Acts 10-11:18  The Lord moved Peter.. again.  He was in Joppa, waiting for lunch, when God gave him a vision.  Three times a sheet was lowered from the sky.. containing all kinds of "unclean" animals that were not permitted for the Jews to eat.  Each time Peter was told to kill and eat.. and each time he resisted.  The Lord had a lesson for Peter, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy."  Peter was learning that the Law did not have authority over the Lord.. God Himself was and is the Supreme authority!

Meanwhile, in Caesarea, we are introduced to Cornelius, the centurion,  a Gentile follower of God. Cornelius was known among the Jews for his "prayers and alms". We learn here that God noticed him too!  Cornelius also has a vision. An angel of the Lord came to him and told him to send for Peter.. in Joppa.. at the home of Simon.  Immediately, Cornelius obeyed, sending two servants and a devout soldier. These men were trusted with this important mission.. and traveled the distance  of around 38-40 miles (about 12-13 hours of walking) in just a day.  When they arrived at Simon's house and talked to Peter, he was still thinking about his vision.  The Spirit of God told Peter, "Behold, three men are looking for you. But, arise, go downstairs, and accompany them without misgiving; for I have sent them Myself." 

Peter and the men, plus some of the disciples from Joppa, went to Cornelius. Peter preached about Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon them just like he had the Jews in Jerusalem, and all those present were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.  

Peter's understanding was completely changed by this.. " I most certainly understand now 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." 

When Peter went back to Jerusalem the news had already reached them about the Gentiles and they were ready to blast Peter.. but when Peter told the whole story they "quieted down and glorified God saying ' Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.' " 

Do we realize how amazing and wonderful that event was?  Just think about how many non-Jews are now believers in Jesus Christ.  We have been granted "repentance that leads to life".. We have been welcomed into the Kingdom of God's Son!  So thankful for the grace of our God who does not show partiality. There is no nation that is exempt from God's grace if they will fear Him and come to believe in Jesus Christ the Lord.  Hallelujah! 

Father, thank You for showing us Your love for all of mankind. May every tongue and tribe and nation bow before You and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their King forever.  There are many nations today that still need to hear the good news about Jesus, so we pray that You, the Lord of the harvest, would send out workers into the fields.  Bless and strengthen Your servants around the world. We pray for those who are working in ministries like the CMA, Wycliffe, FEBC, Slavic Gospel, Remember Nu, Voice of the Martyrs, Compassion International, OMF, and Samaritan's Purse.  I'm sure there are many more that I do not know of, Lord God.. but You know them and I pray that Your Spirit will move Your servants to where the message needs to be heard.. to the hearts You have prepared.. that You will grant repentance that leads to life.. all over the world today.  We ask this, Lord God, in the name of the Savior, the Light of the World.. Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 Acts 9:32-43  "...Peter was traveling through all those parts.."  The Lord moved Peter from Jerusalem to a town called Lydda.  There he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for 8 years.  Peter had compassion on this man and said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; arise, and make your bed. And immediately he arose." 

I wonder if Peter was remembering the paralyzed man that had been let down through the roof in front of Jesus?  Or the man by the pool of Siloam who had not been able to move into the water for 38 years. What a privilege he had to be able to help this man!  Because of this many in that city and in the whole region turned to Jesus. 

The news traveled quickly and the disciples in Joppa heard that Peter was nearby. They traveled the 9 miles to Lydda and entreated Peter to come to Joppa.... for "a certain disciple named Tabitha.." had died. This woman was known for her kindness and charity. She would make garments for the widows.  She was so loved that when she died they wouldn't put her in a grave.. they washed her body and laid her in an upper room. The widows stood there weeping until Peter came into the room and sent them out. 

Peter "knelt down and prayed".  Then he turned to her and said, "Tabitha, arise".  And she did. Tabitha, the gazelle.. in Greek "Dorcas".. was returned.. alive.. to her friends and fellow disciples in Joppa. God was moving there.. and so that is where Peter stayed for "many days".

Father in heaven, we come to You today, asking that You will move in our town and region.. that the Name of Jesus would be preached and that many more will believe and turn their lives over to You. We pray for Your church to be filled with disciples like Tabitha.. abounding in deeds of kindness and charity.. showing the love of Christ to those in need.  Help us to be fully surrendered to Your will, witnesses of Your power to save the lost and to bring life to the dying.  We are Your servants.. use us for Your purposes we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.

 Acts 9:19-31  "Now for several days he (Saul) was with the disciples who were at Damascus."   The newly saved and transformed Saul began to preach Jesus.  He went to the synagogues.. the same ones that he had planned to visit in order to detain Christians.. telling everyone there that "Jesus is the Son of God."  People there had heard all about Saul, the persecutor.. but were stunned when he came as Saul the disciple of Jesus Christ.  Saul took all the knowledge that he had gained as a student of Gamaliel.. and filled by the Holy Spirit he confounded the Jews.. "by proving that this Jesus is the Christ." 

It didn't take long for the Jews to begin plotting to kill Saul. So, those who had become his disciples took him and put him in a large basket. They lowered him out of a window on the city wall and he traveled back to Jerusalem.  Saul tried to approach disciples there in Jerusalem, but they were all afraid of him, until Barnabas "took hold of him" , brought him to the apostles, and "described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus." 

It wasn't long.. again.. before Saul became a target of the Jews.  Again others took hold of Saul and sent him to Caesarea where he boarded a ship to Tarsus. The next we read about Saul is when Barnabas goes to Tarsus to find him and bring him to Antioch where together, they led the church there. (Acts 11:25-26)

I noticed something about Saul/Paul in this passage.  After meeting Jesus on the road, Saul was led by the hand into Damascus.. he sight was restored by Ananias, his disciples took him and lowered him in the basket.. Barnabas brought him to meet the apostles.. the brethren took him to Caesarea and put him on a boat to Tarsus.. and finally Barnabas brought him to Antioch. 

Saul did not determine his own path but allowed the Lord to order his steps. The Lord used others in his life to move him to where God wanted him to preach that Jesus is the Christ.  Proverbs 16:9 says, "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Saul seems to have learned that truth from the beginning of his walk with Jesus.  He would find this true for the rest of his life.. willingly allowing the Lord to move him wherever He chose.. even to prison.. even to death. 

Father in heaven, we do like to make plans for ourselves.. but we know that Your plans are always better and so we willingly lay our lives down and ask for You to direct our steps.  Your will be done!  We ask that You would work in us both to will and to do what pleases You.  Move us, take us, bring us, and yes, when You see fit, bring us Home.  Help us to rest in Jesus,  for we are the branches and He is the Vine.. do as You desire so that we will bear fruit for the glory of Your Holy Name. Come and have Your way Spirit of God, flow in us and through us we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.

 Acts 9 " 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.. " 

Damascus claims to be the oldest capital city in the world.  It has existed for around 5000 years.  It is now the capital of Syria, home to over 2 million people.  Over the years Damascus was ruled by many different nations and religions.  One of the oldest mosques was at one time a church named for John the Baptist.  Two of the main trade highways went through Damascus in Paul's day.  It was an important center of the Middle East. There were many Jews that moved to Damascus during the Roman occupation of Israel, establishing synagogues throughout the area.  Paul was motivated to make sure that Christianity was not moving into this major city.. 

But.. we know that Paul was actually being moved.. not by his own indignation.. but by the Spirit of God. Paul had.. unknowingly.. traveled to a personal encounter with the Living Lord on that road to Damascus. 

It began with a flash of light from heaven that knocked him to the ground.  Then he heart the voice, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"  His answer  reveals the beginning of Saul's transformation by the power of God's grace.. "Who art Thou, Lord?"   There was no doubt in Saul's mind at that point that he was in the Presence of Someone so great that He should be called "Lord".   The Lord answered Saul, " I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.. " 

The men around Saul were speechless... but Saul was blinded. He had to be led by the hand into the city of Damascus. For three days Saul fasted.. blind and overwhelmed...he prayed.  On the third day the Lord directed a reluctant Ananias to go to Saul and lay his hands on him. The Lord told Ananias that Saul was His "chosen instrument.. to bear [His] Name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel." 

Saul received his sight.. was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Only then did he eat some food and was "strengthened".  From persecutor to believer.. look what one encounter with the Living Lord can do!

Father in heaven, You are great and mighty.. able to change the hardest hearts.. You alone can transform lives!  Thank You for loving us so much that we can come to You... because You choose us to be Your own. We are overwhelmed by Your grace and patience and kindness.. knowing that we are nothing.. helpless to save ourselves.. fully and utterly dependent on Your Spirit to bring us into Your Presence.. whether on a road.. or in a church.. we thank You for calling us by name and revealing our sins.. and forgiving us our trespasses.May we glorify Your name in all we do today, Lord, we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Acts 8:25-40 It seems that Philip traveled back towards Jerusalem with Peter and John, but somewhere along the way an angel spoke to him, telling him to take the desert road to Gaza.  Gaza was located south west of Jerusalem, towards the Mediterranean Sea.  The Lord led Philip to meet an Ethiopian court official along the road.  This man worked directly for the queen of Ethiopia called Candace.  He was in charge of all of the queen's treasure, and "he had come to Jerusalem to worship." 

The man had procured a copy of the scroll of Isaiah and was reading it aloud as he traveled by carriage or chariot along the road.  The Holy Spirit told Philip to catch up to the carriage and so he ran along the road and heard the man reading.  He asked him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 

Well it just so happened that he was reading Isaiah 53  which is the Messianic prophecy about Jesus being "led as a sheep to slaughter".  The man wondered if this was Isaiah talking about himself or someone else and Philip "preached Jesus to him."  Whatever scriptures Philip used we are not told.. how long they talked we do not know.. but it was enough that the man ordered the chariot to stop when they came across some water and he asked to be baptized!

Philip spoke again " If you believe with all your heart, you may" The man testified clearly, " I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."  Then Philip baptized him right then and there!  The man went his way rejoicing.. but Philip was swept away by the Spirit and found himself in another town, Azotus ( Ashdod) miles away.   

Philip just kept walking north along the sea, stopping at city after city "preaching the gospel".  He ended up in Caesarea. Caesarea was an important city because it was the place that Herod the Great had built.  It had a great harbor where Paul would sail from and it was the place of his trial before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa. The city had a majority of Greek citizens. 

It appears that Philip established a church there in Caesarea.. In Acts 21:8 we are told that Paul and his team stayed with Philip on his way to Jerusalem.  Philip had "four virgin daughters who were prophetesses".  It was at that time that Agabus, another prophet from Judea, came and took Paul's belt and tied up his own feet and hands to demonstrate what was going to happen when Paul went to Jerusalem.  The church wept for Paul and begged him not to go.. but Paul knew that he had to anyway.  There were disciples from this church that accompanied Paul to Jerusalem. Some of these may have been the Greeks that were seen with Paul and thought to have been brought into the temple.. leading to Paul's arrest. 

Father in heaven,  thank You for men like Philip and Paul and others who preached Jesus!  May godly men and women, filled by Your Spirit, moved by Your Spirit, and even swept away by Your Spirit.. continue to preach Jesus wherever they go!  Fill us today, that we might hear Your voice and find those who You are sending us to.. and tell them about Jesus Christ.  Bless Your servants today Lord God. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Acts 8:4-24  Philip was one of the 7 men chosen to serve in the church, but when the church was scattered because of the persecution in Jerusalem, Philip went to Samaria.  He began preaching and "proclaiming Christ".  He also performed many signs and wonders, casting out unclean spirits and healing those in need.  The whole city was rejoicing because of what God was doing among them. 

One man in particular came to Philip to be baptized.  Simon was a magician. He gathered a lot of followers and enjoyed the attention he received for his magic. The people called him great.. like a god..   But, when he saw the miracles that Philip was doing, he was amazed and wanted to follow along. 

When Peter and John came to Samaria after hearing what the Lord was doing there, they began laying hands on the believers so that they could receive the Holy Spirit.  Here is where Simon's heart was revealed to the apostles... for he wanted the power to also lay hands on people to give them the Holy Spirit and he was willing to pay for that authority...  Immediately Peter rebuked him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God." 

Peter said that Simon's heart was full of bitterness and he was a slave of iniquity. He told Simon to repent and to "pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you."  Simon, in return, asked them to pray for him themselves.. 

Did Simon repent? Did he find true forgiveness?  Did he receive the Holy Spirit? We are not told.  Hopefully he humbled himself before the Lord and found salvation and freedom from the strongholds that Satan had trapped him in. 

Father in heaven, there are many people who claim to believe in Christ Jesus and may even be baptized.. but their hearts are still not right before You.  We need You, Holy Spirit, to examine all of our  hearts and bring us to full repentance and forgiveness in Jesus.. Set us free from every sin and stronghold that may keep us from having a right heart before You. Keep us, Lord, in the shelter of Your love and grace. Bring us into the fullness of Your Presence to the glory of Your Name we pray. Amen.

 Acts 8:1-3  "And Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death." Saul was a "young man" at the time of Stephen's death. He did not participate in the actual stoning.. but he was there, looking on with approval. It inspired in him a spirit of anger... and he "began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison." No wonder the church scattered.. leaving Jerusalem, where a "great persecution arose against the church." Saul was in the center of that great persecution.

These verses in Acts 8 introduce us to Saul.. at his worst. He testified about this himself.. 

Acts 22:4  "And I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prison."

Acts 26:9-11 "So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities." 

Paul wrote to Timothy about this also, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service; even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor... " In I Timothy 1:15 he wrote, "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all." 

Saul/Paul never tried to deny his former life.. he never forgot the evil things that he had done. But.. he knew the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ who became his Savior and Lord.. It is Jesus who made him a new creation.. who gave him a new Spirit.. who completely changed his life and calling. 

Saul had listened to the words of Stephen and had watched him die. He only felt anger and hatred for those who believed. Yet, God chose to call him into a intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.. filling him with the Holy Spirit.. and using him to preach the Gospel.. and to die for the Name that is above all names...only God could change a man so drastically and perfectly. Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

Father in heaven, we are thankful that You sent Jesus Christ into this world to save sinners. You see every heart and know every one of us.. You alone can make us a new creation through faith in Jesus Christ. Fill us, Holy Spirit, that we might be Your ambassadors, telling others how You changed our lives.. removing us from being slaves to the dominion of darkness.. and making us citizens of the Kingdom of Light. All praise to You, God our Father, and to Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.