Kirk Cameron was a child television star who was a devout atheist. He laughed at those who believed that God exists. Then one day, he accepted an invitation to church, heard the gospel, and cried out to God for forgiveness. Since that time, Kirk’s life has taken an entirely new direction. As a Christian, he has chosen to play roles in The Left Behind series, Fireproof, and now hosts the Christian Master television series. He also travels the country to present the gospel in schools, churches, and community events. His is an example of a transformed life.

When persecuted Jewish saints fled to Antioch, they preached the Gospel of God to Gentiles, “…and a great number of them believed, and turned unto the Lord” (Acts 11:21). When the news spread, Barnabas was sent, and “…when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord” (vs. 23). But how does one see the grace of God? It is true God’s grace is as invisible as the wind. But like the wind, one can witness the evidence of God’s grace in many ways. Grace was evident in these new believers because they had “turned unto the Lord” (vs. 21). Antioch was a city where all the Greek, Roman, and Syrian gods were honored. It had a shrine dedicated to Daphne, whose worship included immoral practices.1 These new believers had abandoned these kinds of false worship. Like those at Thessalonica, they had “…turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (I Thessalonians 1:9). Collectively, they met as a “church” (Acts 11:26), indicating a joy in salvation, a bond with others in Christ, a commitment to the study of God’s Word, and a genuine desire to live for Christ. “…And the disciples [or converts] were called Christians first in Antioch” (vs. 26). Whether this title was given as a name of scornful reproach, or they gladly identified themselves as followers of Christ does not matter. What matters is that they were living a life so transformed by Christ that others could see the grace of God at work in them.

Is it your purpose to live such a transformed life that others can see the grace of God in you? Make this your goal today.

I Once managed an apartment complex and hired a dear Puerto Rican friend, Maria, to keep my books. These apartments housed people of all races. I also hired a resident, named Kay, to collect rents. Maria would go monthly to retrieve her records before doing the books for me. On one of those occasions, Kay explained to Maria some grievance she had against a Mexican resident. Then, with a condescending attitude, she told Maria, “You know, there aren’t very many smart Hispanics.”

It is a sad reality that mankind has always demonstrated disdain for those who are not of their ethnic group or social status. There was a feudal system in Europe, segregation in America, and as we see in our text, the Jews considered themselves superior to Gentiles. God had chosen the Jews to be His special people. Even the Old Testament law prohibited close interaction with Gentiles, unless they turned in saving faith to Jehovah. This required separation. However, Israel was not intended to carnally feed their egos with an attitude of superiority. Because the Lord has no pleasure in the death of the wicked and is not willing that any should perish, it was always the plan of the Father to redeem anyone who looked to Him in faith. Referring to the Messiah, Isaiah 49:6 promised, “…I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth.” Referring to the Second Coming, Isaiah 42:6-7 promises, “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness…for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes…and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Isaiah 60:3 continues, “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light. ” God was

explaining to Peter in Acts 10 that the Lord was already opening the door of salvation to all mankind. His testimony was that “…God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (vs. 28), …But in every nation he that feareth Him…is accepted with Him [God]” (vs. 35).

Every believer needs to learn what Peter learned in Acts 10. It is unacceptable for any believer to look down their noses at others of different ethnicities. None of us are better than anyone else. All mankind are sinners by nature. Christ gave His life to redeem every man. Therefore, no one is to “…think of himself more highly that he ought to think…” (Romans 12:3).

In atheist forums, unbelievers often use what is called “Russell’s Teapot.” They allow Christians to state claims for their faith, then basically say, “I don’t believe you. Prove it.” The burden of proof always lies squarely on the shoulders of the one who is making a specific claim that something is true. One can theorize, but once crossing the line from theory to stating things as a fact, one is then duty bound to prove what he says is true.

One of the exciting aspects about the record of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus is the immediate, revolutionary change in him. He went from Saul, the persecutor of Christians, to Paul, the proclaimer of salvation, solely through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In this, he stands as an example of the kind of immediate transformation that should exist in all who call on the name of the Lord. We too should become and remain bold witnesses, declaring eternal life exclusively through faith in our Savior. Notice how Paul witnessed. He “…increased…and confounded the Jews…proving that this is [the] very Christ” (Acts 9:22). For a Jew in this day to trust in Christ for eternal life, they had to be convinced that our Savior was the promised Messiah and Redeemer of Israel. While our text does not take the time to specify how Paul proved this to his fellow Jews, he undoubtedly showed them how the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled many Old Testament Scriptures. The Lord Jesus was a child of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 22:18; 49:10). He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) at the predicted time for the Messiah (Daniel 9:25) and then fled to Egypt as predicted in Hosea 11:1. Babies were massacred in the wake of His birth (Jeremiah 31:15). A forerunner prepared His coming (Isaiah 40:3), yet Israel rejected their Messiah (Psalm 69:8). He spoke in parables (Psalm 78:2-4) and He was called a King (Zechariah 9:9). He bore the iniquities of Israel in His death (Isaiah 53:4-12) and was slain, as predicted one thousand years before the cruel practice of crucifixion began (Psalm 22:16-18).

When we witness to others about the Lord Jesus Christ being the Savior of the world, the burden is on us to prove this is so. Be prepared. Arm yourself with the Sword of the Spirit by marking your Bible with a quick reference to these fulfilled prophecies so that you too can “prove it.”

In 2016, a global panic emerged over the Zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes. It was widely reported that pregnant women who were infected have babies with severe birth defects. Data supports a link between the virus and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which results in varying degrees of temporary paralysis. Throughout Latin America, whenever there is an outbreak of Zika, a corresponding spike in temporary paralysis also occurs.

Throughout history, true believers have experienced seasons of temporary paralysis due to the fear of men. One example is that of Ananias, whom the Lord told to go see newly converted Saul of Tarsus. Ananias’ response was hesitation because he knew “…how much evil he [Saul] hath done to thy [God’s] saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority…to bind all that call on Thy [God’s] name” (Acts 9:13-14). Before Ananias would move, the Lord had to instruct him again to go, and assure him that Saul would be greatly used of the Lord to minister to Gentiles, kings, and Israel. While the fear of Ananias for his physical safety was legitimate, believers throughout history have been paralyzed into silence, fearing only the verbal, social, or emotional disfavor of men and women. Solomon wrote, “The fear of man bringeth a snare…” (Proverbs 29:25). Even great saints of the past, who were greatly used of the Lord, feared the negative response of those to whom they were sent to deliver a message from the Lord. Ezekiel was told, “thou are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel…But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee: for they will not hearken unto Me…Behold, I have made thy face strong… fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house…go, get thee…unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them…Thus saith the Lord” (Ezekiel 3:3-11).

As Ezekiel of old, we believers today are often paralyzed into silence, fearing unfavorable reactions from hardened souls. We fear what they might think of us, how negatively they might respond, and we rationalize that our efforts will be unproductive. This is not the response the Lord desires from us. Cast away this temporary paralysis and fear of man. Prayerfully and intentionally take God’s message of salvation to someone who needs to hear it today.

We have a dear elderly Christian friend who needs help with transportation.  So, with some frequency, we have taken her to church, the airport, grocery shopping, and to doctor appointments. It is part of her personality that she wants to be more than punctual. She wants to arrive 30 minutes early for any appointment.

We have many appointments in life beyond social or medical appointments. There is “A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:2). But have you ever considered that God also gives us divine appointments to share with lost souls the Gospel of the Grace of God? In our text, the angel of the Lord tells Philip to leave a fruitful ministry in Samaria and go south into the desert. As he obeys, Philip “coincidentally” meets an Ethiopian eunuch who is reading from the Book of Isaiah. Clearly, this was a spiritually-minded man. It also appears that he was spiritually prepared to hear a gospel message of salvation just as it was with Lydia, “…whose heart the Lord had opened…” (Acts 16:14). We are not suggesting God chooses only some to salvation and irresistibly draws them. We believe that God would “…have all men to be saved…” (I Timothy 2:4) and that He “…lighteth [with the conviction of the Holy Spirit] every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). Each soul has a free will to accept or reject salvation. We are suggesting is that it is likely that God still puts lost souls, with spiritually prepared hearts, directly in the path of saved people. Only believers can share with them the message of eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus, and we must not remain silent when such opportunities arise.

Just think of the eternal consequences if Philip had concluded that he could not leave a thriving ministry, or he decided that he was too tired when God directed him to go into the desert. This Ethiopian may have been eternally lost, and Philip would have missed the eternal reward for sharing the gospel. When people cross our path, there is no way for us to know who is saved or lost, or how much their heart is prepared to trust in Christ alone. What we do know is that God has given ALL of us the ministry of reconciliation. Therefore, we must be looking constantly for opportunities to share the Gospel of Grace.

On April 5th, 1951, a letter from General Douglas MacArthur was read aloud on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. This letter was strongly critical of President Truman’s foreign policies, in particular, the policy that primarily focused American military resources to win the war in Europe first. MacArthur simply would not accept such a decision. He believed American armed forces should destroy communism by first taking all of Korea, and then issuing an ultimatum to China, which Truman feared would lead to World War III. While MacArthur was very popular in the states, Truman had MacArthur removed from his position as Commander of Pacific Forces for insubordination.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were not military leaders, but they did have some Roman soldiers at their disposal. While assisting the spiritual leaders of Israel, the first obligation of these soldiers was to respectfully submit to the will of their Roman superiors. Similarly, it was the obligation of the religious leaders of Israel to obey all that God commanded in His Word. Yet, after the Savior’s resurrection, in Acts 7:51-54, they continued to act with insubordination toward their revered Mosaic Law, Jehovah, and the Lord Jesus Christ. When Stephen presented a historical picture of the stubborn waywardness of Israel dating back to their early patriarchs, he told them, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which shewed before the coming of the Just One.…” (vss. 51-52)? Hearing this indisputable account of Israel’s sinful past, these leaders of Israel should have responded to the truth with immediate obedience, turning to the Lord Jesus in faith. Instead, they hardened their heart further. Even though “…they were cut to the heart…they gnashed on him [Stephen] with their teeth”(vs. 54). As their predecessors, they “hearkened not, nor inclined their ear” (Jeremiah 7:24). This people “make [made] their ears heavy, and shut their eyes….” (Isaiah 6:10), “Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear.…” (Zechariah 7:12).

Passages such as these should cause every soul to consider how responsive they are to the Lord and to His Word. When the Holy Spirit convicts your heart, do you submit in immediate obedience, or do you harden your heart and walk away no different than you were before? Allow God to transform you by putting something from God’s Word into practice throughout each day.