Daily Grace
Seeing Faith in Others
“In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, ‘Stand up on your feet!’ At that, the man jumped up...
The Good News
“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39). Paul clearly...
The Power of Teaching
“When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord” (Acts 13:12). Paul and Barnabas began their missionary journey on the island of Cyprus. Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul, called for them because he wanted to...
Reaching Beyond Our Boundaries
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:2-3). This was a new...
God Answers Prayer
“When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, ‘It must be his angel’ ” (Acts 12:14-15). The...
The Lord is a Rescuer
“Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen’ ” (Acts 12:11). Peter’s execution seemed inevitable. He was in...
Prayer Works
“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (Acts 12:5). Herod had just executed James the apostle and because the Jews were so pleased he decided to execute Peter as well after the Passover. It looked like a hopeless situation...
Out of Obscurity onto the Main Stage
“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:25-26). For...
Be an Encourager
“When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts” (Acts 11:23). The church at Antioch wasn’t like any other local church to this point in the Church’s history. It wasn’t...