Looking Beyond Church Walls

For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an alter on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. Acts 17:23

Lord, this spoke to me about learning to recognize you in every aspect of life.

It's easy to be present with you while performing the rituals of church life. When we depart through the double doors of the church building, we often leave you upon the altar as if you were an impersonal God on a pedestal.

Lord, you are present throughout all creation! Your prints are all over the place!

Teach us to be present with you during worship and prayer.

Teach us to be present with you during every aspect of living: through pleasure and pain, through drought and rain.

Help us to recognize your presence in every face in every place!

Looking Beyond Captivity

Suddenly there was a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. Acts 16:26

Paul selected Timothy to help evangelize Europe. Lydia and her household were converted. Paul and Silas drove out a “spirit of prediction” from a slave girl. The owners of the girl become angry because their profits were taken away and they caused a commotion with the authorities. Paul and Silas were stripped, beaten, thrown in jail, and secured in stocks under heavy guard.

While they prayed and sang hymns, their chains came loose.

They remained in the jail to offer solace to the jailer who threatened to kill himself because he thought Paul and Silas had escaped. The jailer was saved with his entire household.

Paul and Silas refused to be released secretly. The Magistrate offered an official apology and sent a public escort. Paul and Silas dropped by Lydia’s house, offered encouragement and left the city.

Paul and Silas chose to remain for a short time within their place of captivity. This opened doors for greater opportunity.

I've experienced captivity in many different forms. When healing and relief comes, my first response is to put distance between myself and the situation. I want to move away from the place of captivity and the memory - as if nothing ever happened!

How many opportunities have I missed to help somebody through the same situation? How many opportunities am I missing now?

Lord, grant us discernment to know when to go, when to stay, or when to return to our place of captivity. Give us the courage to be used as instruments for your opportunity.

Looking Beyond Flesh

He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Acts 15:9

Some were teaching that gentiles needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. Others said they did not need to be circumcised. Peter and Barnabas argued that they had received salvation through hearing and believing. They also argued that the new converts were filled with the Holy Spirit which was proof of their changed hearts.

The traditional lesson in this account centers on judging the salvation of others. I think this goes deeper than that.

It speaks to me about accepting and loving others as they are.

We are prewired by society to stereotype others and place them in different categories. We do this by using criteria like the color of skin, gender, or socioeconomic status. We assess people by their outward appearance (flesh) and often fail to look deeper (heart) and accept them for who they are.

It's possible that those who were arguing for circumcision were struggling more with accepting the gentiles because they were different, rather than making sure they were saved.

Lord, help us to see others through your eyes. Teach us to look past the flesh and straight to the heart. Use us as faithful instruments of your love.

Looking Beyond Idols

Men! Why are you doing these things? We are men also, with the same nature as you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. Acts 14:15

The church grew and many wonders were done through the apostles. The crowds were so awestruck that they proceeded to worship Paul and Barnabas as if they were gods. This was a case of misdirected worship.

Lord, this continues to happen today within your church and within the world.

Sometimes church leaders strive to be in the spotlight and sometimes they are placed in the spotlight by others. Either way, worship is misdirected.

This can also occur when individuals seek to use the gifts and talents you have given. We may become star struck by the attention we receive and forget that you are the source of those gifts and talents. Or, we can become so drawn to another individual that we place them on a pedestal. Either way, worship is misdirected.

Lord, give us humble hearts to reflect your glory and humble eyes to see beyond idols.

When it's Time to Move On

But shaking the dust off their feet against them, they proceeded to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:51-52

In spite of persecution, the church continued to grow.

As the disciples shared Christ’s message of grace, some believed and some did not. Those that rejected the word stirred up trouble and persecution was typically the end result.

The disciples knew when to stop and move on. The fruit of that discernment was the expansion of their mission field!

Lord, thank you for the times you've helped us to move on. Grant us the ability and perseverance to seek discernment in the face of division, conflict, or persecution.

Help us to know the time, and give us the courage to knock the dust off our feet and move on.

When the Church Falls to Her Knees

So Peter was kept in prison, but prayer was being made earnestly to God for him by the church. Acts 12:5

Herod killed James and put Peter in prison. This brought the church to its knees and an angel rescued Peter.

Lord, this story touches on so many questions that plague the faith of many!

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do some people live and others die? Why did you answer my neighbor’s prayer, but didn’t answer mine?

In the process of searching for the answers to these questions, many people turn away from the Church and some even turn away from you.

I think the most teachable part of this story is that the Church was brought to its knees. In the face of persecution, the loss of James, and the imprisonment of Peter – the Church bowed low to your grace!

Lord, when hardship and trials threaten our faith, bring us to our knees in supplication and intercession. Help us to reach out to others so we may face difficult times as a unified Body of Christ.

When God Makes It Clean

Lord, I acted upon an idea I thought you placed upon my heart. It was in connection with the Peter and Cornelius story I read. On my way to school to buy books, I stopped by Hobby Lobby to pick up sea glass. I thought it would be nice to give as a prayer focus in case I ran into somebody from the homeless shelter that might need prayer or encouragement. Hobby Lobby was out of sea glass and nobody crossed my path at school – even though I lingered in the square and strolled around the perimeter of campus.

I felt silly, as if I were “forcing” a spiritual encounter that would take me to the mountain top.

Lord, I continue to struggle with my scripture readings, looking for huge aha moments that will make me feel close to you – trying to “force” a spiritual moment out of my readings.

I started reading one of my textbooks for the fall and couldn’t put it down. I became really excited about learning how to be a good counselor. It was like the mountain top experience I used to have while reading scripture.

It made me feel guilty!

Perhaps this is your way of telling me to settle down and stop worrying about being present with you. Perhaps this is your way of saying I’m ok where I am at the moment. Perhaps you are telling me to dig deep into my preparation and know you are digging along side me.

Then I read Acts 11!

But a voice answered from heaven a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call common.” Acts 11:9

Yes! This account tells me that what I am reading and learning in school may seem common to me. However, it is being used to prepare me for a future calling and you have made it clean. Therefore, I should rejoice in the fact that my textbooks are being opened for me and it is ok to feel excited and energized by the knowledge I am gleaning from them. And, it’s ok that scripture is not as stimulating as I want it to be.

Lord, thank you for this affirmation. I take it and receive it as encouragement. Help me to settle into my preparation with the thought that you are indeed settled along side me.