Acts 15- Cleansed by Faith; Saved Through Grace

9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

10 "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

11 "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are."

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If we believe, we have been saved by God's Grace through our Faith. That faith was a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9). There is nothing that we can do to be or keep ourselves saved. This is so difficult to understand because in this world in every other arena we must work hard. Now life as a believer is not easy, and it is hard work at times to serve Christ and obey, but these things only prove our love to our Savior and Father in Heaven!

What things have you done today to show your love to Christ?

Acts 14- Get Up Again

19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

20 But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.

21 After they had preached the gospel to that city and had (AS)made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,

22 strengthening the souls of (AW)the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

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Paul was stoned for doing the work of God. Although we may not face such violent persecution in the US we will face trials. I think it is amazing that God granted Paul another chance to do His will. We will have trials, but those trials should strengthen and encourage us, even if we are knocked down.

Acts 13- Varied Results of The Gospel

42 As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath.

43 Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.

44 The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.

45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.

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50 But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.

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God has called us to share the incredible news that Christ died to pay the penalty of OUR sins. He did not stay dead, but concured the Grave and was raised to life after three days. That was his purpose in coming; to make us forever free from sin. We are no longer slaves to sin, but we have the choice to glorify God by our actions. We can finally choose to please God, the Mighty Creator of the Universe. Before Christ atoned for our sins, we could do nothing but sin. Even our "good" actions were as evil in God's eyes.

Thank God for sacrificing His Perfect Son for us all!

That is the Gospel. Jesus told us to share it in "the Great Commission". But as we see here in the early Church, there are different results. Some (those appointed to eternal life) believe and rejoice, others become jealous or angry and will try to run you out of town. But notice the results were not the responsibility of the sharers, that is in God's hands.

So, what are we afraid of? What prevents us from sharing the Gospel?

Acts 12- Give God the Glory

21On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them.

22The people kept crying out, "The voice of a god and not of a man!"

23And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

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God has blessed us in so many ways. We need to be careful to make sure that we give God the credit. It is easy to think that we are responsible for all the wonderful things that we do. But we need to remember that all good things come from God. Anything we do on our own is lacking when compared to the Righteousness of God!

How has God blessed you today?

Acts 11- Follow Christ Immediately

11"And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from (H)Caesarea.

12"(I)The Spirit told me to go with them (J)without misgivings.

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Peter was asked to go with some strange men by God. This is a strange thing to be asked, but God was asking, so Peter obeyed.

We need to be listening to God (by reading His Word and Prayer) so that we are ready to respond to God, Immediately.

What are some things God has asked you to do?

New Commitment- Spiritual Leadership

I had a great time learning and fellowshiping with other men from my Church this weekend. It was Salem Heights Church Men's Retreat. Basically we go to the mountains, dig into The Word, have fun and eat well. It is also a time to think about how I can be a better father, husband and all around better Ambassador of Christ.

For several years I have been convicted about how I lead my family, spiritually. I would say I have done alright, but most of this has been on my own effort. One of the things emphasized this weekend by our speaker, Dr. Jason Lee, was the time wasted trying on our own. Real change only takes place when we allow Christ to change us as He wills. Important note: that is as HE WILLS, not as we think He wants us to be.

Devotional time with the family has always been a struggle for me to keep up with. Weather it is an improper priority or just selfishness, something always gets in the way.

My Goal is to post a brief thought each morning and then meditate on that thought throughout the day. Then to share with my family at dinner (or whenever we are all together) what I have learned. So there it is, check in to see how I am doing...

Thanks for your prayers!