fast, and even the king puts on sackcloth. God sees their repentance and spares the city.Chapter 4: Jonah is angry that God showed mercy. He sits outside the city, hoping to see its destruction. God causes a plant to grow for shade, then sends a worm to kill it. Jonah is more upset about the plant than the city. God uses this to teach Jonah about compassion.One of the central themes of the book of Jonah is “God’s offensive mercy to sinners and to Israel’s enemies”. In this sermon message, we take a closer look at this aspect of the book of Jonah.

If we claim to be Christ followers, we must develop the courage to assess and analyse what we believe and why we believe it. We must ask ourselves the question, “Am I right in what I believe the Bible says or am I following a popular view within the church or my Christian community that seems to be what the Bible is saying, but in fact is not. This exploration can be beautiful, but needless to say, also extremely challenging. Why is it important to examine your beliefs and theology about truth and what you think the Bible is saying? It is important because your beliefs shape your life and steers it.

We often do not understand Jesus' teaching because we do not understand his teaching techniques. In this episode, we will explore some of the techniques Jesus used to share His message.