God is a God of reconciliation! Even though the first tables in which the ten commandments were written, were broken, He decided to make new ones after Moses’ intersession.

At the very time the first ten commandment tablets were being written, the people of Israel were worshiping their false idol. They had so quickly turned from God, but God’s willingness to erase our sins extends beyond our comprehension.

It does not matter how far you have drifted from God, He is willing to renew His covenant with you. He will lead you into the promised land if you would put the covenant in the ark. Carry it in your heart.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” -2 Corinthians 5:17

May those who delight in my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The LORD be exalted,
who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

-Psalm 35:27

Expect big things from your heavenly father, he will always be glad that you count on Him!

“Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him” Acts 28:3-6 (NIV)

The first thing to notice in these few verses is Paul’s servant heart. I’m sure there were more than enough people around Paul who were more qualified to gather wood for a fire. Paul’s will to serve God pushed him to do things that weren’t necessarily his responsibility.

During Paul’s act of service, we can see he was bitten by a snake. It wasn’t your typical garden snake, it was a viper. Highly venomous! And it fastened to his hand. Immediately the islanders started judging Paul, saying that this must have happened because he deserved it, that justice was following him.

In certain times we may encounter people like the islanders. They might say things like, “God is obviously not with you” and “you deserve this mess that you’re in”. I want to tell you not to pay them any mind. Instead shake off the viper and throw it into the fire! Live a life full of God, serve him with all you have, and the venom of the enemy will do you no harm!

Lets take a look at a story in the book of Acts:

^“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (One day) the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.” Acts 19:13-16 (NIV)

The verses above speak about a group of Jewish exorcists who would try to imitate Paul when he was casting out demons in the name of Jesus. They did it following a  formula they extracted from what they saw Paul do. In their minds, all there was to Paul’s success was a set of ceremonial steps.

This was a huge failure on their part, as they failed to realize that Paul’s success in casting out demons was in his personal relationship with Jesus. The scripture tells us that they would cast out demons saying “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out”. Jesus was not personal to them, they only knew the Jesus that Paul preached. In other words, they knew about Jesus, but didn’t know Jesus.

Let me ask you this; do you only know the Jesus your pastor preaches? Or do you know the Jesus of your salvation? – Your redeemer, your healer, your master? Your adversaries know you by your relationship with Jesus and how much of Him is evident in you. They don’t know you by how well you sing, or because you use the same phrases your pastor uses. If you aren’t close to Jesus they will speak to you like they spoke to the sons of Sceva, they’ll say something like: “Jesus I know, I know your pastor, but who are you?”. You might even be in danger of them lashing out at you like verse 16.

Rather than getting angry at God for things not going your way, understand that God is a personal God. His desire is to have a personal relationship with you. The truth is that your personal relationship with Jesus is what gives His name power.

Are you following a formula for success? Or are you in an intimate relationship with Jesus? If the later is true for you, then you have the right to use the name of Jesus!

Lets look at some examples of consolidation in the book of Acts:

“They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.” Acts 14:21-22 (NIV)

“Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Acts 15:36 (NIV)

“Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” Acts 15:40-41 (NIV)

From the verses above we can see that consolidation was a practice of the early church. It was done with the purpose of building character in all of the new believers, re-affirming their experience with God, and ultimatly strengthening the churches. It is vital to give this care immediately after the person makes the decision to follow Christ, just as it is vital to care for a newborn baby immediately after its birth.

Always keep in mind that winning a soul for Christ is only the first step. The next step is consolidation. The enemy will steal the fruit from you if you let your guard down. The way to prevent this through the prayer and support you give when consolidating.

In verse 45 the Bible tells us that the message Paul and Barnabas were preaching was not well received by the Jews. The Jews were filled with hatred and spoke abusive words against them. In fact in verse 50 it gets worse when the Jews stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from the region.

However, the thing to learn here is how Paul and Barnabas reacted to this rejection. Did they get discouraged? Did they fight back? Lets take a look at what they did:

“So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:51-52 (NIV)

There are three things that we can learn from the reaction of Paul and Barnabas. The first is that they shook the dust from their feet. This is a way of saying to the region that since it has rejected the gospel, its dust is not even worthy of being on their feet. It is saying that they wish not to take anything with them from that region.

The second thing we can learn here is that they moved on and went to Iconium. Paul and Barnabas did not stay and fight with the Jews, nor did they get discouraged and give up. They simply pressed on with their mission. The reality is that the clock is ticking, our time here on earth is limited so don’t waste all your time and energy on one person. If they reject the gospel, keep them in prayer, but move on.

The third thing we can learn here is that after they moved on, they were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Despite being rejected they still had the joy of the Lord, the Holy Spirit was still with them. The truth is that when someone rejects the Gospel, they don’t reject you, they reject Jesus. So don’t take it personal, just let Jesus deal with them. Besides, its actually a blessing for you:

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man” Luke 6:22 (NIV)

So is it going to be rejection left and right when I share the Gospel? While you should prepare for rejection, there will be plenty of people who will gladly receive the Gospel. In the following verses we can see Paul and Barnabas successfully preaching the gospel as it is being well received:

“As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.” Acts 13:42-43 (NIV)

If you’ve read chapter 9 in the book of Acts, you’ll come to find that Saul was made blind for three days by the Lord. This was for a good purpose, because the Lord had seen the potential in Saul and wanted to utilize him to expand the kingdom of heaven.

You can see this in the words God spoke to Ananias, a disciple the Lord was going to use to heal Saul:

“Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Acts 9:15-16 (NIV)

It does not matter how much someone opposes, God can always provide them with a unique experience that changes them. Of course lets hope that He doesn’t have to make them blind for three days like He did with Saul, but if thats what it takes…

This is something to keep in mind next time you come across someone determined to oppose the kingdom of heaven.

Do you have an experience you’d like share with us? If so, please share them with us by leaving comments below.

“Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:3-4 (NIV)

The above verses are an example of the benefits a leader can obtain once he has formed a strong team of disciples. A leader who tries to do everything on his own accomplishes nothing but failure. The strength of one person may be plentiful, but when faced with a task suitable for a team it is simply not enough.

We can also see an example of discipleship in the time of Moses:

“You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” Exodus 18:18-23 (NIV)

Moses was burning himself out trying to do everything on his own. However, after receiving advice from his father in law (Jethro), Moses ended up doing exactly what had been recommended and it was a success.

The key principle of discipleship is the reproduction of yourself in another. Notice how Jethro told Moses to look for capable men. Men who feared God, were trustworthy, and hated dishonest gain. These were qualities that were found in Moses. In other words, Jethro was telling Moses to look for people who shared his virtues. These were the men that had followed in the footsteps of Moses, men who became like him.

Imagine 12 disciples burning with the same passion as you are to establish the kingdom of God on earth. Imagine those 12 disciples forming 12 each with the same passion and character as you. They form into 144 disciples. Imagine those 144 doing the same, they are now 1,728.

OK, enough with the math. But you see, the possibilities are limitless. Entire nations can be won for Christ through a good model of discipleship.  So don’t go at it alone! If you have a fire with in your heart to do the things of God, then set someone else’s heart on fire too.

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ” Acts 5:42 (NIV)

After Peter and John had been beaten and whipped for preaching the name of Jesus, still they continued. Many threats were given to them, but their zeal and boldness did not permit them to stop. They truly were filled with the Holy Spirit.

One of the verses in this chapter that grabs my attention is the advice that a pharisee named Gamaliel gave to the accusers of Peter and John:

“Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39 (NIV)

The later of the verses above had been proven true when God sent an angel to rescue Peter and John from jail (see Acts 5:18-20). Since they were doing God’s will, He was with them and backed them up.

I encourage you dearest reader, not to let fear keep you from fulfilling the great commission. Instead trust God, He’s got your back!

I’ve meet many influential Christians who did not even know how to read before they knew Jesus. What they knew about the scriptures was very little, but they believed and practiced the little that they knew. A thirst to know more brings them to learn how to read the scriptures, ultimately making them scholars and preachers of the word of God.

This is God showing His grace through those least likely. We can see it in the following scriptures:

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 (NIV)

Peter and John were not schooled people, they were ordinary men. The difference in them was that they believed in Jesus and had received the Holy Spirit, giving them the courage and conviction to stand for what is true.

God is not looking for the smartest, the best fit, or the wealthiest. He is looking for people of courage, people who don’t use their imperfections as a ticket to passivity.

“Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”  The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ?  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:10-12 (NIV)

How can we point our imperfections to God the creator when He calls us? He knows very well what we are capable of, after all, He is our maker. All that is needed from us is a bit of courage, courage to believe the promises of God.

I can’t help but notice that the people questioning Peter and John were astonished by their courage, even to the point of noting that they had in fact been with Jesus. It was undeniable.

Is it evident that you know Jesus like it was in Peter and Johns life? There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be if they were ordinary people like you and me.

All that is needed from us is to trust and obey God, the Holy Spirit will do the rest.