Passage of the Day: Devotional focus on Acts 9: 20 - 25 … Acts 9 linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Hopefully, as we read about the Saul – to – Paul conversion and transformation, we’ll never forget that it was the faith, obedience, and courage of Ananias which triggered all we read in Acts 9: 20 – 25. So, with that said and recognized, we turn to what the faith of this Prophet produced. It was the Apostle Paul preaching Christ like no one had ever heard The Messiah preached to that day.
Can we grasp the scene? Here this former Sanhedrin hit-man was taking the pulpit of the Temple and giving the people sermons like they had not heard before. He was “proving” from the Old Testament texts that Christ was Whom He said He was, … the Son of God. And that word “proving” from Acts 9: 22 in the Greek is “symbibazo,” which means that Paul put his words together so skillfully that the people could not deny that Christ was, in truth, the son of God. And all these words were coming from the mouth of the man who had imprisoned and killed Christian Jews just days before. And to see and hear this, the people were astounded, amazed; but excitedly so. The Greek word used to describe their astonishment, which is found in Acts 9: 21 is “existemi,” from which we get our word “ecstatic.”
So, what we read in this passage is God’s ability to bring about scenarios which dumb-found the non-believer and open the eyes of the lost who’ve become blinded by their own selfishness. I think about the wall of communism which came falling down in a matter of days or weeks after so many years being built up by mankind to protect Godless communism. In my lifetime I never thought I’d see the effective elimination of the Soviet empire; but I did because God desired it take place. And when it happened, it dumb-founded us all, causing many thousands of godless atheists to take note of God at work.
And do you think it’s possible to see a revival the likes of which is described in 2nd Chronicles 7: 14 - linked here for your review? Well, God says it can and will take place if those called by His Name, i.e., Christians, will humble ourselves and pray and turn from our wicked ways. For how long do we need to do this; and how many will it take? That I don’t know; but I most definitely believe it will happen if we follow that formula. If God can take one former Christian hater and transform the world with him; we can be a party to revival in this world with our humility, prayers, and transformed lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may revival begin with my heart, Lord. Amen
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