Passage of the Day - November 30, 2010

Acts 9:32-43

 ³²Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.

 ³³There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed.

 ³⁴Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed." Immediately he got up.

 ³⁵And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

 ³⁶Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.

 ³⁷And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.

 ³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, "Do not delay in coming to us."

 ³⁹So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

 ⁴⁰But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

 ⁴¹And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

 ⁴²It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

 ⁴³And Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

Peter was a disciple of Christ, so he saw not only what Jesus did, but how He went about it.  He understood that Jesus was given authority over whether a man can walk or not (the paralyzed man who was let down through the roof), and that He earnestly prayed.  Peter went about using the same methods and driven by the same Spirit all the while glorifying God and Christ in the process.  Perhaps we should strive that the same can be said of us in our walk that since we were disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ we used the same methods as Him, driven by the same Holy Spirit as Him, and glorifying God and Christ in the process.

Passage of the Day - November 29, 2010

Acts 9:28-31

 ²⁸And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.

 ²⁹And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.

 ³⁰But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

 ³¹So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Saul (later Paul) was newly converted and used his mastery of the Scripture to argue with the Hellenistic Jews (Jews who embraced Greek culture) about Christ.  Fire and passion coupled with mastery of the Scriptures doesn’t, on its own, accomplish anything for Christ’s kingdom.  There is no mention of love or the Holy Spirit in his dealings.  His arguing only brought attempts on his life.  The brethren decided that it would be best to remove Saul from the situation and then the church flourished.  Knowing how to do something and having the will to do it sometimes isn’t as important as the way we carry it out.  When dealing with others, we must be focused on doing things right more so than being right.

Passage of the Day - November 28, 2010

Acts 9:23-27

23When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,

 24but their plot became known to Saul They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;

 25but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

 26When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

 27But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.

How hard it must have been to trust someone with a past like Saul's.  It is difficult to fathom that somebody actually had the guts to trust him enough to bring him into the inner circle, the core, and speak up for him.  If Saul was simply deceiving them all, he could have put the kibosh on Christianity as we know it by getting the apostles arrested and put to death.  And to think, we don't forgive or trust again people who hurt our feelings.

Passage of the Day - November 23, 2010

Acts 9:19b-22

Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,

 ²⁰and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

 ²¹All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, "Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?"

 ²²But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

The problem many of us face is that we fear doing something for God because our reputation precedes us.  For example, we wouldn’t bring a Bible to work, not because our work wouldn’t allow it, or that we are ashamed of being a Christian, but because people might be downright shocked to know that we were a Christian based upon what kind of an employee/person we were a while back.  Perhaps we would feel strange letting our friends know that we want to go on a missions trip because they have seen our foot in the world more than our foot in God’s kingdom.  Where in the Bible do we see someone’s past cause God to say, “Whoops, I didn’t mean you after all.  Upon further review of our records, we found some stuff in your past that makes you useless to Me.”?  Instead, God continually uses murderers like Moses, prostitutes like Rahab, Christ deniers like Peter, those seeking to commit murder and stand by while the innocent get murdered like Saul/Paul, adulterers like David, and those who create golden calf idols to satisfy the public like Aaron.  Do not let Satan grip you with fear and shame and simply be amazed by how God can use you for His glory.

Passage of the Day - November 22, 2010

Acts 9:1-19

¹Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,

 ²and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

 ³As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

 ⁴and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

 ⁵And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

 ⁶but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do."

 ⁷The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

 ⁸Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.

 ⁹And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

 ¹⁰Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."

 ¹¹And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,

 ¹²and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight."

 ¹³But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem;

 ¹⁴and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."

 ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;

 ¹⁶for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."

 ¹⁷So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

 ¹⁸And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;

 ¹⁹and he took food and was strengthened.

God can and does save anyone and work through them for His glory.  This truth has some implications.  First and foremost it is a witnessing tool.  Saul (Paul) wanted to destroy Christianity.  He saw it as an emerging heretical threat that could lead Jews astray.  He wanted to round up all Christians and bring them to Jerusalem to be stoned or worse.  However, God chose him to spread His Good News throughout the Roman Empire.  This fact can show that not only can God save them from their sins, no matter what, He will use that person in mighty and powerful ways.  Perhaps we focus too much time trying to win theological arguments or wearing people down into submission to Christ.  Instead, we should be offering new lives with new purposes.

Second, there are many “conversion” stories that we hear of, some real, some not.  However, we don’t really know, do we?  Not at least until we see the fruit on a daily basis.  Jeffrey Dahmer “converted” in prison and was subsequently murdered.  We never got a chance to see if this conversion was authentic by its fruit or not.  Therefore, we shouldn’t dismiss it as an impossibility.  We shouldn’t doubt or be frustrated about the conversions of those we deem unworthy, but rather be joyful that God’s kingdom may have advanced into a heart of darkness and despair and saved a soul.  As Christians, we don’t truly know the evil we could have been capable of without Christ.

Passage of the Day - November 21, 2010

Acts 8:25-40

 25So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
 26But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, "Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road.)

 27So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship,

 28and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."

 30Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

 31And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

 32Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
         "HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER;
         AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT,
         SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.
    33"IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY;
         WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION?
         FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH."

 34The eunuch answered Philip and said, "Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?"

 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

 36As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"

 37[And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."]

 38And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.

 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.

 40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

I have been doing Passage of the Day for a year and a half now.  There have been passages that I have given deep responses to and those I have given glancing blows.  The deeper responses were due to the various teachings and guidances I have received over the years.  The glancing blows are the ones that I haven't (sometimes, admittedly, I just didn't do a good job).  We all need guidance in order to understand God, the glory He deserves, the true path to salvation, the way to appreciate the gifts He has given us, and how to please Him.  Find a way to be guided.

**Verse 37 is in brackets because according to those who published the New American Standard Bible, this verse doesn't exist in early manuscripts.

Passage of the Day - November 20, 2010

Acts 8:14-24

 14Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John,

 15who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

 16For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

 17Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

 18Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

 19saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

 20But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

 21"You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.

 22"Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.

 23"For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity."

 24But Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

Wow!  If only churches could take such harsh stances on spiritual bribery today!  Too many churches have been done in by those who tried to control the church through their money and those who succumbed to it.  Is your church inspired by money and led by the coercive people who hold purse strings in the church, or is your church inspired by the Holy Spirit and led by our King and High Priest Jesus Christ?

Passage of the Day - November 19, 2010

Acts 8:9-13

⁹Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;

 ¹⁰and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, "This man is what is called the Great Power of God."

 ¹¹And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts.

 ¹²But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.

 ¹³Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

Notice how the focus was on the astonishing acts of Simon.  People made him out to be something he wasn’t because of the acts he was able to perform.  He even made himself out to be something great. 

Philip came and “preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ”.  Do you see the difference?  Philip pointed to God, Simon pointed to himself.  The gospel message is so powerful, that even men like Simon can be turned.

If the message is focused on the messenger, the messenger is wicked.  However, if the message is focused on God and Christ, give him a discerning ear.

Passage of the Day - November 18, 2010

Acts 8:5-8

 ⁵Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them.

 ⁶The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing.

 ⁷For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

 ⁸So there was much rejoicing in that city.

These passages are always tricky because of the debate over whether sign gifts are still used by God in the Church today.  However, notice the order of things in this passage.  First is Phillip preaching liberation from the bondage and penalty of our sin through Christ.  Second is liberation from the dark spiritual forces enslaving the people.  Third is liberation from physical ailments.  If a preacher’s focus is the gospel of Christ, he might be authentic even if he performs sign gifts.  However, if a preacher’s focus is the sign gifts, he is more than likely a charlatan.

November 17, 2010

Acts 8:1-4

 ¹Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

 ²Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.

 ³But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

 ⁴Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.

Never doubt God.  We never know how God will use the tough times for His glory and our betterment.  God allowed His new Church to be persecuted and ravaged.  This forced its committed members to disperse and reach new peoples.

God allowed the horror of Nazi Germany and the holocaust, but what came out of it?  A fulfillment of prophecy, Israel became a state again.  Without the holocaust, Israel would not be a state.

God has prevented us from enjoying lots of good things so we could later enjoy the best things.  If you think about it, you will realize how very true this is.  For example, is your spouse the first person you ever had a crush on?  Mine wasn’t.  I wasn’t able to marry who I wanted when I was 16, when I was 18, when I was 23, instead God brought the woman who was the best fit for me when I was 27.  Many have had to wait longer.

Passage of the Day - November 16, 2010

Acts 7:54-60

⁵⁴Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.

 ⁵⁵But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;

 ⁵⁶and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

 ⁵⁷But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse.

 ⁵⁸When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

 ⁵⁹They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

 ⁶⁰Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep.

According to the mindset of the council, this was blatant blasphemy.  This Jesus, whom they put to death through Pilate, being at the right hand of God was blasphemy.  Stephen was equating Jesus, who they saw only as a man and a heretic, with God.  Let us also remember that Stephen accused them of not only being wrong, but being as wrong as their forefathers.  Not only of being as wrong as their forefathers, but being on the wrong side of history.  Not only of being on the wrong side of history, but being on the wrong side theologically, which amounted to rebellion.  Not only of being on the wrong side of history, but of murdering a good man.  Not just any man, but the Son of Man and Son of God.

Passage of the Day - November 15, 2010

Acts 7:1-53 

¹The high priest said, "Are these things so?"

 ²And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

 ³and said to him, 'LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.'

 ⁴"Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living.

 ⁵"But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM.

 ⁶"But God spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS.

 ⁷" 'AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,' said God, 'AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.'

 ⁸"And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

 ⁹"The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him,

 ¹⁰and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

 ¹¹"Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food.

 ¹²"But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time.

 ¹³"On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family was disclosed to Pharaoh.

 ¹⁴"Then Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all.

 ¹⁵"And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died.

 ¹⁶"From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

 ¹⁷"But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,

 ¹⁸until THERE AROSE ANOTHER KING OVER EGYPT WHO KNEW NOTHING ABOUT JOSEPH.

 ¹⁹"It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive.

 ²⁰"It was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father's home.

 ²¹"And after he had been set outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son.

 ²²"Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.

 ²³"But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.

 ²⁴"And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.

 ²⁵"And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.

 ²⁶"On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, 'Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?'

 ²⁷"But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, 'WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US?

 ²⁸'YOU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?'

 ²⁹"At this remark, MOSES FLED AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN, where he became the father of two sons.

 ³⁰"After forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH.

 ³¹"When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord:

 ³²'I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.' Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look.

 ³³"BUT THE LORD SAID TO HIM, 'TAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND.

 ³⁴'I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM; COME NOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.'

 ³⁵"This Moses whom they disowned, saying, 'WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?' is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.

 ³⁶"This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

 ³⁷"This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, 'GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN.'

 ³⁸"This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you.

 ³⁹"Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,

 ⁴⁰SAYING TO AARON, 'MAKE FOR US GODS WHO WILL GO BEFORE US; FOR THIS MOSES WHO LED US OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT--WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.'

 ⁴¹"At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.

 ⁴²"But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, 'IT WAS NOT TO ME THAT YOU OFFERED VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL?

 ⁴³'YOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF THE GOD ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL REMOVE YOU BEYOND BABYLON.'

 ⁴⁴"Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.

 ⁴⁵"And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David.

 ⁴⁶"David found favor in God's sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

 ⁴⁷"But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.

 ⁴⁸"However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:
    ⁴⁹'HEAVEN IS MY THRONE,
         AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET;
         WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?' says the Lord,
         'OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY REPOSE?
    ⁵⁰'WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?'

 ⁵¹"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.

 ⁵²"Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;

 ⁵³you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it."

Not only was Stephen accusing the high priest and the council of once again murdering someone sent from God.  Not only was Stephen accusing them of killing the Righteous One, the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  Stephen also, in a way, prophesied the destruction of Israel by Titus in 70 A.D..  When Stephen accused them of being just like their forefathers that killed the prophets, he also was warning them that they would be ushering in the same kind of punishments that their forefathers ushered in.  The rejection of the nation’s King was the reason God allowed the nation of Israel to be destroyed once again.

Passage of the Day - November 14, 2010

Acts 6:11-15

11Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."

 12And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the Council.

 13They put forward false witnesses who said, "This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law;

 14for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us."

 15And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.

Always remember, the world expects us to keep our heads down and our mouths shut and God expects, demands, and deserves the opposite.

Passage of the Day - November 13, 2010

Acts 6:8-10

 8And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

 9But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen.

 10But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

The Synagogue of the Freedmen was most likely made up of the descendants of the freed slaves that Pompey's conquest of Judea of 63 B.C. enslaved.  I didn't know who they were, so I thought I would let you know what I found for today.

Passage of the Day - November 12, 2010

Acts 6:7

 ⁷The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

Once allowed to flourish, the disciples became fruitful.  A small thing like food distribution, improperly handled, could have prevented the disciples from flourishing.  Doing our jobs well helps others to do theirs as well.  We must always be mindful of the effect our actions have on others.

Also, the verse finishes with “priests were becoming obedient to the faith”.  There are those that have heard of the Truth.  There are those who believe that the Truth is true.  However, merely believing the Truth is true is not enough; we must obey the Truth.  Being called a Christian (a person of the faith) is of no help.  Identifying yourself as a person of the faith is not enough.  Obeying the faith by which you identify yourself with is what saves us.  “The Faith” that we believe but do not obey is not a saving faith.  “The Faith” that we believe and do obey is a saving faith.  Faith infers obedience and submission.

Passage of the Day - November 11, 2010

Acts 6:5-6

 ⁵The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

 ⁶And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

Being chosen to serve, no matter in which way, is a distinct honor in the Church.  In the world’s eyes, it isn’t that big a deal to distribute food among people, but the seven chosen met the requirements of the position – to be of good reputation and full of faith, wisdom, and the Holy Spirit.  To be chosen to serve means that the Holy Spirit is evident in your life and that you won’t just do the job, but the Holy Spirit will work through you to get the job done in such a way that it will bring glory to God.  The job will be done well, ethically, fairly, and will improve the reputation of the Church and of God.

Passage of the Day - November 10, 2010

Acts 6:1-4

¹Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

 ²So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.

 ³"Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

 ⁴"But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

We all have different roles to play within the Church (and within our family and society).  It is not because one role is better than the other.  It is not because one person is more important than the other.  It is because roles are often mutually exclusive.  We can fall into the trap of taking on too many roles because we don’t trust others to do an effective job in the roles.  We can also fall into the trap of being disheartened because our role isn’t as flashy or respected.  Who exactly are we trying to impress?  God seeks obedience and diligence in the role He has given us.  Rebelling against our role is rebelling against God.

Passage of the Day - November 9, 2010

Acts 5:33-42

 ³³But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them.

 ³⁴But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.

 ³⁵And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men.

 ³⁶"For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

 ³⁷"After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

 ³⁸"So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown;

 ³⁹but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God."

 ⁴⁰They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.

 ⁴¹So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

 ⁴²And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Fads come and go.  Rabble rousers come and go.  Charismatic leaders come and go.  Quite often the primary judge of a man’s authenticity is time.  Time will tell what God honors and works through and what He doesn’t.  In time, all people and all things will be tested and burned and refined.  That which remains many years later will be the proof.

Passage of the Day - November 8, 2010

Acts 5:17-32 

¹⁷But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.

 ¹⁸They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.

 ¹⁹But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said,

 ²⁰"Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life."

 ²¹Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought.

 ²²But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back,

 ²³saying, "We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside."

 ²⁴Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.

 ²⁵But someone came and reported to them, "The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!"

 ²⁶Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).

 ²⁷When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them,

 ²⁸saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."

 ²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.

 ³⁰"The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.

 ³¹"He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

 ³²"And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

God did not free Peter and John to live a quiet Christian life.  He freed them to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins found through Him alone.  God did not place us in the freest of all countries to live quiet Christian lives.  We are called to be salt and light and to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins found through Him alone.