Loving Jesus Style

  Scripture: Acts 2:1-4 (ESV) 2  When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3  And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Devotion:             Today, as we gather in the church, we commemorate the significant event of the Holy Spirit's outpouring on the disciples. Just as Jesus had instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit arrived, we too are reminded of the importance of patience and readiness for the Spirit's work in our lives. On the Jewish feast of Pentecost, Jesus' words were fulfilled as the Spirit descended upon them. The full extent of their newly found power woul...

  Scripture: Acts 20:35 (ESV) 35  In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Devotion:             These words from the Book of Acts serve as a direct challenge to each one of us in the church community. As followers of Christ, we bear a significant responsibility in our current society, where the number of needy people can be overwhelming. We often find ourselves, like the lawyer in Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, trying to limit the number and kind of people who qualify for our “compassion.” However, this scripture reminds us that it is our duty, as followers of Christ, to help the weak and needy, regardless of their number or circumstances.             Confronted with this scriptural truth, we ...

    Let's delve into the words of Habakkuk 3:17-18 (ESV), a scripture that speaks of unwavering faith in the face of adversity.   17           Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines,                         the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food,                         the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,             18           yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Devotion:             These words from ...

Scripture: Acts 17:29-31 (NIV) [W]e should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30  In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. Devotion:             We conclude our look at Paul’s testimony before the elites of Athens today. Paul has been practically been begging the Athenians to repent and follow Jesus. He has given reason after reason why belief in Jesus is superior to any of the gods that the people currently worshipped. Now, Paul concludes his argument by letting the people know that God will judge them through this Jesus, whom God has raised from the dead.             Whil...

  Scripture: Acts 17:24-28a (NIV) 24  “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands 25, And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26  From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27  God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28  ‘For in him we live and move and have our being. Devotion:             Paul’s message to the Athenians gathered at Mars Hill continues in today’s scripture. Paul’s primary emphasis is the difference between the God he is preaching and the gods the people of Athens worshipped. First, Paul declares that...

Scripture: Acts 17:22-23 (ESV) 22  So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23  For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. Devotion:             In today’s scripture reading, Paul has been brought voluntarily to the Areopagus so that he can explain exactly what he is telling the people. The people of Athens were always willing to listen to new religious thoughts. As Paul notes in verse 22, they were a very religious people. The town was home to many objects and places of worship. The people of Athens were free to worship any God they chose at any time. The founders of the United States of America may have had this kind of freedom in mind when they wrote the 1 st Amendment to the Const...

Scripture: Acts 17:19-21 (ESV) 19  And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20  For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21  Now, all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. Devotion:             On day two of our visit with Paul in Athens, we find him being led to the Areopagus (Mars Hill). Mars Hill served as an open-air forum. It could be used for legal proceedings, but that was not its only function. Since we find no judicial language in the text, we assume that the Athenians brought Paul there to hear what this new teaching was. For Paul, this presented a golden opportunity to share the gospel with some of the thought leaders of Athens.        ...

Scripture: Acts 17:16-18 (ESV) 16  Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17  So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18  Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. Devotion:             This week we are going to spend some time with Paul in Athens. Paul had just been run out of the cities of Thessalonica and Berea for preaching the gospel. Because of the intense opposition to the gospel, he sought refuge in Athens. Paul waited there for Timothy and Silas, his ministry partners, to join him.        ...

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30 (ESV) 24  He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25  but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26  So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27  And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28  He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So, the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29  But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time, I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”  Devotion:         ...

  Scripture: Acts 4:18-22 (NIV) 18  Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19  But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20  As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21  After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22  For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. Devotion:             In today’s scripture, the disciples have just healed a man who could not stand on his feet since birth. He was reduced to begging for alms. Today, he was at the temple as people entered for a time of prayer. Peter and John were coming for prayer and noticed the man and felt the Spirit’s urging to heal the man. All the crowds saw what had h...

Scripture: Acts 1:7-8 (ESV) He [Jesus} said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.  8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Devotion:             We live in interesting times. The unrest in Palestine between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip dominates the news. Along with this war, protests have erupted both for and against Israel all around the globe. This has many people wondering if the end of the world is upon us. While as the scripture teaches, we are always to be ready for Jesus’ return we will never know the exact day and hour because Jesus has tasked us not to be prophets but witnesses.             We, having received the gift of the Holy Spirit, are empowered, and comm...