Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Paul is unstoppable. Not only past an apparent stoning, but also propelled by the desire to share the good news. The fervor with which he was determined to persecute the church is now the fervor with which he wishes to grow the church, and only God could bring about such a change.

There are some who simply aren't ready for the Gospel. Maybe they find it unbelievable, stupid, or not worth their time. Whatever the reason, our time is precious. Paul's "shaking the dust from his feet" is less a sign of defeat and more a statement of, "I have done all I can for you, and you are now on your own." This action luckily only occurs a few times in the New Testament.

Paul was once a devout Jew, and now he uses that experience to speak to others who are still on a similar path. Luckily, the gospel is for everyone. The way it fits into the Jewish story is all part of God's plan.

Paul encounters someone who is warping the ways of the Lord in their teaching of someone who is a true seeker, and so Paul's response is interesting: he afflicts the man with blindness, the very thing Paul himself was afflicted with at his conversion. And indeed it was a conversion for Paul. Perhaps he hoped for a similar outcome for Elymas.

What happens when God answers our prayers and we aren't ready? Peter's release from prison is a pretty dramatic example: the answer is in front of us, but we refuse to believe it's real.

The new fellowship of Jews and non-Jews wasn't automatic, some of the believers went out still working in the old, "Jews-only" way. Being patient with one another is critical, because not everyone sees things happening at the same time. Luckily, the Spirit is present in all.

Everything is new in this new Kingdom of Jesus. New fellowship of both Jews and Gentiles, new baptism in the Spirit, new kingship by Jesus. But God is still the God of Jews, and he has not forgotten them. The different is that the Jewish people are not the owners of the promise, Jesus fulfilled God's promise to them and brings a new one.

Peter and Cornelius have both met with God in prayer, and that connection is what God has used to start a new chapter in church history: baptizing non-Jews. This level of inclusion meant that while Jesus and the apostles were Jews, Christians were a new classification all their own.

The ways in which God chooses to reveal new things aren't always direct. Speaking to Peter in the language of eating things to reveal the expansion of God's people may seem odd, but God knows our minds.

Building a legacy of faith was critical in the early days of the church, which is perhaps the reason that these believers were being resurrected. Certainly, they died again, but the power of the Spirit was also showing itself as the young church formed its identity.