Evaluating Acts of the Apostles Study

As you know post of my posts are relative to my Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) studies.  We have finished the study of the “Acts of the Apostles” for this BSF year.  As you look back on this wonderful study I hope you take inventory of your life.  We learned that the details of our world is different for each of us.  Paul taught us that Jesus is worth it whatever the cost and that our past doesn’t define us.  From Barnabas we learned we should be an encourager.  From Stephen we learned to keep our focus on God.  From James we learned about authentic faith.  

What did you learn about God this year?

What did you learn about yourself?

What difference has it made in your life?

Has your thoughts, attitude or desires changed?

Has your relationship with Jesus grown?

Have you drawn closer to God?

Has your faith been ignited?

I think the main lesson we learned it that God is truly an Unstoppable God!  Not even the coronavirus can stop God.  He is still working and He will use this pandemic for good. 

BSF will start up again in September with the book of Genesis.  I will be posting then on what God reveals to me through this study.  You are invited to follow me again this fall.  Also please follow my posts throughout the summer where I will post on a variety of topics.

This September we will begin the study of Genesis.  That’s where it all began.  We need to understand that God exists because of what we see in the created world.  We believe the Bible and that it is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  In other words it is God speaking to us.  The Bible gives us history, events that actually happened, prophecy of events to come and instructions on how to life.  It reveals the nature, heart and mind of God – at least as much as we can comprehend.  We need to believe and accept the facts He tells us in Genesis.  This book sets the stage of the entire Bible.  It teaches Biblical doctrines of sin, the fall, redemption, justification, and the promise of the Messiah to come.  It shows us the origin of the universe, life, marriage, and of good and evil.

I encourage you will find a BSF class and register for the Genesis study.  I am sure there is one near you.  The BSF studies are all over the world and are studying the same lesson each week.   Classes in Kentucky are studying the same lesson as those in Australia.  Each class meets about 2 hours weekly.  It’s non denominational and is for everyone - those who are not familiar with the Bible to those who are very familiar.  There are women’s, men’s and children’s classes.  Go to https://www.bsfinternational.org/bsfindex to register.

This world is evil and people get caught up in all kinds of sin even when they don’t realize it.  We need to spread His Word as much as we can.  Satan is hard at work continuing to tempt us, because he knows his time is running out.  He is the ruler of this world and enslaves sinners to sin.  Everyone needs to hear the gospel before it’s too late.

We are all sinners and deserve eternal death.  God has a plan to save us from the judgment to come.  He loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus to pay the price for our sins (John 3:16).  He took on the punishment that we deserve.  The punishment for sin is death, but through Jesus Christ our sins can be forgiven.  We can become part of His family and spend eternity with Him.  

In case you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior or are not really sure of your salvation, I feel at this time I need to tell you how you can receive the salvation Jesus offers.

How do I get Salvation?

Admit to yourself and God that you are a sinner.  You have ignored God and wanted to do your own thing leaving God out completely.
Romans 3:23 – “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death.” (You are a sinner and you are condemned to death – eternal separation from God in Hell)

Confess your sins

That means tell God what you’ve done wrong. (He already knows it, but He wants you to admit them to Him.)
Romans 10:9 – “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”.

Repent of your sins

That means stop sinning and turn to God.
Luke 13:5 – Jesus said: “….. But unless you repent, you too will all perish”.

Believe in Jesus

John 6:47 – “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” Believe that Christ went to the cross for you, taking your guilt upon Himself and enduring God’s judgment in your place. He took God’s judgment of our sins on Himself.  This means that God has pardoned and cleared you from any guilt.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
Romans 10:13 – “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Once you have accepted Him as Savior, be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus as a public testimony of your salvation.  Then unite with a Bible-believing church.  Other Christians will be there for you with encouragement and will pray for you as you walk closer with God.  Remember - don’t judge other Christians, because they are not perfect.  If they were, they wouldn’t need to go to church.  Only God and Jesus are perfect.

Can it be that simple?
It’s hard to believe it’s that simple, but it is.  Don’t trust your feelings.  They change.  Stand on God’s promises.  They never change.

There are three things to practice daily for spiritual growth.
Pray – you talk with God, but don't forget to listen for Him to guide you.
Read your Bible – God will speak to you through His Word, if possible get in a Bible study group at your church or one like Bible Study Fellowship - they are all over the world.
Witness – you talk for God telling others about Him and what He’s done for you.

The word salvation means you are saved from Satan and the consequences of sin against God.  You are saved from the wrath of God’s judgment of sin.  If you reject Jesus, you will spend eternity in hell, separated from God and experience eternity judgment.  After you die you will have eternal life.  It’s either in heaven with God or in hell with Satan and his demons.

Join me here next time.  --  I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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Acts 21:16 – 23:1-35

Acts 21:16 – 22:1-29 – Testifying while in Trouble

Paul arrived in Jerusalem and found James and other elders.  Many Jews were believers now, but still were zealous for the law.  They believed in circumcision.  They had heard that Paul taught to turn away from Moses’ Law and that Jewish Christians should not do circumcision, but this was not true.  Paul taught that it did not matter to God, if they were circumcised or not.  James and the others were going to go through seven days of purification rites by having their heads shaved and invited Paul to join them.  Paul was free from Jewish law, but agreed to take part in the purification rites in the temple.  Paul’s actions showed loyalty for the Jewish vows and was supporting James and the others.  As we learned earlier in 1 Corinthians, Paul believed in becoming all things to all people.  “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.  To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.” – 1 Cor. 9:20

Obeying customs is doing it for the sake of tradition and because it’s always the way things have been done.  But obeying the Word of God is obeying God because it’s the right thing to do and He requires it of us.

Is there some custom you are obeying just because of tradition, but need to obey God instead?

As a result of Paul being in the temple at Jerusalem, word spread that he had brought a Gentile into the temple, which he had not.  This offended the legalistic Jews and they stirred up the crowd against him.  They seized and dragged him from the temple trying to kill him, but Roman troops stopped them and took him to prison.  Roman law didn’t allow people to be killed without a trial. 

Why did God allow these accusations and physical harm come to Paul?  Maybe He wanted his faith to be strengthen and show His glory not only to Paul but to others.  Maybe He wanted this to be a witness for others.  We don't really know all the reasons why God allows things to happen, but God always has a plan and nothing can stop Him.  He is an Unstoppable God!

 

Paul was allowed to speak to the crowd.  He told them his story.  He told of his life before Christ, his conversion and God’s plan for him to spread the message to the Gentiles.  He told them he was a Jew and was not against the Jewish religion.  In the past he had been very eager to obey God thinking it was ok to arrest and persecute Christians.  Then he told them of his conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul told them that God wanted the Gentiles to know Him, too and they didn’t have to be a Jew.  This made the crowd very angry again and again they tried to kill him.  Paul told them he was a Roman citizen.  It was illegal to flog a Roman citizen so he was brought before the Sanhedrin for trial. 

Who do you need to tell your story of salvation?

Principle:  God calls His people to witness to what they have seen and heard.

Acts 22:30 – 23:11 – The Questions

Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin.   He said, “My brothers, I have filled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” – Acts 23:1.  Paul’s quality of Paul’s life was with God.  He lived a godly life and obeyed God in all things.  He never made excuses for the truth.  When the priest told one standing near to him to strike Paul on the mouth, Paul didn’t let that go.  He called him a “whitewashed wall” which means hypocrite.  The priest was sitting in judgment but he himself violated the law.  Paul was submissive to man under God when he was told that Ananias was a high priest.  Paul backed down and submitted to his authority.  Paul was submissive to man under God.  He quoted Ex. 22:28 – “Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.”  They couldn’t find any reason to kill Paul, but still kept him in prison. 

 Can you say you have fulfilled your duty to God?

Paul was alone in chains, but a believer is never really alone.  God was with Paul and comforted him.  God is always with us.  God told him, “Take courage!  As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify in Rome.” – Acts 23:11.  Paul’s work was not done yet.

How are you being persecuted?

Can you admit you are sorry for something you’ve said?

How has God been a comfort to you?

Where do you need God’s comfort in your witness?

When trouble comes, where do you turn?

Will you testify in trouble?

Principle:  God has a purpose for the trials of believers.

Acts 23:12-35 –The Plot

The Jews were so angry with Paul because he was preaching to the Gentiles.  Maybe they felt superior - after all they were God’s chosen and he had called them hypocrites.  They thought he wasn’t obeying the law and taught others the same.  So they formed a conspiracy to kill Paul.  More than 40 men vowed to not eat until they had killed Paul.  God allowed Paul’s nephew to hear of the murderous plot.  He then warned Paul and the Roman commander.  Since the commander had a low opinion of Paul’s enemies, he believed the story and removed Paul from Jerusalem to Caesarea.  The commander sent a letter to Governor Felix who kept Paul under guard in Herod’s palace so no harm would come to him until the truth was known.  He said he would her Paul’s case.  In our next study we will see the response of Felix.

God allowed all this to happen.  Paul never wavered.  He was bound, beaten, and despised by his countrymen.  Still with all his difficulties he had not failed or disobeyed God’s Word.  He was prepared for suffering.  He knew God’s purpose for his life and nothing was going to stop him.  He used every situation as an opportunity to serve God.

How are you using your trials to serve God?

Principle:  God protects His people so they can do His work.

Join me here next week for our study of the book of Acts.  --  I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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Prayer

What is prayer? 

It is a spiritual communion with God as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.  We can pray anywhere and anytime.  There is no specific way to pray and no specific times we should pray.  All we need to do is speak to God from our heart.  We can pray silently or audibly.  We can pray alone or with a group.  We can pray while driving to work, school or to the grocery.  We pray over our food, when we lie down to sleep, when we awake each morning.  We pray when we are troubled and when we are happy.  We are to pray without ceasing.

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer.  There is no certain posture for prayer.  Your prayers don’t need to be wordy or have impressive speech.  "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again." – Matthew 6:7.  “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.  God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few”. – Ecclesiastes 5:2.

Why should we pray?

Prayer develops our relationship with God.  Prayer is communicating with God and helps us grow closer and more intimate with Him.  God instructed us to pray and when we pray we are obedient to Him.  “Keep alert and pray.  Otherwise temptation will overpower you.  For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!” – Matthew 26:41.  “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” – Luke 18:1.  We pray so we will know what God’s will is for our lives.  We pray to seek direction and wisdom.  Praying demonstrates our faith in God.  We pray for forgiveness of sins.  We pray for those who don’t know Jesus.  We pray for God’s provision.  We pray thanking God and praising Him for who He is and for what He has done.

If you don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will help you.  “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” – Romans 8:26-27.

The Bible says we are to pray with a humble heart and if we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him – Jeremiah 29:13.  We are to have faith when we pray. – Mark 11:24.  We are to be sure we have confessed our sins, because “… The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” –  James 5:16.

 God hears our prayers and always answers them.  It may not be the answer we want, but He answers with, yes, no, or not now.  God wants us to pray with other believers and also to pray alone and in secret. 

How should we pray?

 The “ACTS” Prayer is a good example of how pray.

A – Adoration – Praise God for who He is – holy, perfect merciful, loving, powerful, etc.

C – Confession – Confession allows us to clear away things which are displeasing to God by seeking His forgiveness.

T – Thanksgiving – We should thank God for the blessings He gives to us and for what He will give us.

S – Supplication – Now we can ask God for our needs and the needs of others.

God wants a relationship with us.  For our relationship with Him to develop we must talk with Him regularly.  

The Lord’s Prayer

Jesus is a prime example of living a life of prayer.  He prayed for God’s guidance and leading.  He prayed prayers of thanksgiving, prayers for healing, prayers for His disciples and prayers for believers both present and in the future.  In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus teaches how to pray.  We do not need to use these actual words, but use them as a model.

“Our Father in heaven,” - He is the creator and the Great Parent of us all.

“hallowed be your name,” – God is essentially holy.  We are to acknowledge the supremacy of God and His relationship to us. 

“your kingdom come,” – This is a wanting God to reign everywhere and that His laws be obeyed till the world is filled with His glory.  

”your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” – God’s will is that men should obey His law and live holy lives.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – He tells to pray for both our physical as well as our spiritual needs.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  – We are to have an attitude of forgiveness.  If we forgive others, then God will forgive us.

“And do not lead us into temptation,” – We are to trust God for deliverance over temptation (anything that tests our virtue) and sin.

“but deliver us from the evil one.” – The evil one is Satan.  Deliver us from his power, snares, temptations.

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” – God has control and power over everything and with Him all things are possible; and not our honor, but His be displayed through all the earth.

How does prayer affect our lives?

When we face trying circumstances, it pays to pray.  Prayer relieves stress.  If we truly trust God, there is no need to be anxious or worry about the future.  Prayer does work.  There are numerous accounts in the Bible of answered prayers plus we all know stories of answered prayer from those around us.  God wants us to seek His help for our needs and desires.  When we pray, it draws us closer to God.

When do you pray? 

Do you only pray before the Thanksgiving meal or when you need something?
Do you find it hard to make time to pray?
We can take an hour out to exercise, watch TV, etc. so why not give time each day to God?
Do you offer praise and thanks to God for all He has done in our life?
Do you trust God will hear and answer your prayers?