Acts 19-21 (Saturday June 14)

Hi everyone. Keep reading and participating daily with your posts. Isn't it encouraging, and even fun to see every one's perspective on The Scriptures?

Today's reading focuses on Acts 19 through 21. I love the word Acts for the name of this book of The Bible. According to my dictionary, the word act means:

verb     take action; do something.

This is very important and this book is filled with examples of people taking action. How sad would it be if you had tons of knowledge about God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, the church, everything in this chapter, but you never took any action?

Acts 19

This book focuses on Ephesus, which is in Asia, and there is a LOT of spiritual warfare happening in this chapter. Paul and the disciples are ministering to people. Miracles are happening in abundance, and the devil and demons all around aren't happy about it. Some highlights:

Verses 5-6 Paul baptizes some disciples in The Holy Spirit

Verses 11-12 God is working so many miracles through Paul. The NKJV calls them "unusual miracles". They must have been pretty spectacular! Even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from Paul to the sick and and diseases were healed and evil spirits were cast out. How amazing and limitless is God's power!?

Verses 13-16 Some Jewish exorcists (they are not believers and do not have The Holy Spirit) try to get in on the action and use the name of The Lord to try to cast out demons. Those demons overpowered them, to the point these Jewish priests fled from the house naked and wounded

Verses 24-27 All of the works and miracles of Paul are scaring the silversmith industry. These guys make silver shrines of Diana, a false god, and the real miracles of the real God are not surprisingly making a silly little silver diana shrine look kind of silly. These silversmith's don't like it. If people stop believing in Diana they will stop buying their shrines.

Acts 20

Paul moves from Asia and ministers in Greece.

Verses 9-12 A guy falls asleep in a window and falls 3 stories to his death. Paul goes down and embraces the young man and now he is alive. This is proof of disciples having the power Jesus promised them when he said "greater works than these.."

Verses 17-38 Paul gathers the elders of the church together and delivers a beautiful speech, encouragement, instruction, training session. Whatever you call it and everything that it was, it was filled with examples, instruction and loving encouragement.

Acts 21

This chapter is very important for examples of spiritual discernment and walking closely with God. As a Christian you will get advice from other Christians, and non-Christians too. It's not always going to be the right advice.

Paul decides to go to Jerusalem

Verse 4 The disciples warn Paul not to go to Jerusalem

Verses 10-11 A prophet prophecies to Paul that he will be arrested 

Verse 12 The disciples plead with Paul not to go to Jerusalem

Verses 26-36 Paul is arrested in Jerusalem

Later, everything works out though as Paul is rescued

Make no mistake. When you decide to take action for Jesus and do what He is telling you to do, you will be entering a spiritual battlefield. It will be important to surround yourself with other believers who will help you. This is one of the things I love about Life Church. We are a community of believers here to help each other on our journey.