The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse reading–Acts 9:1-22, 26-31 (day seven)

It makes no sense for Paul to come to Christ, and it makes no sense for Christ to forgive Paul.  Paul’s hatred burned white hot towards Christians.  His heart’s passion was to prove Jesus was a criminal and snuff out Jesus’s followers.  Paul watched Stephen’s murder with an approving nod, and could not wait to find the next follower of Christ to murder.  Paul’s sins were as egregious as they come, yet Jesus chose to forgive him and use him.

It does not make sense to us.  We want really bad people to have really bad comeuppance.  The early church didn’t want anything to do with Paul.  They feared him and kept him at arm’s length for years.  The church hesitated because they could not believe what happened.  I’m sure they were like us quietly praying for the holy fires of vengeance, all the while God was doling out grace and mercy.

It is a blessing to us that God forgave Paul, not because he became the greatest missionary the church has ever known, but because it confirms that the grace of God is sufficient even while we are enemies of God.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”  (Romans 5:8-10)

Re:Verse reading–Acts 9:1-22, 26-31 (day six)

We have all (if you are in Christ) been rescued from our Damascus road. Each had set our feet on a path in opposition to Jesus, just like Paul over 2000 years ago. And like Paul we had an encounter with Jesus that led to our change of heart and our rescue from a path that was leading to destruction.

Where are your feet now? Where do your steps lead? Here’s the thing, Jesus invites us (even commands) into a life filled with purposeful steps, not a life of meandering.

Do you feel like you are meandering in life? Jesus says, “that’s not what I have for you.”

Let’s learn to walk with purpose.

Re:Verse reading–Acts 9:1-22, 26-31 (day five)

It is an interesting response from Saul when He encounters the Living Christ. Saul asks a sincere and monumental question. “Who are you, Lord?” The answer would define his worldview and theology for the rest of His life. Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is the Christ. It is no coincidence that first words Paul preaches and proclaims is the answer to the last words (question) Saul utters before his conversion.

When we daily read and study the scriptures or listen to lessens and sermons, we should ask that same question, Who are You, Lord?” What insight, understanding, new facet of the Lord’s nature and character can we learn, appreciate, and understand? What can we learn and discover about God. It is a question always worth asking.  The answer shapes our lives and heart for eternity!

Re:Verse reading–Acts 9:1-22, 26-31 (day four)

Many had come to know Jesus in the recent days…3,000 at Pentecost, 5,000 at Peter’s second sermon.  All of these and more were now disciples of Jesus. What was different about Saul?  God had special plans for Saul…He was going to show Saul how much he must suffer for Jesus’ name sake.  Saul would be a missionary to the gentiles and kings, as well as the sons of Israel.

Saul could have rejected God’s plan for his life, but he didn’t.  He was immediately baptized and began to preach and witness in the synagogues.  Saul was a man with a mission!

What about you?  Has God asked you to do something that you have not yet done?  Are you holding out for a better assignment?  God will not give you a new assignment until you have been obedient to His first command.  More obedience…stronger character…bigger assignment!  Maybe you too can be shipwrecked and imprisoned…like Saul.

Re:Verse reading–Acts 9:1-22, 26-31 (day three)

“Who are you, Lord?”  Think of the irony of this prayer—that these words would come from Saul, of all people.  His résumé: “as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”  Here’s a man who trained and studied and researched and analyzed and inspected every square inch of the received spiritual knowledge of his culture.  He had trained his entire life for this exact work.  The Way of Jesus would stop here.  But all that Saul had studied, he had misunderstood.  Whoever God is, he’s not who Saul had thought.  Even if he had not been blinded by the light, there was no way he would have been able to see anything, because the light by which he saw the world had gone out.  What would happen to you if you prayed—really prayed—this prayer: “Who are you, Lord?”

Re:Verse reading–Acts 9:1-22, 26-31 (day two) The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. vs. 7

This is an interesting element of Saul’s conversion story. During a relatively isolated journey to Damascus Jesus chooses to reveal himself to Saul, but allows others to hear the exchange. This man whom God would use to write the first chapters of the early church was already on a well-recognized path. His conversion clearly rocked the followers of The Way, see Ananias’ reaction in verses 13-14. We often consider how the apostles and the other believers reacted to Saul’s conversion, but what about those who were with him on that road? What kind of story did they tell? They heard the voice of Jesus!

Few of us will ever have the testimony of Saul/Paul, but when God chooses to intervene in our lives, people will notice. Those who know Jesus, and those who knew you before. Has he done that work for you? Is your life bearing evidences of this change?

Re:Verse reading–Acts 9:1-22, 26-31 (day one)

“Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord”–v 1

It is a memory Paul carried for the rest of his life.  Shameful.  Cruel.  Convicting.  Obsessive. (“I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent man” he would say years later in 1 Timothy 1)  A reminder to him (and to us) how lost people are without Christ. Even religious people.

Did he ever wonder?  I wonder.  As he watched Stephen die with love and forgiveness, did Saul have a moment of self-doubt?  Did he momentarily recognize the demonic power of hatred at work in his own heart?  How empty and angry he was?

Years later, this same man (reborn) will plead with others.  “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves.”–2 Corinthians 13:5.  Maybe, as he wrote those words, he was remembering how easy it is to think you are one thing and actually be another.

Re:Verse reading–Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-58, 8:1-5, 26-38 (day seven) 

We first run into Stephen and Philip in the paragraph preceding our text for today.  It is a famous passage, often used to describe the work of deacons, about the disciples deciding that they could not handle both preaching the Word of God and caring for hungry widows at the same time.  The disciples chose to set aside a group of seven men including Stephen and Philip to bring food to the overlooked widows.

Remarkably we never hear of Stephen and Philip serving food, but we hear they went out preaching the Word of God.  The Holy Spirit filled them up and they continued serving God by proclaiming Jesus wherever they went.  Stephen preaches in Jerusalem, Philip preaches in Samaria, and numbers increased greatly.

It makes you wonder if the overlooked women were ever fed.  Surely they were.  Surely the church worked diligently to care for this need.  The greater story is that Stephen and Philip were not content in quietly serving, no matter where they were or what they did they were going to speak the name of Jesus boldly.

Re:Verse reading–Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-58, 8:1-5, 26-38 (day five)

Acts 6:54 “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick,” God’s Word had done its task. It had accomplished its purpose. It had resonated deep with the human soul. Sounds like Hebrews 4:12. ¹² For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Stephen has “rightly divided the Word of Truth”.  What happens next, is the response. We read/hear the Bible and the Bible reads us. It reveals the condition of our hearts. Each and every time we listen and hear the scripture, we must “check our hearts”. Here are some responses mentioned in scripture:

James 1: Distracted and Insincere- “immediately forgotten what kind of person he was”

Acts 7: Anger and Rebellion “stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears”

Acts 8: Humility and Obedience “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”

How do we respond to God’s Word? It will be a heart check!!