Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In chapter 28 today our journey and adventure of reading through the book of Acts comes to an end as…

“Paul arrives in Rome still a prisoner, yet encouraged and giving thanks to God” (vs 15), continuing his unstoppable mission to share the good news of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Q. What is the significance of the book of Acts being left “Open-ended”?

Q. Do you accept and embrace your blood-bought life purpose of living out an ongoing Acts chapter 29 mission as a minister of reconciliation, ambassador for Christ, and commissioned believer and proclaimer of Jesus?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much for giving us a glimpse into the Christ-centered lives of your apostles and disciples, as your sovereignly formed 1st century church took shape in the book of Acts – Please help us all to be encouragingly convicted by their steadfast devotion to you, and their “to live is Christ, to die is gain” mentality and actions toward you.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today that “Though our sins be as scarlet, you have washed them white as snow” by your costly and atoning work on our behalf.

🙏 Holy Spirit please continue to mold us, shape us, and conform us to the image of Jesus, so that like Paul, we can find great joy in Christ and suffer well for His namesake – Help us to be consistently and zealously invested in your great commission work of loving others and proclaiming the excellencies of the One who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light…

✝️ “And Paul continued there…welcoming all who came to him, proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”

Acts 28:30

P.S. Starting the book of ROMANS tomorrow 📖 Want to encourage you to read along if you can. Truly an honor to share God’s Word with y’all, love you much in Christ 👑❤️💯 Dave

Brothers and Sisters 😊

In Acts chapter 27 today we see the drastic consequences of hard-hearted defiance and foolish decisions, as the not so seaworthy Centurion rejects Paul’s wise and clear warning to keep the ship (and his life) sailing on the right path…

“The Centurian would not listen to Paul, and paid more attention to other things (the misguided pilot and the human majority)…So the ship became violently storm-tossed causing the crew to jettison the ships cargo & tackle, as all hope of being saved was abandoned”

(vs’s 11,18,20).

Q. What have you lost due to rejecting God’s wise and clear warning?

Q. Do you have hope that God can redeem the time and bring about beauty from ashes, or has all your hope been abandoned?

🙏 Heavenly Father please forgive my stubborness, rebellion, and lack of trust in you during all the times I did not listen to your wise counsel, paying more attention to my foolish heart, selfish desires, worldly wisdom, and “other things” – Thank you so much that the consequences for all of us (in light of our many mutinous actions toward you) have been far less than we deserve, and that your gracious and sovereign plan includes perfectly fixing all things that are broken in every way.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today that you obeyed your Father perfectly in every storm, and that by your “Once-for-all sacrifice” you have rescued us from making eternal shipwreck of our lives…

📖 “It’s true that you should have listened to me and not set sail from Crete, as we have incurred much injury and loss. Nevertheless I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you…Do not be afraid, for behold God has shown you mercy and granted you life.”

Acts 27:21-22,24

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Acts chapter 26 today we see a distinctive change & radical contrast of character described by Paul concerning his “Pre” and “Post” conversion experience…

Pre-conversion

Paul was “Raging with fury, kicking against the goads, and strongly opposing God” (vs 9,11,14).

Post-conversion

Paul “Considered himself fortunate, zealously served Christ, and was obedient to the heavenly vision” (vs 2,11,19).

Q. Has this process of distinct and radical character change occurred in your life as well?

Q. What evidence of new affections and elevated desires toward Jesus have taken place since this transformation happened to you?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much for sending your Son Jesus to rescue us from the curse of sin, horrific human depravity, and raging selfishness within.

🙏 Holy Spirit we give you endless praise for the merciful miracle of metamorphosis, and born again regeneration & conversion in Christ…

✝️ “Their eyes were opened so they would turn from darkness to light and from the power of satan to God, and that they would receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus.”

‭‭Acts‬ 26:18

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Acts chapter 25 today we see God’s progressive Gospel expansion plan extend all the way to the emperor of Rome, as Paul continues to suffer willingly for his First Love, laying down his rights to make much of Jesus name…

“And Paul made his appeal to be kept (confined in custody) so that he could be seen by Caesar, as the Jews brought many serious charges against him that they could not prove” (vs 7,21).

Q. What is your response when you have an opportunity to lay down your rights, desires, comfort, and dreams for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom?

Q. Has Jesus done enough for you to warrant spending your time, effort, energy, and resources to promote and glorify His name, instead of making much of your own?

🙏 Heavenly Father please forgive me for so often forgetting that as your child “I am not my own, but have been bought with a price” – Please help us all to remember that your good and perfect plan sometimes involves our suffering, and our ultimate reward will not be found in the here and now, but in the life to come.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today that “Though you were rich, you became poor for our sake, so that by your poverty we would become spiritually & eternally rich” – Thank you for willingly sacrificing your rights so that we could be declared innocent, righteous, favored, blessed, blameless, holy, and adopted into your family forever before your throne of grace! Jesus you are so worth it! 👑…

✝️ “If then I am a wrongdoer, and I have committed many things for which I deserve to die, then I cannot escape death. But (because of Jesus atoning sacrifice on my behalf) there is now nothing to any of the charges against me!”

Acts 25:11

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Acts chapter 24 today we see Felix the Governor of Caesarea rejecting the Gospel, despite…

“Having an accurate knowledge of the Way, and consistently meeting with Paul privately for over two years, (hearing directly from the greatest mortal theologian and evangelist that Christianity has ever known) about the cross, the resurrection, faith in Jesus, and the coming judgment” (vs 24-25).

Q. Remember Paul‘s famous statement in First Corinthian‘s 15…”By the grace of God I am what I am” – What percentage of your faith and belief in Christ do you attribute to that dynamic – Are you truly saved by grace alone?

🙏 Heavenly Father we stand in awe of your sovereign grace, calling us to yourself, opening our eyes to the truth of the Gospel, and regenerating our hearts to a saving faith & repentance in Christ.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today that you have had mercy on us, not because we were smarter, or wiser, or more righteous than governor Felix and countless others who reject you, but that we have been “Saved by grace through faith, not of our own doing, for it is the gift of God, not as a result of works so that no one may boast.”

🙏 Sovereign and triune God I thank you today that though we cannot see you, we believe in you and love you and praise you by grace alone…

✝️ “We worship God, and believe in all things laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, (having our hope in Christ), that there will be a resurrection of the just and the unjust.”

Acts 24:14-15

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Acts chapter 23 today we see Paul boldly sharing the Gospel in Jerusalem, and consequently being in a mass of serious peril & danger as…

“More than 40 men were lying in ambush, who had bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul!” (vs 21).

Q. If God can deliver Paul from a fortified Roman prison, thousands of angry religious zealots, and 40 kamikaze-like assassins fully devoted to snuffing out his life, isn’t God also able to keep you safe and protect you from your enemies as well?

🙏 Heavenly Father please forgive my doubts, anxieties, and fears that so often cause me to shrink back from sharing the Gospel and waiver in my trust toward you – Thank you that when our worst enemies (satan, death, hell, and our own indwelling sin) are closing in on us, the reality of Jesus life, death, resurrection, and ascension fully provides our escape and victory both now and forever.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for encouraging and empowering our proper response to your grace, to live a daily disciplined life of faith and repentance in Christ – Please sustain us to the end and help us consistently keep our eyes fixed on your all-important & meaningful life task at hand…

✝️ “And the Lord said to Paul, be brave and take courage, as you have faithfully testified to the truth about me in Jerusalem, so you must also continue the journey in Rome.”

Acts 23:11

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Acts chapter 22 today we see Saul’s (Paul’s) testimony and miraculous conversion story to a truly…

“Saved by the Grace of God new life in Christ” (vs 14). Absolute proof that “Jesus the Righteous One” is mighty to save, and no one is beyond the reach of His mercy and forgiveness.

Q. When was the last time you thought about your conversion story and the way that God, “Even while you were dead in your sins and trespasses”…

“Softened your heart”,

“Opened your eyes”,

“Drew you to Himself”,

“Breathed new life into you”,

“Sealed you with His Spirit”,

“Caused you to be born again”,

“Adopted you into His family”,

“Appointed you to salvation”,

“Granted you repentance”, and

“Made you alive in Christ”, as He

“Saved you by His grace alone”?!!!

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much that you have graciously and sovereignly stopped us in our treasonous hell-bent tracks, radically changing the direction of our lives and appointing your Spirit, your Word, and your people to sustain and mature us in a new life knowledge and love for Christ.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for your costly and finished work on our behalf, and for a challenging and adventurous life purpose – To zealously answer your great commission call and be on a moment-to-moment mission to proclaim your excellencies to the world & relay the good news of the Gospel to all who you lead us to…

✝️ “And Saul (Paul) fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ Saul answered, who are you Lord? And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. And Saul said, Lord what will you have me to do?…God has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One, for you will be a witness for Him to all the world concerning the things you have seen and heard!”

Acts 22:6,15

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Acts chapter 21 today we see all of Jerusalem in a mass of total chaos and disarray…

– As the Holy Spirit of God seemingly disagrees with Himself (vs 4),

– A Godly prophet tackles and hog-ties Paul with his own belt (vs 11),

– Paul is harshly beaten by Asiatic jews and falsely mistaken for a notorious Egyptian anarchist and band leader of the “Wilderness Assassins” (vs 38),

– And thousands of Messianic believers gather in a riotous uproar, as Paul denounces the need for Jewish ceremony and traditions while simultaneously taking a nazirite vow to undergo Jewish rites of purification for himself and his traveling companions (vs 26). Wait, what???

Q. Have you ever had one of those super perplexing upside-down days when nothing seemed to go right, and no matter what you did you simply could not get an answer to your question or a resolution to your problem?

Q. Ever had a “Wait, what?” moment when confusion, anxiety, frustration, and grumbling ruled your mind and dominated your thoughts?

🙏 Heavenly Father I confess the countless moments of impatience, discontentment, and selfish complaining toward you, especially in the hard of life – Thank you for your grace that you do not give us all the answers at our timing, so that we can consistently see our moment to moment need for you, and learn to live in humble dependence instead of self-reliance.

🙏 Holy Spirit please empower us to slow down, be still, and wait upon the Lord, knowing that every “Cliffhanger” that God sovereignly orchestrates in our lives leads to a providential yes and amen to all of the very great and precious promises in Christ…

✝️ “And Paul, having been given permission to speak to the angry mob (in order to clarify all of the confusion), stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. And there was a great hush as he addressed them in their native Hebrew language, saying…

Acts 21:39-40

To be continued ☝️

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In Acts chapter 20 today we see Paul experiencing great sorrow and pouring out his heart in his farewell address to the Ephesian elders…

“I lament that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the Kingdom will see my face (on this earth) again…Then Paul knelt down and prayed with them, and there was much sorrowful weeping among them all because of the words he had spoken, that they would not see his face again” (vs 25,36).

‭‭

Q. Have you ever experienced the deep sadness and terrible heartbreak of a final goodbye with someone you love?

Q. Is there any hope in a final goodbye without the work and person of Jesus?

Q. What is your response to the Good News of the Gospel that turns (seemingly final, into just a temporary) goodbye because of God‘s miraculous and amazing grace?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much for the immeasurable gift of your Son, and your unbreakable promise that all who repent and put their trust in Christ are guaranteed a beautiful and everlasting reunion together.

🙏 Lord Jesus…

We praise you today for mercy & grace,

Our sorrow and grief you soon will erase,

Your people all gathered in heaven above,

Reunited forever in a world full of love 🙏👑😇❤️👫🎉…

✝️ “I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance among all those who are eternally sanctified!”

Acts 20:32

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 Acts chapter 19 today takes us to the ancient and idolatrous city of Ephesus, and ushers in a universal and pervasive truth…

Whether in far away Ephesus 2000 years ago, or in our own alluring and enticing culture today, the shiny and attractive things of this world that so often distract us and cause us to put God on the back burner (relationships, entertainment, possessions, money, power, status, approval, pleasure, comfort, control, etc) have no ability to fully satisfy, will not last, and cannot save.

Q. Do you have a nagging idol that you can dispose of today and burn at the altar so that you would have a closer relationship with God?

Q. Is there a good gift that God has given you that you are loving and idolizing more than God (the good giver) Himself?

🙏 Heavenly Father please forgive me for so often having a distorted and misguided view of what (and who) is truly important, and thank you so much that as you give and take away, we can count all lesser things as loss because of the all-surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Savior.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today that you have ransomed us from sin, death, judgement, and eternal hell, by shedding your precious blood at the cross – We pray fervently that we can respond to your awesome love and sacrifice by disposing of, and departing from our false idols that so easily entangle us.

🙏 Holy Spirit please empower us to stop settling for mud pies and panning for fools gold, but rather see our true treasure in Christ, for in Him alone is our greatest satisfaction, and fullness of joy…

✝️ “A number of new believers who formerly worshiped idols and indulged in satanic practices came confessing and repenting, bringing their books & scrolls and disposing of them on the fire in the sight of all…Then the name of Jesus was magnified, and the Word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily!”

Acts 19:18-20