Read Acts 14-15
Noah Bowen
Today, we start by reading about Paul and Barnabas entering the Jewish synagogue in Iconium. As they are sharing the great news of Jesus with the Jews and Gentiles, the unbelieving Jews “stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.” Here, we see a theme that started in Genesis and will continue throughout history: God’s revealed truth places us in a position to decide what to believe and how to act on what we believe.
We know that some of the Gentiles started believing in God because we also learn that the city was
“divided” over the teachings. Then, as they entered Lystra, the people chose to believe in the power of God, but the way they acted revealed that they didn’t understand God’s ways. Instead of worshiping God, they worshiped the ones whom God’s power worked through that day. They believed, but their actions revealed that they believed in the wrong source. This is the tricky thing with our faith. We can believe in God and display that belief in many different ways. In chapter 15, we see the apostles struggle with the same theme. They all believe in God, but they cannot agree on how to act on that belief. Some believe that the Gentiles must be circumcised, but Peter shared that he believes that “we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way that they are.”
Application:
What are you learning about your belief in God? By withholding from something this month, have you noticed how you relied on it rather than God for particular needs? Even the good things in life can take the place that God wants to have in your life.
Prayer Prompt:
God, is there something or someone that I have placed my trust in that is taking the place of You?
