The Daily Discipleship Podcast

Sometimes the disciple passes the leader, and great leaders find joy when that happens. Sometimes leaders shift positions based on giftedness. Smart orgs work to get the right people in the right places. 

The early church was a sending entity.  It sent money for support of ministry in other areas, and it sent those meant to expand the impact of the Gospel.  Whether sending churches are the ones God most blesses is a question to consider.  I personally believe the answer is YES. 

Acts 12 brings us to the loss of one apostle and the near loss of another, but God had other plans, so God performed a miraculous act of deliverance for the apostle and performed another miraculous act of judgment upon the Tyrant.  In the midst of it all, the church was prayerful, though surprised at just how God answered. May we be prayerful, and may we find ourselves surprised at how God answers...

God was certainly doing a new thing.  First, The New Covenant, and now the Gospel Spreading to the Gentiles. Would those who had believed earlier support this new move of God?  Would they invest?  Would they do their part?  Will we invest in the works of the Kingdom?

Sometimes reports we get of things happening in the church around the world are hard to believe, until the research is done and the reports are verified...often as being UNDERESTIMATED.  The same was true in the Book of Acts as we will see today.  Is God limited to doing things only in certain ways?

The messianic believers, including Peter, likely needed convincing evidence that the Gospel really was intended for all people (Jews and Gentiles), so God provided that evidence in how He poured-out His Spirit upon those assembled in the Oikos of Cornelius.  In our day, evidence of true salvation should also be evident in the lives of those who are truly saved.  Everyone who claims to be saved jus...

God was doing a new thing in drawing people beyond Judaism into the new Christian family.  The Gospel is for ALL.  God worked through Cornelius to assemble gentiles to hear the Gospel.  God worked through Peter to bring the Gospel.  How will you let God work through you to that the Gospel may reach more and more people?

God brought 2 men together for the purpose of the spread of the Gospel, but He did so in an unusual way.  What should we do when God gives instructions that seem a little out of the ordinary, especially when it leads to the fulfillment of His Gospel purposes?

In the second half of Acts 9 we find both Saul (Paul) and Peter being used mightily of the Lord that many people many come to faith in Jesus Christ.  May it be our ongoing prayer that the Lord would use each of us that many people may come to the Lord. 

God can change hearts and lives.  Sometimes He works in dramatic fashion in order to accomplish the transformation of a life for His purposes.  The conversion of Saul of Tarsus was one such instance.  What could God do in life of someone you know? Pray for them now. 

God orchestrates details in our lives so that the Gospel can be shared or received or that others may be encouraged in a timely way.  Such was the case of an Ethiopian who was searching the Scriptures trying to understand the truth.  What Divine Appointments may the Lord orchestrate in your life even today?

Sometimes it is unpopular when we proclaim the truth.  In Stephen's case, it was so unpopular that he was stoned to death.  What did he say that so angered his murderers?  Would we be complicit with his murderers, or would be more like Stephen in radiating Jesus?

Stephen was a man who was full of the Holy Spirit.  He was selected to be one of the original Jerusalem Deacons for the service of the church, yet, God used him to perform miraculous signs and to proclaim Jesus - acts that would lead to an untimely death.

In order for the Gospel to spread, it was critical that church leadership establish those who could take care of the daily administrative needs of the body, so deacons were selected.   The role of support is not secondary to ministry success, it is the absolutely essential to it. But when the support is in place, the ministry can flourish

Even though the apostles were arrested for preaching, the Holy Spirit saw to it that they were released from prison and that the Gospel would mightily prevail.  May the Gospel prevail in our day as it did in theirs, and may we be all the more convinced to take the Gospel to to the Market and to our Neighbors. 

Most often we think of signs and wonders as being positive, but in this instance, the signs and wonders came with deadly effect, reminding everyone of God's Holiness. 

As the Gospel was being boldly proclaimed, the believers had more and more in common and met each other's needs in a remarkable way. 

We may not have degrees or status, but what really matters is being with Jesus.  When we live life with Jesus and in His power, God can bring an incredible witness through us. 

What are some of the prevailing views on miracles for our day?  What did Jesus and the apostles do with a miracles once performed?  They turned it toward the message of the Gospel.  

Following in the footsteps of Jesus, Peter uses a miracle as a launching pad for the gospel message.  Question:  how do miracles factor into ministry in the modern day?

Acts 2:42-47, I believe, provides the tracks that they church should run on.  Verse 42 speaks to the 4 devotions, and verse 47 speaks to the resultant fruit.  Oh, that we would have the Acts 2 experience in our day!

When God poured-out His Holy Spirit and the Gospel was Proclaimed, there was tremendous response.  Let us pray for the same workings of the Holy Spirit in our day and for the conversion of countless souls for Christ. 

As the believers waited, now Father sends the promised Holy Spirit in a phenomenal way and others hear the Gospel.  What does he want to do in our day?

Judas is no longer on the scene.  What happened to Judas eternally?  Who would take his place and how would that person be chosen?  How do we go about making big decisions?

God has provided all the Resource we need to BE witnesses for Christ through the HS Power He has given us through the Holy Spirit.  To whom will you be a witness today?