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Aug 25, 202112:15

Acts #54 - Disruptive, Blameless, or Both?

Acts 19:23-41 (NIV)

Do you think the Gospel you’ve heard or live out has the power to disrupt cultural and economic structures that don’t honor God?

Cities today are known for their architecture. Think of iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Empire State Building in New York City, or the Eiffel Tower in Paris. For Ephesus, the building that would have come to mind was the enormous temple to the Goddess Artemis. People from around the region would travel here to worship at her temple seeking fertility in their crops or their business or their families. And not totally unlike we do today, people would take a miniature version of whatever it is they came to ephesus to see home with them.

Metal workers across Ephesus would cash out on the sale of miniature replicas of the Goddess Artemis. But ever since this guy Paul showed up talking about the risen Jesus, fewer and fewer people seem to be interested in buying their replicas. In today’s passage this causes a riot, and it brings into sharp focus the reality that following Jesus has had an impact in society from the very beginning, and it should today too.

----------REFLECT----------

1. As you listened, and imagined yourself there, what if any emotions came up for you?

2. The cultural and economic realities of Ephesus were disrupted because people started to follow Jesus. What cultural or economic realities do you think would rightly be disrupted if people began to follow Jesus in your context?

3. The Gospel Paul preached was indeed to blame for challenging the status quo, but was preached in a way that didn’t allow anyone to hold anything against them. This often isn’t true of us, we’re either not challenging what we say and do, or we say and do things in such a way that people rightly find fault in us. Ask Jesus to help you walk this tension out today.

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Aug 24, 202113:31

Acts #53 - The Power of Jesus

Acts 19:13-22 (NIV)
Read by: Ginger Montalvo

Have you ever found yourself trying to use the name and the power of Jesus for your own gain?

In today’s passage, Luke contrasts two groups of people and their response when they recognize the power of Jesus. One one hand we see the seven sons of Sceva, and on the other hand we have the people of Ephesus, particularly a number of people who practiced sorcery. The sons of Sceva are a group of Jewish men who try to cast out a demon by invoking the name of Jesus without actually knowing him or submitting to him. This does not end well for them.

The people in Ephesus and especially those practicing sorcery, were all too familiar with all kinds of magic incantations and pagan practices. As we’ll see in tomorrow’s passage Ephesus was a city that was known for its pagan worship. So, while it may sound strange to us, sorcery in that time was much more normal and less terrifying than it is today. Sorcerers would help people deal with things that they could not control and charge them to do so, albeit by means that did not honor the LORD. But when they recognize the power of Jesus, their reaction can actually teach us a lot about what it means to submit to Jesus.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What moment in this passage surprised you? What did you not expect?

2. The sons of Sceva get whooped because they try to baptize actions that are not actually submitted or empowered by the LORD by saying “in the name of Jesus.” How are you tempted to do this? To associate something you’re doing with Jesus without actually following His leadership?

3. One drachma is equal to one day’s wages, 50,000 drachmas are equal to 137 years of wages. Those who saw Jesus' power not only confessed and repented, they abandoned that in which they had placed their hope and it cost them a lot. We may not have sorcery scrolls, but we absolutely have things that we place our hope in that pale in comparison to Jesus’ power. What is that for you?

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Aug 23, 202110:06

Heads Up - Pressing Pause

We'll be back Aug. 15 with the rest of Acts and Season 5!

We want to give you our best and care for the family, so we are taking a break!

Jun 05, 202103:02

Acts #52 - Ephesus

Acts 19:1-12 (NIV)
Read by: Theo Leu

As followers of Jesus we were made to live lives that flourish in word, deed, and power.

Today’s episode features a passage from Acts that introduces us to Paul’s work in Ephesus. Now there's a lot that we could say about to open our understanding about the city of Ephesus, but suffice it to say that it was a city of influence both civically and spiritually. Anyone approaching the city as Paul does in today’s reading would have seen the temple of the goddess Artimus, which was one of the wonders of the ancient world.

Divination and idol worship was a mainstay in Ephesus. And the first thing that Luke wants to tell us about this important city is that Paul finds disciples, but they have only received the baptism of John. These disciples haven’t even heard of the Holy Spirit. Imagine, trying to know and follow Jesus without the power of the Holy Spirit working in you! Some of you might actually be able to imagine that, because we come from church traditions that don’t emphasize the Holy Spirit, and others can hardly imagine our church experiences without the Holy Spirit.

This passage can cause a lot of debates, but today as you listen I want to ask you to consider the ways in which you are living without the full power of the Spirit. Perhaps you are heavy in word, that is scripture and proclamation of truth, or maybe you’re strong in deed, serving others and fighting for Justice. But what about power?

----------REFLECT----------

1. What phrase stuck with you as you heard the passage?

2. The disciples had never even heard of the Holy Spirit, yet they were baptised as people who were trying to follow Jesus. As you think about the ways that you have learned to follow Jesus, are there any areas where you’ve missed large sections of fundamental teaching? Things that you've never heard of?

3. What areas of your life do you need the power of the Holy Spirit to round out the word and deed portions of your life? How can you make space for God’s spirit to come in and bring life to areas that have not moved? Ask Jesus to lead you in this time.

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May 31, 202112:40

Acts #51 - Mentors of the Faith

Acts 18:18-28 (NIV)
Read by: Christy Gates

When you think about the people who mentored you in the faith, who comes to mind?

One person who I think of, when I think of my early days of following Jesus, is a man by the name of Ken McIntosh. I worked at a law firm while I was taking classes at a community college and serving the church as a fairly new chirstian. Ken was one of the founding partners of the firm and from time to time, even though he was retired, would work out of the office. And he would sit there with me listening mostly, and telling me stories about his life.

Every once in a while, when I was talking about some aspect of faith, he would begin to stand up, which took some time for a person with two knee replacements…. He would literally begin to walk out of the room we were sitting in and drop some questions like, are you sure what that passage means? Or, have you thought about that situation in this way? And he would just leave! I didn’t know it at the time but he was slowly and carefully loosening the misconceptions I had about Jesus and God’s story. He knew where I was coming from and carefully picked at the vanier that would keep me from seeing God clearly. He didn’t finish the job, but he did just enough to make it bother me in the best way.

Today’s episode of Daily read features Pracilla and Aquilla’s discipleship of Apollos. Notice there is a woman who seems to be equally responsible for giving understanding to a leading church planter in the early church.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage stood out to you the most?

2. The text says that Apollos was teaching accurately about Jesus, but that Pracilla and Aquilla explained the way more adequately to him. Consider the difference between accuracy and adequacy. Who in your life has helped you come to know and communicate about Jesus more adequately?

3. Is there someone that you know who you might be called to care for in the way that Pracilla and Aquilla cared for Apollos, to help them understand more adequately the way of Jesus? Take a moment to think of and perhaps pray for that person.

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May 30, 202112:29

Acts #50 - Corinth

Acts 18:1-17 (NIV)
Read by: Javelin Lewis

Sometimes God calls us to leave a place, sometimes he calls us to stay, the key is learning to discern the difference.

Today’s passage in Acts brings us to Paul’s time in Corinth. Now, Corinth was the capital of a Roman province and was extremely steeped in it’s Roman identity if you will. Some said it was more Roman than Rome itself. As notorious as port cities were and are today, ancient Corinth had 2 ports which today are a canal connecting two important bodies of water. And unlike other cities that Paul preaches in, he’s called to stay in Corinth for about 18 months.

Like Paul received a vision to go from Troas to Macedonia, he receives a vision to stay because the LORD has many of his people in this place. A couple of key people are Pricilla and Aquila, two jews who were expelled from Rome by the emperor Claudius. Ancient historians say that Claudius ordered this expulsion because there were riots among the Jews about a man named Christus. Pricilla and Aquila are mentioned fondly in both Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and the Romans. Paul begins to work as a tentmaker along with them as a way of supporting himself, which he likely did before now, but without as much consistency because of how often he was moving from place to place.

Today’s passage also highlights a concession made by the proconsul Gallio who basically decided to not make a decision for the Jews who were angered by Paul. This ends up extending the same rights that the Jews enjoyed from Rome to the followers of Jesus.

One overarching takeaway from today’s passage is that sometimes God says go, and sometimes he says stay. And that often that guidance only comes just in time and is sometimes not super clear.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What struck you about today’s passage?

2. The LORD obviously cares about Paul, about Corinth, about the Jews who were expelled, the Jews in Corinth, along with the gentile in Corinth all the way to Gallio. What strikes you about God’s character towards each party in this passage?

3. Have you ever been in need of the LORD’s guidance in terms of when to leave or when to stay in a situation? For Paul to hear that the LORD’s people were in this place would have come as a huge encouragement to him. Perhaps you can take a moment to ask the LORD for encouragement in regards to the decision you have to make or perhaps the decisions you’re walking out.

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May 29, 202113:37

Acts #49 - The Unknown God & the Risen Lord

Acts 17:16-34 (NIV)
Read by: Kathy Haug

Do you know anyone who believes there might be a God but we probably can’t know him, or who thinks of the world as spiritual>

On today’s episode of Daily Read, Paul finds himself invited before two groups of greek philosophers that might fall into similar camps. He is waiting in Athens and is shocked at how many idols there are everywhere. So he begins to confront them and goes to the marketplace to do so. And there he runs into a group of epicurean philosophers and the stoic philosophers. And understanding who these folks are is a key to understanding today’s passage and what it means for us today.

First we have to understand that philosophers were much more religious than how we might think of philosophers today. Epicurean philosophers believed that the world and whatever gods exist are very far apart from each other and they don’t really interact. So, we should just get on with our lives in a way that maximizes pleasure from a quiet existence. Today this shows up in what we call the pursuit of happiness. Then the Stoics believed that divinity lay within the present world and within each human being. So, we should pursue virtue as a way of unlocking this inner divine reality. Today this might show up in how people think about being spiritual or listening to their inner voice.

Both of these philosophies are easy to mistake with orthodox Christian faith, but are in fact very much opposed to it. We see this in what could be read as encouragement and curiosity. They call him a babbler, which in a culture of high rhetoric is a slap in the face, and to say that he’s preaching foriegn divinities is what Socrates was accused of before he was killed generations before. So, Paul appeals to the resurrection of Jesus.

----------REFLECT----------

1. How does Paul describe the difference between the LORD and the idols of Athens?

2. Have you ever been ridiculed for having faith in Jesus? Recall one of those moments. How did you respond, did you get defensive, did you disengage, do you lean in, or something else?

3. Is there anyone that you know who might think there is a god, but thinks that it’s probably a long way off and unknowable, or who is looking for connection to the divine in the world apart from the Holy Spirit? Take a moment to pray for them and consider today how you might share bravely about the risen Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

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May 28, 202116:18

Acts #48 - Jesus is LORD & Caesar is NOT

Acts 17:1-15 (NIV)
Read by: Courtland Hopkins

When we say that Jesus is LORD we by implication say that other things are not.

Today on Daily Read, we see that from the very beginning, followers of Jesus have, in giving their allegiance to Jesus, had to withhold their allegiance to other kings and kingdoms. It’s not as obvious to us as we read the text in English, but in Greek the word for Christ is Christos, which literally means anointed one. And in the ancient world, to be called anointed is to either be thought of as a priest or a King. Jesus was fine with both, but Caesar, who referred to himself as the anointed one, was not fond of competition for the title. Therefore, when each person began to follow Jesus and say that Jesus is LORD, they were also saying that Caesar is not.

In our modern world there are ways to grasp how monumental this would have been, but it can’t be understood as denying allegiance to a single leader, that’s all too common in our day. Rather it would be more comprehensive than that. Caesar controlled virtually everything, to deny allegiance to him was to cut against the grain of society itself. It would be like saying today that Jesus is LORD and prosperity is not, or Jesus is LORD and comfort is not, or Jesus is LORD and America or democracy even is not.

This kind of singularity allegiance caused issues then and it causes issues today.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What stood out to you in this passage?

2. What is different about this interaction with the Thessolonians verses the cities and villages that Paul has visited before?

3. Would the same charge be brought against you, that you are defying a Caesar-like decree and calling another one King and LORD? Or are you sharing your allegiance with the ruling forces of the day that draw us to comfort, greed, hatred, lust, or and the rest?

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May 27, 202112:34

Acts #47 - Multilevel Transformation

Acts 16:16-39 (NIV)
Read by: Derekah Kingery

When the Spirit of God shows up in a place, what do you expect to be transformed?

Today’s story from Acts helps us see the kinds of things that get flipped upside down and inside out when God moves in power. And what we expect to be transformed by Jesus says a lot about how we view Jesus and his Kingdom, and the authority that he has. When they Spirit of God shows up in a place, transformation begins to take place on at least 3 levels.

One level is at the individual level, lives are transformed, individuals are set free, people are healed, and someone new walks out the otherside. Another is at a group level. Not only do individuals transform and experience restoration, but groups of individuals that belong to one another begin to be transformed. Families are redeemed, households are saved, communities are restored, and a new group is created. And then there is transformation at a systems level, this kind of transformation can be a bit more tricky to spot but if you listen carefully you’ll hear it. This kind of change upends the normal order of things and creates more just, more whole, more righteous ways of doing and being as a society. Systems of oppression are broken, economic bondage is loosed, the old ways of doing things are replaced by a way that is more closely aligned with God’s heart.

In today’s passage we see these three levels being transformed as Paul and Silas cast out spirits, are arrested, and see an entire household rescued by Jesus through an earthquake. In each of these levels, human and spiritual forces that work against Jesus succumb to the authority of Jesus. So as you listen, pay attention to where you see these levels being transformed.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What levels did you notice in this passage, was there one example that stood out to you?

2. The woman who had the spirit cast out of her was individually transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, but it also transformed the group level in that the dynamic of control and profit that her owners had was gone. And it quickly got raised to a systems level as they went to the authorities complaining that Paul and Silas were causing an uproar. Are there issues today that you can think of that need God’s transformation at all three levels?

3. In the same way that the evil one can hold individuals and groups and systems captive, the LORD can use individuals, groups and systems to bring about his Goodness, like he did with the Jailer, the Jailers household and the magistrate, and the system of Roman citizenship. How might you pray for God to work in all these levels considering the issues that came to mind from the previous question.

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May 26, 202115:31

Acts #46 - It's Complicated

Acts 16:1-15 (NIV)
Read by: Kim Koi

It’s one thing to trust God when the way forward is obvious. It’s way more complicated when the way forward is unclear and filled with questions.

Today’s passage on Daily Read shows us just how complicated trying to participate in God’s work in the world can be. Paul and his companions are on their way through the province where they had previously planted churches announcing the decision from Jerusalem that Gentiles do not need to be circumcised to belong to the family of God.

During this time they meet Timothy, who’s mother is jewish and his father is greek. This makes him a jew by birth, but uncircumsized by his greek father. Paul wants Timothy to join them in their ministry, and circumcises Timothy. Hold on, didn’t we just decide that circumcision wasn’t needed. That’s right, it’s not, not to be included in God’s Family. But the work they are called to required them to go to the synagogues first, which means they need to be ritually acceptable to get in the door. Pauls not contradicting himself, rather he and his companions are committed to doing everything they can to not create unnecessary obstacles for the message they’re delivering.

If this isn’t complicated enough, they have been kept by the Spirit from preaching in Asia, which is basically everything on the left between them and the sea, and as they travel, the Spirit continues to block them. So basically they can’t go right or left and end up at Troas, which is a coastal city… just waiting. Now this isn’t just a day’s worth of travel, it’s like a 200 mile walk. Three weeks. Sandals, dangerous roads, new companions… then a dream.

Sometimes we experience being left with nowhere else to go, feeling blocked by God. But sometimes it’s because we lack the imagination of where God could call us. Paul sees a vision, and even though it’s a call to a place way outside of the box for a pharisee turned missionary from Tarsus, he still can’t quite imagine what he actually finds there.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What stood out to you in today’s passage?

2. Paul has Timothy circumcised in order to not create barriers to the good news among the Jews they’re preaching to. It’s clear from the last chapter that Paul doesn’t think this is necessary, but he and Timothy do what it takes to appeal to the people they’re called to. Are there ways that you need to limit yourself, change behaviour to appeal to people God’s called you to serve?

3. Paul and his companions find Lydia, not a man waving his arms. For 200 miles they couldn’t imagine that God would call them to Macedonia, but even in the call they couldn’t imagine finding women, yet they enter in and follow Jesus. How might the Spirit be stretching your imagination when it comes to where and who he might be calling you to serve?

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May 21, 202114:10

Acts #45 - Parting Ways?

Acts 15:36-41 (NIV)

When you have a sharp disagreement with someone, how do you know when it’s time to go separate ways?

Today on Daily Read, we find Paul and Barnabas arguing over whether or not they should bring John Mark along with them as they plan to go back and visit the churches they’d planted. Paul thinks they should not bring him because he wasn’t reliable the last time they went, Barnabas seems to have wanted to give him a second chance.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen some pretty significant disagreements with people I love and respect, folks who I’ve served alongside in ministry. It’s hard! Now sometimes these disagreements have been because me, the other person, or both of us are sinning. But other times, we’ve both been right, and the question was about who’s gonna do what. Will we align around one side, one of us give up and let go, or is it better to part ways?

There is no clear answer to the trouble we see in today’s passage, but it gives us a window into the presence of conflict in the early church. It happened then, it will happen now, the questions is are we in disagreement over the mission or something else?

----------REFLECT----------

1. Who do you think you’d have agreed with, John Mark shouldn’t go, or he should get a second chance?

2. Think of a recent, significant argument that you had with someone you love and respect. What were you arguing over, and what happened. Did you give in, did they? Or did you decide to agree to disagree? How do you feel about it right now?

3. It’s not clear whether it’s the same Mark, but Paul tells Timothy to bring Mark to him because he is very useful in ministry. If this is the same Mark, then a lot has changed, there has been a reset, there’s been redemption. Is there someone who you’ve disagreed with who you need to reach out to?

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May 20, 202109:53

Acts #44 - Limitations or Invitations?

Acts 15:22-35 (NIV)
Read by: Sarina Chatman

When you hear about ethical and moral boundaries, do you hear them as limitations or invitations?

Today’s episode of Daily Read picks up where yesterday’s passage left off. A council has gathered in Jerusalem to discern what to do about the growing number of Gentiles who are receiving the Holy Spirit and beginning to follow the way of Jesus. So far we’ve heard some say that they think the gentiles should be required to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, while others have objected saying “we should not make it difficult for the gentiles who are turning to God.”

James speaks up and suggests three things to abstain from. For a more explanation listen to yesterday’s episode. The thing I wonder is, what do we typically hear when we hear rules and moral boundaries from the Bible. Do we think, here goes an ancient text telling us how to live in the modern world? Or do we think, these are the rules and if you don’t abide by them you’re done for? It’s not that simple, is it?

James suggests these regulations not out of a way to filter out people, but a way to help break down the barrier to them belonging. This is the bare minimum!, don't operate like the rest of the world. The people wanting circumcision and torah to be observed weren’t as interested in earning their salvation as is often said, they were concerned with the integrity of being set apart from the world and belonging as God’s people. The reality now is that that marking out and that belonging is centered on the Grace of Jesus and the Holy Spirit!

----------REFLECT----------

1. What is your initial reaction to this passage?

2. The people who gathered to hear this letter from the council received the message as encouraging. What would you find encouraging about the letter from the council, if you were to hear something like it read today?

3. Sometimes our relationship to rules causes us to mistake the good news of Jesus with the gospel of behaviour modification. We can believe that as long as we don’t do this or that then we’re good. Or on the other hand as long as we do this act of justice or say this thing the right way at the right time, somehow we’re in the right. Rather, how can you embrace the good news that Jesus invites you into as you are into a light of Righteousness and Justice?

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May 19, 202112:18

Acts #43 - Restored

Acts 15:12-21 (NIV)
Read by: Hugo Castro

If God is gracious and loving, then what are the boundaries of behaviour for those of us who begin to follow Jesus?

This is a part of the questions that the followers of Jesus are trying to work out in today’s passage? Now that the Holy Spirit is moving in and including the Gentiles in the family of God, what does it look like to walk together and be set apart as God’s holy people? Some say that they need to be circumcised and follow Torah.

Now, this passage is full of contention and debate around how we should interpret it, but here are some helpful thoughts. Basically James says that we shouldn’t make it hard for Gentiles to turn to God, instead let’s tell them to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, sexual immorality, and from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. Some take this as a basic set of guidelines to keep from offending the Jewish Christians. Others think it’s a narrowed set of basics that are being prescribed. And still others probably think that it’s a problem with scripture and don’t like that it’s there.

However some context will help. First, these abstaintions were not new, they were actually given to the Israelites in the wilderness with provisions for the gentiles living among them in the wilderness. So we can hear James just reaching back to that tradition. Some Jewish scholars point back to Noah, and the laws given to him. And others the James is pointing to the need for Gentiles to no longer participate in the Pagan temple practices which included all these things.

All of this is probably at play, but at the end of the day, Gentiles didn’t need to adopt the Law of Moses because they probably already would have if they wanted to. But they also couldn’t go on living life as usual, and if they can get along with their Jewish neighbors without causing them to stumble even better.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What challenged you in this passage?

2. The verse about David's Fallen tent is a ref. To the temple and God’s desire to restore it, and he does so by placing his presence not in a new temple but in humans where there are new creatures. How do these abstensions make sense when you think about humans as temples?

3. Sexual immorality is actually the most clear abstention. But what about the other two? Food sacrificed to idols was about not participating in idol worship, and the rules about strangled animals and blood was about respect for life. In what ways might the Spirit want to restore you, his temple, in respect to our modern idols, you sexuality, and your view of the value of life?

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May 18, 202111:21

Acts #42 - Us and Them?

Acts 15:1-11 (NIV)

How do you respond when someone goes back on an agreement they’ve made with you?

Today on Daily Read Paul and Barnabas return from their missionary journey to tell of all the ways that the Holy Spirit was moving among the Gentiles. It’s happening! What began with Cornelius is now happening in far off cities and towns. But certain folks are not completely satisfied with the news. And they let their disapproval be heard. They say that the gentiles who come to faith in Jesus need to be circumcised and follow the Law. The only problem is that’s not what they said about Cornelius when Peter came telling of what the Spirit had done in him and his household, and Peter speaks up about it.

But we need to try to understand where these pro circumcision folks are coming from. Circumcision was a visible sign that marked out God’s people in the world. God promised to make them a nation that would bless all the other nations and so (pardon the details but) everytime a jewish child was conceived, keeping that covenant hope alive, it was done so with a visible reminder that it was God that was multiplying them and who would sustain the next generation. So to do away with that practice is a big deal. How can you be covenant people without that marker?

The point is, Jesus fulfilled the role that Israel was given by God, and in his flesh, all the nations of the earth could belong to the family of God. It’s this act of Grace that is the new act of inclusion in the redeemed people of God, and to impose the former covenant marker on the nations that are now marked out by the Spirit is to fail in seeing that the hope that the sign pointed to has finally come.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you?

2. The leaders who bring up circumcision are going back on what Peter thought was settled with Cornelius now that they see that it’s not a one off conversion. What do you think was motivating their suggestion that the gentiles be circumcised and keep torah?

3. Sometimes our adherence to certain rules and regulations, even ones that gave us a deep sense of identity can turn out to be a way to discriminate between us and them. Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever done this to another? Bring this before the father who knows your name.

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May 17, 202112:39

Acts #41 - Remain True to the Faith

Acts 14:21-28 (NIV)
Read by: David Luginbuhl

What kind of advice have you received from the people who are further ahead in the faith?

Today on Daily read Paul and Baranbas retrace their journey on their way back to Antioch. And as they do they leave the churches with a word of encouragement. What kind of thing would you say, maybe something about staying in God’s Word, maybe something about loving your neighbors, what about something to do with growing in their ability to share the good news themselves.

I suppose that Paul and Barnabas had plenty of that kind of thing to share with the newly planted churches. But the thing that Luke records and brings to this part of the story is this: he says that they encouraged the new disciples to remain true to the faith saying, “we must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” I don’t know about you, but that’s not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of something encouraging. Unless you know suffering. If you know suffering, and the faith that you are remaining true to is in the resurrection from the dead, then it is indeed the most encouraging thing you could hear.

Sometimes we get so caught up in what we need to be doing, how we need to be growing, ways that we could be working that we forget that the deeper call is to remain true to the faith. When we lose sight of that we lose hope. But when we fix our eyes on it, we can endure whatever it takes to see God’s Kingdom.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in today’s passage?

2. What kind of advice do you tend to give or receive? Does it line up with the encouragement in this passage? Bring to mind people in your life who are enduring hardship, how might you encourage them today to remain true to the faith?

3. Paul and Barnabas, didn’t leave these disciples without a way for them to continue to be invested in. Sometimes we can find ourselves in seasons where we are living off of the words of people that we don’t have a relationship with. They appointed local leaders to oversee these new disciples. Who is pouring into your life? Take a moment to thank God for them, or ask God for someone like that.

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May 16, 202110:53

Acts #40 - Misunderstood

Acts 14:8-20 (NIV)
Read by: Chandra Crane

Have you ever tried to explain the good news and find that you are being completely misunderstood?

Today’s passage is comical in that Paul and Barnabas are mistaken for God’s and worshiped on the one hand. And on the other it’s quite troubling to hear that as they were trying to get away from that, they were caught by a group of Jews outside the city and Paul was stoned.

We have to be aware of what stories people see themselves living inm. You see, the city in which Paul and Barnaba find themselves is Lystra, and legend had it that this area had received an ancient visitation from Zues and Hermes, to Greek gods. In the story of this visitation, only two people received the gods graciously and the rest of the population was destroyed in a flood. See they saw themselves living in a story where distant Gods either had favor on them or not and might show up any minute and destroy them. So even when they encounter the truth they are hearing it through the story they knew.

It raises the question, what stories to the people we love and serve and witness to see themselves living in. Some see themselves living in the therapeutic story, where life is about enjoyment and comfort and security, others see it as a story of progress, still others a story of liberty and power. Consider what stories your communities have in mind when they encounter the good news.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What struck you about today’s passage?

2. How have your communities' preloaded stories shaped the meaning that they make of the Gospel? They may not start sacrificing animals to a preacher, but they might expect a certain set of blessings, or comfort, or lack of hardship? What distortions take place?

3. The problems with crowds that are easily persuaded is that anything the sounds right can win them over. This crowd gets used by Jewish leaders outside their jurisdiction who use the crowd to trap paul and stone him. What do you think makes Paul willing to suffer life this?

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May 15, 202111:53

Acts #39 - Boldness

Acts 14:1-7 (NIV)
Read by: Brennan Takayama

Are you willing to proclaim the good news even when the results might include division?

It can be difficult in our society today to say things, especially around the truth of the gospel, that we know might very well contribute to the division that is so prevalent in our world. Some of us might prefer to step away from that kind of thing, preferring not to cause any kind of conflict. So, we stay quiet and we assume that THE truth is better left as our truth. Others of us, may not be able to focus on anything but the conflict and we end up in endless debates with folks who are just as fixed on the conflict. We neglect those who are truly open while we batter those who are at the total other end of the spectrum from us.

On today’s episode of Daily Read, Paul and Barnabas don’t do that. They neither run away from the conflict, nor do that get pulled down into the mud. They do the work of faithful proclamation to all those who are open to it, even if it means that some would be actively turned against them. And, yet they don’t stick around to get abused for it either, they say what needs to be said and they move on unencumbered. Oh let it be so with us LORD.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What phrase in this passage did you find most intriguing?

2. Has there ever been a time when you have been so afraid to cause division that you’ve softened or adapted the good news to the point where it barely resembled what we know to be the good news? Or, have you ever gotten stuck in an argument with a person or group way too long? To the point where no matter how convincing you were the relationship was dead. What do you think was motivating you?

3. Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly for the LORD. There is a great book on evangelism that helps us understand boldness as the healthy place between timidity and pushiness. Where do you tend to be, timid or pushy? Ask the Holy Spirit for what you need to become Bold.

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May 14, 202110:38

Acts #38 - Jealousy

Acts 13:42-52 (NIV)

Imagine the people who are misfits in your church, chapter, or community, what would you feel if they became the majority in your group?

This is what we see begin to happen in today’s passage on Daily Read. You see the reason Paul tells the story the way he does, is to help people see that the whole point was for Jesus to do for Israel what they could not do for themselves. That it’s in Jesus that God would fulfill Israel’s vocation to be a blessing to all the nations. It’s happened, the promise that was made to Abraham has been radically released in the narrative, and the reaction of the people whose whole identity was centered on that promise was jealousy.

It’s getting more and more difficult to be a follower of Jesus in our world today who can’t see the tensions that exist within the church across racial, cultural, economic, and political lines. Like the rest of the world we have tended to retreat to our corners and huddle up. Those of us who are in churches or chapters with a large majority and a small minority might find this passage especially challenging. What would you be tempted to feel if all of a sudden your identity group became the extreme minority? Think about your community and imagine it flipping or getting a rapid growth of people who’ve never been a part of it before. Be honest with yourself…

----------REFLECT----------

1. What moment in this passage stood out to you?

2. The promise of God to Abraham was to make his descendants a blessing to all the nations. Yet, here we find that moment beginning to happen and the reaction is jealousy. This shows that they had lost sight of the important things. Where might you, your church, your chapter or your community be at risk of losing sight of the main things?

3. Consider moments when you’ve reacted to the movement of the Holy spirit with Jealousy. Take a moment to repent of that, and then take the rest of the day to consider what it would be like to meet even the most costly movements of the Spirit with joy and gladness.

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May 13, 202111:47

Acts #37 - Forgiveness of Sins

Acts 13:32-41 (NIV)
Read by: Tim Craig

Forgiveness. It’s something that doesn’t really come easy to us. I can’t think of a day since our younger daughter has been old enough to talk that we didn’t have to intervene in some sort of scuffle between our girls. Most of the time they play pretty well together, but at some point one of them does something that hurts the other’s feelings, body or pride. The anger of young children is just really honest. So, after we work out what happened and who did what, and after everyone has a chance to calm down, we talk about forgiveness. And it’s hard. But if we’re honest, it’s just as hard or harder for us as we grow up. And generally the hurts are deeper and more significant the older we get.

Today’s passage continues Paul’s speech in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch. Jesus must be the Messiah, says Paul, because unlike David, Jesus’ body did not see decay. But the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection is something the Jewish people didn’t see coming. Somehow through the death and resurrection of Jesus there is just this wide open offer of forgiveness. A freedom from guilt and a freedom from sin that has never before been on the table without a lot of sacrifices and rituals under the law.

Listen now as Paul opens up this new idea to those listening. Imagine how it might sound to them, in their context, and ask yourself what it means to you.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What stood out to you in the passage?

2. For the Jews, this was amazing news. Paul warns them not to dismiss it but to welcome it, even if it seems hard to believe. What about the Gospel feels hard for you to believe?

3. When we talk about forgiveness, there are a lot of dynamics at play. There are those we hope will forgive us… There are those we really have a hard time offering forgiveness to… But there’s also this very real, open invitation—that everyone who believes in Jesus is forgiven and set free from sin. How does that reality sink in when you think about yourself? How does it feel when you think about those who need your forgiveness? Bring those thoughts and feelings to the LORD today.

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May 12, 202111:09

Acts #36 - "Please Speak"

Acts 13:13-31 (NIV)
What answer comes to mind when you hear the question: what do you believe?

Today on Daily Read, Paul finds himself with an opportunity to exhort the people in Pisidian Antioch. And he uses this opportunity to tell the story of God’s people and how it leads to Jesus. Now some of us listening are leaders in ministries or we are following Jesus and we desire to be able to share our faith. For others, your faith might be just beginning to blossom or may even be in recovery, and the question of what you believe is one that you’re actively pursuing.

So, when you think about that question, what do you believe? What comes to mind? Is it a sequence of statements that present a rational argument, is it an "if-then" statement about God’s act of salvation in Jesus… or is it more? Our hope for each of you is that when you think of the answer to that question a story comes to mind—that you don’t just see yourself with a simple "yes/no" choice to make that punches a ticket to the good place, but a grand narrative to step into and in which to live your life.

Today Paul presents a summary of that story that centers around King David and the resurrection of Jesus. David said in Psalm 16, that God will “not allow [his] Holy One to undergo decay.” Paul demonstrates how that was pointing to Jesus. As you listen today, consider how much of this is included in YOUR sense of the Story of God’s faithfulness to us.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of the story that Paul tells stands out to you?

2. As we hear of the failure and stubbornness of Israel in the wilderness and remember the moral failing of King David, we realize the graciousness in the gift of Jesus. God is faithful in the face of our failure. How do you need God’s faithfulness today as you consider ways that you have failed?

3. It was customary in synagogues to allow visitors to give a fresh word of exhortation because of the familiarity that Jews naturally had. Paul knew this opportunity to share was likely and he positioned himself there intentionally to have an opportunity. What spaces do you naturally have that might open up moments where you might be invited to share the good news?

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May 11, 202114:36

Acts #35 - Facing Opposition

Acts 13:1-12 (NIV)
Read by: Megan Littel

Do you ever wish that the work of proclaiming the good news of Jesus would just be easier?

In today’s episode, we look at the first encounter that Paul and Barnabas have on their first missionary journey. They were set apart to proclaim the word of God, and as soon as they get on their way they encounter opposition. We’ll hear that the proconsul, which was basically the governor, was eager to hear Paul and Barnabas, but a sorcerer begins to try to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

I don’t know about you, but most often when I’ve thought about and learned about sharing my faith or teaching about Jesus, I’m presented with two scenarios. On one hand, we imagine that whoever we’re sharing with is totally hostile and we prepare with our best apologetics and come ready for a fight. On the other hand we imagine that people will be falling all over themselves waiting to hear what we have to say. These have rarely been my experience.

Rather, I’ve found that even when folks find Jesus appealing, they are often distracted by people or systems or cultural forces that want their allegiance for themselves. What do we do with that?

----------REFLECT----------

1. What moment in this story stood out to you?

2. If you were to find yourself facing someone who was trying to keep someone from hearing about Jesus and was known to have power that was not submitted to the LORD, whether spiritual or otherwise… what would you do? Is your response to that sort of thing fight, flight, or freeze?

3. Paul could have over-functioned in this scenario. Instead of being empowered by the Spirit to speak the truth to evil forces around him, he could have argued, tried to persuade or fight in his own strength, or he could have disengaged. How can you be like Paul and operate out of the power of the Spirit?

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May 10, 202112:14

Acts #34 - Trusting God Through Ambiguity

Acts 12:18-25 (NIV)

What does it take for you to trust God in ambiguity?

Today’s episode of Daily Read brings us to a transitional passage between the first half of Acts and the second half of Acts. Up to this point we’ve seen Jesus empower his disciples with the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. But the question is how? Well, so far the Holy spirit has broken down barriers of difference, moved in the hearts and minds of his followers to move across cultural and ethinc boundaries and called Saul to follow Jesus.

Followers of Jesus, now known as Christians in Antioch, are growing in number and spreading out, but in terms of that original commission, Antioch is hardly the “ends of the earth.” They stand at a moment that is often difficult for many of us in our own lives. And that is the time between the moment we hear the promise of God and the time that we see that promise fulfilled.

The story of Acts is a story of trusting the LORD to do what the LORD is going to do in his own timing. As you listen to this passage that really just provides a bit of historical context, consider the things that you are longing to see the LORD do in your life and enter into the ambiguity with the early Church.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What has stood out to you thus far in the book of Acts?

2. As you’ve listened to the book of Acts, what has struck you about the young church and its relationship with the Holy Spirit. How have you been encouraged by this relationship? How have you been challenged or stretched?

3. Jesus told the Disciples in Acts 1 that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Is there a calling or a promise that you’ve received from the Lord that you are still waiting on? Bring that longing to the Lord now and contend for His will to be done.

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May 09, 202111:24

Acts #33 - A Way Out of No Way

Acts 12:1-17 (NIV)
Read by: Adriana Abuchar

Have you ever seen the LORD make a way out of no way in your life?

On today’s episode of Daily Read we hear about the miraculous rescue of Peter from prison. Today’s passage begins to wrap up the story of what’s going on with the twelve disciples. From this point on the story revolves around specific leaders and then begins to follow the missionary journeys of Paul.

But today’s passage begins with the report that James, the brother of John has been killed by King Herod. Herod was the puppet king that was sold out to the Roman empire. So yeah, a growing group of Jews splintering off going around saying that Jesus is King presents a bit of a problem for Herod. He meets this challenge with violence.

After James is killed, Herod had Peter arrested. Peter then gets set free by the angel of the LORD and returns to the disciples in Jerusalem. But this presents a problem for the observant listener. Why does the LORD save Peter and not James? For any of us who have seen God make a way out of no way, and for all of those who still need a way where there is no way, this passage comes as a challenge. As you listen to the passage, hold this tension before the LORD.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What moment in this passage stood out to you?

2. Luke tells us that the Church was praying earnestly for Peter. No one in the passage could imagine a way for things to change, and could hardly grasp what was happening when they did. But they prayed… earnestly. Who needs your earnest prayer? Who needs to be delivered by the LORD?

3. James and Peter have a different fate. Does this mean that God failed James? Does this mean that God favored Peter? How do these tensions tend to land in your heart? Sit with the Lord in that tension today and ask the Holy Spirit to speak.

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May 08, 202114:23

Acts #32 - Followers of Jesus

Acts 11:19-30 (NIV)

What do you think of when you hear the word “Christian?”

Today on Daily Read we start to really see the early church emerge as a people... as a family—a family that includes different ethnicities, cultures, social and economic stations, in different parts of the Roman world. But strangely, Luke tells us that the gospel was spreading out from Jerusalem at least in part because the believers were scattered after Stephen’s death. Surely they were afraid, yet the persecution they were experiencing led them not to disown their faith but to spread it. In the history of the church this has happened many times. On the flip side, in the times and places where the church is comfortable and powerful it tends to die.

As you listen to the passage, consider this. And consider your own experience with the church. Many of us have been doing church mostly online for a year now, but regardless of Sunday services, how do you feel about the church? How do you feel about being called a Christian?

----------REFLECT----------

1. What caught your attention in the passage?

2. When Barnabas arrived at Antioch, it says he “saw what the grace of God had done.” Where in your story, in your family or community, have you seen the grace of God at work?

3. Luke tells us that the followers of Jesus at Antioch were the first disciples who were called Christians. When you think of that word, what comes to mind? Is it a cultural identity? A religion? The Greek word Christianos simply means “follower of Christ.” How does your life or your faith community follow Christ? What might need to change to further live into this name?

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May 07, 202112:12

Acts #31 - Standing in God's Way

Acts 11:1-18 (NIV)

Have you ever found yourself tempted to stand in God’s way by controlling how something goes or refusing to participate in something God's clearly doing?

There is a reflection on humility available to us in today’s passage. As Peter returns to Jerusalem, and as word spreads that the Gentiles have received the Holy Spirit, he finds himself with some explaining to do. Now, remember it’s no small thing to say that a group of Gentiles could belong in God’s new family without being circumcised, or committing to the food laws and Sabbath observance. So tensions are high.

It may seem hard to relate to this passage today. We don’t require people to be circumcised or not, eat certain foods or not, observe a strict Sabbath or not… do we? As I name those things, the things we do require begin to come to mind. Think about it, we may not explicitly require those exact things but sometimes how a person presents themselves, where they are from, how they vote or how they spend their money changes our willingness to engage what the Spirit might do in their lives.

As you listen to this passage, bring to mind groups that do not tend to align with your church, chapter or community.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage stood out to you?

2. For Peter it was the circumcised believers who began to criticize him. But what about you, who might come to you with questions and criticism, depending on who you might care for across differences?

3. Peter says, “who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way.” He saw the Spirit fall on him and the other disciples at pentecost, and it’s this reasoning that leads him to say this. That is Humility. He acknowledges how utterly gracious it was to receive the gift of the spirit, they didn’t merit it, so they can’t control it. How might this help you take a posture of humility towards the Spirit’s work in others?

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May 06, 202113:36

Acts #30 - Tolerance or Transformation?

Acts 10:23b-48 (NIV)
Read by: Christy Gates

When God calls you to engage people who are different from you culturally, socially, ideologically, do you engage for the sake of tolerance or for the sake of transformation?

In today’s episode of Daily Read, the last several passages come to their climax as Peter responds to the LORDs invitation through Cornelius to come to Caesarea and enter a Roman centurion’s house. Cornelius represents so much of what has oppressed this religious minority in Judea throughout the lifetime of Peter and for generations before him. Peter represents the pathway to knowing and being in communion with God, the law and the religious system was fashioned in such a way that even the most god-fearing gentiles would have trouble getting close to God.

So while Peter was in a position of weakness in relation to Cornelious, Cornelius was at the mercy of Peter in his desire to follow Yahweh. Peter knows that God shows no partiality, but as the Spirit leads him into this cross-cultural experience, he has a choice between a posture of tolerance, or an openness to transformation.

As you listen to the passage, pay attention to the moments when Peter leans into curiosity, looking for God’s transformative work among a household that would otherwise be an enemy. Because what he finds, not only transforms Cornelius and his household, but Peter and the future of the Church and the world.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What moment in this passage sticks out to you as most significant?

2. As Peter approaches the house, Cornelius runs and falls at his feet to worship him. Can you imagine? When did Peter ever imagine a Roman Centurion bowing to him? Yet, he does not indulge in this power differential, he says to Cornelius “stand up.” This goes beyond tolerance in pursuit of a transformative dignity. How can you give dignity to people who are different from you?

3. Throughout the passage it’s the Holy Spirit who is initiating the transformative work in Cornelius and his household. Before Peter could even finish what he was saying the Holy Spirit took over and fell on those gathered with Cornelius. God invites Peter into what he’s wanting to do and uses him there. How might God be inviting you into what he’s doing in folks who are different from you?

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May 05, 202115:54

Acts #29 - A New Family

Acts 10:9-23a (NIV)
Read by: Amanda Koch

If someone you consider an enemy sent an invitation for you to come to their house, what would it take for you to respond?

Today on Daily Read, Peter receives just that. Cornelius has been prompted by the LORD to send for Peter in Joppa, asking him to come to his house. We learned yesterday about Cornelius and the power and influence he had, and how the Jews in Judea would feel anything but trust for roman officers.

What's more is that, not only does this invitation fly in the face of any self respecting Jew during the Roman occupation, the fact that Cornelius is a gentile will put him on the outside of ritual purity laws for a jewish person to enter his house. Jews like Peter, even the ones who had come to follow Jesus as LORD, were used to seeing their identity and belonging to the family of God as marked out by their observance of strict food laws, circumcision, and sabbath observance.

So when Peter sees in today’s passage a vision about eating animals that break with purity laws, it’s not about a moral code as much as it’s about how one belongs to the people of God. This passage is not focused on purity codes being undone, it’s focused on the boundary lines of who belongs to God’s family being radically redrawn around Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.

So as you listen to today's passage, bring to mind a people or a community with whom you would struggle to associate.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What moment from this passage most caught your attention?

2. Some read this passage as the moment Jews became exempt from kosher food laws. But this passage isn’t about bacon. It’s about the innate goodness of all that God has made. It’s about welcoming people you would never associate with into your life, and into their place in God’s story as integral members of the family of God… If you were Peter, who would your Cornelius be?

3. The divisions that exist in the church today are no better than the Jew-Gentile divide. We mistrust one another, each of us tend to fail in recognizing and stewarding the dominance that our identities afford us. In what ways could your church, your small group, or your chapter step outside of the way things are and into the ways things could be in the family of God?

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May 04, 202112:38

Acts #28 - Cornelius

Acts 10:1-8 (NIV)
Read by: Tammy Eckhart

How does God respond to those with power?

Today on Daily Read like a new scene in a movie Luke’s narrative pans the camera over to a new character. Cornelius. Cornelius is a roman centurion station in Caesarea, and he’s about to get instructions from the Lord that will change everything for him, and probably for us.

But first we’ve got to have in our minds what a roman centurion really is. A centurion was a soldier in the roman army that held a high office, like a century has a 100 years, a centurion commands around 100 men. Centurions make much more money than an average soldier. So they are powerful, they are wealthy, the rules work in their favor, and there are a lot of them. Cornelius is stationed in Caesarea, which at the time had about 3000 men stationed there, to give you some perspective, Jerusalem only had 600 at the time.

Now the disciples watched Jesus be brutally executed on a roman cross, at the hands of roman soldiers. And in today’s passage the God is going to call a guy in a town that’s named after Caesar and has 6 times more soldiers?!

Given all that might keep this man far from God and what’s happening in Jesus, there is something the LORD sees in him and moves towards.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What surprised you in this passage?

2. The angel said that Cornelius’ prayers and gifts to the poor had “come up as a memorial offering to God.” It seems that even if they don’t have all the information or right answers about theology, the LORD hears the prayers and sees the good works of those who fear him. How does that challenge or encourage you?

3. The LORD doesn’t just use the angel to share the good news. He wants to involve Peter, a Jew, who would consider Cornelius an enemy. Why do you think God wants to do that? As you consider that, become aware of how this passage stretches you.

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May 03, 202111:26

Acts #27 - Get Up

Acts 9:32-43 (NIV)
Read by: Hugo Castro

What are the places where you need healing from the Lord, where do you need things to go from death to life?

Today on Daily Read, we follow Peter as he imitated Jesus and sees the Holy spirit move to heal people and bring a dead girl back to life. As you listen you might realize that it sounds familiar. And that’s because what Peter does in this passage, is almost exactly what he saw Jesus doing.

In Mark chapter 2 Peter watches Jesus as he tells a paralyzed man to “get up take his mat and go home.” In Mark Chapter 5 Jesus brings Peter into a room where he heals Jiarus’ daughter, and says “Talitha koum” which means little girl get up. The Holy Spirit is moving in mighty ways and in some ways might be preparing Peter to trust the Holy Spirit as the Spirit invites him to go where he might otherwise not want to go.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in this passage?

2. A Paralyzed man and a dead girl named Tabitha are made whole again in this passage. As they hear the words Get Up… the power of the resurrection washes over them and things are set right. In what areas of your life do you need to hear the words get up?

3. Peter, trusting the Holy Spirit, speaks to the paralyzed man and to Tabitha. He tells them to Get Up… trusting the power of God to make broken things whole and to bring dead things back to life. Where in your life is the Spirit calling you to speak the words Get Up! Your family, your community, your work, your church?

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May 02, 202111:49

Acts #26 - Saul Who?

Acts 9:19b-31 (NIV)

Is there someone you know, who is hard to imagine as a follower of Jesus and a minister of the Gospel?

One writer points out that Saul was a hard-lined, fanatical, ultra nationalist, super-orthodox Pharisaic Jew. This is not the kind of person who comes to mind as a candidate for taking the good news about Jesus to the world. But God is in the business of doing the unimaginable.

As we listen to this passage, some of you might relate to Saul, the life from which Jesus called you is a liability in building trust with others. People can’t see how God might transform someone like you really. Others of you might be able to relate to the communities that receive Saul. You might feel skeptical, you might recognize the power and respond like Barnabas, aor you might be like those who just want to get rid of the potential issue.

Whatever the case, today’s passage is the beginning of a dazzling story of restoration, not just IN Saul, but through Saul. If we let it it will call us into a deeper trust in the LORD transformational power.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What struck you about this passage?

2. Saul was feared by Christians, and now he’s despised by Jews. Yet God uses him. And what happens in this brief moment in Acts 9 is just the beginning of a life that the Spirit will use to change the world. Is there anyone in your life who comes to mind, who if Jesus transformed them would really shake things up. Pray for that person now.

3. Saul’s attempt to join the disciples is met with fear. But Barnabas took him… This moment changes everything. Rather than Saul being left alone, with the possibility of being killed, he is brought in because of Barnabas. Is there someone in your life or chapter or church who needs you to step in like Barnabas? Ask the Lord about that now.

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May 01, 202112:33

Acts #25 - The Road to Damascus

Acts 9:1-19 (NIV)
Read by: Kathy Haug

What events in your life were most significant in shaping your spiritual life today?

In today’s episode, we journey with Paul on the road to Damascus. Now, within the narrative of Acts, the only thing that we know about Paul is that his Jewish name is Saul, and he was there approving of the stoning execution of Stephen. So in order to fully appreciate the story that Luke gives us today, we need to understand a little bit more about Saul, and that comes from other writings.

We learn from Paul’s letters, and from who he becomes in the rest of the Acts narrative that at the time that he’s traveling on this road, is among a sect of the Jews called the Pharisees. This group was dead set with their zeal and fervor to keeping Israel pure and in right standing with God. Saul was traveling around Judea arresting followers of Jesus and seeing to their deaths if necessary. All for the sake of defending the faith and honoring Yahweh.

Pharisees like Saul were known for a form of prayer that modeled itself after Ezekiel’s vision of God’s heavenly chariot. They would meditate on this image and work their way up from the wheels to the chariot to the shining being hoping to see the face of God. And Saul sees a face that he was not expecting. Many refer to this as a conversion of Saul, but really this was a radical convergence, of all that Paul believed in the person of Jesus. His whole world gets flipped upside down.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What moment in this passage stirred you the most?

2. Saul thought that he was acting out of righteousness, defending the holiness and purity of God’s people. And in this moment he’s literally blinded as he’s exposed by the truth that Jesus is the very righteousness that he has so longed for. Have you ever been acting or living or believing one way, only for God to turn that inside out and upside down?

3. God calls Annanias to go to Saul. Now think about what Annanias knows. All he knows is that Saul is the one who’s been traveling around persecuting Christians. And God calls him to go where he is and Annanias calls him brother?! If you knew that God was working in the life of someone who you would consider an enemy, would you go to them?

Lord, we ask that you reveal yourself to us. Turn over the things that we have wrong about who you are, and use us in the lives of those for whom you’re turning things over.

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May 01, 202116:04

Acts #24 - How Far Will You Follow The Spirit?

Acts 8:26-40 (NIV)
Read by: Kim Koi

How far are you willing to follow when the Holy Spirit leads you?

Today on Daily Ready we hear the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. While this passage might be familiar to some of us, we each have much to reflect on as we listen carefully to the leadership of the Spirit, the obedience of Phillip to take some pretty significant risks.

First we have to remember, this is the time when severe persecution had broken out against the followers of Jesus. To be out and about willing to proclaim the good news was risky enough. The LORD calls Phillip to go down a largely deserted road, and he obeys. And on that road he encounters a Eunuch from Ethiopia. Now, this Eunuch is described as a very powerful official in the Queen of Ethiopia which was considered the ends of the earth. To be the head of the Treasury, to be riding in the chariot, to have in his possession a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and to be able to read it, places him in a number of categories of influence and power. In this time one did not simply approach a person with immense power without being invited. But the Spirit tells Phillip to.

Meanwhile there is another layer at play. Remember how Philip just got done preaching to the Samaritans, who Israel despised because they were seen as compromised ethnically and spiritually, well the Ethiopian’s eunuch status places him in a significantly subordinated group in the eyes of the Jews. Eunuchs weren’t allowed to be full converts to Judaism. So this passage is full of the Spirit pushing the boundaries of who can belong to this new family of God as we’ll continue to see throughout Acts.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What stood out to you about the Spirits direction, and Phillips obedience?

2. Has the Spirit ever prompted you to go to a place or head in a direction without you fully understanding why? What did you experience in that moment and why did you respond in the way that you did? (If you haven’t experienced the Spirit's leadership in that way, ask the LORD why not?)

3. Can you think of a situation, a relationship, or a sphere of influence in which the direction of the Spirit is leading you towards significant risk? What can you learn about God’s character from this passage that will give you courage and comfort to face that invitation with boldness?

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Apr 29, 202113:36

Acts #23 - Submitted to the Spirit?

Acts 8:9-25 (NIV)
Read by: Shelly Scott

Have you ever desired the Holy Spirit’s power without actually submitting yourself to the Spirit?

Today on Daily Read, we hear the story of Simon from Samaria. As people are coming to believe in the LORD Jesus and be baptized, we learn that many of those people were former followers of a powerful sorcery in town named Simon. He ends up believing too, but after seeing the Holy Spirit come asks if he can purchase the ability to have that same power.

As you listen to today’s passage, it might feel hard to relate. I mean we’ve never tried to buy the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. Or have we? Maybe not outright, but what about those moments where we thought if I just went to this conference or that conference maybe I’d experience something more, or maybe if I get into this group or that group maybe I’ll be closer to Jesus, or man If I just had that person speaking into my life I’d be on fire. I don’t know…. But what I do know is that the Holy Spirit is not going to be controlled by us, and we will only participate in the Spirit's power as far as we’re submitted to the Spirits renewal in our lives.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage stuck out to you the most?

2. When Simon asks if he can but the Holy Spirit, what do you think is motivating him? Is it control, greed, fame, something else? Have you ever been motivated by these kinds of things when it comes to participating with the Holy Spirit?

3. Desiring the power of the Holy Spirit without submitting your life to the Spirit is dangerous. What areas of your life do you need to submit to the Spirit? Is it a set of habits, something that you need to bring into the light through confession, or an ulterior motive that you need to lay down before the LORD? Bring that before the LORD and ask for one clear next step.

Spirit, help our submission to you and the desire for your power in our lives to be found in equal measure. And give us the courage to take whatever first step you’ve asks us to take today.

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Apr 28, 202113:26

Acts #22 - By Means Unexpected

Acts 8:1b-8 (NIV)
Read by: Derekah Kingery

What do you do when God begins to do what He said He’d do, but in a way that costs you more and is more difficult than you anticipated?

So far in the Book of Acts, Luke has carried us from his Gospel narrative into the life of the early Church. Jesus’ followers have received the Holy Spirit, begun to gather and share their lives, they have begun to teach and heal and defend the faith, and scores of Jewish people are turning to Jesus. They are gathering Jews from the diaspora, so much so that they had to appoint new leaders to handle equitable food distribution. One of those leaders has just called out the Jewish establishment and they killed him for it.

And if you’ve been listening from the beginning you can’t help shake the words of Jesus to his disciples, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, judea, samaria and to the end of the earth.” How is that actually supposed to happen? There are widows to feed, people being lined up in the streets to be healed, and now they’ve killed a leader that we just appointed?

Sometimes, God accomplishes his purposes by means that are unexpected. In today’s passage, it’s in the midst of severe persecution.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage struck you the most?

2. As you think about this new Jesus community being persecuted and scattered, what are the things in the first 8 chapters of Acts that keep them following Jesus. Think back and imagine what you would have needed to continue to follow Jesus amidst such harsh persecution.

3. As a result of persecution, a Jewish man ends up going to Samaria, and there preached the good news of King Jesus, cast out demons, and healed many. This might have been unimaginable before the persecution began. What about your life? Is there a way that difficulties and struggle, or even persecution would direct your life to a place where you may not want to go, but could be used profoundly by Jesus?

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Apr 27, 202110:01

Acts #21 - I See Heaven

Acts 7:54-8:1a (NIV)
Read by: Eric Peterson

What kind of influence do you want your life to have?

On today’s episode of Daily Read we find Stephen standing before the Sanhedrin, the leaders who are at the heart of Jewish life in Jerusalem. He’s been telling the story and had just called out the entire institution for having missed Jesus as the Righteous One who was foretold and having killed him.

As this enrages them, Stephen has this incredible vision that draws a sharp contrast that Lukes first readers would have probably picked up on but we can easily miss. If you were a God fearing person in the 1st century, you knew the Temple as the place where Heaven and Earth met. And you would have expected the leaders in that place to be the ones aware of the presence of Heaven. But in today’s passage it’s Stephen who sees through the earthly reality to the heavenly reality in his midst.

One writer reminds us by saying, it’s not like he sees a far of heaven and a gateway that he gets a peek through. Rather, it’s like a midst lifting and all of a sudden you can see what’s been there all along. Today’s passage gives us a glimpse into what is available to us in total surrender. And though Stephen goes to sleep, which means to die, his life changes everything because of who is standing there watching his execution.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage gave you encouragement?

2. When you think about Stephen, having been led by the spirit into this interaction with the Sanhedrin, what parts of his life do you find yourself wanting to emulate? His boldness, his relationship to the Spirit, his candor, his wisdom?

3. Stephen is living his life in total surrender to Jesus and right at the very end, he experiences an unveiling of the reality that has been there the entire time. What would it mean for you to live in such a way that is aware of and attentive to the presence of Heaven around you? How would that impact those who witness your life?

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Apr 26, 202111:15

Acts #20 - Tell The Story (5/5)

Acts 7:44-53 (NIV)

Have you ever focused so much on the container of a thing that you’ve missed the thing itself?

The words in today’s passage are the words that get Stephen killed. In the wisdom of the Spirit he tells the Jewish leaders responsible for the Law and the Temple, that they are stiff-necked, spirit resisting murderers. You never know where the Spirit might lead you… but here he is, trying to tell these leaders that they have been so focused on the Law and the Temple that they’ve missed the point and big time.

Before we point the finger we’ve got to realize that we do this too. On family vacations we get focused on the activities and the travel and we forget to enjoy our family. At our holiday parties we worry so much about the food and the house and the guest list that we forget why we’re gathering in the first place. At Church we get so caught up in the style of music, the clothes that folks are wearing, or how long the pastor speaks that we fail to revere God. And even in our daily times with Jesus, we get so fixated on consistency, or time spent, or having deep moments, or getting in just the perfect spot that we forget about the one who we are there to worship.

Maybe Stephen wouldn’t charge us with having murdered Jesus… but he may very well call us out for not paying attention to his life in us.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What stood out to you in this passage?

2. When you think about the leaders, who’s life's work was to see to the Temple and all its functions, and to preserve the Law of Moses, teaching it and enforcing it, what do you imagine this accusation from the Spirit through Stephen would have meant. Why is it that they were so fixed on the Temple?

3. What are the things in your life that are good, but have your attention so much so that you have missed the point. You small group? Your Chapter Ministry? Your wo rship team? Your devotions? Your relationships with others?
Bring these things before the LORD and ask him for fresh eyes.

----------GO DEEPER----------

Apr 25, 202111:19

Acts #19 - Tell The Story (4/5)

Acts 7:30-43 (NIV)
Read by: David Luginbuhl

Have you ever felt like you are in a wilderness season in your life?

In today’s episode we hear about how God called Moses, led him to free the people and then called him to lead the people through the wilderness. Have you ever noticed that when God calls someone they typically aren’t really cut out for the job that he gives them. I mean, when God called Moses, Moses told God that he wasn’t cut out for it, but God called him anyway and he was the one who would see him and his people through.

As we hear this story about Moses, remember that Stephen is standing in front of the jewish leaders being accused of doing away with the traditions of Moses. Stephen himself finds himself in a place where he isn’t really cut out for the job, but the Spirit gives him what he needs. And as these leaders sit here and are reminded of God’s faithfulness to the people of Israel, and as they are reminded of Israel's failure then, all of a sudden it could be coming into view that they might be missing it too.

I don’t know about you but when I read about God’s people in the wilderness, I often feel like “what is their problem?” I mean, you walk through the sea on dry ground and then you aren’t going to trust God and your gonna worship idols? Leave it to God's people to see him moving right in front of them and then turn and look away. Maybe that’s what they are doing with Jesus.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What stood out to you as you listened to today’s passage?

2. Have you ever been right in the middle of God’s work and found it hard to see him or hard to trust him? This is where Israel was and and yet, God did not leave them or abandoned them. Bring your fear and doubts before the LORD who loves you.

3. Who in your life might the LORD be calling you to lead in this season of wilderness? Do you feel in over your head… good, so do all the people God can use. How can you make more space in your life today to follow Jesus where he is asking you to go?

Father who made us, help us to discover your Story and find our place in it.

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Apr 24, 202113:37

Acts #18 - Tell The Story (3/5)

Acts 7:20-29 (NIV)
Read by: Javelin Lewis

What has the LORD set you free from?

Today on daily read, Stephen continues telling the story of God's faithfulness to humanity through Israel in the story of Moses. If you were in my church, and the preacher said, don’t we all got a story to tell? You would immediately hear the church folk around you say, amen!

Yall we all got a story, and we all have been made by a creator who loves us and longs to redeem us and restore us. Therefore, we have a story to tell. Not just of the ways that the world has rough us up, but of the ways that God has picked us up. Not just of the times that we can’t see a way forward, but of the ways that God has seen us through.

As you listen to the beginning of the story of Moses, take some time, wherever you are, to reflect on the goodness of God and the ways that he has seen you through… and for those of you who may not feel like God is there with you in the moment, take comfort in the reality that Moses, at this point in the story, may not have even been aware that God was for him and the people he would be called to serve.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What came to mind as you listened to this passage?

2. As you reflect on your story, where do you think God may have been present in those early times, looking out for you watching over you? Take a moment to reflect on God’s presence in your life.

3. God doesn’t just save us from something, he saves us for something. There is a reason for the faithfulness of God in your life beyond what you could see at the time, perhaps even what you can see right now… take a moment and listen to Jesus.

God of all goodness, help us to discover your Story and find our place in it.

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Apr 23, 202111:10

Acts #17 - Tell The Story (2/5)

Acts 7:9-19 (NIV)
Read by: Sarina Chatman

How does your understanding of where you come from influence your relationship to God?

Today on Daily read we hear part 2 of Stephen’s telling of the story before the Jewish leaders in the Sanhedrin. If you haven’t listened to yesterday’s passage, it might be good to start there. Because remember Stephen has been accused of saying that Jesus would destroy the Temple and change the customs of Moses. Now for Jews, this was no small thing. Their whole sense of meaning and identity was wrapped up in the writings of Moses and the life of the Temple. And when Stephen is challenged on it, he goes back to the beginning to try to get them to see that Jesus is the place where the story was headed all along.

In today’s section of that very long story, Stephen recounts a pretty familiar part of the narrative. It’s the story of Jospeh being sold into slavery and how God’s people ended up in Egypt prior to the time of Moses and the Exodus. For Stephen, who is being given wisdom from the Holy Spirit, there is something significant to the leaders knowing where they come from when it comes to them understanding who Jesus is. Perhaps the same is true for us?

----------REFLECT----------

1. What parts of this story sounded familiar? What Images came to mind?

2. There is something significant about this story in particular, because it’s a reminder to any Jew in the time of the book of acts, of having been first enslaved by a foreign people. And these leaders didn’t have to look far to be aware of the Roman occupation at the time. What do you imagine this group feeling as they were reminded of this story?

3. Are there stories in your life, or in the life of your family that give shape and meaning to your relationship to Jesus? Are there stories of faithfulness or suffering that have marked your family or community’s life with God? Bring those to the LORD in gratitude and or contemplation.

Spirit of the living God, help us to discover your Story and find our place in it.

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Apr 22, 202112:03

Acts #16 - Tell The Story (1/5)

Acts 7:1-8 (NIV)
Read by: Shelly Scott

If you had to tell the story of Jesus, where would you begin?

Have you ever had the experience, when someone asks you about something and you have to stop and think, where do I begin? This kind of thing happens to me when someone asks about how my wife and I met and why we’re in Alabama. I mean I could briefly say, well we met through work and our job brought us here. And while that would be true, it would not be complete. There is so much more to the story that invests our life together in this place with meaning.

This is the same kind of thing that happens when one tries to tell the story of Jesus. Where do you begin? Maybe you begin with a traveling teacher, or a Jewish boy, or a pregnant Mary, or a people waiting for God. Unfortunately, in recent history, the story has gotten shortened and flattened in order to make it easy to remember and easy to accept as true. And for many this has flattened and hollowed out the true meaning of the story, making it difficult to find their place in it.

Over the next few episodes, we’ll listen to Stephen’s rendition of the Big Story. When the Priests in the Sanhedrin ask him about his claims, he takes it back to Abraham, and frames for them the story that he sees himself living in. A unified story that leads to Jesus.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage stuck out to you?

2. As you reflect on your understanding of the Story of Jesus, are these features of the story that typically come to mind?

3. Take a moment to consider the reality that the faith that you have or are considering, is ancient. Through all of the joy and pain of Human history this story has remained, and been affirmed and confirmed by countless witnesses. You are a part of that story… What does that bring up in you?

As we will pray through these next few episodes, Lord help us to discover your Story in deeper ways and find our place in it.

----------GO DEEPER----------

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Apr 21, 202111:40

Acts #15 - Wisdom From the Spirit

Acts 6:8-15 (NIV)
Read by: Tim Craig

How do you react when someone brings a false or exaggerated accusation against you?

Today on Daily Read, the story of what Jesus is doing through the Spirit who is empowering his followers brings us to Stephen. Now Stephen was one of the seven Hellenistic Jews appointed as deacons in our passage yesterday. He was a Jewish man from the diaspora of Jews across the Mediterranean and Palestine who was full of the Spirit and wisdom.

So now you’ve got the Apostles who are all from Judea still doing their thing, and then this Greek-speaking deacon who in today’s passage is performing great wonders and signs too. This stirs up trouble with a new crowd that’s in town, the Synagogue of the Freedmen. They were Jews from the Diaspora who obviously are not interested in this Jesus person. They react pretty strongly against Stephen for this and it brings into focus the cost of bearing faithful witness to Jesus and also the power the Spirit will give us to do so.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage stood out to you?

2. These synagogue leaders manufacture a story about Stephen in order to bring him before the Jewish officials. Have you ever had a lie told about you? Have you ever had something like that happen when you were trying to do right and stand up for truth? What was that like?

3. The Spirit gave him wisdom to withstand the opposition, and then when he was seized his face became "like that of an angel." It was as if he was experiencing this overlapping of Heaven and Earth in his own body and actions. Ask the Spirit for what you need to withstand division and opposition in your community or fellowship as you stand and act for truth.

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Apr 20, 202109:45

Acts #14 - Overlooked

Acts 6:1-7 (NIV)
Read by: Skip McDonald

Who among your community of faith is the first to be overlooked, and how does your community tend to respond?

The nature of any growing family is that as it expands and grows, things are going to have to adjust and shift in order to accommodate the changing needs of each member. This was the situation for the early church in today’s passage. Not only were they growing extremely fast, but the growth came with increasing complexity as Jews from across the diaspora (that is jews from the greek speaking world around Judea) came to follow Jesus and were included in this new family of God.

These greek speaking Jews are called the “Hellenistic Jews” in this passage. And the widows in the Jewish world were normally cared for by their family, but in this new kind of family, the normal structures of care were not in place and they had to make adjustments.

As you listen, notice how the leaders respond. They did not shift the center of focus from one thing to another, nor did they try to hold on to their control. Rather they expanded what the center included and made it a part of the whole, and they made space to share power and influence, trusting that with the Holy Spirit there is plenty of power to go around.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What choices and decisions in this passage stood out to you?

2. When you think about a community you’re in, is there a group that is or tends to be overlooked? Maybe folks with a particular relationship or marital status, maybe it's folks from a certain gender or enthic group? What about people with disabilities or hold one economic status or another? Whoever it is, consider a first step in helping them not be overlooked.

3. How could you and your community act to expand the sense of what you see as the whole, and what would it take for your community to make space for more leadership trusting that in the Spirit there is plenty of power to go around?

----------GO DEEPER----------

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Apr 19, 202110:56

Acts #13 - Two Temples And a Call to Repent

Acts 5:27-42 (NIV)
Read by: Alanah Nantell

What is it that keeps us from repentance and the forgiveness and restoration of Jesus?

Today we continue in what some have called “The Tale of Two Temples.” The old temple is now bereft of God’s Spirit... The line of priests and religious leaders who were supposed to be the agents of healing, justice and generosity has failed, and the LORD is doing a new thing. The Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Risen Jesus is moving now in His followers. He is filing them and through them working miracles of healing and restoration across Jerusalem. He is creating a new community of generosity and shalom… a new temple that cannot be bound by bricks and mortar, or even by prison bars.

But today’s passage also reminds us of God’s constant desire that all should turn towards him for forgiveness and restoration. In the midst of the fear and jealousy of the religious leaders, as their anger starts to turn into violence, there are voices of truth, from within and from without, warning them to wait, watch and listen, to see, turn and repent, lest they end up fighting against God himself.

As you listen the first time, place yourself in the scene amongst the religious leaders. What were they thinking? What were they feeling?

----------REFLECT----------

1. What stood out to you in the passage?

2. Who in your life have you written off? Maybe a family member or coworker? Or maybe a religious leader who has failed you or their community? In what ways can you join with God in longing for their repentance and restoration? Take a minute to pray for them now.

3. What about you? Is there an area of your life where pride, fear or jealousy have kept you from asking for forgiveness or seeking the restoration of relationship you need? Bring that to the LORD today and ask for the Spirit to help you walk in humility and repentance.

----------GO DEEPER----------

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Apr 18, 202113:31

Acts #12 - Jealousy & Fear

Acts 5:12-26 (NIV)

What do you do when you are filled with jealousy or fear?

In today’s passage, we find the believers growing in number and influence across Jerusalem and the surrounding towns. It’s happening right? They are Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem and now going out into Judea. The healings that are happening are so many that the streets are being filled with folks in need of healing lying on mats. It’s a bit of a ruckus, and this ends up threatening those who are in power.

Enter: the High Priest and the Sadducees. These were the men who were the guardians of the temple, the most sacred and holy place in the cosmos according to the Jews. They saw it as their work to defend and maintain the purity of the temple and to challenge, correct, and dispose of anyone who might compromise the honor of God and the sanctity of His temple. So when they see the followers of Jesus gaining influence, they see it as their role to shut it down.

This impulse is driven by jealousy and fear, two words that drive the actions of these leaders. They fail to be concerned with the truth, wherever it might lead them, and more with their own power and their ability to keep it.

As you listen to this passage pay attention to the insecurities of these leaders.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What moment in this passage stood out to you the most?

2. Has the way that you’ve viewed something ever come to be challenged? Has there ever been a time when people around you started to coalesce around a new set of ideas or a way of behaving… What was your reaction? Did you wait and watch and listen? Or did you exercise control?

3. Perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of this kind of reaction? Of another’s jealousy or fear? Was it because of Jesus or something else? If it was because of Jesus, how did you respond to their reactions?

As you follow Jesus today, commit to seeking his truth wherever it may lead you, and commit to speaking truth, no matter the reactions you may face.

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Apr 17, 202112:51

Acts #11 - God's New Temple

Acts 5:1-11 (NIV)
Read by: Summer Richardson

Yesterday we looked at the earliest community of Jesus followers and what they were like. They were unified, they shared all they had, and they were bold in telling others about the work of God in Jesus… And they were all of these things because they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The implication of this filling isn’t as obvious to us in our culture, but the early church would have understood that being filled with God’s Spirit meant that now they, rather than the temple, were the place where God was choosing to dwell—the place where heaven and earth were coming together. Jesus had referred to his own body as the temple (John 2:19), and now it was his followers who were being filled with the Spirit… They were the new temple.

In light of this perspective, today’s passage will make more sense. It’s one of these stories in the Bible that is either overlooked and ignored because it’s kind of scary, or sometimes it’s been taken out of context and used to scare people into giving to the church. But as you listen, try to set aside any preconceived ideas and hear it with fresh ears, in the context of what we’ve heard so far in Acts. It’s a continuation of yesterday’s story. Remember, we learned that this new Jesus community, in their unrestrained generosity, were in the habit of selling houses or land that they owned and bringing the money from the sale to be given to those who had need. The end of yesterday’s passage provides an example in Barnabas. But today we get another example—and one that calls attention to an important reality of being the dwelling place of God’s Spirit—his holiness. It shouldn’t be surprising to us, but when the LORD dwells in the hearts of people, he is still as holy as he has ever been. And he is still as unwilling as he ever was to share his home with sin.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What surprised you in this passage?

2. Have you ever lied or held back part of the truth to make yourself look good in front of others? How did that make you feel inside?

3. Honesty has been an issue from the day that Adam and Eve ate the fruit. When we lie, when we hide things and pretend to be someone we are not, not only do we break trust with others that is often irreparable, we’re also rejecting the Holy Spirit. We’re choosing not to allow God to dwell with us, and saying that we want to define good and evil for ourselves. We are no different than our first parents. Is there something in your life that you need to confess? Is there something you’re holding onto that is keeping the LORD from making his home in your life?

----------GO DEEPER----------

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Apr 16, 202112:12

Acts #10 - A Spirit-Filled Community

Acts 4:32-37 (NIV)
Read by: Ginger Montalvo

What would it look like if the community that you belong to was filled with the Holy Spirit?

For many of us, what comes to mind when we think about the Holy Spirit, what comes to mind is speaking in tongues, prophetic words, visions and dreams, or healing miracles. Those things are definitely a part of the way that the Holy Spirit shows up in power in the world today, but there are things the Holy Spirit does in our midst that we often don’t attribute to the Him.

Today’s passage gives us a picture into the early community of Jesus followers who were empowered by the Holy Spirit. Even though it’s a short passage, we could spend a lifetime looking for and emulating this kind of community. As we prepare to listen to today's passage, we understand that each of us is coming from a different place in terms of our sense of connection to a community of Jesus’ people. Some of us might find ourselves really grateful for our community, some of us might be pretty discontent right now. Some of you might have been in your community for many years, and some of you might not be connected to a community.

Wherever you are, allow this passage to inform your longing and your prayers for living life in a community of folks who are empowered by God and coming together to create space for God to dwell in their midst.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage stood out to you as the most appealing?

2. This early Jesus-shaped community was unified, they shared, they were honest with each other, and they continued on in the work they were called to. These first followers teach us that the Spirit's work in a community ought to produce Reconciliation, Justice, and Hospitality. In what way have you experienced this fruit of the Spirit in your community?

3. Many of us have experienced disappointment at the hands of our Christian communities. We’ve not seen reconciliation, justice, and hospitality. Rather we’ve seen and experienced brokenness, abuse of authority, and exclusivity. It’s okay to be disappointed, bring that to the LORD honestly today.

----------GO DEEPER----------

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Apr 15, 202110:13

Acts #9 - Sovereign LORD

Acts 4:23-31 (NIV)
Read by: Courtland Hopkins

In today’s passage we go with Peter and John from their encounter with the Sanhedrin back to their community of Jesus followers. They talk about what happened, they pray, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit. They ask for the LORD to see the threats against them and to empower them with boldness. But they don’t ask for the persecution to stop... or for the opposition to be punished… because they see and understand what’s happening. In their minds there is a thread that connects the dots—a perspective that informs the past, present and future and helps them see their place in God’s story… They are looking at it all with a belief in the sovereignty of God. He is LORD over creation, over kings and nations, and even over the plans and schemes of those who oppose him. They trust God. They believe that there is no situation, no part of the human experience that he is not interested in, able to heal, or able to help them walk through. As you listen to the passage, particularly the prayer of this community, consider how you typically pray... and how your view of God informs the requests you lay at his feet.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What stood out to you in the passage?

2. When you come to the LORD in prayer, do you usually do that alone? Or with others who are following Jesus?

3. In this passage, the LORD answers their prayers by filling them with his Holy Spirit to speak the word of God boldly. This doesn’t mean arrogance or insensitivity. It just means they were able to speak without fear, with confidence and courage. Is there a situation in your life where you need the Holy Spirit to fill you so that you can be bold? To speak or act in courage as you follow Jesus? Ask for that from the sovereign LORD today.

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Apr 14, 202110:46

Acts #8 - By What Power?

Acts 4:1-22 (NIV)
Read by: Chandra Crane

Have you ever been preparing for a trip and reading all the guidebooks or websites to learn about the place you’re going? Then, you get there, and, while some of the information is helpful, you really figure out the place by just experiencing it. In today’s passage Peter and John defend themselves before the Jewish religious leaders after the healing of the lame man outside the temple gate. And although Peter and John were “unschooled, ordinary men,” the religious leaders could see that they “had been with Jesus.” They carried around with them the authority that Jesus had carried. They were acting with Jesus’ power, doing things that the temple priests could not do… It seemed that their efforts to squash this Jesus movement by crucifying its leader had utterly failed. The power they were so afraid of, the “King of the Jews” whose authority had so threatened their own and everything they stood for was still at work. They had read all the right books, taken all the right classes, but their knowledge, it seemed, wasn’t enough. Their fear of losing power had blinded them to experiencing the good news of the Messiah.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What words or phrases stood out to you in the passage?

2. Have you ever seen a situation where someone in authority is blind to a better way because it would mean a loss of power for them? What was that like?

3. The source of the power Peter and John were wielding was that of the risen Christ, his Holy Spirit working in and through them to do the work of bringing tastes of New Creation into the broken world. And everyone could tell that they had been with Jesus. What about your life would make it clear to those around you that you have been with Jesus?

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Apr 14, 202113:08

Acts #7 - Repentance and Refreshment

Acts 3:11-26 (NIV)
Read by: Kathy Haug

If you were inside the story at this point in the book of acts you’d be standing just outside the gate of the temple called Beautiful. Maybe you’d be among the crowd gathering around Peter, John, and this man in tattered clothes who reminds you of the man who is normally laying on this mat, paralyzed, begging at this gate. But now he’s standing there, tears are running down his face, he’s laughing, and praising Yahweh.

Until now the story of Acts has been located in Jerusalem but not specifically at or around the Temple. And the kind of powerful restorative that you might expect to be happening inside the temple is happening outside the gate. God is on the move. By the power of God’s Spirit he’s not confined within the power structure of an institution. Luke’s Gospel begins and ends within the Temple, but in Acts his breaking that pattern helps us see the ways that the good news of Jesus is beginning the first steps of that expansive vision that Jesus cast telling the disciples that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem Judea and the ends of the earth.

In today’s passage, Peter finds himself in this natural moment to bear witness to this story that he finds himself in. And it offers us a chance to reflect on whether or not this is similar to the story that we would tell if we found ourselves with such an opportunity or not? Is this even similar to the story that we’ve heard?

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of Peter’s proclamation struck you as new or in a fresh way?

2. Repentance and Refreshment. I would bet that depending on where we come from we have heard one or the other these things maybe at the expense of the other. And maybe because of habit or circumstance if you tried to communicate the story, you might emphasize one over the other. Reflect on which you are most familiar or comfortable with.

3. When in your life do you need to repent, and where in your life do you need refreshment. It’s not really about whether one comes before the other theologically, rather its that both things are good for us! What’s one area of your life where you need to repent and turn to follow Jesus. And what’s one area where you long for a time of refreshment in your life.

----------GO DEEPER----------