Show notes
Eternity is impacted by your decisions in this worldUse circumstances to impact eternityWorldly circumstances do not dictate or indicate eternal destiny! But worldly circumstances CAN be used to change our eternal destiny.—Act 9th hour was Jews have three times of prayer nine, noon, and three. These are the times that Daniel prayed in the Old Testament when his adversaries caught him and got him sent to the lion’s den…Peter and John are going to worship at a place dedicated to the worship of God but managed and controlled by people who dishonored God. Why? Why not start their own synagogue? Establish their own temple? They did not go to the temple of Diana or Zeus or Molech… They were not about earthly organizations and structures but about honoring God and making disciples. When rejected at the place built to honor God they did go to private residences…They use the worldly circumstances to the best of their ability to accomplish their eternal task – make disciples.—Act This was not an injury that would be could be healed over time. It was something the man was born with.Alms are a way for men to acknowledge the value of everyone God has created. We should be acknowledging their inherent value in this act, not lifting ourselves up.Alms should be for those who are in need not those that can provide for themselves. He who will not work will not eat—Act Act Act Act One of the questions I find useful to ask myself throughout life but especially when reading God‘s Word - How is this impacting eternity?Think of this man’s life - he just lays around all day, other people carry him where he needs to go, other people give him money for his needs…Think about what the life goal of many people is in this world… To have nothing to do, sit around all day, have other people meeting your needs, no responsibilities… This is the worldview of “retirement“ or the idyllic life. NOT!This man had no freedom, he was totally reliant on others and was unable to improve his own situation very much.Getting healed gave him the freedom to be the master of his own “destiny” and yet, did it change his eternal destiny?He goes from being totally dependent on others in a very demeaned position to freedom to take control of his temporal life and yet his eternal destiny has not changed.—Act Act Act Act —This man’s physical circumstances changed dramatically in this story yet the big story was when he gave glory to God! That is an indication that his ETERNAL circumstances have changed!Our temporal circumstances do not limit or control our eternal destiny. Our temporal circumstances should point us to the ultimate eternal solution – a full commitment to a lifelong relationship with God that will take us into eternity as an adopted child of His!

