Acts 16-17 Logos: Divine Presence Animating the World?

November 19th, Acts 16-17

       A collection of great topics to ponder this morning…

• We have our ideas of what we want to do, God has his. Paul sought to do God's will. Acts 16:6-10
• Lydia was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart, Paul spoke the words. There are people around us for whom God is already at work. Some words of testimony from us can yield fruit. Acts 16:11-15
• Paul and Silas caste out a demon out of a slave that made money for the owners. "In this world you will have trouble." Just like Jesus promised!! Acts 16:16-19
• People will tell lies about you, people will exaggerate the truth to get you in trouble. People will think that when they are beating you, they are doing some public service. You could get thrown in jail for your missionary work.Acts 16:20-24
• Singing and praising while being imprisoned is the right thing to do. Guards and whole households get saved in the midst of the trials faced for living out faith. Blessings come in alternative ways. Christ alive in people has a higher value than my personal comfort in any moment. Acts 16:25-40
• Ministry brings life change which is followed by accusation. Pray for Lincoln Park where we minister. The dark side of Lincoln Park wants nothing to do with change. Drug dealers need their addicted clients. Acts 17:1-9
• Bereans praised for checking the apostles teaching to see if it measured up to scripture. Nice thoughts can be different from truth. Acts 17:10-15
• Athens: Hearing this story in Athens, is to hear how understanding the culture you are seeking to bring to Christ, using their language, their stories, their understanding of god, their poetry to proclaim the truth is a priority in helping people understand. Christians here think you're watering down the truth when you do that.  

          Do a little word search on Logos. The word used by John to write his gospel. Philosophers in the day of the gospels being written used this term to explain a "divine presence animating the universe."John is using a view of the world around him to explain that this divine animating presence became flesh and dwelt among us. Making a link between what they understand and a new thought that they should understand.

       Lots of story, God present in it all!!!