ACTS 6: 8-10 Stephen - Full of Grace & Power

 

ACTS 6:8-10

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people....

Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.

But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

Acts 6:8-10 ESV

As believers, we have the ability to be full of grace and power, do great wonders & signs.

Now this may not be our experiences to date but as we read our Bibles, study the Word, and listen to the Holy Spirit...we should not be surprised at what God will do through us.

Along with this grace will often come resistance. People will want to rise up and dispute God and biblical truth.

We may find resistance within our own household, family, with neighbors or co-workers.

As we remain in His love, God will give us humility and wisdom in our daily experiences.

The "Fruits of the Spirit" are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Godliness, and Self-Control....the Bible says, against such things there is no law.

As we bare witness wrapped in "Fruits" often a door will open for meaningful conversation.

If we are to WAJD, let us remember how Jesus loved, spoke, and carried himself among all the people he interacted with. They were amazed at his wisdom and kindness. 

Acts 5:38-41

 ACTS 5 Feb 24, 2026

God’s will be done

Gamaliel:

“So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭38‬-‭41‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“If any undertaking is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it!”

Thy will be done on earth…

Teaching & Preaching all around the world! 

The Gifts of the Spirit, all around the world!

The Fruits of the Spirit, all around the world!

 And in Charlotte area!

If we are to WAJD we need to understand that God has a sovereign will that we cannot know unless the Holy Spirit brings revelation. However, we can know God’s moral will by studying the scriptures. God cannot lie while he loves us beyond our ability to understand…we can Trust Him! Let’s never grow weary in knowing (obeying) Him.

FEB 11, 2026 ACTS 4

ACTS 4:18-20ESV

Don't talk about God, Sex, or Politics is a common statement today in families and at work...unless of course it is sanctioned by families or work i.e. DEI

"So, they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."

Yes, we need to have wisdom at work, but we must not be ashamed of our Lord and the reason why we believe as we do.

Holy Spirit, give us wisdom at work and with our families, friends, and neighbors..

(I shared with my wife Cheryl's mom for 30 years, receiving some regular pushback, but she gave her heart to the Lord at 93 years old and passed at 93.)

If we are to Walk As Jesus Did, we need to prayerfully be ready "in season and out".

Looking for small opportunities to build relationships and trust, so as to be heard.

• There are one-time divine appointments, where we share and may never see the person again.
• There are long-term situations where friendships develop and faith topics come up.
• There are missions and evangelistic efforts for mass Gospel sharing.

We need to be available, willing, selfless enough to share even when that pause of hesitation hits. Think of the courage of the person who loved you enough to share Jesus with you. Father, we thank you for them!

ACTS 3: Healing

 ACTS 3

“And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This man was “daily” at the temple gate. It seems that Peter & John likely walked by this lame man often…but this time was different!

Let’s look a fresh (be open) for daily opportunities in our routine of life.

“And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV

HEALING - By faith in his Name, perfect health. Jesus healed all that came to Him… it was (is) His will.

Great question and observation. This is an awesome example of how the Godhead works. Jesus used his authority on earth, and then in leaving he assured us that the Father would send us the Holy Spirit to be with us until his return as King. So we have the same authority of the 72 via the Holy Spirit and the Name! 

If we are to Walk As Jesus Did we need to be aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in our lives. Also our daily routine can be an opportunity just waiting for us to move with God. Focus and Expectation.

 ACTS 2

“both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Perhaps, we should declare the mighty works of God in our experience?

 What would the Apostles be saying?

 What would we?

If we are to Walk as Jesus Did, we should be ready to share the great works of God (verbally and with our actions and disposition). 

Write out a brief testimony to capture how you came to know Jesus.

Happy 2026: W.A.J.D.

 It’s February 5, 2026

We’re going to look into Acts, the whole book depicting the early church. 

We will cover a few topics, please feel free to add your thoughts as well.

ACTS 1

“And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

…..

If we are to Walk As Jesus Did, this baptism of the Holy Spirit is vital. The person of the Spirit has been given to us from the Father as an answer to Jesus’s prayer in John’s gospel. The Spirit is with (in) us in the absence of Jesus’s physical presence…until He returns (we are not left orphans). Thank you Father.

New 2023 Post - Wow! Time waits for no one...

 Hey All!

I am going to start up once again...so much has changed since this blog was current.

Since Jesus is unchanging, we have a living denominator to reference...

Please join me on this journey, your input is most important: Advocacy & Inquiry

Welcome Back: 7 Year Reunion since last WAJD blogpost

Hello All,
Well, I'd like to get this blog up and running again as a means to exhort, train, comfort, and receive all that Father God has for us while we abide in Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
While we grow in our knowledge and understanding of our Lord and our calling here on earth.
I can't wait to hear how we have WAJD these last 7 years. Actually, it would be most enlightening for each of us to reflect back and record some key events between 2008-2015. No you don't have to share unless you want to...but do talk it over with loved one's etc. A 7 year window is intriguing, don't you think?
So, if we are to WAJD, we should have intentionality in all that we do...to bring God glory.

WAJD: Alive and Well April 7th, 2008

Well, we are back at it again. The new laptop and some new friends (in Charlotte, NC) will help us to grow this blog. Please consider commenting on the devotions and thoughts on this site...we would love to get into dialog with you and to help all explore the walk of the Lord and Savior of all mankind - Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Savior of all people even of those who believe. The GIFT is available to all who would come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord.

I was asked once, "What are you waiting for?? Move away from the steering wheel of your life and let me (Jesus) drive. You must yield to me (Jesus) and believe in me, and I will truely give you an abundance of life and give you the reason to live (that you are seeking)."

So, I ask you, "What are you waiting for?" Nothing else satisfies, you know it - you have tried all of the other things and are still coming up empty. What do you have to loose except your very life??

If you have a thousand questions and reasons why not, then try to get them answered right here on this blog site...I will try the best I can to help you find yourself in God.

If we are to WAJD then we must 1st get to know Him and His walk.

March 7th: Temptation - Good, Bad ? Mark 1:12

"At once the Spirit sent him (Jesus) into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him." Mk 1:12

Being tempted (the state-of being tempted)...40 days of being tempted...that's a lot of temptation.

Question: Does a day-go-by when you (we) are NOT tempted? .......

Temptation can lead to certain effects:
(1) We just constantly live in sin without really thinking about it. (Constantly falling to temptation);
(2) We "know of" the temptation but fall to it on most occasions;
(3) We are very aware of the "devil's schemes" and fight his temptations (using the Word of God . We take temptations, rise above them, stand on the whole truth of God's Word, and live & proclaim a victorious life in Christ...no not perfection but victorious in Godly character because we have faced inner testing and continue to Stand-On-The-Rock!!.

Today, if we are to WAJD, we must follow Jesus's example and face-up to our temptation with the whole Word of Truth and break down the stronghold's that can cause us to be weak and feeble in the midst of the battle. (While angels attend to us.)

Feb 13th -- John Baptizes Jesus, Mark 1:9-11

"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan".

What time is it in my life? There are no surprises in God's time. We are where we are. Now, the Lord can redeem what the locust(enemy) has stolen. Regret is one of the major weapons (lies) of the enemy of our souls. However, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In God, our armour may be damaged, or tarnished....but we come back to the camp and God covers us, while He takes hold of our armour, restores it, and then we can put it back on...we put on the full armour of God so that we can take our stand against the devil's schemes.

There is a song: "You are a mighty warrior dressed in armour of light, crushing the deeds of darkness - lead us on in the fight, through the blood of Jesus victorious we stand; we place you at the highest place above all else in this land...you are exalted Lord above all else, we place you at the highest place above all else...."

Sometimes all we can "see" is what's right in front of our nose; while there is a spiritual battle going on in the heavenlies and we (know it not).

If we are to Walk As Jesus Did, then we must have eyes that see and ears that hear and watch and pray....to "see" what is really going on at-the-moment...because this is the time, now is the time, the time is now for us to get engaged in what God is wanting to do in us and through us.

We can stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around our waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, we can take up the shield of faith, with which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. We can take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. And with this in mind, we must be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Eph 6:14)

At this time....watch, seek, pray, listen, believe, and obey....

Jan 23rd -- Mark - Presenting the Person, Work, and Teachings of Christ

Wow! Mark will be a great study to help us to WAJD. Mark gained most of his knowledge while accompanying the Apostle Paul on his missionary journey. What a study opportunity (for Mark) to hang-with Paul. Most believe that Mark is the earliest written Gospel (around 55AD). Very recent findings are supposing that the real date may be even closer to 40AD.

Key Point: Jesus "Son of Man" and "Son of God"
Jesus - The example of "Servanthood"

If we are to WAJD then we must surely have a Servants Heart, and therefore a Servants Attitude, and therefore Servant Actions.....a servant is selfless, humble, and available to serve....and in Jesus sake...to even die.

Oh boy...dieing? Dieing to self is hard. But if we don't, we are already dead (Faith without works is _______).

In Mark, Jesus is clearly a man of power and action, not just words. Jesus did miracles to convince the people who he was and to teach the disciples his true identity as God.

Blogger's please share your thoughts on Mark and what you would desire to get out of this Book of the Gospel.

Jan 1st: Happy New Year!

Hello all!

Yes, it has been quite awhile. Just checking-in to see if anyone is interested in continuing our study of God's word together, keeping in touch, and Walking as Jesus Did?

We are finally moved-in and getting settled. I would love to know how everyone is doing. We had a wonderful visit from our friends (family) in Ontario. The Price's and Olson's vistited over the break and it was great fun!

Let's talk about this New Year and your expectations, and then we will look at the Book of Mark.

Love,

bpc

May 28th -- "The Day of the Lord" 2 Peter 3:1-2

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to RECALL the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

The word of the Prophets & the Command given by our Lord and Savior through your Apostles.

Sounds to me like we are encouraged to RECALL. How can we recall if we have not heard, through study?? "...but it is enough for me to go to church most Sunday's and gain my knowledge from a 35 minute sermon." "Besides, I am way too busy to "study", to read, and to meditate on the Word of God."

But...if we do not know the Word then how will we stand up to the "scoffers" that will come in these last days?

vs. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, BE ON YOUR GUARD so that you may not be carried away by the ERROR of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If we are to WAJD then we must grow in grace (and knowledge)..

How do we grow in grace?? Does anyone have an idea?

April 23rd -- "God To The Rescue" 2Peter 2: 7-9

"Oh Lord, I don't know what I'm going to do? I am surrounded by evil everywhere, and I am losing hope. I am worn down and tired; I arrive home from work/school/college exhausted, almost every day; Sin seems to be getting the better of me."

Has this ever been your prayer?

Lot, a righteous man, was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) -- if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteousness for the day of judgement, while continuing their punishment. 2Peter 2:7-9

Lord knew--Lord knows; Lord cared--Lord cares; Lord did--Lord does... today!

If we are to WAJD then we must trust Him to be true to His promises, His wonder, His work...and continue to work-out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Well, it has been a while (thanks for your testimony). After this past Easter Celebration I hope we are all ready, encouraged, excited, and expectent during this next season of life & ministry. Walk in the POWER of the resurrection today!!

March 22nd -- We have an Eyewitness Report: 2 Peter 1:16-21

There are many today that say they can only believe what they can see. I usually ask them to consider LOVE. You can't really see love, you can see love's effects; but you can't see love...yet you believe in love. And if you can believe in love then you can believe in God, because God is love.

A court of law weighs very heavily the testimony of an expert witness. The word of an eyewitness is very convincing. Police officers take eyewitness accounts when they "investigate" accidents or conflicts. Safety managers do the same when they investigate industrial accidents. Television news departments try to get reporters on the scene of a current event or news worthy story. They even put reporters in "harms-way" to witness global conflict or horrifying storms.

Likewise Peter was an eyewitness of the majastey of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter heard the voice of heaven say, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Peter heard this voice that came from heaven when he was with (Jesus) on the sacred mountain.
We also have the word of the prophets made more certain.
Prophets who spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

...And, believers in Christ, also have a "witness" in their hearts that Jesus is the Saviour of mankind, to those who believe in the One who was sent.

Yes, there is a "light" shining in a dark place...

If we believe in eyewitness testimony, the word of the prophets, the truth of the Holy Spirit, and trust in the witness in our own heart -- then we must WALK AS JESUS DID!

Do I have a witness?? Let me hear it, what is the testimony of your heart...
Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth -- so help you, God?

March 12th The Welcome Sign is Out! 2Peter 1:10 - 15

For those of us who have traveled a little; you can relate with me, when you've been on the road for a long time: You're tired, hungry, and empty -- you pull into a town (where you have no advanced reservations) and all you see is that depressing sign -- "NO VACANCY". The business meetings were exhausting or the kids are restless (and all they want is a hotel with a pool, right?) All, you want is a bed & pillow, yet...NO VACANCY.

...and then you see it in the distance; VACANCY - WELCOME! Yes! Finally, we have arrived.

vs. 11 "...and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Please, let this settle-in for a moment. Let the Spirit of God resound this in your inner being, to the depths of your soul...

WELCOME!.....

.........................................................

Welcome, I've been waiting for you, I've been expecting you....rest, peace, joy.

"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome..."

Peter states in vs.12 that this is so important, that we remember these things, even though we are firmly established in truth...

"So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things."

Wow, what a commitment, what a love, what a concern, what a legacy! This is obviously very important to Peter (and to God). This is our life blood, our foundation, our rock...to be reminded of our "divine power" vs. 3; of "His glory and goodness" vs. 3; of "escaping corruption" vs. 4; of "adding to our faith" vs. 5; of "truth" vs. 12

Remember these things; Remember these things; Remember these things
Refresh your memory; Refresh your memory; Refresh your memory

Share this Refreshing with your family, your friends, your brothers & sisters in Christ.

Again, stop for a moment (or longer) and Refresh your memory, remember, reflect, repent, and rejoice!

Welcome!

Feb 25th: Cure for the nearsighted and the blind 2 Peter 1:5-9

Well, I must admit, the time has finally come for me to venture into the land of "bifocals". While I have prayed for my eyes regularly, I must yield to science and God's provision via corrective lenses...I am at the point where I can't read my own blog. What a drag! I will still keep seeking the Lord to heal my eyes though.

Have you ever stopped to think how people functioned years ago before the eyeglass was invented? (...thanks Benjamin Franklin). They must have needed to depend on each other much more for everyday things. We so take our eyesight (corrected eyesight) for granted these days.

While our Lord brought eyesight to the blind (physically), He also cured (cures) a lot of our blindness. While I need to take the effort to go to the eye doctor and get an examination, and have lenses made and fitted to the frames...the Apostle Peter says I must also make every effort to add to my faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self control; and to self control, perseverence; and to perseverence, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

Faith-->Goodness-->Knowledge-->Self-Control-->Perseverence-->Godliness-->Brotherly Kindness-->Love

If we do not have these, we have forgotten that we have been cleansed from our past sins...we are nearsighted and blind.

When we finally get corrective lenses we feel like a whole new world opens up to us, the edges of objects seem sharper, our depth perception improves, we see things we haven't seen before...well, when we add to (and walk in) the qualities of Jesus our Lord in increasing measure we again gain our Godly sight...we can see through God's eyes, we can pierce the darkness with our daily obedience.

If we are to WAJD, we need to add to our faith...
Let's start right now!

Feb 19th: Escaping the corruption in the world 2 Peter 1:3-4

As we continue our study of 1st & 2nd Peter we reflect on God's divine power.
During the "horse and buggy" days, a carriage was pulled by one horse and therefore was deemed a one horsepower carriage. Then the steam engine was developed and eventually the gasoline powered vehicle. Today the pony (motorcycle) is driven by a 100 horsepower engine. Can you imagine pulling a wagon with one hundred horses at once? Wow! That's power.

Well, how do we compare this to God's divine power??

How can we define God's power?? How would you tell someone about God's power??

You would probably talk about the creation of the world, or the human eye, or the beauty of the rose, or the color of a butterfly, toucan, or tiger, or maybe the roar of the ocean, or the landscape of the Rockies. As you move more into the spiritual realm you may talk about forgiveness over sin, God's grace, redemption, salvation....

Would you ever mention that you can now participate in the "Divine Nature of God"?

Yes, the Divine Nature of God!! Wow,Wow!

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

What is God's divine nature? Love, Mercy, Grace, Hope, Justice, Provision...

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself."

If there is something that we think we are lacking in God we need but ask because He has given us everything we need. We just need to know it!!

This divine power will also allow us to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Do you (I) have evil desires? Really, what are your (my) desires? Do you (I) pursue these in public or private? Is promotion an evil desire? How about pride? What about jealousy, self-righteousness, coveting?

Ask, "Lord, do I have any evil desires in my heart? Please show me these in prayer, through Your Word, via my Pastor, in circumstances, by Your Spirit."

Do you believe this Word of God? If we are to WAJD, then we must "desire" these things: to believe in God's divine power, His precious promises, His divine nature.

Feb 4th -- Where Does Our Faith/Grace/Peace Come From?? 2Peter 1:1-2

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ gives us the answer to this question. And it is very simple...

Through righteousness and knowledge! (Of our God and Savior(Lord) Jesus Christ!

Let's read - "To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

Who provides (provided) the righteousness?
Where does our knowledge come from?

You see, it is all His! Through God, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit comes righteousness and knowldege. He called us, showed us Himself, allows us to know Him more and more, and gives us a precious faith. Is there a better faith?

We need to have faith in many things as we live out our lives:

Faith that the food we eat for breakfast is pure, safe, and has been harvested/processed/packaged with our health in mind; Faith that the water we drink is pure enough to keep us from illness; Faith that our electricity will stay on all through the night so our alarm will function at the start of our day; Faith that the starter will turn our engine when we turn the key; Faith that our employer will actually pay us for our hard work at the end of the pay period; Faith that the "other" car will stop at the intersection red light; Faith that our children will be taught properly at school in preparation for their future: Faith that the pill we took for our headache was designed and manufactured with the proper chemicals and packaged in the proper container; Faith that the bank will keep our money on deposit...one thing we don't need faith for is that God will remain "faithfull", why?? Because He cannot lie.

God doesn't "just get us by", He desires for us to have abundance...Grace and Peace in abundance. How? Through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The more we know Him, the more grace and peace we have.

On this earth, Jesus knew His Father and therefore walked in confidence. If we are to WAJD then we must use our precious faith and listen to the Holy Spirit as we read God's Word to know Him better. As we learn of Him, our grace and peace grow abundantly.

Well, let's all grow in our knowledge together...