Day 20

IT’S NOT A QUIET RIOT!

READ:

Acts 19.1-41

Paul labors on his journeys and he now comes to Ephesus, one of the churches that he loves and cares for a great deal. As always, Paul’s teaching and preaching meets with opposition. Here in Ephesus, Paul witnesses miracles of the Holy Spirit taking place. People are speaking in tongues, while others are prophesying. There are numerous healings and evil spirits are cast out; all kinds of things are happening because of Paul’s obedience to God. In fact, there were so many conversions that those who made false gods and sold them to the people of Ephesus became angry because they were losing customers! They met in a public meeting place and turned the whole city in total uproar. Two disciples were dragged into the public square and local townspeople who were friendly with Paul warned him not to go there! The residents of Ephesus who loved worshiping idols, and the merchants who sold them, worked themselves into such a frenzy that for two straight hours they kept chanting in protest, “Great is Artemis, the goddess of the Ephesians!” (v 34). It was a crazy time, but the Holy Spirit’s work was done, and God’s message spread all across Asia.

REFLECT:

Can you imagine facing as much opposition as Paul did, for standing up for God? Are you clamoring to retain your “idols” when God’s Spirit asks you to remove them from your life?

PRAY:

Jesus, the world always seems to oppose you and your Word. Lord, when opposition comes in my life, I know that you will give me the grace that I will need to go on.

Day 19

PAUL HANGS OUT IN CORINTH AND GETS A BOOST FROM GOD

READ:

Acts 18.1-28

Paul finds himself now in Corinth, a city where he spent a lot of time. He wrote two long letters to the church there. Paul was encouraged by the conversions of many people around him, including Crispus, the leader of the synagogue. Many Corinthians who heard his preaching believed on the Lord and were saved. But God knew after so many arduous journeys, that Paul himself would need some encouragement directly from God. We hear God encouraging Paul with these words, “…Don’t be afraid to keep on preaching. Don’t stop! I am with you and you won’t be harmed. Many people in this city belong to me” (vv 9, 10). Wow! As a result, Paul was encouraged and continued to minister in Corinth. Afterwards, he moved on to several other places.

The chapter concludes with a man named Apollos in Ephesus who was a convert of John the Baptist’s teachings, and who was openly declaring the love of Jesus. Where there were gaps in his knowledge, two other followers, Priscilla and Aquila, took Apollos into their home and taught him about the message of Jesus. Apollos received this message with a humble heart.

REFLECT:

Do you spend enough time in God’s Word so that it sinks deep in your heart? Are there things you don’t understand? Ask God to lead you to a godly individual who can explain God’s Word to you.

PRAY:

Sometimes in my walk with you, God, I get so discouraged. I get lonely, depressed, sad. Encourage my heart, O God!

Day 18

NEXT STOP—ATHENS. PAUL PREACHES THE WORD-UP!

READ:

Acts 17.1-34

Paul continues his missionary journey as we see him go to Thessalonica and then on to perhaps his most famous and well-known destinations—Athens. There he finds idols all over the city, including an altar on which the people have inscribed the words: “To An Unknown God” (v 23). Paul is taken before the city council. He stands up in the midst of philosophers and learned people and begins to challenge them and their wacky thinking. This is one of Paul’s greatest sermons in the book of Acts. He explains that he knows who the “unknown” God is. He says it is this God, about whom he preaches, who made the heavens and the earth and everyone in it. He even called on all of his listeners to repent and follow the resurrected Jesus Christ. Paul concludes by saying that in order to prove God is true, Jesus was raised from the dead. Some people laughed in his face, but as a result of Paul’s outspoken sermon, many others believed and followed Jesus.

REFLECT:

Do you have any idols in your life? They may be in the form of habits, possessions, or even people. Ask God to lead you away from them.

PRAY:

God in heaven, the message of the apostle Paul was so clear and so bold. Lord, I am young, and you know my heart. Make me authentic for your glory so people can see you in me.

Day 17

THE JAILHOUSE ROCKS! IT’S A MIRACLE!

READ:

Acts 16.1-40

Although you may be in a bad situation, God knows what is best and he will perform miracles if it is to be. Paul and Silas were in jail, and even then they still praised God by singing and praying, even at midnight! These guys must have been good (and loud) because the Scriptures say, “the other prisoners listened” (v 25). Then suddenly there was a huge earthquake. The foundation of the prison was shaken and the chains of all the prisoners fell off! When the jailer woke up and realized what was happening, he tried to kill himself with his sword, but Paul and Silas stopped him. Not one of the prisoners tried to get away. It was an act of the Holy Spirit. It was a miracle!

It was in that dark, cold jailhouse that a man who once chained prisoners was now set free. The jailer and his entire family accepted Jesus into their lives, and were baptized. Even in the most unusual and dangerous situations, God can perform miracles.

REFLECT:

Do you believe God can perform miracles even in the harshest and most difficult times? Have you ever experienced a “midnight hour” when things looked pretty bad, but deep down you knew God would come through for you?

PRAY:

God, when I’m in a spot, let me praise you anyhow. Let me be confident you will answer my prayer.

Day 16

IT’S A RELATIONSHIP NOT RELIGION!

READ:

Acts 15.1-41

As the Word of God was preached, many Gentiles accepted the message of Jesus and were filled with the Holy Spirit. But as is often found in life, not everybody is happy that somebody from outside joined the group. Some Jews who were stuck in tradition, implied that Gentiles could not really be part of the Church unless they were circumcised. This caused a big rift. It was so bad that they had to call a special meeting to iron things out.

In his speech to the group, the apostle Peter points out that God had allowed him and Barnabas to work many miracles among the Gentiles. He also said that by giving the Gentiles the gift of the Holy Spirit, God had shown that he did not play favorites, but he was accepting the Gentiles on the basis of their faith in his Son, Jesus. God wanted a relationship with his people. Peter stated his case saying, “God treated them in the same way he treated us. They put their faith in him, and he made their hearts pure. Now why are you trying to make God angry by placing a heavy burden on these followers?” (vv 9, 10a).

This explanation pacified the group and they began to understand that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-seeing. God is perfect and everything he does fulfills his purposes.

REFLECT:

Have you ever felt threatened when someone you think was below your standing joined your group? Do you sometimes put up barriers to keep others from being part of your in-crowd?

PRAY:

God, I want to have a healthy relationship with you, one that is based on love, obedience, and reverence.

Day 15

MAN HEALED; PAUL STONED; IT’S ALL GOOD…

READ:

Acts 14.1-28

Paul and Barnabas continue on their first missionary journey. A man in a city called Lystra is healed of a life-long illness. He had been crippled from birth. This miracle so amazed the people that they thought the two missionaries were gods. Paul cleared that up really quickly! However, as much as they were working for the Lord, some people turned against these guys and they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, leaving Paul for dead. Yet Paul did not die. He survived by the grace of God!

In fact, the very next day the two men continued to preach and teach God’s Word. And as they did, they were able to plant churches and appoint leaders in these various cities, so that the work Paul had started would continue long after he was gone. Paul and Barnabas sailed home after this very hard journey and gave a great report of what God was doing in all those cities.

REFLECT:

Are you sharing the love of God and the gospel like Paul did? Is fear of getting beat up preventing you from sharing the love of Jesus? Is fear preventing you from talking about Jesus at all?

PRAY:

Lord, I just ask for grace to live every day for you.

Day 14

FIRST-TIME MISSIONARIES IN PRIME TIME

READ:

Acts 13.1-52

This chapter tells of the first missionary journey. The Holy Spirit selects Saul/Paul and Barnabas and sends them out. They certainly don’t know exactly what is going to happen when they leave their home base and venture out. They travel to Cyprus and go to the city of Paphos where they immediately run into opposition. Witchcraft! The Holy Spirit, who Jesus says guides us into all truth, points out the sorcerer to them, and they prophesy against him. And then these radical brothers for the Lord go to a synagogue where they are asked to get up and preach. These brothers begin to recount the whole history of Israel and the message of Jesus to the Jews who were listening to this new and totally awesome Word. They are invited back and this time the whole city comes to hear them. Some people rise up in opposition to the message of Jesus, but these brothers hold true and keep on preachin’! The work that the Holy Spirit sent them to do was accomplished because we read that “The message about the Lord spread all over this region” (v 49). These guys were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit, and they shared it with those who would listen.

REFLECT:

Are you asking God to help you be radical? Are you asking God to fill you with the Holy Spirit so you can be sold out for God?

PRAY:

God, I like where I am, but you, Lord, may have others plans for me. If you want me to go somewhere like you did Paul and Barnabas, please let me know. Thank you, Lord—I can always count on you to talk to me

Day 13

THE CHURCH PRAYS 24/7, GOD ANSWERS—AWESOME!

READ:

Acts 12.1-25

In this chapter, King Herod goes on a rampage and begins to lock up the Lord’s followers and kill those he didn’t put in prison. The apostle James loses his head, literally, and Peter is thrown in jail. When the people of God heard about Brother Peter being locked up, they began to pray around the clock. God heard their prayers, and answered with miracles. God sent an angel to release Peter from prison. Every chain fell off Bro. Peter, and every door opened automatically! Even the iron gate to the city! Awesome!

Peter then went to the house where his people were praying for him and even they couldn’t believe that Peter was free. God is truly a prayer-answering God. Later, God punished King Herod for thinking in his heart that he was God. While he was sitting on his throne an angel struck him down for taking the honor that belonged to God. Afterward, worms ate him alive and he died. Herod died but “God’s message kept spreading” (v 24). No one can stop the message of the gospel of Christ!

REFLECT:

When you pray, do you really believe that God will answer your prayer?

PRAY:

Lord, I know that rough times may come. Like Peter, I may be persecuted for believing in you. If that time comes, God, would you help this teenager to continue to serve you?

Day 12

DEALING WITH CONFLICT IN THE ‘FAMILY’

READ:

Acts 11.1-30

Sometimes the people closest to you, are the ones that hurt you the most. The apostle Peter, recently being freed of his prejudice toward Gentiles, now returns to Jerusalem to meet with ‘the brothers’ to tell them the exciting things God is doing among the Gentiles. When Peter gets there ‘the brothers’ criticize him harshly for breaking Jewish religious law and eating with Gentiles. Imagine this criticism coming from people in the Early Church who had pledged to love and be kind to each other! Peter, who has been changed by his recent experiences, tells them about his new-found relationship with Cornelius, a Gentile. He tells them that whereas he would have been wary to go to the house of a Gentile with three strange men, “The Holy Spirit told [him] to go with them and not to worry” (v 12). After sharing this great story, ‘the brothers’ had no problem with Peter. The church was once again unified, and God poured out a huge blessing upon them, allowing great numbers of people to come to faith.

REFLECT:

Are you jealous when you hear a good report from another believer about how God is working in and through them? Do you share their excitement? Honest?

PRAY:

God, you have chosen me to bring a message of reconciliation because you have changed my heart. Give me the strength to take a message of love and forgiveness to people in my family, my church, and my community!

Day 11

GOD’S MESSAGE DESTROYS OUR PREJUDICE

READ:

Acts 10.1-48

We gotta be honest with ourselves—some things die hard. Imagine one of the apostles being confronted with his own prejudices! And God, who knows every crevice of each heart, uses a vision as a means of changing the apostle Peter’s heart and mind. It took a lunch-hour roof top vision to finally confront Peter about his self-righteous upbringing. God also uses a vision to link Cornelius, the Gentile, with Peter the Jew. As they exchange their experiences, they realize that each had a role to play in demonstrating that God loves all people and longs to see each one reach out to him for salvation. This awesome story concludes with Peter recognizing his prejudices and acknowledging: “Now I am certain that God treats all people alike. God is pleased with everyone who worships him and does right, no matter what nation they come from” (vv 34, 35). Whoa! The text ends with God pouring out the Holy Spirit upon Gentiles.

REFLECT:

Is your heart completely clean of any hatred or prejudice that you have toward any particular type or group of people?

PRAY:

Lord, speak to me about my prejudices and improper attitudes toward people who are different from me. Change me, Lord, I am desperate for change.