Acts 23:11
That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”

God is keen on getting his message out. On rare occasions, he actually has to tell us directly. Most often, though, we know what to to do, it is just a matter of doing it. Why not make it an ongoing habit to let it be known that you would like to pray for someone whenever they share a concern? This is the most effective way of intersecting faith and life, whether in friendships, at work, or in other public situations.

Pray for someone today.

Acts 19:20
20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

After confessing their sins, residents of Ephesus see the power of forgiveness in action. The message and actions of the forgiven have a strong impact on the community. This is an invitation for us today.

When we honestly confess our sins to God and do not carry around the guilt, but instead begin to work for the Lord fresh, we will see his power. Unrealized forgiveness drags us down just like unrepentant sin. Either way we are focused on ourselves and not God.

Confess any current sins that are dragging you down and let them go.

Acts 15:12
Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

Are you kidding? The Gentiles are enemies of the people of God up until this point. Yet, their fellow Christians listen quietly as Barnabas and Paul tell them that God is now at work around the Gentiles. There is no heckling or outcry as they tell their story. It is interesting when you have a common vision to spread God’s gospel around the world that you can show courtesy and respect.

Pray for this kind of courtesy to enter into your family conversations.

Acts 14:27
Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too.

When God is at work is extraordinary ways, it is not a good idea to keep it a secret. Yet, this is what is happening right now. Who knows that it is Christianity and not Islam that is growing most rapidly around the world? In Asia, Latin America, and Africa in particular, people are coming to saving faith in Jesus exponentially. In China, for instance, people are coming to Christ so quickly it amounts to 10,000 people a day.

God apparently has something else in mind then a common logical fallacy that “all religions lead to the truth.” If you mean by this, “All worldviews have inherent within them ways to connect to the Gospel of Jesus,” then, of course, you are correct. The difference between this and other missionary movements of the past is the current growth is under the leadership of native culture leaders who are able to contextualize the Gospel truths. Fascinating.

Pray for those who are translating the Bible into new native languages.

for today and tomorrow

Acts 11:21
The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

When God is present in power, his blessing is abundant. A healing and helping hand from God through his people is a huge attraction for non-Christians to come to Christ. They might disagree with what is being taught but they can’t ignore the evidence. Signs and wonders address skepticism head on.

Pray for Jesus to work through you today to be a sign.

Acts 13:11
Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.”

God’s hand can also work against us and tear us down. In this verse, Saul, a hateful enemy of God is reprimanded in a way that only God can pull off. The bitter, spiteful opponent becomes Paul, the main biblical spokesman in the New Testament. The one who couldn’t see the light of the sun finally gives in to the “light of the Son.” Now you can’t stop him from sharing the Good News.

Pray for God to correct you if you are going against his ways.

Acts 11:17
So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?”

Here Peter is speaking about the message he received from God who told him that faith in Jesus is for all people, not just the Jews. God leads the non-Jewish people (Gentiles) to faith in Christ and so it is legitimate. The barriers are falling and being right with God is possible for all cultures.

Pray for your Jewish friends.

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

When you were a kid, did you ask one of parents why you had to do something, and he/she replied, “Because I said so.”?

Well, here Jesus doesn’t even have to tell his disciples what to do. He has so much confidence in them that he simply states it as fact. Maybe it has something to do with the Holy Spirit coming to them.

With the Holy Spirit in your life you can’t help but witness. If you aren’t a witness of the love and power of Jesus does that mean the Holy Spirit hasn’t cracked your resistance? What do you think?

Pray for an openness to the Holy Spirit.

John 17:21-23
that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Christians are not called to think exactly alike. The Gospels are a great witness to this. Each of these four accounts of Jesus has a different emphasis by a different author for a different immediate audience. When someone uses the Gospels as an example of “discrepancies” in scripture, you know they haven’t actually thought about them for one minute or perhaps haven’t even read them.

Jesus comes in a specific culture and time and at the same time says all cultures in all times will have an opportunity to understand and trust. However, careful listening is required.

Pray for a local church you don’t attend.

John 15:5
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Did you ever have a little brother or sister who had to follow you wherever you went? People would call him/ her your “little shadow.”

Jesus is more than a shadow. He invites us to remain in him- his presence, his teaching, his love- and he will reciprocate. “I in them.” Jesus calls himself, “God,” several times using the sacred name of God, “I Am.” We see one such example here. “I am the vine.”

Jesus also brings his divine power to the rest of us as we are open to remaining in him. “I in them.” I would follow that big brother, who also happens to be God, wherever he leads. Where else would you want to go?

Pray for brothers and sisters, your own or someone else’s.

John 6:56
Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

What are we, a bunch of zombies or vampires? It’s passages like these from the Bible that must shock those who don’t know the story of Jesus. What a wonderful teachable moment about the Eucharist; Holy Communion.

Jesus comes to us in the bread and wine of Communion and declares that he is there in a way he is not in the rest of his creation, “for you.” He is present within this sacred act to bring the message of “forgiveness of sin, new life, and salvation.”

This is way better than Dracula or “Night of the Living Dead.”

Pray for those who will receive their first communion soon.