Acts 11 what's Happening.

 

Acts 11 – What’s Happening?

 

Some people make things happen. Peter was available to the Lord, and God used him to officially bring gentile believers into the church. The wall between Jews and Gentiles had been broken down (Eph. 2:11ff)! The news was astounding to the Jewish believers, for they thought the Gentiles must first become Jewish proselytes before they could become Christians. Thank God that Peter was the kind of person who makes things happen!

Some people hear that things happen. This includes most of us, but how do you respond when you hear that God has done something new? Do you sincerely try to get the facts, or do you depend on hearsay? We are to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:22).

Some people oppose things happening. The legalistic members of the Jerusalem assembly attacked Peter for eating with the Gentiles, so he explained how God had led. He proved from scripture that what happened was the will of God, and his explanation silenced his critics for the time. However, the legalistic element in the church would rise again and seek to limit the freedom of the gospel.

Some people help other people make things happen. Barnabas enlisted Saul and put him to work in the Antioch church, which led to their going together to the Gentiles with the message of salvation. Barnabas lived up to his name of “son of encouragement”.

Antioch was the third largest city below Rome and Alexandria. It had a population of 5 to 800 thousand people. The morality of this city was not good but there were many Gentiles who had converted to Christianity during Paul and Barnabas stay. It was during the coming famine that the churches in Jerusalem and Antioch pulled together and helped each other through the hard times. This is a great example of taking what knowledge we have in Christ and sharing it with those who have not heard it and then helping each other through the bad times.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah.

 

 

 

Acts 10 Peter and Cornelius

 

Acts 10 – Peter and Cornelius

 

Cornelius was a Centurion, a commander of 100 men in the Roman Army. Centurions were men of considerable character as they are always mentioned in a good light in the Bible.

Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, was being prepared for his life’s work; Peter was about to break down the barriers between Jews and Gentiles.

But God had to prepare both Peter and Cornelius. God spoke to Cornelius while he was praying and to Peter while he was relaxing. Be alert to the voice of God; you never know when He may have a word for you.

“Not so, Lord! For I have never…” is the response that leads to defeat. God was about to do a new thing, and Peter wanted to hold on to the old. He calls Him Lord but refuses to obey Him! Yet God tenderly instructed Peter, and the Apostle surrendered to His will.

This journey that Peter took was said to be about a thirty-mile journey by foot from Joppa to Caesarea. Upon arrival and hearing what Cornelius has to say, Peter’s vision becomes clearer in understanding to him.

In the early church, it was hard for Jewish believers to comprehend that Gentiles might also become Christians. It was a critical time in the growth of the early church, and God made it clear that the Good News would be for everyone. Today, we must not allow any prejudice concerning such things as race, language, economic status, education, or geography to keep us from sharing the message of salvation with the world. God’s Word as well as His love is for everyone.

When Peter said, “Whosoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins”, they believed and were saved. What a great way to stop a sermon!

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

J, Vernon McGee Through the Bible

 

Acts 9 Saul's Conversion

 

Acts 9 – Saul’s Conversion

Saul, (who later was called Paul) probably thought he had it made. As a young and zealous Pharisee, he knew God’s word thoroughly. He had studied under a well-known Jewish rabbi, Gamaliel, and had apparently learned his lessons well. So well, in fact, that when the sect of the Nazarene (people who believed that Jesus was the Messiah) began to grow and flourish, Saul did all he could to stop it. Along with many of his fellow Pharisees, Saul thought that Jesus of Nazareth was a deceived man, certainly not the promised Messiah. Therefore, Jews who became Christians were considered traitors and deserved to be rounded up, locked up, and even killed.

That all changed one day on the road to Damascus. Saul was on his way to find and arrest more Christians who had fled from Jerusalem. On the road that day, Saul met Christ and was never the same again. Paul’s early training took on a whole new aspect. The scriptures he had so diligently studied opened up with a brand-new understanding. He saw Christ throughout God’s Word, and he saw Him as the fulfillment of the prophecies.

It would be correct to say that Paul changed. Yet he merely made the logical move from being a Jew to accepting the Messiah of Israel and becoming a Christian, his belief system found its completion in Christ. As Paul restudied the scriptures, God opened his mind to see Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all of God’s promises.

As people come to Christ, many find Him to be the logical answer to their deepest questions. Others are surprised by who He is and what He has done for them. God has no set pattern or time frame for changing people’s lives with His presence. Some will be convinced immediately, others will take more time; some will be slow to change. But we can know for sure that when Christ enters people’s lives, they will never be the same!

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.      J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

 

Acts 8 The Death of Stephen

 

Acts 8 – The Death of Stephen

 

The death of Stephen seemed to be a defeat for the church, but it resulted in some great victories for the Lord. Wherever the believers went, they shared the gospel, and many trusted the Savior. Stephen’s witness made a tremendous impression on Saul and was instrumental in his conversion. Never give up when the enemy seems to be winning. It may be your finest hour of victory.

Like Stephen, Philip was a deacon who was also an evangelist; and God led him to witness in Samaria to people hostile to the Jews (John 4:9). The coming of Peter and John and the giving of the Holy Spirit linked the Samaritan believers to the saints in Jerusalem and the ancient division was healed. The way to turn enemies into friends is to make them brothers and sisters in Christ.

In times of great blessing, wherever God sows true seed, the devil sows a counterfeit (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43). Like Peter, we must be alert and exercise discernment.

Philip left a great harvest to talk to one man, but that is the mark of a true servant of the Lord. He traveled through Samaria as a one-man gospel army. It was in Samaria that God paced the Ethiopian and Philip for a divine appointment. The Ethiopian believed and was baptized and went back to his home with a message of salvation! We must go where God sends us, do what God tells us, and leave the results with Him.

Sometimes we find God in the strangest places. Sometimes divine appointments come when we least expect one. As people search for God, you may be the one whom God sends to explain a passage, offer a word of truth or encouragement, or simply be a friend.

We must be open for those appointments. God may want to use us to make Himself known to someone!

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better. If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible. Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.                      

 

Acts 7 Stephen's Message

Acts 7 – Stephen’s Message

 

The main thrust of Stephen’s message is that Israel always resisted the truth and rejected the deliverers God sent to them. They opposed Moses and repeatedly wanted to return to Egypt. They opposed Joseph, and he later became their redeemer! They rejected the many prophets God sent to warn them and call them back to His way. Finally, they rejected their own Messiah and crucified Him.

Israel’s history reveals the patience of God and the hardness of man’s heart. But it also reveals a ray of hope: Israel rejected their deliverers the first time but accepted them the second time. That was true of Moses and Joseph, and it will be true of Jesus when He returns (Zech. 12:10).

Stephen’s death was the third murder in Israel’s history and a turning point in God’s dealings with the nation. They had rejected the Father when they allowed John the Baptist to be slain; they had rejected the Son when they asked for Jesus to be crucified; and now they had rejected the Holy Spirit. There could be no more forgiveness (Matt. 12:31-32). The line has been crossed, and the gospel moved out of Judea and Samaria.

Even though the Israelites knew that Stephen’s message was true, they did not want to hear it and the more Stephen spoke, the angrier they got until they rushed in and stoned him to death. God allowed Stephen to see the glory of God and Jesus at the right hand of God before Stephen died. As Jesus Christ died on the cross with dignity and forgave His murderers, so did Stephen. He asked God not to charge them with this sin.

Today is no different than it was in Stephen’s time. There are still people grieving the Holy Spirit and there are still people turning their backs on God and worshiping idols. Let us stand firm in our faith as Stephen did and let our lights shine among men.

 

 Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better. If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible. Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

 

Acts 6 - Yield Yourself to God!

 

Acts 6 – Yield Yourself to God!

 

When you yield yourself to do God’s will, you never know what challenges you will face.

No ministry is unimportant for a Christlike servant, for Jesus said, “I am among you as the One who serve” (Luke 22:27). In serving tables, the men released the apostles for their ministry of prayer and the Word; and the result was an increase in conversions. People filled with the Spirit see no small jobs or big places. They see only their Master and the opportunity to glorify Him.

From serving tables to doing miracles! Stephen reached out to the lost and sought to win them to Christ. He was an eloquent defender of Jesus. If you are faithful with a few things, the Lord may give you many things (Matt. 25:21).

The unbelievers treated Stephen the way the Sanhedrin treated Jesus; they arrested him on trumped-up charges and hired false witnesses to testify. Stephen experienced “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10), and so will you if your witness hits home (Matt. 5:11-12). They said Stephen was opposing Moses, but he had a shining face just like Moses (Exod. 34). Those who are filled with the Spirit of God usually reflect something of that reality in their faces.

The church’s job is not only to create converts but to make disciples who teach each other and share their faith. God honors His Word, and it produces His result (Isa.55:11; Heb. 4:12).

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible

 

Acts 5 Pretending

Acts 5 – Pretending

 

Barnabas’s gift exposed the sin of Ananias and Sapphira, just as Mary’s gift exposed Judas’s sin (John 12). The couple lied to the Spirit, to the church, and to Peter, and it cost them their lives. Their sin was not in taking money from God but in pretending to be something they were not. While satan cannot fill or control believers, he can do much damage in hearts that are open to temptation. When he failed to destroy the early church, he tried to infiltrate and hinder it by prompting people to live in insincere and hypocritical ways. He still uses such tactics today.

 

Dealing with sin in the church often results in new power for the church. Can you imagine a church so spiritual that people were afraid to join them? Even Peter’s shadow had power!

 

Because the Sadducees could not tolerate evidence of resurrection power, they arrested the apostles again and told them to be quiet. “We ought to obey God rather than men” is the only position to hold when you have the Word of God on your side. Be sure it is conviction and not just opinion.

 

Gamaliel advised neutrality, which means avoiding the truth and letting satan move in (Matt. 12:30,43-45). With all the evidence they had seen, the council’s neutrality was dishonesty. It you followed Gamaliel’s advice in any area of life – science, cooking, finance, it would lead to paralysis and then death.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary. J Vernon McGee Thru the Bible

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.