Acts 15

10,000 hours.  That’s how many hours of practice you need to become a master a task, according to Malcom Gladwell.  What do you want to master?

Let’s say you want to learn to play the piano.  You commit to one hour, every day, learning and practicing your new craft.  If you listen to Gladwell, one hour per day will take you 27 years to master it.

I’m discouraged before I start.

Its discouraging because I want the result and it takes too long to get it.  That’s what I don’t like about Gladwell’s formula.  It puts all the emphasis on the end goal, but nothing on the beginning.  Truth is, joy starts the moment you decide to play.

At that moment, when you start playing, you are a piano player.

New players are vulnerable.  To help, experts will criticize, judge and scrutinize.  The new student quickly becomes discouraged.  The joy is gone.

New Christians struggle with the same issues.  Experts say that believing isn’t enough.  You must be baptized, circumcised, read your bible, pray every day, stop drinking, never smoke again.  You name it.  New believers are discouraged by the rules, every day.

Paul steps in to remind us that its none of those things that save us.  In fact, the moment a new believer decides, grace steps in.  God is glorified.  They may not be the prettiest example of a Christian, but to God, they look just like you and I.

He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.  Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?  On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.” Acts 15:9-11 (CSB)

In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were sent by God to some places to spread the word of Christ.

First, they made a pit stop in Cyprus.  There, they met a Jewish sorcerer who Paul confronted and called him a child of the devil.  Because of the sorcerer’s deceit and trickery, Paul explained to him that the hand of the Lord was against him, and that he is going to go blind, and so he did.  The proconsul (governor of the area) watched all of this take place and he became a believer in Christ right then and there.  They made quick, BUT good work of Cyprus!

After another stop or two they made their way to Pisidian Antioch.  Whilst there on the Sabbath, they went into the synagogue to worship and were invited to do some teaching and preaching.  Paul states very clearly that forgiveness of sin is found in Jesus when someone truly believes in Him. Paul also uses a bunch of the Old Testament to prove to everyone listening that Jesus is Christ.  Now, this message that he delivers starts to create great enthusiasm and excitement amongst the Gentiles that are there.  So much so that they invite him to come back the following Sabbath to speak again.

Fast forward a week and the turnout is greater than it was prior.  The Jewish leaders of the synagogue weren’t used to the presence that Paul was getting and appeared rather jealous of him and even started to contradict some of the message that Paul was giving.  The Gentiles, on the other hand, were eager to hear more from Paul.  Verse 46, Paul and Barnabas said boldly, “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.”  Then in verse 48 and 49, “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believe.  The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.” In other words, a lot of people were saved.

One of the pastors that my family watches online has been teaching about a few of the chapters in Acts recently which has helped my understanding of much of these passages.  I realize that when the leaders of the synagogue began arguing with Paul and Barnabas about what they were teaching, instead of the 2 of them being intimidated, they boldly doubled down and people were saved because of it.  If I learned anything from this, it is that NOONE is saved when we are silent.  People hear about Christ and some of them choose to believe and become followers when we are bold enough to speak His name and do it clearly, then God does the rest.

A prayer that I have heard and worth sharing, “Father forgive me for the times I have been silent, and fear has won in my life.  Give me boldness to speak Jesus’ name and help me do it with clarity”.

Acts 12

Acts 12 sits in the middle of troubling times for the church. Herod is persecuting the church, he kills James, the brother of John, and he seizes Peter and throws him in jail. In a short span, two crucial members of the church have been taken. But the church kept their faith and prayed to the Lord, and he delivered. Peter was miraculously freed by an angel in the night, and he made his way to the house of Mary. They couldn’t believe it! Peter was free, and soon after Herod was struck down by the Lord. 

There are many aspects to digest in this chapter. I think the first that spoke to me was the faith of the church members in times of trouble. The church was not new to persecution, they had already experienced the death of Stephen, and the Jews had been contesting them from the beginning. They knew what to do when trouble came, they lifted their voices up to the Lord. Luke describes their prayer as “earnest” which means it had sincere and intense conviction. 

This draws a beautiful picture for us as believers concerning our prayer life. While I hope none of our friends are thrown in prison anytime soon, we all have our problems that trouble us and even our faith. How good are we at lifting those concerns up to the Lord? Acts 12 makes it clear that a proper response to our troubles is to immediately give it to the Lord, full of sincerity and conviction. 

One of the best parts of this chapter is God’s immediacy in his resolution for the church. He hears the prayers of the people, and he saves Peter. Even the church wasn’t expecting such a quick resolution, as evidenced by their shock when Peter was at the door. They even thought it must have been his angel. God shows his power to his people, and at the same time gives a great example of how much power is in prayer. God can work in ways that we could never expect, and we should pray knowing that!

Life is full of bumps and turns, and it is difficult to navigate them on our own. When you are in the midst of your deepest struggles, are you earnestly lifting your prayers up to the Lord and giving your worries to him? If so, do you truly believe that he has the power to deliver you and supply you with what you need to move forward? Acts 12 gives us a brilliant example of why we should do and believe both of these things, and I pray that myself and fellow believers would never forget the wonderful power that is in prayer. 

Today’s Reading: Acts 11

Acts 11 is a powerful chapter that highlights key themes of inclusion, divine guidance, and the spread of the Gospel. Here are some of the most meaningful messages from this chapter:

1. God’s Salvation is for All People (Acts 11:1-18)

• Peter explains his vision and encounter with Cornelius, a Gentile, emphasizing that God does not show favoritism.
• Key verse: “So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17)
• Meaning: This passage teaches that the Gospel is for all people, not just Jews. It marks a turning point in Christianity’s expansion to Gentiles.

2. The Role of the Holy Spirit in Leading the Church (Acts 11:12)

• Peter recounts how the Holy Spirit instructed him to go with Cornelius’ men.
• Meaning: The early church was guided by the Spirit, and believers were called to follow God’s direction, even when it challenged their traditions.

3. The Importance of Testimony in Strengthening Faith (Acts 11:4-17)

• Peter carefully explains his actions, and the other believers accept his testimony.
• Meaning: Sharing personal experiences of God’s work helps others understand His will and strengthens the unity of the Church.

4. The Growth of the Church in Antioch (Acts 11:19-26)

• Persecuted believers spread the Gospel to Gentiles in Antioch, leading to the birth of a diverse Christian community.
• Key verse: “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” (Acts 11:26)
• Meaning: This shows the church expanding beyond Jewish roots, fulfilling Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).

5. Generosity and Caring for One Another (Acts 11:27-30)

• A prophecy foretells a famine, and the church in Antioch responds by sending help to Judean believers.
• Meaning: True faith is demonstrated through love and generosity, showing that Christian communities are called to support one another.

Acts 11 teaches that God’s salvation is for all, that the Holy Spirit guides His people, and that the Church is called to be united in mission, testimony, and generosity.

Written with the assistance of ChatGPT

Acts 8

The eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles comes shortly after a very tragic event. This chapter shows the aftermath of a massive persecution that began to take place in the early church, namely Jerusalem. Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5), was one of the seven deacons chosen to help solve the neglection of the Hellenist (Greek) widows in the daily distribution. Stephen, a wise man of good reputation, was giving a sermon to those Jews who opposed Christianity, and let’s just say it was not taken well. Stephen stated in Acts 7:51, referring to these Jews, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” The word says that they were cut to the heart and actually gnashed at Stephen. They stoned Stephen for the words he faithfully said to them, and this marked the start of a vast persecution with a man named Saul at the center of it.

Now that we have set the scene, lets dive into our text for today! We will be looking at Acts 8:1-8! Please go ahead and read this passage now!

Now that we have our context, we see that Saul was the one consenting to Stephen’s death and a leader of this “great persecution”. The NKJV says that Saul was making “havoc” of the church, the NLT states that Saul was “destroying” the church, and the ESV states that Saul was “ravaging” the church. However you want to describe it, we can recognize that this was a major persecution. This wasn’t just name calling or boycotting Christian marketplaces, this was separating Christian homes and dragging men and women alike to prison. Often, similar to Stephen, Christians were killed for their faith. I don’t want to belittle the pain caused by name-calling or other forms of persecution, rather I want to emphasize the magnitude of this persecution in Acts 7 and 8. I want to fast forward to Acts 9:4 and share what Jesus said about this persecution. He stated, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Now you may be thinking, what does this have to do with anything. Well, it gives us the comfort knowing we are not alone in our persecution because the persecution is against our Father also. Additionally, Jesus states in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first” (NLT). You are not alone in persecution!

Acts 8:2 states that this great persecution scattered Christians throughout the regions of Samaria and Judea. The main lesson to learn from this passage is that God will take even the worst things in this world and use them for His glory! Read verse 4. It says that as people were being scattered because of persecution, the Word was preached. Jesus used this debilitating experience to fulfill his prophecy in Acts 1:8 when He said, “…and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” We see the result of the faithful, sacrificial preaching of God’s word was people being saved, healed, delivered, and encouraged! I want to leave you with this verse from Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Nothing can ever separate you from the Love of God. You are not alone in trials, tribulations, and persecutions. You never know how God will use your circumstances for His glory!

Today’s Reading: Acts 16 

Have you ever had a time where you wanted to say something but you didn’t?

Have you ever had a time where you wanted to do something but didn’t?

Have you ever had a time where you did something that you didn’t want to do but was compelled to?

There have been many times I have wanted to do certain things, but I don’t. There have been times when I don’t want to do something, and then I am compelled to do these things. In these interactions I believe that is being in tune with the  Holy Spirit.

Throughout the 16th Chapter of Acts, Paul is led by the spirit of God to act or to abstain from actions.

Paul was excited to gain a new partner in the mission, Timothy. If he had gone to his accord, he would’ve alienated some of the people he was trying to connect with. He waited for the direction of God to prepare Timothy for his mission and his journey as well.

“Paul came first to Derbe, then Lystra. He found a disciple there by the name of Timothy, son of a devout Jewish mother and Greek father. Friends in Lystra and Iconium all said what a fine young man he was. Paul wanted to recruit him for their mission, but first took him aside and circumcised him so he wouldn’t offend the Jews who lived in those parts. They all knew that his father was Greek.

Paul wanted to go in a  certain direction to continue his mission, but the Spirit of God showed him a different path

“They went to Phrygia, and then on through the region of Galatia. Their plan was to turn west into Asia province, but the Holy Spirit blocked that route. So they went to Mysia and tried to go north to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them go there either. “

“Proceeding on through Mysia, they went down to the seaport Troas. That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans. “

Paul being in the presence of the Holy Spirit, stops the potential for the conflict and the confusion that the slave girl could make for the overall  mission. During this time, the public opinion of the Christians is sensitive and this propagation from this other spirit,  could’ve made it worse for the overall mission of Christ.

“One day, on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl ran into us. She was a psychic and, with her fortunetelling, made a lot of money for the people who owned her. She started following Paul around, calling everyone’s attention to us by yelling out, “These men are working for the Most High God. They’re laying out the road of salvation for you!” She did this for a number of days until Paul, finally fed up with her, turned and commanded the spirit that possessed her, “Out! In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of her!” And it was gone, just like that. “

Paul was led by the spirit to be silent when the crowd beat them. Paul was also led by the spirit to be still when the chains were dropped off of their feet and the doors of the jail were open. Paul by being obedient to the spirit, Paul was able to show God‘s mercy and show God’s power to the jailer and to the community in Philippi.

“Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose. Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: “Don’t do that! We’re all still here! Nobody’s run away!””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬-‭3‬, ‭6‬-‭10‬, ‭16‬-‭18‬, ‭25‬-‭28‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Over the course of this portion of Paul’s journey, Paul allows the spirit to lead him and guide him. He was allowing the spirit to direct him to speak or not to speak. Paul is allowing the spirit to allow him to move or not move. Paul was at the Surrendered authority to the Holy Spirit.

As we are in the presence of God and as we connect with him, our goal is to be more like Paul. Our goal is to surrender our actions to the Will of God. In my journey, I have allowed my spirit to go to the Will of God sometimes. I am still actively in this journey to be more like Christ. I am actively asking God to allow me to surrender to him more. I am trying to be more vulnerable to the spirit less acting on my wants and needs.

As we enter into this Lenten season, how can we allow ourselves to be more in the presence of God to allow him to use us for his glory and for his kingdom.

 

Lynden McGriff

Acts 5

What does it mean to be a “fearless Christ follower?”  Let’s start with what it looks like to be fearless.  To be fearless is not the absence of fear.  Fearless is action in the presence of fear.  To help illustrate this, look at two stories in Acts 5.  The first is about Ananias and Sapphira.  The second, involves the apostles.

Annanias and Sapphira decided, together, to give the proceeds of a real estate deal to the church.  Simple enough, right?  The problem is, they didn’t do it.  Why not?  Consider for a moment that the answer is fear.  At the end of Acts 4, we see the church caring for its own.  Wealthy people, the ones who owned homes and land, were selling them to provide money for the church.  Somewhere, sitting in the congregation is Ananias and Sapphira.  The Holy Spirit was at work and they felt what everyone else did.  The love of God.  They were a part of it.  In fact, they wanted to give to it.  In that moment, they made a pledge to give the land that they owned.

I imagine them getting home that night feeling great about their decision to give back.  It is the right thing to do.  Maybe they have a doubt or two creep in.  Satan whispers to them, “hey, why did you give so much?”  They probably dismissed these early thoughts.  If they are anything like me, however, the thoughts continue.  I would start thinking about how irresponsible it is to give up so much.  I mean, “what about the college funds?”  I fear that we‘ll fail to provide enough for them already.  Then, I think about retirement.  How on earth am I going to fund my life on the little that I have saved.  As you can see, fear is tricky.  It comes to us masterfully disguised.  Ananias and Sapphira, gave in to it.

The apostles stand in stark contrast to Ananias and Sapphira.  When faced with opposition, they stood fearless.  In Acts 5:29, Peter tells the captain of the guards that no matter the consequences, he will obey God.  He didn’t care if they harmed him physically or mentally.  Neither of those were as important to him as the truth of God.  Peter, had defined the ONE thing about this life on earth.  It is that nothing matters except God.

No doubt, today we will be faced with opposition. The question remains how we will choose to deal with it.  Will we choose to uphold the Truth and maintain an eternal perspective?   The Bible is clear that our failure to do so carries the consequence of death.  That threat is not only referring to physical death.  The tougher penalty is spiritual death.  Life without the Holy Spirit.  The apostles, on the other hand, show us that an eternal perspective, armed with Truth gives life.  Life powered by the Holy Spirit. Everyday, in every circumstance.