Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

April 22
Tuesday


ACTS OF
KINDNESS

READ:
Acts 4:1-13
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By the name of
Jesus.... whom you
crucified, whom God
raised from the dead,
by Him this man stands
here before you whole.
__Acts 4:10
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I was traveling with some men when we spotted a family stranded alongside the road. My friends immediately pulled over to help. They got the car running, talked with the father and mother of the family, and gave them some money for gasoline. When the mother thanked them over and over, they replied, "We're glad to help out, and we do it in Jesus' name." As we drove away, I thought how natural it was for these friends to help people in need and acknowledge the Lord as the source of their generosity.

Peter and John exhibited that same joyful generosity when they healed a lame man who was begging outside the temple in Jerusalem (Acts 3:1-10). This led to their arrest and appearance before the authorities who asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" Peter replied, "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man... let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole" (Acts 4:7-10).

Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and a powerful context in which to genuinely speak to others about the Lord. __David McCasland

```````````````Lord, help me to love with both words and deeds,``````````````````
`````````````````To reach out to others and meet their needs;```````````````````
````````````````Lord, burden my heart for those lost in sin,``````````````````````
`````````With mercy and love that flows from within. __Fistzhugh`````````````````
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One act of kindness may teach more
about the love of God than many sermons.

*****************************Today's Bible Reading __ Acts 4:1-13*****************************

1 Now as they spoke to the
people, the priests, the
captain of the temple, and
the Sadducees came upon
them, 2 being greatly
disturbed that they taught
the people and preached in
Jesus the resurrection from
the dead. 3 And they laid
hands on them and put
them in custody until the
next day, for it was already
evening. 4 However, many
of those who heard the
word believed; and the
number of the men came to
be about five thousand.

5 And it came to pass, on
the next day, that their
rulers, elders, and scribes,

6 as well as Annas the high
priest, Caiaphas, John, and
Alexander, and as many as
were of the family of the
high priest, were gathered
together at Jerusalem. 7 And
when they had set them in
the midst, they asked, "By
what power or by what
name have you done this?"

8 Then Peter, filled with
the Holy Spirit, said to
them, "Rulers of the people
and elders of Israel: 9 If we
this day are judged for a
good deed done to a
helpless man, by what
means he has been made
well, 10 let it be known to
you all, and to all the
people of Israel, that by the
name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom you
crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, by Him this
man stands here before you
whole. 11 This is the 'stone
which was rejected by you
builders, which has become
the chief cornerstone.'

12 Nor is there salvation in
any other, for there is no
other name under heaven
given among men by which
we must be saved."

13 Now when they saw the
boldness of Peter and John,
and perceived that they
were uneducated and
untrained men, they
marveled. And they realized
that they had been with
Jesus.