Star Gazing

May 18

(Acts 10:25-26 NIV)  "As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. {26} But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."

(Acts 14:8-18 NIV) ““In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. {9} He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed {10} and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. {11} When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” {12} Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. {13} The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. {14} But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: {15} “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. {16} In the past, he let all nations go their own way. {17} Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” {18} Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.””

(Romans 12:2-3 NIV) “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. {3} For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” 

Cornelius wanted to treat Peter like a celebrity. Peter would have none of it. It would have been easy for him to exploit having walked with Jesus. He had been given power to heal the sick and raise the dead. That can certainly be heady stuff. Instead Peter saw himself as just another one of God’s many servants. He was a model of godly humility. Some Christian leaders today have forgotten this apostolic lesson. They spend more time basking in the spotlight, than walking in God’s light. They are encouraged by the fawning celebrity worship of groupie Christians. We flock to where the biggest crowds are. We covet the fame, hoping that some of it will rub off on us if we can just get near enough. We need to get back to humility again. There is only one Messiah, and we all serve under Him. Let’s be done with the hero worship. Let’s stoop to wash feet, more than we seek to gaze at stars. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Relatives and Friends

May 17

(Acts 10:24 NIV) “The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.”

(Mark 5:18-20 NIV) ““As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. {19} Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”  {20} So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.””

(John 1:40-42 NIV) ““Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. {41} The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). {42} And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).””

When Cornelius found out that Peter was coming to his house, he didn’t try to keep it from his friends and neighbors. He put out a press release, put up posters, and phoned everyone he knew. Well, not really, but he did call together his close friends and relatives. Today we have believers who barely mention their church in conversation with friends and relatives. They don’t want to offend anyone. They act as though they were ashamed of Jesus and the church. They keep their faith and the good news to themselves. Not Cornelius! He put the word out. If there had been radio in his day, there would probably have been a commercial with “BE THERE!” at the end. We laugh, but if the gospel really is for everyone, why don’t we act like it? If the message of Jesus really is life changing stuff, why wouldn’t we want to expose our friends and neighbors to it in any way we can? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Taking Risks for the Gospel

May 16

(Acts 10:23 NIV) "Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along.”

(Acts 10:28 NIV) ““He (Peter) said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection.””

(2 Corinthians 11:24-28 NIV) "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. {25} Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, {26} I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. {27} I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. {28} Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."

Peter took a great risk by letting Gentiles stay in his home. He took another great risk by going to Cornelius’s house to visit him. It was against Jewish law. Jews were not to enter the houses of Gentiles, let alone stay the night. Christians violating Jewish law were already being killed. Peter could have easily been next. Spiritually and politically, the Romans were despised and hated in Israel. They were usually polytheistic and were considered unclean. Peter was contaminating and condemning himself by going there, but he took the risk. If we are going to be obedient to our calling, and take the gospel with us wherever we go, we are going to have to take some risks. To save lives, we must often risk our own. If we refuse to take risks for the gospel, we are doomed to be sterile believers. We cannot fulfill the commission Christ gave us unless we are willing to take some risks. Will you do that? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

Servant Hearts

May 15

(Acts 10:22-23 NIV) ““The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say." {23} Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along.””

(Colossians 1:3-7 NIV) “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, {4} because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- {5} the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel {6} that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. {7} You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,”

(Titus 1:1 NIV) "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness--"

(James 1:1 NIV) "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings."

(2 Peter 1:1 NIV) "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:"

(Jude 1:1 NIV) "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:"

The Church of Jesus Christ would not have grown without those who had a heart to serve the King of kings. People with a servant’s heart went to get Peter for Cornelius. People with a servant’s heart went with Peter to the house of Cornelius. Paul, James Peter, and Jude preached the gospel, discipled new believers, and wrote letters to the churches that have survived to this day… because they had servant’s hearts. Their pay was minimal -- their investment was huge. They and millions of nameless servants down through the ages endured hardships, faced danger, and sacrificed their lives so that we could have a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to pass it on. “Non-serving Christian” is an oxymoron. How are you serving the Lord? In big ways and small ways, find some way to serve the Lord today. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day