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Acts 19:34 But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
So how much do we put up with from others degrading or mocking us about Christianity? A lot!
How much should we be turning the other cheek? A lot!
Being patient and waiting for the right time, which God will show you, may take a whole lot longer than you anticipated!
Imagine waiting for over two hours whilst people chanted against you!
But God is faithful and just to deliver even if we grow weak and weary waiting.
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Acts 19:28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
When we come up against the local beliefs and habit of people, we are going to find opposition when we try to speak about God.
God is all powerful and is Creator of everything, including the local peoples belongings; but be careful you do not exclude yourself totally through pride.
Be patient, be kind and treat people as you want God to treat them and God to treat you.
Allow God the time to work in peoples’ hearts; be persistent.
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Acts 19:11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,
Notice here it does not say that Paul did amazing and unusual miracles; it says God did through Paul’s hands.
It is God who is continuing to do miracles and He does so through human beings. He does so through those who are willing to give God all the glory and honour.
He is not withholding things just because we don’t have enough faith or because someone does not believe; it is God’s choice of miracles.
Pray hard to allow Him to do miracles through you!
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Acts 19:6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
Just telling people about God and about the bible is only the first step of getting them to know Christ. Each of the disciples knew God and the scriptures before they came to know Christ.
When Christ showed them the truth that He is the Son of God, their Messiah and their Saviour, they fully believed and received the Holy Spirit.
Knowing all the right words is not the same as knowing Christ and having the Holy Spirit with you.
Fully believe and invite Christ and the Holy Spirit into your life to help you live for God properly.
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Acts 18:26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Have you ever heckled someone during a speech of some kind?
God teaches us a different way of doing things, and the apostles followed those teachings; they did not heckle, but they did take Apollos aside afterward and explain where he was wrong.
We need to encourage people to speak out about God and not discourage them through heckling.
If God wanted to stop us from ever telling a lie we would all be in a bad place; instead He encourages us to talk and then follows our mistakes with truth and discernment later.
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Acts 18:10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
God gave direction and encouragement to Paul as he sent him to tell the gospel to the gentiles; He never sends us out alone.
God will always send you out with someone. It may not seem like it at the time as you go forward to a new position or location, but He has often already put people in place for you.
Don’t just look at what God has given you to do. Don’t think you are alone. Rather look for the signs and people He has already put in place and take encouragement that He is with you every step of the way!
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Acts 18:6 But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
Paul continued to try to reach out to the Jews with the Gospel message, but time and time again they refused to listen to the truth.
We need to listen to what God is telling us, especially when He is telling us something we don’t like because we are less likely to want to do that.
Paul was directed to reach out to all people and not just the Jews; at this stage the foolishness of the Jews was just too much and he dusted his feet for the last time on them.
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Acts 18:3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.
No you don’t have to give up on the world, your job and everything you are just to become a Christian. We still have to pay our way just as others do and we still have to eat!
But changing your attitude toward your work, be in in school, college or out in the world as a professional, having a positive attitude toward your work will be noticed.
God continues to want us to be a light in our lives, shining for Him and being positive, honest and diligent in what we do is a good start!
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Acts 17:29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.
How do you describe God to people? How would you try and describe The Holy Spirit?
Many of us do have difficulty in describing our Creator because the only things we have to describe others with are the things we have around us.
Here we are warned about trying to describe God with earthly things. Try describe Him through what He has done in your life…
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Acts 17:21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
I love to speak to people who are eager to listen, but sometimes there are some who just want to know new stuff and are not really interested in seeking God.
We must not be the judge of those people. God has given us the opportunity to talk to them and share the gospel; allow Him to work out things in their minds.
God is able to do over and above anything we can think or do; allow Him to work where we can’t but don’t limit His effectiveness by not doing what He asks of us.
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Acts 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
Just sometimes you will get people who will be interested in actually listening to you and looking up the bible verses you talk about; just sometimes they will be willing to follow your words…
And that is what should be driving you forward, not the doubt and fear there will be rejections or people fighting you but the realisation you will find even one person who is ready to listen!
Don’t be discouraged by all the hassle we have before we get to where God is leading you; it is then you will see just how awesome God’s guidance is!
Let this be your HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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Acts 17:5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
Today is the last day of the year already! Some would say the year has sped past and others will say it is still dragging on… We all lead very different lives; which makes us human.
A part of being human is the evil side of mankind as well and here we see the crowds joining with the evil people from the market just to get their own way.
Don’t think that you can control a crowd – the crowd will control itself and not you.
Start with one person at a time and make a difference where you are this year!
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Acts 17:2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
How well do you know your bible? How well do you know the scriptures? Paul was one who had memorised the scriptures and used them every day.
If you know your bible well enough you will be able to reason with people who are stubborn against God, people who believe in other gods and people who know many things in their own religions or beliefs.
God wants us to be able to tell the truth to others and to do that we have to know a certain amount of His word so we can talk to others about it.
Start with one verse and memorise it and all it means.
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Acts 16:35 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”
Have you noticed how we will quite openly tell others about what people do wrong, but when it comes to apologising, we would rather do it in secret!
This is a trait many of us follow but Paul and Silas wanted to stand up against this when the officials in charge displayed exactly that.
They were openly beaten and jailed, but were going to be secretly released.
We need to treat people fairly and justly just as Christ treats us; and only then can we demand the same from others!
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Acts 16:25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
It is easy to say “Don’t worry what the people around you do to you, just obey God,” but actually doing so can lead to hardships!
Paul and Silas were taken, beaten, thrown in the darkest prison; and yet they continued to sing out praises to God with song and prayers!
Showing others just how much God rules in your life will make a big difference to your own confidence and give hope to the people around you.
Show people how much they mean by showing them just how much hope they have in their lives – no matter what happens in your own!
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Acts 16:19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
Some people are doing the right things around us, but they are just annoying in the way they go about it! What are you going to do about that?
There is no answer to cover all situations other than to do what is right; but we need to make sure the people around us are safe from evil and the evil one.
Sometimes that will annoy the people who think they are in charge or the people who think they have control.
God is in charge and He is in control; listen and obey Him alone.
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Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.
God where God directs! The disciples assumed they were going to share the gospel with people in Macedonia, because that is what they did…
Their first port of call on the Sabbath day was to go to where prayers were being said – to find the local church as it were.
If you are away from home over the holiday season, why not visit a local church and find out what is going on – and pray for them.
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Acts 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
How caught up in Christmas are you right now? As I write this, I know I will be caught up and may well ‘delay’ my daily reading for a while as the day encompasses us… but this is all about Christ!
Listen intently to Him and obey what He is trying to say to you. Remember today is all about Christ.
God bless you and have a wonderful day with Christ and those around you whom you love.
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Acts 16:6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
What are you like when someone says no to you? Do you take on board what is being said and obey, or do you go ahead thinking you know better?
How well are you listening to the Holy Spirit? How well are you listening to God?
We may not always agree with what God has in store for us or those around us, but we have to try and make sure we do obey Him in all ways and always.
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Acts 15:26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When the church sent out people to tell the world about Jesus, they sent an excellent reference letter in which these words are said.
How far would you go to make sure people heard about Christ? How far would you be willing to go just so people can hear His name?
If men and women around the world are willing to risk their lives, will you be willing to tell your neighbour about Christ this Christmas?