Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 16:1-12.  Let’s go!

Acts 16:1-3 (NIV)
1  He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.
2  The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
3  Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

On verses 1-3: Lystra was the city where Paul experienced some of the worst persecution of his life.  He was stoned and almost killed in Lystra (Acts 14:19).  Yet Paul never gave up on Lystra and continued to reach and care for the believers there.  Eventually in Lystra Paul would meet Timothy, who would become one of his dearest sons in the faith and one of his most important teammates.  It goes to show that when you don’t give up on the place God has called you to, great things will happen eventually.  You just need to last long enough to see it.

Acts 16:4-12 (NIV)
4  As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
5  So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
6  Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7  When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8  So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage, Acts 15:13-29, is not the easiest passage in Acts to interpret, but there are some powerful lessons for those willing to dig deeper.  Let’s go!

Acts 15:13-18 (NIV)
13  When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me.
14  Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.
15  The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16  “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
17  that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’
18  that have been known for ages.

On verses 13-18:  James, the brother of Jesus and a leader in the church in Jerusalem, continues the discussion about whether Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians should be subject to the law of Moses including Jewish requirements like circumcision.  James acknowledges what Peter had just shared in verses 7 to 11, how Peter had personally seen God choosing Gentile Christians and giving them His Holy Spirit as much as He did Jewish Christians.  While Peter referred to his own personal experience to support the idea that God had chosen believers from among the Gentiles as well, James refers to Scripture, quoting Amos 9:11-12 and showing that there is Scriptural support for the same idea that God had chosen believers from among the Gentiles.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 14:13-28.  Let’s go!

Acts 14:13-17 (NIV)
13  The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
14  But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:
15  “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.
16  In the past, he let all nations go their own way.
17  Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

On verse 17:  When the people of Lystra try to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas thinking that they are reincarnations of their gods Hermes and Zeus, Paul and Barnabas tear their clothes to emphasize their humanity and urge them not to worship people but the living God whom they cannot see.  To persuade the crowd about God’s kindness and goodness to them, Paul and Barnabas point to evidence such as the rains that come, the crops they harvest, the food they eat and the joy that they have.

Hi GAMErs! 

Today’s passage is Acts 13:42-52.  Let’s go!

Acts 13:42-49 (NIV)
42  As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.
43  When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44  On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
45  When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.
46  Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
47  For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'”
48  When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49  The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.

On verses 42-49:  Still in Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas are invited to come back and speak at the synagogue there.  Practically the entire city shows up the next week to hear Paul and Barnabas preach.  Jealous of all the attention Paul and Barnabas are getting, the Jewish leaders slander Paul and try to oppose the arguments he is making.

Hi GAMErs! 

Today’s passage is Acts 13:13-25.  Let’s go!

Acts 13:13-15 (NIV)
13  From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.
14  From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.
15  After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.”

On verses 13-15:  Here John Mark decides to leave Paul and Barnabas and go back to Jerusalem, while Paul, Barnabas and the rest of their team continue a physically challenging and dangerous journey to Pisidian Antioch.  You can’t tell from Acts 13:13 that John’s decision to leave bothered Paul, but it did.  In fact, John’s decision to leave would become a point of contention between Barnabas and Paul later on (see Acts 15:37-38).

Dealing with the frustration of John Mark leaving in the back of his mind, Paul still gets up to speak a word of encouragement to the people in the synagogue, with the aim of pointing them to Jesus.