Turn to Jesus

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

TURN TO JESUS

Acts 9:32-43

32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. 34 "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. 36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!" 39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. 40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

NIV

One miraculous healing was all it took for many to turn to the Lord. We also see an incredible change in Peter. He went from confessing that time in Caesarea Philippi, when he stated that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, to denying Jesus three times, to preaching such a powerful sermon on the Day of Pentecost that thousands responded, believing in Jesus. Now, being full of the Spirit, he has no doubt telling this paralytic man that Jesus Christ healed him. Seeing this healing brought more people to faith in Jesus. The news of that healing in Lydda spread to a neighboring town of Joppa, where Tabitha died. The people must have believed that because Peter healed that man, he could also raise Tabitha from the dead. Well, Tabitha was raised from the dead by Peter first praying, then telling her to get up, and she did. That is the power of God at work, for only through the name of Jesus was Peter able to do such a miracle. We wonder if all that faith and miracles just stopped sometime after all the apostles left this world to go to be with Jesus. We know there could still be miracles; healings happen within the people of faith. That is the clue to everything: first, having faith; second, being full of the Holy Spirit and the power of God. Can we have the same faith that Peter had? Of course, we can; we have the same Holy Spirit dwelling in us who dwelt in Peter. True, Peter walked with Jesus in person and witnessed all the healings, miracles, and the raising of three people from the dead. Still, it was his faith in the name of Jesus, just as he and John had told the lame man to get up and walk when they were on their way to the temple, that the paralytic man was healed and Tabitha was raised from the dead. Both those miracles caused people to turn to Jesus. That is the whole purpose of miracles and healings. Sure, it would be great to see someone healed, so they could be whole, but the purpose would only serve the few who witnessed the healing unless they were so filled with faith that they could not contain the news and spread it all over their town, so people would turn to Jesus. That is the whole of the good news: that people turn to Jesus. 

Jesus Loves You

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

JESUS LOVES YOU

Acts 9:26-31

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

NIV

Was it any wonder the disciples were afraid of Saul, for he had the reputation of hating the people of the way, opposing Jesus as the Messiah? Now he was a believer in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. However, Barnabas took him to the apostles and testified to Saul's conversion experience, and Saul became a man who spoke boldly in the name of the Lord throughout Jerusalem. It seemed his message was opposed only by the Grecian Jews, those who lived in Greece, spoke Greek, and were in Jerusalem for the festival. We do wonder whether they lived abroad in Greece and, being exposed to Greek mythology, had their views of the Messiah a bit skewed, or whether they were not in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' triumphal entry, amid the hallelujahs of the people. If they did not see the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, it would have been difficult to believe, but to want to kill Saul because he debated them, opposing their way of thinking, seems contrary to the message of God. However, we do learn a valuable lesson from this narrative. We should not be afraid of those who can kill our bodies. Jesus was clear that what is whispered in our ears, we should proclaim from the roofs. That we should not be afraid of those who kill our bodies but cannot kill our souls. Rather, we should be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. This was the first time Saul's life was in danger because of his outspoken message about Jesus, but not the only or last time men wanted to kill him, and therefore his message. How outspoken are we? Do we even speak up when we are out and about in the world? Do we just live in our own little cocoon of safety within the community of faith? Do we even talk at all about Jesus other than at church, or do we mention Jesus, or talk about spiritual matters with each other, or do we chat more about the weather, sports, or perhaps our aches and pains, or some other mundane subject? We cannot imagine the early church being distracted from talking about Jesus to anyone who would listen, even to those who might oppose our message. Let us not be silenced by fear or embarrassment, but let us love to tell the story of Jesus and his love. It could be as simple as saying, "Jesus loves you."

 

 

More and More Power

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

MORE AND MORE POWER

Acts 9:19-25

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.   23 After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

NIV

There is no question that Saul had an experience with Jesus, as he was a changed man. Instead of persecuting the people of the way, he became a man of the way, a believer in Jesus, as the Son of God, the Messiah, the  Christ, and he could not keep silent about his revelation. He became more and more powerful and baffled, or confounded, perplexed the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. Saul is an example to all of us of how we should live with more and more power as we perplex people, telling them and proving to them that Jesus is the Christ. Is that not the call on all of us believers? Are we not supposed to share our faith, tell our story, how we came to know Jesus is alive, that he is the Son of God, and through him we are saved from the penalty of our sins, death? We wonder whether we spend too much time focused on rules and regulations or our traditions, rather than becoming more and more powerful in our testimony about Jesus. Some might become so focused on the church itself, the building, the sanctuary, holding it to our traditional thinking of what it should be, rather than being engaged in proving Jesus is the Christ, sharing with those who do not know Jesus, even confounding them because we have more and more power. Sadly, the Jews in Damascus hated the truth about Jesus so much that they wanted to kill his messenger. Tradition had gripped them, closing their hearts and minds. We can never allow traditional thinking to block our hearts from the truth. We cannot become so invested in the rules and regulations that we cannot experience the power of God within us and the freedom to express more and more of the Spirit's power as we tell our story. We can quench the Spirit with our traditional thinking, but when we release the Spirit's power, we will live with more and more power. 

Follow Directions

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

FOLLOW DIRECTIONS

Acts 9:10-19

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. 11 The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."  13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."  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." 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

NIV

First, we should acknowledge that the Lord speaks to his people. With Ananias, it was within a vision. The Greek word used is horama, which has a direct meaning of that which is seen, or gazed upon, a sight, a spectacle. We believe Ananias saw the Lord. That is, Jesus appeared spectacularly before Ananias and told him what he was supposed to do.  Interestingly, Ananias had a conversation with the Lord. From this exchange, understand the Lord had special plans for both Ananias and for Saul. Secondly, we should understand that the Lord is not silent about his desire for his people to walk in a certain way, direction, or path, or to have a special task to fulfill. Of course, we can always turn to the sacred scriptures to hear our Lord's words on the path we should all walk as believers. However, some have declared a special calling in the ministry, either as pastors, missionaries, evangelists, or in another specialty area. How was that call received? Did the Lord appear to them in a vision and inform them of their calling? Was it just a feeling, a sense of knowing what they were supposed to do? If it were a feeling, how could it be determined whether the feeling was inspired by the self or the Lord? Ananias had no doubt about what was expected of him, for he saw the Lord and received direct instructions. It is possible that we could receive a calling directly from the Lord, and it is also possible that the Spirit within moves us into the place where he can use us for his purpose, revealing the calling through others who verify that we have the call of God to a specific task. Certainly, the Lord intervened spectacularly in Saul's life, giving him directions. Then he intervened miraculously in the life of Ananias to help accomplish his purpose for Saul. We could get that same kind of push into the Lord's purpose for our lives, either through a vision with direct contact from the Lord, or through the assistance of someone who has been directed to us. However, the Lord determines how he wants to direct our lives; we will be directed. Of course, that also means we need to listen and follow directions. 

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.