I am Not Ashamed

 Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE: Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

O - OBSERVATION: These are the words of Paul as inspired by God, Paul was a powerful witness for the Gospel because he was not ashamed or embarrassed by it but knew that he “Saul the Persecutor” had been saved by grace through faith, Ephesians 2:8,9. Paul suffered many days in prison for his faith and even wrote the book of Ephesians while in prison. The converted Paul was a staunch witness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

A - APPLICATION: What about you and I, how do we witness for Jesus or the Gospel? Often when we think of witness, we think of Evangelism, even going out of our comfort zone to proclaim our faith; But some of the most effective witness is often done just in daily living and in your daily life. If we relate to other’s with an even temper and loving way, that in itself speaks volumes. Jesus gave us the blue print for that in Matthew 22:39, And the second is like it, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Also in John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you show love one to another.” The best witness is to love others and show it in our daily living.

P - PRAYER: Heavenly Father, teach us to follow the quoted words of Jesus in Matthew and John. Even when people upset us help us to respond with a loving response, by this may they
know that we love You Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen

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We are NOT the ones doing the buying!

Event: Simon the Sorcerer

S - Scripture
Acts 8 v. 20 But Peter said to him (Simon), "May your silver perish with you could you, because you thought you could  obtain the gift of God with money!"

O - Observation
The core message. We can't buy our salvation. No, our God, the one true God does NOT require money, or service hours or piteousness to get into heaven. Romans 6 v.23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the FREE gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." It doesn't make sense from a human point of view. Where there is a value for everything in terms of time and/or money. This is where Simon got hung up. We are NOT the ones doing the buying. We are NOT buying God. It's really the other way  around. 1 Corinthians 6 . 20, "You were bought with a price." That price was Jesus suffering and death . God the Father is buying us back from sin through Jesus.

A - Application
Do I realize that I am NOT the one doing the buying?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thanks for purchasing me!!!   Love Will

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Don't Compare - Complement!!

Event: Simon the Sorcerer
S - Scripture
Acts 8 v. 18-19 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power, that anyone who I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

O - Observation
Quit looking around. Quit trying to compare yourself, your gifts with others. The comparison game will always leave you wanting. The comparison game really is a focus on self. We need to realize that God has a plan to mesh your gifts, your skills with others to make a perfect team. 1 Corinthians 12 .12, "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. " So if we must look around, it should NOT be to compare but how to compliment, connect, grow become unified.

A - Application
Do you see how you can complement your skills with someone else? Then do it!!!

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me to find people to compliment me to grow a stronger body for you.  Love Will

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There is no exclusivity!!!

Event:  Phillip in Samaria
S - Scripture
Acts 8 v. 4-5 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to a city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.

O - Observation
What's presented to you. This is the beginning of spreading the news of Jesus to just beyond the Jerusalem Jews. Samaritans were looked down upon by the Jews in that day. It didn't matter, Jesus died for all. There is NO exclusivity. John 3 v. 17, "For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" Philip recognized it was not elusive. He didn't judge a person and say, well, they are cool or they are like me, so I can share with them. NO!! He shared the Good news of Jesus with anybody and everybody.


A - Application
Am I being exclusive on who I share Jesus with?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me to share your story with everybody.    Love Will

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Protect your eyes!!

Event: The Church Persecuted and Scattered

S - Scripture
Acts 8 v. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

O - Observation
Ravaging the church. Systematic elimination house by house. Saul was a very real presence back then. People feared him when he showed up. He would take people away. Fast forward to today. We have our own Saul that Ravages the Church. He's not a person, but he comes to each of our houses and drags people away from Christ. It's the TV. It's the internet. It consumes our time when home. Sure there's some good programming, but, it provides instant access to filth, and depravity. It minimizes, death, sex, relationships and sets new standards of morality. Matthew 6 v 22, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So if you eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light."

A - Application
How am I managing the "Saul" in my household?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me to protect my eyes, so that I may be filled with light.    Love Will

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Trust where God will lead you

Event: The Church Persecuted and Scattered
S - Scripture
Acts 8 v. 1b  And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all

scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

O - Observation
Say what? Taking advantage of the circumstances. Keeping your eyes open for the opportunity. I love this verse. Why? Because it's so me. I have to be pushed. The church was growing but potentially getting comfortable, but there was no recorded movement to expand as Jesus directed in Acts 1 v8b, "And you shall be my witness in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." So God gave them a shove, helped them move along towards what his plan was. Persecution lead to his word being scattered to Judea and Samaria. At the micro level - stinks. At the Macro level - Awesome.

A - Application
Am I trusting where God will lead me?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Give me the faith to trust you Macro level view of my life.   Love Will

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Remember - its about me AND you

Event: The Stoning of Stephen:
S - Scripture
Acts 7 v. 58 Then they cast him (Stephen) out of the city and stoned him; and the witness laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

O - Observation
Perfect Plan. Intentional. A set purpose. That's the hidden message of this verse. How can someone be martyred, killed for believing in Jesus be a good thing? One has to realize, that it's both about us AND others. In Stephens case, Revelation 6 v. 9, "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the alter the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had born." God has a special place for Stephen in Heaven, close to the Alter. Stephens’s death is intertwined with Saul. Those that did the stoning elevated Saul. Give him power, which helped to fuel God's plan, Jesus converting Saul to Paul.


A - Application
Do I realize it's about me AND you?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Let my life intertwine with many.   Love Will

All Your Heart

 Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me 
when you seek me with ALL YOUR HEART.

O - OBSERVATION: So how much of our heart does God want in Worship, Prayer, reading the Word, Witness or in Service? We all know the answer to that, Deuteronomy 6:5; You shall
love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul and ALL your strength. So if we love God with all we are and have, how do you suppose He wishes us to Worship Him? The answer should be obvious, with ALL our heart, which really means with every cell of our being; heart, mind body and soul!

A - APPLICATION: Worshiping with ALL MY HEART means I’m  totally attentive, my mind is not wandering, I’m reminded of Mary after Jesus was born in Luke 2:19, it says; “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Mary got it, her very special encounter with 
Jesus was worth treasuring in her heart, we hopefully encounter Jesus each Sunday in worship, and should also treasure and ponder it with ALL OUR HEART!

P - PRAYER: Holy Father, by the power of Your Spirit, help us to live with ALL OUR HEART surrendered to You. It is only then when we can truly know the blessing of trusting You above all else!  In Jesus Name, Amen

Resist the Resistance

Event: Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin
S - Scripture
Acts 7 v. 51 You stiff necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your Fathers did so do you.

O - Observation
Resistance. God's word faces resistance. It's not just the declining Christian views today. It's been since Jesus time, it's been before then. The resistance is nothing new. Today's culture likes to think of itself as highly informed, educated, thanks be to the web, and all those years of education. 1 Corinthians 1 v. 22-23, For Jews demand signs and Greeks (and today's world) seeks wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles." The reasons for resistance can be intellectual - prove it to me, emotional - Christians are Hippocrates, or volitional - Christianity restricts my freedom. I'm see more and more the volitional resistance.

A - Application
Am I resisting God's word? Do I know others that are?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me and others to acceptance.   Love Will

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Be a builder!

Event: Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin

S - Scripture
Acts 7 v. 48a Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands.

O - Observation
Church is NOT a building. God does not just sit in our churches and wait to see who comes in. No, church is a body of believers. 1 Corinthians 3 v. 16, "Do you not know that you are God's temple, and that God's spirit dwells in you? Just as a physical building represents and draws us to Christ; so must we as individuals, as building blocks, construct an invisible church. 1 Peter 2 v. 5, "And like living stones, be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." That's the most awesome thing about God, and him dwelling in us. Living stones. We can configure so many different structures. A small group doing a bible study (a structure). A group of Christian friends playing (structure) meeting and hanging with other Christians on a mission trip or visiting family (all structures).

A - Application
What structures am I building as a living stone?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me to be a part of many worthy structures for you.   Love Will

Image by Ralf Kunze from Pixabay 

Be a Tent!

Event: Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin
S - Scripture
Acts 7 v. 44 Our fathers had a tent of witness in the wilderness, even as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen.

O - Observation
The tent of witness. This verse jumped out to me because it's so applicable today. The difference is, we are the tents. We are the Bible to a lot of people. How we live, according to the pattern the Bible prescribes to us, is what will set us apart from others. 1 Corinthians, 3 v. 16, "Do you not know that you are God's temple, and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" Today's world is a spiritual wilderness. There's a lot of dry sections. There's sections full of wild animals. Yet we place our tent in this wilderness, we can be a source of hope.

A - Application
How's my tent? Is it made according to the pattern prescribed by God?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Let me be a tent in the wilderness for you.   Love Will

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Don't lose your focus!

Event: Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin

S - Scripture
Acts 7 v. 40 Saying to Aaron, "Make for us gods to go before us, as for this Moses who lead us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what became of him."

O - Observation
Don't lose your focus. Stephen is telling the account of the Israelites when they had just witnessed amazing powers of God, (Plagues, parting of the red sea, pillars of fire), how they lost focus in the short time that Moses was up getting the ten commandments. While he was gone they created another God to worship. But God was still present, even though he wasn't visually seen, or their leader was not around. How true is it for us today. It certainly seems like God is nowhere to be found sometimes. We're a 1 hour Christian, focused at church, but lose focus the rest of the week, when we are left to our own. Realize this, just as the Israelites did, God is definitely around.

A - Application
Do I lose my focus?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me to be continually focused on you.  Love Will

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Jesus Christ is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever

Event: Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin

S - Scripture
Acts 7 v. 31 - 32a When Moses saw it he wondered of the sight (the burning bush); and as he drew near to look, the voice of the Lord came, 'I am the God of your Fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac and of Jacob."

O - Observation
Jesus Christ is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever. This verse is a reminder of who God is. God is unchanging. God is consistent. God has been there since the Beginning. Genesis 1 v. 1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." He will be there when it all ends. Revelation 21v.6b, "It is done! I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." God's vision, God's desire for us is unchanging. He wants our hearts, he wants us to be with him. He wants us to walk with him now and forever.

A - Application
Do you believe?

P - Prayer
Jesus, You truly are God.   Love Will

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It's never to late to get into the Game!

Event: Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin

S - Scripture
Acts 7 v. 30 Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.

O - Observation
It's never too late to be used by God! I love this verse. There's a very strong albeit hidden message. It's never too late to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It's never too late to be used by Jesus. Age, can't be an excuse. Think about it, "when forty years had passed, that was after Moses's first 40 years when we was in Egypt. So Moses was 80 years old when he saw the burning bush. Just think, he led the whole nation of Israel for another 40 years. It's never too late to get into the game. I'm too weak, I'm too frail. Bhaa!! 1 Corinthians 1 v. 27b, "God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."

A - Application
Do I have an excuse for not getting into the game? Remember Moses!!!

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thanks for being able to use me anytime.  Love Will

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Worship

 Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE: Genesis 22:5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, I and the boy will go over there and WORSHIP and come again to you.”

O - OBSERVATION: This is one of the greatest test’s of obedience in scripture, and Abraham told his young men that he and Isaac were going to worship. Actually, Abraham was obeying the Lord’s request to sacrifice his only son. Ironically, Isaac carried his own wood to the  sacrifice and it took them three days to get to the location. Thankfully, at the last minute God provided a ram for the sacrifice and Isaac’s life was spared and Abraham’s descendants became as numerous as the stars, just as God had promised.

A - APPLICATION: This is about worship and sacrifice, as well as Abraham’s absolute\ obedience. It point’s to Jesus who also was absolutely obedient even to death on the cross, the
cross He began carrying to Calvary. But this time Jesus died in our stead, and rose from the dead 3 days later. And each time we celebrate the Sacrament of the Altar we remember Jesus took our place, gave His Body and Blood to pay for our transgressions, so we give thanks, and praise His Holy Name, which is a part of WORSHIP.

P - PRAYER: Gracious Father, thank You for Jesus and Your plan for salvation. In 2 Corinthians 5:15, it says He died for all, help us to share that message so truly all may hear of
Your great name. In Jesus Name, Amen

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We need to switch from Judging to Loving

Event: Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin

S - Scripture
Acts 7 v. 7 "But I will judge the nation they serve," said God, "and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place."

O - Observation
Let God do the judging. This verse is the result of the Israelites being held in captivity, slavery by the Egyptians for 400 years. That should give them all a right to judge and personally seek restitution. But no! Romans 12 v. 19, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, ' Revenge is mine I will repay, says the Lord." We are called to love one another, even our enemies. Instead of obsessing on how we can one up the other, we need to obsess on how we can lift up the other. Remember, Matthew 7 v. 1, "Judge not, that you not be judged."

A - Application
Am I judging others or lifting up others?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Free me from the burden of judging others and put in my heart to love others.   Love Will

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Learn the History - Learn the Culture

Event: Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin

S - Scripture
Acts 7 v. 1-2 And the high priest said, "is this so?" And Stephen said, "Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared of our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran."

O - Observation
Know your history. Know your background. Stephen was defending his position, (Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven) to the high priest. So in presenting his case, presenting the facts, Stephen used as the foundation, their history, and the facts. Being familiar with a person's history or culture helps one to connect and tie how Jesus can fit in with them. Is a great place to start. To do this, requires listening, hearing what people have to say. It requires studying and understanding a culture. Then we need to present the message of Christ in terms people understand.

A - Application
How well do I know the culture of today?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me to know the culture of my city so that I can effectively share your word.  Love Will

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Experience the Paradigm Shift!

Event: Stephen Seized

S - Scripture
Acts 6 v. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us.

O - Observation
Jesus destroys the norm. A true relationship with Jesus will require a paradigm shift. Customs, rote religion (religious rules) will go away if one has a personal relationship with Jesus  Christ. Living a life in complete trust and faith eliminates the fears and burdens of the religious customs. After all, 1 John 4 v. 18, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear," Living in faith changes the mindset from, "I got to do this or not to that because I 'm told so", to I get to do this, I don't want to do this because I love Jesus.

A - Application
Have I personally experienced the paradigm shift?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Shift my heart to be into a true relationship with you.  Love Will

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Build your life on the Rock

Event: Stephen Seized
S - Scripture
Acts 6 v. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. 

O - Observation
Standing on the rock of Jesus. Standing firm. In the previous verse, the people from the synagogue arose and disputed with Stephen. Stephen was full of grace and power from the Holy Spirit. But they were unable to withstand the wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Jesus indicated that he would be there for people like Stephen, people who are called on the carpet on account of his name. Luke 21 v. 15, "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which not of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. " Stephen had complete trust, complete faith on the Rock, the foundation on which he stood. Matthew 7 v. 24, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the Rock."

A - Application
What is my foundation?

P - Prayer
Jesus, You are my foundation.   Love Will

Let the Word of God permeate in your life

Event: The Choosing of Stephen

S - Scripture
Acts 6 v. 7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many priests were obedient to the faith.

O - Observation
The word of God. How powerful it is. In this verse the Word increased, disciples were multiplied greatly, and many priest obedient. Romans 10 v. 17, "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ." Growth in numbers, growth in personal faith, can't happen if Gods' word is NOT liberally applied. Hebrews 4 v. 12, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

A - Application
Am I applying the word of God in my own life? Am I sharing God's word with others?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Let your word permeate my life.    Love Will

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