Not “kwai” (鬼) but “yen” (人)

S:  

Acts 16

O:

Acts 16 marks a significant step in the expanding reach of the Gospel. We see the Jewish Christian mindset evolving, realizing that God’s kingdom is not defined by ethnicity. Paul, though fully committed to salvation by grace through faith, still had Timothy circumcised—not for salvation, but to remove barriers to ministry among Jews.

The trajectory had already been set by Jesus, who welcomed the Roman centurion and the Syrophoenician woman. Then came the Great Commission, calling for all nations to be invited. Peter’s vision of the sheet of clean and unclean animals reinforced that no people were to be considered “unclean.” Paul and his team continued this mission, bringing the Gospel into Europe through the vision of the Macedonian man.

Jewish believers were not clinging to ethnic exclusivity—instead, they led the way in breaking down old barriers, even at great personal cost. In Philippi, Paul and Silas were imprisoned for casting a demon out of a Gentile slave girl, an act that disrupted the economic interests of her owners. Yet, despite persecution, Lydia (a wealthy businesswoman) and the Philippian jailer (a Roman official) both received Christ with their families—further proof that the Gospel was for all.

A:

Just as the early Jewish believers had to confront their biases, we must examine our own hearts. In our predominantly ethnic Chinese churches, do we subconsciously hold prejudices against other races? How often do we use words like malai-kwai or keleng-kwai? These terms dehumanise people created in God’s image.

The people we label as “kwai” (鬼 – ghost, demon) are not spirits but human beings (yen 人). If the early Jewish Christians had clung to their racial superiority, the Gospel might have remained confined to Israel. Instead, they followed Jesus’ example and welcomed all. Likewise, we must consciously reject racist attitudes and embrace all people as God’s beloved creation.

P: 

Search me, O God, and know my heart today,
Try me, O Saviour, know my thoughts, I pray;
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

Father, expose any prejudice hidden in my heart. Teach me to love as You love—to see all people, regardless of race, as worthy of dignity and salvation. May my words, actions, and attitudes reflect Your inclusive grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Note: I had ChatGPT edit the above meditation for clarity.

It takes time, but we need to keep growing.

S: Acts 15

O: A lot of Pharisees actually believed in Jesus. They were already primed to believe in Jesus because of their belief in the resurrection of the dead, unlike the Sadducees. Unfortunately, most of them, unlike Saul/Paul, did not then realise that they did not need those strict interpretations of the Mosaic Law any more, which is why they became the Judaisers who dogged Paul and the early church.

After a person gets saved, a lot of their ways of thinking do change, but not everything. People still retain their pre-Christian beliefs, and it takes time for the Holy Spirit to work through them.

Fortunately, the apostles and elders realised that they should not be imposing Mosaic Law on the new Gentile believers, and just asked them to observe a few basic rules that were seen as particularly important for maintaining fellowship between Jewish and Gentile believers.

The prohibitions on eating meat sacrificed to idols, consuming blood, and eating animals that had been strangled (which likely made the blood harder to drain) were likely aimed at maintaining harmony between Gentile and Jewish Christians. These practices were a significant part of Jewish dietary laws, and avoiding them helped prevent unnecessary friction between the two groups.

While these rules were important for the early church’s unity, especially given the cultural and religious differences between Jewish and Gentile believers, most theologians agree that they were not meant as permanent, universal injunctions for all Christians throughout history. They were situational, tied to the specific issues of the early church, and were primarily intended to ensure that Gentile believers respected Jewish customs, particularly as those customs related to idolatry and ritual purity.

Therefore, while these practices were important at the time, many Christians today do not view them as binding in the same way as other parts of the moral law, such as prohibitions against sexual immorality.

A: As the Holy Spirit brings up areas that we need to improve on, we need to revise our practices that we may have continued from our old lives. So we need to be open to that, as Psalm 139:23-24 says:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

P: Father, grow the fruit of the Spirit in me as I walk with you – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In Jesus’ name, amen.

There was another in the fire standing next to me. There was another in the waters holding back the seas.

S: Acts 14

O: In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas did not take credit for healing the lame man, and did not accept worship as Zeus and Hermes. As a result of this, and of Jews from Antioch and Iconium, the crowd turned against them and stoned Paul. In spite of the persecution, they were not deterred and continued preaching in Derbe, and even returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch to encourage the believers there.

A: Persecution and opposition didn’t stop Paul and Barnabas, and it shouldn’t stop us, either. God is more powerful than the forces of darkness. The people who hurt us are also victims of the Enemy, so we need to follow Jesus’ example (and, as we saw earlier in Acts, Stephen’s example) and forgive them, though it is hard. But the Holy Spirit strengthens and empowers us.

P: Father, help me to forgive and to persist in the face of trials and tribulations, and to always remember that I am your ambassador and need to represent you to the world. In Jesus’ name, amen.

We need to tell the world that Jesus loves them.

Our God is a miracle-working God and He can empower us.

In the face of persecution, trials and tribulations, Jesus is with us.

To serve God’s purpose in our own generation.

S:	Acts 13 2 While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, after they had fasted and prayed and placed their hands on them, they sent them off. ... 9 But Saul (also known as Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight[ah] at him 10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness—will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, unable to see the sun for a time!” Immediately mistiness and darkness came over him, and he went around seeking people to lead him by the hand. ... 22 After removing him, God[ raised up David their king. He testified about him: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart, who will accomplish everything I want him to do. ... 36 For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, died, was buried with his ancestors, and experienced decay, 37 but the one whom God raised up did not experience decay.
O:	God, through the Holy Spirit, was the one who directed them to send Barnabas and Saul off on their first missionary journey. The Lord blinded Elymas bar Jesus when he opposed Barnabas and Saul sharing the Gospel with Sergius Paulus. As a result, Sergius Paulus became a Christian, and from this point onwards, Saul is known as Paul.  I suspect this indicates that Sergius Paulus adopted Saul as a result of this. Adult adoptions were common in that culture, as we saw in Ben Hur, and this practice is also well-documented in the historical record. However, the biblical account is silent on whether this happened here or not. So, it could also be that Saul already had the Roman name Paul before this (as he was born a Roman citizen) but he chose to use it more from this point onwards because he was now mainly reaching out to non-Jews. Different biblical scholars have different interpretations. In any case, this event again illustrates how God is more powerful than evil spirits or magic. As Paul preached to the Psidians, he noted that David died after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation. That’s what Paul and Barnabas did as well, and what we should all aspire to do – to serve God’s purpose in our generation. David, in spite of his many mess-ups, was called a man after God’s own heart, because. Let us not be discouraged that we mess up. We must repent when we do, and get back up and keep following the Lord.
A:	Let us serve the purpose of God in our generation!
P:	I Want To Serve The Purpose Of God In My Generation I Want To Serve The Purpose Of God While I Am Alive I Want To Give My Life For Something That Will Last Forever Oh, I Delight, I Delight To Do Your Will What Is On Your Heart? Show Me What To Do Let Me Know Your Will And I Will Follow You   I admit that the above is an aspirational prayer. I know that I mess up so many times when I know your will and yet I did’t do it. But I want to do it. Forgive me when I fail, and I repent and get back up and follow you again. In Jesus’ name, amen.