Nov 10-16, 2019
Recently a conference report asked for signs and evidences of vitality and vibrancy in our church. So I was happy to brag about what God was doing through ministries here at Lewis Center. There are all kinds of missions and ministries that are touching people’s lives. That invited me to think about signs and evidences of vitality in the early church. Hmmmm! The book of Acts is filled with them. Here are several examples.
Prayer: God of life and love: it is your Spirit that gives me meaning and purpose for my life. It is your Spirit that gives my church vitality and mission. Bless my service and witness today that others may be blessed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
MONDAY- Acts 2:41-47
One of the signs and evidences of vitality and mission in the early church was their generosity. This passage takes place right after Pentecost when Peter and others declared the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. And God sent the power and presence of the Holy Spirit upon the followers to give them bold courage. What happens in this passage? Why? How did the early followers express generosity? What difference would that make in people’s lives? How do we make a difference in people’s lives today?
TUESDAY – Acts 3:1-10
The early church believed that the power and presence of the Holy Spirit made a real difference in people’s lives.Faith in Jesus Christ was not just (as Karl Marx suggested) the opium of the masses. It really changed lives.What happened in this story?How was this life changed? How do we make a difference in lives today?
WEDNESDAY – Acts 4:1-22
Yesterday’s story got Peter and John in trouble with the authorities. These were the same authorities that arranged for Jesus’ crucifixion. It was a dangerous situation. And the threats were real. What happened? How did the followers of Jesus respond? How did this compare with several weeks earlier when they hid out of fear of the authorities? The point is not “ticking off” the authorities. The compelling characteristic is their bold witness for Jesus Christ, even in the face of opposition and danger. How do we witness boldly today?
THURSDAY- Acts 6:1-7
The early church was a servant church. It was not about their comfort and convenience. It was about what God wanted to do through them in the world in Jesus’ name. And in their world, there were a lot of at-risk people; especially widows. (They didn’t have social service programs in those days.) There was a problem. The support for at-risk people was not distributed evenly. The Greek/Hellenist widows were being overlooked. How did they resolve the issue? Did you notice all seven of the elected servants had Greek names? Their service in Jesus’ name was more important that racial or economic boundaries. How do we live out our service today?
FRIDAY – Acts 8:26-40
The revival in Samaria was going very well. In the early part of chapter 8, God is using Philip in powerful ways – with miraculous signs and evidences. But then Philip is called to go to an abandoned road where there was one lowly foreign government official. But Philip answered the call. The official believed and was baptized – and took the gospel back to Ethiopia. The Christian Church in Ethiopia today traces their beginning back to Acts 8. The church was a called church. They answered God’s call, no matter how ridiculous it may have looked at the time. How do we answer God’s call today?
SATURDAY- Acts 10
The early church dared to breach boundaries for the sake of reaching people. God’s gift of grace was offered to everyone, even the enemy oppressor. But God knows no favorites. How do we offer God’s grace to everyone no matter what?