Jealousy and comparison can stifle the mission of the church. Unless ministry is founded on Jesus himself there is no value.

Paul and Silas are filled with fortitude as they worship despite their circumstances. Their bold worship, coupled with miraculous emancipation, allow Paul and Silas to convert those around them.

Mixing the old law with the new covenant came with some difficulty. There were Jewish believers who thought that it was necessary for the newcomer Gentiles to follow the old ways. Through united and direct leadership they led through adversity.

The recipients of Paul's preaching and ministry mistake him for God himself. Paul iterates that grace comes from Jesus alone.

Saul curses Elymas. It's odd that a believer would call down something negative on anyone. However, Saul only calls down on Elymas what Jesus Himself had inflicted upon Saul.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in our prayers that we aren't looking for God's reply. We should EXPECT God to take control

Peter goes back to Jerusalem to explain to them the adoption of gentiles into the church. This new direction is hard to adopt and will take a lot of grace and submission.

This account of Acts begins the adoption of gentile people into the God's people. This new direction is a monumental shift for the church. It will take a lot of convincing for the rest of the church to adopt this new direction.

Right after his conversion, Saul begins to preach about Jesus. He allows his transformation to inform his testimony and Saul cannot help but preach about Jesus.

This amazing conversion of Saul would set a new course for the early church. God's transformative powers lead Saul from his blindness into an amazing agent of evangelism.