The Book of Acts

Lydia of Philippi Believes in Jesus

Acts 16:11-15 _NLT

“We boarded a boat to Troas & sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, & the next day to Neapolis. From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia & a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.” - Acts 16:11-12

            First thing I should point out is the use of “We” starting in verse 10 & continuing. The author of Acts is none other than Luke, the writer of the Gospel of Luke. It is fairly apparent that he accompanied Paul, Silas & Timothy on their journey. That would make him an eyewitness to most of the remaining incidents chronicled in this book.

            Secondly, Philippi was a key city in the Macedonian region, which would be northern Greece today. Paul founded a church there during his visit in A.D. 50-51. His letter to the Philippian church was more than likely written from a Roman prison on around A.D. 61.

            Philippi didn’t have enough Jewish males to form a synagogue, therefore the Roman authorities didn’t allow unauthorized religious groups to meet in the city. The women actually went outside the city limits to pray as a group by a river. 

Since Paul took his orders from God & not the Roman Empire, he naturally started a church & in his aforementioned letter admonished them to solve any problems of disunity that existed. Paul also encouraged them all not to submit to any persecution, but rather stand strong in their faith as a body. Among those who turned their life over to Christ, was an influential merchant named Lydia. 

            It has often been said that women are more spiritually minded than men ... that they take their beliefs much more seriously then men. This was in evidence back in the early church as God often worked thru women in the earliest churches. 

            What lesson can we learn today? That unity within the church is of paramount importance for a church. Sadly, it seems to be a struggle today to keep a congregation together. As if we didn’t already know, women played & still play a vital role in many foundational aspects of today’s churches. We must begin once again to function as one body & not a fractured body with multiple controverses & issues that will split apart any church if left unchecked. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible 

            

Thoughts from a Random Mind

NOTE: You may be wondering what happened to the Book of Acts series I had been doing. Every once in a while I feel compelled by the Spirit to interrupt what I’m doing and redirect my posting temporarily to accommodate what I feel the Holy Spirit be saying to me regarding my blog. In this case I felt I rec’d several clear topics that I ended up posting at the direction of the Spirit. I’m thinking I’ll be back on the Book of Acts starting Monday again. At least that’s the way it looks to me now. Have a blessed day!! Rlk

 

Thoughts from a Random Mind

STOP!

            “To change a course of action.” *  That is just one of many definitions of the word STOP.  There are many times that we are asked to stop in our lifetime. STOP signs on the road tell us to change our course of action from propelling forward to coming to a complete stop so as to avoid a potential accident with another oncoming vehicle. We might be told to “STOP” saying or doing something because it is annoying to the other individual in the room. Police yell “STOP or I’ll shoot” in an effort to keep a criminal from getting away. In scripture, the word STOP is used in the very same way. The most important use of the word STOP is so that people will STOP sinning. 

            We are bound for an everlasting hell unless we do something: Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’  ^{[John 3:3-6 NLT]} Therefore, we all have a decision to make in this lifetime. If we reject Christ by living as we please, never receiving & applying God’s gracious gift of salvation to our lives, we shall go to hell. God didn’t send you to hell, you voluntarily went all on your own thru disbelief.  

                  STOP & think it thru. Are you so arrogant and/or ignorant to think that you can handle this life without the help of the One who created you in the first place? You cannot change the path you are on by yourself, or thru shear will.  You need God’s help; help He is more than willing to give you.

STOP delaying.  No one knows when their time on this earth is up, as I pointed out in my last posting. It’s time for a spiritual inventory to be taken. It’s time to allow God to reveal to you your shortcomings. STOP procrastinating. Don’t put off till tomorrow what can be done today...right now.

The Holy Spirit has been showing us a clear message this week with these last few writings. Receive a spiritual cleansing by God’s own Spirit & be made anew. It’s yours for the taking. Allow the Spirit of God to mold you into the likeness of Christ a little more each day. 

 

In His name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

*American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing 

Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

 

Thoughts from a Random Mind

Rest in Peace

 

            This morning on my way to work I spied a sticker on the rear of a car in front of me that said “Rest in Peace” over a State Policeman’s badge number. He had obviously been killed in the line of duty. What does “Rest in Peace” actually mean? The Holy Spirit said to my spirit, “Find out for yourself & share it,” so I did…

                  After the rigors of this life, Christians from the early church would wish those who pass on from this earth rest.  The phrase “Rest in Peace” was found in the catacombs of the early Christians and indicated that "they died in the peace of the Church, that is, united in Christ." * I thought to myself, ‘what lasting peace can be found aside from Christ? Is there another peace that passes all understanding outside of knowing God?’ I know I’ve never found it, have you? 

The peace of this world is fleeting at best, largely because the one who controls this world is God’s chief adversary and he is the creator of chaos and distress, not peace. Therefore, any peace found this side of heaven is temporal. It cannot last based on the atmosphere created on the earth.

                  So when someone says, “Rest in Peace”, it is only meaningful if that person had a relationship with the God who made them. Aside from that there is no peace. Make peace with God and watch your disposition change. Make peace with God and find rest from your troubles in the here and now. We lose our peace and inner tranquility when we take our eyes off of the Lord. This is what happened to Peter when he attempted to walk on the water to Jesus in the gospels. 

                  So find peace thru a personal relationship with God now. Why wait? Ask for it, expect it & bask in the glow of it. God loves us ... “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” ^{(Psalm 84:11)}.

In His name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 

* Tuker, Mildred Anna Rosalie; Malleson, Hope (1900). "Introduction to the Catacombs". Handbook to Christian and Ecclesiastical Rome: The Christian monuments of Rome. A. and C. Black. p. 411.

Thoughts from a Random Mind

The Frailty of Life

 

                  This last night I heard a story about someone who died unexpectedly. This morning at work the Holy Spirit said to me, “write on the frailty of life”. I said “alright”, so here it is.

                  While I don’t remember all the details, like names, ages, etc., I do remember that the victim was a woman. I remember she was sitting in her car at the exit of a local McDonalds. She either just ate breakfast or just picked up breakfast and was heading to work or back home. I’m guessing when she woke up that morning she didn’t think she’d be dying that day. The story goes that while she sat innocently waiting to pull out onto the main road, the driver of a pick-up truck lost control and T-Boned the woman’s car, killing her instantly. I’m guessing she didn’t think she’d be dying that day.

                  Scripture tells us we do NOT know what tomorrow will hold for us. Frankly, we don’t even know if we’ll wake up in the morning. A certain mild arrogance boastfully says, at least internally, that ‘nothing bad ever happens to me’. I was related to someone who used to say that all the time. I wonder if that woman ever said that to herself. Are you aware that your life, the one God gave you, can end in a split second without warning. To think otherwise is foolhardy. I’m not advocating living in fear of dying, not at all. But we must respect life...our own and the lives of others. Look at what the Bible says: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” - James 4:13-15 Also, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” - Proverbs 27:1

                  “Life is fragile, handle with pray” is a slogan I’ve seen before. It’s so true. Time flies and that’s a fact. Seems like yesterday I was in school. I’m now 67 years old and I am astonished at how quickly my life has gone by with a whoosh. And I have no idea when my life on earth will end. 

                  All this begs the question: Have you made your peace with God? Going to church / mass every day wouldn’t make you a Christian. Scripture tells us we must be Born Again of the Spirit of God. Jesus came and died for all our sins. When we receive Christ into our hearts we become a new creation. Our lifestyle is supposed to change. We are supposed to begin an exciting journey to become more like our Savior and Lord. Are you a Christian in name only, and have done nothing with your faith? God doesn’t need anyone of us, but instead has chosen to use us to spread His gospel to our portion of the world. Believing in Jesus and God mean nothing if it hasn’t profoundly changed your life. Scripture says behold, old things have passed away and all things have become new. You are a new creation. You’ve died to self and should now be living for Him. Are you? If you arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence for a conviction? 

What if your last day on earth was tonight ... do you know without question or hesitation that you’d spend eternity with the Creator of the Universe?? You can absolutely know that for sure. Ask the Lord to do with you whatever He wishes and watch the sparks fly. Watch God’s will manifest itself in your life. Have you made your peace with God? If your answer isn’t a resounding YES, then search your soul and take a spiritual inventory of yourself. This is important and is to be taken seriously. God loves you and died for you ... He’s asking you to live for Him. To borrow Nike’s marketing slogan ... “JUST DO IT!”

In His name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO READ THIS, BY ALL MEANS, PASS IT ON!!!

Thoughts from a Random Mind

            I’ve felt the Holy Spirit gently prodding me to write about this yesterday & today. Then the word came louder and more pronounced: “Do they not know how dangerous it is?” Was what ended up ringing in my ears.  “Apparently not”, I said back. So I said in a low, but audible voice, “Okay, I hear you. I’ll address it tonight.” What is IT? 

            It’s come to my attention that folks are not taking that which is inherently evil seriously ... not at all.  Witches, warlocks, ghosts, the devil, demons ... These are REAL ... they DO exist. They are not “cool” or anything of the kind. People don’t know what they are trifling with. Satan wants you to think it’s all just fun and entertainment. Folks, you need to do some research on some things. Look into Satanism, Pedophilia, Human Trafficking, and that’s just for starters. Hey, they are grimy subjects, but when you dabble in the supernatural, you enter into a whole new realm that we are not needing to be a part of. God wants to protect you from all that, but you have to take this threat seriously and seek His help or else the consequence of your actions will be ON YOU. 

            Now God loves us and because of that He gives each of us a FREE WILL to think, say and do as we please. His desire is that we will accept His gracious offer of forgiveness for all our sin, thanks to the blood Christ shed on the cross, and follow Him all our days on this earth, but that is our choice. If you want to dabble in evil things thinking there is no harm in it, you have no idea what you’re dealing with.  Does it sound like I’m trying to scare you? Good, because I am. There is no eternal benefit to messing with occultic, satanic, supernatural things that you know NOTHING about.  LEAVE IT ALONE!! In Jesus name, amen!

 

In His name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 

PS - I wrote this out of love & concern for the hearts & souls of innocent men, women & children the world over. Trust me, leave it alone. rlk

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BENEFIT FROM READING THIS...PASS IT ON!!

The Book of Acts

A Call from Macedonia

Acts 16:6-10 _NLT

“Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.” - Acts 16:6

                  Verses 6-10 are very interesting in that they deal with a topic that is very pertinent to us today. First, we find that Paul is being directed by God thru His Holy Spirit to avoid Asia at this time. We are not given a reason. Then the “Spirit of Jesus” (another name used for the Holy Spirit) directed the Apostle & his companions to avoid Bithynia, north of Asia. Paul didn’t question these changes in his plans for they were obviously not where God wished them to go for the time being. Secondly, that night, we find that Paul had a vision from the Lord which showed a Macedonian man crying out to the Apostle saying, “Come over to Macedonia & help us.”

                  We have no way of knowing by what means the Spirit diverted their path; however, this vision made crystal clear to Paul exactly where he was to go next to preach & teach the gospel. No prodding was needed, for Paul readily obeyed the Lord and lead his group on to Macedonia.

                  It is intriguing to me that God not only reveals His will by any number of ways, He also reveals what His will is NOT, as shown in these verses. When you are seeking the will of God, make sure that you are looking to embark on is in line with God’s Word. If necessary, seek the council of mature Christians. Take a candid look at your own motivation. Is what you’re looking to undertake what God wants or what you want? Finally, ask the Lord in prayer to open & close doors as He so wills to help you determine which direction to go & exactly what you are to do.

                  Remember, God doesn’t need our help, but rather has chosen to use us for some unknown reason, to present the gospel, among other things. “God pulled you out of the pit so you could reach back in & get more people out...NEVER forget that.” *  Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

* Quote - Unknown 

Word for the Day

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. - Augustine