As we begin a new week of reading together I am back home and I will try to do a better job of posting every day! thanks to everyone that has patiently endured the last few weeks as I traveled! this weeks readings are: Monday - Acts 8, Tuesday - Acts 9, Wednesday - Acts 10, Thursday - Acts 11, Friday - Acts 12.
Chapter 7 ended with the martyrdom of Stephen and we meet Saul of tarsus, a young man that stands by and holds the cloaks of the murderers and lend his approval to their actions. there is a saying in the church that goes something like this, "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." This truth hits home in the young man saul. He watches as Stephen dies a courageous death full of faith and light, and it must have haunted him as he travels and rails against the early church. Perhaps Stephens dyinfg sermon and grace were indeed the seeds of Saul of tarusu -= later known as the Apostle Paul's faith.
In verses 5 and following we read the account of the missionary experience of Phillip. he goes first to Samaria and preaches the Word there, and many believe! The elders in Jerusalem send Peter and john to Samaria to confirm the work Phillip has done and they confront a magician - also named Simon, who desires to purchase the power of the holy Spirit. Peter and John rebuke him for his sinful desire to make a financial gain from faith.
Phillip is called by an angel to the road that goes between Jerusalem and Gaza. there he encounters an Ethiopian Eunich who is reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Phillip witnesses to the Ethiopian and reaps a harvest of souls when the man asks to be baptised! After the man is baptised a miraculous thing happens to Phillip - he is caught away by the Spirit and finds himself miles away in Azotus! He is transported by the Spirit to a distant location and goes on his way proclaiming the Gospel of our Lord. How would that strike you? I have actually asked the lord to this for me on occassion when I was running late, but I have never met anyone that said they had experienced it. WOW>
About Me
- Pastor Bill
- I am a committed follower of Jesus Christ, a happy husband, father and grandfather!
5 comments:
Pastor Bill, I have never experienced being moved along to my next commitment either, but just as has happened to you, the good Lord has many times, somehow, made a 24 hour day appear that it was actually 30 hours long allowing me to accomplish what He had in mind for me on that day. Praise God, He's awesome!!!
True true true Lynn. I guess that counts and I should be more thankful for that. I have asked before to be "Suddenly" at my next port of call, but so far that has not happened. I will be thankful along with you for the blessings of good use of time!
Bill
I seem to ask myself "where did the day go" almost every day :)
I love the account of Phillip being told to go meet the eunuch on the road.
I often wonder, when I get to Heaven and I am "watching" the story of my life, how many people were sent to me over the course of those 46 years?
I am excited to learn how they were put in front of me to plant seeds so that one day I would come to the altar of Christ.
Some of them I recognize now as I look back, but I am so amazed with how the Lord works; I am sure He had many people intersect me on the road - I was just too blind or stubborn to recognize the Truth at the time.
I just hope I have enough time left to make up for it and do the work I was assigned to do.
I feel like Paul in that regard.
But, Praise God, I am His vessel now!
Hoo Rah!
There's that Saul guy again. I'm sure we'll here more about him soon - but we all know the story of how his life was truely changed by meeting Jesus.
The story of the faith spreading must have been really exciting for the first group of disciples, as they realized how quickly the faith was spreading. Praise God that it did - I'm glad I have the faith today because of these people!
Financial gain from the faith? Is that even possible? Seems like an oxy-moron.
I think Philip's story is really interesting, because it really sounds like something we are often called to do in our faith - witness to other people by helping with explanations of the bible. I have not met a person who opened the bible read it, loved it, and had a spiritual awakening, who hadn't had some sort of help or prior faith. For this reason, we are often promted to help with the bible and understanding the faith, which gives us an incredible chance to share what we know.
I'd love to be moved by the spirit like that - and I have definitely had experiences such as the ones you've mentioned, Bill. It's amazing to actually recognize the Lord for those things.
Praise God!
Marshall Bailey
I was struck in reading this how strange it must have been for the disciples to suddenly find themselves working in different places, doing their own sort of thing. I know they'd been sent out short term before, but this is a new permanent sort of way of life for them. But they seem to embrace it fully and courageously, despite persecution.
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