Read Acts 9

And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the
disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not
believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took
him and brought him to the apostles.
(Acts 9:26-27)

Thoughts… I wonder what would have happened to Paul if it hadn’t been for Barnabas. Paul had been marvelously converted on the road to Damascus, but his fierce and frightening reputation as a persecutor of the church understandable kept the believers from fully embracing him.

Every time Paul tried to join the fellowship, he was treated like he had the plague. But then Barnabas showed up and took a chance with Paul. He came alongside this new convert, put his own reputation on the line, vouched for the authenticity of Paul’s conversion, and literally walked him by the hand into a meeting with the Apostles. As we now know, Paul ultimately became the all-time greatest theologian, evangelist and driving force of the church, but it was Barnabas who gave him his first big break.

We first met Barnabas back in Acts 4:35-37. Actually, his name was Joseph, but he had such a reputation for showing up and helping at just the right time that the Apostles nicknamed him Barnabas—which means, “son of encouragement.”

What a reputation to have! And what a needed ministry in the church today! There are probably a number of folks like Paul, trying to live down less than ideal reputations, who need to “draft” behind the reputation of someone like Barnabas for awhile.

Perhaps you can think of someone in your church, class or small group who just can’t seem to catch a break. Their reputation precedes them, and as a result, the group is reluctant to fully embrace them. What might happen if you came alongside them, like a Barnabas to a Paul, and poured your encouragement into their life.

You never know, you just might release greatness in the next Paul!

Prayer… Lord, show me where I need to risk an investment of encouragement in someone’s life today.

One More Thing… “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.” —William Arthur Ward

Read Acts 8

At that time a great persecution arose against the church which
was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the
regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
(Acts 8:1)

Thoughts… Acts 8:1 couldn’t have been very much fun for these first century believers, but it is likely that it was the only way to fulfill Acts 1:8,

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus never intended for his followers to stay in their comfortable Jerusalem nest; there was a “Judea, Samaria and the end of the earth” where he wanted his witness proclaimed. But things were going very well for the believers in Jerusalem. The church was thriving, growth was phenomenal, there was great favor upon them in the city. This was a pretty good deal for them—why would they leave such a good thing?

But it wasn’t God’s thing. There was a world to be won. So he used this persecution to remove the feathers and get them out of the nest. Verse 4 of chapter 8 adds, “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” That was God’s thing!

How many times has that story been repeated in your life? Has God ever used persecution, hardship, failure and sorrow to get you out of your comfort zone and onto a new and better calling? Last night a friend was sharing with me about a mutual acquaintance who had been recently and unexpectedly released from his job. After several months, a new and greater ministry opportunity had finally opened up for which he is much better suited than in his previous role. This man commented to my friend, “God is finally using this to my advantage.” My friend wisely replied, “No, God was using this all along to position you for this better place of service.”

The truth is, this man would have never left his former employment because he was so comfortable there. God allowed a little persecution to get him out of his comfortable nest and onto God’s greater purposes for his life. God had to use Acts 8:1 to get him going on Acts 1:8.

Perhaps there is some discomfort in your life right now. I would suggest that you begin to look at it from this perspective. It is highly likely that the hardship you are currently experiencing is in reality, a grace disguised.

Prayer… Lord, help me to see my thorns as my path to my crown!

One More Thing… “No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.” — William Penn

Read Acts 7

But Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and
saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of
God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the
Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
(Acts 7:55-56)

Thoughts… Whether reading about the death of Stephen here in Acts, or the stories of the saints in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, or even modern day accounts of Christians dying for their faith, your tremendous admiration for these martyrs is likely mixed with the realization that you could never face death with such grace and confidence.

Yes you could! Time and time again we read where God has given special grace to those he counts worthy to die for their faith. In fact, I would be so bold as to call martyrdom a gift of the Spirit.

As he did in Acts 6, the author again makes clear that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. There is no other explanation for Stephen’s death-defying boldness in declaring truth to his adversaries, his clear vision into the unseen realm, his peacefulness in the midst of the most painful type of death, and his willingness to forgive those who were guilty of killing him.

That kind of calm is supernatural. That’s why you can’t imagine having it yourself. You don’t—not naturally, anyway. But in the unlikely event that you are called upon to give your life for the cause of Christ, the Holy Spirit will infuse you, too, with this gift of grace.

In March of 2007, a Muslim man named Bekele, his wife, eight children, and several from his extended family, all joyfully received Christ as their personal savior in one of the Ethiopian villages where the missions foundation I serve planted a church.

The Muslim leaders in this village were angered by Bekele’s conversion. They came to his house the following week to demand that Bekele renounce his faith in Jesus and return to the mosque for their Friday service. To make their point, they beat him, but Bekele remained strong in his new faith. The transformation in his life was so profound that even though he was just a couple of days old in the Lord, he actually began to witness to his persecutors. He told them that they, too, needed to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Ignoring the demands of these Muslim leaders, Bekele didn’t attend mosque that Friday, so the following evening, they returned to his house armed with clubs and knives. After tying up his wife and pelting her with rocks, they again beat Bekele, but he remained strong. The Muslim leaders became so enraged at Bekele’s refusal to recant faith in Christ that they slit his throat with a knife.

Bekele, less than a week old in the Christian faith, and having received no formal instruction in the way of Christ, remained true to Jesus. On that day, Bekele bled to death, the first Christian martyr among our Ethiopian church plants.

That is a special gift granted by the Holy Spirit. You won’t know that you have it, but it will be there if you need it.

Prayer… Lord, like Stephen, the martyrs of the church, and a simple convert named Bekele, I, too, want to be so full of the Holy Spirit that I can not only die courageously, but more importantly, live courageously as your faithful witness.

One More Thing… “The highest honor that God can confer upon his children is the blood-red crown of martyrdom. The jewels of a Christian are his afflictions. The regalia of the kings that God has made, are their troubles, their sorrows, and their griefs. Griefs exalt us, and troubles lift us.” — Charles Spurgeon

Read Acts 6

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great
wonders and signs among the people.
(Acts 6:8)

Thoughts… “But I’m just a layman!” Those words may not be spoken openly, but I think they represent an attitude that is fairly prevalent among average churchgoers. Behind those words is this mentality: “I am not a pastor. I don’t have theological training. I’m not gifted. I’m not able to do much more than simply show up and offer moral support.”

I am glad Stephen didn’t feel that way. He, too, was “just a layman.” He was not theologically trained nor did he have a special calling to be a pastor. But out of the rank and file churchgoers in Jerusalem, this faithful man was selected by his peers, along with six others, to be a deacon—one who would take care of the daily organizational demands of this growing church so the Apostles could concentrate on their prayer and preaching ministry.

Stephan was an ordinary man set apart by the Holy Spirit for an ordinary job—to wait on tables (verse 2). However, there is nothing ordinary about a simple ministry assignment in the church. Behind ordinary jobs the Holy Spirit has extraordinary purposes in mind—as we find out in Stephen’s story.

Stephen’s ministry in the church was brief—he was martyred in the following chapter—but his brevity was oh so bright! Stephen, “just a layman,” selected to wait on tables, was used by God to perform great wonders and outstanding signs in the church.

Why Stephen, who was “just a layman”? The text points out that it was his faith. That was the key to his extraordinarily powerful life. He was full of faith! Not just saving faith—every Christian has that. It was that little measure of faith that God has given every believer, including you and me, that Stephen took and leveraged for all it was worth. Stephen turned his mustard seed faith into an “I’m taking God at his word and living my life accordingly, in scorn of the consequences” kind of faith, and that faith transformed this ordinary man into a fired up layman.

Great miracles and outstanding signs are reserved not only for pastors and evangelist, but for ordinary, everyday laymen, too—including you. In whatever you are doing, as simple and ordinary as it may seem, offer your measure of faith for the Holy Spirit’s use and he will use you for extraordinary purposes.

Prayer… Holy Spirit, I offer you this ordinary life and this ordinary day for your extraordinary purposes.

One More Thing… “God loves to effect His greatest works by means tending under ordinary circumstances to produce the very opposite of what is to be done.” — Christopher Wordsworth

Read Acts 5

“Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?
And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine…”
(Acts 5:28)

Thoughts… If you didn’t take the time, go back and read Acts 5—you’ll enjoy it! This is Christianity at its best. This is church as it was meant to be. This is real power evangelism and authentic church growth. This is the unstoppable force Jesus had in mind when he said to Peter and the others, “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

I don’t know about you, but I long for this scene to be replayed in my church. I’m not too excited about the jail and flogging part, but to cause such a holy upheaval through the our active witness in the community is church as Christ intended. I would pay good money to see that.

I have seen that, by the way. This past year in a training session I led in Ethiopia, I interviewed a twenty-three year old church planter name Mulu. Two years prior in one of our conferences, Mulu had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. Full of the Spirit, he went out to a remote Muslim-dominated village and began to preach Christ.

He led so many of villagers to faith that the Muslim leaders hired an assassin to shoot Mulu. When Mulu walked into the assassin’s path, the man couldn’t pull the trigger. So the assassin went to Mulu to ask him to explain this powerful force that had prevented him from pulling the trigger. Mulu led his would-be killer to Christ.

So the Muslims threw Mulu into jail, thinking that would put a stop to his teaching. Within three days, Mulu led 43 prisoners to Christ, so the jailers threw him out of jail. To make an exciting but very long story short, despite threats, beatings, assassination attempts, intimidation and jail, Mulu, this twenty-three year old, uneducated church planter has led over 2,000 people, many of them Muslims, to faith in Christ in the last two years.

Peter…Mulu…you…me: It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, what your circumstances are, once the Holy Spirit truly gets hold of us, we will cause a holy uproar wherever we go.

Prayer… Holy Spirit, take hold of my life, and turn me into a holy terror!

One More Thing… “The triumphant Christian does not fight for victory; he celebrates a victory already won.” —Reginald Wallis

Read Acts 4

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were uneducated and untrained
men, they marveled. And they realized that
they had been with Jesus.
(Acts 4:13)

Thoughts… Peter and John didn’t have much—no money, no position, no education, no religious pedigree. They were simple Galilean fishermen—blue collar, hardhat types who were now standing before the most august body of religious leaders in the land. And not only were they holding their own, they were blowing these highbrow Jewish leaders right out of the theological water.

The Jews wanted them to stop using the name of Jesus. They thought they had taken care of the “Jesus” problem when they had him crucified. They figured his small band of uneducated, backwoods followers would disband and go away once their leader was dead and buried. Now here they were, not only teaching in the temple and perpetuating this myth, they had actually healed a man who had been crippled for over 40 years. What were they going to do with these pesky disciples?

Peter, who had publicly denied Jesus just a few weeks prior, and John, who had fled naked into the night when Jesus was arrested, now standing toe-to-toe and looking eyeball-to-eye-ball with these intimidating leaders, told them in no uncertain terms that it would be impossible to quit preaching about Jesus and healing in his name since salvation came only through Jesus, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Since the man who had been healed was standing right there as living proof of Peter and John’s message, the Jews had no alternative but leave this narrow, intolerant theology alone and let these ignorant men go. But on the way out, the Jewish council paid the highest compliment any follower of Christ could ever receive—that they had been with Jesus.

You may not have much of a religious pedigree. You may not be well versed in Christian theology. You may not be naturally winsome, articulate, or all that likeable. Your “cool factor” may be pretty much non-existent. In your own self-assessment (and the assessment of others, too), you lack more than you have. Doesn’t matter!

What you do have trumps all that you don’t have. You have every possibility that Peter and John had to “be with Jesus.”

That is the greatest goal any and every Christian can have, including you—that at the end of the day, the only thing people could do with you would be to take note that you had been with Jesus.

Make that your goal. And then, simply begin to hang out with Jesus.

Prayer… Father, enable me to live my life in such a way that when I am dead and buried, they will write on my headstone, “He had been with Jesus!”

One More Thing… “By the time the average Christian gets his temperature up to normal, everybody thinks he has a fever!” —Watchman Nee

Read Acts 3

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do
have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
(Acts 3:6)

Thoughts… The proper title of the book of Acts is “The Acts of the Apostles,” but in reality, it should be “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.” Nothing else explains the complete metamorphosis of these disciples into mighty apostles—especially the transformation of Peter. Without the Spirit’s indwelling and empowering work in their lives, if we had this history of early Christianity at all, it would probably have been entitled, “The Attempts of the Disciples,” and the subtitle might well have been, “Close, But No Cigars.”

You cannot help but be impressed with the dramatic change in the big-mouthed, braggadocios Peter. He was always passionate, if nothing else, but was terribly unfocused. Peter was all over the map prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Like a cross-eyed javelin thrower, Peter never set any records, but he sure kept the crowd awake.

Now, through the Spirit, there was a laser-like focus that had turned Peter’s passion into power and his out-of-control expressiveness into finely tuned eloquence. Jesus prediction that Peter would become a rock was well on its way to coming true. Indeed, the Lord’s prediction in Acts 1:8 had materialized: Peter and the others had been baptized in the Spirit, and the first result had been this dramatic empowerment for witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

What is most exciting about the Acts of the Holy Spirit, however, is that it is not just history, it is an ongoing saga, a work of non-fiction still being written. If you were to flip to the end of the book, you will notice in Acts 28:31 that the author, Luke, doesn’t close with, “the end.” There is no “that’s all, folks.”

Acts is the only book in the Bible that doesn’t have a close. It is the never-ending story. And here is the exciting part: You are Acts 29! You are the next chapter, waiting to be written! That’s why there is no end. The Holy Spirit is still at work in the world, and he desires to transform you just as he did Peter, turning your passion into power and your unfocused expressiveness into finely tuned eloquence. Or perhaps your personality is more reserved than Peter’s. Not to worry—the same Holy Spirit can energize your reticence and modesty as well.

Here’s the deal: You are one encounter with the Holy Spirit away from becoming Acts 29. So if you are interested, talk to the Holy Spirit about the possibilities!

Prayer… Holy Spirit, here I am. Fill me, empower and equip me, and use me to be the continuation of your Acts in the world today. I pray as St. Augustine prayed, “Breath in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.” May the life and ministry of Jesus flow out of me.

One More Thing… “Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.” —Corrie Ten Boom