ripple effect: vacaville

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 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 8:1-25.

1. We start off with the end of the scene of Stephen being stoned to death…
2. The first sentence of this passage is so key. Saul will be important later on, and it’s important now to realize that he was there. He approved of this stoning.
3. The persecution began on that day. Maybe it was because the anti-Christian zealots were fired up about killing Stephen. We don’t know. All we know is that, at this point, it is very dangerous to be a follower of Jesus. This dynamic still exists all across the world, but not in America. But, there are countries where the church is being persecuted. Why don’t we talk about that more?
4. In the midst of the emotional burial of Stephen, we see Saul wreaking havoc on the church. He was just dragging people out of their homes. This still goes on today…

5. Philip ended up preaching in Samaria. People bought into his words because of the miracles. And, as crazy as it sounds, evil spirits were leaving people with shrieking sounds! People were being healed. And this was simply Philip, one of the twelve apostles. Do we still want to talk about this whole exorcism thing? Any thoughts?

6. This Simon was what I would consider all current “magicians” to be– fake. People with “the gift.” I love the fact that this guy heard Philip’s message too, and he also converted. You don’t need “magic” when you’ve got miracles…
7. I guess Peter and John were the leaders of the group at this point. It seems that Philip laid down the groundwork, and those two came in to seal the deal. This meant praying for the Holy Spirit to come to all these people. It’s interesting to see the early leaders working together like this.
8. Interesting that Simon wanted to pay the apostles to have the ability to help people receive the Holy Spirit. Why do you think he wanted it? Do you think he was sincerely trying to help?
9. Peter’s response was pretty harsh (I guess Simon wasn’t sincere). Peter tells this guy to get his heart right. He’s got issues that he hasn’t dealt with. At that point, Simon seems to be a little more humble, asking for Peter’s prayers.

Read Acts 4:23-37.

1. How do you think everyone would have felt when Peter and John got back from jail? Happy, because their friends were back? Petrified, because of the gag order? Angry, because the religious leaders still didn’t get it?
2. Regardless of how they felt, they still decided that prayer would be the best route. It gave them perspective to realize that they served a God who is in control. Yeah, there was definitely a conspiracy against Jesus from Herod and Pilate; but that didn’t change the fact that God was in control.
3. Oh, and the whole threat thing…well, they put it before God and asked for BOLDNESS. Heck yeah. They are owning the fact that threats were made, but they are also owning the fact that they have a job to do.
4. Here we go again. This time God brings something like a Holy Spirit earthquake. It’s on like Donkey Kong…

5. I really do think life would be better if we could all share our possessions. I’m not for Communism, but I do like the idea of sharing and not having ownership.
6. God was providing for the disciples while they are preaching. Everyone had what they needed. Can you imagine selling your home to distribute the money for the church to use?
7. Here’s Barnabas. I love his name because it means “Son of Encouragement.” He must have been one nice guy. Cyprus is that little island south of Greece, right? Anyway, he sold his land to give to the disciples. We’ll be hearing more from him…

Read Acts 4:5-22.

1. Here go those awesome religious leaders again… Remember Annas and Caiaphas? Those guys were a part of Jesus’ arrest and trial. I don’t know much about John or Alexander.
2. This isn’t exactly a mystery about why Peter and John healed that guy. This ought to be interesting…
3. Peter’s ready to answer. Peter’s response implies that he thinks it’s a little odd that they are “on trial” for an act of kindness. I’d say so. And he doesn’t mince words– they did what they did in the name of Jesus. Oh, and by the way, THEY killed Him; but He rose from the dead. Well, at least they won’t have to beat around the bush now…
4. The man who was rejected is now the foundation of man. Yep… Peter just tells them– you can’t be saved through any other name than Jesus. Why do you think that truth is so difficult for our modern society to grasp?
5. So…they were taken aback by how they were just normal guys who were really courageous. They knew that they had been with Jesus, too. Then again, the crippled dude was walking; so what could they do?
6. So they formed a huddle and talked it over. Their miracle was undeniable, but they were going to try to shut Peter and John up. Do you think that’s going to work?
7. Peter trumped the religious leaders’ commands by telling them that he had to be obedient to God before he was to be obedient to them. They needed to do the math in their heads, but he knew where he stood.
8. I bet those threats weren’t friendly.
9. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place because everyone was praising God for the miracle, so they didn’t want to look like holy party poopers. So…in the end, they had to let them go…

Read Acts 3:12 - 4:4.

1. I think Peter was asking a rhetorical question. I’d be surprised too if a cripple dude got up and jumped around. It’s cool, though, that Peter gives all credit to God. I think that’s why I can’t heal people– I’d probably give credit to myself.
2. Peter basically gives the same speech as before. THEIR (and his) God glorified Jesus. THEY had Him killed. THEY pushed Pilate’s buttons (he had decided to let Jesus go). THEY disowned Jesus and had Barabbas released instead. Not exactly going for popularity points, is he?
3. Peter says that (in a twist of irony) they killed the “author of life.” But God rose Him up quicker than a Josh Groban song. Yup yup…
4. Peter says that the man’s healing was all about faith in Jesus. It’s not about Peter.
5. Peter basically tells them that he knows that they didn’t know any better (neither did the religious leaders). He does say that they SHOULD have known better, though, because this was all in the Scriptures. So, Peter doesn’t just let them off the hook. He tells them that they need to repent and turn to God. What would the results of that be? Sins wiped out. Times of refreshing. That Jesus would intervene for them. These would all be awesome things.
6. The world’s going to be pretty cool when everything gets restored. That’ll be unbelievable.
7. Peter puts Moses’ stamp of approval on Jesus by explaining that his words were about Jesus. This would have meant a lot to these Jewish people. He also name-drops Samuel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is calling for them to realize that this is MORE their faith than anything else could be. This is the fulfillment of the old covenant from way back in the day. This should be reason to get excited… This isn’t coming out of nowhere. It has been in the making for centuries…

8. Uh oh…here come the religious leaders again (and this time they have the security guards with them)…
9. I’d be a little disturbed if someone started to talk about people being raised from the dead because of one person…but…what if it is true?
10. And fear took hold of them and they arrested our boys. Man…they just weren’t ready. Oh, but about 5,000 people DID believe. This is catching some steam. Something tells me that jail isn’t going to be able to crush this movement of God…

Read Acts 2:41 - 3:11.

1. Wow…that’s some kind of baptism service. 3,000 people? Whoah!

2. Great things to model our church after: attention to the teachings of the apostles (which were basically the teachings of Jesus, fellowship, eating together, and prayer. Which of these do you think church is good at? Which is weak?
3. I bet they were filled with awe. It was awesome.
4. The apostles still seemed to have the miracle touch. They did amazing things.
5. Now here’s something that flies in the face of our modern idea of capitalism in America: everything had everything in common. Wow. Life would be so much better if there wasn’t that need to HAVE things of our own. Why have American Christians abandoned this idea of sharing what they have? Do we ALL need cars, cell phones, TV’s, houses, cookware, and a XBox 360? Why can’t we lend and borrow more?
6. Shoot, they went so far as to have a “liquidation sale,” getting rid of all the unnecessary to feed and clothe people. It kind of makes you wonder how many people we could “save” if we altered our budgets.
7. So, apparently, they weren’t hiding. They were meeting in the temple courts. Let’s see how that goes…
8. I like the idea of people going over to each other’s homes to have meals. What’s the importance in that?
9. Interestingly, these Christians were “enjoying the favor of all the people.” Why do you think they were so well-liked, while Christians in our current culture are so unliked?
10. Whatever they were doing, they were growing. They were winning the people over.

11. Peter and John were still praying at the temple. On their way, though, they encountered this crippled guy. I wonder who carried him out there every day…
12. This guy wanted money (which I guess is a reasonable request). And, Peter tells the guy to look at him. I’d be thinking that I was getting something good. Wouldn’t you?
13. I’m sure that, for a moment, the beggar was frustrated that he wasn’t getting cash; but, once he realized what he was getting, I’m sure he was blown away. Peter took him by the hand and his legs were good to go. I’d be jumping and praising God too.
14. I can’t imagine all the onlookers, “Honey, guess what I saw on the way to church today…”
15. It appears that the beggar never left Peter’s touch. He was still holding onto him and John. Cool. And here comes to speech…

Read Acts 1:12-26.

1. So…all the disciples (besides Judas) were staying together in this upper room: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James 2, Simon, and Judas 2. They all prayer together constantly. And it wasn’t just the guys– the women and Jesus’ mother Mary were all there along with Jesus’ brothers. I can’t imagine the emotions they all felt during this strange but wonderful time.
2. Peter took the lead. He stood up in front of 120 believers and told them that Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was all according to the prophesy of David in the psalms. That’s all well and good, but how do you think Peter really felt talking about Judas?
3. Whoah, so Judas hung himself; and the rope broke, causing him to splatter open upon impact. Sick.
4. So…Peter knew, from his knowledge of Scripture (remember, Jesus gave them all this ability), that they needed to elect a replacement to Judas in the twelve. The replacement had to be someone who had been around from Jesus’ baptism to His ascension. He will become a witness to all that had happened.
5. The two guys who were suggested were Justus (hey, that’s the name of my Compassion kid!) and Matthias (hey, that’s the name of a guy who plays for the New York Giants!).
6. They prayed to know which would be the guy. (Incidentally, Judas “left to go where he belongs” was right in the middle of that prayer. Still bitter?) Then they drew straws, and it was Matthias. How about that? They didn’t run it by the board or session. They trusted God with the dice. Hooray for Matthias!

Read John 21:15-25.

1. This part of the Bible makes me think about my life, all the times that I have denied my faith and failed. It makes me think about it because I’m sure that (no matter how bad I’ve felt about the sins that I’ve committed) Peter feels infinitely worse than I could ever feel. He walked with Jesus. Yeah, he had his ups and downs. There was the walking on the water. There was the time that Jesus called him Satan. There were the three denials. The three denials. Denial. Yeah…that would be fresh and raw in Peter’s mind.
2. So Jesus asks Peter if he truly loves Him. Why? Do you think Jesus doubts the fact, or do you think He is asking for another reason?
3. “Feed my lambs”? Um…ok. What do you think Jesus means there? Is He talking about Peter taking on the role of shepherd?
4. And Jesus asks again. Do you think that Peter is scared at this point, scared that Jesus doesn’t know how sorry he is?
5. Again, Jesus tells him to take the role of a shepherd, the role that He had filled in his life, right?
6. After a third time of asking the same question, I could see why Peter was probably hurt. He probably thought of himself as a failure. Maybe he thought that Jesus didn’t trust him anymore. But, you know, maybe Jesus is just giving Peter three chances to AFFIRM his faith in Him to counteract that three times of denying his faith in Him.
7. Jesus wants Peter to take the role of a shepherd. And He even alludes to where that path will take him– to death (some kind of execution). History says that that’s exactly what happened to Peter. History says that Peter was crucified upside down for his faith. Why upside down? Because he felt that he didn’t deserve to have it better or the same than his Master. Wow…
8. And now it was time for Peter to follow Jesus. John came along behind them. And then Peter made a “mistake” that a lot of Christ-followers make. He asked the question, “What about him?” Don’t we do that all the time. If God gives us a cup of sorrow to drink (like Peter knowing that he is going to be killed), don’t we look over at the Johns of the world and say, “Yeah, well I’ll do it as long as it’s fair; and everyone else has to do it.” God promises that He will be constant in our lives, not consistent. And Jesus’ response here alludes to that…
9. WITTY. Something we can all learn from: W-hat I-s T-hat T-o You. Jesus is not concerned with being “consistent,” giving every follower of Him the same path. He basically says that it’s none of Peter’s business what He does with John– Peter’s job is to follow Him. Taking all other people and their paths out of the equation, where is God calling you?
10. Some people thought that Jesus made John immortal. He wasn’t, though; and he did die. But, unlike Peter, he died of old age. Oh, and by the way, he wrote this book.
11. To say that a book could not contain all the works of Jesus is an understatement, but that’s exactly how John puts it at the end of his gospel. How emotional do you think it was for John to write out all his experiences with Jesus like this?
12. You know, the thing that always sticks out to me about John is how he refers to himself in this book. He always refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He defines himself by the way that God sees him, no one else. I used to think that he was a little cocky saying this, but then I realized that it is the ultimate sign of understanding. He knows how God feels about him. Why would he be ashamed? His whole life was defined by this “man” who met him while he was fishing with his brother and his dad. So…who are you?

Read John 20:14 - 21:14.

1. I love Thomas. I don’t know why, but I always have. Maybe because it’s my middle name. Or maybe it’s because I can relate to the twin hearts that he has– one that so badly wants to believe, but one that out-thinks himself all the time. He missed out on Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples. We don’t know if he was talking out of his rear or if he really needed to touch the nail marks. All we know is that he had a hard time taking the others’ word for it.
2. Jesus appeared in a room with locked doors. Figure that one out. Jesus turns to Thomas and says, “Fine, do it.” It doesn’t even say whether or not Thomas did put his fingers in the holes. We know that he believed, though…
3. Hey, we would be included in those who are “blessed” because we believe even though we never saw Jesus resurrected. I mean, the disciples did have that going for them.
4. I wish John has included all the miraculous signs. We do know that the ones that are included are so that we will believe in Jesus. John lets us in on why he wrote his gospel– so that we might want LIFE. Who doesn’t want to live true life?

5. After the credits roll, we get this story…
6. Peter, Thomas, and Nathanael, James, John, and “two other disciples” were all together. Why didn’t John name the two others. Sad, really.
7. Peter was going back to his old life. He had left his life as a fisherman to follow Jesus. Now, it seems that this is the best thing that he can think of to do with his life. The others follow Peter. Unfortunately, Peter was out of practice; and they didn’t catch squat. How depressing…
8. Jesus shows up again, incognito. Imagine the tone of the disciples’ voices when they said, “No.”
9. I can’t imagine some random stranger telling me how to fish after I had been fishing all night. Ironically, isn’t this the same way that Jesus won over Peter in the first place? He tries again and gets a miraculous catch. John is the first to catch on (”the disciple whom Jesus loved”). Once Peter caught on, it didn’t take much. He stripped down and jumped in the water, towards Jesus. I love Peter.
10. Why do you think the other disciples waited to get there in the boat? Do you think you would have dove towards Jesus? Incidentally, Peter swam the length of a football field. He was pumped!
11. Jesus appeared to be cooking breakfast. Such an ordinary task. I’d be freaking out.
12. Do you think the miraculous catch of fish was intended to be a reminder of “Hey, I told you guys you were going to change the world. Well, here it comes…” Fishers of men. Remember?
13. At least they knew that it was Jesus this time. I wonder what the conversation was like during this meal. What do you think?