2015 Day 110 – Acts 12

20 Monday Apr 2015

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The early church experienced more in it’s early existence than we could ever expect in our lifetimes. Many people believe this is because God does not work the same as He once did. I believe the reality is that we do not work the same way believers did in the early church. By the end of the New Testament, the apostles would each suffer and either die a brutal death or live the remainder of their days in exile. They were willing to lay their faith on the line and sacrifice all they had to spread the good news of Christ. The disciples sacrificed greatly, and in turn, God acted greatly through each of their lives. Can you imagine Peter as he was being rescued from prison by an angel? What would it be like to see locked gates open (before electronics) and hardened guards unaware of what was happening before them? In Acts 12:11 we see Peter’s reaction, Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.” God is able to do mighty things and when we put ourselves in a position where God is the only way, He does not let us down.

2015 Day 109 – Grace

19 Sunday Apr 2015

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God’s Grace is something very few of us fully understand. Each of us understands it on at least a surface level, but it is impossible to truly grasp the Grace of God. Our gift of Grace comes from a place we could never comprehend, but we can be thankful for it as best as we are able. God’s Grace is perfect and without it we would have a finite existence, but with it we can face eternity knowing we will be in the presence of God. Grace_wordle

If you ever come across anything you’d like me to post on this blog, please feel free to contact me at dino.evangelista@gmail.com.

2015 Day 108 – Acts 11

18 Saturday Apr 2015

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One of my favorite things in today’s reading comes at the end of Acts 11:26 where it says The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. In our present day many believers shy away from the word “Christian” as a title for who we are. But when you look at the word, it is meant to mean “Christ-like”. When we shy away from what we were intended to be, which is to be a reflection of Christ and thus Christ-like, we fail to fulfill our calling. In the end, we are not trying to bring others to a place where they are more like us, but more like Christ. To be called a Christian does not make us better than anyone, it simply makes us forgiven and identifiable with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

2015 Day 107 – Acts 10

17 Friday Apr 2015

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In today’s reading we see the transition of Peter as a devout Jew who had followed The Law his entire life to someone who finally saw the heart of God when it comes to His entire creation. Acts 10:34-35, 34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. God does not discriminate. He loves everyone equally and wants all to come into a personal relationship with Him. While we show favoritism, God is able to see the beauty in everyone equally and loves us all the same. The other beautiful thing about our relationship with God is this: We are unable to do anything to make Him love us any more or less. God’s love is perfect.

2015 Day 106 – Acts 9

16 Thursday Apr 2015

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Today in Acts 9 we read about the conversion of Paul from one of the biggest persecutors of early believers, to one of the main authors of the New Testament. Paul’s main objective was to try to end the spread of the Christian church. But God had better plans for him. Paul’s conversion was miraculous, but is was also preordained. We must always remember that God’s plan is perfect. There is no exception to that rule. When things feel the most hopeless we must remember this is when God’s power is most visible. Look to God and trust Him to lead us through the toughest times in our lives and He will never let us down.

2015 Day 105 – Acts 8

15 Wednesday Apr 2015

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One of the things I love about the book of Acts is the fearless and bold work of the believers. No task is too small or too big for any of them because they know they have the power of God with them. One of the other things I love about this book is we see the beginnings of the spread of the good news. In Acts 8:35 it shows this as Philip shares with the Ethiopian, Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. Because of moments like these with foreigners like the Ethiopian, the good news started to spread to other parts of the world. It was because of boldness and trust in the will of God that the word spread. Let us be reminded daily of our responsibility as believers to be bold enough to share our faith in the good news of Jesus.

2015 Day 104 – Acts 7

14 Tuesday Apr 2015

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In today’s reading we learn about the martyrdom of Stephen. For the majority of the chapter Stephen spends time reminding the religious leaders of their history. He did not do this because he felt they lacked knowledge, but because he was setting up his main point; that throughout the Israelite’s history, they continuously rejected God regardless of the truth being giving to them on a continuous basis. Their rejection included most of their prophets, many of which prophesied about the coming of the Messiah. In Act 7:52 Stephen says to the religious leaders, Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him. When we blind ourselves to the truth we invite suffering and misdirection in our lives. Sometimes the truth is hard to accept, especially when it is not what we expected. But in the end our expectations matter very little. We must be open to God’s teaching in our lives and be willing to accept truth that sometimes is contrary to what we feel.

2015 Day 103 – Acts 6

13 Monday Apr 2015

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Today’s reading in Act 6 is a short one, but it is important for two reasons: 1) It introduces Stephen, who we will read more about tomorrow in chapter 7, and 2) it addresses one of the key responsibilities we should have as a body of believers, which is to take care of those in need. In this particular case we are talking about widows, but this applies in many areas. The “Church” is responsible for taking care of people in need, not government. When we wait for the government to step in and provide, we are allowing them to step into all areas of our lives. If the church spent less money on building physical “temples”, we could spend more time and money taking care of widows, single moms, the sick, and the elderly more effectively. I would rather see tithes and offerings going to those in need rather than into new spaces that are used only one or two days a week. I am not against building or buying space that fits the needs of safe and sheltered worship, just against edifices that resemble museum more than gathering places for humble believers who exhibit a hearts of servants.

2015 Day 102 – WillPower5k

12 Sunday Apr 2015

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Yesterday my wife, youngest daughter, and I had the privilege of participating in the WillPower5k here in Franklin, TN. We loved the race and we love being able to support this worthy cause. Here is a quick synopsis on Will’s story from his site:

“In 2012 while away at summer camp, 12 year old Franklin resident Will NeSmith suffered a spontaneous brain hemorrhage — an event that occurs in less than .001% of the population. Will spent 3 weeks in a coma and 2 months in the hospital — emerging only to learn that he would spend years rehabilitating his brain and body to relearn everything from walking to talking. He also discovered that the long term physical, occupational and speech therapy he needed would not be covered by his health insurance. Will founded the WillPower race to celebrate his survival, educate folks about stroke recovery and raise research money for Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) — the genetic condition that led to Will’s brain bleed. Learn more at www.CureHHT.org.”

Below is a short video of our morning:

If you ever come across anything you’d like me to post on this blog, please feel free to contact me at dino.evangelista@gmail.com.

2015 Day 101 – Acts 5

11 Saturday Apr 2015

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God never promised us that our lives as believers would be easy or without hardship and suffering. And the reality is the more we serve God faithfully, the more we open ourselves up for more persecution and potential ridicule for our views and beliefs. The apostles counted it a blessing to be flogged for their faith in Acts 5:41, The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. May we all strive to be counted worthy for our faith and obedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.