Acts 17:6

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”

Personal Challenge

Jason and some of his friends were dragged before the magistrates of the city because of their affiliation with Paul and Silas. The accusation was that they had turned the world upside down by their preaching about Jesus. So, here are the questions that I must ask myself. Am I living my life for Christ in such a way that I could be accused of turning the world upside down? Am I hanging out with the kind of people that could be accused of doing the same? If Jesus is truly the center of my life then I should be able to answer these questions affirmatively. If I cannot answer these questions with a, “Yes!”, then it is time that I step up and start living my life for Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 1:20-21

A patient man will hold fast until the proper time,
Then afterwards gladness shall burst forth for him.
He shall conceal his words until the proper time,
And the lips of many will tell of his understanding.

Personal Challenge

I think every person desires to be perceived as a person of understanding. It appears that it is part of our nature. We often get caught up in the trap of believing that this perception comes from showing everybody around us how much we know. In reality, this usually ends up showing the opposite. We are told here in Sirach that our ability to understand that which is going on around us and how much wisdom we have related to that understanding usually shows forth in our patience, in our ability to remain silent in the midst of the chaos until the right time to speak up. This is the sign of true wisdom. Holding fast until the proper time always produces joy and gladness. Glory be to God!

Acts 16:25

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Personal Challenge

Once again, we see saints from our past showing us how to respond to adversity. Paul and Silas had just been unjustly tried for following and proclaiming Jesus. They had been beaten and chained in stocks within the community prison. Rather than being all despondent and angry at those who had mistreated them, they immediately broke out in prayers and singing hymns. They were praising their loving God for allowing them to be witnesses for their Lord and Savior. They were also being witnesses to their fellow prisoners and the jail keeper that our joy in our Lord far surpasses any consequences that the world around us may try to oppress us with. God wants us to be joyful in Him no matter what the world throws at us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have Mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 1:16

The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom,
Making peace and soundness of health to flourish.

Encouraging Words

Aren’t we all seeking peace and sound­ness of health in our lives.? Well, here is an age-old prescription for that. Rather than pursuing earthly wealth and earthly knowledge, we should be pursuing the wisdom that our Lord will give us, that wisdom which will only come from Jesus, who is Wisdom incarnated. Then We must treat that Wisdom with the awe and respect the fear) that is deserved. What we recede in return is peace and soundness of health in our lives. Glory be to God.

English – Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
Chinese – 基督復活了！事實上，他復活了！
Serbian – Hristos vaskrse! VAISTINU VASKRSE !
Haitian Creole – Kris la resisite! Vreman vre li leve!
Irish – Críost aiséirithe ! Go deimhin tá sé ardaigh !
Spanish – Cristo ha resucitado! Verdaderamente, ha resucitado!
Thai – Phra khris̄t̒ ca pheìm k̄hụ̂n! Thæ̂cring phraxngkh̒ thrng pĕn k̄hụ̂n!
Arabic – Al-Masih-Qam! Hakkan Qam!
Armenian – K’ristos yareaw ! Iskapes Na harut’yun arrav :
Eskimo Aleut – Kristus aq ungwektaq! Pichinuq ungwektaq!
Ethiopian – Christos Tenestaul! Awon Tenestaul!
Georgian – Kriste aghsdga! Cheshmaritad aghsdga!
German – Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!
Greek – Christos Anesti! Aleithos Anesti!
Hawaiian – Ua ala hou ´o kristo! Ua ala ´i ´o no ´oia!
Japanese – Kirisuto wa yomigaetta! Hontōni kare wa umaremashita!
Korean – Kristo Gesso Buhwal ha sho sumnida! Chamuro Buhwal ha sho sumnida!
Latin – Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere!
Macedonian – Hristos voskresna! Navistina, toj e voskresnat!
Romanian – Hristos a înviat! Adevărat a înviat!
Russian – Khristos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
Swahili – Kristo Amefufukka! Kweli Amefufukka!

Acts 6:8

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

Personal Challenge

Do those of us today who proclaim that Jesus is our Lord and Savior truly believe that He is Lord of all? Do we really have the faith that He promises to bestow on us when we follow Him in baptism and holy anointing? I regret that I must admit that I do not. All of the Christian faith practices claim the God (the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit) is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. If this is the truth, then why are we not seeing, or better yet doing, great wonders and signs like Stephen was doing? Stephen was no different than each and every one of is, except that he was full of faith and power. He believed in Jesus so much that the power of Jesus flowed through him and he performed great wonders and signs. We can do the same but we must be willing to let go of all that we hold dear in this world and pursue Jesus with our all. We must grow in our faith so that He can grow within us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the Sinner!

Sirach 1:10-11

The fear of the Lord will cheer the heart
And will give gladness, joy, and long life.
For those who fear the Lord, it shall be well to the utmost,

Acts 5:40-42

And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Personal Challenge

That which is going on in this passage does not make a lot of sense to most people now­adays, even people active in their church. Peter and some other apostles had just been arrested by the leaders of the synagogue for preaching about Christ and performing miracles in His name. Their very lives were at risk now for being willing to stand firm on their commitment to their Lord, our Lord. These leaders were ready to put these apostles to death for their belief. However, Gamaliel, a Pharisee and a member of the council came to their defense. He believed that if their message was from God, then there was nothing that they could do to stop it. And if it was not of God, then it would die like so many other movements of their day. The council agreed, yet still, beat the apostles and told them to never speak of this Jesus again. Not only did the apostles continue to speak about Jesus, but they regarded themselves as blessed to have had the honor to have been beaten for Jesus. Would we do this for our Lord today? Or would we choose to harden our churches and our hearts to the outside world under the guise of it being our American right to defend ourselves? Would we choose to love those who would try to harm us because that is what Jesus did and wants us to do, or would we fight back? Would we cherish persecution for living the Christ-like way because we know our rewards are in heaven or choose to protect our earthly possessions and lives because we deem then more precious than our God? These are hard questions to answer. They are hard stands to take because they generate persecution from both our enemies and sometimes our fellow Christians who disagree with these beliefs. But we must still make a choice and for every choice, there are consequences, both temporal and eternal. I have made my choice! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Wisdom of Solomon 19:22

For in everything, O Lord, You have exalted and glorified Your people,
And have not neglected to be present with them in every time and place.

Encouraging Words

Throughout the history of mankind, all the way back to the creation of Adam and Eve, our Lord has never been far from us. He has never abandoned us. Even when Adam and Eve disobeyed God grievously and introduced Sin into His perfect creation, He came looking for them in the garden to fellowship with them. He loves us! He loves us so passionately that even before Adam and Eve introduced sin into the World He had already set the incarnation, death, and resurrection of His precious Son into the fabric of eternity so that mankind would be freed from the stranglehold that death would have on us from that first sin. God has glorified and exalted His people since the beginning of creation and will continue to throughout eternity. This is the God that I worship. Lord Jesus Chariot, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!