Daily Walk Through the New Testament

September 28
Read Acts 10 23b-48

Peter had a vision. A vision can be as simple as a new insight or a truth revealed. Peter saw animals clean and unclean, and he heard the command to kill and eat. It wasn’t really a vision about the menu; it was a vision about ministry. God challenged Peter’s beliefs about people. God cares about everyone, Jews and Gentiles, and God wants everyone to hear the good news of grace and be saved.
After Peter had the vision, there was a knock at the door. If God shows you a new truth, you had better believe He will also bring a new opportunity! Peter answered the knock, responded to the call, and carried the message to Cornelius’s household. They heard and believed, and the church grew exponentially. It happened because one man saw that God cares about everyone. He answered the knock at the door and faithfully carried the message to those who needed to hear it.
Peter’s ideas about ministry needed to be corrected, and sometimes ours do too. Who do you sometimes see as unclean, beyond hope, and not your responsibility? God says “GO.” Go and love everyone. Go and share the good news.

Daily Walk Through the New Testament
September 27
Read Acts 9:36-10:23a

When you pray, mighty things happen. When Peter prayed, one of the mightiest miracles in the Bible took place — Tabitha came back to life. Cornelius sought God in prayer, and God heard and provided a messenger to bring the good news. One received physical life; the other received spiritual life. James 4:2 says we do not have because we do not ask. What are you believing God for that seems impossible? Ask Him to do what only He can do.

Daily Walk Through the New Testament
September 26
Read Acts 9:10-35

Ananias is a name many forget, but few forget the name of Paul. He was the great apostle, the gifted evangelist and author and preacher. And yet you might have never heard of him if a man named Ananias hadn’t answered God’s call with 4 simple words: “Here I am, Lord” (9:10). He was a servant ready to obey his Lord. He listened and responded, Paul believed, and the world was changed.
What is God calling you to do? What miracle is waiting on the other side of your obedience? 4 words can change your life: “Here I am, Lord.” Just say them. Then follow through.

Daily Walk Through the New Testament
September 25
Read Acts 8:26-9:9

It is a long way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem, but the African official in Acts 8 had made the trek. It was not a political meeting but a spiritual search that had launched him on this journey. He had come looking for answers — for God. As he was heading home, he was still searching. Apparently the religious traditions had not been enough to satisfy his soul. In God’s providential timing, Philip came onto the scene while this man was reading Isaiah. Philip was there as God’s messenger to point the way to Jesus. He was faithful to get near this searcher and speak truth to him.
Who do you know that may be searching? You never know what may be going on in someone’s life when you feel the prompting of God’s Spirit to go to that person and share the truth about Jesus. Philip was busy, but he wasn’t too busy to follow God’s prompting and share the greatest message in the world. Don’t be too busy to help someone find their way to God. There is someone waiting for you.

Daily Walk Through the New Testament
September 24
Read Acts 8:4-25

The power of the apostles was undeniable. God’s own Spirit had empowered these preachers, and their words and deeds carried power. God worked through them to accomplish many miracles and to bring the gospel to those who had never heard.
Simon saw their power, and he wanted it. He was a mystic who practiced witchcraft, and he seemed to know the real thing when he saw it. Simon believed and was baptized, but he still didn’t fully understand. He was seeking God, but his heart was not right. Simon wanted the power for the sake of the power, for what it could do for him. We can argue the authenticity of his conversion, but we cannot doubt the depth of his confusion. He wanted to “buy” this spiritual power — as if the Holy Spirit was a trick to be learned or a skill to be nurtured. Peter called him out on it. God’s Spirit cannot be bought or earned — it is His gift to us that comes by grace through faith in Christ alone.
Yo can’t buy your way into heaven, and you can’t buy God’s power on the open market. There will always be those who confuse the gospel with worldly power. There will always be those who have suspect motives or warped views of God. There will always be those who are motivated by pride and jealousy. We must have discernment. We should be wary of any ministry that exalts people instead of God. We must also check our own motives. Do we serve God to impress people or to please God? Humble yourself before the Lord, submit to His purposes, and use His power to do His will.

Daily Walk Through the New Testament
September 22

Answer the following questions regarding your readings from this past week:

It is a human tendency to avoid responsibility. It seems that nothing is anybody’s fault anymore. The only sin that can be forgiven, however, is the sin we own. Owning our sin and our choices is a very humbling experience, but it is the only way back to God. What sins do you need to acknowledge in order to receive God’s forgiveness and full pardon?

2. The Bible often warns about judging others. It is easy to quickly point fingers at friends, while allowing the plank to remain in our own eye. It takes divine wisdom to maintain balance between biblical discernment and critical judgment. Nothing good comes from blame. Whom do you need to stop judging and extend grace to today.

Daily Walk Through the New Testament

September 21

Read Acts 7:17-41

Stephen was a very spiritual man. He was full of the Holy Spirit and full of grace, faith, and power. His critics “were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (Acts 6:10). Yet after his testimony there came a brutal attack. He was accused of speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.
When Stephen gave his defense, he told a short version of Israel’s history. He referred to the people of Israel as a stiff-necked people who always resisted the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51). Throughout Israel’s history, God worked on Israel’s behalf again and again with repeated acts of mercy and long-suffering. But the Israelites repeatedly hardened their hearts toward God.
Stephen’s message ministers to us in at least 2 ways: it serves as both an encouragement and a warning. Contrary to today’s popular opinion, God is not eager to punish. He is eager to forgive our sins, and He shows faithfulness to thousands! He warns us, however, that one day His patience will come to an end, and we will be handed over to face the consequences of our sin.
Give God praise for His faithfulness. Soften your heart toward Him in humble repentance and obedience, and encourage others to do the same.

Daily Walk Through the New Testament

September 20

Read Acts 6:8-7:16

Telling the nations what God has done is a thousand times more important than American football. Yet you’ll hear people talk about football more than they talk about the gospel. Of course, who doesn’t love football? It’s a great sport! But the truth is, the gospel should be our life.
After a fast and furious start and tremendous growth, the early church began experiencing growing pains. The widows were being neglected, there were new members who needed discipling, and the leaders simply had difficulty reaching out to everyone (Acts 6:1). They handled the problem in a godly manner, setting an example for us to follow: they concentrated on the Word of God. Ministers today should also choose the “plan & neglect” method of ministry —plan to neglect everything until the gospel is complete!
Every church has its share of problems, including either growing problems or dying problems. Problems of all kinds give us the opportunity to examine our ministry and our lives so we can make necessary adjustments. Success can spoil us into thinking we need not make any changes, but anything that does not get evaluated gets stale. Let’s follow the early church and “give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4). Let’s make spreading the gospel our priority.

Daily Walk Through the New Testament

September 19

Read Acts 5:22-6:7

Cults, false religions, and false prophets abound today. Often, they grow faster than the true church does, However, the idea that whatever succeeds in life is always the will of God is simply false. Similarly, Gamaliel believed things that are not of God must fail. The problem with this thinking is that it doesn’t consider the sinful depravity of humanity and the presence of satanic opposition in the world. Mark Twain once said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while truth is putting on its shoes.” No doubt truth will win out, but in the meantime, Satan seeks people to devour like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). Fight his falsehoods by spreading God’s truth!

Daily Walk Through the New Testament

September 18
Read Acts 5:1-21

Ananias and Sapphira lacked what we all should strive to have: personal integrity and a desire  for God to remove selfishness from our lives. Sadly, they instead set out to deliberately deceive Peter and the other apostles. They pretended to have a great love for God and then lied about their generous financial gift to the church. What did it cost them? Their lives! We may not necessarily lie about our giving, but we do lie about other things. We often pretend to be devoted to God just to impress our family and friends. Ananias committed this sin unto death.
The truth is that the spirit of Ananias and Sapphira is still alive in the church today. If Christians today were judged by the motives of the heart as Ananias & Sapphira were, the average church would probably lose a majority of their members. When we sing, teach, or play instruments, are we truly doing it all to God’s glory? We go to church and convince ourselves that grace means tolerance and that trying to deceive God and others isn’t a big deal.
When God taught the church a great lesson that day, fear gripped the church. What we need today is another awakening of the fear of God. Ananias & Sapphira wanted acceptance so much that they became pretenders. When they did, they allowed Satan, and not the Holy Spirit, to fill their hearts. The Holy Spirit never promotes deception. In fact, He promotes love and truth. In the name of Jesus, let’s covet truth.