Category: Acts

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

Notice what Paul says in verse 28. This was the scandal of the judicial murder of Jesus that Paul once wholeheartedly agreed with (Acts 26:9,10). Why is jealousy such a curse within the Church?

SJA Notes

* Dear God, please arrest our thoughts and soften our hearts today as we read Your word.

“For those who live in Jerusalem and their rules, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.”

It was important for Jewish people at this time to hear that when the prophets (the old testament) were read every Sabbath, that these readings proclaimed Jesus.

It is important today for us to hear as well!

God’s word is not a divided book. It is not a tale of two dissonant halves, or sixty-six books that contradict each other.

It is ONE WORD.

And that word is bound up in Jesus, who in such as wonderful supernatural hard-to-comprehend way was God’s word BECOME FLESH.

Look at how the Gentiles took up the wonderful good news of Jesus,

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

Hallelujah, what a Saviour we have!

* Gracious Lord,

Thank You that You save sinners from every nation, tribe and tongue.

Thank You for calling a sinner such as me.

Amen.

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

On this first missionary journey, Barnabas was the leader. In the confrontation with Bar-Jesus before Sergius Paulus, Saul takes the lead. (From this point on in Acts, Luke refers to him by his Roman name Paul.) What does this incident tell you about Barnabas as a person?

SJA Notes

* Lord God, thank You for this day. Please help us hear Your word in our ears, please write it on our hearts.

“Manaen, a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, …”

The Lord calls us from all walks of life, from the lowly through to the proud and lofty.

Look at one member of the church in Antioch.

Manaen, a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch.

Herod!

This is the Herod (a titled name) that treated Jesus with contempt and mockery, seen in Luke 23:6-12.

And yet God called a close friend of his, saving into His kingdom.

God does not operate as we would, God does not show the partiality we would.

Sometimes we can forget our God calls such as these.

This is a good reminder that the lost who Jesus came to save, these lost can be found from all of life, across the global, from the least to the greatest in human perspective, from all the great spectrum of humanity.

* Father God,

Please save our loved ones Lord, those friends and family who do not know You.

Please save those folk we meet regularly and those we bump into now and then.

Please save the poor and homeless, please save the rich and powerful, please save from the betweens.

Amen.

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

Herod (different from the king who met the wise men) sought to overcome Jesus, by persecuting the church. His subsequent horrible death was a vindication of the Gospel. Jesus is greater than the Herods of this world. Herod’s persecution died with him. Christ increased!

SJA Notes

* Holy God, Your word is true. Please show us truth today.

“But the word of God increased and multiplied.”

In the midst of great persecution, even to death, we see God’s word at work.

Increase and Multiplication.

How can a word increase? How can a word multiply?

God’s Spirit plants the seed, His word, in us the soil.

God’s Spirit writes His word on our hearts, growing it within us.

There is INCREASE when God’s word is in us, consumed by us, dwelt on and wrestled with, prayed over and put into practice.

God’s word does not return empty, it accomplishes God’s desire and achieves the purpose He sends it with.

God’s word in the good news of Jesus, all of it, and we are called to tell it to the nations!

God’s word in us produces fruit, the good soil causing thirty, sixty, a hundred-fold.

There is MULTIPLICATION when God’s word is proclaimed by us, preached from our pulpits, spoken of in our conversations, held up by us in our every-day lives – God’s word _goes out_ from us, the Holy Spirit multiplies it.

May the word of God increase and multiply in and around us today and onwards!

* God Above,

Thank You for planting Your word within us, may it be a seed in the good soil, bearing forth fruit.

Mark us as a faithful people Lord God, going about with Your word on our hearts – May we see increase and multiplication of Your word Lord!

Amen.