Saul’s Conversion

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 12, 2021

Saul’s Conversion

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

Acts 9:5

Read: Acts 9:1-9   

Saul was on his way to Damascus, “so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” (v.2) As I read this verse, I immediately thought of Jesus’ parable of The Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25,

‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Note that in Jesus’ reply to Saul, he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Philippians 2:5 calls us to let our relationships with one another arise out of our life in Christ. We have already read of severe persecution for the New Community of Believers. Here, Jesus is making it clear that the persecution they received was persecution Jesus received also. The Apostle Paul will elaborate on this truth. (E.g. Romans 8 and Philippians 3)

My Takeaway: I’ve shared before that I prefer to avoid conflict. In our present cancel-culture, conflict is inevitable for those who seek to make the life in Christ their way of life. Today’s reading gives me pause to consider and appreciate the comfort of Christ sharing with me when I encounter conflict for the cause of the Gospel.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Philip and the Ethiopian

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 11, 2021

Philip and the Ethiopian

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”

Acts 8:36

Read: Acts 8:26-40

The Ethiopian man was not, and could not by Jewish law become a Jew, because he was a eunuch, a man who has been castrated. Nevertheless, he was deeply interested in the Jewish worship of their God. He was reading one of the most important prophecies of Jesus in the entire Old Testament. Look at the progression in Isaiah: Chapter 53 tells of a servant who will do what Israel would not do; be a light to the nations. This servant would take upon himself the judgment against Israel; Chapter 54 - the servant’s faithfulness to God will usher in the dawn of the New Covenant; Chapter 55 - God promises a new creation; Chapter 56 – God’s blessings for the New Creation are even for outsiders and foreigners. Yes, even Ethiopian Eunuchs.

This incredible story of redemption is fulfilled in the servant of Isaiah 53 – Christ Jesus the Messiah of God. No wonder the Ethiopian halted his chariot and ran to the water to be baptized, as he fully embraced the Good News of Jesus.

There is more to this great story. Let me briefly jump ahead. Chapter nine tells us that Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. In an instant everything he believed so passionately was turned upside down. In the next instant, that which he never imagined could be true was fulfilled in a flash of light so brilliant he was blinded. Out of this event, Saul would become Paul, God’s greatest ambassador of the Good News to the non-Jewish world.

God’s not done yet. When we get to chapter ten, Peter will have a vision to take the Gospel to the Gentiles in Caesarea.

My Takeaway: God’s still not finished. God has planted my church, and your church, in a place where the Good News of Jesus can be proclaimed to a very hurting community, a community where the love of God is still a stranger.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

They Received the Holy Spirit

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 10, 2021

They Received the Holy Spirit

But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 8:12

Read: Acts 8:4-25 

Samaria was the land between Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee. The inhabitants were Jews, but had not been exiled to Babylon, and over time their forms of worship changed from that at the Temple in Jerusalem. Generally, there was great enmity between the Samaritans and the Jews. (see the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, and Jesus’ talk with a Samaritan woman in John 4.) Even so, Jesus included Samaria in his charge to the Apostles in Acts 1, so Phillip was off to Samaria to preach the Good News.

The description of how the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit in today’s passage is more of what God was doing in that moment than a prescription for all believers to receive the Holy Spirit. I believe because of the enmity between the Jews and Samaritans, and because Jesus specifically included the Samaria in his charge, God wanted to make it clear that the people coming to faith through Philip’s ministry in Samaria were fully included in the New Community of Believers.

My Takeaway: The story of Simon is quite interesting, and Luke doesn’t tell us how it ends. I think Luke’s takeaway for us is that the Holy Spirt is the Spirit of our sovereign God. It flows where He wants and how He wants. The Holy Spirit is not ours to control.  

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Church Persecuted and Scattered

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 9, 2021

The Church Persecuted and Scattered

But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Acts 8:3

Read: Acts 7:54-8:3        

In Stephen we see that the followers of Jesus had quickly incorporated the ways of their Master. Stephen prayed for and forgave those who persecuted him. Very early the Church set the day after Christmas to commemorate St. Stephen as a reminder that God’s gift of new life arrived in a very dangerous world.

God took the evil of the martyrdom of Stephen and used it for good as the men and women of Christ disbursed from Jerusalem and began to spread the Good News all over the land. Our Christian church was born and thrived even though Saul was dragging out both men and women to put them into prison for spreading the Good News of Jesus.

My Takeaway: We too are living in a dangerous and hostile world. Many religious leaders today are trying to avoid the Saul’s of our time and accommodate the doctrines of the church to the world’s culture. I pray that God will, by His grace, strengthen me that I may be as courageous as the men and women who spread the Good News of Jesus, even in the shadow of Stephen’s martyrdom. Will you join me in this prayer?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

You Stiff-Necked People!

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 8, 2021

You Stiff-Necked People!

Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him.

Acts 7:52

Read: Acts 7:35-53

Stephen concludes his speech by hurling charges at the religious leaders. He says they are children of Abraham, but unlike Abraham they have not obeyed God. He says they are heirs of Moses, yet “you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” (v.53) Stephen alleges that they are complicit with the those who rejected God and built with their own hands an idol to worship. For Stephen, their worship in the Temple is a form of idolatry because they rejected and murdered the Righteous One their own prophets had predicted would come and redeem Israel.

As I noted before, Stephen’s speech had the effect of the word of God which “is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) The religious leaders had two choices: they could receive Stephen’s word as a message from God and repent, or they could kill the messenger. They chose the latter.

My Takeaway: My membership vows when I first joined the UMC included my affirmation that the Word of God, as contained in the Old and New Testaments, is a sufficient rule for faith and practice. Today’s passage gives me pause to examine my life for anything that is more important to me than obedience to God’s Word.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Back to Egypt

Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles        

February 5, 2021

Back to Egypt

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’

Acts 7:33

Read: Acts 7:17-34

As I read about Moses in today’s passage, I recalled this from Isaiah 55:8-9,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

In verse 34, God told Moses He had heard the groaning of the people and had come down to set them free. To accomplish this, He was sending Moses back to Egypt. I’m sure Moses, during the forty years he was in Midian, often thought about what he left behind in Egypt. I am also sure if he ever thought about returning to Egypt, it was not as an agent of God to set the people free. The last time he tried to help the people, they rejected him. (v.28) Indeed, God’s ways, his thoughts, are higher than mine. I must resist the inclination to limit God’s revelation in my life to only what my wisdom can foresee.

I have spent a good while pondering the burning bush, God’s revelation to Moses. I wonder how many burning bushes I have walked by in my life, failing to notice God’s revelation to me because I was too self-adsorbed with my own issues?

My Takeaway: During this pandemic, our culture, especially our churches, are learning new and innovative ways to communicate and function. That is good, because our God is the Master of doing things in new ways. Yet, in his speech, Stephen recalled that God identified himself to Moses as “the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (v.32) As I look for new ways to flourish in a changed world, I want to keep my eyes on Jesus. (see Hebrews 12:1-2)

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The God of Glory

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

February 4, 2021

The God of Glory

God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated.

Acts 7:6

Read: Acts 7:1-16

Stephen’s defense will take up almost all of chapter seven, and we will take three days to read it. I think Stephen’s speech is a short course in the history of Israel. The accusations against Stephen were that he was teaching things that were contrary to the Law of Moses and the Jewish customs. Stephen’s response to the accusations demonstrated he was thoroughly familiar with the history of the Jews.

We will see in a few days that Saul, who became the Apostle Paul, was in the Sanhedrin that day. I believe he is Luke’s source for the content of Stephen’s speech. Why is the entire sermon included in the Book of Acts? What does God want us to see?

Stephen’s speech was telling the story of the Jewish people in a way to reveal Jesus, the Messiah, was the fulfillment of all that God had promised. For me, Stephen’s speech is a reminder that my Christian heritage doesn’t begin at the Resurrection; God has grafted me into the tree of Abraham. (See Romans 11) The heritage Stephen described is also my heritage in Christ.

My Takeaway: God has foreknowledge of what will happen. (v.6) Nothing happening today has caught God by surprise. Joseph had great trials and tribulations while in Egypt, yet he was able to respond, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20) I want to trust God like my ancestor, Joseph.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.