Religious, But Not Related

May 9

(Acts 10:1-5 NIV) ““At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. {2} He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. {3} One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!" {4} Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. {5} Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.””

(Matthew 8:5-13 NIV) ““When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. {6} "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." {7} Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him." {8} The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. {9} For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." {10} When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. {11} I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. {12} But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." {13} Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.””

(Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- {9} not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Cornelius, a Centurion in the Roman army, was a good man. He was devout and religious, and he had gotten God’s attention because of his generosity and compassion. But he still lacked one vital thing -- he did not yet know Jesus. He was religious, but not yet related. God wanted to see him receive eternal life, but in spite of all his goodness, the Centurion was not ready to face God. He needed more than goodness and religion. The same is true for us. We need more than religion, kindness, generosity, and compassion. We need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We can be a good person, go to church, be generous, and treat others with compassion, but we can still die lost if we have never really met the Savior and become a disciple of the Lord Jesus. As we will see, God sent Peter to Cornelius, and Cornelius believed the gospel. We would be wise to do the same. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Hospitality

May 8

(Acts 9:43 NIV) "Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon."

(Romans 12:13 NIV) "Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

(Romans 16:23 NIV) "Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings."

(1 Peter 4:8-9 NIV) "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. {9} Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."

It would be easy to skip over Acts 9:43 as an insignificant addition to a miraculous story of healing and resurrection. But it’s an important detail. It highlights the hospitality of a common working man named Simon. He was a tanner, and probably good at his trade, but he is not immortalized for excelling at his craft. He is known because he hosted Peter for “some time”. The early apostles depended on hospitality wherever they traveled. The gospel was not a money-making business, and they had no “travel benefits”. It is safe to say that the gospel would not have prospered like it did in those early days had there not been people willing to host those who were fearlessly preaching. Common everyday people, most of them nameless, helped propel the name of Jesus onto the world stage, by sacrificing to practice hospitality. Take a moment today and thank God for their work. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Giving the Miracle a Voice

May 7

(Acts 9:41-42 NIV) “Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. {42} This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:19 NIV) “Do not quench the Spirit.”

(Psalm 96:3 NIV) “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

Miracles were not meant to be kept secret. They are granted to glorify God. For that reason, at some point we should give the miracle a voice. When someone repents and turns to Christ, spiritually they have been raised from the dead. The best thing we can do for them after that is to lead them to tell someone. We present them to others alive. Peter did this with Dorcas. He took her out in public and presented her alive to the people. Peter gave the miracle a voice. Jesus does miracles today. Some of those miracles are reading this page right now. Give those miracles a voice. It’s sad that so many of God’s miracles never see the light of day because they are never declared. Thus, they fail to accomplish God’s purpose of glorifying his Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit is quenched by human reluctance. Proclaim the victory. Souls are at stake. Give the miracle a voice. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Hand’s On Ministry

May 6

(Acts 9:41a NIV) “He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet.”

(Mark 8:22-25 NIV) ““They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. {23} He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" {24} He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." {25} Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.””

(Luke 13:10-13 NIV) ““On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, {11} and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. {12} When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." {13} Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.””

Praying and speaking words of life are important, but one more thing is often called for in ministry. At some point we are all called to take another’s hand and help them to their feet. If our ministry is indeed a ministry of Christ, it will often become a “hands on” ministry. We are called to intercede in prayer, to speak the words of life, and sometimes to become the hands of Jesus here on Earth. We embrace that grieving parent. We cuddle that child who is in pain. We reach down and offer a hand to those who have fallen. We lay our hands on the sick and ask for their healing. We hold the hands of those who walk through the valley of the shadow of death. We are called to be the healing, holding, and helping hands of Jesus in a world filled with desperate, destitute, and dying people. Never underestimate the power of a touch from Jesus. Reach out and use your hands for God’s glory. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day