Acts 18:1-3 - Priscilla

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,  and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.

Tonight I am leading the discussion at our ladies bible class on Priscilla. The thing that struck me the most about this lesson is how ordinary she was. A simple, hardworking woman who, with her husband, finds a great friend in Paul while sharing in his ministry.

Lord, thank you for giving each of us a special role in the kingdom. Please help us to be open to what ever role you place us in. Amen.

Acts 26:22a - How to tell your testimony

But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike.

On Sunday at worship services, the speaker, Taylor Walling, spoke about why and how to share our testimony. Taylor suggested this pattern suggested for sharing our story:

1. I was...
2. Then God...
3. Now I...

I believe we can have many testimonies emerging from different times in our lives. Over the next few days, I will share a few of those testimonies from my life.

Lord, thank you for working in our lives. Please help us to share our stories. Amen.

Acts 15:39-41 - Opportunity comes from the strangest places

They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cypress, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Last night I heard a message from Keith Ball. He spoke about the need to pray and keep our eyes open for opportunities to share Christ and grow the church. Opportunity can come in some strange ways: persecution. personal conflicts, church problems, imprisonment...all Biblical examples where the word was spread. In the example above, a personal conflict caused a split which doubled their efforts. God can use anything to his glory.

Lord, thank you for taking earthly messes and using them for your purposes. Please help us to keep our eyes open for opportunities. Amen.

Acts 5:20 - Tell the news

“Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”

We are so blessed and feel so thankful to God for giving us a new life, we want to tell others about it. We aren't sharing our faith to make other people feel bad about their choices or because we think we are superior. We share because we are commanded to and because we love people and want them to experience the new life we have found.

Lord, thank you for giving us a new life. Please help us to tell others about this new life. Amen.

Acts 17:22-23 - The natural desire to worship

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

(Full Passage Acts 17:15-34)

Paul uses the natural desire of man to worship a god to point a group of philosophers from Athens to the one true God. Paul was teaching something new, and for a group of people who were always looking for something new, I'm sure they began to listen out of the sheer novelty of the idea. He begins by complimenting them on their desire to be religious, then focuses in on the area they themselves claim not to know, the unknown god. Paul teaches them of the true God and points out why the other gods are false. Last, he challenges them with the concepts of judgment and resurrection. Some listeners “sneer”, but some want to hear more and become followers. Paul used his understanding of humanity’s innate spirituality as a way to talk to a group of non-believers who could have been considered unreachable due to their polytheistic beliefs. 

Lord, thank you for giving us an innate desire to worship you. Please help us to find that desire in others and point them to you. Amen.