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 chose 1Peter 4:13 as 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, 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 went 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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