The Spirit leads the church as people of God faithfully serve and obey to the voice of the Spirit.

August 9, 2013 - Acts 13:1-12

    ^1 1-2 The congregation in Antioch was blessed with a number of prophet-preachers and teachers:

   Barnabas,
Simon, nicknamed Niger,
Lucius the Cyrenian,
Manaen, an advisor to the ruler Herod,
Saul.

   One day as they were worshiping God—they were also fasting as they waited for guidance—the Holy Spirit spoke: “Take Barnabas and Saul and commission them for the work I have called them to do.”

   ³ So they commissioned them. In that circle of intensity and obedience, of fasting and praying, they laid hands on their heads and sent them off.

   ^4-5 Sent off on their new assignment by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul went down to Seleucia and caught a ship for Cyprus. The first thing they did when they put in at Salamis was preach God’s Word in the Jewish meeting places. They had John along to help out as needed.

   ^6-7 They traveled the length of the island, and at Paphos came upon a Jewish wizard who had worked himself into the confidence of the governor, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man not easily taken in by charlatans. The wizard’s name was Bar-Jesus. He was as crooked as a corkscrew.

   ^7-11 The governor invited Barnabas and Saul in, wanting to hear God’s Word firsthand from them. But Dr. Know-It-All (that’s the wizard’s name in plain English) stirred up a ruckus, trying to divert the governor from becoming a believer. But Saul (or Paul), full of the Holy Spirit and looking him straight in the eye, said, “You bag of wind, you parody of a devil—why, you stay up nights inventing schemes to cheat people out of God. But now you’ve come up against God himself, and your game is up. You’re about to go blind—no sunlight for you for a good long stretch.” He was plunged immediately into a shadowy mist and stumbled around, begging people to take his hand and show him the way.

   ¹² When the governor saw what happened, he became a believer, full of enthusiasm over what they were saying about the Master.

The Holy Spirit could work powerfully when the people of God were obedient, actively seeking for the will of the Spirit through fasting and praying. The leaders of the church of Antioch were full of the Holy Spirit, and many of them were prophets and teachers. They ministered to the church according to the gifts of the Spirit, and they were also sensitive and obedient to the Spirit's leading. They sent Barnabas and Paul out to start the first church's mission to Cyprus. They only had one heart for God, i.e., Jesus' gospel message and name was to be exalted in Gentiles and Jews. 

The missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, were also full of the Holy Spirit. Paul proclaimed God's judgement on Bar-Jesus, who opposed against the gospel, and turned his eyes into blindness, just like Saul had experienced before from Jesus. Seekers were moved by the power of the Holy Spirit, and believed in what Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed. 

Dear Holy Spirit, You demand obedience from us first before we can become your instruments for bringing blessings to others. Strengthen our hands that we follow after you and faithfully serving people with prayer and faith. Your works can be manifested through our hands that only Jesus' Name, not ours, will be exalted in a way that is always beyond our imagination. 

God is righteous and powerful in His judgement.

August 8, 2013 - Acts 12:20-25

    ^20-22 But things went from bad to worse for Herod. Now people from Tyre and Sidon put him on the warpath. But they got Blastus, King Herod’s right-hand man, to put in a good word for them and got a delegation together to iron things out. Because they were dependent on Judea for food supplies, they couldn’t afford to let this go on too long. On the day set for their meeting, Herod, robed in pomposity, took his place on the throne and regaled them with a lot of hot air. The people played their part to the hilt and shouted flatteries: “The voice of God! The voice of God!”

   ²³ That was the last straw. God had had enough of Herod’s arrogance and sent an angel to strike him down. Herod had given God no credit for anything. Down he went. Rotten to the core, a maggoty old man if there ever was one, he died.

   ²⁴ Meanwhile, the ministry of God’s Word grew by leaps and bounds.

   ²⁵ Barnabas and Saul, once they had delivered the relief offering to the church in Jerusalem, went back to Antioch. This time they took John with them, the one they called Mark.

God is righteous and He declared His vengeance on His enemies at his own time. God sent an angel to strike down king Herod, who tried to lift himself up above the Lord. God is the Lord of the church, and He used miraculous way to deliver His servant, and He also used miraculously way to defeat His enemies. On the other side, the ministry of God's words prospered, and Jesus' Name was exalted. 

Dear Holy Spirit, You are the Lord of the church. You are poured out on the people of God; You empowered the ministry of the church; You speak to your servants; You lead them to go through sufferings and persecutions; You guided the church to advance the gospel to the ends of the earth; You purify the church of God; and You judge and defeat your enemies. Dear Holy Spirit, keep us humble before You that we can listen to your voice, obey your instruction, and by your power proclaim the Name of Jesus and carry out the works of Jesus among the unbelievers of the world. 

The Lord delivers His children from the danger.

August 7, 2013 - Acts 12:1-19

    ^1 1-4 That’s when King Herod got it into his head to go after some of the church members. He murdered James, John’s brother. When he saw how much it raised his popularity ratings with the Jews, he arrested Peter—all this during Passover Week, mind you—and had him thrown in jail, putting four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. He was planning a public lynching after Passover.

   ⁵ All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously.

   ⁶ Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the kill. That night, even though shackled to two soldiers, one on either side, Peter slept like a baby. And there were guards at the door keeping their eyes on the place. Herod was taking no chances!

   ^7-9 Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light flooding the room. The angel shook Peter and got him up: “Hurry!” The handcuffs fell off his wrists. The angel said, “Get dressed. Put on your shoes.” Peter did it. Then, “Grab your coat and let’s get out of here.” Peter followed him, but didn’t believe it was really an angel—he thought he was dreaming.

   ^10-11 Past the first guard and then the second, they came to the iron gate that led into the city. It swung open before them on its own, and they were out on the street, free as the breeze. At the first intersection the angel left him, going his own way. That’s when Peter realized it was no dream. “I can’t believe it—this really happened! The Master sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s vicious little production and the spectacle the Jewish mob was looking forward to.”

   ^12-14 Still shaking his head, amazed, he went to Mary’s house, the Mary who was John Mark’s mother. The house was packed with praying friends. When he knocked on the door to the courtyard, a young woman named Rhoda came to see who it was. But when she recognized his voice—Peter’s voice!—she was so excited and eager to tell everyone Peter was there that she forgot to open the door and left him standing in the street.

   ^15-16 But they wouldn’t believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. “You’re crazy,” they said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn’t believe her and said, “It must be his angel.” All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking away.

   ^16-17 Finally they opened up and saw him—and went wild! Peter put his hands up and calmed them down. He described how the Master had gotten him out of jail, then said, “Tell James and the brothers what’s happened.” He left them and went off to another place.

   ^18-19 At daybreak the jail was in an uproar. “Where is Peter? What’s happened to Peter?” When Herod sent for him and they could neither produce him nor explain why not, he ordered their execution: “Off with their heads!” Fed up with Judea and Jews, he went for a vacation to Caesarea.

Peter was jailed and awaiting for the execution while the church prayed strenuously for Peter. The church was powerless in the sight of the political government force but God who was mighty could work powerfully through His church. Peter stayed calm in God's hand; he should have prayed for his deliverance or even his peacefulness in preparing for his martyrdom after another apostle James. The church was faithful in praying to God for His deliverance while God sent an angel to deliver Peter out of the enemy's hands. Jail was broken. Peter was rescued by a miraculous way and God's work continued in his apostle's hand. 

Miracle can happen in people's lives if God wills in order to exalt His name and to deliver His servants from dangers or other temptations. The responsibility of the church is to faithfully pray and trust our God in His deliverance and good will in us. Dear Father God, Your eyes are always on us though we may not see. Give us faithfulness to follow and the calmness to rest in your love. You are alive and a Living God. Please continue to reveal Your will in me that I can see your hands no matter where you lead, and I am still be restful in your loving hands. 

The Holy Spirit guides the church and His people for fulfilling His plan.

August 6, 2013 - Acts 11:19-30

 ^19-21 Those who had been scattered by the persecution triggered by Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they were still only speaking and dealing with their fellow Jews. Then some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch started talking to Greeks, giving them the Message of the Master Jesus. God was pleased with what they were doing and put his stamp of approval on it—quite a number of the Greeks believed and turned to the Master.

   ^22-24 When the church in Jerusalem got wind of this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check on things. As soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. He threw himself in with them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their lives. He was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit’s ways. The community grew large and strong in the Master.

   ^25-26 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. He found him and brought him back to Antioch. They were there a whole year, meeting with the church and teaching a lot of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were for the first time called Christians.

   ^27-30 It was about this same time that some prophets came to Antioch from Jerusalem. One of them named Agabus stood up one day and, prompted by the Spirit, warned that a severe famine was about to devastate the country. (The famine eventually came during the rule of Claudius.) So the disciples decided that each of them would send whatever they could to their fellow Christians in Judea to help out. They sent Barnabas and Saul to deliver the collection to the leaders in Jerusalem.

Stephen was martyred but his death brought the disciples to scatter to Antioch, and subsequently formed the church of Antioch. Barnabas brought Saul, who persecuted Stephen before, to Antioch and developed the church for the witness of Jesus that disciples became to be called Christians at Antioch. God prepared the good for his church even the church needs to go through trial and persecution. Another prophet called Agabus was led by the Spirit to prophesy the impending famine that would happen in Judea. Antioch Christians gathered charity and sent Barnabas and Saul to take the offering from the Gentile church to Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit worked in all kinds of circumstances, working in all his churches and his people for fulfilling His will in the church and missions for all the nations. 

Dear Holy Spirit, I desire for your words and your works in your church and in my life. I make myself available to you at all times, listening to your words of your will in my life. Give me a heart of obedience to fulfill your will that Jesus' name can be exalted in my life and in my works. 

The Holy Spirit leads the church in the unity of the mission works.

August 5, 2013 - Acts 11:1-18

    ^1 1-3 The news traveled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in Jerusalem heard about it—heard that the non-Jewish “outsiders” were now “in.” When Peter got back to Jerusalem, some of his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the carpet: “What do you think you’re doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?”

   ^4-6 So Peter, starting from the beginning, laid it out for them step-by-step: “Recently I was in the town of Joppa praying. I fell into a trance and saw a vision: Something like a huge blanket, lowered by ropes at its four corners, came down out of heaven and settled on the ground in front of me. Milling around on the blanket were farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, birds—you name it, it was there. Fascinated, I took it all in.

   ^7-10 “Then I heard a voice: ‘Go to it, Peter—kill and eat.’ I said, ‘Oh, no, Master. I’ve never so much as tasted food that wasn’t kosher.’ The voice spoke again: ‘If God says it’s okay, it’s okay.’ This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the sky.

   ^11-14 “Just then three men showed up at the house where I was staying, sent from Caesarea to get me. The Spirit told me to go with them, no questions asked. So I went with them, I and six friends, to the man who had sent for me. He told us how he had seen an angel right in his own house, real as his next-door neighbor, saying, ‘Send to Joppa and get Simon, the one they call Peter. He’ll tell you something that will save your life—in fact, you and everyone you care for.’

   ^15-17 “So I started in, talking. Before I’d spoken half a dozen sentences, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us the first time. I remembered Jesus’ words: ‘John baptized with water; you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So I ask you: If God gave the same exact gift to them as to us when we believed in the Master Jesus Christ, how could I object to God?”

   ¹⁸ Hearing it all laid out like that, they quieted down. And then, as it sank in, they started praising God. “It’s really happened! God has broken through to the other nations, opened them up to Life!”

 People questioned Peter's act that why he entered into Cornelius' house to share the Gospel message with him and his households. Their traditions and experiences limited their understanding of the works of the Holy Spirit in world's missions. Peter did not fight back but simply witness to them how the Holy Spirit worked in him through a trance and in Cornelius through an angel's words that had been also witnessed by some other brothers and sisters. The pouring out of the gift of the Holy Spirit was the determining factor for them to believe that the Holy Spirit was also given to Gentiles without the necessity of obeying Moses' Law. People's misunderstanding was finally corrected and began to praise the Lord for His works in Gentiles. 

Peter's was the pioneer one used by the Holy Spirit to advance the Gospel to the Gentiles, and the Holy Spirit also used his experience to correct the misunderstanding of the early church regarding the world's missions. My dear Holy Spirit, the church needs to experience You and Your works that we can follow your way and accomplish your mission. Give us an obedient heart and listening ears that we can follow and bring much greater blessings to people we are going to serve. 

The Holy Spirit shows His way step by step in His people's lives.

August 4. 2013 - Acts 10:23-48

    ^23-26 The next morning he got up and went with them. Some of his friends from Joppa went along. A day later they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had his relatives and close friends waiting with him. The minute Peter came through the door, Cornelius was up on his feet greeting him—and then down on his face worshiping him! Peter pulled him up and said, “None of that—I’m a man and only a man, no different from you.”

   ^27-29 Talking things over, they went on into the house, where Cornelius introduced Peter to everyone who had come. Peter addressed them, “You know, I’m sure that this is highly irregular. Jews just don’t do this—visit and relax with people of another race. But God has just shown me that no race is better than any other. So the minute I was sent for, I came, no questions asked. But now I’d like to know why you sent for me.”

   ^30-32 Cornelius said, “Four days ago at about this time, midafternoon, I was home praying. Suddenly there was a man right in front of me, flooding the room with light. He said, ‘Cornelius, your daily prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God’s attention. I want you to send to Joppa to get Simon, the one they call Peter. He’s staying with Simon the Tanner down by the sea.’

   ³³ “So I did it—I sent for you. And you’ve been good enough to come. And now we’re all here in God’s presence, ready to listen to whatever the Master put in your heart to tell us.”

   ^34-36 Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone.

   ^37-38 “You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached a total life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him.

   ^39-43 “And we saw it, saw it all, everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem where they killed him, hung him from a cross. But in three days God had him up, alive, and out where he could be seen. Not everyone saw him—he wasn’t put on public display. Witnesses had been carefully handpicked by God beforehand—us! We were the ones, there to eat and drink with him after he came back from the dead. He commissioned us to announce this in public, to bear solemn witness that he is in fact the One whom God destined as Judge of the living and dead. But we’re not alone in this. Our witness that he is the means to forgiveness of sins is backed up by the witness of all the prophets.”

   ^44-46 No sooner were these words out of Peter’s mouth than the Holy Spirit came on the listeners. The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on “outsider” non-Jews, but there it was—they heard them speaking in tongues, heard them praising God.

   ^46-48 Then Peter said, “Do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends with water? They’ve received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did.” Hearing no objections, he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

   Then they asked Peter to stay on for a few days.

Peter followed the Holy Spirit's instruction, arrived at Cornelius's home, and then fully understood the meaning of the vision he saw as he listened to Cornelius's sharing of his encounter with the angel of the Lord. The Holy Spirit step by step guided Peter to breakthrough his mission to reach out to Jews, to Samaritans, and now even to the Gentiles. Peter received the vision but not fully understood, then the Spirit instructed him to respond to the invitation of Cornelius, and then he followed and understood the full meaning of his vision. This special experience of Peter transformed his theology and his missions as well. God is impartial and willing to endow the gift of Holy Spirit to all people without discrimination. 

Dear Holy Spirit, I do need your illumination and guidance to understand your calling and leading in my life. Speak to me according to your will and guide me to understand your works that I can follow with faith and fulfill your calling in my ministry life. Please also show me the signs that you are leading me that my faith can be strengthened and rely on the Spirit's power to fulfill the works that You have assigned to me. 

The Holy Spirit opens a new door for the Gospel ministry.

August 3, 2013 - Acts 10:1-23

^1 1-3 There was a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea, captain of the Italian Guard stationed there. He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer. One day about three o’clock in the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God, as real as his next-door neighbor, came in and said, “Cornelius.”

   ^4-6 Cornelius stared hard, wondering if he was seeing things. Then he said, “What do you want, sir?”

   The angel said, “Your prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God’s attention. Here’s what you are to do. Send men to Joppa to get Simon, the one everyone calls Peter. He is staying with Simon the Tanner, whose house is down by the sea.”

   ^7-8 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two servants and one particularly devout soldier from the guard. He went over with them in great detail everything that had just happened, and then sent them off to Joppa.

   ^9-13 The next day as the three travelers were approaching the town, Peter went out on the balcony to pray. It was about noon. Peter got hungry and started thinking about lunch. While lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the skies open up. Something that looked like a huge blanket lowered by ropes at its four corners settled on the ground. Every kind of animal and reptile and bird you could think of was on it. Then a voice came: “Go to it, Peter—kill and eat.”

   ¹⁴ Peter said, “Oh, no, Lord. I’ve never so much as tasted food that was not kosher.”

   ¹⁵ The voice came a second time: “If God says it’s okay, it’s okay.”

   ¹⁶ This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the skies.

   ^17-20 As Peter, puzzled, sat there trying to figure out what it all meant, the men sent by Cornelius showed up at Simon’s front door. They called in, asking if there was a Simon, also called Peter, staying there. Peter, lost in thought, didn’t hear them, so the Spirit whispered to him, “Three men are knocking at the door looking for you. Get down there and go with them. Don’t ask any questions. I sent them to get you.”

   ²¹ Peter went down and said to the men, “I think I’m the man you’re looking for. What’s up?”

   ^22-23 They said, “Captain Cornelius, a God-fearing man well-known for his fair play—ask any Jew in this part of the country—was commanded by a holy angel to get you and bring you to his house so he could hear what you had to say.” Peter invited them in and made them feel at home.

God was alive and working actively in the early church. The angel appeared to Cornelius and instructed him to invite Peter at Joppa; Peter saw a vision from the heaven in order to correct his understanding of salvation, not only to Jews, but also to Gentiles; Peter heard the whispering voice of the Holy Spirit and was sent to meet with Cornelius; Peter followed the voice of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel was spread not only to Jerusalem and Samaria, but also to the Gentiles - the end of the earth. 

The Holy Spirit is still alive and actively working in the present church of Christ. The Spirit is the Lord of the church, directing His people to fulfill the missions of Jesus to the end of the earth. The Holy Spirit spoke to His people through the bible, the dreams, the visions, the angels, and whatever circumstances in order to lead His church to fulfill the missions. Dear Holy Spirit, remove from us the heart of disbelief. Help us open our ears to listen to your voice in our lives, trusting that You are God and You are working in us as our Lord. Correct our misunderstanding and surrender ourselves to You to follow Your way that is always new and beyond our experience and comprehension.