July 9

Paul was sold out for the Gospel. He asks the Corinthians if he was not worthy of their financial support. In fact, he spends twenty-four verses covering reasons that he has given up so much in order to win the lost. But he never put anyone on the spot, begging for their financial support for his ministry. J. Hudson Taylor, Missionary to China, famously said, “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”

If that is true, what does that say about the frequent support letters that show up in your mailbox (or your email box)? Could it be that those individuals and ministries that constantly beg for money either aren’t doing God’s work, or they aren’t doing it God’s way? Yes, money is necessary to accomplish God’s work. And God provides those funds so that His work can be done. He provides those funds by moving in the hearts of His people. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10) Sometimes, we just need to ask Him to slaughter one. But we know that God’s children don’t need to beg for bread. (Psalm 37:25) God promises to supply all of our needs according to His riches and glory. (Philippians 4:19)

Early Nineteenth-century evangelist, George Mueller cared for 10,024 orphans during his lifetime, however, he never asked anyone for support. Whenever he had a ministry need, he prayed. And miraculously, God provided everything he needed when it was needed, sometimes only a few hours ahead of time. For example, one day a milk cart broke down right by the orphanage, and the orphans were given the milk, lest it spoil and be wasted.

Paul says that he had become all things to all people so that by all possible means he might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22)

Rather than posting a banner stating, “Come and hear!” Paul clearly followed Jesus’ commission to “go and tell”. (Matthew 28:18–20) All too often, churches have taken a “come and hear” approach, expecting the world to come to us and become like us. However, Paul turned this idea on its head. Paul was not only an Apostle, he was also an evangelist. And he was willing to do whatever it took to reach lost people. Paul was willing to change his methods, but never his message so that he could accommodate everyone with the life-changing Gospel.

Application

Do you have a “whatever it takes” attitude toward reaching the lost? What changes in your methods would it take to reach people in your circle of influence? What changes in your church’s methods would it take to reach people in your community? Perhaps you could pray about it, and involve your church’s leadership to join you in praying about how you could partner with God in answering that prayer.

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June 28

Paul continues his line of thought concerning the insignificance of earthly wisdom and even his own desires in light of the things of God. He says that the Holy Spirit knows things about God that no one else does, or can.

He goes on to say that only believers can understand the things of God. He refers to believers as “spiritual people”. These are not special people, that is, believers who have had some experience that other believers have not experienced. These people are simply believers, (1 Corinthians 2:14–15) people who have experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

This goes back to what we read a few days ago about Apollos and the other twelve disciples of John the Baptizer. (Acts 18–19) They thought they were saved, but they weren’t. Paul says very clearly that if the Holy Spirit doesn’t abide in someone, they aren’t saved.

In other words, there are two types of people: spiritual people (i.e., believers) and natural people (i.e., those who do not have the Spirit). Either you have the Spirit, or you don’t. Either you have been saved, or you haven’t. Either you have a relationship with God, or you don’t. As we move into tomorrow’s devotional, we’ll see what some incorrectly call a third type of person.

We, believers/spiritual people, have been given the Spirit so that we can understand the things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:12) However, Paul says that the natural person cannot understand the things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:14) This is precisely why you can give the best arguments for the existence of God and the reality of the resurrection of Jesus, and you can explain the Gospel to some people, and they will look at you as if you dropped in from outer space. They just can’t make the connection because the Holy Spirit has not yet done a work of illuminating their hearts so that they can believe. (John 6:63; 65)

Application

Does the Holy Spirit abide in you? If you are a believer, then He does! But just having the Spirit to move into your life isn’t all there is in the Christian life. After all, the Holy Spirit is called the Holy Spirit for a reason: to make us holy. Over the course of time, those who are Spiritual will be transformed into ever-increasing holiness. As you submit to His activity in your life, the Holy Spirit will change you from the inside out. Your beliefs will change. Your attitudes will change. And your behavior will change.

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May 21

After killing James, King Herod Agrippa saw how the Jewish leaders were pleased. In an effort to keep them happy, Herod decided to imprison Peter. Dr. Luke matter-of-factly says that sixteen soldiers guarded Peter in prison. (Acts 12:4) That means that four soldiers were on guard for each of the four three-hour watches of the night. At all times, two guards were chained to him in his cell, while the other two stood guard outside the cell door.

Some time during the night, an angel appeared in Peter’s cell. Peter must have been sleeping soundly because Dr. Luke says that the angel struck Peter on the side. The word indicates that Peter was struck pretty hard, but not enough to wake the guards. It should go without saying, but Roman guards were trained to not sleep on the job. Herod later had them executed. (Acts 12:19)

As the angel escorted Peter out of the jail, Peter’s wrist shackles fell off, and the doors swung open by themselves. It was only after being led outside the prison, and the angel disappeared that Peter realized he had been delivered, and he wasn’t merely dreaming. Peter went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark. The church had met at her home to pray for Peter’s release. However, when a servant girl recognized Peter’s voice at the outer door of the house and announced that he was there, no one believed her. She persisted, and the believers finally opened the door for Peter to enter. God answered their prayers, and they didn’t believe it.

Application

Peter was exactly where he was supposed to be: in prison. Peter was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing: peacefully sleeping soundly between two Roman soldiers. The church was exactly where it was supposed to be, and doing what it was supposed to be doing: praying for Peter’s release.

Then God showed up in the situation by placing an angel in the prison with Peter. Peter was delivered, just as the church had prayed. And yet, they were slow to recognize God’s answer to their prayer.

Sometimes it’s difficult to believe, when you’re in a difficult situation, that God has placed you there … in that difficult situation.

You could be in a difficult situation because God wants to teach you something. Maybe because God doesn’t want you to make the choices you have been making. If you’re in a difficult situation, ask if God has put a hedge around you so that you wouldn’t be able to find what you wanted, so that you would look up to Him. (Hosea 2:6) Just ask Him and submit to what He says.

Always remember that God is always in control. He sees you. And He cares.

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May 17

Acts 10 records the conversion of the first Gentiles. A God-fearing Gentile named Cornelius, who was a Roman Centurion, was visited by an angel who told him to send some of his men to Joppa to return with Simon Peter. The angel said that God had heard his prayers. So, Cornelius sent two of his household servants and one of his soldiers to find Peter.

Peter had a vision of a sheet descending from heaven with both clean and unclean animals on the sheet, and Jesus told him to eat his fill from the meat on the picnic blanket. Simon proudly said that he had never eaten anything unclean. Jesus told him that he wasn’t to consider things as unclean that God had declared to be clean. This happened three times before the sheet was taken back to heaven. As he attempted to make sense of this vision, the men who had been sent by Cornelius arrived and requested that Peter go with them. Ordinarily, Jews would not closely associate with Gentiles, (Acts 10:28) but Peter knew that God had arranged both the vision and the visit. (Acts 10:20–22)

About two days later, (Acts 10:23–24) Peter arrived with Cornelius’ men. I’m sure that there was a lot of conversation on the way, so Peter was quite familiar with Cornelius. When they arrived, Cornelius had gathered his family and close friends, expecting that Peter would tell them about Jesus.

Before Peter finished his sermon, the Holy Spirit fell on everyone present. As with the Jews and Samaritans, God confirmed their conversion with everyone speaking in tongues and declaring the greatness of God. (Acts 11:15–18) Peter baptized each of them in water, and Peter discipled them over the next few days.

As we will see in our next Bible reading, the Gentiles’ conversion experience needed to be the same as with the conversions of Jews and Samaritans.

Application

Traditions can be unifying for people. But traditionalism can lead to conflict and disunity. Peter recognized what God was doing with the clean and unclean animals on the sheet. The Jewish dietary restrictions were being taken away. And this would clear the way for Jews and Gentiles to worship and fellowship together as one group, rather than two. (Ephesians 2:11–22)

What traditions do you hold dear? Is it possible that God may be telling you to let go of some or all of them in order to clear the way for you to worship and fellowship together? (1 Corinthians 9:20–22)

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May 8

Imagine having to sit outside your place of worship, destined to beg for your daily needs. You have been unable to walk your entire life, and you have to depend on your family members to take you there every day to beg. You sit there every. Single. Day, just hoping to be given enough money to make it through the day. Worse still, you have been forbidden to go through the doors of the place of worship for your entire life. You don’t even know what it’s like to worship with your family. You cannot be carried inside, because you are disabled. (Leviticus 21:16–18)

Imagine the desperation. Imagine the despair. Imagine the shame. Not because of anything you have done. Just because you were born without the ability to walk.

In Acts 3:2–10, we read of just such a man, who has been lame since birth. Dr. Luke tells us in Acts 4:22 that the man is over forty years old. As Peter and John approached him, he asked them for money. Just like he had done every day of his miserable life. Based on what Dr. Luke tells us in Acts 3:4, he probably didn’t even have the self-respect to look at the Apostles as they approached. Peter demanded that he look at them. Peter said that his pockets were empty. He didn’t have any money to give him. Surely, a mere two mites would have been sufficient. (Luke 21:1–4)

Rather than giving him money, Peter offered him something that money couldn’t buy. Peter said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” The man probably thought Peter was nuts! But Peter reached down and took the man’s hand and raised him to his feet. Immediately, he felt something he had never felt before: his feet, his ankles, and his legs strengthened. For the first time in his life, he was able to support his weight with his own body. He didn’t just stand. He began to walk. And leap! He was praising God, and the people who saw him recognized that he was the lame beggar they had occasionally given a little pocket change to. For the first time in his life, he entered the temple! Everyone who saw him was awestruck and ecstatic! The man had experienced a genuine miracle! This was the real deal! This is the first miracle recorded in the book of Acts. Many more miracles would follow through the hands of the Apostles.

Application

How would you feel if God answered your deepest desires? Immediately, you were able to do whatever you had longed for, for so long. Your prayers were answered. “Well, there’s no need to ask God for something like that. God hasn’t done miracles like that since the Apostles died and the canon of Scripture was closed. We have doctors and medicine that help people get well now. We don’t pray for miracles, we pray that God uses the doctors and medicine to make us well.”

Have you ever heard someone say something like that? You may have even said something like that. Perhaps not in so many words, but maybe you have felt that way. Yes, God uses medical means to restore people to health. But that’s not all. We’ll see that on September 10.

Be encouraged! The Bible doesn’t tell us those things. It’s just not in the Book! Anywhere!

God continues to manifest His Kingdom on the earth today. Jesus even told His disciples to pray that God’s Kingdom would come, and His will would be done on earth just as it is in heaven.

We don’t know a great deal about heaven. The destination isn’t as important as Who is there, anyway! We do know that there are no tears in heaven. Further, there’s no more death. No more pain. No more grief or crying, because the previous things — even sin and the effects of sin — have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

And Jesus tells us to pray that God would manifest that. Here on earth!

Do it again, Lord! May Your Kingdom come. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

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