Category: Devotions

Acts 8:8
“Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.”

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely lady who has recently come back to Jesus as a follower. I spoke to her of baptism and service to God. It was obvious to me that she would need a helping hand.
Saul recovered from the knockdown but he had temporary blindness and so his friends led him by the hand.
Maybe today you should not tell someone what to do but lead them by the hand. Be with that person, let them journey with you for awhile.

Acts 9:7
“The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.”

On Friday morning the nation woke up divided in its decision.
The BBC had filmed a short documentary of the Barnes family who were divided in its decision in the days before the referendum. The family agreed not to watch or listen to the news on the nations decision and then the BBC filmed them hearing the result together. The response from the older family members who voted LEAVE and the younger members who voted REMAIN was the same, they were speechless. LEAVE didn’t think it would happen and REMAIN couldn’t believe it would.

Sometimes words don’t come easily, in fact they don’t come at all.
The men accompanying Saul was standing there watching their leader fall to the ground.
They heard a sound so knew something had happened but they couldn’t see in order to understand.
All they could see was Saul knocked to the ground.
Why? What? How? What now? How does this effect us?
Speechless.
But I think that’s okay. I think there are times when for a moment we should not speak for speaking sake. Times for when out of respect and impact of that moment, we should be silent. Shocked, stunned, perhaps upset, maybe anxious, or overjoyed. Whatever it is be quiet. Tomorrow is the day for words of hope or doom perhaps but right now is the day for no words.
There is no better example of this than when a friend is knocked down. Just be there, they don’t necessarily need your words of wisdom there and then, they just need you to be there. They need you to share their confusion, their question marks and there isn’t a better way than to use no words.

Acts 9:6
“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Wasn’t yesterday interesting?! Our UK changed overnight and emotions ran high, too high at times throughout the day.
Was God in a crisis? Did He have His head in His hands? NO!
He knew what would happen.
Saul has been knocked down. Many used words like devastated and the “worst day of my life”!
Sometimes our lives are knocked down, our world rocks and we wonder are we ever going to be the same again.
What was the response of Jesus to Saul: “now get up and go”
You may be tempted to wallow in your disappointment but Jesus says today “Get up and Go”.
Today let us do exactly that and we will then discover how we should live this life.

Acts 9:5
“”Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.”

Saul called the voice Lord, not that he knew who this Lord was, but the voice was obviously more powerful than he was.
Can you imagine the shock to find out it was Jesus?!
Saul knew what Jesus meant. He knew that the persecution of the followers of Jesus was the persecution of Jesus.
Friends whatever you go through for your faith you go through it with Jesus.
Jesus is being persecuted all around the world. Where is Christ in all this suffering under the hands of ISIS for example? Well this verse shows us he is right in the centre being persecuted himself. How long will this go on for? For there will come a time when He comes again and this persecution will end as the perpetrators find themselves on their knees before the King of Kings.

He fell to the ground.

I read these words this morning from the Bible, Acts 9:4.
It is of a man called Saul, a leading Pharisee who was persecuting early Christians. In a moment Saul the murderer became Paul the apostle. But it commenced on the ground.
God supernaturally knocked Saul to the ground.

In the gospels there is a story of an evil spirit throwing a young boy to the ground in a convulsion. The story ends with Jesus lifting the boy from the ground fully restored.

Today, June 23rd Elim UK remembers it’s missionaries who in 1978 were terribly murdered in the Vumba, Rhodesia. They fell to the ground.
Peter and Sandra McCann, Philip and Joy…Wendy White… Philip and Suzanne Evans and Rebecca…Catherine Picken…Roy and Joyce Lynne and Pamela Grace…Mary Fisher.
They are an inspiration who with the great cloud of witnesses cheer us on who are here today. They fell to the ground but their act propelled others into a life of service in missions.
They fell to the ground not because of God or an evil spirit, it was man who did this. But their life or their impact didn’t end on the ground.

Also in the gospels is the story of a leper who voluntarily falls to the ground in front of Jesus as an act of worship. The story ends with Jesus saying He was more than willing to heal the man.
Not God, not an evil spirit, not another person, but the man himself falling to the ground.

Today, the U.K. nation goes to the polls to vote either to Remain or Leave the EU. One of the many questions debated angrily by many is whether we will be better off? Are we going to have more money? What are we going to gain? What are we going to lose? You see we must not lose. That’s the main point. We don’t want to fall to the ground. That would be wrong. We want to rise and be something.

Yesterday I spent some time with TearFund discussing many things but mainly the plight of those under the threat of ISIS. We were sharing stories of people who are the epitome of a Living Sacrifice.
Before the meeting I read an email from our worker in the Middle East who has a hidden church 500m from a very dangerous place. We cannot promote him and as a result he doesn’t receive much compared to others, but we do our utmost to support. He wrote this, “…still talking about Jesus and sharing with new people about His saving love, the last person I spoke with about Jesus was yesterday.” He is a living sacrifice. He is a surrendered man. He has poured his life on the ground for God. Spending time with this man you realise how rich he is, but not the riches of this world, a richness that is not of this life.

I have just got off from a Skype call to a missionary and a church pastor. The missionary could today be earning lots of money and have what everyone else has in her generation. The pastor she works for has a church in a slum and he feeds the poor every day. My world is split into 2 parts: I spend part of it overseas and though there are equal examples of corruption and politics to be found in the church in various places, I gravitate towards those who are on the ground and I love sitting with them for awhile, learning from them no matter whether it was God, evil, man or themselves that caused the falling how do they live and serve a surrendered life. The second part I live with those who are standing tall, reaching for the heights, being somebody big or trying to be. I live in a culture that doesn’t do ground work. Everyone wants to richer, bigger, stronger, taller. But I am a better man with the broken.

I am off to vote now.

Acts 9:4
“He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

God has to position people in order to speak to them. If people don’t go to the ground willingly, God can make sure it happens. One day every knee will bow.
Don’t wait for Him to knock you to the ground, get on your knees right now.

Acts 3:9
“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.”

Thank God for His suddenlies! When we least expect Him. When it looks like it is over. When the enemy is pressing in. Suddenly!
God can apprehend the vile, the wicked, the oppressor. He can interrupt anything. A nation goes out to vote and then suddenly! Yes it is possible. Do not say God cannot come suddenly. For He can and He will. He is coming suddenly and it could be today.
Whatever you go through factor in the possibility of suddenly. Don’t be so sure.

Acts 9:2
“He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”

This high priest is Caiaphas who was ruling during the trial of Jesus. He also charged Peter and John and charged them not to spread the gospel. So with Saul coming for permission to go after the followers of Jesus there was only going to be one answer. Saul would eradicate Damascus from these Christians. It didn’t matter who they were, male or female, they would be taken off the streets.
Of course, his scheme didn’t work.
It is hard to stop the way. The way is more than a direction or a sign post. It is more than a road. The way is more than a movement. The way is Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. Try and stop those who belong to the Way and the Way will continue being the way.

Acts 9:1
“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.”

Whilst Samaria was in revival and the Ethiopian was being baptised, Saul was causing trouble.
Whilst Philip was evangelising everywhere he went, Saul was trying to destroy the Church.
Yesterday on social media many posted of what God had done in their services that day. Whilst at the same time in other places of the world Christians flee from their homes, Church buildings are being burnt and further threats to those who witness we being made.
Should we assume that God is in one place but not the other? No.
Should we be careful not to be too happy in one place out of respect for the other? No.
Should we judge one place more shallow than the other? No.
You see, meanwhile is just how life is and how God works.
God is working the story of this world.
In one place it is good, meanwhile in another place it is bad. However, God is in control of both. He is working His story on the earth. We will one day look back and see how He wove it altogether.
So what do we do? We rejoice with them that rejoice and we mourn with them that mourn. We realise that whatever is taking place we cannot generalise and say this is what is happening all over the world nor should it, for in the meanwhile, God may be doing something very different and maybe allowing something very shocking to take place as the chapters of this amazing life are being written.

DoActs 8: 40
“Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.”

Philip went to all the towns. Would it be possible that every village, town and city in your nation receive the gospel of Jesus again? You may have a great Church and enjoy the services but today look into the next ‘field’, is the gospel preached there? If not you should do what Philip did.
Plot your nation, region and area, decide your destination and between here and there do what Philip did. You may be at work, leisure or at home but in all these places do what Philip did.
The Spirit took Philip to Azotus and you are where He has placed you and it is for a reason, to do what Philip did.
There will come a day when you will reach the end of your story as Philip reached Caesarea and when you look back will you have regrets? Will you wish you had gone? Not if right now you decide to do what Philip did.