ripple effect: vacaville

Read Acts 15:1-21.

1. Before we throw too many rocks at the guys from Judea, I can see why they would assume that everyone needed to be circumcised. It was something that God passed down to Abraham and became a part of the law of Moses. So… But how does that work with what Jesus taught about what it takes to be “saved”?
2. Paul and Barnabas didn’t back down from these guys. What I like is that they didn’t act like they had it all figured out. They respected the church leaders enough (the apostles and the elders) to go to them and talk it out. I mean, Gentiles were getting converted left and right (without being circumcised).
3. I like that Pharisees were converted. It means that some of them actually believed! But, this placing the law of Moses on such a high pedestal kind of worries me. Then again, why wouldn’t that law be still good? Someone’s going to have to sort this out.
4. Peter alludes to his vision of the blanket with all the animals. God has made the Gentiles “clean,” remember. He also saw with his own eyes when God gave them the Holy Spirit (without being circumcised). It appears as if God is more concerned with faith than cutting. Peter gives his response. It is ridiculous to have grown men slice the foreskin of their penises to show that they have a faith that is already obviously being demonstrated in their lives. That doesn’t mean that Peter has the whole “God ‘changing’ the rules” thing figured out. It just means that he believes what God said and what he saw. Good enough for me…
5. Paul and Barnabas gave further evidence to support the idea that God was in this conversion of all these Gentiles. Again, good enough for me…
6. And then James chimes in with some Scripture, busting out the Book of Amos on them, showing that God intended to have Gentiles bear His name from a long time ago! So, and I’m not sure I’m tracking on James’ logic here; James recommends telling them to (I guess) not worry about the circumcision (OWWW!) but to not let them eat food dedicated to idols, be sexually immoral, or eat meat from strangled animals or blood. His reasoning is that the law of Moses isn’t new, and they should know God’s “expectations” for the people? Why do you think these things were so important to James?

Read Acts 14:1-28.

1. Isn’t it interesting that there were Gentiles (non-Jews) in the synagogue when Paul and Barnabas were preaching?
2. Uh oh…those who refused to believe were causing trouble, but Paul and Barnabas just kept on truckin’. Too bad half the people wanted to kill them! That ended Paul and Barnabas’ speaking engagements in Iconium.

3. How did Paul see that crippled guy’s faith? Regardless, Paul healed him, and they thought that Paul was Hermes (the messenger God) because he talked so much. They thought that Barnabas was Zeus (the strong, silent type). Imagine people thinking that you are a god! It went so far that they wanted to make sacrifices to them! This was official.
4. Remember, tearing your clothes is a sign of anguish and mourning. It broke their hearts to be thought of in this way. They tried to point them to the real God (not Zeus or Hermes).
5. Isn’t it interesting that Paul cedes the fact that God appears to have let all the nations “go their own way” in the past. But, now there is are facts for even these nations to cling to (rain, crops, food, joy, etc.). Unfortunately, these guys really thought that they were Greek gods.
6. Those Jews from Antioch and Iconium followed Paul and Barnabas and made sure that the people in Lystra knew that Paul and Barnabas were “frauds.” They actually stoned Paul and left him for dead outside the city. Imagine how bloodied and beat-up Paul must have been! These are awfully fickle people if they think that they are gods one minute and worthy to be stoned the next…
7. Somehow Paul got up and left with Barnabas…

8. I can’t even imagine preaching the good news after being beat down like that. Paul just wiped the blood off and preached some more. Man. He probably looked worse than Rocky did after that fight with Ivan Drago.
9. What’s more…they actually went BACK to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. Man…that took guts. They went back because the disciples there needed encouraging. It’s a hostile environment. What kind of message do you give there? Well, a lot of people aren’t cool with the idea that “we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God;” but that is THE message to these young believers. They needed to hear that.
10. Apparently, they also needed leaders (or elders). After that, they moved on to new places…
11. I would say they completed their mission. They established pockets of believers (with leadership and guts) in a bunch of cities. I bet that was a cool reunion.

Read Acts 13:1-12.

1. OK, so we get a roll call of the leaders of the church at Antioch. A motley crew: Barnabas (we know he’s the encourager from the island of Cyprus), Simeon (who apparently has a country in Africa named after him), Lucius, Manaen (who apparently was raised as royalty beside Herod), and Saul (our boy, of blinded by the light fame). What a crew!
2. God gave them clarity. God wanted Barnabas and Saul to off and do something special. No worries there. They sent them off.

3. Cyprus was where Barnabas was from. They had John with them, too, as they preached to the Jews in the synagogues. OK…
4. Bar-Jesus sounded like an interesting guy, a sorcerer and a false prophet. He also seemed to be connected to the political leader, Sergius Paulus (who seemed to be interested in hearing the truth). But this sorcerer (who was also known as “Elymas”) ran static. Jerk…
5. This is the first time we hear that Saul changed his name to “Paul.” Saul means “king.” Paul means “nothing” (as in, “nothing without God). Talk about a turnaround.
6. Wow…Paul didn’t pull any punches with this dude. He told him like it was. And, apparently, he struck him blind! That made a believer out of the proconsul. Sheesh!

Read Acts 12:1-25.

1. I just want to praise God today. Even though I didn’t get done in a year, 300 entries is no small feat. I know that I have grown in the past year, and I am thankful to God for all the illumination and revelations that He has given me.
2. Wow…just when things were going so well, Herod (a different one) arrested Christians. Wow…just like that, James, the disciple was stabbed to death. What’s most interesting is that it seemed to “please the Jews” to have James (a former fisherman, turned apostle) killed. Why do you think they like it so much?
3. Uh oh…now Peter? This could be bad… Sixteen guys were guarding this one guy. I guess they didn’t want any “funny business” like the last time he was arrested. Good thing the church was praying.
4. Peter was chained to two soldiers. That’s how serious of a threat they considered him to be. Imagine the angel just waking him up, in that predicament. And the cuffs came off…
5. I bet it was awfully trippy to fall asleep with two soldiers chained to you and all of a sudden be free, following an angel out of the prison. I can see why he thought it was a dream.
6. And no one woke up?!?
7. Oh, and the iron gate opens by itself! Wow…and angel left when the coast was clear.
8. Peter pinched himself, realized he wasn’t dreaming, and thanked God for it.
9. OK, so is this another Mary? It appears so. And she has a son named Mark. That’s the one considered to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Imagine Peter just knocking on the door to a prayer meeting that was about him being in prison! Rhoda almost flipped her wig, and the disciples thought she had. Surprise. It was HIM.
10. Peter was smart. They would have been looking for him there, so it was good that he went somewhere else to lie low.
11. “No small commotion.” He he he…yeah, I think that some of those guys has some job performance issues. After a careful evaluation, they got more than a pink slip– Herod had them killed!

12. This all seems kind of random about Herod going to Caesarea. I just would like to say that you don’t hear of too many people named Blastus. Almost sounds like a Master of the Universe character.
13. How about that! Herod was called a god, and he died on the spot because he didn’t give glory to God! Whoah. I wonder if he was eaten by worms instantly, or if they ate him like they eat normal buried people… That was for James, Herod!
14. I love that little caveat…”But the word of God continued to increase and spread.”
15. OK, so Barnabas came back from their “mission” (hmm…is this why we call preaching in foreign places “mission” trips) with Mark. Sweet. The team is growing!

Acts 11:19-29.

1. Wow…so when Stephen was stoned, a lot of people scattered; but, if you think about it, that could have been a good thing. The gospel message was spreading to other places!
2. They were only preaching to the Jews at this point. But something tells me that this who Cornelius thing is going to change everything…
3. Ah…some people were preaching to Greeks. Awesome. Or, should I say, “Oppa!”
4. Barnabas went to help the converted Greeks. He was stoked, and he encouraged the Greek converts to stick with God. Hey, if the Bible says that Barnabas was a good man, he must have been a good man!
5. I bet Barnabas and Saul were a killer team. Barnabas seemed to be so encouraging, and Saul seemed to be so fearless and passionate. Hey, check that out, Saul and Barnabas coined the phrase, “Christian.”
6. Hmm…I don’t remember ever reading this passage about Agabus. He predicted that there would be a famine all over the Roman empire (which apparently did happen).
7. It’s cool that the disciples all tried to help out in their own way. That’s the most important thing…

Read Acts 11:1-18.

1. I bet the Gentiles receiving God’s word was going to raise some eyebrows. Until this point, I think most people though that this was going to be purely a Jewish thing…
2. The circumcised believers criticized Peter for cavorting with the uncircumcised. Geez…sounds like modern-day church in a lot of ways… Why do you think people want to keep Jesus for themselves?
3. OK, so Peter relays the dream sequence. Peter’s logic is interesting. We see that he truly believed that God “baptized” the Gentiles first, with the Holy Spirit. So, it only stands to reason that Peter should be able to baptize them with water. God had already made them clean!
4. Apparently, they were all cool with that explanation. They were excited! I wonder what you would be surprised by if you said, “God has granted even the ____________ repentance unto life.” God’s grace extends to all people if they choose to follow Him. Where would that be surprising for you?

Read Acts 10:24-28.

1. OK, so Peter sets off with his entourage to Cornelius’ home after having a dream about eating all kinds of meat… Keep in mind that both men were in prayer before all these weird events…
2. Cornelius got all his people together for Peter’s arrival. Cornelius bows down to Peter, but Peter doesn’t accept that. Kind of makes you wonder why some priests do allow that sort of behavior…
3. Peter is interpreting his dream about unclean animals to be about the Gentiles. Back in the day, the only “clean” people would be the Jews; so that would make the non-Jews unclean. Peter says knows that God has made these “unclean” clean. (He didn’t have any objections to Cornelius’ people…but he sure seemed to object to God!)
4. Both of these guys were simply obeying God’s orders. And it was a good thing that they did because now all of Cornelius’ people can hear the message…
5. Can I get an amen about God not showing favoritism? I mean, if just a Gentile who’s half-Roman and half-Germanian; so I would have been in Cornelius’ boat too!
6. God accepts those who fear Him and do what is right. There you go…
7. Peter reminds them all of what Jesus did. Apparently, most of this gospel would have been common knowledge unless you lived under a rock; but Peter was putting all the pieces together, especially the part about His resurrection and Jesus’ power of life and death (through the forgiveness of sins).
8. The Holy Spirit come upon all the listeners, enabling them to “get it.” Isn’t amazing that even understanding the message of God is a gift from God?
9. I bet that would have been a trip for the Jews. I don’t think they realized how far this grace of God was going to go!
10. Peter baptized all of them in the name of Jesus. I bet that was wild. I wonder if it was awkward for the Jews. I mean, they never really associated with Gentiles in the past. And I bet they never thought that they were going to be baptizing people who weren’t circumcised. I guess you shouldn’t place your expectations on what God can do…

Read Acts 10:1-23.

1. Whenever I think of Cornelius, I think of Don Cornelius from “Soul Train” because that’s the way I roll… Hooray for Italians in the Bible…
2. Kind of makes you wonder if this centurion knew the other centurion who believed when Jesus died on the cross. Whether or not he did, one things is true– this guy was a family man who was devout, God-fearing, generous, and a prayer warrior. This guy was no joke.
3. I love how a battle-tested centurion is scared to death of this angel. That ought to tell you something. Hmm…what’s all this about a “memorial offering”?
4. OK, so Simon, called Peter, is staying with Simon. Confusing enough?

5. Peter went on a roof to pray. That would be cool. Just keep your eyes open. Watch out for pigeons, and watch out for women taking baths. That never ends well.
6. Sometimes I’m so hungry that I feel like I’m in a trance. I’m not though. So…what does Peter see? How about a sheet covered with all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice told Peter that it was time to “get up, kill, and eat.” Now…this story appeals to me on a lot of levels. I like different kinds of food. I like meat. I like different kinds of meat. I don’t like people saying that eating meat is “wrong.” So…forgive me if I enjoy this, while you go drink some soy milk.
7. Peter’s reasons for eating have nothing to do with not wanting to eat things with faces, though. His a religious reasons. He is the Law, which says to at least not eat pigs. And those pigs are on the blanket (he he he…I couldn’t resist).
8. I don’t think God likes it when people say, “Surely not, Lord.”
9. So God has made the impure clean. He’s not saying that it wasn’t impure in the past. He isn’t saying that He “changed His mind.” He is saying that He has made the unclean clean. How do you think He did that? (I’m glad He did. I like bacon, ribs, shrimp, and lobster. All formerly unclean.)
10. Peter always seems to need to have things happen three times. Has anyone noticed that?
11. I don’t know, Peter, I don’t know how much “meaning” you could derive from the vision except that it’s eating time. Either way, Cornelius’ servants arrived. Perfect timing. Cornelius wants to see him (and I bet there’s going to be Italian food!).

Read Acts 9:32-42.

1. It appears as if we have gone back to check out the life and ministry of Peter. OK…
2. It’s amazing the power that Peter had to heal Aeneas (reminds me of the guy, Aeneas Williams, who played for the Cardinals and Rams). It would be hard for the people of Lydda to not believe!
3. If my name was translated to “Dorcas,” I’d stick with Tabitha. Maybe that’s just me… Regardless, she’s a nice woman. She did “good” and helped the poor. A lot of “spiritual giftedness” books use her as the example of someone with the gift of “helps,” behind the scene workers.
4. But she died. She was so dead that they washed her and she didn’t wake up. Two disciples went to go get Peter. I mean, he does how the power to heal.
5. We learn from the mourners that Dorcas also made robes and clothing (see why people call her a “helper”). I bet that was a scene. No wonder Peter cleared out the room.
6. He called her “Tabitha,” so why is she known as “Dorcas.” Funny side note…there’s a church in town that calls their women’s ministry “Dorcas Ministry.” He he he…
7. Again, she got up. Peter’s no joke. The power of God, working through Peter is no joke… And now Joppa believed…

Read Acts 9:20-31.

1. This had to be the weirdest thing ever. This guy was going to arrest them. Now he’s just “hanging out” with them. Weird. Oh, and to top that, he was going to the synagogues to tell everyone that Jesus is the Son of God (this is the very thing for which he was arresting people).
2. I’d be asking the same thing that they were asking. W-wait a minute…isn’t this THAT Saul?
3. Saul kept doing his thing, though. His thing was telling people that Jesus was the Christ.
4. The Jews conspired to kill Saul. Well, that would adequately cover things up, I guess. Either Saul was a little dude, or that basket was honkin’ big…
5. OK, so all of this is a bit of a curiosity in Damascus. But now Saul goes to Jerusalem. This is Grand Central Station for this “Way.” And, being the urban smarties that they were, they were skeptical about allowing Saul access to the apostles. What if this all was some plot to eliminate the leadership?
6. But then we then Barnabas brings him in. He advocates for him. He tells Saul’s story. They must have accepted that because it says that Saul “stayed with them.” And we also see that Saul kept doing his thing, boldly.
7. Saul preached to the Grecian Jews, and they tried to kill him; so I guess they decided that it would be in Saul’s best interests to go to Tarsus.
8. We don’t know why the church enjoyed a time of peace. Maybe the leaders were so flummoxed when Saul converted that they decided to call of the dogs until they could get their bearings. Regardless, the church grew (and it wasn’t some kind of watered-down growth because it says that they were living “in the fear of the Lord.”) Authentic faith.