He is The Cause

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

HE IS THE CAUSE

Acts 9:1-9

9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"  5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6 "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."  7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

NIV

Saul had no chance against the power of the Lord. Although he was filled with hatred and breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples, God had a plan for his life. As Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest as many people as he could who belonged to the way, the Lord intervened with a supernatural flash of light that surrounded him. This is the beginning of Saul's conversion to Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. What we learn from this narrative is twofold. First, the Lord is the one who initiates our conversion from sinner to saint, or an unbeliever to a believer. If we think it was our choice alone, we would be mistaken. Although we do have a choice, it is the Lord's choice to call us. How would we know what our choices were, to remain a condemned sinner, or to repent and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, unless the Lord intervened in our lives somehow? If Jesus had not fallen upon Saul in such a dramatic way, would Saul ever have changed from persecuting the church to being part of the church? It is doubtful, and that is our story as well. We cannot believe we made the choice to follow Jesus just out of the blue, on our own accord, without a single movement of the Lord toward us. We know some might think they have been Christians from their earliest memories because their parents were Christians, but how can we be a believer without any effects from the Lord? We know that children raised in a believing home go on to walk their own paths in life. No, in order to be a true believer in Jesus, we must have some intervention in our lives by Him. It could be a vision, a miracle,  a bright light, a voice, a friend, a stranger, or even a revelation from his word, but our eyes must be opened, our hearts must be softened, and we must be receptive to the truth. We know about hard hearts, closed ears and eyes, and rejection of the gospel message. How can our hearts, ears, and eyes be opened unless Jesus intervenes? He changed Saul through an overwhelming series of events. He has changed us, and continues to do so, through his overwhelming presence. Without Jesus intervening in our lives, we would be lost forever. Thank you, Lord, for causing us to see you. Thank you for being the cause. 

Puff

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

POOF

Acts 8:32-40

32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:

"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."  

34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"   38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 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. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

NIV

We could focus on the prophecy about Jesus and how Philip proclaimed the good news about Him, and how the Eunuch believed and wanted to be baptized, but there is a larger story here. That is not to say that explaining the good news of Jesus is not a large story, for that is the call on all of us. Every believer should be ready, willing, and able to proclaim the good news about Jesus and the kingdom of God. Just as Philip was led by the Spirit to run along the chariot and initiate a conversation about the Scripture the eunuch was reading, we should always be looking for opportunities to speak up about the good news about Jesus. That would be more than just inserting the name of Jesus into a conversation; it would be telling the good news about Jesus. This story also gives us the truth that every believer should go through the waters of baptism and experience the baptism in the Spirit, His infilling, and indwelling, with all the power he brings with him, his gifts, and fruit. As important as those truths are, we also should focus on this other power of the Spirit. When the eunuch and Philip came up out of the water, Philip was transported, caught up, taken away, disappeared, in a sense, from the presence of the eunuch, as he saw him no more. Some would want to explain this transportation away, saying that Philip immediately left and headed in another direction. Still, the Greek word harpazoo literally means to be snatched out or away. That positively implies that the Spirit caught up or snatched  Philip and supernaturally transported him away from the presence of the eunuch. Philip was there, and poof he was not there. This is how great the Spirit's power is, for He is God. We believe in the triune Godhead, the Father, Son, and Spirit. We must know what power dwells within our being, yet the question is whether we believe it and avail ourselves, or yield ourselves to the power of the Almighty Spirit of God, as Philip did. We do wonder if any of the people in Azotus witnessed the appearance of Philip, as he was not there, and poof, he was there. Transportation in Star Trek is fantasy; however, what happened to Philip was reality, and we should note that it could happen to us if the Spirit so needed us somewhere in a poof.

 

Following, Listening, Doing

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

FOLLOWING LISTENING DOING

Acts 8:26-31

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road — the desert road — that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31 "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

NIV

There is more to this story about Philip with a powerful display of God's work. However, we are already seeing God at work by sending an angel to give Philip specific directions. There is nothing vague about what God wanted Philip to do. He was instructed to go South, on a specific road, from Jerusalem to Gaza. That seems strange, but God had a plan for the Ethiopian eunuch's life, and Philip was to be the Lord's instrument in that plan. This gives us a clue that we should always be available to be used by the Lord and to follow his directions and his leading. We may not know the purpose of our instructions, as Philip did not know why he was supposed to travel that road, but he was following God's plan. As Philip was traveling the road he was told to met this Ethiopian, and the Spirit told Philip to go near the chariot. How often do we find ourselves someplace just because we feel we should be there? Is it truly because we feel we should be there, or are we being prompted by the Spirit to be in a specific place at a certain time? Is there someone we are supposed to encounter? Have we ever felt led to ask them a question, such as, "Do you know anything about?" then just know what about we should ask? If the Lord gave Philip that kind of specific direction, then we believe he could give us some kind of specific instruction as to where, when, and what to do. Did an angel actually appear to Philip, or was it more like a vision, or maybe just a voice, but the point is God was at work, and Philip was his instrument. We wonder how many times we act on our own account, being our own planner, our own instrument, even in religious matters, or what we believe are spiritual matters. How often do we make our own plans? It is not that Philip wasn't living life or doing things; he was an apostle and had been following Jesus. That was the purpose of his life: to continue to follow Jesus. He was open to the Spirit, listening, hearing the voice of an angel, doing what he was instructed to do. This should be our story. First, to follow Jesus, second, to listen to the voice of the Spirit, his leading, his lighting our way, and thirdly, to do that which we have been instructed to do. It comes down to following, listening, and doing. 

Saved Baptized Empowered

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

SAVED BAPTIZED ENPOWERED

Acts 8:14-25

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." 24 Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me." 25 When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

NIV

We have come face-to-face with one of the first pieces of evidence that receiving the Holy Spirit is not automatic upon accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, as is often taught. Following their acceptance of Jesus, they were baptized as well. Here was an entire group of new believers who heard Philip's message about the good news of the kingdom of God. Yet they had not received the Holy Spirit until Peter and John prayed that they would receive the Holy Spirit, and when they laid their hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit. We are not told what evidence there was that the Holy Spirit came upon them, but we know from the word of God and experience that the Holy Spirit manifests Himself within a believer in various ways, often through one of his gifts and his fruit. However, the one piece of evidence that should be present is the Holy Spirit's power. There is another truth that is given to us in this passage, and that is about Simon thinking that he could pay to have the same power he thought Peter and John had. The sending of the Holy Spirit comes through the power of God. Jesus told his disciples that he must go and that he would send the Spirit from his Father. The only way to receive the Spirit is through faith in Jesus Christ. Just like the free gift of God, our salvation and the reward of eternal life, receiving the Holy Spirit is also a free gift of God. Simon was wrong in his thinking; he just wanted the power to perform more magic. Peter and John rebuked him, and we are told that he sought forgiveness. However, the story is about receiving the Holy Spirit. It might happen on the day of our salvation, or some days later, as it was with those new believers in Samaria. But the truth, as Peter and John indicated, is that accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is followed by Baptism and the reception of the Holy Spirit. Those are three different experiences every believer should have. We are saved, baptized, and empowered. 

Great Power

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

GREAT POWER

Acts 8:9-13

9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

NIV

The first truth we notice is about Simon, who practiced sorcery, or magic. He boasted that he was someone great. This is the first clue about being a follower of Jesus: no boasting about our greatness. We might not boast openly or verbally, but do we think of ourselves more highly than we should, that is, boast internally of our greatness, or our good deeds, or how religious or spiritual we are? Do we boast about our knowledge of the scriptures? The truth tells us to walk humbly before our God and men. Because we humble ourselves before the Lord, he will lift us up. He will bring about the actions of our lives, directing our paths, pouring out the Spirit upon us, who manifests his fruit and gifts within us. When we walk justly and love mercy as we walk before the Lord, as he requires of us, then he can display his power in our lives. The people were amazed at Simon, thinking he was a man of divine power, known as the Great Power, but he was not acting under God's power; rather, under the dark power of the devil, for all sorcery is from him. Satan is all about counterfeiting the power of God. His desire is to deceive people, to pull them away from the truth of God. Satan would want us to think more highly of ourselves, seeing our greatness, our abilities, our education, training, and skills as the means to our success in life and even in the religious realm. Even the church may have been deceived by putting too much attention on qualifications rather than on the call of God. There was a massive difference between the power of Simon and Philip. Simon preached of his greatness, Philip preached about the good news of the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus. The people might have been amazed by Simon's black magic, but they believed Philip's message and were baptized. When God's power was displayed through Philip, even Simon was astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. This is the key to the lives of believers: follow Jesus, not anyone else. Do not be amazed at false power, and do not be deceived by the silver-tongued purveyors of deception, with their messages of how great we can be. We do not follow Jesus to become great, but to learn from him and be gentle and humble of heart. God is the only one with Great Power. 

Being Full

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

BEING FULL

Acts 8:1-8

8:1 And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

NIV

We are being introduced to Saul, as during the moment the men of the Sanhedrin were stoning Stephen, we are told that the witnesses laid their outer garments at the feet of Saul. We did not go into detail about why they did this, but it was within the law that those who testified against someone had to start the execution of stoning, and then the rest would join in. This was done so to prevent false witnesses, but that did not matter in this case; they all wanted Stephen stoned. He was still full of the Spirit and gave up his spirit, just like Jesus did. Now Saul gave his approval for the death of Stephen, and he began to persecute the church. The universal church has been persecuted throughout the world within our lifetime, but there were times when the church persecuted people who lived in opposition to its rules. The persecution of anyone proves that evil can live within. But our lesson today is our introduction of Philip, as well as all those who were scattered. They preached the word wherever they went. Because the Apostles remained in Jerusalem, those who preached the word were simply Jesus' followers. They may have been people who were in the crowds that followed him wherever he went, or new believers who heard Peter's sermon on that Day of Pentecost. Nevertheless, they preached the word of God wherever they went. That could be our lesson: that no matter our place in life, our education, training, talents, or skills, we should all be preaching the word of God wherever we go. There is something else we should note, and it concerns Philip. He was one of the apostles who stayed in Jerusalem; however, we are told he went into a city in Samaria and proclaimed Christ there. Philip was full of the Spirit and the power of God because he performed miraculous signs, and when the people saw what he did, they paid close attention to what he said. We wonder how many people would pay close attention to what we say if we were given the power to perform miraculous signs, or if evil spirits would shriek in our presence, and people would be healed. We wonder: if we were to have the power of God, be full of the Spirit, and proclaim the word of God, would we be anything like Philip, or anything like Jesus? Let us first be filled with the Spirit and the power of God, and he will do the rest. He will do the work in us and through us. 

Seeing His Glory

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

SEEING HIS GLORY

Acts 7:54-60 7:54-60

54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 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. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

NIV

After being charged with being "Stiff-necked," they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. That is a strange response, to grind their teeth at him. What we imagine is that their anger was so intense that they clenched their teeth, as if they were growling at him, with hatred in their hearts, and it was reflected in their eyes. However, Stephen's faith was so powerful that he looked up and saw heaven and the glory of God. This is not a normal experience most people would have, yet Stephen was just an ordinary man. He was full of the Holy Spirit and the power of God. That may not be ordinary, as it would seem many believers do not exhibit the qualities, power, and vision that Stephen had. To peer into heaven and see the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God requires both faith and the power of the Holy Spirit at work within. This could be our lesson. We could see the glory of God, but we would first need to be full, that is, completely full, not half or somewhat full of the Holy Spirit. Maybe Stephen was a special man, yet he was just a man who did more than believe in God; he believed God, and lived as one who believed God's power could be at work within him. Do we live like that? Do we truly believe God and give the Holy Spirit absolute freedom to exhibit his power and might within us? There is another lesson we could take to heart: the Sanhedrin's response. Of course, no one likes to be called "stiff-necked" stubborn or obstinate as the Greek word implies. However,  being taught, corrected, rebuked, and trained are all part of a believer's life, as we explore the scriptures, because all are God-breathed. Anger, being furious, gnashing our teeth, growling at someone because we think we have been offended, is not being full of the Spirit and the grace of God, but rather we would be full of ourselves. Covering our ears is also not the way of life for a believer, as if we did, it would be closing our ears to the truth of God that corrects us and shows us the right way to live. It was the pride of the men of the Sanhedrin that caused their furiousness, to the point of rushing Stephen and stoning him to death. They were so self-righteous and opposed to the truth of God, seeing that the only one righteous is Jesus, God. When we start to think of ourselves as holy and righteous, believing we are doing everything right, being religious enough, spiritual enough, doing enough good, almost to the point that we do not admit our sinful nature or that we have sin in our lives, we have lost the truth. Everything we know about Stephen tells us that he was sold out for God, that he was totally full of faith, the Spirit, God's grace, and power. Lord, fill us with your Spirit, your grace, and your power so that we can see heaven opened and see your glory.