SCRIPTURE: Acts 8 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. [Matthew 10:18] Jesus predicts the persecution that will happen against His followers. On account of their faith in Jesus, the believers are scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. From our limited perspective, we see this…
the invitation
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [Matthew 11:28]. The Lord is inviting me to come back to Him. Everywhere, always, He is calling me. He is calling me back… since I daily wander from Him. If I do not sense Him calling, its NOT because He…
missing the point?
SCRIPTURE: Acts 7 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. [John 5:45-46] In our passage, Stephen, like Jesus, is being accused of speaking against Moses, the Law and the…
less is more!
“Why do the Christ-centered spiritual movements in the East and developing world seem so much more vibrant than the church in the west? I found an inverse correlation between material possessions and spiritual vitality; the poorer the people and the less they relied on things money could buy, the more vibrant their spirituality. The more…
the root and the fruit
SCRIPTURE: Acts 6 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [John 15:5] It is so important that we distinguish between the root and the fruit. The root is the source of life, the…
daily quiet time
“Whatever you call it — Quiet Time, Devotions, Alone-with-God-Time — it is as necessary spiritually for Christian living as food is for physical life. You will face frustrations today that will overwhelm you without the sense of companionship with God in your heart. Make time spent with God the first priority of the day, every…
the wind in our sails
SCRIPTURE: Acts 5 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.’ [John 8:54] Any venture undertaken without God is doomed to fail. If God is not behind Jesus, then His teaching and miracles mean nothing. If God is not behind…
are you there?
Jesus makes us bold
SCRIPTURE: Acts 4 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. [Acts 4:13] God is turning the world upside down through ordinary people. His kingdom comes through humble servants, starting with Jesus and…
times of refreshing
SCRIPTURE: Acts 3 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord [Acts 3:19] As long as we remain closed to God, we will experience misery. The suffering in this world, including this man’s being crippled, is the consequence of our having…