The Book of Acts

I got up early this morning to read before I go to the hospital to have prayer with a member before their surgery, so I haven't had a cup of coffee yet.  I'm hoping to make up for it before the day is over.  I read in the Book of Acts this morning.  I got ten chapters in and I will finish up tonight like I read ten chapters of Acts last night.  Today I will finish up Acts and get into the first few chapters of Romans.  The Acts of the Apostles could be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit.  It is the record of God using the church to reach the world with the Gospel.  The Great Commission is given in Acts 1:8, and yet the disciples continue to linger around Jerusalem.  The Gospel is spread throughout the city and in the first year or so, there is over 100,000 believers and still they have no church building, but they assemble regularly, in fact, daily!  In chapter 4 we have persecution that gets them to spread out to Judaea, and persecution in chapter 8 causes them to spread out to Samaria.  You see if the early church had never had persecution, they would never had spread the Gospel throughout the world.  In chapter 8 it says that they "which were scattered, went everywhere preaching the Gospel".  The Apostles stayed in Jerusalem but the people went everywhere preaching.  Finally in chapter 10, the first Gentile gets saved, and that because the Gentile goes and searches out Peter and has him come to his house to hear "words he needs to hear" (the Gospel).  As soon as Cornelius hears these "words", he gets saved and everyone who hears those precious words.  Sometimes we forget that the Gospel is still "the power of God unto Salvation to all who believe."  Last evening, I went out Soul-Winning and a grown man bowed his head and prayed, trusting Christ as His Savior.  The Gospel still has the power to win people to Christ.  In Chapter 11 of Acts, they were first called "Christians".  This was a name given those who followed Christ.  I hope someone thinks of me as that today.  "Christian" means "little Christ", or "imitator of Christ".  I hope I look enough like the Savior that people think I'm acting like Jesus Christ today.  Well, I'm off to the Hospital.  Have a great day and see you tomorrow with a cup of coffee (hopefully) in my hand.  May God bless!!   Pastor Mike Mutchler

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