Listening to the Word

  Ex 39-40; Psalms 15; Acts 12   “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him…But the word of God continued to increase and spread [multiplied].” Acts 12:5, 24 This remarkable story of the deliverance of Peter from a secure jail cell on death row strengthened the faith and prayer life of the early Church. Those opposing the Gospel found that the harder they tried to stamp it out, the more the Gospel’s impact flourished. The impact of the Word of God’s in transforming lives in the midst of persecution is the current testimony of the Church in China, Laos, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Oppressive rulers will come and go, but God’s Word remains. When we oppose God’s Word, we oppose God himself. The earnest intercession of the Jerusalem Church not only released Peter from jail, but continued to increase the expansion, impact, and multiplication of God’s Word. Will we, too, pray earnestly for God’s Spirit to be poured out on our land, and for the mult...

Ex 37-38; Psalms 19; Acts 11   “They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.” Exodus 38:8 When the Israelites left Egypt they asked their Egyptian neighbors for gifts. The women had probably acquired many hand mirrors. To these women who were redeemed slaves, the mirrors would have represented a personal luxury. For the women serving others each day at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, these personal mirrors would have been highly valued. This was their freewill offering for the construction of a tabernacle. The mirrors were melted and formed into a bronze basin and stand used for the ritual cleansing that was required before people could enter the tabernacle area for worship. An item used to reflect personal beauty was transformed to focus on God’s beauty. Are there items or areas of our lives that we, too, can offer to God in worship? What are the personal “mirrors” in our lives that we could o...

Exodus 35-36; Acts 10   “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” Acts 10:34-36 The people of Israel were not the only people who lived with a sense of favoritism with regard to their special status before God. Every renewal movement in Church history has birthed denominations who then find their identity in the special ways God has met them and revealed his truth to them. We live in our church enclaves with limited awareness of God’s work of grace within other parts of the Body of Christ as well as other people groups around the world. Peter’s revelation can be ours as well - “God does not show favoritism but accepts men [and women] from every nation who fear him and do what is right”. Living the good news of peace through Jesus Christ i...

Exodus 33-34; Psalms 16; Acts 9 “The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?’” Exodus 33:14-16 The most valuable thing we have in our lives is the Presence of the Lord. The absence of God’s Presence is the absence of rest at the center of our being. Like Moses, without God’s Presence, we, too, should not be willing to go anywhere or do anything. God’s Presence, or his face turned toward us, is the expression of his glory. God’s Presence is the expression of his nature, or character, full of mercy, love, and holiness. When God’s Presence marks our lives, we express his nature which also distinguishes us from the people around us. Are we valuing, stewarding, and pursuing the Pr...

  Exodus 30-32; Acts 8   “…On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” Acts 8:1 Stephen’s ‘sermon’ in front of the Sanhedrin was a summary of God’s call throughout Israel’s history. His presentation became personal when he concluded these Jewish leaders were “stiff-necked people” who “always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). This prophecy was met with anger, costing Stephen his life as well as the arrest of many other Christ-followers. Stephen’s sermon lit the fuse which scattered the Jerusalem Church throughout Judea and Samaria. The new believers in Samaria probably found themselves hosting Jewish refugees who would have never previously considered staying in the home of a Samaritan. The mission of the Church advanced in unexpected ways because a sermon went in an unexpected direction. We never know how God will use our words, our persecution, or even our response to c...