SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/24/2017
10:34 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Saving Acceptance
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts 5:41-42
Message of the
verses: “41 So they went on their
way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered
worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from
house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
As I begin this SD I want to quote from 1 Peter 4:13 “but
to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so
that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.” There are many other verses that apply to
what happened to the apostles, but 1 Peter 4:13 is a good verse to show what
happened to the apostles, and not only the apostles, but to all who have, or
are going through those who are suffering for the cause of Christ. I mentioned in my Sunday school class this
past Sunday that there was a difference between the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia
in that although both churches received no rebuke from our Lord, but Smyrna was
being persecuted while Philadelphia was not.
Christ was and is in complete control of His churches and so He allows
whatever is necessary to come into the different local churches in order to
bring glory to His name. The disciples
when through some horrible things as they received 40 lashes, and yet came away
rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ, and as we
look at this we know that the world will never understand this, but believes do
understand it, for after all we read in Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God.” He is our example.
The apostles continued to preach in the temple and from
house to house the message of the gospel even though they were told not to do
so, but they would rather obey God than man.
John MacArthur completes this 13th chapter in
his commentary by writing “The early church understood the pattern for
effective evangelism. By consistently
practicing that pattern, they turned their world upside down (cf. Acts
17:6). At the very time they were
experiencing the most furious opposition, and some tolerant indecision, their
number was constantly increasing (Acts 6:1).
As Paul told the Corinthians, such preachers ‘are a fragrance of Christ
to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to
the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life’
(2 Cor. 2:15-16).”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: The Lord is in
complete control of what is going on in His church, down to each person who has
named the name of Jesus Christ, and He is also in complete control of all that is
going on in the world today and everyday.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Be thankful that the Lord is in complete
control of all things.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Jesus” (Philippians 2:11).
Today’s Bible
question: “How many men did Jesus feed
with the five loaves and two fishes?”
Answer in our next SD.
10/24/2017 11:35 AM
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