The Daily Discipleship Podcast

The messianic believers, including Peter, likely needed convincing evidence that the Gospel really was intended for all people (Jews and Gentiles), so God provided that evidence in how He poured-out His Spirit upon those assembled in the Oikos of Cornelius.  In our day, evidence of true salvation should also be evident in the lives of those who are truly saved.  Everyone who claims to be saved just might not be saved.  Listen for more...

Sometimes reports we get of things happening in the church around the world are hard to believe, until the research is done and the reports are verified...often as being UNDERESTIMATED.  The same was true in the Book of Acts as we will see today.  Is God limited to doing things only in certain ways?

God was certainly doing a new thing.  First, The New Covenant, and now the Gospel Spreading to the Gentiles. Would those who had believed earlier support this new move of God?  Would they invest?  Would they do their part?  Will we invest in the works of the Kingdom?

Acts 12 brings us to the loss of one apostle and the near loss of another, but God had other plans, so God performed a miraculous act of deliverance for the apostle and performed another miraculous act of judgment upon the Tyrant.  In the midst of it all, the church was prayerful, though surprised at just how God answered. May we be prayerful, and may we find ourselves surprised at how God answers. 

The early church was a sending entity.  It sent money for support of ministry in other areas, and it sent those meant to expand the impact of the Gospel.  Whether sending churches are the ones God most blesses is a question to consider.  I personally believe the answer is YES. 

Sometimes the disciple passes the leader, and great leaders find joy when that happens. Sometimes leaders shift positions based on giftedness. Smart orgs work to get the right people in the right places. 

The teaching of the missions team was so powerful in their presentation (Holy Spirit Power) that they were invited to remain and to further explain the truths of the Gospel and the whole city came out to hear it.  What would it take in our towns and cities to get the whole town out?  What plans for outreach does your church have or should a new church plant have for reaching the city?  The same thing done the same way may not work, yet the message itself remains the same.

For as wonderful as the Gospel is, it is not always palatable to people.  Sometimes they just don't want to hear it, and they may even go to great lengths to stop its spread.