Thursday, January 28th, 2010 | Author: Chris
Today we read about a man named Saul. Saul was a blood-thirsty opponent of Christ who would eventually experience a radical encounter with the risen Jesus… an encounter that would later lead him to be the man who would write a large percentage of the entire New Testament. What stood out to you today in your reading of Acts chapter 9?
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Thursday, 28. January 2010
I love that Ananias knew God’s voice. When Saul heard Jesus’ voice his first question ‘was who are you lord?’ Ananias knew his master’s voice and yet when he heard what God wanted him to do Ananias questioned His thinking.
‘I heard about this guy…’ as if God maybe didn’t have all the facts or had the wrong guy. Don’t we do that when God asks us to do something hard. In the end Ananias did obey and look at the results. Saul is one of the people who help me find Jesus because I am a Gentile.
When God calls someone or leads them to do something and they truly embrace what He has for them. It is awesome what He can do through them or us!
Thursday, 28. January 2010
By now, the word “disciple” is probably really standing out to us. Today, we’re so used to hearing the word “Christian” to describe someone who believes in Jesus. Interestingly, “Christian” is only used 3 times in the entire New Testament, but “disciple” is used hundreds of times. In the book of Acts we will read it 30 times.
When Jesus said “follow Me” to someone, these two words meant that He was asking that person to be like Him in almost every single way. He asked that person to become His disciple (“talmid” in Hebrew). Unfortunately, when we think of the word “disciple” (“talmid”), we often think only of the 12 closest followers of Jesus. But, the truth is, Jesus is calling all of us to be His disciples (“talmidim”). This is what the early church looked like in Acts: Men, women, youth, and kids who focused their passion on being and becoming like Jesus (“Yeshua”) Himself. Of course, not only did they become talmidim, but their holy ambition was to make as many talmidim as they possibly could.
Thursday, 28. January 2010
Pretty much everything here stands out… I can’t pick a part that is the most amazing.
It all strikes me as so completely different from anything I experience. It’s even hard to believe. I’ve never been spoken to by God in this manner, or struck blind, or raised from the dead, or seen a paralytic healed or anything. Sometimes I wish I had… but sometimes I’m glad that my faith is hard work instead of confirmed the way Thomas was when he doubted in the resurrection.
Thursday, 28. January 2010
Saul/Paul’s story is awesome. On his way to kill the talmidim (really cool song called talmidim by “For Today” I’ll put the link below) then Jesus stops him and chooses this murderer to spread the Gospel. What’s equally amazing is what he is willing to go through to do this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tOLCDYyOvM
Thursday, 28. January 2010
Acts 9:16 “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” This is a interesting call Jesus gives Paul. How would we respond if Jesus called us in this way. We usually respond to Christ because we need something from Him. Many people follow Jesus as long as they receive from Him, when that stops they quit following. We should not be surprised when we suffer for Christ because that is part of being a His disciple. Look at Paul’s example.
Thursday, 28. January 2010
The thing that stood out the most to me was “Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again.” – Another instance where the Holy Spirit drastically changes people’s lives.
Thursday, 28. January 2010
For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake- this to me stands out, and it tells me that we will suffer for God’s name, nobody is going to be excluded from suffering for God’s name.
Thursday, 28. January 2010
When Joppa died, did she go to heaven only to be sent back to earth by Jesus because of peter’s prayers?
Friday, 29. January 2010
@Ken – Presumably Tabitha did go to heaven and then come back (Lazarus too). I’m guessing from your question that you’re thinking, Why would anyone want to come back after being in heaven? I think we think too much of our salvation as being escape from this lousy world; if we think of it as mission to this lousy world, then coming back makes perfect sense.
And we’re all going to come back – 1 Cor 15. And Revelation 21 doesn’t have us all disappearing into heaven; rather, the New Jerusalem comes down to earth. God doesn’t want to discard his creation; he wants to redeem and transform it. Our salvation is just the beginning of that.