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…
May 18 In Acts 11, we see a new term, the circumcision party. We will see this term again throughout the book of Acts. This group was composed of Jewish Christians who believed that Jesus’ sacrificial atonement was insufficient to cover the sin-debt of Christians. They believed that believers needed to add something else. In…
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…
May 16 Acts 9 tells us about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. This is the same man who approved of Stephen’s death and the man who persecuted believers. Saul was traveling to Damascus when he was blinded by a bright light. While he couldn’t see, he had a brief conversation with Jesus. His companions…
May 15 The first converts to Christianity were the one hundred twenty disciples in the upper room. (Acts 1:15) Another three thousand were added to the church following Peter’s first sermon. (Acts 2:41) All of these new Christians were from Jewish backgrounds. In Acts 8, Philip goes to a town in Samaria and ministers to…
May 14 In our last devotional, we read that the church chose its first deacons. Stephen was one of the men chosen. Note that Dr. Luke told us that Stephen was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. (Acts 6:5) Stephen was not a “special” person. He was not an apostle, but simply a man…
