A Work in Progress….

Acts 12:9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.

Peter thought he was dreaming. He didn’t worry about how the chains came off, how he would slip away without the guards waking, how the iron gate to the city would open. He trusted it would unfold as it must in his dream. And everything turned out fine.

Acts 12:10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

How often do I worry and fret about what might happen, what could happen, how in the world is this impossible thing going to happen? Much more often than I’d be willing to admit. But I also know that I am a deeply loved child of God, that He cares for me, loves me fiercely, wants the best for me. No amount of worry or stress about potential outcomes can override His love.

Acts 12:11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

Lord, Forgive me for my doubts and fears. As Your beloved child, I have a claim to Your peace which surpasses all understanding. Help me to boldly claim that peace always. Amen.

Acts 12:12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.

Have a blessed day.

Acts 11:1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

The boundary-breaking work of Jesus, the inclusivity of Jesus, was pretty radical—both then and now. For a group who had gotten very adept at both establishing and adhering to very elaborate rules of faithfulness, the Jews struggled with Jesus’s provocative inclusion of the Gentiles.

Acts 11:2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him….

I’ve said many times before that it’s disturbingly easy to “armchair quarterback” a situation, but if I had been a part of that time and culture—rule follower that I am—I probably would have been appalled by Peter’s actions, demanding explanation as well. Jesus, forgive me.

Acts 11:3 …and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

Lord, Thank You for giving me compassion for those struggling with the radical changes You brought to the church. Forgive me that sometimes I get so carried away with following the rules that I lose sight of You. Help me. Draw me closer. Amen.

Acts 11:4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story….

Have a blessed day.

Acts 10:3 One day at about three in the afternoon [Cornelius] had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

There are lots of contrasts in this chapter. Cornelius willingly accepts the message of the Lord and sends for Simon Peter to hear what he has to say. Peter balks at God’s vision, replying at first, “Surely not, Lord!”

Acts 10:4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

However, as commentary points out, “Peter was willing to re-examine his traditions and prejudices in light of God’s word….” He goes to preach Jesus to the gentiles, and they enthusiastically receive the word of God and “the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message” (v 44).

Acts 10:13 Then a voice told [Peter], “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

Lord, Thank You for the times when I react immediately like Cornelius, asking Your will when You call. Forgive me for the times when I balk at Your instructions like Simon did at first. Help me to continually re-examine everything in my life in light of Your sovereignty, love, and grace. Draw me closer. Amen.

Acts 10:14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

Have a blessed day.

Acts 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples….

Saul’s conversion reminds me of a saying: “If you think you’ve blown God’s plan for your life, rest in this. You, my beautiful friend, are not that powerful.” Saul was murderous and zealous in his persecution of Christians, yet God still used him as a powerful force to grow the early church.

Acts 9:15 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.

This was by no means an easy transformation. It involved blindness and fear, trust and rebirth, and a healthy dose of humility. When Ananias lays hands on him, Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit and became a new creation. God used him in powerful ways, often revealing each next step only as he needed it.

Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Lord, Thank You for the redeeming power of Your love. Thank You that You can take the ashes of my life and turn it into beauty. Help me remember that You can use all things for our good and Your glory. Guide me step-by-step, Lord. Amen.

Acts 9:23 & 25 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him….But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

Have a blessed day.

Acts 8:1 And Saul approved of their killing him.

We see a wide cross section of the early church in Acts 8. Saul was persecuting Christians, convinced that was the right thing to do. Simon the sorcerer thought he could buy the power of the Holy Spirit. He believed and was baptized (v 13), but he still thought the power of the Holy Spirit was much like a parlor trick. These two are slow on the uptake, but there is still hope for them.

Acts 8:18-19 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Philip, however, was listening for and obedient to the direction of the Holy Spirit (v 26-27), which allowed him to minister to an Ethiopian who was struggling to understand scripture. Notice he was spending time in the Word, even though he struggled to understand. We can learn a lot from both Philip and the Ethiopian.

Acts 8:34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”

Lord, Thank You for this look at Your nascent church—the bumps and missteps as well as the victories. Help me, like Philip, to listen for and be obedient to Your direction. Help me, like the Ethiopian, to sit with Your word, even when I struggle, and to find others who can help me understand. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Acts 8:35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Have a blessed day.

Acts 7:48 “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands.

One of the things that strikes me about Stephen is how similar his story is to Jesus’s. Both earn the rage of the Sanhedrin by telling religious truths that differ from the Sanhedrin’s accepted norm. Both are executed violently. Both pray to God to receive their spirit and to forgive those who persecute them.

Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors….

I’ve always wondered why we don’t hear more about Stephen with these obvious parallels to Jesus. Shouldn’t that similarity make his role much more important? Commentary posits that Stephen’s primary influence is on “a young man named Saul,” almost a throwaway line in verse 58, easy to miss, yet it holds the key to Stephen’s importance to the spread of Christianity.

Acts 7:54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that You have a plan for us and that just because the world doesn’t celebrate our accomplishments, you can use us in powerful and lasting ways, just as You used Stephen to lay important groundwork in Saul so that it would eventually come to fruition in You. Help me to faithfully walk this path You’ve placed me on, no matter what. Amen.

Acts 7:59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Have a blessed day.

Acts 6:12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.

What struck me about this passage is the fact that it is so reminiscent of what happened to Jesus: jealousy, fear, false accusations, false witnesses. The emotional response within my own body as I read this section was intense—increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, initiation of flight or fight reflexes. Yet Stephen has the face of an angel.

Acts 6:13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.

Initially, I thought that description—-the face of an angel—was merely an aesthetic description, but commentary helped me see it was about the peace that can only come from rooting ourselves firmly and completely in Christ, a peace and confidence that is so profound that it shines through us and transforms us.

Acts 6:14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

Lord, I want Your peace that surpasses all understanding. I want to root myself so completely in Your love and compassion that what shines through my countenance is my confidence and trust in You alone. Help me. Amen.

Acts 6:15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Have a blessed day.

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!

Commentary on Acts 4 mentions that modern, Western Christians don’t often face persecution in today’s time like in biblical times. “Satan instead has attacked us with worldliness, selfish pride, a need for acceptance, and status.” That comment really got me thinking.

Acts 4:9 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….

I think most of us have a mental critic that tries to undermine us, that whispers, “You are not enough.” That voice is the need for earthly pride and acceptance. In reality, we are deeply, completely, fiercely loved children of God….not because of anything we can do or any accolade we receive but simply because we are God’s own creations.

Acts 4:10 …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.

Lord, The critic in my head is loud and insistent, telling me I am not enough…not smart enough, not kind enough, not good enough. The world seems to reinforce this idea at every turn. Thank You that I am not of this world. Thank You that the opinions of this world do not define me. Strengthen my heart so that I can reject these lies. Help me to never lose sight of the fact that You are my center, that Yours is the only voice that matters, that all that I am “is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” alone. Draw me closer. Amen.

Acts 4:11 Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’”

Have a blessed day.

Acts 3:17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.

What calls to me from today’s reading is in verse 19, which talks about times of refreshing coming from the Lord. We are at the tail end of a North Carolina summer. The heat and humidity have been brutal. Times of refreshing sound wonderful.

Acts 3:18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.

Of course, Peter is talking about something completely different from refreshment from an NC summer. He is talking about times of refreshment that can only come when we lay all our burdens at the feet of Jesus, admit our sins (large and small, intentional and unintentional) and allow Jesus to infuse every part of us so that we are still and silent in His presence, so that we feel on a deep level His sovereignty, love, and compassion.

Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord….

Lord, I want desperately the refreshment and renewal that can only come from You. Help me to lay aside my preconceived notions of my role, Your role, “the plan,” and to be still in Your presence. Help me to hear Your still, small voice. Help me to root myself in You always. Amen.

Acts 3:20 …and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

Have a blessed day.