Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Day 83: The Church was Strengthened (Acts 9:31)
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Day 83: The Church was Strengthened (Acts 9:31)
Jesus promised his disciples that they would be his witnesses throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. The fact that you are probably reading this thousands of kilometres away from Jerusalem (kudos to you if you’re closer than that) suggests that Jesus kept his promise. The fact that churches have been filled and the Gospel has been preached in ever corner, not just of the then known world, but of the planet we know today is a miracle. In the first century religions were often bound by geographic or cultural borders. Here in Acts 9 we learn that after Saul’s conversion the church kept spreading and enjoyed a time of peace and strengthening.
The disciples no longer feared Saul, instead they were all encouraged to fear the Lord and be built up by the Holy Spirit. This idyllic community was not a pipe-dream of religious nut jobs, this wasn’t a commune where people were forced into social submission. Instead this church that Jesus had promised and the Holy Spirit had borne was a place where the Kingdom of Heaven was real.
Some years ago an atheist journalist by the name of Matthew Parris travelled to Africa. In an article, ‘As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God’, Parris shared that wherever he found peace, tranquility, and healthy communities in the continent he also found churches and deep faith. Sadly Parris couldn’t concede that the Gospel has had this impact on every community it has touched. Much of the peace and prosperity we enjoy in developed nations is thanks to the impact of the Gospel and Christianity. Wherever the Gospel goes it find resistance, but it also brings true peace. DB
QuestionsWhy do you think the church enjoyed such a wonderful time of peace and growth at this point in Acts?
Where do you see this sort of Kingdom reality in your church community?
Father forgive us for condemning others in our hearts. Help us to remember that no one is beyond your mercy and grace. Help to reach out with your Gospel of grace and step over social battle lines to love and welcome others. Amen.
View all episodes
By St Bart's Anglican ChurchJesus promised his disciples that they would be his witnesses throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. The fact that you are probably reading this thousands of kilometres away from Jerusalem (kudos to you if you’re closer than that) suggests that Jesus kept his promise. The fact that churches have been filled and the Gospel has been preached in ever corner, not just of the then known world, but of the planet we know today is a miracle. In the first century religions were often bound by geographic or cultural borders. Here in Acts 9 we learn that after Saul’s conversion the church kept spreading and enjoyed a time of peace and strengthening.
The disciples no longer feared Saul, instead they were all encouraged to fear the Lord and be built up by the Holy Spirit. This idyllic community was not a pipe-dream of religious nut jobs, this wasn’t a commune where people were forced into social submission. Instead this church that Jesus had promised and the Holy Spirit had borne was a place where the Kingdom of Heaven was real.
Some years ago an atheist journalist by the name of Matthew Parris travelled to Africa. In an article, ‘As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God’, Parris shared that wherever he found peace, tranquility, and healthy communities in the continent he also found churches and deep faith. Sadly Parris couldn’t concede that the Gospel has had this impact on every community it has touched. Much of the peace and prosperity we enjoy in developed nations is thanks to the impact of the Gospel and Christianity. Wherever the Gospel goes it find resistance, but it also brings true peace. DB
QuestionsWhy do you think the church enjoyed such a wonderful time of peace and growth at this point in Acts?
Where do you see this sort of Kingdom reality in your church community?
Father forgive us for condemning others in our hearts. Help us to remember that no one is beyond your mercy and grace. Help to reach out with your Gospel of grace and step over social battle lines to love and welcome others. Amen.