Praise God, there is only one God! There is not one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles, but ONE LORD overall! Reflect on that truth today…

"Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands. But the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles" (Acts 14:3-4). In the absence of explicit verses like Proverbs 1:1-6 and John 20:31, determining the specific reason a book of the Bible was written is just like watching a movie—we must constantly try to determine the meaning of each and every individual scene in the context of the entire movie. In my experience, the most unusual verses often provide the key for unlocking the purpose of whole books. In the book of Acts, Luke is incredibly careful in his use of the title "apostle." The word appears 28 times in Acts and is used exclusively of the Twelve with the exception of Acts 14 (vv. 4, 14). Luke not only calls Paul and Barnabas "apostles," but even describes their miraculous ministry in a manner used exclusively of the other apostles (i.e., "signs and wonders done by their hands," 5:12). Why is it such a big deal for Luke to identify Paul and Barnabas as apostles? Because Luke wants to demonstrate that the mission AND the message to the Gentiles is firmly rooted in apostolic (divine) authority. Acts in not a story about the birth of two separate religions, Messianic Judaism and Gentile Christianity. Rather, it is the story of how one gospel, one baptism, and one faith in one LORD was preached first in Jerusalem and started spreading to the remotest parts of the earth (Acts 1:8)! "There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph 4:4-6).

Be blessed today, my friend!