Day 174: Acts 15:1-35

'And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.' - Acts 15:31-32 ESV

Dealing with conflict, for many of us, causes feelings of angst or discouragement. There is a deep feeling that we are wasting time and energy that could be better spent in other ways during any dispute.

Even so, how we pivot from disagreements will define us and the organizations or companies that we work for or alongside.

For the first century Christians, they had to undo the belief that the Israelites were somehow superior to the nations (Gentiles). God had irrefutably spoken through the experience with Cornelius, and now it was time to put it into practice, especially for the Jews in Jerusalem.

The solution, though it may seem odd to us (being culturally removed), was a huge hit with the non-Jewish Christians in Antioch. They didn't need to become Jewish to follow Jesus. Retaining their own cultural identities was not only to be tolerated, but it was also to be celebrated; so that Revelation 7:9-10 can be someday fulfilled:

'After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”'

Day 173: Acts 14:8-28

"Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” - Acts 14:17 ESV

Speaking to an utterly pagan audience, Paul breaks down the reality of God's grace in our lives, even if we are living in ignorant rebellion. There is no good thing that doesn't come from God (see James 1:17). God's goodness and favor are not just limited to those who have been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is also showing great care for those who have yet to say "yes" to His saving power.

What a great thought to pass through our minds as we turn to share the message of Jesus' love with those we encounter. We need to remind them of how good God has been to them, giving life and provision, even though they've been rejecting Him.

God sustaining this world and those that live in it is one of His most outstanding witnesses of love.

Sure, because of sin, this place isn't perfect. There is death, sickness, pain, hate, apathy, injustice, and many more ugly things, but we can't let them distract us from the miracle of our continued existence on earth.

God has given us the witness. Now it's time for us to call it to the attention of those who are lost without hope:

"Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." - Ephesians 2:12-13 ESV

Day 172: Acts 13:42-52, 14:1-7

'So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.' - Acts 14:3 ESV

In Iconium, as in every other city, Paul and Barnabas had set the entire community on fire with an awareness of God's presence through powerful teaching. The signs and wonders that followed were just further proof that this wasn't a hoax. Jesus was still alive and working among them.

The Jewish leaders again felt threatened and saw the need to stir up trouble. The entire town was divided. Still, progress was being made. People were confessing Jesus, receiving the grace of God.

Ever feel like resistance is high, and progress is slow? For Paul and Barnabas, it doesn't seem to faze them. The message of Jesus was too important, and God gave them glimpses of what He was doing in the hearts of so many people.

God will give us the glimpses we need as well to keep going.

Don't be discouraged. Know that this isn't heaven. Remind yourself that even these powerful Apostles struggled with opposition. Also, we may need to reload with the following verse.

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." - 1 John 4:4 NIV

Day 171: Acts 13:16-41

'but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.' - Acts 13:37-39 ESV

Did you notice in our reading for today how adamant Paul was about testifying to Jesus' resurrection? It is blowing my mind how little he actually mentions what was happening on the cross. Instead, he chose to focus on the historical veracity of Jesus being condemned to death and being taken down from the cross (verse 29). But when it came to the resurrection, Paul knew that if these Jews were to understand what happened when Jesus rose, their justification wasn't far away.

Paul leaned on the Israelites' Hebrew Bible to show them how well laid out God's plan for Jesus' resurrection was.

Many people in the first century were crucified. For instance, in 4 BC alone, the Roman general Varus was said to have crucified 2,000 Jews at one time. None were raised from the dead.

In contrast, Jesus wasn't in the grave long enough to see decay (Psalm 16:10), and this is how we know forgiveness through belief in HIs name is possible. We won't find this freedom in the pursuit of flawless morality.

Millions have tried that.

It doesn't work.

If we want to be set free from every sin, we must trust in the resurrected Jesus alone.

Day 170: Acts 12:24-25, 13:1-15

'But the word of God increased and multiplied.' - Acts 12:24 ESV

Luke contrasts Herod Agrippa's untimely death (by intestinal worms) with this short description of what the word of God was doing. Again, there is no New Testament (as we know it today). James and Paul and the others hadn't yet sharpened their quills. Even so, God's word was actively taking ground, just like in the beginning, when God spoke the universe into existence.

The word for "increased" is αὐξάνω auxanō, and it is a farming term meaning to grow, spread, or extend. The word for "multiplied" is πληθύνω plēthynō, and it speaks specifically to the numbers. Stephen used it in his discourse to describe how the Israelites grew in Egypt (see Acts 7:17).

They were healthy (auxanō), so they succeeded numerically (plēthynō).

The same was true as we head into chapter 13. They fasted and prayed, and then the Holy Spirit said to set apart Saul (Paul) and Barnabas for the first (organized) missionary journey.

So many times, we get this turned around. We want God to use CSF for great things, but we don't often realize that He is the one who is supposed to do the initiating.

God, move us into a healthy place. May your Holy Spirit lead. Only then do we want to see the numeric blessing of multiplication.

Day 169: Acts 12:1-23

'He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.' - Acts 12:2-3 ESV

Earlier this year in one of our readings, we saw another Herod (Antipas) kill John the Baptist. Here we see James (one of Jesus' top three disciples) being beheaded by another Herod (Agrippa). Luke mentions it quickly in verse two as a way to talk about the seriousness of Peter's arrest and Agrippa's intentions.

We are told that the church was praying for Peter, but weren't they also praying for James?

Why was Peter miraculously released and James' life came to a premature end?

These are questions that we continue to ask today when it comes to God supernaturally intervening. Ultimately, we don't know why some are spared, and some are not. A continual dwelling on this can drive us into a deep pit of despair and bitterness toward God. "Why?" seems to be a circular question that never seems to be fully satisfied.

Yet when we turn to God in worship in times of our questioning and we choose to live with grateful hearts, it does, in a wild way, seem to deeply satisfy our souls. Maybe our minds can't fully grasp it, but we know we are powerfully loved by the God of all creation, who will one day make all things right.

Day 168: Acts 11:1-30

'But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.' - Acts 11:20-21 ESV

As we previously mentioned, the death of Stephen ended up forcing the Christians in Jerusalem to flee and take the message of Jesus with them. So it seems as though the first missionaries were refugees. Most stayed with what they knew and reached out only to Jews, but some saw this as an opportunity to reach non-Jews.

Luke doesn't tell us if these primitive missionaries were acting independently of what had happened with Cornelius and his family, but it seems like they were. If that's the case, I love it. It shows us what we already know to be true about God. He connects us all by our mission before we are actually connected personally. God was moving toward the nations with His message of the Kingdom, the Good News, and it wasn't just an isolated instance in Caesarea with Cornelius and his crew.

Our challenge today?

Be among the "some." Allow your heart to be open to where the Holy Spirit leads you, even if it may not match the majority. The creativity found in being open to the Spirit's leading is life-giving, both for us and all those we encounter.

Day 167: Acts 10:24-48

‘The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too.’ - Acts‬ ‭10:45‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Go ahead and search the globe. You will not find a more diverse group of people on earth than Christians today. Spanning thousands of miles, languages, cultures, ways of life, and social standing, no other religion can touch Christianity’s appeal to the nations.

It has a lot to do with what happened here in Acts 10. Now, Jesus had predicted this would happen: Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16. Still, the fulfillment of what He said was jarring to the Jewish Christians.

“God has welcomed ALL people into His family? This isn’t just about us?”

Long before Jesus declared His desire for the nations, we know that Abraham was given this kind of vision for his descendants.

God said, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3)

The narrowing of God's plan to Abraham’s family was better positioning Him to make a play for all those on earth. God loves His family to be colorful and multi-cultural.

Doesn’t this excite you to be a Christian today?

Day 166: Acts 10:1-23

‘He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.’ - ‭‭Acts‬ ‭10:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The past four days, we’ve seen Luke introduce us to three unlikely disciples of Jesus: the African (chapter 8), the Persecutor (chapter 9), and the Commander (today’s reading).

Being of the profession of those who followed through on the crucifixion of Jesus, this may make Cornelius the most unlikely of the three to trust Jesus for salvation. Yet, when we see how he was living his life, it is evident that he was preparing himself for this moment. What better person could there have been chosen than this man to be the first non-Jew to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior?

This scene shows us that it takes more than good works to be saved, but it also shows us that good works can prepare us to encounter the One who did the greatest work on the cross.

Good people (in the eyes of others) can never be good enough to enter into eternal life. All of us have sinned, and therefore all of us need regeneration.

There was hope for Cornelius. There is hope for the nations (Gentiles)!

‘For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’ - Titus 3:3–7 (ESV)

Day 165: Acts 9:26-43

‘So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.’ - Acts‬ ‭9:31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

All of us, as Christians, have an obligation to attend, financially support, serve, and pray for a local expression of Jesus’ body (a church). When you pray for your local church, what are you asking God to do?

Too often, our prayers become superficial, asking God to merely make the church grow numerically. But what happens if the church isn’t prepared for a spike in numbers?

The verse above gives us a pretty good pattern of how to pray for our own churches and all those around the world.

1) Peace >> Father, drive disorder and division out of our midst.

2) Built up >> Father, increase the potential of this collection of Your people. Strengthen us.

3) Walk in the fear of the Lord >> Father, help us to worship You exclusively. May our opinions not drive what we believe.

4) Comfort of the Holy Spirit >> Father, as we experience the pain and disappointment of this world, speak words of comfort to our souls.

5) Multiplication >> God, when we are ready, open the floodgates and fill our buildings with people who are prepared to align their agendas with Your own.

In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.