Monday 13 Jan 2014

Monday Reading: Acts 8:1-8

Key Verse: Acts 8:5
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

Devotion:
What would you do if there was a serial killer who was targeting people coming in and out of church in your area? Would you still go to church or would you stay at home? I know that is an unfair question and please don’t get upset with me for raising it, but it should make you stop and think about what Christ means to us. If truth be told, I would make other arrangements so that we could meet someone other than in the church building just to be safe!

Saul was creating havoc in the church at that time, sending many Christians to prison just because they were Christians and teaching about Christ. That is what Christ has called each of us to do, to go out and tell others about Him! That should not have to be faced by threats to our lives or to our safety; but that is exactly what was happening because of what Saul was doing. So what did Philip do? He went on down to the city and continued to preach all about Christ to them. Because of this attitude there were a lot of people who sat up and listened and many believed as well.

If we want to make ourselves heard then we should be coming forward and doing something different, not just pitching up and doing the same old thing over and over again, but making a difference so that people will stop and think. Being a Christian is not about obeying laws and following rules and regulations; that is the fruit of being a Christian, you want to follow laws and things given to us by Christ.

Being a Christian is all about your personal relationship with Christ. Philip wanted people to see that no matter what was going on in the world around him, they would always be able to see that he was a Christian because his relationship with Christ was going to be unaffected by what was going on. Too often we allow the things of the world to change us so that we can conform rather than standing up for the truth. All Christ wants us to be is open, honest, truthful and loving. Is it such a big ask?

Points to Ponder:
How do you see Christians?

Do you think Christ sees you as a Christian in your heart?