Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Not worshipping other gods is a basic command for followers of the true God, but sometimes those gods do not go quietly. Not the gods themselves, of course. But the people who profit from the established powers that work against the way of Jesus are often the loudest of all, when their power is threatened.

The instance of the possessed man beating the Sons of Sceva comes across as comical, but there is a hard truth here that rests in the middle of the story: the power of the Holy Spirit is not for personal glory, but for the glory of God.

Apollos came to prominence at much the same level as Paul: he was a scholar, he had defended Jesus as Messiah publicly. This stage of the early Church was about bringing together teachers like him to get everyone on the same page, and especially to help the theologians understand the importance of the Holy Spirit.

Paul's decision to preach only to the Gentiles is born out of a bit of frustration, but the outcome is important. The effort to include the Gentiles in the gospel is no longer a portion of his effort, it is his focus. This would define the early Church in a new way.

What if Paul had turned his back on the Athenians because their view of God was so wrong? Thank God he didn't, because the gospel was shared because of Paul's work there. It didn't result in a mass revival, but it did result in work the way that God works well: by planting seeds that grow among his people.

You have to wonder which of Paul's qualities made him one of the primary growers of the early Church. He was highly adept at harmonizing Christianity and Judaism, he was also skilled in academic circles. But he also had enough influence with his enemies that he was described as "causing trouble all over the world," which he probably took as a compliment!

Where Peter walked out of prison, Paul chose to stay. The ways God uses to grow his people are not always the same, not even in the same circumstance. It's important to stay engaged in prayer and listen to the Spirit to know where that is.

It is not always perfect harmony that carries along the growth of God's Kingdom, sometimes it is a parting of ways. Paul and Barnabas has been partners, but their breakup actually grew the early Church in new areas.

The growing church isn't about star preachers, it's about spreading the word. The choice of Judas (not Iscariaot, Judas was a very common name) and Silas was to teach and grow the believers. Of course, Paul couldn't be the only one working in the field, but training new trainers had certainly been part of his call.

The Church in the first century worked hard to find unity and and identity, and this was an important moment. Known as the Council of Jerusalem, it was the first time that the Church met to establish an agreed-upon theological point, and many more were to follow.

Paul is unstoppable. Not only past an apparent stoning, but also propelled by the desire to share the good news. The fervor with which he was determined to persecute the church is now the fervor with which he wishes to grow the church, and only God could bring about such a change.

There are some who simply aren't ready for the Gospel. Maybe they find it unbelievable, stupid, or not worth their time. Whatever the reason, our time is precious. Paul's "shaking the dust from his feet" is less a sign of defeat and more a statement of, "I have done all I can for you, and you are now on your own." This action luckily only occurs a few times in the New T...

Paul was once a devout Jew, and now he uses that experience to speak to others who are still on a similar path. Luckily, the gospel is for everyone. The way it fits into the Jewish story is all part of God's plan.

Paul encounters someone who is warping the ways of the Lord in their teaching of someone who is a true seeker, and so Paul's response is interesting: he afflicts the man with blindness, the very thing Paul himself was afflicted with at his conversion. And indeed it was a conversion for Paul. Perhaps he hoped for a similar outcome for Elymas.

What happens when God answers our prayers and we aren't ready? Peter's release from prison is a pretty dramatic example: the answer is in front of us, but we refuse to believe it's real.

The new fellowship of Jews and non-Jews wasn't automatic, some of the believers went out still working in the old, "Jews-only" way. Being patient with one another is critical, because not everyone sees things happening at the same time. Luckily, the Spirit is present in all.

Everything is new in this new Kingdom of Jesus. New fellowship of both Jews and Gentiles, new baptism in the Spirit, new kingship by Jesus. But God is still the God of Jews, and he has not forgotten them. The different is that the Jewish people are not the owners of the promise, Jesus fulfilled God's promise to them and brings a new one.

Peter and Cornelius have both met with God in prayer, and that connection is what God has used to start a new chapter in church history: baptizing non-Jews. This level of inclusion meant that while Jesus and the apostles were Jews, Christians were a new classification all their own.

The ways in which God chooses to reveal new things aren't always direct. Speaking to Peter in the language of eating things to reveal the expansion of God's people may seem odd, but God knows our minds.

Building a legacy of faith was critical in the early days of the church, which is perhaps the reason that these believers were being resurrected. Certainly, they died again, but the power of the Spirit was also showing itself as the young church formed its identity.

Moments where scales fall from our eyes give us an insight into things we haven't seen before. Perhaps it comes with the downfall of a favorite leader, the unraveling of a deeply held belief, or the ending of a dream. Whatever the case, letting go of what may be a lesser pursuit may be the opening to a greater one.

The Ethiopian eunuch had been to Jerusalem, but he may have actually been denied entrance to the temple. Deut. 23:1 forbids eunuchs from entering, and it's likely that he could have taken his trip there in vain. But he was seeking, and God will not leave those who seek him behind.

What makes a disciple of Jesus? It is not a quality that can be purchased, as Simon discovered. He had come to follow a different path, but he did not want to do the work of transformation before he started being a miracle worker. The Apostles certainly did their time in transformation, and the struggles they had suffered made them ready for the job.

Stephen is definitely stoking a fire. Talking about rebellion among the people, he now turns to the Jewish leaders and says, "you did this too, to Jesus." They respond with violence, the opposite of the message of Jesus. As Martin Luther King said, "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy."

The story of Moses and the patriarchs is prelude to the story of Jesus, which is why Stephen includes it. Not only was Moses an outcast as Jesus was, but he was also revered, and trying to separate the New and Old Testaments would have lost his Jewish audience. Indeed, the new covenant is a fulfillment of the promises being made through Jewish history.