Devotions

Come Over to Macedonia and Help Us

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There is a sharp disagreement that separates Barnabas and Paul. They had agreed in Acts 15:36 “let us return and visit the brothers in every town in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.” Paul refused to let Mark come with them because he had quit early on their earlier trip. Barnabas goes to Cyprus, as they had on their first trip so Paul heads North with Silas. Paul visits some of the churches they had planted and then the Holy Spirit prevents Paul from going further North. He heads further West but the Holy Spirit prevents him going North again. Finally in a vision, Paul has a request to go West to Macedonia, this is new ground and again, Paul is off taking the gospel to the Gentiles.

They Rejoiced at the Encouragement

Acts 15:30-35 

Let Us Return and Visit the Brothers

Acts 15:36-41
Paul and Barnabas have been fast colleagues since Paul first came back to Jerusalem after his Damascus experience, his conversion. Barnabas went and found Paul and the two taught in Antioch for a year. Then some time later the Holy Spirit said in

Acts 13:2 And while they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart now for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

This was about two years planting churches together, and then back to Antioch. Now, in

Acts 15:36 And after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, “Come then, let us return and visit the brothers in every town in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.”

The Lord had already told Paul to go to the Gentiles and the Holy Spirit had sent these two together and Paul thinks it is time for them to return and check on these churches. Barnabas agrees in Acts 15:37 and suggests they take Mark with them. But Mark had quit their last trip early and Paul says no. So, in

Acts 15:39 “a sharp disagreement took place, so that they separated from one another”.

Barnabas went with Mark in Acts 15:39 and Paul went with Silas in Acts 16:40. Paul was always hard edged, and Barnabas a gentler soul, but the Lord does not intervene. However, “Since Mark and Paul were later reconciled (2 Tim. 4:11), one is inclined to side with Barnabas, who has already proven a good judge of character and potential with Paul himself”.1

And later, Paul writes Eph 3:14-21 “I bend my knees before the Father … that he may grant you … to be strengthened … to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God”

They Passed On To Them To Observe The Rules

Acts 16:1-5 

Come Over to Macedonia and Help Us

Acts 16:6-10
Barnabas had gone West to Cyprus as they had for their first missionary journey so Paul heads of on his own with Silas, to the North. But his direction is changed, and he can’t go further North in

Acts 16:6 And they traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia.

So, they head west to Tarsus, Derbe, and turned North to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (the other Antioch). These were all places he had wanted to visit with Barnabas to strengthen in Acts 15:36, the churches they had planted. Then again his direction was changed and he could not go further North in

Acts 16:7 And when they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.

and it seems Paul did not want to go South, that might have intersected with Barnabas, but now Paul gets direction, there are people that have not yet heard the good news, in

Acts 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul during the night: a certain Macedonian man was standing there and imploring him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”

Now, it seems that Paul has connected again with the plan the Lord had for him.

There Was a Place of Prayer

Acts 16:11-15 

These Men Are Servants of the Most High God

Acts 16:16-24
Paul and Silas have come to Philippi in Acts 16:12 “a leading city of that district of Macedonia, a Roman colony” and it seems there was not a synagogue there, so instead in Acts 16:13 “on the day of the Sabbath, we went outside the city gate beside the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer”. This became their meeting place and as they were going daily, a woman, a fortune teller, began following them in

Acts 16:17 “She followed Paul and us and was crying out, saying, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”

and apparently this seemed harmless, at first and then in

Acts 16:18 “she was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed and turning around, said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out immediately.

Without this spirit, she was useless to her masters and they brought accusations against Paul and Silas and they were put in jail.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Acts 15:30-41
  • Acts 16:1-24

References

  • 1. Baker, W. H. (1995). Acts. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 908). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
Devotions

The Living God

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Paul and Barnabas were sent by the Holy Spirit to take the gospel to the Gentiles, but they were just men. They did though, have the power of God’s word and the power of the Holy Spirit working with them. The Lord was working with them to confirm his word with signs and wonders. As they went, people often had a wrong concept of who God is, but that is the power of the gospel, God reveals himself to those that believe. One of the greatest miracles though, was that Paul and Barnabas established church elders in Acts 14:23 “they prayed and fasted and entrusted them to the Lord”. They had faith in God to raise up his children.

Speaking Boldly For the Lord

Acts 14:1-7 

He Leaped Up and Began Walking

Acts 14:8-13
Paul and Barnabas were sent by the Holy Spirit to take the gospel to the Gentiles. In this, called Paul’s first missionary journey, “(AD 46–47) took Paul and Barnabas through the island province of Cyprus in the northeastern tip of the Mediterranean Sea and into the province of Galatia, where churches were established in … (Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe) … Those cities, important colonial outposts for the Romans, contained mixed populations, including large Jewish communities. It was in the synagogues of those communities that Paul launched his missionary efforts, almost always meeting with considerable opposition (Acts 13; 14).”1

And the reason for the opposition is that their message is not that people should become Jewish proselytes, keeping the law of Moses. Their message is that the kingdom of God has come near, and salvation, forgiveness of sin and right standing with God is only through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul is bold in speaking, but if this were only about Paul’s skill as an orator, there were others that could easily debate him and would take great pleasure in the arguing.

But, Paul and Barnabas are sent by the Holy Spirit with the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the Lord is confirming their words with signs and wonders in

Acts 14:8-10 And in Lystra a certain man was sitting powerless in his feet, lame from birth, who had never walked. 9 This man listened while Paul was speaking. Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” And he leaped up and began walking.

This was a notable miracle, something people had never seen before. In their pagan religion, they believed that only the gods could do this and “the Greek gods were frequently represented as taking on human appearances and intervening directly in human affairs. Unlike the true God, Zeus and his consorts were often viewed as capriciously bestowing favor or disfavor.”2

Acts 14:11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices in the Lycaonian language, saying, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us!”

The crowd was right that this miracle could not be performed by men, it was the power of God. And they were right that God had come down to walk among men, but it was Jesus Christ that walked with us. 

The Living God

Acts 14:14-20
Paul and Barnabas quickly spoke to the crowd in

Acts 14:15 “We also are men with the same nature as you, proclaiming the good news that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God”

These people had some concepts about God, but they also had some misconceptions about God and the world around them:

  • There is a God
  • God is spirit
  • God is interested in the affairs of man
  • God is for the righteous and against those that are not
  • There are other spirits, some malevolent
  • These other spirits are also involved in the lives of man
  • These spirits have a designated authority in the earth

What Paul is saying to them in Acts 14:15 is “turn from these worthless things” because we are “proclaiming the good news” that you can turn “to the living God, who made heaven and earth and all the things that are in them”. There is no malevolence in God. 

They Entrusted Them to the Lord

Acts 14:21-28
Paul and Barnabas went out, and then reversed their route returning to many of the same cities where they now “appointed elders” in

Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, after praying with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.

The interesting point here is that this journey may have been two years in total. We don’t know the timing, but they only would have had a few months in each city. Paul and Barnabas had spent a whole year raising the church in Antioch. So how is it that Barnabas and Paul were able to find elders that were qualified? They did something that we could certainly learn from them, in Acts 14:23 “they prayed and fasted and entrusted them to the Lord”. Do we have the faith to pray? Do we have the discipline to fast? Can we trust people to the Lord?

Sadly, many Christians are under the control of an authority abuser, Jesus described these people who invoke the word of God, but do not do it. These do not have any faith in God to raise up his children. Instead, they are bound by gold, the gift you can give, how can you help them in

Matthew 23:1–36 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. 3 Therefore do and observe everything that they tell you, but do not do as they do, for they tell others to do something and do not do it themselves.

or as Simon did with Peter and John in

Acts 8:18 Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered them money.

There Was No Little Strife and Debate

Acts 15:1-9

Why Are You Putting God to the Test?

Acts 15:10-21

Some From Among Us Have Thrown You Into Confusion

Acts 15: 22-29

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Acts 14:1-28
  • Acts 15:1-29

References

  • 1. Brauch, M. T. (1988). Acts of the Apostles, Book of The. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 21). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
  • 2. Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Zeus. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 2197). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
Devotions

If There Is Any Message of Exhortation Say It

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The church is growing among the Gentiles and in Antioch we learn of new teachers and prophets, and these are from very different backgrounds. Yet, here they were, all together in Acts 13:2 “And while they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said”. It is the Lord that leads his disciples and directs their work as happens here. Paul and Barnabas are commissioned by the Lord to carry the gospel as it says in Acts 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have appointed you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you would bring salvation to the end of the earth.’ There are though, always those who because of jealousy or fear, oppose the things of God. For us though, it is easy, in 1 John 4:2 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God”. For us, we simply keep the word of God in our mouth and keep ourselves as the disciples did in Acts 13:52 “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit”. 

While They Were Serving The Lord and Fasting

Acts 13:1-3
The church in Antioch is thriving. Early on, Barnabas had brought Saul (Paul) from Tarsus and Saul they had been in Antioch teaching for a year in Acts 11:26. They then went to Jerusalem carrying a gift from Antioch Acts 11:30. Some time later, they are back in Antioch and now, there are others named as prophets and teachers along with them in

Acts 13:1 “Now there were prophets and teachers in Antioch in the church that was there: Barnabas, and Simeon (who was called Niger), and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen (a close friend of Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.”

These came from diverse backgrounds, “Simeon … Niger—of whom nothing is known. Lucius of Cyrene—(Ac 2:20). He is mentioned, in Ro 16:21, as one of Paul’s kinsmen. Manaen—or Menahem, the name of one of the kings of Israel (2 Ki 15:14) which had been brought up with—or, the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch—that is, Antipas, who was himself “brought up with a certain private person at Rome” [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 17.1.3]”.1

Yet, their hearts were all together and just as the Spirit said to Philip “Approach” the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:29 and as the Spirit said to Peter in Acts 10:20 “go with them”, the Holy Spirit is again leading these actions in

Acts 13:2 And while they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart now for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

So, from this first missionary journey of Paul, churches are planted, and established with elders as one commentary notes, “It was from Antioch that teachers were first sent forth with the definite purpose of spreading Christianity, and organizing churches, with regular institutions (Ac 14:23)” [OLSHAUSEN].”2

The Hand of the Lord Is Against You

Acts 13:4-12 

If There Is Any Message of Exhortation, Say It

Acts 13:13-20
It was the custom in the Synagogue to invite visitors to introduce themselves and offer a message to the congregation. This was done in an orderly way in Acts 13:15 “after the reading of the law and the prophets”. So, Paul, not being shy or reserved began to address the “Israelite men” who are those of Jewish descent and circumcised, and also “those who fear god” who would be any gentile converts that were following the law of moses by keeping the Sabbath and following the dietary laws, in

Acts 13:16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, he said, “Israelite men, and those who fear God, listen!”

Then Paul connects with their common history, not that they did anything great to deserve God’s goodness, it was that God was delivering them into “an inheritance” in Acts 13:19 and in

Acts 13:20 “This took about four hundred and fifty years. And after these things, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet”.

Paul is preparing them to hear about the fulfillment of God’s promise to them, “forgiveness of sins” in Acts 13:38, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead in Acts 13:37.

A Man in Accordance With My Heart

Acts 13:21-29

God Raised Him From the Dead

Acts 13:30-41

Nearly the Whole City Came Together to Hear

Acts 13:42-46 

Bring Salvation to the End of the Earth

Acts 13:47-52
The message of salvation through Jesus Christ was widely received, so much so that, in

Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting what was being said by Paul by reviling him.

This is often the reaction of people who feel their position is threatened, they try to undercut the person they feel challenged by. Paul and Barnabas recognized that in Acts 13:46 “since you reject it (the word of God) … we are turning to the Gentiles!” This was what the Lord had told Paul to do and he restates it in

Acts 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have appointed you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you would bring salvation to the end of the earth.’

The Gentiles received this word gladly and in

Acts 13:48–49 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and to glorify the word of the Lord. And all those who were designated for eternal life believed. 49 So the word of the Lord was carried through the whole region.

Sadly though, there is opposition in the world and often comes through jealousy and to preserve position as in

Acts 13:50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high social standing and the most prominent men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and threw them out of their district.

These who oppose can’t stop the gospel and here, the Gentiles rejoiced and Paul and Barnabas went on to the next city as they had been instructed by the Holy Spirit. As it says in

Acts 13:52 “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit”.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Acts 3:1-25
  • Acts 4:1-18

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 190). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 190). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

Proclaiming the Good News

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There are many that want to tell you what you can and can’t do, and even in the Church, there are those that, in the name of God, are setting limits around what you can or should do. There was though, one man here, that recognized the move of God in Acts 11:24 “because he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” and in Acts 11:23 “saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all”. Because Barnabas had faith to believe that God could do his work, because he knew the move of the Holy Spirit, he didn’t correct them for speaking to the “Hellenist”, the Greeks, the gentiles, instead he encouraged them and in Acts 11:24 “a large number were added to the Lord.” and now we also read, in Acts 12:24 “But the word of God kept on increasing and multiplying”.

 

Those of the Circumcision Took Issue

Acts 11:1-10
This news about the gentiles in Acts 11:1 was more widespread and with greater impact than our translation indicates. It wasn’t just that there was a morsel of news, this was news to “The whole church throughout Judea—leaders and people together … soon heard the news that the Gentiles also had received the word of God (cf. 8:14; 11:22; 15:24)”.

Then, in Acts 11:2-3 “when Peter went up to Jerusalem” this was “some-time later … he faced the sort of criticism that Jesus did when challenged by the Pharisees and the teachers of the law about eating with sinners (Lk. 5:30; 15:2; 19:7).”1 So, Peter doesn’t react emotionally or get defensive, in

Acts 11:4 “But Peter began and explained it to them in an orderly sequence, saying,”

Peter is just giving them events as he and the six with him had observed them. However, this explanation is only needed because their had been factions among the Jews and some of these different beliefs came into the early church. Now, “Some have suggested that Peter’s critics were ‘the circumcision party’ (JBP), that is, ‘the right-wing Jewish Christians’, ‘the extremists’ or ‘the rigorists’.36 But the Greek phrase need only mean ‘those who were of Jewish birth’ (NEB), namely the whole Christian community in Jerusalem, all of whom up to that time were Jews”.2

This question being raised by “those of the circumcision” is a reminder that this sign of the covenant, circumcision, ran deep in Judaism and this is “a debate that will soon surface about the initiation of Gentiles into the church (15:1–29)”3

But this coming debate isn’t just about circumcision, it is also about the keeping of the law. And the Lord begins here showing that salvation is not by the law, but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as it says in

Romans 3:24 “being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus”

Who Was I to be Able to Hinder God?

Acts 11:11-18 

Proclaiming the Good News

Acts 11: 19-24
What was intended to stamp out these believers in the way of Jesus Christ, instead spread the gospel to far reaches, but there was one problem, they were in Acts 11:19 “proclaiming the message to no one except Jews alone”. Then something unexpected happened, when the gospel was preached to the Greeks, they also received the Lord in

Acts 11:20–21 “But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they came to Antioch, began to speak to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.”

The Jews, even after their conversion through Jesus Christ, still had a mindset that God’s covenant was only for the Jews. When others heard, they were also converted and the Lord “was with them” also! But in

Acts 11:22 “the report came to the attention of the church that was in Jerusalem”.

They, as we often do, had to make sure those people in Antioch were doing it right. So, they sent Barnabas. Thank God they sent him because he recognized the work of God and didn’t squash them in

Acts 11:23 “when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with ⌊devoted hearts”

This man Barnabas, because he was “full of the Holy Spirit” and because he had faith in God that God would complete the work even through fallible people, because Barnabas had faith, “a large number were added to the Lord” in Acts 11:24.

They Met Together For A Whole Year

Acts 11:25-30

Prayer Was Fervently Being Made to God

Acts 12:1-5

Gird Yourself and Put On Your Sandals

Acts 12:6-11

Many People Were Gathered Together and Were Praying

Acts 12:12-19 

But the Word of God Kept on Increasing and Multiplying

Acts 12:20-25
The account here, turns to the natural government, Herod. And Herod is doing what government leaders in the world do, he was hosting a meeting of lobbyists who wanted support for their country. Maybe the best way to characterize this is by referring to the temptation of Jesus in

Luke 4:5–7 “And he led him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to him, “I will give you all this domain and their glory, because it has been handed over to me, and I can give it to whomever I want. 7 So if you will worship before me, all this will be yours.””

Herod sets his throne above them, and brings them in for an audience. As he begins his speech, they in Acts 12:22 “call out loudly, ‘The voice of a god and not of a man!’” but Herod is no god. Though Herod sat on his throne, and how many others are their like him? Even so, they have no impact on the power of the gospel and we should never believe that any show of “royal clothing” or any “judgement seat” among men can prevent it in

Acts 12:24 “But the word of God kept on increasing and multiplying.”

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Acts 11:1-30
  • Acts 12:1-25

References

  • 1. Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 342). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
  • 2. Stott, J. R. W. (1994). The message of Acts: the Spirit, the church & the world (p. 194). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 3. Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 342). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Devotions

Cornelius Your Prayer Has Been Heard

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We sometimes think people are accepting the Lord because of our plan to preach to them. The Lord though, is dealing directly with people as happened here with Cornelius. Cornelius was praying and the Lord answered sending an angel to tell him what to do. And then the Lord gave Peter a vision, telling him that he was needed and to go. This trip to Caesarea wasn’t in Peter’s plan. Preaching the gospel to Cornelius, a gentile, a Roman soldier, wasn’t in Peter’s plan. But because Cornelius prayed, God answered and because Peter prayed, he was able to put aside his religious thinking and respond. God confirmed salvation for Cornelius and his house because in Acts 10:44 “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message”. 

A Memorial Offering Before God

Acts 10:1-8
Look at what it says about this man in

Acts 10:1 “in Caesarea … a centurion of what was called the Italian Cohort”

This city, “Caesarea (8:40; 9:30), (was) a ‘new town’ built by Herod the Great which had become the centre of government for the Roman administration of Judea”.1

And there was often friction between the Jews and the Roman so this “cohort of Italians, as distinguished from native soldiers, quartered at Caesarea, probably as a bodyguard to the Roman procurator who resided there”.2

We can learn how the Roman government operated as Paul was taken from Jerusalem to Caesarea in Acts 23:23-35. What is more interesting though, is what it says about this man in

Acts 10:2 “devout and fearing God together with all his household, doing many charitable deeds for the people and praying to God continually”.

Cornelius wasn’t a Jewish proselyte because he wasn’t circumcised. However, he seemed to be a “God fearing” follower, “Proselytes usually embraced Judaism gradually because much needed to be learned, such as the proper observance of the Sabbath and the careful following of the dietary rules, before one could win acceptance into the Jewish community. Persons attracted to Judaism and keeping the Sabbath and food laws were termed fearers or worshipers of God. These terms appear in the NT where Cornelius (Acts 10:1–2) and Lydia (Acts 16:14) are so described (John 12:20; Acts 17:4; 18:7)”.3

Even so, from Peter’s perspective, he was a gentile and “Association with Gentiles was a cause of defilement in Jewish tradition (cf. Jub. 22:16; Test. Jos. 7:1), rather than being strictly defined as such by the law of Moses. It was ‘unlawful’ (athemitos) in the more general sense of being against their custom. This was especially so because Gentiles did not observe the biblical rules about food”.4

What God Has Cleansed

Acts 10:9-17

Get up, Go Down, and Go With Them

Acts 10:18-24 

Your Prayer Has Been Heard

Acts 10:25-34
Peter arrives in Caesarea and asks Cornelius in

Acts 10:29 “without raising any objection—I came when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you sent for me.”

This seems a little odd, because Peter had a vision telling him to go “not hesitating” in Acts 10:20 and when these men found Peter in Joppa, they had already told him that “Cornelius … was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear words from you.” in Acts 10:22. Now though, Cornelius recites his angelic visitation in

Acts 10:30–32 “Four days ago … I was praying in my house. And behold, a man in shining clothing stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your charitable deeds have been remembered before God. 32 Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon who is also called Peter”

Cornelius was praying at the hour of prayer. The angel said, “your prayer has been heard … therefore … summon Simon”. What the Lord said to Simon was in

Acts 10:15 “The things which God has made clean, you must not consider unclean!”

From God’s perspective, this work was already finished for Cornelius and his household and as Peter speaks, the Lord confirms by pouring out his spirit on them.

 

God is Not One Who Shows Partiality

Acts 10:34-43
Peter understands what the Lord is about to do in

Acts 10:34 So Peter opened his mouth and said, “In truth I understand that God is not one who shows partiality”

Jesus had told them, the apostles in

Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

And he said in

Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

And Jesus had also said in

Luke 24:47 “and repentance and the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem”.

But it is only now, that Peter is understanding this in

Acts 10:35 “but in every nation the one who fears him and who does what is right is acceptable to him”.

The Holy Spirit Fell

Acts 10:44-48

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Acts 10:1-43

References

  • 1. Marshall, I. H. (1980). Acts: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 5, p. 194). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 185). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 3. Songer, H. S. (2003). Proselytes. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1336). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
  • 4. Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 333). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Devotions

Speaking Boldly in the Name of the Lord

by  • 

Saul has set himself to find and eliminate these disciples of Christ, until Jesus appears to him on the road to Damascus. Saul is converted and becomes Paul and becomes a strong defender of Jesus Christ. And there are others along side, Ananias, Barnabas, and the power of God is being displayed in the wisdom and words of Paul and in the healing power through Peter. 

Why Are You Persecuting Me?

Acts 9:1-9
After the murder of Stephen, it wasn’t enough for Saul to seek out the believers in Jerusalem as found in

Acts 8:3 “But Saul was attempting to destroy the church. Entering house after house, he dragged off both men and women and delivered them to prison.

He also in

Acts 9:1–2 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, both men and women, he could bring them tied up to Jerusalem.

This was some time after Jesus had ascended and may have been three years or so after the day of Pentecost. During this time the number of believers kept increasing in Jerusalem. Peter and the apostles were growing and in

Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all”.

and then in

Acts 5:12 “Now many signs and wonders were being performed among the people through the hands of the apostles”

Then we find Stephen, and Philip boldly giving testimony and the gospel is going forth at the hand of this next generation, these believers that came into the kingdom at the word of the apostles.

Now, Jesus appears to Saul in

Acts 9:5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting!

and Saul is converted and becomes another witness. But this is not the end, Ananias comes to Saul, now Paul, in Acts 9:10 and not much later Barnabas comes along side Paul in Acts 9:27. These are all new believers, new names, yet fully empowered as ministers of the message of Jesus Christ and God is confirming them also with signs following as they go.

Behold, Here I Am, Lord!

Acts 9:10-19

Jesus is the Son of God

Acts 9:20-25 

Speaking Boldly in the Name of the Lord

Acts 9:26-31
Paul becomes a strong defender of the faith almost immediately after his conversion in Damascus. He is so strong in Acts 9:22, that the Jews plot to kill him so in Acts 9:25 “his disciples took him at night” and helped him escape. Paul goes back to Jerusalem, but he is not the same man. But because of his reputation, in

Acts 9:26 “when he arrived in Jerusalem, he was attempting to associate with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe that he was a disciple”.

But the Lord had Barnabas who in Acts 9:27 “took him and brought him to the apostles”. And Barnabas spoke on Paul’s behalf so Paul could have an audience with them. As Paul says later, “that is, to Peter and James; for “other of the apostles saw I none,” says he fourteen years after (Ga 1:18, 19)”.1

But while Paul was in Jerusalem he was “Debating with Hellenistic (Greek) Jews (and this) paradoxically places Saul in the same position as Stephen (6:9–14), and the opposition is life-threatening until the believers secure his escape”.2

And all of this leads to one clear outcome in

Acts 9:31 “Then the church throughout all of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being strengthened. And living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it was increasing in numbers”.

Even though there had been threats, no one was living in fear of their lives. They were living in fear of the Lord.

Immediately He Got Up

Acts 9:32-35 

He Prayed, and, He Said

Acts 9:36-43
The time of persecution has passed in Jerusalem so Peter ventures out in

Acts 9:32 Now it happened that as Peter was traveling through all the places, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.

And as it had in Jerusalem, the gift of healing (see 1 Corinthians 12:9) continues to operate in Peter wherever he goes. But then we read in

Acts 9:38 And because Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, when they heard that Peter was in Lydda, sent two men to him, urging, “Do not delay to come to us!”

This was because one of the disciple had died, in Acts 9:36 “a certain female disciple named Tabitha (which translated means “Dorcas”). So, in Acts 9:39 “Peter got up and accompanied them”. But this wasn’t simply healing, Dorcas had died. Peter had seen this before when Jesus prayed for the young girl in Luke 8:49-56. Peter sends the mourners out, and in Acts 9:40 “falling to his knees, he prayed”. It says in 1 Corinthians 12:29 “Not all are workers of miracles, are they?”, but here, Peter has the gift of special faith to bring her back from the dead.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Acts 9:1-43

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 185). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 2. Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 315). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.