and pleasant words promote instruction." (Proverbs 16:21, NIV)
MORNING DEVOTION- "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)
Scripture Reading: Acts 8:18-40
After Stephen was martyred the church experienced great persecution and was scattered "throughout Judea and Samaria" (Acts 8:1b). As seeds landing on prepared soil this move of God accelerated the growth of the church. When the enemy's external attempts to devour the Lord's chosen one's and destroy God's work failed, he implemented a more deceptive scheme within the church, having found a willing vessel in Simon the sorcerer, but Peter was discerning and recognized this man's faith was not genuine: "You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord" (v.21). Simon's faith was not in God's Word, but rather in the miracles that were being performed; he desired the power he witnessed in the disciples for his own self-interests and not for the purposes of glorifying God. Peter called this counterfeit to repentance. "Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart" (v. 22).
In contrast, when Philip was led by the Lord to journey down the road from Jerusalem to Gaza (v.26) he met an Ethiopian eunuch traveling on important business. This eunuch was seriously seeking to understand the faith, and God providentially placed Philip in his path to lead him to the truth. "Do you understand what you are reading?' Philip asked" (v.30). The eunuch replied, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?" (v.31). The Lord had prepared his heart and Philip, sensitive to the Holy Spirit, was obedient to plant God's seed. "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?" (Romans 10:14-15a). So Philip "began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus" (Acts 8:35). The Ethiopian eunuch expressed genuine faith in the Word of God and was saved that very day; confirming that it is God's Word, not miracles, that has the power to convict and bring a sinner to true repentance (reference John 12:37-43).
The Ethiopian eunuch, and the other converts in Samaria, confirmed that God was faithfully fulfilling His promise to carry His gospel message beyond Jerusalem (reference Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8). The enemy had planted persecutors and deceivers as obstacles along the pathway in an attempt to prevent the good news from going forward, but God's purposes will always prevail, and the difficulties God's messengers encountered only helped to promote His message further (reference Acts 4:3-4). "Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins" (James 5:20).
Heavenly Father,
Give your servant "a wise and discerning heart"
to recognize when the enemy is
attempting to block my path and hinder your work.
Give me greater understanding to
recognize those divine appointments
that You place in my path so I can promote
Your message and share the good news
of Your salvation with others.
Help me to "show this by my good life,
by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom."
May I not harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition.
This wisdom does not come from heaven,
but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure;
then peace-loving, considerate, submissive,
full of mercy and good fruit,
impartial and sincere.
May Your people be "peacemakers who sow in peace"
so we will "raise a harvest of righteousness."
(James 3:13-15, 17-18)
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
This morning let us pray for the church to grow in holiness and in its' devotion to God's service. So much of the information that we are bombarded with each day is ungodly, lacking in truth, immoral, deceptive, and worldly; and so many of God's people, especially those who are young in their faith, are weak and vulnerable to temptation. May God establish us in His Word and by His Spirit, and may we all become receptive and sensitive to the Spirit so we can resist the power of Satan and walk in the fullness of the Spirit. "Now it is God who makes both of us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
The Ethiopian eunuch and Simon the Sorcerer bear witness to the fact that there are many seekers in the faith (whether seekers of truth or seekers of personal gain) who are sincerely lost and who need our help in finding their way into relationship with Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus Christ we are to imitate Him in all manner of life, to speak the truth in love, and to build one another up, becoming a help rather than a hindrance to those we meet on the pathway to salvation. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29). It is important that we recognize that it is God's Spirit living inside of us, and everything that comes out of our mouths should be in reverence to His holiness, and edifying to the our listeners. God's love dwells in our hearts, and every word and deed is to be an outward expression of that inner life. May our lives be "cleansed with the washing of water by the word" so the conversation that comes out of our mouths is out of the overflow of a heart that is filled with compassion and not corruption. "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (vv. 31-32).
The enemy desires to destroy our witness as much as he wants to destroy our relationship with the Lord. Our present sufferings or past difficulties should not hinder our willingness to reach whomever the Lord lays on our heart to share the good news of the gospel with. We are to be obedient vessels. One of the ways the enemy destroys our witness is when we fall into the temptation of allowing past hurts to prevent us from expressing God's love to others. "Love is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs" (1 Corinthians 13:5b). We are called to offer forgiveness to others in the same way we have received it from the Lord. The early church did not allow the persecutions they faced to keep them hidden behind closed doors, rather they joyfully carried the gospel of grace to other people groups and the church grew exponentially. As we preach the forgiveness of Christ to others, let us examine our hearts to be sure we are not harboring unforgiveness towards another. We, who have received Christ's forgiveness should have a forgiving spirit - to everyone!
Heavenly Father,
May the message coming out of our mouths
match the message of the lives we live in private.
May our words minister Your grace to those
You have placed in our path. Forgive us where
we have offended and wounded others
with our words, rather than building them up
and improving their lives with Yours.
Teach us to guard our tongues that we
would not stir up wrath and evil in others.
Help us to be tender-hearted and forgiving.
You have placed Your seal upon us, Lord,
help us to live by that distinguishing mark
of holiness so that our every word and deed
is a declaration to the world that we
are Yours.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
The Lord has entrusted to us His message of reconciliation. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are to boldly share God's message of reconciliation with a world that is growing more and more hostile and intolerant towards Christians. We are pilgrims in an immoral and corrupt world which believes that everyone has a right to live as they want to; it is just as it was in the time of the Judges where "...everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). We have no reason to fear man, "who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul" (Matthew 10:28a). Our Lord has already gone ahead of us and prepared the way for us to promote His message of grace and truth. Let us therefore pray for opportunities to share His love with someone new each and everyday - and remember our witness is as much about "showing" Jesus as it is "telling" about Jesus. Our actions speak louder than our words; they are the platform which draws others to question us about the peace, hope, and joy that we have in the face of persecution and trials (reference 1 Peter 3:15). Let us pray this afternoon, that just as the Gentiles "in the first century had grown weary of the multiple gods and loose morals of their nations" and came to Jerusalem "in search of truth", that the hearts of the people of our nation today would grow weary with the immorality, corruption and godlessness of our modern culture and begin to turn to the God's Church to find the answers they are looking for - and may we be prepared because we have prayed and have remained diligent students of God's Word and are united in purpose for what could be the greatest hour of the Church.
EVENING MEDITATION -"...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2)
Prayer Focus: The Media
The Lord entrusted His message into the hands of Twelve disciples who would carry the good news of the gospel into the world. There is no other message, in all of humanity, as vital or as important as this message is, and in which every human being will be required to accept or reject:
"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you,
which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you
as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the
Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the
same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all
He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
We are confronted everyday with messages radically opposed to the message of Jesus Christ. With the advances being made in technology, and the ability to put information into the hands of a multitude of people all around the world in a fraction of a moment, it is vital that we pray for truth to be heard. In a culture that is drifting further from God and which declares there is no moral or absolute truth, we as believers, must stand firm on the solid rock foundation of the Truth of God's Word, and remain vigilant in the fight against the tide of secular humanism which strives to captivate our minds and tempt us to conform to the patterns of the world. The technology available to us today has enabled the Church to promote the gospel message and reach the remotest parts of the earth with the Good News of Jesus Christ! "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate" (1 Corinthians 1:18-19).
This evening as we come before the Lord let us be in prayer for wisdom and discernment we need to strategically utilize the internet, airways, television, and other technology to reach the world for Christ and advance the kingdom of God. Pray for financial provision and the availability of resources (equipment, airway access and time, and finances) for ministries already working diligently to proclaim the Word of God via the internet, radio, television, satellite, hand-held recordable devices, and video and movie equipment, that they would be able to continue to reach the lost all around the globe. May God bless their efforts and increase their sphere of influence and impact. Pray for favor for pastors to be able to share their sermons over the airways, and for increased traffic on ministry blogs and websites that minister through the Word of God. Pray for protection for the gospel message from a radical agenda that seeks to control "religious" and "conservative" talk over the airways via restrictive laws and legislation. Pray for people to have ears that don't just "hear" but are also "discerning" towards the blatant disregard of truth and presentation of false information that is presented daily on liberal news networks. Pray for increased favor and viewership for news programs and television shows that promote our freedoms and liberties and protect our foundation of faith and family. Pray for all media outlets: print media, newspapers, magazines, and the internet, that truth will be presented. Pray for the protection of our children from those who prey on innocent children and use the technology to advance immoral and unrighteous activity like pornography and human trafficking. Pray for godly legislation and safeguards that will protect our children and limit the accessibility of immoral activity over the airways and internet. Pray for those who are fighting on behalf of all of us on the front lines of the culture war to have God's favor and daily victory's in their fight to protect our freedoms. Pray for their encouragement, perseverance, financial provision, and a reinforcement of troops who will join them in the fight. Pray for our citizens to be informed and armed with truth, and to unite to make their voices heard, and to show disapproval for immoral film-making by being selective in the movies and television shows that we watch and attend.
Practical things you can do as you commit to praying for the various media outlets: Pray specifically that more family-friendly movies will be produced. Support their efforts by attending and promoting these films in your community. Pray for the resources necessary for these ministries and movie-makers to create wholesome and edifying films that carry the gospel message. Pray for films like "the Jesus film" to continue to reach the remote areas of the world. Pray for Christian movie review groups like MovieGuide and others to successfully educate the public on their entertainment choices. Pray for Christian newscasters, film-makers, actors and actresses, and legislators who are in positions of influence to share their faith with boldness. May those in their listening audience "take note that they have been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13b). Support family-friendly movies, and be selective in attending movies which are not wholesome. Safeguard your computers and be diligent in watching over the messages your children send and receive on their cell phones and over the internet (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.). When you use the internet make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel message by sending and posting encouraging Scriptures to your friends and family. Let us also be careful with regards to the time we spend in cyber-space that it doesn't rob us of our time in the secret place of prayer with the Lord or in our study in the pages of His Word (it is important as believers that we use a physical Bible (not an electronic one) for our Bible Study time - it is a wonderful legacy to leave your children a Bible that is all hi-lighted, marked up, and tattered and torn because of constant use. "A Bible that is falling apart is usually a sign of a person that isn't!").
Heavenly Father,
Give us discerning eyes and ears
to make wise choices in selecting
the shows we watch, the movies we see,
and the information we listen to and read
each and everyday. Open the airways and remove
the obstacles out of the way of Your people
so that Your glorious message of grace and truth will be promoted
