David CM Bell Leadership Blog

  Acts 5:17-42            God loves you! He wants each of us to know Him personally and to have the good life through Him (John 14:6). And He assigns us the task of helping people know the Father through Him. Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him will do the same works he has done (physical and spiritual) and even greater works (John 14:12). Exciting stuff!          The apostles knew this. They knew the power of the resurrection and the message they had to preach and teach. And so they did. Nothing could stop them. Not imprisonment. Not organized religion. And not the government.                     Of course, opposition came. It always does. When we preach a message of life and reconciliation with God, we will face all sorts of jealousy, anger, and hostility. That’s just a fact.       ...

  Acts 5:11-16            We’re scared today. Feeble. But unlike the Acts church, we have great fear for the wrong reasons. Instead of the awe of God gripping us, we are ashamed to be servants of Christ. We pretend and deceive ourselves – and we waste time and boatloads of money on useless man-made programs.          Peter and John and the believers who saw the risen Jesus were bold and courageous. They asked God to give them great boldness in preaching His word (4:29). And they asked God to stretch out his hand with healing power for miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Holy Jesus. And God answered that prayer. The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. People will come to the Lord if we act with courage and boldness. Jesus will still cure any sickness or evil spirit-possessed person today. He’s Almighty God. He never changes or casts a s...

  Acts 5:1-10          We need to be honest with ourselves. We are sinners. We need God, here and now, and for eternity. He’s our only way out of this mess. It was always His plan to rescue mankind. And at just the right time, he did.          But do we trust Him? Is eternity our home? Or is our heart divided? Are we really trusting in ourselves and our earthly stuff? Have we let Satan fill our hearts?          Satan plays for keeps. He fights for our souls. He does not want you or me with the Almighty for eternity. The responsibility is ours alone. I can’t make your decision, and you can’t make mine. Like Ananias, we can choose to let Satan fill our hearts (v. 3). Let us be completely honest with the Holy Spirit. He’s God. Give him complete control. Let me turn, Lord Jesus, from my wicked ways. Let us stop lying and deceiving. May Satan ...

  Acts 4          This is an exciting chapter. It's an exciting time in the church. Growth from 120 believers to 5,000 in a short period. Wow! Every Christian knows this chapter well. But it is something we need to remind ourselves of often. God is still in the same business. He's chasing after us, drawing us back to Him. He loves you more than you ever know, and He seeks the best for you daily. Today. He will prune away the crap in our lives and discipline us. We need discipline. In fact, the older I get, the more I'm convinced Christ-followers should not just endure discipline; we should love it. That's a pretty weird statement. But it's true. God is our Heavenly Father, the giver of all good things. It's interesting. God puts interests, disciplines, and capabilities before us at various life stages. It may make no sense why God wants you to learn a skill or a language or to gain some empathy in a specific area. Or why he...

  Acts 3:1          Notice here that Peter and John were together. That’s a mark of the Jesus way, together. We don’t see lone wolf preaching sensations, televangelists, or missionaries. Jesus sent out in teams of two. At least two. This teamwork principle was drilled into his men during his ministry. So often now we are alone in our work. This modern-day practice must stop. Man was not made to live, work, or minister alone. We are part of a body – and we must act like it. That means going together, serving, leading, celebrating, mourning, and following Jesus together. We are each unique. And we have special roles and functions. But when you see a one-man band playing, no matter how he looks or sounds, know that God’s alarm bells are ringing and dysfunction is close at hand.          Notice, too, that Peter and John were attending an afternoon prayer service. When was the last time we...

  Acts 2:42-47 The Acts church is the real church. The exciting church. The joyous church. The Acts church is characterized by unity of purpose. Not uniformity – we don't all look the same way, come from the same backgrounds, have the same tastes, or have the same abilities. We are unified in declaring the goodness of God and His plan revealed in Jesus Christ. It's tempting to become a club, but the church is much more, and it's much more than a group of so-called good people superior to the local sinners. The Acts church is known for its love, generosity, humility, and kindness. Is that how our neighbors see us? I hope so! The first church saw believers devoted to the apostles' teaching. That's what Christians do.   We listen and understand and hold fast to the teaching of Jesus and His apostles. We are God's people – we should be unique in this way: the whole community is focused on the apostles' teachings. Yet somehow, much of the modern church...

  Acts 2:14-41            Everything of lasting value is built on a firm foundation. The solid foundation of God’s people is Jesus Christ. He was a carpenter’s son. Yet He is the Master Builder. A master builder gets excellent materials and uses them to their full potential. No one else sees the value of the raw materials until the product is finished. That’s how it was with the early Church. The world saw backwater hicks; they were simple, poor Galileans. God saw Peter the Rock, the mighty Apostles, godly solid women, Jesus’ beloved mom, and Jesus’ loyal brothers. A small group of about 120 believers. From this, Jesus built his Church. And He will continue to grow it until the great and glorious Day of the Lord’s return (2 Peter 3). From day one, God’s people talked about the wonderful things God has done. Let’s continue that example today! God’s promise is this: if we repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Chris...

  Acts 2:1-13            Jesus told his disciples that it would be better for them if He went to the Father. He promised the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. In John 20:22, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on his disciples. They had His anointing authority breathed on them.          And yet He, the Giver of all good things, promised to baptize (i.e., drench) them with the Holy Spirit. And they didn’t have to wait long. Just ten days after Jesus was taken up into a cloud was the day of Pentecost, the baptizing in the Holy Spirit.          Oh God, drench us today in you. Thank you for the unique gifts you give the saints. Show your power, Lord Jesus. Show us that we are your very own people. And remind us of our responsibility to teach and encourage believers that your grace has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people (whether Canadians, Egyptian...

  Acts 1:24-26          The responsibility for Judas’ actions was on Judas. He had a privileged position as an apostle of Jesus Christ. My guess is he was incredibly talented, committed, and capable. Yet he had a fatal flaw. He lacked faith in Jesus Christ. He had no patience. He could not wait on God’s timing and God’s justice. And he threw his life away. And Matthias received the blessing of being an apostle and living a life filled with light and joy. Here are a couple of thoughts on this. First, while God knew what deceit would come into Judas’ heart, he did not cause it, nor was God responsible for Judas’ sin. It was Judas who deserted his Master and his brothers in Christ. Peter confirms that Judas has gone where he belongs. Presumably, hell. Sad, tragic, but true. And just. Let that be a lesson to each of us. Do not drift away. Do not shipwreck your faith. Each of us is accountable to Jesus Christ on the Day of judg...