His Heart

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

HIS HEART

Acts 7:42-43

42 But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:

"'Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? 43 You have lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile' beyond Babylon.

NIV

Stephen is getting closer to the point of accusing the Sanhedrin of being just like their forefathers. We should learn a lesson from this quote of the prophet. Stephen, of course, called his quote as from the book of the prophets which the Jews divided all the Minor Prophets and put them into on book. But we know it as a quote from Amos. The whole idea here is they worshipped the sun, moon, and some major stars, idols of Egyptian origin. Because they turned from the worship of God and worshipped gods of their own design, made by their  own hands, as well as the heavenly bodies designed and made by God,  yet did not worship him alone so he turned away from them as well as he allowed them to be exiled beyond Babylon. We know, of course, that he always has a purpose which is to attempt to draw people back to him. It would seem the Sanhedrin worshipped the law designed and made by God, more than they worshipped God himself. Here is our lesson. We could be in danger of worshipping the things God made more than worshipping God. We could worship the environment as an example, but miss out on the creator of it. We could worship nature, the forest, or portions of the animal kingdom but miss out on the maker of all of them. We could worship denominationalism, or the rules and regulations of a particular denomination or the traditions associated with a denomination or Christianity as whole for that matter and miss out on the actual worship of our Lord God. The fact is whatever we place value on, that is where our heart is. If we put value on nature, if we place value on possessions, if we value wealth, if we value tradition, if we value rules and regulations, if we place value on a denomination that is where our heart is and therefore we are missing out on placing value on and having our heart on God. God has told us that where our treasure is there also is our heart. The Israelites treasured what God had made, but not God. We cannot afford to be distracted by either what he has made or what we have made with our own hands. We must remain focused on the creator of all things, not the things. He has also told us that the purpose of all the things he has made is so that by them we might know him. Everything is about God, there is nothing else which is remotely important. Our life has but one purpose, to bring glory to God. For us to be distracted by the things he has made detracts from the maker. Let us remain true in our hearts to God, let him testify about us as he did about David, that we are a person after his own heart. 

Wait

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

WAIT

Acts 7:37-42

37 "This is that Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.'   38 He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us. 39 "But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 40 They told Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt — we don't know what has happened to him!'   41 That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and held a celebration in honor of what their hands had made.

NIV

Stephen is about to get the point of all this history lesson, but because he is full of wisdom he is laying out a well inspired case for his charge against the members of the Sanhedrin. First he makes sure to let them know the word of God is a living word, which could make the case alone that Jesus is the word of God, who was there in the beginning and that word became flesh and dwelt or lived among us. Stephen is also making the case about the Israelites rejecting Moses, as this Sanhedrin rejected Jesus. Although we would never reject Jesus could we learn a life lesson about making us gods with our own hands? What kind of idols have we made for ourselves? Have we made education and idol? Have we made tradition an idol? Have we made our material possessions an idol? Have we made recognition an idol? Have we made our own efforts an idol? This list could go on forever, but the point is we should not have any idols. The Israelites turned their hearts back to Egypt, the way of man who do not know God, but make their own gods. Although we may never actually say we have turned our hearts from God, have we simply added additional gods in our life? It is not that we cannot have all the great things in life, but all of them have been given to us by the hand of God, and we need to make sure we know this, accept this, and testify of this. None of who we are, what we do, and what we have should ever be thought of as made from our hands. All that we are, all that we do, all that we have is because of God doing a great work in our lives and what he has started he will complete. The Israelites were impatient for God to complete the great work he was doing in their lives, so they made their own god. We cannot afford to get impatient with what God is doing in our lives, even if it appears he is taking his time. We cannot afford to look to our own efforts to complete our lives, we must wait on God. "Those who wait upon or for the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint". We cannot turn our hearts toward our own efforts, we must remain true to our trust in his leading, his hand of provision, his direction, for he will complete the work. we must simply wait. 

Our Deliverer

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

OUR DELIVERER

Acts 7:35-36

35 "This is the same Moses whom they had rejected with the words, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He led them out of Egypt and did wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert.

NIV

Certainly Stephen is building up to the fact they rejected Jesus, but is there something within this portion that we can learn for our lives? It appears it is simply history, yet could we make any case for us becoming a person to lead people out of bondage to sin? Moses was called by God to be the ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. Certainly God does not call us to be anyone’s ruler, but does he call us to be a deliverer? In some sense being called to go into the world and preach the Good News is a form of being a deliverer. There is another truth here which shows us that Jesus is our ruler and deliverer. He certainly has delivered us from the bondage to sin, and he is the ruler of our lives. Jesus has certainly done wonders and miracles in our lives, first by bringing out of the dark city of sin and death, and leading us into the glorious city of light and life. Then secondly he has continued throughout our journey doing great things in our lives. Although Stephen will be getting to more of the history of Moses and the children of Israel, we can jump forward to the time in the desert, Jesus has provided us with our daily needs, as well as set up a tabernacle within our hearts for God, the Holy Spirit to dwell in, rather than some physical place. Yet our lives have to be more than just being saved and being the temple of God. We too have been called to lead others to Jesus, so that he can be there deliverer as well. As God called Moses to lead his people from the dark city of sin and death into the land flowing with milk and honey, the city on the hill, filled with light and life, we are called to lead others to this place as well. Stephen was trying to lead those in the Sanhedrin to Jesus, as he had been doing throughout the city and is what caused him to be charged with crimes against God. Not everyone will accept the Good News, but that did not deter Stephen and it should not deter us from continuing to lead people to Jesus, our deliverer. 

He will Speak

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

HE WILL SPEAK

Acts 7:30-34

30 "After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord's voice: 32'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. 33 "Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.'  

NIV

We now move right into and through the second forty years of the life of Moses and move right to the beginning of the last forty year of his life. This last forty begins with his call from God. There certainly could not be any question in the mind of Moses as to what God wanted him to do. There certainly could not be any doubt in the mind of Moses that it God who was calling him to this task. God made sure that he first got Moses attention with the burning bush then he was very clear about what he wanted Moses to do and that he would be with him all the way. From this portion of the history lesson Stephen is giving the Sanhedrin we get a very important life lesson. Moses certainly was not going to go back to Egypt and free his people on his own, he only went because God called him to do so. As followers of Christ, as believers we should have the very same mindset as Moses. We should not be doing something unless we are absolutely sure God has called us to do it. Of course that does not mean going to the grocery store, or home improvement store, or putting gas in the car, but this is referring to service for God. This could mean as to where we live, what church we become involved in, what kind of lifestyle, profession or occupation we have and what kind of ministry we participate in. If we are making all those choices based on what we want, or feel or think that is what God desires for us, then we might be off base a bit. It is evident the God made it very clear to Moses that it was he speaking, and that he was telling Moses what was it he wanted him to do. God has not changed. He still makes it very clear when he is speaking and he makes it very clear as to what he desires us to do. We do not have to guess, or assume anything and we should not make a move unless we know without any doubt God is speaking and what it is he is saying. Although we do not know for certain that it was God we closed the door on that first forty years of the life of Moses so that he would have to escape and end up at this place, we do know for sure that God knew where he was and that he was now ready to be the man God desired him to be and do what God desired him to do. We should be all about being the person God desires us to be and ready to be called to go, and do whatever he has called us to. Yes, Moses gave God a few excuses why he should not be the one to go and do. It may have been because he felt inadequate for the task, that in some sense could be seen as humble rather than as being disobedient or refusing the call of God. Moses needed reassurance and God gave it to him, and he did what he was called to do, in fact, Moses was by far a great man of God, doing mighty acts displaying the power of God in his life. If we act on our own ideas, our own desires, our own plans they will be nothing more the mere human efforts, but if we hear from God, and are called according to his purpose then we will go and do great things for God. We need to wait upon the Lord, be still and know that he is God, hearing his voice, being certain of his calling before we do anything with our life that is important. We need to see our burning bush, we need to hear the voice of the Spirit deep within our being. If we listen, he will speak.   

Reconciled

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

RECONCILED

Acts 7:23-29

23 "When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26 The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, 'Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?' 27 "But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?'   29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.

NIV

This is the beginning of the end of Stephens’s response to their question, but he is going to give a lot more details about Moses before he charges them with being stiff-necked. The reason he spends so much on Moses is because it was through him the law was given, the law which the members of the Sanhedrin have defiled. But what can we learn from this portion of the history of Moses? We have quickly moved through the first forty years of the life of Moses now we find him having thoughts of his heritage. We do not know what caused Moses to visit his fellow Israelites and by his somewhat surprise they were being mistreated, we could think for forty years he had never had any contact with them, did not know their situation, had no idea of what was going on outside his own blessed life. Yet it is somewhat puzzling that Moses thought his people would think God was using him to rescue them. Moses knew he was a Hebrew, he knew about God even though he was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. It is also interesting his people did not see it the way Moses did, but rejected his being a rescuer. We also are seeing into the personality of Moses when he tries to break up an argument between two of the Israelites. He does not understand two brothers disagreeing to the point of argument, to the point of fighting. Moses surely thought that brothers, fellow Israelites, especially experiencing the same kind of mistreatment from Egyptians would bond, or band together, be united instead of fighting among themselves. That could be our life lesson as individuals and as a church. It is fairly obvious the world has a certain amount of trouble with true Christians. Some would kill Christians if they do not covert to their faith. Others would endeavor to protest against Christians, trying to pass laws to dismantle our public expression of our faith. It would seem we Christians should band together, bond, and unite, but it seems we are not much different than those Israelites fighting. We disagree with each other and in some sense we fight with each other, both as individuals and as a church. If we hold harsh feelings about another believer it is a form of fighting. If we harbor unforgiveness we are fighting. If we seek retaliation in any form we are fighting. In essence, whenever we demand our own way, it is a form of fighting. This holds true as individuals, but also in churches. We argue with each other over the interpretation of the Word and divide ourselves by denominational labels. But even within the same church we argue about how the church should act, should look like, what kind of music we use in worship, the color of the carpet, the walls, or whatever. It still boils down to each of us demanding our own way. This is the main cause of all disagreements, all fighting. Somehow it is within our human nature to want our own way. Moses did not think that should be right and he tried to reconcile them, but they would not have it. We should think that when God reconciled himself to us, we would all simply accept it and be bonded as brothers, but it appears we may not be having any part of that either. We certainly need to see and live a life of reconciliation. 

No Ordinary Child

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

NO ORDINARY CHILD

Acts 7:17-22

17 "As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased. 18 Then another king, who knew nothing about Joseph, became ruler of Egypt. 19 He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our forefathers by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die. 20 "At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for in his father's house. 21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

NIV

It is not uncommon for people to deal treacherously with those who threaten them. We know from the recorded history in the Old Testament all the ways in which this Pharaoh treated the children of Israel. Stephen has left a lot of it out, but then they all already knew all this history and he is still about making the point of accusing them. Yet we can learn something from what he has shared here. It is not so much about being treated badly by people who are threatened by our faith, although that might also be the case. Of course this would require someone to be threatened by our faith. If we are living in basically the same manner as unbelievers, except that we include God in our lives, there is no reason for them to be threatened. But if we are living a different kind of life, one full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit, having the divine influence on our hearts and having that reflected in our lives, as well as having the power of God evident in us, then maybe some people might be threatened by us.  Yet it is about the education of Moses which gives us some insight into a lesson for our lives. If we examine the whole of the life of Moses which we know, we find we can divide his life into three periods of forty years. The last forty are the years he was used mightily of God. When Moses was born he was no ordinary child, which is an understatement. However he did spend his first forty years learning all the skills he would need to be the leader of the children of Israel. He was educated in all the human knowledge available at the time, but that did not complete his training in order to be what God needed him to be so as to deliver the children of Israel out of the hands of this evil king. We can attend the greatest institutions of higher learning, both in the secular and/or the biblical realm, but that may not qualify us for the task God has for us to accomplish. Although Moses had some sort of identification with the Hebrews and acted impulsively, he was not the man God intended him to be yet. God had to get Moses alone and spend forty more years developing him spiritually. God made sure Moses was away from all the distractions of higher education, advanced technology, the finer pleasures wealth can afford in order for Moses to grow spiritually into the man God could use for his purpose. We too must be able to remove ourselves in some sense from all those things of the world which are of great distractions to our spiritual growth. Although we cannot run away into the wilderness as Moses did, we can and must, at least mentally remove ourselves from all those distractions in order to allow God to speak to our hearts. We need that period of alone time with God. It was not until Moses had developed spiritually did God call him from the burning bush for his purpose. Our lives are not actually our own. We might gain a whole lot of education, both secular and biblical, but we need to grow spiritually so that God can use us for his purpose. He is not our genie in the bottle to simply meet all our needs, although he certainly does that, but he is God and he has a plan and a purpose for our lives. He has knit us together in our mother’s womb, and as Moses was, we are no ordinary children, for we are children of the most high God. We were born for a purpose and we were reborn for that purpose, to accomplish the plan of God. We may not get to that plan until the last third of our lives, as did Moses, but we can be sure God does have a plan and he desires us to be ready to do that which he has or will call us to do. We need to remember we are no ordinary child. 

Provided For

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

PROVIDED FOR

Acts 7:11-16

11 "Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our fathers could not find food. 12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. 13 On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family. 14 After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. 15 Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. 16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.

NIV

We are still within the history lesson Stephen is teaching the Sanhedrin. We do not know if every Jew is so familiar with their history as Stephen was, yet we Americans are familiar with our history, the American revolution, the declaration of Independence, the establishment of our constitution and so forth, so it is not beyond reason most Jews knew all that Stephen was explaining to the Sanhedrin. But what, if any life lesson about our relationship with God can we learn from this portion of history? Certainly the account of Joseph, which ends with his bringing his whole family into Egypt to provide for them, shows us the providence of God. A question that does seem need to be asked is, did God bring about the famine so Jacob would have to come down to Egypt so they would be eventually enslaved in order for God to deliver them? Through God’s provision after some years they became servants of an earthly king. Was this all part of his plan? Was it his plan that when he did deliver them they were are to take an incredible amount of wealth with them? We may never know the complete truth about all that, until we reach heaven, but what we can be reminded of, is that God will always provide. He provided for them during the famine, and he provided Moses to lead them out of bondage. It does not matter what situations we might find ourselves in this life, God will always provide. God has a plan for our life, which he has always had, to be reconciled to him. Yes he orders our footsteps, he leads us in paths of righteousness. His plan might include relocation from one place to another. His plan might include some hard times. His plan might include times of abundance. But his plan is and always has been for us to see his provision for us, his redemptive plan for our salvation. Although God had chosen those Hebrews to reveal himself to mankind, to show every aspect of his personality, he has since poured out his Spirit on all mankind, so that we all can know his Spirit, his plan for our life, to be reconciled to him. Yes, he continues to provide for us throughout our lives, as he did for those children of Israel. He continues to provide our daily bread as he did the manna from heaven. He continues to lead us not into temptation, but he does in fact deliver us from evil, as he led those children of Israel out of the control of an evil Pharaoh. God will always direct us in a way so that we understand it is him who provides. When we start looking to our own abilities to provide for our needs, we miss out on the provision of God. We cannot be sure why those children of Israel waited so long, four hundred years, to cry out to God to provide a solution to their problem. Maybe they thought they could handle the situation alone without God, we are not sure, but the fact is they were not able to handle their situation without God. If we begin to think like those Israelites we might well be stuck in our situation, but if we continue to trust in God’s hand of provision, he will always led us to the place we should be, he will always provide. We will always be provided for. 

Living Full of Faith

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

LIVING FULL OF FAITH

Acts 7:9-10

9 "Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

NIV

Stephen is still giving the Sanhedrin a history lesson but with a purpose. Perhaps the reason he is including Joseph and his jealous brothers is because it would seem the Sanhedrin were jealous of Stephen. There is sort of a comparison we could see here, although Joseph’s brothers just sold him into slavery where the Sanhedrin are going to end up stoning Stephen to death.  We can also see that God gave Joseph wisdom and God also gave Stephen wisdom. Although Joseph gain the goodwill of an earthly king, Stephen had gained the goodwill of our heavenly King. There is more, but we need to focus and learn a life lesson from this portion of Stephen’s response. The reason the brothers of Joseph were Jealous of him was because he had visions from God and they did not, and he gained more favor from their father then they had. Certainly the Sanhedrin felt jealous of Stephen because he was full of faith and the Holy Spirit and he was full of the grace and power of God and it showed in his acts of doing great miracles and signs. All the Sanhedrin had was their religion, but God was showing his favor on Stephen. Is it possible the reason people are not jealous of us is because we are no different than there are? Is it possible we live with the same kind of religion they have instead of living full of faith and of the Holy Spirit being influenced by the Divine and having the power to do great signs and wonders? Joseph trusted God, and when he heard from him, he was not shy about telling his family about his visions. They did not have visions from God, so the jealously began. Stephen was not shy about telling people about his faith, his relationship with Jesus, and those Sanhedrin must have been missing what Stephen had, so jealously began. Perhaps if we were living more like those men, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, other believers might be jealous of us. Although it is not good to cause a brother to stumble, and jealously is a form of stumbling, we should still desire that kind of relationship with our Lord, and perhaps even encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to that same kind of experience. What a church that would be, if we all were people full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, having our hearts influenced by God and having the power to perform great signs and wonders. If this were the church, it would certainly be one where many would be added to our number daily. But that kind of church has to start somewhere, with someone, so let it start with us. Jealously or not, we must live like those men of faith lived. We must be people living full of faith.

Circumcised

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

CIRCUMCISED

Acts 7:5-8

 6 God spoke to him in this way: 'Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, 'and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.'   8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

NIV

Once again we travel into a history lesson from Stephen as he explains the truth to the high priest and the Sanhedrin. It does seem odd that he should tell them all about something they certainly should know. Stephen is bringing them to the point of accusing them of getting away from the truth, but we should be able to learn something from this for ourselves as well. We are reminded that when God promises, he fulfills his promise, which we see here in Abraham being the father of Isaac, and Isaac being the father of Jacob and through him the twelve tribes of Israel of which Stephen and all the Sanhedrin were members of. Stephen reminded them of the covenant of circumcision which God made with Abraham. Through this we are reminded of the teaching of the Apostle Paul about the covenant of true circumcision. It is possible that Stephen had this same concept as revealed to him through the Holy Spirit and that is why he is bringing this truth to the Sanhedrin. The fact that physical circumcision only has value if you obey all the law, but if you break just one point of the law, physical circumcision has no value at all. True Israel, true descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are those who have undergone circumcision of the heart. Outward signs of Christianity have no value unless we have undergone circumcision of the heart. Those four hundred years of being enslaved certainly remind us of the many years we spent enslaved in a world we did not belong, but we are also reminded that God delivered us and brought us out of slavery so we could worship him in this place. Although God made a covenant of the flesh with Abraham, he has also made of covenant of the heart with us. In Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision have any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Our covenant with God is a heart issue and so we allow him to circumcise our heart, to cut away the protecting portion, exposing the most sensitive part of our heart to him. This history lesson has become a life lesson of and for our heart.

Lesson from Abram

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

LESSON FROM ABRAM

Acts 7:1-5

7:1 Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"  To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 3'Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.'   4 "So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. 5 He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child.

NIV

Stephen has been brought into the Sanhedrin and false charges have been laid out, and now the high priest in asking Stephen if the charges are true and gives Stephen the opportunity to defend himself. The whole of Stephen’s response is very long and it will take us several days to work our way through it, but in short, he not only defends what he said is true, and the charges are false, he lays charges against the high priest and the Sanhedrin. But within his lengthy response we find many opportunities to visit times of the past, and learn a lesson or two from points Stephen was making. There is some controversy concerning this call of Abraham, as it is recorded slightly different in Genesis, in that God Called Abram from Haran after his father had died. But in the whole truth of things both Ur and Haran were part of Mesopotamia. It can also be said that God called him when he was in Ur and reminded him of the call in Haran, which is the call recorded in Genesis, but Stephen states it was the call from Ur before he lived in Haran. So it appears God repeated his call on Abram. From this we might well learn a lesson for our lives. When God desires us to advance in a certain direction he will continue to call us, direct us until we get it and move on. This could be toward a ministry or toward a particular place to live, or in our careers, or other situations in life. If at first we fail to make the desired move, or take the desired action he wants in our life, he will call us until we do. He will not leave us to our own choices without direction, without calling us to his plan. He will make sure we get the message one way or another so that we will know it is his call upon our lives. There is another lesson that might well apply to us as well in that although he called Abram to Canaan, he did not give him even a foot of ground, but promised all this land would belong to his descendants, of which he had none at that time. So often we consider our lives and all the blessings of God in our lives, all the stuff he has given us, but perhaps all that he is doing for us, is for our the benefit of our descendants. The call upon our lives, the salvation he brought to us, even though we benefit greatly, by having eternal life, it may also be for the benefit of our descendants. Abram believed God, and God brought about all that he promised him. Our call from God, our belief in God, our trust in him, will bring about all the promises for us, but more importantly, God’s promise to Abram was for his descendants, and so it could be our call is for the promise to our descendants. This promise is that whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish, but have everlasting life. We can be certain that when Abraham did have a son, he passed all this truth about God onto him, as well as Abraham’s faith in God, knowing that God’s promise would be fulfilled in his son’s life. So it can be with us, although we are called by God, and we are descendants of Abraham, engrafted, or because of the circumcision of our hearts, which makes us the true Israel, we will see the promise of God fulfilled in our descendants. But we must also be like Abraham and make sure our descendants know about God, and about our faith in him. As Abraham assured Isaac, that God would provide a lamb, we too can assure our children God has provided a lamb, Jesus. So we learn our lesson from Abram. 

Face of an Angel

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

FACE OF AN ANGEL

Acts 6:11-15

11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." 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. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 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." 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.

NIV

This is the beginning of the end of this life for Stephen, but before he gives his incredibly eloquent response to their question we are seeing all the false charges against him. We also see the demeanor of Stephen during this time of lies. These Jews who were arguing with Stephen but could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke are the ones who stirred up the people against Stephen. It is amazing when someone speaks the truth, speaks by the power of the Spirit, there will be people who make accusations about him, even if there are false. These people did not want to hear the truth so they had to make Stephen look bad, no matter what it took. They made claims that Stephen said things he may not have, or maybe it was the manner in which he said it they did not like, because he spoke with authority. But the interesting point we can learn here is that when they brought Stephen before the Sanhedrin they looked at Stephen and his face was like the face of an angel. This is a man who truly has a heart for God and a man who God is certainly pleased with. Stephen was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, full of God’s divine influence upon his heart and his life reflected that grace, and full of power. Is it any wonder his face looked like the face of an angel? Stephen could not do anything but speak the truth about God, about Jesus. But there are so many, even those who think themselves religious who do not want to hear the truth, so they must accuse, stir up dissension against Stephen. We are going to hear all the words of Stephen as he outlines the whole truth and actually accuses them with that truth, but for now let us simply learn we must also speak the truth. This truth we speak might cause some, even those who think themselves religious, to argue with us, even accuse us of some form of blasphemy, or being self-righteous or pompous, or authoritative, or whatever in order to allow themselves to dismiss the truth. This is what was happening to Stephen and it could happen to us as well, if we are full of faith, and of the Holy spirit, full of God’s divine influence upon our hearts and full of the power of God. Yet through it all, let our face look like the face of an angel. Stephen did not appear with anger, he did not speak with anger, he did not have anger, he was full of faith, full of the love of God toward them and it showed in his demeanor, it showed in his continence and in his face. We will see that even though they noticed his face, it did not prevent them from killing him because of the truth. Although Stephen knew the accusations were all false his demeanor did not change, for he knew the truth. Although we endeavor to live like Jesus, let us also learn to live in the shadow, in the footsteps of Stephen, a man, yet a man full of faith, whose face was like the face of an angel.

Full

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

FULL

Acts 6:8-10

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)-Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

NIV

It is odd to a certain extent that such a diverse group of Jews would be so united in their argument with Stephen. The correct word used for Freedmen is actually Libertines who are Jews that were once slaves, but freed by Rome alone with Jews who lived in all these other Regions who are now in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost. We could focus on this unique bond against Stephen but our life lesson should come from Stephen. He was a man full of God’s grace and power. Once again this grace can be defined as simply being or acting in a gracious manner, but it also can be defined as the divine influence upon his heart and the reflection in his life, including gratitude. This second definition best describes Stephen. He was full of the influence of God on his heart, and his actions, his life reflected that as he did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people plus in addition his wisdom could not be stood up against by those Jews mentioned. It would seem if we were, in fact, full of the divine influence upon our hearts it would be reflected in our lives as well and others might well see us doing great wonders and miraculous signs. If that were the case, we might even see some kind of opposition arise among our fellow believers. Perhaps the reason for the opposition to Stephen was because those Jews were jealous of Stephen having so much of the power of God in his life. We will never know for sure, but it would seem that if we were that full of the power of God, some might be a tad bit jealous, or envious and wonder why they do not have that power. It is for certain that power only comes from having a heart that is completely influence by the divine. When our hearts contain human influence, when we are driven by our own ambitions or desires we will never see the power of God evident in our lives. Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, who was full of God’s divine influence upon his heart had the power to do great wonders and signs among the people. Should this not be our first desire? This kind of living brings glory to God. If we live under our own human influence we cannot bring glory to God, but if we live full of his divine influence upon our hearts it is for certain we will bring glory to God. What could bring greater glory to God then living or being like Stephen, full of God’s grace and power? We may never actually attain the perfection of Jesus, being in his likeness, until we reach heaven, but we can be like Stephen, full of God’s grace and power. 

Obedient

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

OBEDIENT

Acts 6:7

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

NIV

This most likely should have been included in the previous section about the twelve devoting themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word, while the seven were making sure all the widows were included in the daily distribution of the food. The point was they were all working together, being the body of Christ, overcoming a situation which could have escalated which could have divided them and possibly destroyed the whole assembly. However due to their being led by the Holy Spirit resolving the situation the word of God spread and many more, even a large number of the priests became obedient to the faith. This might well be our life lesson. Not that we should become obedient to the faith, although that may be the point as well, but that we should be so willing to resolve all situations that have divided us into so many camps which is the reason we are not seeing the number of believers increase rapidly. It is quite possible that within most churches we have so much politics going on, so much dissatisfaction about so many things happening in the church and so much internal conflict, the word of God is not spreading as it should. Perhaps that is also occurring within our own being as well. Maybe we have internal struggles, conflicts that keep us from spreading the word. We have to return to the point of being full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, both as individuals and as a member of the body of Christ in our local church. It is this obedience to the faith, to the word of God, to the Holy Spirit which allows all conflicts to be resolved, conflicts within, conflicts in our marriages, conflicts within our churches. Once we can get to the point of being full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, both as individuals and as a church, we will see large numbers becoming obedient to the faith and we will see it happen rapidly. Conflict comes from Satan, but God brings a unity in the Spirit, if we will only allow him to have full access to our lives. In this passage we see the results of men allowing the Spirit full access, let us resolve to see those kinds of results, and let us start with us by being obedient. 

Full of Faith

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

FULL OF FAITH

Acts 6:5-6

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

NIV

By the whole group we are to believe both the Grecian and Hebraic Jews were pleased that the Apostles would stay focused on prayer and preaching while others chosen by the both groups would make sure the widows of both groups were cared for in the daily distribution of food. We certainly do not know much about six of these men, but we do know something about Stephen. We are told something of great importance about his man. Although we are not told about his educational background, or his work experience as his resume is lacking any details about him other then he was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. These men were selected by the people because they had some kind of reputation among the people already. They were already doing something different then the rest to be noticed and selected. Stephen, of course, we will see goes beyond his assigned tasks, as he was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. We are not sure about the other six being men full of faith, perhaps they were just men of faith, and perhaps they were not as full of the Holy Spirit as Stephen, but nevertheless they must have been filled with the Spirit. It is doubtful they were selected because of their great skills in the distribution of food. Our life lesson here is a simply one. We should not simply be people of faith or people with faith, but people full of faith. The Greek word used here translated as full has two meanings. The first is full as opposed to an empty vessel, the other complete, lacking nothing, perfect. It is the second meaning which defines the faith of Stephen. His faith was complete, his faith lacked nothing and his faith was perfect. This implies that Stephen had absolutely no doubts whatsoever in his life and his belief in Jesus Christ. He was totally committed to his faith and in the infilling of the Holy Spirit. He held nothing back, he allowed the Holy Spirit full access to him, and his life. Is it any wonder why he became the first martyr of the early church? We should be that kind of believer, full of faith. Our faith should be complete, lacking nothing, perfect. What does that kind of faith actually look like? Are we willing to be that full of faith, trusting completely in Jesus Christ, not just for salvation, but for our whole life? Are we willing to have the Spirit fill us so completely that our daily life is so responsive to him that everyone else will see him flowing through us as they did with Stephen? It is one thing to tell people we have faith, but it is entirely a different thing to be full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. We do not know what kind of plans Stephen had for his life, but it is certain that God ordered his footsteps. Let us be that full of faith, that full of the Holy Spirit that we will actually allow God to order our footsteps.  

Doing our part

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

DOING OUR PART

Acts 6:1-4

6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

NIV

We first should note there was two subgroups within the early church, those who were Jews that had been dispersed and spoke Greek, but had moved back to Israel at some time and most likely attended a Greek speaking synagogue while the Hebraic Jews were born in Israel, lived their whole lives in Israel and spoke Aramaic, attending the Aramaic speaking synagogues. These people had both heard the words of the Apostles and became believers in Jesus as the Christ, but they still were somewhat divided by their past experiences. The early church was not much different than our postmodern church in that matter. But we should not focus on division but rather on the need of the widows and the resulting decision of the twelve. This certainly gives us some insight into the focus of the Apostles. Although they were concerned about the needs of the widows, they felt it was far better to appoint Spirit filled men who also had wisdom, which is experience in the new life in Christ, to attend to the needs, administration of the needs, while the Apostles maintained their focus on leading the church in the direction God desired. We can surely see what we could call elders and deacons being started here. Those who focused on leadership of the church through prayer, attending to the spiritual needs of the people and those who attended to the administration of the physical needs of the people. So what kind of life lesson in there in this for us? Are we part of the twelve or part of the seven or are we a part of either? It would seem in order to be a part of either we would need to be called by God, or appointed by those called by God to ministry the word. But have we not all been called by God to be his witnesses to the uttermost parts of the world? Have we not also been appointed to attend to the physical needs of others? Yet this passage does deal specifically with the elders and deacons of the early church. Maybe we should just leave this as a history lesson and forget about making ourselves a part to play, as we may not be either or could identify with either. But we should identify with one or the other or both. We should also be able spend time in prayer and to ministry the word of God whenever the occasion presents itself as well as we should be able to serve the needs of those widows. Now in later days it was made clear about who the widows were that should be cared for, but for now all of them were. The point here is that we should be doing something, that we should not just be attending church, that we should be able the business of either attending to the Spiritual well-being or the physical well-being of others. If the church is to grow we all need to be doing our part.

We should also note that whatever we do we should be doing it after prayer, that is to say, we should not be doing with human understanding, but doing as directed by God. 

Day After Day

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

DAY AFTER DAY

Acts 5:40-42

40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.  

NIV

It is a good thing we are not getting flogged because we never stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. If we were getting flogged would we be rejoicing? The Apostles certainly had the calling upon their lives. They were determined not to be stopped from teaching and preaching to everyone they could about Jesus. They were not going to be silenced. This was certainly a big change in their lives from when they first encountered Jesus, and even after his death, as they were hiding in a locked room. But since the infilling or outpouring of the Spirit they have become bold to the point of being flogged. What kind of life lesson can we learn from this? It does seem as though we are taught today or at least we think we have to make friends with an unbeliever, develop a relationship before we can sneak Jesus into our conversation. It also appears we have to make our church as much unlike a church in hopes some unbeliever might decide to come it to find out it is not like a church, but the messages are still aimed at believers, so who is going to teach and preach to the people the good news that Jesus is the Christ? We certainly have changed our approach, but are we actually teaching and preaching that Jesus is the Christ? Do we just assume people know, and we just talk about God and Jesus as if everyone is saved? Yet we know people who are not saved but somehow we allow them to silence our voice. Are we afraid they will shun us if we tell them the truth? Are we afraid they will tell us off, or make such a convincing argument against faith in Jesus that we will not have an answer, that we will look foolish to believe? We interact with all sorts of people every day, but do we say anything at all to them about Jesus being the Christ? Has our society silenced our voice? Certainly we will not be flogged, so why are we so silent? Why don’t we speak up to everyone we encounter? It is time to get on with not only being a believer, but being a follower of Christ, getting on with our voice, telling people that Jesus is the Christ. It is true that is some cases it might be against the company policy to speak up at work. So then what do we do? We all must come to grips with this concept of telling, teaching and proclaiming every day, day after day, everywhere and to everyone that Jesus is the Christ. 

Lasting Results

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

LASTING RESULTS

Acts 5:33-39

33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

NIV

It would seem the Sanhedrin had seen other uprisings before which had all failed because they were uprisings of men, of human origin. That is our life lesson from this narrative. Whenever we begin an activity that is from human origin it is bound to fail at some time, but if we are doing what God has directed us to do it will not be able to be stopped. This can apply to both our individual activities as well as our group activities as a church. Of course we have seen many individuals succeed in mighty ways acting from human origins. Mankind is capable of some great things. We have great minds, in the sciences, in the medical profession, in academia as well as in the business, military and political arenas. But this is not talking about the ordinary accomplishments of mankind, but rather uprisings against the established religious beliefs of the time. This is about spiritual activity rather than human activity. When we raise up against the human concept of religion but do it because of our own human concept of religion it will eventually fail. When new churches spring up because of dissension or division within they might have some success, but will eventually fail, at least in the eyes of God. They might even look successful but it may only be by human standards, unless they were directed by God to rise up against what was only from human origins to begin with. When we as individuals act within our human efforts as believers, doing deeds of righteousness, being involved in some service or ministry to the church or God we will eventually fall back, fail, give up and retreat back to what we did before we started. But if we have been called by God, directed by God to act, to serve, to do, what we will see is the hand of God at work in our lives. Yes, we might change our activities from time to time, depending on how God desires to use us at specific times, but we will also be about our Father’s business. Many of our activities although they may be good, if they are from human origin, when our life is over so will they be, but if what we do is directed by God our deeds will last far beyond our own lives. What the Apostles did, as directed by God has lasted for thousands of years past their lives. Man thinks in the temporal, but God thinks in the eternal. If our actions are from us, they too will be temporal, but if our actions are from God, they will be eternal. This applies to our spiritual actions such as our witness to unbelievers. If we witness in our human powers, it will not last, but if we witness as empowered by the Spirit our witness will have eternal effects. It also applies to our daily lives. If we live within human standards our lives will not last, but if we live within God’s standard our lives will be eternal. Whatever we do, if from human origin will not last, but what we do as directed and empowered by God will have lasting results. 

Men or God

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

MEN OR GOD

Acts 5:29-32

29 Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead — whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

NIV

We have seen this scene once before, and Peter and John said pretty much the same thing in response to being told not to speak about Jesus anymore. But this time Peter goes on to tell them they were responsible for killing Jesus, but that he did not stay dead, as the God of our fathers, which included the priest, raised him and exalted him to his own right hand. Peter made sure they knew it was God, whom they insisted they were the rightful representatives of to the people. Peter laid out the complete message of this new life to the high priest and his associates. Our life lesson can be multi-faceted from this short section of scripture. We could head in many different directions, first dealing with the fact that we should obey God rather than men. This, of course does not mean we should ignore the law of the land written by men. This is strictly aimed at people who would attempt to silence our voice about Jesus Christ. We cannot be silenced when it comes to talking about the full message of this new life we experience. No matter if people tell us not to talk about religion at gatherings we can still talk about our new life in Christ as Jesus is not a religion, he is God. We can still tell about the fact that it was people’s sin that caused Jesus to have to die on that cross, but God raised him and he now is at the right hand of God so he can give repentance and forgiveness of sin. We can still tell them we are witnesses of these things because we have the Holy Spirit who bears witness within us to these things, we know them to be true. We can ask them, if they want to deny that which is true. Peter spoke with boldness and with confidence of this truth and that can once again be our life lesson. To speak  boldly about our faith in Jesus Christ, our trust in him, our confidence of his forgiveness of sin, our confidence of his provision and providence, and his sovereignty in our life. Why should we allow anyone to silence our voice? Is it because they tell us we offend them and if we are Christians we should not be offensive? Does the truth offend? Does our experience offend? We can tell them we are sorry the truth offends them, then ask them if we should obey them and be silent, or should we obey God and tell our life experience? We have the Holy Spirit who empowers us with the truth and we should be open to expressing that truth whenever and wherever and with whoever we find ourselves. So who do we obey, men or God? 

Guilty

DEVOTION

 THE BOOK OF ACTS

GUILTY

Acts 5:25-28

25 Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. 27 Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."

NIV

It is rather strange the high priest would want to put the blame for his guilt of killing Jesus onto the apostles. The high priest and his associates, the Sanhedrin appeared to believe they were not guilty, but that Peter and John were trying to make it sound as if they were. The Sanhedrin did not want to admit their guilt, as is the case with so many people. There are many very nice people in this world who do many nice things, many humanitarian deeds, helping others who are in need, yet they are guilty of Jesus’s blood. We believers are guilty of his blood as well, the only difference between us and them is that we have admitted it and repented asking him to forgive us. The high priest and the rest of the Sanhedrin were so entrenched in their own self-righteousness they would never admit their guilt. The shame is their guilt was not hanging Jesus on that cross, but it was their sin which required Jesus to hang on that cross. Even though we will see Peter tell them they were in fact the ones who killed Jesus, the truth is so did Peter, John and the rest of the disciples, because Jesus came to set them all free by hanging on that cross for all their sins. It might be easy to look at the guilt of others and miss our own guilt. It also might be easy to forget our guilt after years of being among the righteous, thinking ourselves free of sin, and therefore no longer guilty of sin, which is the reason for Christ dying on that cross. The truth is we do still fail, we do still fall short, and we do still sin. Although it is true we are no longer living a life of sin, a life of denial of Jesus, we still commit sin, as we have not yet reached perfection and will not until that day we will be changed from corruptible to incorruptible. The high priest and his associates must have felt their religious acts made them righteous, but only the blood of Jesus makes men righteous. We cannot afford to allow ourselves to think as that Sanhedrin did. We cannot ever think our acts of righteousness, our attending church, our doing good deeds, our serving others, can ever be good enough or righteous enough to win our salvation. Yes we do those things because we love Jesus, but we must always remember our guilt as well. We can be like these apostles and teach the full message in the streets of town, we might even be persecuted in some way for our faith, but we must recognize we still need the blood of Jesus to cover our sin. Although we have been set free we are still guilty. It is true that we have been declared righteous if we obey God, but we are in fact guilty of his blood. Thank you Lord for your grace and mercy, thank you for your eternal forgiveness, thank you for Jesus. 

Be Ready

DEVOTION

 THE BOOK OF ACTS

BE READY

Acts 5:21-24

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin — the full assembly of the elders of Israel — and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 "We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.

NIV

No matter how many miraculous signs and wonders God performs through his people, some will never get it, never see it, and never understand the powerful hand of God at work. The high priest and his associates had seen the healed man standing before them, they had heard the message Peter and John told them, they knew the Apostles were responsible and that they were teaching the people the full message about Jesus Christ, yet they were puzzled wondering what would come of this. They did not comprehend the fact that God intervened in the middle of the night and performed another miracle. Although they were supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the people, they were blind to spiritual matters and were nothing more than religious leaders of the people. Our life lesson is not to be spiritually blind to the power of God at work in our lives and those around us. From what we know about Peter and John they were not amazed that an angel of the Lord broke them out of prison, they were already used to the miraculous hand of God at work in their lives, they had been with Jesus. We should be ready willing and able to see the miraculous hand of God at work in our lives and those around us. First he has already broken us out of the jail we were once imprisoned in on death row, because of our guilt. Jesus has set of free. Second he is always with us, and therefore we should not be surprised when the miraculous happens, but rather we should be expecting it. Those who only see life with human eyes will be puzzled attempting to explain away the supernatural, but we who see with spiritual eyes need to explain the truth of what is happening. They may not know what is to come of this, but we do and we should be telling them to get ready, because Jesus is coming back. The miraculous signs and wonders are so they can see the truth of God, the power of God at work in his people, so they will come to repentance and accept God’s provision for their salvation. If we are simply living in the human condition, using our human efforts, our human ideas, our human plans and strategies, without the power of God at work in our lives, our words may fall on deaf ears. But if we are like Peter and John, expecting miraculous signs and wonders, expecting God to do what he does, and waiting for him to do it, we will be in the middle of the greatness of God, and we will experience his mighty hand at work in our lives and we will have testimonies not just by our words but by our lives. People will see God at work and how can they explain that? Will they be puzzled, spiritual blind, or hopefully, prayerfully their spiritual eyes will be opened. We must be ready for the miraculous.  We cannot be among the puzzled or amazed. We must be ready.