Week 7, Day 1
February 14, 2022 Scripture: Acts 15 One of the most important conversations happened at a council in Jerusalem. A decision needed to be made about how the gospel would move forward and how people came to be a part of the family of God. The issue is that Gentiles, a people who were never a part of the family of God, now are being sought by God and this new movement. How do people come to be a part of the family of God? Does it require circumcision to belong? How much of the law of Israel needs to be obeyed? What was its purpose and is it all still in effect? Well, much of this will be sorted out later by the book of Hebrews and much of Paul’s writing in Romans and Galatians. But this council determines, after much deliberation and guidance from the Spirit: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 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 15:28–29) What is left is outward expressions of an undivided loyalty to Jesus. There is a value for all life, for all of God’s creation. The Spirit sets up for there to be a testimony of repentance and faith for the Gentiles. Other Gentiles will notice that the converted Gentiles to Christianity no longer practiced their former ways of worship. Their allegiances have changed. They now show, by turning from their past, they love the Lord their God with all of their heart. Love him and seek him. Show your allegiance is to King Jesus.
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Week 6, Day 5
February 11, 2022 Scripture: Acts 14 ““Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.” (Acts 14:15–18) In Lystra the people witness a miracle and believe Paul and Barnabas to be Zeus and Hermes. They turn to worship them and sacrifice to them. This was the exact opposite of what Paul was going for when he healed the man. He was looking to help the man and point people towards Jesus and life in the kingdom. It was, unfortunately, not what happened, and people still struggled to hear his message. The message is this, “Turn towards God and His Kingdom!” But they don’t hear it. They’ve always known Hermes and Zeus. They will have to unlearn what they have known all of their lives. What we see is the heart of Paul and Barnabas doing all they can for people to leave the worthless gods behind and find life in King Jesus. The people were so confused that they tried making Paul and Barnabas gods. Refuting, praying and doing all they can to turn things around, they made many enemies. Jews from Antioch came and stirred up trouble. Paul was stoned, nearly to death. Only after great suffering did Paul move onward from Lystra. Paul is undeterred. He encourages people to stay strong in their faith. Let Paul’s perseverance be of encouragement to you today! Week 6, Day 4
February 10, 2022 Scripture: Acts 13 In the synagogue of Antioch, Paul and Barnabas outline the story of Israel and reveal Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. They present the Jews there with the gift of salvation and the forgiveness of sins. Paul and Barnabas are unsuccessful in convincing the Jews of the identity of Jesus as Messiah. What they preach is later choked out by other synagogue leaders. The leaders refute and contradict the message of Paul and Barnabas. This confuses the people and they fail to repent and turn towards God through Christ Jesus. So, Paul and Barnabas turn towards the Gentiles with the message of Jesus the King and Savior of the World. “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:48–52) The invitation by Barnabas and Paul to the Jews was rejected. But Paul, Barnabas and the other disciples are “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” Despite great difficulty, they are filled with Joy and the Spirit. It is easy for us to be discouraged. I can’t imagine the difficulty that the disciples faced in bringing the message to the Jews. Despite their circumstances, they see God at work. He is moving them forward to reach out to the world and bless the world. While their initial focus was on the Jews, they soon discovered that their opposition would lead them to evangelize a different people completely. In this remarkable journey, they take the message of Jesus to a receptive audience. What an important reminder today to trust in the Lord and lean on his strength. He fills us with joy and the Spirit. He is guiding our path. When a road seems blocked, God is making a new way for his message to spread. Be filled with Joy and the Spirit of Christ. Week 6, Days 2 and 3
February 8-9 Scriptures 11-12 What becomes so striking in the story of Acts is the unwavering hope and perseverance of Peter, and the rest of the Apostles. Despite facing incredible opposition, they are not deterred in their sharing of the Good News about Jesus. King Herod is looking to take the lives of the Apostles, yet they do not waver in their faith. Some are driven from the homes and scattered. With their scattering comes a great wave of evangelism. The difficulty doesn’t deter them from their mission. Between God’s provision and blessings, and the suffering the faced, they endured and shared about Jesus. We can draw a great deal of comfort from chapter 11 and 12 in Acts. Namely, that the disciples faced a great deal of persecution. Many died for the sake of what they were preaching. It affirms the truthfulness of what they were preaching. We can also be encouraged to know that when we face difficulty, God’s provision and love will balance it accordingly. God is there. Fear not, for God is with you. Week 6, Day 1
February 7, 2022 Scripture: Acts 10 The Spirit leads Peter and his fellow Apostles to see that the Good News is also for the Gentiles. Peter and Cornelius unite, and it becomes obvious, through the work and conviction of the Spirit that Gentiles now have a place in the family of God. Peter preaches a Gospel of forgiveness, “All the prophets testify about him (Jesus) that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (10:43) The magnitude of this event for the Jews is hard to describe. Much of the New Testament (Especially Galatians and Romans) is making sense of how Gentiles can now be a part of the family of God. None of the implications of this event are considered, all they are thinking about now is how the Spirit is moving them to react. They are convinced and convicted that the Good News is for all people. Spirit convict us of this truth again. Lead us to share the Good News with someone today. Spirit lead. Unite us with someone who needs you. Jordan
Week 5, Day 5 February 4, 2022 Scripture: Acts 9 Saul’s conversion is one of the most significant events in world history. It is interesting to consider where he would have been had it not been for Barnabas. Barnabas is one who showed him kindness and welcome. He accepted him and gave him a place among the disciples. Barnabas believes in the power of Jesus to change the heart of Saul. It all starts there, doesn’t it? Believing in the power of Christ to make a new heart. Saul’s conversion is just as impossible as the raising of the dead and healing of the lame. God brings the dead to life. There was a great hero of the church family that had died. Her name was Dorcas, and she lived her life serving and caring for others. Dorcas died. Peter came to her bedside, prayed, and God restored her life. If Jesus’ love can raise the dead and bring life to the heart of Saul, what can he do today? Pray and believe in the powerful Spirit and the love of Jesus Christ. Jordan
Week 5, Day 4 February 3, 2022 Scripture: Acts 8 “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus communicated that with his disciples before his ascension. This becomes the outline of the book of Acts. In chapter 8 we see the message now going to Samaria. Philip begins teaching the Ethiopian about Jesus, using the book of Isaiah. He’s a Gospel preacher, sharing the Good News about Jesus as the suffering Lord. “As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.” (Acts 8:36–40) The Ethiopian was convicted by the preaching of Philip and he knew that the response to that message called for his baptism. He wanted to enter into the new life with God, following Jesus. When we hear the Good News, what is our response? What can stand in the way of making the next step with him? Perhaps you haven’t been baptized, what’s standing in the way? I can find water, lets get it done! Or you have been baptized, but something else is standing in the way of your following Jesus. Today’s a great day to reflect on your relationship with God and with your church family. What’s a next step for you? Be warm and blessed. Jordan
Week 5, Day 3 2/2/2022 Scripture: Acts 7 “When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 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. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”” (Acts 7:54–56) Jesus is King. Stephen sees a beautiful vision of Christ, standing at the right hand of God. This is further affirmation of the truth of the Gospel. Despite the Sanhedrin’s best efforts to suppress the message, it holds true. Tertullian is credited for saying, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” As much as they try to suppress the story of the Gospel, Jesus’ glory spreads. Week 5, Day 2
February 1, 2022 Scripture: Acts 6 In Acts 6, ministry to the widows was being overlooked by the disciples. They were trying to share the Word of God and the whole thing became too much. Folks who were in need were being overlooked in the distribution of food. So the disciples prayed for people who were Spirit-filled to oversee the ministry and care for people. One might, like myself, question why you would need the Spirit to distribute food. I mean, do the McDonald’s workers all need to be baptized to be good at their jobs? All kidding aside. The Spirit involved in the distribution of food reminds me of Christ giving thanks and breaking the bread and feeding the thousands. When the Spirit is involved, the people are truly filled. That’s the point: Spirit-filled people do more than distribute physical bread, they will bless the recipients with wisdom, mercy, and grace for the day. That’s true distribution of food, they offer the bread of life. Jesus, always give us this bread. Jordan |
AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
December 2022
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