Acts 13:1-13 God Opens The Doors

"Until now, Jerusalem had been the center of ministry, and Peter had been the key apostle.  But from this point on, Antioch in Syria would become the new center, and Paul the new leader," my commentary explained.

"God now summoned Barnabas to labor with Paul.  The church confirmed their calling, commissioned the men, and sent them forth.  It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit, working through the local church, to equip and enlist believers to go forth and serve.  The modern mission board is only a sending agency that expedites the work authorized by the local church," my commentary continued.

Paul and Barnabas first headed to Cyprus -- Barnabas' home.  They began in Salamis, then moved 90 miles west to Paphos, where they met opposition.  BarJesus was a Jewish false prophet and sorcerer who'd managed to hook the governor, but God had Paul call him out and he was blinded by God for his opposition and heresy, leading the governor to learn about Christ.  Their traveling assistant, John Mark, returned to Antioch at this point, and no real reason is given.  Paul was sufficiently disappointed that he didn't want him back on his team again, but later relented.

The first true mission trip was off to a mixed start, but God was in control and the Holy Spirit was guiding.  I can't imagine a trip with no fixed agenda or return date, but Paul and Barnabas were breaking new ground and God knew what He was doing!

Father, thank You for the mission trips You've allowed me to be a part of.  I hope You have more in mind!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Acts 12:18-25 God Deals With Our Enemies

"But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." (1 Peter 3:12)

 

The new shift of guards arrived to find Peter gone, the chains still locked, and all four guards in place.  There was no explanation but a lot of explaining to do.  Herod ordered all four guards killed when he could not determine what had happened.  Peter was never found by him.

Later, during a festival honoring Claudius Caesar, Herod wore a silver garment and made a speech.  "The people of Tyre and Sidon, who depended on the Jews for food, had in some way displeased King Herod and were in danger of losing this assistance ... They bribed an official, who convinced the king to meet the delegation ... It was an opportunity for the proud king to display his authority and glory, and for the delegates to please him with their flattery ... He wanted to impress the people.  And he did!  They played on his Herodian ego and told him he was a god, and he loved every minute of it.  But he did not give the glory to the Lord, so this whole scene was nothing but idolatry.  Instead of Peter being killed by Herod, it was Herod who was killed by Peter's God.  Herod contracted an affliction in his bowels and died five days later."

"At the beginning of Acts 12, Herod seemed to be in control, and the church was losing the battle.  But at the end of the chapter, Herod is dead and the church - very much alive -- is growing rapidly!  The secret?  A praying church!  ... Let's keep our chins up and our knees down -- we're on the victory side!"

Amen, Father!  Help me to pray more and to pray harder.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Acts 12:1-17 God Sees Our Trials And Hears Our Prayers

Peter was in prison for a third time.  "Herod had beheaded James, the brother of John ... God permitted Herod to arrest Peter and put him under heavy guard in prison.  Sixteen soldiers, four for each watch, kept guard over the apostle, with two soldiers chained to the prisoner and two watching the doors ... No matter how difficult the trials or how disappointing the news, God is still on the throne and has everything under control.  We may not always understand His ways, but we know His sovereign will is best," my commentary said.

"The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was a prayer that fetched the angel," according to Puritan preacher Thomas Watson .

"Peter was to be executed the next day, but he was so sound asleep that the angel had to strike him on the side to wake him up!  ... The main cause of Peter's peace was the knowledge that Herod could not kill him.  Jesus had promised Peter that he would live to be an old man and end his life crucified on a Roman cross.  Peter simply laid hold of that promise and committed the entire situation to the Lord, and God gave him peace and rest.  He did not know how or when God would deliver him, but he did know that deliverance was coming."

"The guards had no idea that anything was going on ... Peter probably thought it was a dream ... In the street, he came to himself .... when Peter was free, the angel vanished ... It was up to Peter to trust the Lord and use his common sense in taking the next step."

Father, I can't thank You enough for the answered prayers this weekend and for the peace You gave me.  Please continue to help me to trust You and look to You for my help.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Acts 11:19-30 Making Room For The Gentiles

The Jewish believers exhibited three responses to the Gentile believers, my commentary had already said, which should help us relate to other believers today.  They'd first accepted them, and now they were tasked by God with encouraging them and finally accepting the help those Gentile believers were about to send them!

"The Jerusalem believers commissioned Barnabas to go to Antioch to find out what was going on among the Gentiles," and he was certainly an encourager.  The Bible says, "He was filled with the Spirit," and I wondered how many of us today might ever have that written about us if the Bible were still being written!

"He rejoiced at what he saw.  Worshipping with Gentiles was a new experience for him, but he approached it positively and did not look for things to criticize.  It was a work of God, and Barnabas gave thanks for God's grace.  He emphasized dedication of the heart as he taught the people the Word of God."

We se the phrase, "cleave to the Lord" and my commentary described that action as "loving the Lord, walking in His ways, obeying His Word, and serving Him wholeheartedly.  It means that we belong to Him alone and that we cultivate our devotion to Him."

"Amazingly, those Gentile believers, under the encouragement of Barnabas and Paul, took up a collection and sent it to the Jerusalem believers to help them through a time of great famine that Agabus had been told by God would soon occur!

Father, please help us to be encouragers like Barnabas and to share what You give us with others in need, particularly our fellow believers.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Acts 10:44-11:18 The Christian Legalists Understand

Peter returned to Jerusalem to find himself facing the rebuke of the legalists for fellowshiping with  Gentiles.  "Those Jewish believers did not yet understand the relationship between law and grace," my commentary explained.  "It was not only a matter of religion, but also of culture, and cultural habits are very hard to break."

"The phrase contended with him means to make a difference.  These legalists were making and difference between the Gentiles and the Jews after Peter had demonstrated that there is no difference!  God had declared the Gentiles clean, that is, accepted before God on the same basis as the Jews -- through faith in Jesus Christ ... Peter reviewed the entire experience ... and when he was finished, the Jewish legalists dropped their charges and glorified God for the salvation of the Gentiles ... In his personal defense, Peter presented 3 pieces of evidence:  the vision from God, the witness of the Spirit, and the witness of the Word ... The witness of the Spirit was crucial, for this was God's own testimony that He had indeed saved the Gentiles."

"What was I, that I could withstand God?" Peter asked them.  In another version, it is rendered:  "How could I stop the work of God?"  I'd sure hate to try!

"Christians are to receive one another and not dispute over cultural differences or minor matters of personal convictions," my commentary clarified.

Father, help all of us in our churches to open our hearts to those who are unlike us and to see that You are at work and that we dare not stop Your work due to our own petty prejudices and differences.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Acts 10:34-43 The Gentiles Get The Message

"There can be no faith apart from the Word of God," (Romans 10:17).  Peter shared the new testament he'd been given by God, particularly that "God is no respecter of persons as far as nationality and race are concerned.  When it comes to sin and salvation, there is no difference.  All men have the same Creator and all men need the same Savior ... Cornelius and his family quickly applied the message to themselves, believed on Jesus Christ, and were saved," my commentary said.

"The Holy Spirit was giving witness to the six Jews who were present that the Gentiles were truly born again.  These men had not seen the vision with Peter, and they needed to understand that the Gentiles were now on an equal footing with the Jews."

Father, this is, as always, incredible news for everyone.  Help me to share it readily!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Acts 10: 1-22 God Makes Final Preparations For The Salvation Of The Gentiles

"Chapter 10 is pivotal in the book of Acts, for it records the salvation of the Gentiles," my commentary began.  Up to that point, the Jews considered them dogs.

"Before He could save the Gentiles, God had to prepare Peter to bring the message and Cornelius to hear the message ... Cornelius was as close to Judaism as he could get without becoming a proselyte ... It is interesting to see how religious a person can be and still not be saved.  Certainly, Cornelius was sincere in his obedience to God's law, his fasting, and his generosity to the Jewish people.  He was not permitted to offer sacrifices in the temple, so he presented his prayers to God as his sacrifices.  In every way, he was a model of religious respectability -- and yet he was not a saved man ... he knew that his religious devotion was not sufficient to save him ... God sent an angel to instruct Cornelius and, in true military fashion, Cornelius immediately obeyed."

"Peter also had to be prepared for this event since he lived as an orthodox Jew all of his life.  The law of Moses was a wall between the Jews and the Gentiles and this wall had been broken down at the cross ... God had to teach him that the Jew was not clean and the Gentile unclean, but both Jew and Gentile were unclean before God!  This meant that a Gentile did not have to become a Jew in order to become a Christian!"

It's strange hearing Peter say, "No, Lord!" when God told him to eat any animal in the vision he'd been shown, even unclean ones.  "You can say 'No,' and you can say, 'Lord,'; but you cannot say, 'No, Lord!'  If He is truly our Lord, then we can only say, 'Yes!' to Him and obey His commands," my commentary added.

God put these two men together, and now He will do a might work!

Father, help me to be ready to say yes to whatever You have planned for me.  I don't want to ever feel the shame of saying, "No, Lord!"

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Acts 9:20-31 Saul Gets Mentioned

My commentary said it is likely that Saul's visit to Arabia noted in Gal. 1:17 took place between Acts 9:21 and 22.  After 3 years he was back in Jerusalem.  We aren't told much about that trip, but Warren Wiersbe thinks the Lord instructed him to get alone so that He might teach Saul His Word.  "The important thing about this Arabian sojourn is the fact that Saul did not confer with flesh and blood but received his message and mandate directly from the Lord (Gal 1:10-24).  He did not borrow anything from the apostles in Jerusalem, because he didn't even meet them until 3 years after his conversion."

Upon returning, he met the Jerusalem believers.  First, he was rejected.  "He kept trying to get into their fellowship, but they would not accept him ... They did not believe that he was even a disciple of Jesus Christ, let alone an apostle who had seen the risen Savior."

Finally, Saul was accepted.  "It was Barnabas who helped the Jerusalem church accept Saul ... Barnabas took hold of Saul, brought him to the church leaders, and convinced them that Saul was both a believer and a chosen apostle.  He had indeed seen the risen Christ ... Saul moves off the scene and now Peter returns.  Soon, Peter will move off the scene and Paul will fill the pages of the book of Acts.  God changes His workmen, but His work goes on.  And you and I are privileged to be a part of that work today!"

Father, I thank You for the ministry You've given me, and how You have shown me that in the last few days to remind me.  Help me to be the face of Jesus to those You are sending my way.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Acts 9:1-19 Saul Gets "Arrested"

Saul of Tarsus met Christ on the road to Damascus, "thinking he was doing God a service by persecuting the church.  But Saul was spiritually blind and did not understand what the Old Testament really taught about the Messiah ... He discovered to his surprise that Jesus of Nazareth was actually alive! ... Paul also discovered that he was a lost sinner who was in danger of the judgment of God ... Saul thought he'd be serving God, when in reality he had been persecuting the Messiah! ... All of his values changed.  He was a new person because he trusted Jesus Christ," my commentary said.

After meeting Christ, Saul then was to meet Ananias.  "Ananias was available to do God's will, but he certainly was not anxious to obey!  The fact that Saul was praying instead of preying should have encouraged Ananias ... Instead of trusting himself, Saul was now trusting the Lord and waiting for Him to show him what to do ... Saul had already seen a vision of a man named Ananias coming to minister to him, so how could Ananias refuse to obey?"

"Once convinced, Ananias lost no time going to the house of Judas and ministering to the waiting Saul.  The fact that he called him brother must have brought joy to the heart of the blinded Pharisee.  Saul not only heard Ananias' voice, but he felt his hands.  By the power of God, his eyes were opened and he could see! ... God can use even the most obscure saint ... We should never be afraid to obey God's will ... Remember that He is working at both ends of the line ...We must never unerestimate the value of one person brought to Christ."

Remind me often, Father, and help me to trust You and not hesitate.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford