Amazing Grace #8

 

24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18)

Paul was traveling around proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but he was not the only one.  In his travels, he came across people like Apollos, and Priscilla and Aquila.  These people were great in faith and in their knowledge of the Scriptures, and went to some of the same places Paul did, as well as to other places he could not get to. In our reading today, we are told that Apollos knew scripture well, but needed some further instruction. After he was discipled more, he was sent out with recommendations to receive Him as a Bible teacher. We are told that when he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed.  God's grace is complemented by the teaching of God's Word.  As great as God's grace is, that is not all He has given us to know what to believe and how to live. He has also given us His Holy Spirit and the Bible, which we also need to pay attention to. God's power and His grace - that ability in Christ to do what we cannot do on our own, could become power out of control, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the truth and instructions He gives us in scripture. So let us ask for and receive God's amazing grace, but let us also continue to study His Word and learn to listen to His Holy Spirit as He guides us to live by His grace. 

Amazing Grace #7

25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. (Acts 14)

As we continue to look at God's Amazing Grace in the book of Acts, we come across this interesting phrase - that Paul and Barnabas had been commended to the Grace of God for they work that they had fulfilled - that the church at Antioch, when they sent them out as a missionary team, had said: "Father, these guys are going to need your grace to do what we're sending them out to do." and in a sense: "Guys: the only way you're going to be able to do this is by the grace of God."  The plan worked. When the team came back to Antioch, they had a lot to talk about. They had seen many Gentiles come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.  Everything wasn't perfect or easy: they had their disagreements and faced a lot of resistance from Jews and Gentiles alike, but they had a lot of stories to tell about what God had done. God's grace gives us those stories to tell. So it's no surprise that when Paul and Silas set out again in the next chapter, the chruch again "commends them to the grace of God."  We need to be willing to receive God's grace in our own lives: we need His ability to do so many things we cannot do on our own, and we also need to be willing to commend others to His grace, to all Him to do in and through them what they cannot do alone, and we are unable to do for them. Today, I commend you to God's grace.  I could use that too. 

Amazing Grace #6

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4 But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. 5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, 7 and there they continued to preach the gospel. (Acts 14)

We saw the other day that Grace can be seen. Grace also speaks. It speaks whenever Christ is referred to and praised - whenever someone says: "It could not do that, but in Christ it has been done.  Paul and his missionary band continued to go from city to city telling people about Christ, which Luke refers to here as "the Word of His Grace." And they continued to have mixed reactions. Some welcomed their words, as they recognized in Christ the Savior they needed. But others not only rejected their words, they violently sought to silence them. Why? Why not just leave them alone? Because silence can be interpreted as consent, and they did not believe they needed Christ. The unbeleiving Jews wanted to keep trusting in their own good works, and the unbelieving Gentiles did not want to change their lives. As often has happened in history, government officials have been called in to silence followers of Christ.  But the missionary band would not be silenced. They continued on. May we too be willing to speak up for Christ, and the amazing Grace He gives to all who trust and follow Him. 

God's Amazing Grace #5

42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. (Acts 13)

In this account, Paul and His missionary team have set out to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the Roman world.  When they first came to a city, they would start in the synagogue, with the Jews who had some background with worshipping the true and living God. In the verses before this, Paul was invited to preach, so he went back in their spiritual history to Abraham, Moses, the Judges, and David. Then he talked about the Promised Messiah, the descendant of David who would come, and how Jesus had fulfilled those things through His death, burial and resurrection. In the verse before the ones above he challenged them to not be like those prophesied about in the prophet Habakkuk: “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” As we see in our verses above, many people responded to the challenge, and followed Paul and Barnabas to learn more. Listen to Paul's call: "Continue in the grace of God". There is this temptation to trust in God's Grace in Christ, allowing Him to do the work we cannot do, but after awhile, begin to trust in our own strength again, thinking we have become good enough on our own to make decisions and take actions without His guidance and strength.  Paul warns: Don't fall into that. Today, let's ask God, in Christ, to help us Continue in the grace of God, living life doing what we cannot possibly do on our own. We need His amazing grace. 

Amazing Grace #4

21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. (Acts 11)

The account above took place in the city of Antioch.  Because of persecution in Jerusalem, like that which got Stephen killed - remember we talked about him yesterday as one full of grace - when he was martyred and other Christians persecuted, believers started scattering all over the region. Some came to Antioch and told others about Christ, and a lot of people believed their report and trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord.  When the church back in Jerusalem heard about this they sent Barnabas.  He was one of those we talked about two days ago in Acts 4, where the Great Grace of God was evidenced, when the believers boldly shared their faith and also shared their possessions with fellow believers in need. Barnabas was the stand out example of God's grace in giving. So they send him to Antioch to check out this report, and I love what it says: "When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad." Grace is one of those things like peace, joy, hope and love that are somewhat abstract, yet they can be seen. We can see when God is doing things in and through those who trust and obey Christ, because they are doing things beyond their own ability and resources, and when God's grace is flowing, people notice, they believe, and God begins to work in their lives. May God's grace be seen in us today. 

Amazing Grace #3

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. (Acts 6 )

As noted yesterday, the early church was marked by Great Grace.  Luke's record gives us a few more examples of that through some of the believers who were noted followers of Jesus. Stephen was one of those examples. He was "full of grace." That means he was willingly receiving the grace God offered in Christ; he was willing to let God do in him what He could not on his own. As a result he did and said amazing things: He was used by God to perform signs and to be a great apologist for the Christian faith.  In Star Wars terms: "the Spirit was Strong in this man."  This did not happen in a snap. As noted in the verses preceding this, Stephen was one of the first men chosen to be a Deacon, serving God's people under the Apostles. The qualifications for this were high; they were to be men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom (verse 3), and Stephen is singled out as a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (verse 5). In other words, he was a man who had already learned to let God's grace flow through his life, allowing Christ to take control and work through Him. He was willing to be a servant. Christ, who gives us grace is the greatest servant; we are open to receive His grace when we are willing to be his servants. Recall that Christ himself had said to His disiples:  But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, (Mark 10:43)  We need God's Grace, and to be open to receiving it requires our willingness to serve Him and one another. 

Amazing Grace # 2

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4)

Often when we think about what our lives and the church ought to be like as followers of Christ, we look back to the first Church in the opening chapters of Acts. We will never be exactly like that, but there are principles that we can and should see replicated in our lives today.  One of them is Great Grace. Great Grace flows when we are unified in spirit. When we are generouse with one another, giving selflessly, we are also able to see God's grace - that God-given ability, in Christ, to do what we cannot do on our own - to see that flow through us. His grace gives us the ability to give powerful testimony to our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. His grace gives us ability and willingness to share with those in need, and His grace gives us the ability to leave it all at Jesus' feet, and not take it back.  We need Great Grace today. God offers it in Christ; Don't stop the flow: Call out to Him for whatever you need; Receive it: and share it.