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 was 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 the Holy Spirit lead. Only then do we want to see the numeric blessing of multiplication.

"For the third time in Acts (see also 6:7 and 9:31) Luke adds a brief summary of the progress of the church. Here it is given in direct contrast to the downfall of Herod. The persecutor was destroyed, but the word of God 'continued to increase and spread.' Luke uses the imperfect tense with these verbs to emphasize that the gospel was daily expanding its reach." - Gaertner, D. (1995). Acts (Ac 12:24)

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 seemingly 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 in this world (see the contrast in Hebrews 11:32-40).

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.

Jesus, we trust you. With every second You allow us to live, we will worship You with all we have.

"James was the first of the apostles to meet a martyr’s death; thus, he experienced the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to him and his brother John that they would both drink from his cup and share his “baptism” (Mark 10:39)." - Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts (p. 233)

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.

So, what is our challenge for 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.

"Here we have a truly amazing thing. The Church has taken the most epoch-making of all steps; and we do not even know the names of the people who took that step. All we know is that they came from Cyprus and Cyrene. They go down in history as nameless pioneers of Christ. It has always been one of the tragedies of the Church that people have wanted to be noticed and named when they did something worthwhile. What the Church has always needed, perhaps more than anything else, is people who never care who gain the credit for it as long as the work is done. These Christians may not have written their names in the history books; but they have written them forever in God’s Book of Life." - Barclay, W. (2003). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 103)

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 multicultural.

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

"The Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter from Joppa were astounded by what they saw and heard: Gentiles, those 'lesser breeds without the law,' had actually received the same Holy Spirit as they themselves had received on believing the same message. How right Peter had been in his new insight into the impartiality of God as between people of one race and another!" - Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts (p. 217)

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

In 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 someone 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)! Just like we were challenged this week by the evangelistic efforts of Philip and Ananias, now we see Peter stepping up to share the Gospel. Can we add your name to the list of those who are brave enough to share the message of Jesus with others?

“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)  Build 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. Help our opinions to 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.

"Though the Churches had peace, yet they were not drunken with delights and earthly joy, but, trusting to God’s help, they were more emboldened to glorify God." - Calvin, J., & Beveridge, H. Commentary Upon the Acts of the Apostles (Vol. 1, p. 394)

Day 164: Acts 9:1-25

“And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; “ - Acts‬ ‭9:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

What a privilege for us to read today about the conversion of the most important man (arguably) to ever follow Jesus. It is so important that Luke finds it necessary to record the account three times (see Acts 22:1-16, 26:1-23).

Saul’s encounter with Jesus on this road is so intense that his retinas failed for three days. Here we also see that when Ananias prays for him, something like “scales” fall away from his eyes. The word for scales (lepis) appears only here in the New Testament, and it describes a thin layer (or flake) of substance.

Saul can now literally see, and for the first time, can see fully in a spiritual sense. He’s so convinced of Jesus’ Lordship that baptism is a must after an invitation from Ananias (see Acts 22:16).

Don’t get discouraged by those who have been slow to have any faith in Jesus. There is still hope for them. There is also hope for us. An expectation that we will, by faith (like Ananias), baptize many more into the name of Jesus Christ (see Acts 2:38).

"At this point the crucial initial transformation of Saul from a persecuting Pharisaic Jew to a zealous missionary for Christ is complete." - Witherington, B., III. (1998). The Acts of the Apostles (pp. 319–320)

Day 163: Acts 8:14-40

“And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.” - ‭‭Acts‬ ‭8:38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Everyone seems to love an origin story. How did this all begin? What was the catalyst to see this all take place?

By 2050, many experts believe that Africa will be the dominant continent for Christianity. In 1900, there were an estimated 6 million Christians in Ethiopia alone. By 2050, at the current Christian growth rate, there will be 100 million Ethiopian followers of Jesus. In the entire continent of Africa today, there are an estimated 685 million Christians.

This started with one Hellenistic Jew sharing the gospel with (and baptizing) one African.

In the first century, the common belief about Ethiopia was that it epitomized the ends of the earth. So, this work that Philip was doing was to fulfill what Jesus had commanded the early disciples to do in Acts 1:8.

Do you think you could do something like this? Do you have the confidence or the courage to share Jesus with someone the Holy Spirit keeps leading you towards?

21% of the United States today identifies as “none” when it comes to religious affiliation. We need you to go to them and to many others who have yet to say “yes” to Jesus. The challenge is to go find your chariot and ask God to give you the nerve to say something when it is time.

SIDE NOTE: Did you miss verse 37? Yeah, me too. The New Testament is made up of over 5800 Ancient Greek manuscripts. Some are earlier than others. None of the earliest manuscripts include verse 37, but as they copied Luke’s masterpiece, many included it in the later copies. Almost as if to say, “Look, before we baptize anyone, affirmation of belief in Jesus is paramount. We know Philip would have said this.”

Day 162: Acts 7:51-60, 8:1-13

“Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.” - Acts‬ ‭7:58‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Stephen laid down the hammer on these experts. His language was so offensive (uncircumcised would have really set them off) that these men covered their ears and screamed so as not to hear him any longer.

Many among us today are the same way. Hearing the truth is unappealing. The truth will never pamper us. Instead, it confronts us and shows who we’ve really become.

I can’t help but think there could have been a better way for Stephen to communicate, but there was no way to improve. He said what needed to be heard at that moment.

So many things happened as a result of his death. Christianity spread beyond the confines of Jerusalem. The young man named Saul in this scene will, in chapter nine, have his own vision of Jesus and go on to write half of the New Testament. What a strong and authentic witness for the gospel to all who saw this take place.

In this scene, we have the first Christian martyr. His life was not wasted but invested, to see many more come to faith in Jesus.

"The man who was to become the apostle to the Gentiles thoroughly agreed with the execution of Stephen. But, as St Augustine said, ‘The Church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen.’ However hard he tried, Saul could never forget the way in which Stephen had died. Even at this early point, the blood of the martyrs had begun to be the seed of the Church." - Barclay, W. (2003). The Acts of the Apostles (3rd edition fully revised and updated, p. 71)

Day 161: Acts 7:30-50

“Did not my hand make all these things? Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?” - Acts 7:49-50 ESV

The Jewish Temple was the epicenter of Jerusalem and their worship of Yahweh. Within its courts, they sang songs of praise, read the Tanakh (the law, prophets, and writings of the Old Testament), and offered sacrifices on the altar. It was actually the cultural norm of the time to consider the gods in the same way.

It was a theology of containment. This dirt, this city, this place, it is sacred. God's presence was considered to be there, which was equated with His divine favor. Everyone else was on the outside looking in.

Stephen quotes Isaiah 66:1-2, which is very similar to what Solomon prayed when they dedicated the Temple upon its completion, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!" - 1 Kings 8:27

So, where is the best place to worship God? It is wherever you find yourself during the week. At work, at home, at church, on a walk, while swimming, or even at the salon. God is not contained. Everywhere we go, He is there for us to offer a prayer, meditate on His Word, or soak in His presence.

Everything Stephen said up to this point has been agreeable to these Israelite leaders. Tomorrow, things will turn violent.

"The point of all three of these verses is not that God’s presence can’t be found in the temple (clearly Acts 2–4 shows it can), but that God’s presence can’t be confined there, nor can God be controlled or manipulated by the building of a temple and by the rituals of the temple cultus or the power moves of the temple hierarchy. What is being opposed is a God-in-the-box theology that has magical overtones, suggesting that if God can be located and confined, God can be magically manipulated and used to human ends." - Witherington, B., III. (1998). The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (p. 273)