A Gospel for the Wealthy

August 10

(Acts 16:11-15 NIV) ““From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. {12} From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. {13} On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. {14} One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. {15} When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.””

(Luke 19:1-10 NIV) ““Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. {2} A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. {3} He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. {4} So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. {5} When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." {6} So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. {7} All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'" {8} But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." {9} Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. {10} For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.””

(James 2:19 NIV) “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

Paul’s mission team traveled to Philippi in Macedonia, where they met a woman named Lydia who was a “dealer in purple cloth”. Purple cloth was worn by royalty, high government officials, and the very wealthy. Lydia didn’t just run a small retail store, she was a wholesaler. This means that a wealthy business woman was Paul’s first convert in Macedonia. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just for the poor. Jesus also died for those who are rich. Lydia believed in God, but was not a Christian. She was “a worshipper of God”, but still needed to hear the gospel, believe, and be born again. Many people today say they believe in God, and think that this makes them a “Christian”. But believing in God, even being a worshipper of God, is not enough. We must be saved by grace, through faith, and surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. Rich or poor alike must come to know and follow the Son. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

God Knows Where

August 9

(Acts 16:6-9 NIV) “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. {7} When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. {8} So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. {9} During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

(Jonah 3:1-5 NIV) ““Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: {2} "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." {3} Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city--a visit required three days. {4} On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." {5} The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.””

Scripture often tells of God calling someone to go somewhere to do a task for Him. Then that person either goes or refuses to go. But today, Paul is ready, willing, and able to go, and God stops him from going. The Holy Spirit kept Paul from preaching in the province of Asia, and then the Spirit of Jesus stopped Him from entering Bithynia. God prevented Paul from going places where there were certainly lost people. God made one place a priority over others. Why? This may come as a surprise to some, but God knows more than we do. He knows where hearts are open to truth. He knows where He wants us to be and who is open to the gospel. God knew Macedonia was fertile soil, just like God knew the Ninevites were ready to repent in Jonah’s day. All God needed was obedient preachers. God knows a place and a people where your witness is needed. Listen for Him and go there. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

A Stop and Go God

August 8

(Acts 16:6-12 NIV) “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. {7} When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. {8} So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. {9} During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." {10} After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. {11} From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. {12} From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days."

(Jonah 1:1-3 NIV) ““The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: {2} "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." {3} But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.””

God kept Paul from going to Asia and Bithynia, but called him to Macedonia.  We don’t know how God communicated the message in each case, but one thing is clear: Paul heard God because he was listening. Three times God spoke to Paul -- three times Paul heard and obeyed. Christians, we must learn to hear God. We cannot live with godly wisdom until we learn to hear the Lord. This is not natural for us. It is a discipline. We must practice at it. Sometimes God stops us from going where we think we ought to go. When this happens, we must stay put and wait for direction. Sometimes the Lord sends us to where we never thought we would go. When that happens, we must go. If we fail to listen and obey on either side of this equation, like Jonah, we are doomed to end up on roads we were never supposed to take, and in places we were never intended to be. Listen and obey. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Growing Churches

August 7

(Acts 16:5 NIV) “So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.”

(Acts 2:46-47 NIV) “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, {47} praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

(Acts 6:7 NIV) “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.”

Sometimes ministries get out of focus and become more about numbers than about people. But the opposite is also true. There are far too many churches today that are apathetic about numbers. God wants us to grow. It’s the natural result of prayer, proclamation, and discipleship. It’s a part of organic Christianity. Scattered throughout the book of Acts are verses about continual growth in number. God wants His kingdom to grow, and when His kingdom grows, His church grows. There are some mechanics involved in this, but if every Christian in your city was praying, witnessing, loving, evangelizing, and discipling, churches in your city would be growing. Very few believers set these kinds of spiritual goals for themselves. Other things dominate our thinking and consume our time. Grow the kingdom. It’s one of the signs of life. Things must grow, or they die. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day