BE COURAGEOUS AND RUN  The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” —Acts 23:11             There are “works” that our Lord has for you and me— “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10) — and as He has already worked in our lives so He will accomplish those “works” in our lives until that work is over and we die.  This “work” of testifying in Rome would happen, but there…

READY TO DIE, READY TO LIVE  For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.  —Acts 21:13              What is your commitment level to Jesus?  Paul was ready to be imprisoned for the Name of Jesus.  Not only that, but Paul was also ready to die for the Name of Jesus.  This is a challenge to me to consider how committed I am to Jesus.  Now, Paul wasn’t looking to die, but for Jesus he was willing to die.  Can I say that? I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ,…

FEAR THE LORD!  Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! —Psalm 128:1  And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. —Deuteronomy 10:12  And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” —Job 28:28  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. —Proverbs 3:7  To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate…

REASONING WITH PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS  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. —Acts 17:17  And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. —Acts 17:26-27  The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he…

COMPASSIONATELY SOW THE WORD OF GOD Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. —Psalms 126:5-6              How much of a concern and passion for the lost do we have?  Your answer will be seen in when you last shared the Word of God with someone who does not know our Lord.  If we are not concerned for the lost, if we are not sowing the seed of His Word then there will be no harvest, no shouts of joy over those being saved from their…

YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE… OR NOT!  It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life… as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. —Acts 13:46, 48              Do you receive the Word of God or thrust it aside?  Do you have eternal life by accepting what God says or judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life by rejecting what He says?  What do you say?             There are those who are appointed to eternal life.  They hear the Word of God, believe it and accept it.  They then seek to live according to God’s…

BE LOVINGLY AND FAITHFULLY OBEDIENT TO SHARE THE GOSPEL  And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ —Acts 11:13-14  At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.  About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come…

PROOF OF REPENTANCE  And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. —Acts 9:26-28  First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles,…

IGNORANT OF THE TRUTH  And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.  But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. —Acts 8:1-3              After Stephen was killed, executed, there was a great persecution that broke out against the church in Jerusalem.  Saul was going from house to house to drag off to prison men and women that were following Jesus. …

 WHO YOU ARE… REALLY…  Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. —Acts 5:4  But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men… And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him…”  Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. —Acts 5:29, 32, 42  I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.…