16th Week Acts 3-7 Click here to watch Video Introduction

 

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Monday, Acts Chapter 3

Acts 3 

Verses 6 & 16

Jeanie Boldt

November 3, 2004

Verse 6:  Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 

Verse 16:  By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. 

THOUGHT 

Peter is using the miraculous power from Jesus through his faith. The Man was asking for help. The Lord gave him more than just a small solution to one of his problems. He gave the man a whole new life. When we ask the Lord for help, and He shows us another solution or answer, we must in faith believe that His plan is even more wonderful than what we are asking for.  Sometimes we ask for our 'wants' rather than our 'needs'. 

We must remember we can help others also in the name of Jesus. It is by no power of ours that prayers are answered or miracles occur. However, we can be the means to bring others closer to Him by prayer in Jesus' name. By faith we become strong. In the name of Jesus may we do the will of the Lord. 

PRAYER 

Dear Jesus, may we give to others your gifts of forgiveness, understanding and love. Please work through us so that our faith will be made stronger and others helped and saved. May we be willing to give and give and give and not be afraid to share our faith in Your Name.  We love You and are honored to have You as our friend. In Your Name Jesus.  AMEN 

Tuesday, Acts Chapter 4

 Acts 4 

Verse 12

Jeanie Boldt

November 4, 2004

Verse 12:  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. 

THOUGHT 

This really clearly says it all. Doesn't it? I am so thankful that my family know Him and accept Him as their Savior.  That makes my heart beat so much easier. Jesus is our Savior, and NO ONE else can take His place. No other religious teacher could die for our sins; no other religious teacher came to earth as God's only Son.  No other religious teacher rose from the dead. Our focus is on Jesus, whom God offered as the way to have an eternal relationship with Himself. THERE IS NO OTHER NAME!!!!!!!!! 

Now, Salt Shakers, we must spread the news and not be afraid to show others that we know Jesus and love Him. My Christian Mentor, Delores, leaves a little card that says, ‘Jesus Loves You’, every chance she gets.  She made herself known by leaving them at restaurants and stores. Like the disciples, we need to pray for courage, the power of the Holy Spirit, and opportunities to talk about Christ. 

I can just see my little Sierra shaking it up. She is such a ‘feeling’ little person already who wants everyone to know Jesus. Let’s set great examples for our little ones. 

PRAYER 

Father God, again we thank You for our angels, Sierra and Deloris. They both bring Joy and Happiness to my heart. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus. May we never forget that He is the Way and the Truth and the Life for all. May we sing praises to Him for there is no one else that can take His place. Thank You for loving us so much that You gave us Jesus so that we can have the gift of salvation. Help us stay focused on Your Son, Jesus, as we live each and every day.  AMEN 

Wednesday, Acts Chapter 5

Acts 5

Verse 42

Tanya Ruden

November 9, 2004 

Verse 42:  Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is Christ.

THOUGHT 

I want to make 2 thoughts from this chapter. First one being, even back in Jesus time the people met together in homes to study the Word of God. They used this fellowship time together to grow in their faith. They often had to meet in homes to hide in order to not be persecuted, but it was a wonderful way to study and become closer to God. 

If the Bible was written today, do you think it would include "internet groups"?  On a more serious note, can you imagine seeing persecution as a blessing and rejoicing about it? Talk about an unbelievable faith!! It would be hard to be in Peter's situation and not fold under the pressure and deny knowing God. These men knew how Jesus had suffered, and they praised God that He allowed them to be persecuted - what? This is hard to swallow.  They didn't blame God and say, "We are doing your work.  Why are you doing this?"  They realized that some suffering strengthened their faith, and it was  nothing compared to what Jesus went through on His faith journey. 

Being persecuted for your faith isn't because you are doing something wrong, but rather because God has counted you worthy of suffering disgrace for His Name. Be bold in your witness, and as mom prayed last week, seek situations to witness and have no fear.  This is a large step of faith and your shaker group will always support you and never disgrace you. 

PRAYER 

Dear Jesus, what a witness Peter was.  Help us to be more like Peter in our faith, stepping out of our comfort zone and witnessing to the world around us and rejoicing in persecution, not fearful of it. We know and believe you will never give us more than we can handle.  You will always be there for us when we feel persecuted for our faith. What more of a promise do we need? Thank You, Lord Jesus, for this Bible study group and for blessing this family with Your Love. I am so grateful my family loves me enough to teach me about You so my eternity is secure in You. AMEN 

Thursday, Acts Chapter 6

Acts 6 

Verse 3

Tanya Ruden

November 10, 2004

Verse 3:  Brothers choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility (serving food) over to them. 

THOUGHT 

I liked this verse for 2 reasons. First, it points out the importance of delegation. Even the disciples had limits and were not responsible for everything. They recognized these limits and appropriately delegated tasks to other 'church members' who were qualified to carry them out. All people were better served because people were using the gifts they had been given.  Those with serving talents were serving, and those with preaching talents were preaching. How often do we try to do too much, and we can't serve God or others when we are pushed to our limits? We need to recognize our talents, and when we have been called beyond our abilities, pray for God to show us other servants to delegate those responsibilities to. 

Second, I love how this verse shows that every ministry in our church is important. No matter how you are called to serve God in your church, remember it is an important duty. No duty is better than another. Remember this as if you hear God calling you for service. You may think unloading the dishwasher at church is not serving God, but it is. It is a church service that helps the fellowship time and witnessing time between fellow Christians when the Spirit is working. All duties are important in our ministry. 

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, thank You for our church homes. Thank You for the leaders of our church. Be with them as they lead our churches in the directions You send them. Help us to listen to You for what areas we are to serve in our church. Help us to take on what we can handle and recognize when we need to call upon other members to help us and delegate duties appropriately. Bless the serving that You appoint us to. AMEN 

Friday, Acts Chapter 7

Acts 7 

Verse 60

Tanya Ruden

November 11, 2004

Verse 60:  Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do no hold this sin against them." 

THOUGHT

This story of Stephen really touched me.  What a witness. You know, sometimes it is easy to look at Jesus being persecuted and see the love he showed for those persecuting him and think, well He was perfect, so forgiveness and compassion was in His "perfect" nature. But to look at Stephen's life and his persecution and his witnessing and his forgiveness of his persecutors at the end of his life, feels more human and real - like me!  Stephen was not Jesus.

Jesus’s actions were a witness to Stephen who truly did "What Would Jesus Do?" Sometimes we so often pray and attempt to do what is the best action, but fall short. I admire Stephen’s faith and boldness of his witnessing.  He truly showed the love of Jesus to the world. 

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, what awesome stories You reveal to us in Your Bible. So often we focus on the same stories over and over, and those are great to know and live by.  But, thank You, for guiding us into the book of Acts and the stories of the apostles on Your earth after Jesus' death.  It is more like where we are today. Help us to learn from their witnessing and strive to be like Jesus in our compassion and forgiveness of people, even those who persecute us in Your name. Help us to always be so proud of our relationship with You, that we never turn our back on You, no matter what the situation. We love You, Jesus, and we love getting to know You better through the ultimate book – THE BIBLE!! AMEN