The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Acts 12-14
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 4: Christ’s Church: God’s People Advance the Kingdom
Background Information: Acts 12-14
There are four different Herods mentioned in the New Testament. The Herods were a ruling dynasty in Israel. They were puppet authorities under the Roman empire, charged primarily with keeping the peace. Herod Agrippa, apparently in an attempt to quell what he thought was an uprising, violently attacked the church and murdered James. It was a revolution, but it wasn’t political–it was a revolution of hearts. Herod, like all tyrants after him, would be unable to stop the Church. But God, as he always does, stopped him. Saul (his Hebrew name) began to use his Roman name, Paul, soon after being launched on his first missionary journey to the wider Gentile world. It makes sense that God would strike wicked and arrogant Herod down, but why doesn’t he take better care of his own people? Why is he seemingly so random in how he treats his people? As God heard the prayers of the church, James was executed for his faith while Peter was miraculously released. Did he like Peter better? Was he not paying attention to what was going on with James? Paul’s reward for becoming a missionary was that he was so violently attacked that he was initially believed to be dead. How is this fair or right? These kinds of questions are normal, but they betray a flaw in our thinking. The flaw is that life is mostly or even partly about us. The cosmos, human history, and our own individual lives are all about the glory of God. What God does is for his own greater purposes. We are not merely pawns to him, and yet he doesn’t answer to us for what he does and doesn’t do. When we believe that we are in a position to question him, we would do well to re-visit Job. Job didn’t get answers to his questions, but instead received a grand vision of God’s greatness. If you struggle with God’s “fairness,” your eyes are turned inward on yourself. Turn your gaze upward to the glory of God. Then turn your gaze outward to the purpose of God in the world around you. When our eyes are turned in on ourselves, we are stuck and unhappy. When our eyes are turned up and then out, we are mobilized to join God, and our lives become full of purpose and joy.
“And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 13:52
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for refugees in our city. Ask God to provide for their needs. Pray for those that are not aware of their need for a Savior. Pray that they would trust in Christ.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.