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One Action

Sun, Nov 15, 2009

Devotional

One action changes everything.  Don’t believe me?  Just read Acts 18:24-26.

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately.” Acts 18:24,25

Can you picture Apollos?  He had such a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures that he could both recite verses and teach on their meanings.  Highly educated, he used history as well as current events to compare and contrast to Scripture.  He spoke with great fervor, drawing friends and bystanders alike in with his passionate words.  He didn’t misquote or teach for his own gain.  What a man.  There was just one problem:

he knew only the baptism of John.” Acts 18:25b

What he spoke was true and accurate, but it was only half the story.  The good news—the shocking, beautiful truth of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection—is so tremendous that I’m grieved to think that some only got to hear the okay news.  But here’s where the okay turns good again, and it all happened with one action:

When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.”  Acts 18:26

Invited.  Verb.  Explained.  Verb.  Okay, so in this case it’s two action steps, but you get the idea.  It would have been tragic for Apollos to keep preaching only the first half of the story.  Fortunately, countless people were able to hear the full gospel, all because someone invited him into their home.

Is there an action step you need to take today? 

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:17

This post was written by:Stacy

Stacy - has written 61 posts on "The Intersection"..

My dear husband says I’m feisty, quirky, and spunky. Some friends describe me as sensitive, caring and compassionate. Another friend laughs at my (frequent) cooking mishaps. My daughter thinks I’m a great tea-party companion and, currently, my infant son views me as the milk machine. And who do I say I am? Well, that’s tricky to answer. Definitely all of the above, but so much more. I’m a woman who desperately loves God. I try to follow His will and purposes for my life–sometimes I’m successful, yet many times I fail miserably. Sunsets refresh me and watching the ocean’s waves invigorates me as I view a dance my God orchestrated. Traveling allows me to view God’s distinct fingerprints. Running clears my mind and reading lets me journey to places my budget or time constraints would never accommodate. Being a freelance writer and public speaker is terrifying yet simultaneously immensely gratifying. For more information about me, see the "About Author" pages.

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