30 Days to Acts: A Devotional Commentary

The book of Acts is exciting and a bit intimidating. One cannot help but be thrilled at the miraculous events, the bold witness and the explosive growth that is written about in Acts. But it can be intimidating to read of faith that seems so much deeper and witness that seems so much bolder than what one sees in the life of the average church and Christian today. Rather than intimidation from the book, I want to suggest that we desire imitation of the book. Let’s ask the Lord to help us to learn all we can from this great book of the Bible so that we can discover the same passion and power that we see in the early church. Let’s ask the Lord to make us bold and to fill us with faith and to use us in pow- erful ways. Let’s follow the example of Spirit-filled men like Peter, Paul and Barnabas. Let’s ask the Lord to give our churches life like the church at Antioch or discern- ment like the church at Berea. The Lord gives us the book of Acts as an example of what our lives and churches can be like when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and walking by faith. Let me suggest some things in connection with reading 30 Days to Acts. First, read it with someone else, or better yet, with a group of people. Reading it with a Bible study group or a Sunday School class or others will help you get the most out of it. As you discuss together what God is teaching you, there will be mutual benefit and encouragement. Perhaps your entire church could go through these 30 days together. Second, read the verses for the day before reading the devotional words that follow. Read the verses carefully and prayerfully and allow those words to sink into your soul. Then read the focal verse and the devotional words that follow. Also, read one chapter per day. Perhaps the “30 Days” part of the title already clued you in to that idea. Instead of reading through the entire book, read a chapter each day. This will help you to develop the healthy pattern of a daily devotional time and it will allow the words of each day to sink in a bit. I am praying for you. I am praying that every person who reads 30 Days to Acts will experience the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit in his or her own life. As you read this book, I am praying God will open your heart to what he wants to do in your life and through your life. I’m praying that reading this book will awaken a hunger in your heart for God to work in your life as he did in the lives of the men and women of the early church. Ask him to guide you on this journey and to do something so great in your heart that you know it is from him. I pray God blesses the next 30 days of your life in a special way! One more thing . . . This book is part of a larger series of books that is being developed by Seed Publishing Group; it is called 30 Days to the Bible. Each year, several new books will be added to this series until all the books of the Bible have been covered. Renowned scholars and pastors from around the country will be writing books for this exciting, new series. So, if you like 30 Days to Acts, keep your eyes open for the next books in the series: 30 Days to Genesis, 30 Days to James, 30 Days to the Parables, 30 Days to John, and 30 Days to Colossians! Finally, Seed Publishing Group is an indie publisher committed to bringing great resources to both individual Christians and the local church (please visit them at www. seed-publishing-group.com). As part of that commitment, they are partners with The Pillar Network for church planting (www.thepillarnetwork.com). $1 from each sale of 30 Days to Acts goes directly to church plants throughout North America. Thank you for purchasing 30 Days to Acts, and thank you for investing in church planting!