Acts 15-17; Proverbs 30
*Click here to read these passages:
There is so much we can learn from Paul; he did write half of the
New Testament after all. Here are
a few things gained from these chapters:
~Move – Paul kept moving.
Change is hard; staying the same is comfortable. And comfortable is well …
comfortable. Paul kept moving even
when he didn’t have all the answers as to where to go and when, but the Spirit
guided him along the way. It says
in chapter 16 that Paul and his team went a few different places where the Holy
Spirit kept them from going in, and then Paul had a vision that helped him know
where to go. It is tempting to
just sit and wait for all the details to fall into place before moving, but
sometimes we just need to move, to go, to change, and to trust Him in the
details along the way.
~Praise and Pray – Paul and Silas were severely flogged (stripped
and beaten) and then chained in prison.
After being flogged and put in prison it says, “After midnight Paul and
Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…” Prayer and worship go hand in hand. Prayer and worship are what helped keep
them aware of God’s presence and power within them. Prayer and worship are what kept them strong and passionate
and moving.
~Speak to who you’re speaking to – When Paul spoke to Jews in the
synagogues he quoted Scriptures to make the case for Jesus, “explaining and
proving.” In Athens, he quoted
philosophers to explain and prove God as the creator and Jesus rising from the
dead. I once heard the challenge
that Christians should be able to present the gospel without using any verses
from the Bible because if you are talking to someone who doesn’t believe in the
Bible, you’re not going to make much of an impact if you don’t use a different
approach. We have to be careful of
our “churchy talk” and meet people where they are.
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