Maranatha Grace Church

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Book of Acts Challenge – Day 1 – Acts 1 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the book Acts)

Today we start the Book of Acts Challenge, 28 Chapters for the 28 days of February.

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said: "All authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth." In Acts 1:8, He said, "You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you." In Matthew 16:18, He said: "I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

The book of Acts starts with a command, “The command to witness (vv. 1-6).” Jesus gave his disciples an invitation to join him in his great program of building his church.  This invitation was not only for the first disciples but for all disciples, including you and me, through the ages.

I pray that our Book of Acts Challenge for the next twenty eight days will encourage all of us to participate in Jesus’ great program of church building. Mission, Evangelization and Reconciliation in action.

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Acts Challenge – Day 3 – Acts 3 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the book Acts)

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (Acts 3:6-10)

This is the first of 14 miracles in Acts (by Peter: 3:1-10; 5:1-11; 9:32-35, 36-42; by an angel: 5:17-26; 12:1-19, 20-23; and by Paul: 13:4-12; 14:8-11; 16:16-19, 20-42; 20:7-12; 28:3-6, 7-8). These include four healings (three paralytics and one involving fever), two raisings from the dead, four liberations (two from physical bondage and two involving exorcisms), three acts of judgment, and one preservation miracle. There are also 10 summary notices of miracles in Acts (2:43; 5:12, 15, 16; 6:8; 8:6-7, 13; 14:3; 19:11-12; 28:9).

There is power in the name of Jesus. With God everything is possible. The only precaution is to always  remember the source of that power when God choses to use you for his glory.  Peter had to rectify quickly the wrong thinking of the crowd by pointing them right back to Jesus. It was not about Peter, it was about Jesus. He remembered correctly that Jesus said, “Without me you can do anything. (John 15:5)”

“By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. (Acts 3:16)” The name of Jesus is the most beautiful and the most powerful name.

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Acts Challenge – February 4 – Acts 4 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the book Acts)

⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ ¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”(Acts 4:7-12)

In the book of Acts we see a complete transformation of Apostle Peter. His self-centeredness is now gone, Jesus is at the center of all he does. To both the crowd which admired him in Acts 3, and the leaders who threatened him in Acts 4, Peter pointed to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. When our lives are centered on the Lord nothing can shake us, neither praise nor insults have any effect on us.  

There is a quote that says, “A man may do an immense deal of good, if he does not care who gets the credit for it.” I would like to change that quote slightly, “A Christian can do an immense deal of good, if he cares only that Jesus gets the credit.”

We are more important than we think we are. God wants to use us for his glory. He wants us to show  “acts of kindness” to our families, to our friends, to the whole humanity in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Book of Acts Challenge – February 5 – Acts 5 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the book Acts)

¹¹ Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

¹² The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. ¹³ No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. ¹⁵ As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. ¹⁶ Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:12-16)

Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events (v. 11). Because the whole church had the fear of the Lord, the Lord blessed them tremendously. They were respected, their number increased, and their leaders were able to perform many acts of kindness toward the people. They healed all who were sick and those tormented by impure spirits.

The same kind of things can happen in our churches. But it will take the same unity, the same awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit amongst us, and surely the Fear of the Lord in the hearts of the leaders and of the congregation.

The Fear of the Lord is good for the church and the family. I believe this is the best thing to teach to our children and to our youth. In Isaiah 33:6 we read, “He [the Lord] will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” The fear of the Lord is the best treasure that we can leave to our children.

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Acts Challenge – February 6– Acts 6 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the book Acts)

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews^[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ² So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. ³ Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them ⁴ and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:1-4)

How do you resolve conflict? How should the church of the Lord Jesus Christ resolve conflicts that sooner or later will arise within the fellowship. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9).

There are two main types of responses when people are faced with a conflict situation: “Escape or Attack.” In the Escape response, they pretend that the conflict doesn’t exist – denial, or they try to avoid the person with whom they are in conflict - flight. In the Attack response, blame is placed on the other party, or intimidation and force are used to coerce the opponent in accepting the other viewpoint. Both responses do not offer real help in resolving conflicts.

How did the Apostles fix the first conflict that could have fractured the church?  First, they gave God priority in resolving the conflict. Second, they helped the concern parties to understand what was really going on. Third, they gently engaged the whole fellowship. And forth, they got together on a lasting solution.  

May the Lord richly bless you!

Book of Acts Challenge – February 7– Acts 7 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the book Acts)

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:54-60)

The only true choice for Christians in matter of an offence is to forgive. Jesus had taught his disciples radical forgiveness toward everyone, even one’s enemy. And at the cross, he demonstrated that principle fully, the first of his last seven words was “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do (Luke 23:34).

Anything that the Lord asks of us to do is at our reach if we would only allow the Holy Spirit to leads us and to strengthen us. In the story that we are reading today, we see a man Stephen, a man just like us, who was able to replicate the kind of radical forgiveness that the Lord Jesus had demonstrated on the cross.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them. (Acts 7:59-60)” Can we forgive the same way? We have no choice, “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:15)

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Acts Challenge – Day 8– Acts 8 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the book Acts)

³² This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
 and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
 so he did not open his mouth.
³³ In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
 Who can speak of his descendants?
 For his life was taken from the earth.”^[b]

³⁴ The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. (Acts 8:32-35)

Through the Challenge of our daily Bible reading, God is preparing all of us to get to know him better so we can share without hesitation the good news about Jesus to our family, to our friends, and to our acquaintances. Since the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation points to the Lord Jesus, we should do our best to be very familiar with every book of the Bible.

Because Philip knew the Scriptures, he was able to use the passage from Isaiah 53 to share the good news of the Gospel to the Ethiopian official. We should desire to be able to do the same with the whole Scripture. There is no greater gift that you can give to someone than to tell them the good news about Jesus.

“Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid.” Don’t worry if you don’t yet know the Scriptures as Philip did. We are getting there. We just have to keep on reading, and with the help of the Holy Spirit soon enough we will arrive.

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of John Challenge – Day 9 – Acts 9 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:13-16)

The conversion of Saul shows that we should never look at someone and think that he is too far gone out of the reach of God. If you recall the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr in Acts 7, Saul [Paul] was there as one of the leaders of the crowd which stoned Stephen to death. But God is the Father who is always reaching out to his children. Even there he was reaching out to Saul. Everyone can repent and turn back to God.

One day a young preacher came to our church and gave the testimony about his reckless years as a teenager. While he was going deeper into sins and rebellion, his mother never stopped believing that the Lord Jesus would save her son. Her favorite song was “Bondye ka fe tout bagay pou mewn.” Eventually God did reach out to her son, now he is a preacher of the good news about Jesus.

You and I must be obedient to the Lord. Just like Ananias, we must be willing to minister to anyone that the Lord sends our way. We start with our family first, and then branch out to the whole world.

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of John Challenge – Day 10 – Acts 10 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:34-36)

People who do not know the word of God usually blame God for all kind of negative things in society. They blame God for racial issues, gender issues, the poverty problem of the world, and so on. But we must conclude that they are never right to do so. To understand God as the Father is to understand there is no way that he would be responsible for the ills that have plagued humanity since the Fall.

Peter had to come to the realization that God is God of all humanity, not a little group of people. We must come to the realization that God is our God. Peter said, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” The fear of the Lord is his treasure. Doing what is right opens God’s heart.

Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil.  And the word of God tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)” Jesus is still going around doing good. He is still healing all. Would you let him heal you?

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of John Challenge – Day 10 – Acts 11(Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

²² News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. ²⁴ He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:2-24)

Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord (Acts 11:24). The Bible tells us that there are books in heaven with our names, and our deeds written in them. Very accurate books, since angels are the ones writing in those books. What would you want to be written in your chapter?  

I pray that Acts 11:24 could be written about all of us, “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and a great number of people [your loved ones] were brought to the Lord.” “She was a good woman, full of the Holy Spirit, and a great number of people [three or more] were brought to the Lord.” Sometime we seek out great tasks to accomplish for the Lord, while the only thing required of us is to do all things for the glory of God (Colossians 3:23).

Good people rejoice in what the Lord is doing in the church. They are encouragers, they want others to participate in their blessings. Barnabas was having a successful ministry at Antioch. But he went all the way to Tarsus to look for Saul to join him – (150 miles) No cars, no cellphone, it was not easy. He did it all for the glory of the Lord.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 12 – Acts 12 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

. ¹³ Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place. (Acts 12:13-17)

We must embrace the mystery of prayer. The church was earnestly praying for Peter, but they did not have much confidence that he would be spared the fate of James, brother of John. When the servant told them that Peter was at the door, they thought she was out of her mind. Finally, “when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished (Acts 12:16).”

However, what they lacked in confidence, they compensated for it by their obedience. We must pray, because we have to give to the Holy Spirit something to work with. Our distorted prayers can turn into joyous melodies into the hands of the Holy Spirit. He takes our prayers, he filters them, equalizes and harmonizes them. He then amplifies them and sends them instantaneously through the universe into the presence of God.  

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 13 – Acts 13 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹ Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:1-3)

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them (v. 2).” Tremendous power can be released, and great insight can be gained when we engage ourselves in the disciplines of fasting and prayer. The act of worshiping the Lord and fasting by the church at Antioch resulted in one of the greatest missionary endeavors in the history of the church, “The sending off of Barnabas and Paul into the mission field.”

For the Lord Jesus it was not a question whether or not his followers should fast. The assumption is that they would fast. “When you fast,” he said in Matthew 6:17-18. He then went on to give them directives about the proper way to fast. We must engage ourselves in serious fasting and prayer if we want to overcome persistent and difficult spiritual obstacles. Jesus told his disciples, “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21)”

Fasting and prayer are necessary if we want to become sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit who was directing the early Christians is the same Holy Spirit who is directing us today. He is still talking, but can we hear him amidst all the confused noises of our modern time. Fasting will help.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 14 – Acts 14 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁸ In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ¹⁰ and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

¹¹ When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.(Acts 14:8-13)

The Bible tells us that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to (Romans 10:17). What does one listen to, and how does one listen make all the difference in the spiritual life. Don’t neglect to go to church.

We need faith to be pleasant to God, and the surest way to increase our faith is to actively listen to the word of God. In Lystra, there were many people that heard Paul preaching, but one man was listening differently. The lame man was listening with his heart. His faith grew to be very strong, and he got a wonderful miracle from the Lord.

It is imperative that we all listen to the word of God with our heart, and that we all speak the message of his grace. Say it to yourself, say it to your family, to your friends, to your brothers and sisters in Christ: “God is a gracious God.”  And as God confirmed the message of his grace by enabling Paul and Barnabas to perform signs and wonders (v. 4), he will confirm the message of his grace to you by great signs and wonders.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 15 – Acts 15 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

Greetings.

²⁴ We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. ²⁵ So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— ²⁶ men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. ²⁸ It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: ²⁹ You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.(Acts 15:23-29)

^“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us … (v. 28).”  This is the formula that the Apostolic church used when making decision. They understood that they should rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit for their decisions big or small.

Most of the time we make our own decisions not counting on the input of the Holy Spirit, but this is a mistake. Proverbs 3:5-6 warns us against such presumptions, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”

We can never go wrong when we follow the same steps the Apostles took to resolve the serious conflict shown in Acts 15. First saturate the whole process with prayer, then open our heart to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Every church, every family, and every individual Christian need to be able to say for every decision, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 16 – Acts 16 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁶ Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. ⁷ When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. ⁸ So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. ⁹ During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:6-10)

There is no effective ministry within the church without the Holy Spirit guidance. He stopped Paul and his companions from preaching the word in the province of Asia. He kept them from even entering the city of Bithynia. They did not know why, but he knew why. He had a better outreach for them at Macedonia.

We rarely pray asking God to close doors for us. Instead, we ask all the time for God to open doors for us. However we should be glad that the Lord is in the security business, he opens and closes doors. “What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open (Revelation 3:7b).”

There are doors that need to stay close for our own good. During a fire drill one of the first things we are told is that “in case of a fire before you open a door you must feel it first. If it is hot, keep it close for your own safety and the safety of everyone around you.” The Holy Spirit knows every turn of our lives, so we rejoice when he opens a door for us, we also rejoice when he closes a door for us.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 17 – Acts 17(Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹⁰ As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. ¹² As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. (Acts 17:10-12)

Parents, teachers, and even pastors make the mistake sometimes of feeling frustrated when their teachings are put under examination. From the example of the Berean Jews toward the teaching of Apostle Paul we can see that an attitude of blind loyalty to a person’s teaching is not what God requires of us. Paul commended the inquiring attitude of the Bereans. Even great teachers are still imperfect human beings. Therefore, we must constantly examine all teachings in the light of Scriptures.

Most Haitian parents of my generation yearn for the good old days back in Haiti, when children obeyed their parents without question. “Ti moun pa gade gran moun nan ge.” We are astonished by the freedom of speaking their minds enjoyed by this generation. They question everything. They always want to know why.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing?  I think that a good balance is needed, parents should promote an eagerness to learn and to obey but coupled with the desire to probe for the truth.

The Berean attitude of examining the Scriptures for the truth should be encouraged by instructors, and emulated by those being instructed. We should always respect and appreciate the fact that God has created us with free will, and with a mind to think. Even a little child has a personality that needs to be nurtured. God created all of us for himself, “For in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).”

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 18 – Acts 18(Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁹ One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. (Acts 18:9-11)

Have you ever being afraid? Our fears can be real or imaginary. Apostle Paul feared for his life, he suffered constant opposition, multiple imprisonments and beatings because of the proclamation of the gospel. His fear was real. However, whatever the source of our fears, the best way to handle them is to keep focusing on the Lord. We must know that the Lord is always with us. We have the assurance that he said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b).

We cannot let our fears keep us from fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. The Lord told Paul, “I have many people in this city (v. 10).”  I believe he is telling us the same thing. Wherever we are, the Lord has many people in that place. Corinth was one of the most sinful cities of the ancient world, but Paul knew that “where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20b).

A burden for lost souls is not natural, it is spiritual. So we must pray and ask God to give us his vision for his people. This is his promise, "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions” (Acts 2:17).

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 20 – Acts 20 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

³² “Now I’m turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.

^33-35 “I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’” (Acts 20:32-35)

While it is our responsibility to do everything we can to help someone, however we must always remember that God’s love will always go beyond our love. In other words, God loves our family more than we can love them. God loves our friends more than we can love them. God loves our church more than we can love them. Thus, we can confidently turn them to God, for “every soul belongs to God” (Ezekiel 18:4).

Paul taught by words and by deeds. For the people closest to us, our best influence is the influence of our actions. When it comes to the spiritual life, “Do as I say, not as I do” does not work. The messenger must model his message for the message to have its effect. Every parents, teachers, and leaders should try their best to be able to say as Apostle Paul said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

God is the perfect giver, he gave us what was most precious to him, his son Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God was happy when he gave us Jesus, we too will be happy when we give. Remember the words the Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 21 – Acts 21 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹⁰ After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

¹² When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”(Acts 21:10-14)

^“For whoever wants to save their life^[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25). Most of us will never find ourselves in a situation to literally give our lives for Christ sake. But we cannot ignore that the persecution of Christian is a fact in many countries of the world. Not long ago we witnessed in the Internet the beheading of a group of men by ISIS because they were Christians.

What would we do if we were faced with a “life or death” situation because of our faith? For Apostle Paul there was no hesitation, he was ready, “I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:14). Countless others had had the same conviction throughout the history of the church, Tertullian observed that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

There is a death to self which is less heroic than being martyred but is required of the Christian. When we refuse to engage in the spirit of competition, of revenge and retaliation, we lose bit by bit the old life and embrace the life of the kingdom. Ultimately, we want to reach a point in our spiritual life where we can say in all situations whatever the cost, “The Lord’s will be done.”

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 22 – Acts 22 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁶ “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸ “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ⁹ My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰ “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ (Acts 22:6-10)

In the New Testament we find many images of the church. The church is the Bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2), a vineyard (John 15:1-8), a flock (John 10:11), the kingdom (Romans 14:17), a family (Galatians 3:26), a building (1 Peter 2:4-8), and the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

The church as the Body of Christ is the image that Apostle Paul used mostly  in his letters. This is also the image that Christ uses here in acts 22:7, “Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?” Christ is so identified with his church that to persecute his church is to persecute him directly. “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,” Jesus replied to Saul.

This shows that when a Christian suffers, Christ also suffers.  This is a comforting thought, because Christ will make everything right.  This is also a warning to treat every member of the church with love and respect. The church is not a homogeneous group. It is comprised of young and old, men and women, rich and poor, people of all walks of life and of different socioeconomic backgrounds who have put their trust in Jesus. Just as a human body is one entity, we should strive for unity in diversity in the church, the Body of Christ.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 23 – Acts 23 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” (Acts 23:9-11)

What is a spirit or an angel has spoken to him? The accusers of people were thrown into confusion amongst themselves by Paul statement about the resurrection. They recognized that his wisdom was from a supernatural source. Indeed Paul was guided by the Holy Spirit. In Luke 21 Jesus told his disciples not to worry about their own defenses, “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict (Luke 21:15).”

I believe that we need to take to heart the promise of Jesus for words of insight and great wisdom in all communication situations. The experts in communication tell us that the greatest obstacle to meaningful communication is our tendency to concentrate on what we are going to say instead of focusing on what the other person is saying. Jesus frees us with this preoccupation with self so we can communicate more effectively.

A word from the Lord is all we need to carry us successfully in our mission. In Acts 23:11, Jesus said to Paul, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” That word carried Paul confidently through imprisonments, persecutions, shipwrecks and all kind of difficulties. The Lord is still talking to his followers, can we hear him?

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 25 – Acts 25 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹⁰ Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. ¹¹ If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

¹² After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”(Acts 25:10-12)

In Acts 9, the Lord told Ananias, “Go, for he [Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15).” But how will Paul manage to bring the Gospel before kings? He cannot just send an email to a king – such as Cesar - and ask him for an appointment so he can share the Gospel to him.

A lot of times we lose faith and focus because we worry too much about how the Lord is going to manage to do something. It is always best for us to remember what God says in Isaiah 55:8-9;

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
 neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
 so are my ways higher than your ways
 and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We know this to be true, but we have to remind ourselves over and over that this is so. Don’t worry how the Lord is going to keep his promises to you, just obey and believe.

“You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go (Acts 25:12)!” Now, we understand a little bit how God turned for his own glory the unjust imprisonment of Apostle Paul. There, Paul had the opportunity to share the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles, to two governors and to a king. Finally, he is about to meet the Emperor Cesar himself, and with a letter of recommendation. We are amazed!

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 26 – Acts 26 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

²² But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— ²³ that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”

²⁵ “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. (Acts 26:22-25)

Paul said, “But God has helped me to this very day”; we can also say confidently: “Jusqu'ici l'Eternel nous a secourus. Thus far the Lord has helped us.” Not only he has helped us, we know that he will continue to do help us. He promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Paul life was a testimony of the faithfulness of God, so are our lives.

 Paul was preaching “the message of light”, a message that Festus could not stand. Fetus was upset by being confronted with the light. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil (John 3:19). Paul was not out of his mind, as Fetus thought. In the contrary he was the only truly sane person in that room, being led by the Holy Spirit.

After two years of unjust imprisonment, he still could pray for the salvation of Governor Felix, King Agripa and his entourage. His sincere prayer was that God would turn them into followers of Christ. That tells us that we need not be discouraged in praying for the salvation of our loved ones. “Short time or long— God will eventually change their hearts.”

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Acts Challenge – Day 28 – Acts 28 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

We have now completed the Books of Acts Challenge. Tomorrow we will take on the Book of Jude Challenge, a one chapter Book. And on March 1, we will start the Book of Luke Challenge until Good Friday.

¹¹ After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. ¹² We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. ¹³ From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. ¹⁴ There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. ¹⁵ The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. ¹⁶ When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him. (Acts 28:11-16)

Paul’s arrival at Rome is a testimony of the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus to his word. In Acts 23:11, the Lord said to Paul, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” Through beatings, imprisonments, shipwreck Paul never doubted afterwards that he would reach Rome. Once the Lord has spoken, it is settled in heaven and on earth.

We should not waiver when a promise of God to us takes time. God gave to the Prophet Habakkuk this assurance which is also for us, “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay (Habakkuk 2:3).

¹⁶ When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him (Acts 28:16). It was a rotation of soldiers to guard him, the Praetorian Guards, the finest regiment in the Roman army. Paul made such a good work on those soldiers with the Gospel that at the end he could end the Philippian letter by saying, "All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's household" (Phil. 4:22). The Lord indeed works in mysterious ways!

May the Lord richly bless you!