Continue In Grace

Acts 13:43

“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.”

Grace is an interesting word. Strong’s lexicon has the following definition of it: “good will, loving-kindness, favour, the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues”[1].

God’s grace is appropriated in our lives in many ways. First I’m reminded of Eph. 2:8-9 which says “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation or an intimate relationship with God. It is all by His grace. It is impossible to work or earn our way to heaven.

The best example of grace in the Bible is our Lord Jesus Christ. II Cor. 8:9 explains “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” We are rich because of the spiritual inheritance we have in Christ.

I’m reminded of the importance of grace in our lives when I read II Cor. 12:9. Paul had asked God to remove a “thorn in the flesh” and God’s response was “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness”. Some of us, like Paul have such strong personalities that God chooses to impact our lives in a way that causes us to constantly be reminded of God’s grace. It is sufficient for all our needs.
Finally, notice Paul’s exhortation to “continue in the grace of God”. We have a choice. Often we choose to live our lives in a legalistic manner rather than in God’s grace. We continue in God’s grace by submitting to His will on a moment by moment basis and by confessing our sins as soon as we recognize them in our lives. God can only fulfill His will for us as we live gracefully.

[1]Strong, J. 1996. Enhanced Strong's Lexicon . Woodside Bible Fellowship: Ontario

Paul’s First Sermon

Acts 13:16-41

We have recorded in this passage the first sermon from Paul we see in the Bible. We will find that although Paul is primarily a missionary to the Gentiles, he always goes first to the synagogue when he comes into a town. They were reading the Law and the Prophets there and the synagogue officials offered an opportunity to speak. Paul seized the opportunity.

Notice that Paul begins his message by relating to those in attendance. First, he gives them credit for fearing God, then he begins to review Israel’s history. The following verses (17-22) are an excellent summary of Jewish history beginning with the captivity in Egypt and including the forty years in the wilderness. He mentions the dividing of the land, the time of the judges, and the united kingdom under Saul and David.

Paul then transitions to Jesus, mentioning in verse 23 that from the offspring of David “according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus.” Following that introduction he accuses the Jews in Jerusalem with putting Jesus to death and the exclamation that “God raised Him from the dead” (v. 30). He then explains the good news of salvation (v. 38-39) and encouraged his listeners to take heed to the message. Paul subtly shares the transition from the time of the law to the time of grace.

There are some things we can learn about sharing our testimony with others from this passage. First, begin where they are. Help those that are not in right relationship with Jesus to understand that. Secondly, share the Gospel clearly. Don’t beat around the bush. Finally, encourage those who are listening to make a decision to trust Christ as their Savior. This outline applies to anything you are teaching and may be stated generally as know your audience and begin where they are, clearly state the problem, and then provide the answer with an exhortation to action.

I know that you will be given many opportunities to share the Gospel before many. Paul gives you an outstanding example of how to do that in this passage. I encourage you to be faithful as God gives you opportunity. He will bless you for your faithfulness.

Recognition Of False Teachers

Acts 13: 6-12

One of Satan’s tools is the use of a false prophet; someone who distorts the Word of God or denies it. We see this situation occurring in this passage. Paul and Barnabas recognized the man for who he was and condemned him for what he was doing. We must all be constantly on guard for this device of Satan.

Consider the ways Satan may use a false prophet to influence you. Probably the most blatant method in our culture today is through television. It has become relatively popular to insert religion in some way into many of the programs. Most often the Word is not handled accurately. Because we see these inaccuracies so much and they are so subtle it is easy to begin to believe them.

We may also make acquaintances with those who do not believe as we do. That can easily happen as we make friendships in school, in our neighborhood or at work.

Another way is through the books or articles we read. Often a false prophet will be 99% correct in what he teaches, but the 1% is all he needs to lead Christians astray. We are also exposed to false teaching from those who teach us; perhaps in school, in seminars, or even in church.

I have also had learned individuals come into a Sunday school class and challenge my teaching. That can be instructive for me and I invite others to do that. That can also be destructive if they have misinterpreted the Word of God. While there are places we can legitimately disagree there are a few cardinal doctrines on which we must be firm.

We must examine everything we are taught by others from the perspective of the Bible. If the teaching doesn’t align with it we must either challenge it or turn away from it. That is one reason it is critical that we carefully study God’s Word daily. It is our true guide for life.
I pray that you will be a careful student of the Bible, and will challenge or turn away from those who try to lead you astray.

Barnabas and Saul

Acts 13:2

“And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Now we see Paul become the central character of the book of Acts. So far, Peter has served in that role. Soon we will notice that Saul begins to be called Paul. Saul was his Jewish name and Paul his Roman name. The emphasis in the book will now turn toward Gentiles.

I’m impressed with the way God puts people together to labor for Him. I believe He is still doing that today. We should expect Him to do that because He knows each one of us better than we know ourselves. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses as well as all the details of our personality. He knows the kind of people that work best together and those that will struggle in their relationships.

Because of that we should be very careful how we unite with others in any effort. God calls pastors to churches and he also calls men and women to leadership positions in churches. The spiritual leaders of churches need to be careful to follow God’s direction as leadership develops in the ministry. That is also true for other ministry efforts such as seminaries and para-church organizations.

I believe God puts friends together also. He brings people into our lives that can minister to us in many ways. Our close friends can be our confidants. They are always available in time of need. Remember how Barnabas aided Saul when he first became a Christian. Friends comfort us in times of sorrow. They even rebuke us when that is necessary. Saul felt the liberty to rebuke Peter when he acted hypocritically.

Psalm 18:24 says that “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”. I believe that friend is Jesus. He is one who never fails us, who is always available, who gives great counsel through the Bible and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We only have access to that friendship through a personal relationship with Him; we must accept Him as our personal Savior.
I pray that you will have a close, personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Pray – Expect An Answer

Acts 12:1-17

Today’s passage is about the story of Peter being released from prison for the second time. Herod had put James to death and now had imprisoned Peter. Notice the comment in 12:5 that “prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” Although Herod had assigned four guards to watch him each shift, probably because of the previous escape, an angel led Peter out of the prison without any hindrance. Peter realized that God was doing a work in his life (v. 11).

Peter went to the house where his friends were gathered praying and knocked on the door. A servant-girl who knew him answered the door but in her excitement didn’t let him in. She told the others he was there but they didn’t believe (v. 15). When they finally realized it was him, they were amazed.

We shouldn’t be critical, because we are still amazed when God answers our prayers, especially when it seems really difficult. Our church has recently seen God answer prayer on behalf of a young man who was told by doctors he couldn’t have a kidney transplant because of a heart problem. A later examination revealed the heart problem had been completely healed and even the doctors said it was a miracle. He has now successfully had a transplant.

The point I want to make is that when we pray we should expect God to answer. We should be amazed at who He is, His willingness to listen to us, and to love us. God reveals many times in the Bible the answer to the prayers of His people. We do need to be alert that God may not answer in the way we expect. Sometimes His answer may be “wait” and sometimes it may be “no”, but we should be confident that He knows what is best for us and He wants to accomplish His best in our lives.

Prayer is a critical part of the Christian life. Through it you can draw very close to God as you watch Him work in your life. We are given many instructions about prayer in Scripture and are exhorted often to pray. I trust that you will make it an integral part of your life.

Giving

Acts 11:29

“And in proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution, for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.”

This verse teaches us an important lesson about giving. The Christians in Antioch heard of a great famine occurring in Judea and felt led to do something about it. So they collected an offering and sent it to the elders of the churches in Judea by Saul and Barnabas.

Notice the phrase “proportion that any of the disciples had means”. This phrase speaks of proportional giving. There are a couple of other verses in Scripture that help us understand this term. The first is in I Corinthians 16:2 which instructs us “on the first day of every week, each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.” Proverbs 3:9 says “honor the Lord from your wealth, and the first of all your produce.” I think the important word in both of these sentences is “first”. Each time we receive a paycheck, the first thing we should consider is how much we should give to the Lord’s work. “First of all your produce” means your best, not your leftovers.

God desires that giving be our number one financial priority. Americans generally consider giving as their last priority. Their first priority is paying off the debt they have incurred. Then they must pay taxes to the government. Thirdly they must pay their living costs; then, hopefully set aside some for saving. If any is left over they give. This is not God’s will. He wants us to consider Him first. Recently, a region of the United States was devastated by a hurricane and there was great need. Many felt a need to help, but could not because of other financial commitments. Often we have significant needs in our churches and God expects His people to meet those needs.

Another verse teaches about our attitude in giving. II Corinthians 9: 7 teaches “each one must do as he purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” God wants giving to come from our heart. If we can’t give cheerfully, we probably shouldn’t give. You see, God doesn’t need our funds for He owns everything. We need to give for the benefit that accrues to us.
I pray that you will live your life financially so that you may be a cheerful giver.

The Church Cegins To Scatter

Acts 11;19-27

“So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch…” (11:19a)

I believe God used persecution to cause the new Christians to begin to disperse themselves around the world. These people were bold about their faith. In verse 20 we see that some of these people began speaking to the Greeks. Notice v. 21 says “the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.” The Christians back at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to see what was going on in one of the cities; Antioch, which was over 300 miles from Jerusalem.

Once again Barnabas comes into the picture and we’ll see that he will be a prominent character throughout the remainder of the book of Acts. We see several more aspects of the man here. First, he was an encourager. We all need encouragers in our lives to help us when we are down and to spur us on when we are doing well. He also had a “resolute heart to remain true to the Lord” (v. 23). I think this means he was trustworthy and faithful; he didn’t get discouraged easily. “He was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (v. 24); three characteristics that all of us should strive for.

Barnabas also knew that these new Christians needed to mature in the faith and that the job was too big for him. So he went to look for Saul to come help him. The two of them ministered in Antioch for an entire year teaching these new Christians the Scriptures. All of us have a responsibility as we mature to help others grow in the faith. We may not have been given the ability to speak to many people, but we all can study the Bible with one other person and help them grow in the faith. We can also help hold them accountable for growth in their spiritual lives.

I pray often for my children and grandchildren that they will be good students of the Word and that they will mature in the faith just as they are maturing physically. I pray that God would bring others into their lives that will help build them up and will keep them from relationships that will harm them.

I encourage you to look for a Barnabas to develop a friendship with; someone who is an encourager with a resolute heart. Make it a point to develop relationships with good people who are full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.