Category: Acts

Jew vs. Gentile

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 1 & 2

Poetry: Proverbs 17

New Testament: Acts 11

We pick it back up in Acts with chapters 10 and 11 that tell a story and then the retelling of the same story. These chapters play an integral part in the big picture of God’s plan.  It’s the beginning of the fulfillment of the part of the New Covenant that extends God’s promises to the Gentiles. It was a turning point for the early church because it recorded the moment that Gentiles were officially accepted as children of God. Peter was given a vision that all food was clean because it was made by God. This represents the changes from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. Therefore, the Jewish Christians are no longer under the same laws that was presented to the Israelites in the Old Covenant. Now, the church could include the uncircumcised and non-Mosaic law followers. Additionally, we see the Gentiles receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and the different gifts that come with God’s power. Now, God-fearing Gentiles no longer have to be excluded on the basis of not being circumcised or under the law. This message from God was aimed to unite those who followed God and believed in Jesus. This allowed the Jewish Christians and the Gentiles who feared God and professed Jesus as their Messiah to be united together under the New Covenant.

This was such an important message because the Jews prided themselves on being an exclusive group that looked down on those who were uncircumcised and not under the Mosaic law. Romans 3 addresses this issue that the Jews struggled with. Paul comes to the conclusion that both Jews and Gentiles are sinful and equally in need of a Savior. This concept should have greatly humbled the Jews because of how they perceived their status as God’s chosen people. They elevated themselves and compared their ‘righteousness’ to the wickedness of the world. What they didn’t fully comprehend was that God holds those who know more about Him to higher standards. God presented his people with the Mosaic law and a contract in Deuteronomy 28 that is full of blessings and curses that God would distribute depending on how the Israelites obeyed God. The final and worst curse was being exiled to a foreign nation. And from this side of history, we know that the Israelites were in fact sent into exile because of the faithlessness of Israel, and worse even, the unfaithfulness of Judah. The ten northern tribes of Israel were exiled in 722 B.C. by Assyria and the southern two tribes of Judah were exiled in 586 B.C. by Babylon.

Even during the exile though, God was still working for the good of Israel. His prophet Jeremiah prophesied about the future hope of a New Covenant. Jeremiah 31:31 says, “ ‘The days are coming’, declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them’, declares the LORD. ‘This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” This clearly shows that the New Covenant was intended for the Jewish people first. God desires hearts that are devoted to Him. The Jews broke the first covenant with their disobedience and worship of idols. So, God created the plan of sending Jesus to establish a New Covenant by dying on the cross. But the Jews rejected this Messiah that God sent. As a result, this New Covenant focused more on the heart of the recipient. It was based on loving God and accepting Jesus as Christ instead of following the Mosaic law. Therefore, the Gentiles who loved God and accepted Jesus as the Messiah automatically became equals to the Jewish Christians. God cares much more about the heart than he does about statuses.

The complete unification of God’s people will ultimately be fulfilled in the Kingdom when all nations, tongues, and tribes will be represented. Revelation 5:9 says, “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.’ ”

Peter was chosen for the task of preaching to the Gentiles and convincing the Jews that God had included the Gentiles in his promises. He sums it up in chapter 10:34 by saying, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”

The big theological lesson from these chapters is that God desires all people to be in His Kingdom, so He extends his love and grace to the Gentiles. His desire all along was that Israel would be witnesses of God to the world and would bring the nations to Him. But the Israelites found out early on that it was very difficult to bring others to God when you are not following God wholeheartedly yourselves. This did not keep them from repeating the same mistakes. This does not mean that the church or the Gentiles replaced Israel. Instead, these two chapters present the extension of the New Covenant to the Gentiles even though it is still offered to any Jew who would accept Jesus.

Through studying the relationship between the Jews and the Gentiles in regard to the New Covenant, we can see that both are still offered the blessings and promises of the New Covenant. The Jews were not pushed out of the New Covenant at the inclusion of the Gentiles. Thankfully, God has enough blessings to give to all those who love and follow Him wholeheartedly and believe in His Son.

-Makayla Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. How would this vision from God change the whole structure of the early church?
  2. How do these chapters help us put the rest of the Bible in perspective?
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Who’s the Messiah?

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 27 & 28

Poetry: Proverbs 15

New Testament: Acts 9

We will continue to look at some theological themes from the book of Acts by studying the story of Saul’s conversion. When you look at the big picture, we can see Jesus chasing Saul and transforming his life into one that aligned with God’s will for his life. Saul truly believed that he was doing God’s will by persecuting Christians and the early church. From a Jewish perspective, we can understand why Saul thought this. Jesus came claiming to be the Messiah, but the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Son of God, just as it was prophesied. But in chapter nine of Acts, we see Jesus appear to Saul on the road to Damascus as he reveals to him his identity as the Messiah. Jesus chose Saul to preach the name of Jesus as the Messiah to both the Gentiles and Jews. I love this because it shows how much God and Jesus can use us for their Kingdom work when we let them. They have the power to transform lives. The power to turn persecuting Saul into preaching Paul.

Saul is instructed to preach that Jesus is the Son of God (8:20). He was instructed to teach the Jews in the synagogues that the Jesus they rejected was the Savior whom they were waiting for. At no point is Saul told to preach that Jesus was God in human form. The Jews knew their prophecies and understood that the Messiah would save the world as a representative of God, not as God himself. So when it says that Saul preached Jesus as the Christ, the Jews should have understood this to mean that Jesus was the chosen human savior to complete God’s work on earth. Additionally, Jesus had the perfect opportunity to explain to Saul who he was. Saul asked who was speaking to him, and Jesus simply replied with, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” If Jesus were trying to get Saul—a practicing Jew with power and authority among the Jewish community—to understand that he was God, then he would have said something that clarified and explained how he was a god in flesh. Sometimes we can learn a lot from what is not said in the Bible. Verse 22 says, “Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.” If Saul proved to the Jews in Damascus that Jesus was the Messiah, then they simply would have understood it from a Jewish theological perspective. Saul did not even attempt to change or ‘correct’ their understanding of the Messiah, he simply revealed who the Messiah was. Current Jews today are still waiting for their Messiah to return because they missed it the first time. Therefore, they believe that God is one, and not a triune God. This idea of three entities would be considered idolatry from a Jewish perspective, because from the very beginning, God has revealed himself to his chosen people as the one true God. This means that the early church and apostles would have had to correct thousands of years of ‘incorrect’ theology if they wanted to preach that Jesus was God. Instead, the book of Acts stays consistent with the rest of the Bible, and preaches that Jesus was the Messiah.

Although looking at a chapter and studying what it leaves out does not necessarily prove anything, we can see that the Bible is consistent in the fact that there is no explanation of who Jesus is other than a human that God sent to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God. Therefore, from a Trinitarian perspective, Acts would be a book full of missed opportunities to preach true theology to the Jews. But since God does not make mistakes, Acts is a beautiful book of theological truths that align with the rest of Scripture and paint a picture of Jesus as the Messiah that the Jews should have known and loved.

-Makayla Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. How does one let Jesus transform their life?
  2. How has the definition of Messiah changed over the years from the Jewish understanding to modern mainstream Christianity?

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Running to Do God’s Work

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 25 & 26

Poetry: Proverbs 14

*New Testament: Acts 8

Acts is quite possibly my favorite book of the Bible because of its emphasis on theological truths. Acts also shows us the amazing effects that occur when we are following God wholeheartedly and preaching to others sound theology. The book allows us to get an insider look on what the early church looked like and the rapid growth that occurred as the apostles preached the name of Jesus to the Jews in hopes of convincing them to accept him as the Messiah.

The story of Philip and the Ethiopian shows a beautiful example of how God places people in the right place at the right time. In this case, quite literally. God used Philip to come alongside the Ethiopian at the exact moment that his heart was ready to receive the truth.  We see a clear contrast from Simon the sorcerer whose heart was “not right before God”. Simon desired a profit for himself over the truth that God could give. On the other hand, the Ethiopian was reading the Scriptures and seeking to understand it.

The Ethiopian devoted his life to serve the king of Ethiopia by becoming a eunuch so that the king’s throne and family would not be threatened. He was a very high-ranking Ethiopian who was an important official in charge of all the treasury of the queen of the Ethiopians. This is an important piece of information since this high-ranking man, from a different country, made the decision to travel to Jerusalem to visit the temple and worship God. Therefore, he desired and even went out of his way to worship the true God, even though it was a different god than his people worshiped. This may indicate that he had even converted to Judaism. And somewhere along the way he got his hands on a precious copy of the book of Isaiah, which would have been much harder to acquire back then. And as many of us can relate to, he was having a hard time understanding what he was reading. He wanted to know more about the passage and who it was referring to because he could have related to it personally as a eunuch. At this point in the story, Philip listened to God and literally RAN to go do what God wanted him to do. This shows Philip’s heart in doing God’s will wherever God places him.

When it comes to theology, we can see how God took a gentile who feared God and gave him the opportunity to accept Jesus as the Messiah. I love what this says about God. The Ethiopian was not one of God’s chosen people in the definition of nationality. But God saw one of His children struggling to understand His word, so He sent Philip to help reveal the Messianic text of Isaiah the prophet to the Ethiopian so that he could accept the truth of the Messiah. Here we see the beginning of the Gentiles being grafted into the family of God when the Ethiopian accepts the message of Jesus and becomes baptized. This also shows how important the message of Jesus as the Messiah is to God.

-Makayla Railton

Application Points:

The spiritual health of our heart matters. (Be like the Ethiopian, not Simon the sorcerer!)

God desires us to be in His Kingdom and He desires us to help others get there. (Be like Philip!)

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With All Boldness

Acts 28

May 16

In Acts chapter 28, Luke continues the detailed account of his and Paul’s journey to Rome. We read about their encounter with the kind people of Malta, as well as the not-so-kind viper who didn’t seem to cause Paul much distress, all the way to their long awaited arrival in Rome. This arrival was a big deal. Paul had been determined for a long time to find his way to Rome, (as seen in Acts 19:21 and Romans 1:15) and not only fulfilled this promise to himself, but also Christ’s prophecy that his disciples would be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). 

Paul spent every bit of his time there (two years waiting for his case to be heard before Caesar) teaching everyone who came to him, sharing the message with Jews and Gentiles alike, welcoming anyone who would listen. Two whole years “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:31) Even in this season of waiting and uncertainty, God did not waste a minute of Paul’s time. In fact his ministry continued “without hindrance” – despite every trial they faced, from storms to snakes, the will and word of God was unhindered; no trial, no amount of unfair treatment, nor the passing months of captivity mattered as much as the immeasurable good Paul could be doing in the lives of others. Imagine the amount of soldiers he spoke to, the amount of brothers and sisters in Christ he met in Rome, every Jew eager to meet Paul, whose famous letters they had previously received, every Gentile curious about or zealous for Christ, and eventually Caesar himself. He made a profound impact, even while in chains.

The book of Acts doesn’t have a grand finale; this story continues even today. Paul said “Yes” to God time and time again, and every person who’s said “Yes” since continues his ministry, bringing the Kingdom message to the ends of the earth. Surrender your life and boldly say “Yes” when you hear God’s voice calling you; His plans will not be hindered. 

-Isabella Osborn

Discussion Questions:

  1. In what ways can you proclaim the kingdom of God even when you find yourself in a period of trials or uncertainty?
  2. What do you hear God calling you to do to further His Kingdom today? 
  3. How did Paul continue forward with such courage and boldness despite the many tests of faith he faced? Similarly, how can we?

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Peace and Hope in the Storm

Acts 27

May 15

In this chapter, Paul, awaiting a trial before Caesar, finds himself stuck on a ship in the middle of a storm with 275 others. To me, this sounds like a very frustrating situation to be in; being taken as prisoner despite being innocent, and then being completely ignored when you (an experienced traveler on the Mediterranean) warn against continuing on through the storm even in this current season, and consequently being trapped at sea in the midst of a perilous storm. 

But Paul did not lose faith, and he would not let his fellow passengers give up either. After being tossed about in the storm for days on end, Paul encourages everyone onboard:

“Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.” Acts 27:21-22

He proceeds to tell them of the angel who promised not only his own safety, but also that of everyone with him on the ship.

“‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has also granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.” Acts 27:24-25

Weeks passed, and though everyone stayed alive, their situation had yet to improve. But still, Paul insisted that they would all be okay, urging them to eat while giving thanks to God. Eventually there was a shipwreck, in which the soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to avoid their escape, however the kind centurion Julius would not allow them to carry out this plan, and they all made it safely to shore. 

In Acts chapter 27, we watch as an epic tale unfolds (once again), and points us to the unrelenting faithfulness of our God. This amazing miracle was a small-scale example of what God is going to do for the entire world. As terrible as it gets, and as hopeless as our situation may feel, God’s promises do not change; He will always follow through. So we can eat our bread and find peace, even in the middle of the most terrifying of storms, resting in the knowledge of God’s coming Kingdom and never losing faith that His promises prevail. He will not fail you, He will not let you down, and He will not break His promises. So take heart, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 

-Isabella Osborn

Discussion Questions:

  1. How can you be an influence to help others find hope in their storms?
  2. In what ways has the knowledge of God’s promises and faithfulness affected your life?
  3. When do you find it most difficult to take heart? How can you help remind yourself, even in these trials, of the hope we have in Christ Jesus? 

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Our Hope in God’s Promises

Acts 26

May 14

Once again, Paul has a chance to give his testimony.  He is respectful.  He boldly states “it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today.” v.6

God promised the Israelites blessings. 

Genesis 12:3 -I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you

God promised the Israelites redemption. – A savior messiah who would be the once and forever sacrifice for sin.    

Deuteronomy 18:15 – The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.   

Romans 3:23-25 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.”  

Psalm 16:10  – Because of this, all men have the hope of eternal life. 

Titus 2:14- who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Paul stayed focused.  And so must we.

God promised the Israelites land. 

Deuteronomy 34:4 – the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 

Blessings, redemption, eternal inheritance in the kingdom on earth.  These promises are ours as well.

-Annette Osborn

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Reading Paul’s testimony in Acts 26, what are you most impressed by?
  2. What promises of God give you great hope?
  3. How can you share that hope with others?

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Standing Against Their Agenda

Acts 25

May 13

It’s been more than 2 years since the Jews made their accusations against Paul.  He’s under house arrest.  Time after time the Romans find him innocent under the law.  But they lack the political will to go against the Jews.  How frustrating this must have been.  The Jewish leaders just won’t give up.  They are determined to push their agenda.

Society today is in a similar state.  Factions try to wear us down with their agendas.   2 Timothy 3:2-4 tells us “ 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” 

In spite of his unfair treatment, Paul deliberately chooses to act in a Godly manner.  He patiently continued to spread the good news.  He wrote encouraging letters to fellow believers.  We need to follow his example.  He exhorts in  2 Corinthians 10:3 “though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does”.  Be firm, not belligerent.  Be loving, not proud   Be kind, not conceited. Teach truth in love. We are called to remain holy in spite of what is going on around us.  Above all, we need to deliberately choose to focus on things above.  In Philippians 4:8-9 Paul tells us to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.  And then to put it into practice.

-Annette Osborn

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. How would you describe Festus from this chapter? How would you describe the Jewish leaders? How would you describe Paul?
  2. Have you are ever been faced with injustice against you? How did you respond?
  3. What do you admire about Paul?

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Paul Before Felix

Acts 24

May 12

Once again Paul is calmly stating the facts against his false accusers.  He stresses “there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked” (v.15).  Felix likes to listen to Paul, probably hoping for a bribe.  He’s a willing audience until Paul starts stepping on his toes.  When the subjects of righteousness, self-control and the coming judgment come up, Felix suddenly has better things to do.

Take care not to listen to God just when it’s convenient.  Or stop fellowship if someone steps on your toes.  Proverbs 27:17 tells us “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”   God wants us in fellowship for a reason.

-Annette Osborn

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Have you ever been in a “bad situation” (before your accusers or in custody for two years or something else) that was an opportunity to share about Jesus and a coming resurrection for the righteous and wicked? (Hint: the answer is yes) Did you seize the opportunity? How could you see the opportunity and be bold to do so next time?
  2. Are you easily offended or avoid further contact when your toes are stepped on? What is a healthy attitude to take?

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Violence

Acts 23

May 11

Let’s start with some definitions.

Pharisee-felt spiritually superior; held themselves to the strict letter of the law; observed traditions to be as binding as the written word.

Sadducee- wealthy upper class; didn’t hold to tradition; denied there was a resurrection of the dead… which is why they were Sad-you-see

Sanhedrin- Jewish court of justice.  Made up of both Pharisees & Sadducees.

When the commander realized Paul was a Roman citizen, he wanted to unload this problem in a hurry.  When brought before the Sanhedrin, Paul took the bull by the horns.  As a Pharisee, he focused on an issue he knew was divisive:  resurrection.   So strong were their differences, the groups came to blows and even plotted to assassinate Paul. 

Violence is never the answer.  In our dealings we must remember to represent our humble Lord.       

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath”.   Paul calmly stated his belief.  He didn’t shout down the opposition. 

James 1:20 “Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires”.                      

I Corinthians 16:14 tells us to “Do everything in love”.   Paul didn’t bully people into his way of thinking.  We are called to preach the kingdom.  God will change men’s hearts.

-Annette Osborn

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. How was God working through this situation so that what He wanted done would be done? (see verse 11 and the rest of the chapter)
  2. What groups today are in sharp dispute with one another, sometimes leading to violence?
  3. How will you practice a “soft answer” and “doing everything in love” next time you are in the middle of a dispute?

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Your Story

Acts 22

May 10

A personal story is an effective way of connecting with others, often opening doors to intimate conversations.  I often felt that I was missing out on something by not having a “come to Jesus” moment to tell others.  Raised in church, I knew right from wrong.  Though I didn’t always choose wisely, I never veered too far from the path.  What’s encouraging about that?! 

I found some pointers for writing a faith story…

Think about your life before your baptism.  What was missing? 

What did you do to feel fulfilled and accepted?       

What led up to your decision to be baptized? 

Was there a person, event, scripture that opened your heart?        

How has your life changed? 

How is God meeting your needs? 

What is your relationship with God today?

And this tip from 1 Peter 3:15-16 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

-Annette Osborn

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. See questions above… 🙂
  2. Who do you personally know who could benefit from hearing your story? How will you make opportunities to tell them?
  3. How can you share your story (or pieces of it) with others beyond your closest friends and family? When? Where?

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