Week 28 — Grace That Unites

Weekly Prayer

Lord, help us remain anchored in the truth of Your grace. Guard us from adding burdens where You have offered freedom, and teach us to walk in humility, wisdom, and unity with one another. Give us hearts that seek truth with love and reflect the freedom found in Christ alone. Amen.

Day 1 — When the Gospel Is Challenged
Read: Acts 15:1–5 | Also Read: Galatians 1:6–9; Ephesians 2:8–9

Open-Ended Reflection: What was at stake in this disagreement, and why was it such a significant issue for the early Church?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the difference between salvation by grace and adding human requirements to the gospel?
Journal Prompt: Are there ways you have been tempted to measure spiritual acceptance by performance instead of grace?

Day 2 — God Knows the Heart
Read: Acts 15:6–11 | Also Read: 1 Samuel 16:7; Romans 10:12–13

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about Peter’s defense and his emphasis on God knowing the heart?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of God’s impartial grace and His invitation to all people?
Journal Prompt: How does remembering that God sees the heart reshape the way you view yourself and others?

Day 3 — Recognizing God at Work
Read: Acts 15:12–18 | Also Read: Amos 9:11–12; Philippians 1:6

Open-Ended Reflection: Why was it important for the leaders to listen carefully to what God had already been doing among the Gentiles?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the importance of recognizing God’s work before forming conclusions?
Journal Prompt: Where have you seen God working in ways that stretched your assumptions or broadened your perspective?

Day 4 — Wisdom in Unity
Read: Acts 15:19–29 | Also Read: Colossians 3:13–15; James 3:17

Open-Ended Reflection: What does this decision reveal about balancing truth, grace, wisdom, and unity in the Church?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of peacemaking and Spirit-led wisdom?
Journal Prompt: How might God be inviting you to pursue unity without compromising truth?

Day 5 — Encouragement Strengthens the Church
Read: Acts 15:30–35 | Also Read: Hebrews 10:24–25; Romans 15:5–6

Open-Ended Reflection: What impact did encouragement and clarity have on the believers who received this message?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the power of encouragement in strengthening faith communities?
Journal Prompt: Who in your life may need encouragement, clarity, or reassurance from you this week?
 

“…Why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of  Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?  No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”   Acts 15: 10-11


The plains of Antioch enjoyed the blessing of  three rivers which was a source of seafood for residents of the area. Antioch was ideal for domesticated livestock too, but with this commodity came the threat of Asiatic lions and Caspian tigers.  The church at Antioch was threatened by a teaching more ravenous than any lion: the visiting men of Judea said “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
 
Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.
When you look at a map, Jerusalem is south of Antioch.  So normally we would say “Go down to Jerusalem”.  But for Israel it was always “going up to Jerusalem”, no matter where you were on the map. It was 2,575 feet above sea level, so if you were walking, it was a literal “going up” to Jerusalem.   The Temple was there and all Israel made their pilgrimage  at least four times a year during the high holy days.  So physically and spiritually it was “going up” to Jerusalem for these apostles as well.

When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles and the elders.    They then declared all that God had done with them.  “But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them (Gentiles) and to order them to keep the law of Moses.’ “ (15: 4-5)

After the discussion which ensued, Peter stood and addressed them: “Brothers,….Why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” 
(15: 10-11)
The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.  Then James spoke up. He was the overseeing pastor of the Jerusalem church, the half-brother of Jesus.  He was also known as “ James the Just”, and was noted for his calloused knees from spending hours each day in prayer.  He  brought their attention to the prophecy of Amos:

“After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, That the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who hear My name, says the Lord, who does these things—things known from long ago.”                Amos 9: 11-12

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”  They resolved to write a letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
that first made it known that those who had gone to Antioch from Jerusalem advocating circumcision were unauthorized. Then the council recommended that the Gentiles decrease the tension by removing stumbling blocks from Jews—things such as abstaining from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.

Paul adds clarity to this issue: “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.  To the Jew I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the laws of Christ, so that I might win those without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.  I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”         1 Cor.9: 19-23

So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.  The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.  The spirit of Paul prevailed: “I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.”
By this Paul indicated he was truly free.

Questions To Think About:

1. The author compares false teaching to “ravenous lions and tigers” threatening Antioch.  What modern, cultural “rules” or expectations threaten to pull you from the pure gospel of grace?
2. The devotional notes that going to Jerusalem was always a physical and spiritual “going up.”  What does a deliberate, spiritual “going up” look like in your life when you need to resolve a conflict or seek God’s wisdom?
3. Peter openly admitted that neither they nor their ancestors could bear the heavy yoke of the Law. What burdens or expectations are you exhausted from trying to carry on your own strength?
4. The Jerusalem Council asked the Gentiles to compromise on certain behaviors to decrease tension with Jewish believers.   Is there a personal freedom you need to lay down right now for the sake of unity or peace in your community?
5. According to the conclusion of the devotional, true freedom means being free from the opinions of others so you are free to serve them.  How does this definition of being “truly free” challenge the world’s definition of freedom?

“They preached the gospel in that city (Derbe) and won a large number of disciples.  Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.  “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
Acts 14: 21-22

How lovely were the green, well-watered plains of Iconium!  To the hopeful disciples, it was a metaphor that held the promise of a fruitful harvest of souls for the Gospel.  Their hopes were confirmed when they spoke in the synagogue there, and a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed!  

For these new believers’ sakes, they remained in Iconium a good while, even though the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.  In spite of the Word of grace and signs and wonders being done by their hand, the city still was divided.  It came to a head when Barnabas and Paul got wind of a murder plot against them. So they fled to Lystra and Derbe, and there they continued to preach the gospel.

They came initially to Lystra, where there was no synagogue.  There was, on the other hand, a temple of Zeus at the entrance to the city.  The disciples’ work looked to be cut out for them!

Paul noticed a man who was listening to him speak.  He was crippled from birth and had never walked.  Paul “looked intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, ‘Stand upright on your feet.’ And he sprang up and began walking.”  This was the first time that Paul was used by the Holy Spirit to heal anyone.  And before anyone could teach the cripple man that it was because of Jesus that he had been healed, the crowds  immediately attributed the miracle to their pagan idols; “The gods have come down to us  in the likeness of men!”  They had no idea that the lie they believed was a counterfeit of the truth.

If they would only have listened further, they would have heard about the One God who was pleased to be a Son of Man, Jesus Christ, the Last Adam—man as he was supposed to be!  “Here am I, and the children God has given me." (Isaiah 8: 18)
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
Heb.2: 14-15

Instead of waiting for this good news, in their ignorance they foolishly attributed the miracle to Zeus and Hermes,  and wanted to offer the oxen as a sacrifice.  They would not listen to reason.  It was their loss.  They had traded true riches for fool’s gold.

But no good deed goes unpunished.  Added to the melee were now the outraged Jews all the way from Antioch and Iconium.  They persuaded the crowds to stone Paul. They then dragged him out of the city, thinking him dead. But the disciples of Lystra gathered around Paul as he regained consciousness.  Paul’s faith and courage were not lost on a young disciple named Timothy, whom Paul would meet on a return trip to Lystra.

Paul went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they preached the gospel to that city, they made many disciples.  They then returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith.  “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”  And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

They sailed from Attalia for the return trip back to Antioch.  Once home, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.  

But they almost died!  Foolish, you say?
In the words of a 20th-century disciple, Jim Elliot:  “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

Questions To Think About:

1. Paul and Barnabas returned to the very cities where they were persecuted.  What difficult or uncomfortable situation is God calling you to revisit or stay in for the sake of others?
2. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”  How does this truth reshape your expectations of the Christian walk when life gets difficult?
3. When Paul was stoned and left for dead, his resilience deeply impacted a young Timothy.  Who is watching your faith during your current trials, and what story is your endurance telling them?
4. The crowds in Lystra traded “true riches for fool’s gold.” What temporary comforts or worldly approvals are you currently tempted to chase at the expense of eternal growth?
5. Reflect on Jim Elliot’s quote: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose,”  What are you holding onto too tightly right now that is preventing you from fully trusting God?

Week 27 — Strengthened Through the Journey

Weekly Prayer

Lord, strengthen us to remain faithful in the journey You have called us to. Give us courage to speak boldly, humility to depend on You, wisdom in hardship, and perseverance to continue the work You place before us. Help us trust that Your grace is sufficient in every challenge and every step forward. Amen.

Day 1 — Boldness in the Face of Opposition
Read: Acts 14:1–7 | Also Read: Joshua 1:9; Ephesians 6:19–20

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about Paul and Barnabas’s boldness despite resistance and threats?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand courage that is rooted in God rather than circumstance?
Journal Prompt: Where might God be inviting you to step forward with greater boldness in your faith?

Day 2 — Giving Glory to God Alone
Read: Acts 14:8–18 | Also Read: Isaiah 42:8; Psalm 115:1

Open-Ended Reflection: Why was it so important for Paul and Barnabas to redirect attention away from themselves and toward God?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of humility and giving glory to God rather than seeking recognition?
Journal Prompt: How do you guard your heart against the desire for recognition, approval, or misplaced attention?

Day 3 — Faithfulness Through Suffering
Read: Acts 14:19–20 | Also Read: 2 Corinthians 4:8–9; Romans 8:18

Open-Ended Reflection: What does Paul’s response after suffering reveal about his faith and sense of calling?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand endurance through hardship and suffering?
Journal Prompt: What has a difficult season taught you about resilience, faith, or dependence on God?

Day 4 — Strengthening Other Believers
Read: Acts 14:21–23 | Also Read: Hebrews 10:24–25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Open-Ended Reflection: Why do you think Paul and Barnabas prioritized strengthening and encouraging believers on their return journey?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the importance of encouragement and discipleship in the Christian life?
Journal Prompt: Who might God be calling you to intentionally encourage or strengthen in this season?

Day 5 — Reporting God’s Work
Read: Acts 14:24–28 | Also Read: Psalm 66:16; 1 Corinthians 3:6–7

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about the way Paul and Barnabas reflected on and reported what God had done?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of celebrating God’s work rather than personal accomplishment?
Journal Prompt: How has God worked in your life recently in ways worth remembering, sharing, or celebrating?

(When they entered the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch)

“Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.”  So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:  “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen ….(God said) I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart who will do all my will.’  Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as He promised….
Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses…..As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath…..On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.  When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.   And Paul and Barnabas spoke out, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you.  Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentiles.  For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 13:13-52

It was called “New Rome” or “Caesar’s Colony”.  And rightly so, for Pisidian Antioch was mirrored to reflect devotion to the emperor.  With a prominent temple centrally located, dedicated to his worship, it had Roman architecture as well as its style of government.  It was the home of Sergius Paulus, whom Paul and Barnabas had led to Christ in Cyprus.  

After their ship had docked at the port of Perga en route to the New Rome, one member of their mission team had a change of heart and returned to Jerusalem.  It was Barnabas’ nephew, John Mark.  We are not told why, but we can hazard a guess. Barnabas and Paul had a call on their lives: “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”, the Holy Spirit had said.  John Mark had no such call.  It was a chance to go with his Uncle Barnabas and see family in Cyprus! Sounds like fun! It was a rude awakening to find it was real work! I am not cut out for this!  But happenstance is no match for the sovereign nature of God.  The story is not over for our young man, John Mark, as we shall see!

Paul had come with a letter of recommendation from Sergius Paulus to the aristocracy there. He vouched for their character and would not make waves. N. T. Wright describes in his book, Paul:
“Caesar and Rome were the central focus of worship, a worship that would bind together  the city and the region and give it security by
linking it so obviously to its ultimate patron.”
Julius Caesar had given the Jewish people the privilege, unique among all people groups, of not being required to worship the Roman gods.

With this backdrop, with this tenuous status quo, Paul stood up at their invitation, in their synagogue, to give them a word of “encouragement “.  And in a masterful rehearsal of Israel’s history, beginning with Moses, the years in the wilderness, and King David, “a man after God’s own heart”: “From the descendant of this man, according to promise, God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus….Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. ….because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets …fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed…..But God raised him from the dead….    Let it be known ti you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. Well, the next Sabbath, almost the whole city turned out to hear the word of the Lord from these strangers.  But when the Jews saw the crowds, they began to contradict Paul and revile him. Then the pair spoke out boldly: “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you.  Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles!
And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing. Outraged, the Jews drove Paul and Barnabas from the city.  But the disciples shook the dust from their feet and went on to Iconium, with joy!

Questions To Think About:

1. The leaders of the synagogue asked, “If you have any word of encouragement…say it.”  When you see a need or opportunity to speak truth into someone’s life, do you actively step up like Paul, or do you wait for a more comfortable moment?
2. Pisidian Antioch was a “New Rome” deeply devoted to the emperor.  In what ways does your current cultural environment pressure you to bow to modern “emperors” (such as status, wealth, or political ideologies) rather than Christ?
3. Reaching the “ends of the earth” started with a single step onto a ship for Paul and Barnabas.  What is the immediate, practical “next step” God is asking you to take this week to expand His kingdom in your local community?
4. John Mark’s story isn’t over.  Where in your life have you prematurely quit or failed, and how does this story give you hope that God is still writing your next chapter?
5. Paul boldly declared that because the initial hearers thrust the word of God aside, they were turning to the Gentiles.  How do you discern when to stop pouring energy into people who reject your message and instead pivot to those who are hungry for it?

Week 26 — The Word Cannot Be Contained

Weekly Prayer

Lord, give us hearts that remain anchored in Your truth and courage to proclaim Your Word with faithfulness. Help us recognize Your faithfulness throughout history, trust Your promises fulfilled in Christ, and remain steadfast when opposition comes. Keep us focused on Your mission and full of joy in every season. Amen.

Day 1 — God’s Faithfulness Through History
Read: Acts 13:13–25 | Also Read: Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 105:8–10

Open-Ended Reflection: Why do you think Paul began by recounting God’s faithfulness throughout Israel’s history before proclaiming Jesus?

Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the consistency of God’s promises and His faithfulness across generations?

Journal Prompt: How has remembering God’s faithfulness in your own story strengthened your trust in Him?

Day 2 — Jesus: The Fulfillment of the Promise
Read: Acts 13:26–37 | Also Read: Luke 24:44; 2 Corinthians 1:20

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about Paul’s presentation of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises?

Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of how Jesus fulfills God’s redemptive plan?

Journal Prompt: How does seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises shape your confidence in His faithfulness today?

Day 3 — Responding to the Good News
Read: Acts 13:38–41 | Also Read: Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8–9

Open-Ended Reflection: What invitation and warning do you hear in Paul’s message to his listeners?

Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help clarify salvation through grace, faith, and the forgiveness offered in Christ?

Journal Prompt: How has the message of grace and forgiveness personally changed the way you relate to God?

Day 4 — Hunger for the Word
Read: Acts 13:42–44 | Also Read: Matthew 5:6; Psalm 119:103

Open-Ended Reflection: What does the people’s response reveal about spiritual hunger and openness to God’s truth?

Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of what it means to hunger for God’s Word?

Journal Prompt: What helps cultivate spiritual hunger in your own life, and what tends to diminish it?

Day 5 — Joy in the Face of Opposition
Read: Acts 13:45–52 | Also Read: John 15:18–20; James 1:2–4

Open-Ended Reflection: What do you notice about Paul and Barnabas’s response when opposition and rejection arose?

Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand perseverance, joy, and faithfulness when facing resistance?

Journal Prompt: How has God used difficult or discouraging seasons to deepen your faith and strengthen your joy?

Week 25 — Sent by the Spirit

Weekly Prayer

Holy Spirit, make us attentive to Your voice and willing to go wherever You lead. Help us to worship with surrendered hearts, serve with faithfulness, and walk boldly in the calling You place before us. Strengthen us to remain focused on Christ when opposition comes and confident that Your mission is always worth pursuing. Amen.

Day 1 — Worship That Leads to Calling
Read: Acts 12:25–13:3 | Also Read: Romans 12:1; John 10:27

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about how worship, prayer, and listening positioned the church to hear God’s direction?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the connection between surrender, worship, and spiritual sensitivity?
Journal Prompt: How might creating more space for prayer and worship help you better recognize God’s leading?

Day 2 — Confronting Spiritual Opposition
Read: Acts 13:4–8 | Also Read: Ephesians 6:10–12; James 4:7

Open-Ended Reflection: What does this encounter reveal about the reality of spiritual resistance to God’s work?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand how believers respond faithfully when spiritual opposition arises?
Journal Prompt: Where have you experienced resistance when stepping into something God was calling you to do?

Day 3 — Speaking Truth with Courage
Read: Acts 13:9–12 | Also Read: Joshua 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:7

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about Paul’s boldness and clarity in confronting opposition?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of courage rooted in God’s presence rather than personal confidence?
Journal Prompt: Where might God be inviting you to speak truth with greater boldness and faith?

Day 4 — Faithfulness in the First Steps
Read: Acts 12:25–13:12 | Also Read: Hebrews 11:8; Proverbs 3:5–6

Open-Ended Reflection: What do these first moments of Paul and Barnabas’s missionary journey reveal about obedience and trust?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand what it means to faithfully take first steps without seeing the whole path?
Journal Prompt: What “first step” of obedience may God be asking you to take in this season?

Day 5 — The Mission Belongs to God
Read: Acts 13:1–12 | Also Read: Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 1:8

Open-Ended Reflection: What themes throughout this passage remind you that mission begins with God’s initiative rather than human planning?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages strengthen your understanding of your place in God’s larger mission?
Journal Prompt: How is God shaping your perspective on being sent, whether across the world or across the street?

“Will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?”
Acts 13: 10

Like a fresh springtime breeze encouraging new sprouts to grow, the death of King Herod Agrippa caused a relaxation of the persecution of the church. “…The word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.” (Acts 12: 24)

“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers.” (Acts 13: 1) These included Barnabas from Cyprus, Simeon called Niger from Africa, ( a black man); Lucius of Cyrene from North Africa. Manaen who had been brought up with royalty: Herod the tetrarch—the ruler of Galilee when Jesus was born.  And Saul of Tarsus.

The leadership of the growing church was remarkable in its diversity—racial, cultural, and social class.  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are one in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”, as Paul would write later. (Gal.3: 28-29)

Paul. No longer Saul of Tarsus, but Paulus—  “The least of the apostles”.  A sign of a deliberate humility, as Paulos means “small, little”.  He would demonstrate the truth of the scripture: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up,”  (James 4:10)

Following a time of fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit, who through the leadership of the church at Antioch, said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  (Acts 13: 2)

On orders from the Holy Spirit, they set sail from the port city of Seleucia.  The Mediterranean Sea favored their voyage, and they docked at Salamis, along Cyprus’ northeastern shore.  There, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues all along the way until they had traversed the whole island.  

When they arrived at the capital of Paphos, I suppose they could not help being grieved at the opulent temple of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of desire. It is said, “Birds of a feather flock together”, and wouldn’t you know it, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus (son of Jesus [Joshua]).  He was an attendant to the Roman proconsul, Sergius Paulus.   The words sorcerer (magician, astrologer) should not once be named among any child of Abraham. (Deut. 18:10-14, 2 Ki.17: 17) It was anathema!  

The proconsul was an intelligent man who wanted to hear what Barnabas and Paul had to say.  But it was clear the magician was opposed to their message and sought to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

Paul saw this.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, he fixed his gaze on the magician and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil (not of Jesus), you enemy of all righteousness,  will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?  Now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind, and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.  Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.” (Acts 13:10-12)

Paul had not spoken like this before.  He had been in Barnabas’s shadow up til now.  He would be a central figure in proclaiming Christ’s message from now until the end of his days.  Hear the words of Isaiah?  Hear the words of John the Baptist? :
“A voice of calling in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.”  Matt.3: 3

Questions To Think About:

1. Moving from “Saul” to “Paulos” meant choosing a name that literally means “small” or “little”.  In what specific area of your life is God calling you to become “smaller” so that He can become greater?
2. For years, Paul stayed in Barnabas’s shadow until the Holy Spirit called him forward in Paphos.  How do you discern the difference between healthy humility and fearfully shrinking back from a leadership role God is calling you into?
3. Elymas (Bar-Jesus) claimed a godly name but practiced the “anathema” of sorcery and fraud.  What are the subtle, modern-day spiritual counterfeits or cultural trends that tempt you away from pure Scripture?
4. What practical, daily choices can you make this week to clear the “wilderness” in your own schedule and heart to prepare room for the Lord?

Week 24 — Praying Through the Impossible

Weekly Prayer:

Lord, strengthen our faith when circumstances feel overwhelming or beyond our control. Teach us to pray with perseverance, trust Your timing, and remember that no prison, obstacle, or opposition is greater than Your power. Help us remain faithful, hopeful, and attentive to the ways You are working even when we cannot yet see the outcome. Amen.

Day 1 — When Opposition Intensifies
Read: Acts 12:1–5 | Also Read: John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12

Open-Ended Reflection: What emotions or questions do you imagine the early believers were facing as persecution intensified?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand suffering, opposition, and the reality of hardship in the Christian life?
Journal Prompt: How do you typically respond when circumstances feel threatening, discouraging, or outside your control?

Day 2 — God Moves in the Impossible
Read: Acts 12:6–11 | Also Read: Jeremiah 32:17; Ephesians 3:20

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about God’s intervention in Peter’s imprisonment?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of God’s power to work beyond human limitations or impossible circumstances?
Journal Prompt: What situation in your life feels impossible right now, and how might God be inviting you to trust Him with it?

Day 3 — When Answers Surprise Us
Read: Acts 12:12–17 | Also Read: Psalm 126:1–3; Mark 9:23–24

Open-Ended Reflection: Why do you think the believers struggled to believe their prayers had been answered?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you reflect on the tension between praying in faith and wrestling with doubt?
Journal Prompt: Have there been times when God answered prayer in ways that surprised you or stretched your faith?

Day 4 — Earthly Power Is Limited
Read: Acts 12:18–23 | Also Read: Proverbs 16:18; Isaiah 40:22–24

Open-Ended Reflection: What does Herod’s story reveal about the danger of pride, misplaced power, and resisting God?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the temporary nature of human power compared to God’s authority?
Journal Prompt: Where does humility need to grow in your life so that God remains at the center rather than personal control, success, or recognition?

Day 5 — The Word Continues to Advance
Read: Acts 12:24 | Also Read: Isaiah 55:10–11; Matthew 16:18

Open-Ended Reflection: Why is this verse such a powerful conclusion after everything that happened in this chapter?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages strengthen your confidence in the unstoppable nature of God’s purposes and His Church?
Journal Prompt: How does remembering God’s bigger story help you remain hopeful during seasons of challenge or uncertainty?

The very night before Herod was about to bring him (Peter) forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.  And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared, and a light shone in the cell, and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And his chains fell off his hands.  And the angel said to him, ’Gird yourself and put on your sandals.’ And he did so.  And he said to him, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’  And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.  When they had passed the first and second gate guards, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.  When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 
Acts 12: 6-11

There was a sense of finality as the cell door slammed shut behind James.  King Herod Agrippa had made political points with the Pharisees by his arrest of the apostle; the “son of thunder”, as he was known along with his brother, John.  Agrippa would squelch this sect known as “Christians” who were proclaiming a new standard of righteousness.  It wasn’t by the Law, “because  He (God) has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)   The Pharisees were indignant that their system of religious meritocracy was being called into question. Agrippa knew who buttered his bread, and his arrest of James and Peter curried favor with the politically influential Pharisees.
 
Ironically, James remembered a conversation he had with Jesus about just this situation.  He and John risked indignation from the other apostles when they asked Jesus, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.  Are you able to drink  the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized ?”  Naively they said to Him, “We are able.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.”       (Mark 10: 37-39)
 
The following morning, Jesus’ prophecy came true when James was “baptized” with execution by a Roman sword that was thrust through his body.

Peter was to be next.  But it was Passover, and Agrippa would lose favor with the Pharisees, and all  Judea for that matter, by desecration of the High Holy days with an execution!  

  The night before his trial and expectant execution, Peter slept like a baby.  “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.” (Ps.4:8)
The Lord sent an angel to deliver Peter from certain death, this time. Hallelujah!  I am certain that he also remembered the words of Jesus: “Truly, truly, I say to you….You will stretch  out your hands, and someone will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go.’ Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me.”
(John 21: 18-19)

James was put to death with the sword, Stephen was stoned, others were sawn in two, and “others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;” (Heb.11: 35)
Paul would later write: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil.3: 10-11)

Both James and Peter were part of the fellowship of the cross: where He leads I will follow.  And so also is everyone who presses “on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”                                 (Phil.3: 14)

Questions To Think About:

1. How does framing your daily trials as a form of shared companionship with Jesus change the way you view your current hardship?
2. James was executed by the sword, while Peter was broken out of prison by an angel.  How do you personally reconcile it when God chooses to deliver someone else from a trial, but ask you to endure yours?
3. Peter slept so deeply between two guards the night before his expected execution that the angel had to physically strike his side to wake him.  What does Peter’s deep sleep reveal about his internal surrender to God’s plan?
4. Jesus told Peter that one day he would be taken “where you do not wish to go” (John 21: 18)  . Where is the Holy Spirit prompting you to go right now—socially, spiritually, or relationally —that your flesh does not want to go?
5. If the fellowship of the cross means “where He leads, I will follow”, what is one area of your life where you are currently hesitating or placing conditions on your obedience?

“So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone.   But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.  And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord…..And when he (Barnabas) had found (Saul), he brought him to Antioch.  And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”             Acts 11: 19-21, 26

The blood of Stephen watered the “garden” where the future “cradle of Christianity” would be born in Antioch.   The Greek word “ Antioch” is aptly translated “Resistant”, which is prophetic, as it turns out.  The nascent church would take her first steps, coached by Barnabas and Saul.  For the first time the disciples themselves did the evangelism, under the watchful eyes of their coaches, facilitated by the Holy Spirit.  Initially they reached out only to Jews, but it wasn’t long before they were preaching to Greeks also that Jesus is Lord.

The amazing thing about those who followed “the Way” was their testimony to those around them. Their world had never seen such ethnic diversity; Jew and Gentile,  united for one purpose.  Koinonia they called it; the close association between persons, emphasizing what is common between them.
A letter of  Mathetes to Diognetus (two Gentiles— one a disciple of the Apostles, the other, an inquiring pagan) describes the first-century church:

For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country nor language, nor the customs which they observe…….they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life.  They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners.  Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers.  They marry, as do all; they beget children, but they do not destroy their offspring….They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven…..

It is no wonder that the disciples were first called “Christians” at Antioch.  They didn’t give themselves this name.  They were different. The unbelieving world labeled them “Christian” as a mocking insult.  These people belonged to a strange, new tribe who followed an unrecognized “king”.

These early believers recognized they were being mocked, but readily embraced the new label as a badge of honor.  “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection  and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death….”                      Phil.3: 10

They remembered the words of Jesus:
“You are the light of the world….Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”             Matt.5: 14-16

Word in “the ether” was that Herod had randomly rounded up and carted off to his dungeon some believers in Jerusalem, including James, the apostle.  Like a calm before a storm, they took comfort in the Lord’s Word:  “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.  Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)  A storm surely was coming to the church. It was His church!  Their confidence was in Him “who is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”  
(Psalm 36:9) Fiat Lux!    
             
Questions To Think About

1. The tragedy of Stephen’s death watered the “garden” where the Antioch church was born.  When has a difficult, painful, or confusing season in your life unexpectedly produced new growth and spiritual “light”?
2. The word “Antioch” means “resistant”, yet it became a launchpad for the Gospel.  What is currently the biggest point of spiritual resistance, fear, or hesitation in your life, and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to move there?
3. The name “Christian” was originally given by the world as a mocking insult, yet believers wore it as a badge of honor.  Does your daily lifestyle differ enough from the surrounding culture that someone might label you as “different”?
4. Barnabas and Saul acted as mentors, guiding and teaching the church for a whole year.   Who are the spiritual mentors or coaches in your life helping you grow?  Conversely, is there someone younger in the faith you could be mentoring right now?
5. The letter to Diognetus notes that early Christians lived in their native lands “simply as sojourners” and “citizens of heaven”.  In what practical ways can you detach your heart from earthly comforts, political divides, or material security to live more fully as a citizen of heaven?

Week 23 — A Church on Mission

Weekly Prayer:

Lord, build in us hearts that are available for Your mission. Help us to be faithful in sharing hope, encouraging others, and responding generously to the needs around us. Make us a people who strengthen one another and remain committed to the work You have called us to together. Amen.

Day 1 — Scattered but Still Faithful
Read: Acts 11:19–21 | Also Read: Matthew 5:14–16; Romans 10:14–15

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about the believers continuing to share the message of Jesus despite being scattered?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand how ordinary believers participate in God’s mission?
Journal Prompt: Where has God placed you right now as a light and witness for Christ?

Day 2 — Encouragement Strengthens the Church
Read: Acts 11:22–24 | Also Read: Hebrews 10:24–25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Open-Ended Reflection: What qualities in Barnabas made him an effective encourager and leader?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of encouragement as a vital part of spiritual growth?
Journal Prompt: Who in your life may need encouragement, and how could God use you to strengthen them?

Day 3 — Growing Together in Faith
Read: Acts 11:25–26 | Also Read: Colossians 1:28–29; Proverbs 27:17

Open-Ended Reflection: Why do you think intentional teaching and discipleship were so important in Antioch?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the importance of spiritual growth through community and teaching?
Journal Prompt: What has most shaped your spiritual growth through learning, discipleship, or Christian community?

Day 4 — Responding to Need with Generosity
Read: Acts 11:27–29 | Also Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6–8; Galatians 6:10

Open-Ended Reflection: What does the church’s response reveal about compassion, responsibility, and shared mission?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages shape your understanding of generosity as an expression of faith?
Journal Prompt: How might God be inviting you to respond more generously to the needs around you?

Day 5 — Faithful Stewardship in Action
Read: Acts 11:30 | Also Read: 1 Corinthians 4:2; Luke 16:10

Open-Ended Reflection: Why is faithful stewardship such an important part of the Church’s witness and mission?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of trustworthiness and stewardship in God’s work?
Journal Prompt: What resources, opportunities, or responsibilities has God entrusted to you in this season?

“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’  Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?’  When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God saying ‘Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.’ “    Acts 11:16-18

Word traveled fast through all Judea that the
Gentiles also had received the word of God. Peter had done as he was commanded to do.  No angel could convey this message. They could be instructed by dreams and visions, but they were unable to relate to the message of redemption,  because they didn’t know what it was like to be redeemed.

 That is where Peter came in.  He knew what it was like to be lost, without hope in this world. : Like all of us redeemed sinners, we have the testimony:
“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you…..It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you…..through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.”  (1 Peter 1:10-12)

So angels cannot do our part. If we  abnegate our responsibility here, we, like Peter, might be found to be standing in
God’s way.    Peter was amazed and elated that Cornelius and all the Gentiles in his house readily received the Word of the Lord and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  But in Jerusalem, this miracle was lost on them!   If Peter heard it once, he heard a hundred times: “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” It was almost overwhelming, until Peter found  reassurance  and comfort when he remembered Jesus as He quoted Isaiah:  
“For this people’s heart has become  calloused; they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise, they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.”
But blessed are your eyes, because they see;
And your ears, because they hear. (Matt.13:15-16)

So, by faith, Peter again rehearsed  his testimony, his vision, with the Lord’s admonition: “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” But when they heard how the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit just as they did.  Peter’s concluding statement had a quieting effect on circumcised Jews when he said, “Therefore, if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?

A large number of Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord in Antioch.  So many that Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem to disciple them in the faith.  He would need help, and he knew just the one: Saul.

Saul had been living in Tarsus these past ten years, hidden in obscurity.  He proclaimed the Gospel and reasoned with others about Jesus Christ —Why He is the chosen Messiah- to anyone who would listen to him, while he made tents for a living.

Perhaps Saul would have agreed with Oswald Chambers, who discerned the way the Lord  works: “I feel I shall be buried for a time, hidden away in obscurity, then suddenly, I shall flame on, do my work and be gone.”
 
The poet captured the essence of it:
“How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How he hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which
Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands!”
(Anonymous)
Then Saul hears Barnabas at the door. The cries of his heart have been answered!   In the words of Oswald Chambers: “ Flame on! “
 
Questions To Think About:

1. What religious “rules” or cultural expectations cause us to miss seeing God’s work in people?
2. Angels cannot share the message of redemption because they have never experienced it.  How does the reality of your own past brokenness uniquely position you to reach others?
3. Saul spent ten years in obscurity making tents and preaching to anyone who would listen.  How do you maintain your zeal for God when you feel forgotten or underutilized?
4. Peter faced immediate criticism from his peers for obeying God.  How do you handle disapproval from believers when you follow God’s leading?
5. Reflect on the quote from Isaiah regarding calloused hearts and closed eyes.   What spiritual habits can you practice this week to ensure your heart stays soft and receptive to God’s promptings?

Week 22 — God’s Grace Changes the Story

Weekly Prayer:

Lord, help us to trust Your work even when it unfolds in ways we do not expect. Give us humble hearts that are willing to listen, learn, and celebrate what You are doing beyond our comfort zones. Teach us to recognize Your grace at work and to respond with faith, unity, and joy. Amen.

Day 1 — When God’s Work Is Questioned
Read: Acts 11:1–3 | Also Read: James 1:19–20; Proverbs 18:13

Open-Ended Reflection: Why do you think Peter’s actions created such concern or tension among the believers?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the importance of listening carefully before forming conclusions about what God may be doing?
Journal Prompt: Have there been moments when God worked in ways that challenged your expectations or understanding?

Day 2 — Recounting God’s Faithfulness
Read: Acts 11:4–10 | Also Read: Psalm 77:11–14; Isaiah 43:18–19

Open-Ended Reflection: Why was it important for Peter to carefully recount what God had shown him?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the value of remembering and sharing God’s faithfulness when questions or uncertainty arise?
Journal Prompt: How has remembering God’s past faithfulness helped you trust Him in seasons of confusion or change?

Day 3 — Following the Spirit’s Leading
Read: Acts 11:11–14 | Also Read: Romans 8:14; John 16:13

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about Peter’s willingness to follow the Spirit’s direction even when the path was unfamiliar?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of recognizing and responding to the Spirit’s leading?
Journal Prompt: Where might God be inviting you to trust His leading even when the next steps are not fully clear?

Day 4 — Grace Changes Everything
Read: Acts 11:15–17 | Also Read: Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:4–7

Open-Ended Reflection: What does Peter’s explanation reveal about the nature of grace and God’s initiative in salvation?
Learn from Scripture: How do these supporting passages help you understand salvation as God’s gift rather than human achievement?
Journal Prompt: How has God’s grace reshaped the way you see yourself, others, or His invitation to salvation?

Day 5 — Rejoicing in God’s Bigger Plan
Read: Acts 11:18 | Also Read: Luke 15:7; Revelation 7:9–10

Open-Ended Reflection: What changed in the hearts of the believers as they recognized what God was doing?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand heaven’s perspective on repentance, salvation, and God’s global redemptive plan?
Journal Prompt: How can you grow in celebrating God’s work in others, even when it unfolds differently than expected?

Week 21 — No One Beyond God’s Reach
Weekly Prayer:

Lord, open our hearts to see people the way You see them. Break down assumptions, barriers, and limitations we may carry, and help us recognize that Your grace reaches farther than we often imagine. Make us obedient to Your leading, sensitive to Your Spirit, and ready to welcome all whom You are drawing to Yourself. Amen.

Day 1 — God Sees the Seeking Heart
Read: Acts 10:1–8 | Also Read: Jeremiah 29:13; Psalm 145:18

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about Cornelius’s heart, posture, and response to God’s message?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the way God responds to those who sincerely seek Him?
Journal Prompt: How have you experienced God meeting you in seasons of searching, prayer, or spiritual hunger?

Day 2 — When God Challenges Our Assumptions
Read: Acts 10:9–16 | Also Read: Isaiah 55:8–9; Proverbs 3:5–6

Open-Ended Reflection: Why do you think Peter struggled to understand or accept what God was showing him in this vision?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you reflect on moments when God’s perspective challenged your own assumptions or expectations?
Journal Prompt: Are there areas where God may be inviting you to release old assumptions so you can better see His heart?

Day 3 — Obedience Opens Doors
Read: Acts 10:17–33 | Also Read: Hebrews 11:8; John 13:34–35

Open-Ended Reflection: What do you notice about the obedience required from both Peter and Cornelius for this moment to unfold?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of how obedience, trust, and hospitality can create space for God’s work?
Journal Prompt: When has obedience to God opened a door you never expected?

Day 4 — The Gospel Is for Everyone
Read: Acts 10:34–43 | Also Read: Romans 10:12–13; Galatians 3:28

Open-Ended Reflection: What makes Peter’s declaration in this passage such a significant turning point in the story of Acts?
Learn from Scripture: How do these supporting passages expand your understanding of the inclusive reach of the gospel?
Journal Prompt: How might God be stretching your understanding of who needs to hear, experience, or be welcomed into His grace?

Day 5 — The Holy Spirit Falls
Read: Acts 10:44–48 | Also Read: Joel 2:28–29; Ephesians 2:13–18

Open-Ended Reflection: What does this moment reveal about God’s power, timing, and His desire to bring people fully into His family?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the unifying work of the Holy Spirit across backgrounds and boundaries?
Journal Prompt: Where have you seen God move in ways that challenged expectations and reminded you that His grace is bigger than human boundaries?

“All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed , because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also….”                Acts 10: 45

Peter found himself in Caesarea in the house of a Gentile; that of a Roman centurion no less! Peter did not disclose the vision to Cornelius, but he did share the personal lesson he had learned  from it—“God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.” But why am I here? 

Cornelius began his incredible tale. He was praying to the “unknown God” at 3 p.m. in the afternoon, when a man stood before him in shining garments, and said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God….send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also Peter, to come to you….So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come.
…We are all here present before God to hear what you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Ever the military man, it was his expectation that Peter would do as he had been commanded by the Lord.  Like the centurion that Jesus had encountered in Capernaum. “I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say this ,”Go!’and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’and he comes…” (Matthew 8:9).  The soldier knew that Jesus had authority, and his servant was healed that same hour.  And now, Peter had come to Caesarea from Joppa in response to the same command.

What prayer had Cornelius prayed?  Was it in response to the prophet’s urging “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your soul…”( Jer.6:16) ?

Cornelius was a man who thrived in the military.  The military was, and still is,  a paragon of the system of meritocracy. Their armor was embellished with awards for bravery and distinguished service. The laurel crown was awarded for leading troops to victory, and the mural crown for being the first over an enemy’s city wall.

But his prayer was how to get God’s attention and to know Him.   And Peter had arrived to tell him just that.

Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears  Him and does what is right is welcome to Him……
You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, ……
As Cornelius was listening to Peter’s address, I think he must have felt like John Wesley, listening to Martin Luther’s  “commentary on Romans.  John Wesley was an unconverted vicar of the Anglican Church, until the Holy Spirit strangely warmed his heart , “I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

While Peter was still speaking these words, the  Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message….Because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.  For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God.  Then Peter answered, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized  who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?

Spurgeon has said: “The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation.”

Cornelius was  delivered from the burden of self-righteousness, and was free to enter the rest of Christ’s grace and love.  Peter had come to see that his religiosity was as filthy rags, and that he was unclean apart from the blood of Christ.  I think that Cornelius and Peter would agree, after leading His troops to victory, the laurel crown and mural crown belong to Christ, and Christ alone.

Questions To Think About:

1. Cornelius was highly successful in a military system that rewarded physical merit, medals, and crowns.  In what areas of your life (career, parenting, ministry) do you still try to apply a “merit system” to earn God’s validation?
2. Reflecting on the quote by Charles Spurgeon, in what subtle ways do you find yourself looking to yourself for salvation, emotional peace, or moral superiority ?
3. The Holy Spirit was poured out as a free gift, amazing the onlookers.  How easy or difficult is it for you to fully accept grace without feeling like you need to pay God back?  How can you shift your daily mindset from “working to be accepted by God” to “working because you are already accepted”?
4. Jeremiah promises that walking the good way leads to “rest for your soul,” while the military meritocracy Cornelius lived in offered only the exhausting pursuit of laurel and mural crowns.  In what ways has your pursuit of earthly  achievements  left you spiritually exhausted, and how does Christ’s grace offer the “rest” you are actually searching for?

“Peter went up on the roof to pray…He became hungry and…he fell into a trance.  He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.  It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds.  Than a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’  
“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied.  “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
The voice  spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”                                                                                                     Acts 10:9-15

In Caesarea, there was a centurion of the Italian cohort named Cornelius.  He had come up through the ranks, proven himself to be courageous in battle, won the respect of his men, and was awarded the rank of centurion, who was in command of one hundred Roman soldiers.

But deep in his heart of hearts, it was not the Roman Emperor that held sway over his soul, but an unknown God. It was to this unknown God that he prayed and offered alms of sacrifice.  He had his fill of man-made gods of gold and silver, “ gods that must be carried, that cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save.”(See Isa.46)

He remembered a rabbi’s wise counsel :”You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart, I will found by you,” (Jer.29:13-14)  It was when his mind was permeated with such thoughts that he had a vision—an angel of God called him by name “Cornelius!”   Cornelius stared at him in fear, “What is it, Lord?’  The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial before God.  Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon  who is called Peter.”

Two servants and one Roman soldier were dispatched to Joppa.  They were used to obeying orders and no mention of what they should say to Peter as they made their way along the thirty-some  dusty miles to Caesarea.  Little did they know that God was doing a monumental work in Peter’s life in preparation for this mission.

Peter had gone up to the roof to pray. He became  hungry and as he waited for his food, he fell into a trance. “ He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet was being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds.  Then a voice told him “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”  

Peter could not believe that the Lord was advocating him to eat these non-Kosher foods! “Surely not, Lord.”  “No, I won’t” and “Lord” do not belong in the same sentence.

The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
This happened three times to underline its importance.

While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius arrived.
Peter was impressed by Cornelius’ testimony but not nearly so much as —“A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.”

As Peter entered the house, Cornelius fell at Peter feet in reverence.  But Peter made him stand up—“I am only a man myself.”

Peter then went on to say: “ You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile.  But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean”

The stage was set for Peter to preach the Gospel to Cornelius.  Both Peter and Cornelius were ready for the dividing of hostility to be destroyed, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.  He himself is our peace.   (Eph. 2: 14, 16).    
                             
( To be continued.…)

Questions to Think About ;

1. The Ultimate Contradiction: “Surely not” and “Lord” do not belong in the same sentence.  In what area of your life right now are you trying to say “No” and “Lord” at the same time?
2. Peter had to let go of what he always thought was right (religious tradition) to obey God.  What personal preferences or deeply ingrained habits is God asking you to surrender right now?
3. If someone invited you into their home today to hear about your faith, are you ready to share the Gospel clearly?
4. Christ put hostility to death through the cross. Where do you see hostility or division in your family, workplace, or church that desperately needs the peace of Jesus to heal it?

Week 20 — Faith That Brings Life

Weekly Prayer

Lord, increase our faith to trust You in both ordinary and extraordinary moments. Help us to walk in compassion, obedience, and confidence in Your power. Open our eyes to opportunities to serve others, reflect Your love, and point people toward the hope found in Christ alone. Amen.

Day 1 — Faithful in the Everyday
Read: Acts 9:32–35 | Also Read: Colossians 3:17; Matthew 5:16

Open-Ended Reflection: What do you notice about Peter’s willingness to simply keep moving where God was leading and ministering to people along the way?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the importance of faithfulness in everyday opportunities, not just extraordinary moments?
Journal Prompt: Where might God be inviting you to be more attentive to everyday opportunities to encourage, serve, or minister to others?

Day 2 — The Power Belongs to Christ
Read: Acts 9:34 | Also Read: John 15:5; Zechariah 4:6

Open-Ended Reflection: Why is it significant that Peter clearly pointed to Jesus rather than drawing attention to himself?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages shape your understanding of dependence on God’s power instead of personal strength, gifting, or recognition?
Journal Prompt: Where are you tempted to rely on your own ability instead of depending fully on Christ?

Day 3 — Compassion in Action
Read: Acts 9:36–39 | Also Read: Galatians 6:9–10; Proverbs 19:17

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about Tabitha’s life and the impact her faithful service had on others?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of how practical acts of compassion reflect God’s heart?
Journal Prompt: What simple acts of kindness or service might God be prompting you to offer in this season?

Day 4 — Trusting God for the Impossible
Read: Acts 9:40–41 | Also Read: Jeremiah 32:17; Mark 9:23

Open-Ended Reflection: What does Peter’s response in this moment reveal about prayer, faith, and trust in God’s power?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand what it means to bring impossible situations before the Lord?
Journal Prompt: What situation in your life feels beyond your ability, and how might God be inviting you to trust Him with it?

Day 5 — A Witness That Points to Jesus
Read: Acts 9:42–43 | Also Read: John 20:30–31; Matthew 28:18–20

Open-Ended Reflection: What was the broader impact of this miracle beyond the immediate event itself?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages show that God’s works are meant to draw people toward faith in Christ?
Journal Prompt: How might your life become a clearer witness that points others toward Jesus?

“Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.  And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it an upper room.  Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, ‘Do not delay in coming to us.’  So Peter arose and went with them.  When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room, and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.  But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’  And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.  And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.  And Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.”               Acts 9:36-43

As the waves of the Mediterranean sloshed against the wooden docks that made up the wharf at the port city of Joppa,  there was a melancholy echo in their song today.

Joppa was a Gentile city, a part of the Assyrian empire.  Although it was a pagan town, the Lord’s people were there too.  On this day, they had lost a dear sister, a disciple named Tabitha.  She was always doing good and helping the poor and had a kind word for everybody.   You can imagine the grief of the Christian community when she became sick and died.  They washed her body and placed her in an upstairs room so that the community could come and pay their last respects to Tabitha.  

Now Peter was in Lydda, 10 miles southeast of Joppa, where the Lord had used him to heal a paralyzed man named Aeneas. All those who lived in Lydda saw him and turned to the Lord.

So when the disciples in Joppa heard that Peter was that close to them, they dispatched two men with the message: “Please come at once!”

As Peter went with them, they explained the recent death of Tabitha as they walked the dusty road to Joppa.   I am sure he thought, “Lord, what do You want me to do? None of us who are apostles has raised a person from the dead by themselves!  I remember when You allowed me, James and John to accompany You as You raised the daughter of the synagogue official back in Jerusalem. (Mark 5:35-43)   You put out those who laughed at you.  You allowed only the child’s parents and us, and entered the room where the child was.  Then You took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha Kum!”  ( “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).  Immediately, the girl got up and began to walk.

As Peter reflected while he walked, the Holy Spirit caused him to remember what Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing….For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing…”
John 5:19-20

When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room.  The widows were weeping and preoccupied with memories of Tabitha when she was alive.  Peter sent them all out.  Then he knelt down and prayed.  “The Son can do nothing of Himself ….” And turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, rise.”

At the moment of the command, every cell, every DNA molecule, every mitochondrion…recognized the voice of their Master:
“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
Job 33:4

“And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.  And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.”

Peter walked down to the wharf where the Mediterranean Sea timelessly rolled its waves.  He quietly thanked God for His faithfulness and for the Word of Life.  He thought he could even hear the waves rejoicing.

Questions To Think About:

1. Tabitha served faithfully in Joppa, a pagan, Gentile city.  How can you shine God’s light in environments that do not share your faith?
2. On the dusty road to Joppa, Peter remembered how Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter.  How does recalling God’s past miracles help you face current, seemingly impossible situations ?
3. Peter had to rely entirely on what he saw the Father doing rather than his own power.  In what areas of your life do you need to stop striving and start surrendering control to God?
4. Why do you think Peter sent everyone out of the upper room before he prayed?  How does pulling away from noise and grief help focus our prayers?

Week 19 — Transformed by Grace

Weekly Prayer

Lord, thank You that no one is beyond the reach of Your grace. Meet us in our blindness, interrupt our plans when necessary, and transform our hearts through Your truth. Help us respond with humility, obedience, and courage as You continue shaping us for Your purposes. Amen.

Day 1 — When Jesus Interrupts the Journey
Read: Acts 9:1–9 | Also Read: Proverbs 16:25; John 14:6

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about Saul’s mindset and direction before his encounter with Jesus?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand the difference between sincerely pursuing your own path and truly walking in God’s truth?
Journal Prompt: Have there been moments when God interrupted your plans, assumptions, or direction in ways that changed your perspective?

Day 2 — Obedience in the Uncomfortable
Read: Acts 9:10–19a | Also Read: Isaiah 6:8; Hebrews 11:8
Open-Ended Reflection: What do you think Ananias wrestled with as God called him to go toward someone he feared?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages shape your understanding of obedience when God’s instructions feel risky, uncomfortable, or unclear?
Journal Prompt: Is there an area where God may be asking you to take a step of faith despite uncertainty or hesitation?

Day 3 — A Changed Life Speaks Loudly
Read: Acts 9:19b–22 | Also Read: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 1:23–24

Open-Ended Reflection: What evidence do you see that Saul’s encounter with Jesus resulted in genuine transformation?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand what true spiritual transformation looks like in everyday life?
Journal Prompt: What changes has God brought in your own life that reflect His transforming work?

Day 4 — Opposition After Obedience
Read: Acts 9:23–25 | Also Read: John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12

Open-Ended Reflection: Why do you think Saul faced opposition so quickly after beginning to follow Christ?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages prepare believers to understand hardship, resistance, and perseverance in the Christian life?
Journal Prompt: How have difficult seasons strengthened, challenged, or clarified your faith?

Day 5 — Accepted into the Family of Faith
Read: Acts 9:26–31 | Also Read: Romans 15:7; Ephesians 2:19–22

Open-Ended Reflection: What challenges did Saul face in being accepted by other believers, and what changed that situation?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand belonging, reconciliation, and unity within the body of Christ?
Journal Prompt: How has God used community, encouragement, or the acceptance of others to strengthen your faith journey?

“Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.  At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.  All these who heard him were astonished and asked,”Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those  who call on His name?  And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?'  Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.”                                                                            Acts 9:19-22

“When God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, was pleased to unveil his son in me, so that I might announce the good news about him among the nations—immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood.  Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.  
    Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem  to get acquainted with Cephas (Peter)  and stayed with him fifteen days.”                                                              Gal.1: 15-18

The reassuring embrace from brothers like Ananias were few and far between for Saul.  As Saul’s message that Jesus is the Messiah grew more powerful, it completely confused the Jews living in Damascus.

We need to go to Galatians to find the details after Saul’s revelation of Jesus Christ on the Damascus road— details that Dr. Luke omits.  The account of Saul in Arabia for three years makes sense, before he ever goes back to Jerusalem.  Saul had to make sense of the revelation according to the Scripture (the Torah), before he would ever “confer with flesh and blood.”

At the foot of Mt.Sinai in Arabia, we can only guess that Saul reviewed the prophecies of Messiah aided by the Holy Spirit.   Saul thought long and hard in his self-imposed exile and saw how it all came together in Jesus.  N.T. Wright lends his insight from his book Paul: A Biography :
He thought  his way backward from the “new fact” as he saw it, of a crucified and risen Messiah, back into the world of Israel’s scriptures and traditions,  back into the long, dark, and often twisted narrative of Israel that had been groping its way forward to that point without glimpsing its true goal.  He reread Genesis. He reread ‘Exodus. He reread the whole Torah, and the prophets, especially Isaiah, and he went on praying the Psalms.  With hindsight (and, he would have insisted, with a fresh wisdom that came with the Spirit), he saw Jesus all over the place—….as the infinite point where the parallel lines of Israel’s long narrative would eventually meet.”

When Paul returned from his three year hiatus in Arabia, he was more on fire than he had ever been!   However, the Jews of Damascus who were once his friends now sought to kill him.

As Abraham Kuyper would say to future generations of Christians: “When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.”

To escape the murderous plot to kill him, the disciples at night lowered Saul through an opening in the city wall, by a large basket .
From there Saul made his way to Jerusalem .

In Jerusalem it was not much better. The Christian community was afraid of Saul, not believing him to be a disciple.  But Barnabas stood up for him and Saul was able to  share his testimony with the other apostles.  He moved  freely about the streets of Jerusalem until he got into a heated discussion with some Hellenistic Jews— old “friends” who now conspired to kill Saul.  But when the brethren learned of this new threat, they brought Saul down to Caesarea and sent him  away to Tarsus for ten years.

“The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous.”                                                       Psalm 146:8

Questions To Think About:

1. Saul went from a position of high status to being hunted by former friends and feared by new ones.  How do you handle the “lonely middle” when you no longer fit into your old world but haven’t yet been fully embraced by the new?
2. Saul had to reread the scriptures to see Jesus on every page.  Is there a traditional “religious” view you hold that might need to be challenged or expanded by the Holy Spirit?
3. Abraham Kuyper suggests that sometimes “peace has become sin” if it means staying silent about your convictions.  Where is God calling you to speak up, even if it disrupts your personal comfort or “dearest peace”?
4. Barnabas stood up for Saul when everyone else was afraid.  Who has been a “Barnabas” for you, and who is your life currently needs you to advocate for them despite their past?
5. After Jerusalem, Paul was sent away for another ten years, to Tarsus.  How do you maintain the “fire of your faith” when the doors to active ministry or your goals seem temporarily closed?

 

“Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the  synagogues at Damascus,  so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.   As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?  And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said,”I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,  but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”  
Acts 9:1-6

The troublesome events of the day made Saul of Tarsus reminisce of more pleasant times.  As a boy, His father and mother would whisper the Shema as he lay down to sleep , and when he awakened in the morning it was always heartening to hear: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength.” (Deut.6:4)  This was what he was doing. Or so he told himself.

On the road to Damascus Saul planned to extradite those of “the Way” who were seeking to contaminate the purity of Jewry with these tales of a resurrected  Savior.  Everyone knows that “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”. And they have the audacity to claim that Jesus the Nazarene is the Messiah, who was crucified between two thieves!  Blasphemy!  How could anyone so desecrate the name of the Holy One?!  I will put a stop to this madness or my name isn’t Saul of Tarsus!

But It was disconcerting that the image of Stephen haunted his thoughts. He had agreed to kill him, thinking he was doing service to God. Why didn’t he feel good about it?  What was that he said while he was dying?   “Behold, I see the heavens open up and the Son of Man standing at the right of God.”  He couldn’t get Stephen’s voice out of his head.

Suddenly, a light from heaven flashed around  him; and he fell to the ground and he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting  Me?   And he said, “Who are you, Lord?”  And He said, “I AM Jesus whom you are persecuting , but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”  He recognized the “I AM” of the Scripture. It was the same voice that spoke to Abraham :”I AM the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” (Gen.15:7)  It was the same “I AM” who spoke to Moses when he asked God, “What shall I say to Pharaoh if he asks ‘What is your name?  “I AM WHO I AM” is my name.’ “ (Exo.3:14)  

The scripture says “Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing…..He was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” (9:8-9)

God bless Ananias of Damascus, a disciple who had the temerity to argue (respectfully) with the Lord but ultimately did what God required.  For the Lord had spoken to him in  a vision that he was called to lay hands on this " butcher “of Jerusalem so he might regain his sight. The Word of God had the final say in Ananias’s heart: But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel, for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (9:15-16)

So Ananias departed  and entered the house to the room that Saul was in. He beheld a man that was sightless, humble and not without any small amount of fear, for he was in hostile company.  He no longer was the “butcher” of Jerusalem.  With faith Ananias   prayed  and laying his hands on Saul said, “Brother Saul…..The Lord Jesus…has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened.” (9:17-19)

Ananias’ term of endearment  “Brother Saul” was like honey to his soul. With the psalmist he cries: “On the day when I called, You answered me; On the day my strength failed, You strengthened me.
You will perfect everything concerning me;
You will not forsake the works of Your own hands.”   (Ps. 138:3,8)

Questions To Think About:

1. Saul believed he was fulfilling the Shema (Deut.6:4) by persecuting “The Way.”  Are there areas in your life where you might be following a religious “rule” or tradition while missing the heart of God’s actual will?
2. Saul recognized the voice of the burning bush and the voice that called Abraham in the voice of Jesus.  When God speaks to you—whether through Scripture or prayer—do you recognize Him as the eternal, unchanging “I AM”, or do you treat His voice as just another opinion to consider?
3. Ananias had every reason to fear the “butcher of Jerusalem”.  Is there someone in your life whom you have “written off” as unreachable or too dangerous  to love?  What would it take for you to show  them the “temerity” and obedience of Ananias?
4. Saul spent three days in darkness , fasting and  praying.  Why do you think God often used periods of “blindness” or forced stillness before giving us a new mission?
5. The devotional ends with Psalm 138:8—“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.”  How does Saul’s story give you hope that God can “perfect” your own messy history or current failures?

Week 18 — Divine Appointments

Weekly Prayer

Lord, make us attentive to Your leading and willing to obey even when we do not fully understand where You are taking us. Open our eyes to the people You are placing in our path, and give us courage to speak truth with compassion and clarity. Help us trust that You are always working behind the scenes to draw hearts to Yourself. Amen.

Day 1 — Following the Unexpected Call
Read: Acts 8:26–29 | Also Read: Proverbs 3:5–6; Isaiah 30:21

Open-Ended Reflection: What stands out to you about Philip’s willingness to obey God’s direction without having the full picture?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help you understand what trusting God’s guidance looks like when the next step is unclear?
Journal Prompt: When has God asked you to take a step of obedience before fully understanding the outcome?

Day 2 — Ready to Share the Good News
Read: Acts 8:30–35 | Also Read: 1 Peter 3:15; Romans 10:14–15

Open-Ended Reflection: What does Philip’s interaction with the Ethiopian official reveal about being spiritually attentive and ready to engage meaningful conversations?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages shape your understanding of being prepared to share truth with both confidence and grace?
Journal Prompt: What helps you feel prepared—or hesitant—when spiritual conversations naturally arise?

Day 3 — Scripture Points to Jesus
Read: Acts 8:32–35 | Also Read: Isaiah 53:7–8; Luke 24:27

Open-Ended Reflection: Why do you think this particular passage created such a powerful opportunity for Philip to explain the gospel?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages reveal the consistent thread of God’s redemptive story pointing to Christ?
Journal Prompt: How has your understanding of Scripture deepened as you’ve come to see Jesus woven throughout God’s story?

Day 4 — Responding in Faith
Read: Acts 8:36–38 | Also Read: Romans 10:9–10; Acts 2:38

Open-Ended Reflection: What does the Ethiopian official’s immediate response reveal about faith, understanding, and surrender?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages help clarify the connection between belief, confession, repentance, and obedience?
Journal Prompt: How has your own faith journey included moments of decisive surrender or public steps of obedience?

Day 5 — Joyful Obedience
Read: Acts 8:39–40 | Also Read: Psalm 16:11; John 15:10–11

Open-Ended Reflection: What do you notice about the joy that followed this encounter, even though Philip and the Ethiopian went their separate ways?
Learn from Scripture: How do these passages deepen your understanding of the joy that comes through obedience and walking with God?
Journal Prompt: Where have you experienced unexpected joy as a result of trusting God and saying yes to His

“So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
    But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.). so he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of (the) Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot,  and was reading the prophet Isaiah: Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”  Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ” Do you understand what you are reading?’  And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?
Acts 8:25-31

Life was good for Indich as treasurer for the Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians. Tradition says he was named Indich— we are not sure. He enjoyed the trust of the entire realm and was well respected by all.  He had a compliment of servants,  his own chariot, a spacious house on the Nile where the fifth cataract ran its white water past what is now called Sudan.

His parents thought that they were insuring their son’s good fortune when they had him castrated at a tender age. In general, all eunuchs rose in rank and prominence, and filled the most importance posts of the court.

But as a grown man, these things didn’t quiet the longing down deep in his heart for his posterity—for sons and daughters.  He was a proselyte to the God of Israel.  And although he was prohibited from entering the temple proper due to his castration (Deut. 23:1), he had heard it read to  him from the Prophet Isaiah, a word of hope: “Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,’The Lord will surely separate me from His people.’  Nor let the eunuch say, ‘Behold,  I  am a dry tree.’   For thus says the Lord, ‘ To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant, To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.”  Isa. 56:3-5
 
The Holy Spirit had an angel interrupt Philip, who was in the middle of an exciting move of God back in Samaria, saying: “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza….So he got up and went.”  No  “if’s”, no “and’s”, or “but’s”.   Philip remembered Jesus’ teaching about the shepherd  leaving the ninety-nine in the open pasture and going after the one which is lost until he finds it.  (Luke 15:4-5)

Miraculously, Philip caught up with the chariot, to hear the Ethiopian reading from Isaiah.  Philip asked the Ethiopian in Greek (the lingua franca of that day), “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Then Philip told him the good news about Jesus.  How God sent His Son to die in our place. “In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.  Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” (Isa.53:33). The prophet spoke of a Suffering Servant who was taken from the earth without descendants.  The eunuch resonated with this God who understood his heart’s deepest sorrow.  Right then and there He believed and trusted in Jesus, the God of his salvation.

As it happened, along this arid road, there was a stream in the desert.  “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? And he gave orders to stop the chariot.  Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.  When they came up out of the water, The Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.”  (8:36-39)

Whatever became of Indich? The church fathers date the evangelization of the Nubian area, south of Sudan, around this time, and could well have been planted by Indich.  The mission in Africa began there, long before Paul ever took the Gospel to Europe. 

And as he went rejoicing, planting seeds of the Gospel,  he remembered the Word of the Lord: “Nor let the eunuch say, ‘I am a dry tree.’ I will give him a name better than that of sons and daughters…..an everlasting name …Jesus. 

Questions To Think About:

1. Philip left a thriving ministry in Samaria to go to a “desert road” for a single person.  When have you felt the Holy Spirit *interrupt” your current success or comfort to lead you toward something that seemed less significant or more isolated?
2. Philip went with no “if’s, ands, or but’s”.  Is there a specific nudge from God you have been over-analyzing or delaying?  What would “getting up and going” look like for you today?
3. The eunuch struggled with the feeling of being a “dry tree” without a legacy.  In what areas of your life do you feel “fruitless “ or excluded from certain blessings?  How does the promise in Isaiah 56:3-5 change your perspective on those areas?
4. God promised the eunuch a name better than a traditional family lineage.   How does this redefine your definition of a “successful” life?  Are you more focused on building a temporary earthly legacy  or an “everlasting name”?
5. Indich went home rejoicing and likely planted the seeds of the Gospel in Africa long before the message reached Europe.  How does it change your motivation to realize that your “one-on-one” interactions today could impact an entire community or generation later?

“And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 
    The unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
    And there was great joy in that city.
    But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,  And they heeded him because  he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.  But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
     Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.                       Acts 8:6-13

It was music in the hearts of those Samaritan believers— The Gospel that Philip had preached to them meant that they were half-breeds no longer!  No longer despised and no longer cut off from their inheritance as children of Abraham.  As Paul would later write: “because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying  “Abba! Father!”  Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” 
( Gal.4: 6-7)

As usual, whenever there is a move of God, there is always an attempt to counterfeit it by the Adversary.  Enter Simon—“called the Great Power of God” because for a long time he astonished  them with his magic arts.  Because of the miracles and signs at the hands of Philip, the scripture says “Even Simon himself believed; and  after being  baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs  and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.” 

We can only guess what he hoped to gain by attaching  himself to Philip and hoping to learn what was the secret of his power.  Simon was famous in Samaria; he was the “poster boy” for the movement. Just as in our world today we are far too easily impressed by  status, power, and wealth, even in the church.  Even Philip was seduced with the “Christian” veneer of his convert. The Holy Spirit signaled it was time for the apostles Peter and John to pay a visit to the  church in Samaria.

Peter and John were to lay hands on these brethren of the Samaritan  church since the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them.  When they had prayed and began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.  Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying of the apostles hands, he offered them money…..But Peter said to him “May your silver perish with because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!…Your heart is not right before God.”  

How can a Simon work his way into God’s church by dent of his fame and popularity? 
We say with the psalmist, Asaph:
“For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked…
Therefore pride is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them…
Until I came into the sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their end.
Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
Psalm 73:3,6,17-18

Simon was given the opportunity to repent of his wickedness….Peter noted “For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”             (Acts 8:23)
 His response was terror, but not penitence. We never hear of this Simon again.

In the kingdom of God, there are no “big I’s” and no “little you’s”.   No half-breeds; just sons and daughters.  He is, and forevermore shall be, the Great Equalizer.

Questions To Think About:

1. How does the reality that there are no “big I’s” and  no “little you’s” in the Kingdom change the way you view people who have more (or less) status than you?
2. Philip was initially “seduced” by Simon’s “Christian veneer”.  Why are we often so easily impressed by fame, wealth, or talent within the church ?  How can we develop better spiritual discernment?
3. Simon was a “poster boy” to the Samaritans for Christianity.  Have you ever felt pressure to maintain a “successful” image in your faith or ministry rather than being honest about your struggles?
4. The Samaritans were seen as “half-breeds”. Are there groups today—either in society or in your own mind—that you subconsciously view as “less than” or “cut off” from God’s grace?