Reading your Bible for today October 18

October 18: Acts 5:12-16

KJV Key Verse: Acts 5:12
12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people;* (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

Devotion:
When we do separate ourselves from non-believers and from hypocrites; joining instead with other believers, we set ourselves as examples for others to show our relationship with Christ. The apostles did that. They made sure they stuck together, but they also separated themselves from non-believers. The people around held them up as examples of Christians and wanted to be more like them, so they too could be close to Christ. The apostles did not stop preaching to the unbelievers, nor did they hide themselves away; they chose to stay close to believers so that they could encourage and strengthen each other... that is the difference.

Our duty is to the church; we need to promote God’s church to others by leading by example. When others can see the peace that we gain by living with Christ in our lives, they too will be encouraged to find out about Him. When we are able to tell others of the blessings that God gives to us because of our relationship with Him, they too will be encouraged to form a relationship with Christ. We are here to promote the enlargement of Christ’s church, the body of believers that we belong to. We cannot forgive the sins that sinners do against God because that is not within our power – but we can sure show others that we have Christ who is willing and able to forgive us of our sins.

Our bibles are centre to our church. It is by God’s word we are able to understand how much He cares for us, how much He loves us, how faithful He is, how merciful He is and His endless grace. Through His words we are able to understand how we need to live as examples for others to be encouraged by. Through His words we are able to show others how He is willing to forgive them. We cannot do that forgiving, but we can show them how Christ will. He simply wants us to be true and faithful servants and He will show us His love when we do exactly that...

Points to Ponder:
What sort of people do you mix with?

How often do you mix with God?