Kristi Burchfiel

The Next Steps, Day 11 Searching for people. As we continue and read through Acts 11, we come to this amazing verse. Barnabas seeks out Paul. When we think about the other people that we know and have contact with, God sometimes gives us insight into their gifts and how God can use them. Barnabas knew that Paul had the calling of God on his life and it was time to go get him and encourage him to come back and get busy. Paul had a calling on his life and Barnabas knew it, he just needed some encouragement. Who do we know who needs some encouragement? Who has a…

The Next Steps, Day 9 Transformation. As we continue to follow the journey of the early church, we see the transformations that were taking place. Read Acts 9. The disciples were getting adjusted to the new disciple Saul. He used to persecute the church, but now he is preaching. But, he causes quite a commotion everywhere he goes. Finally, the disciples send him off to Tarsus and as a result, they experience a time of peace. The Christian life is often one of transformation and restoration. There are times when God is transforming us and using us to create change and do amazing things, and there are other times that…

The Next Steps, Day 8 Follow Jesus. As we have an opportunity to see Jesus clearly in our lives, then we will follow him and obey. Read Acts 8. As the disciples were experiencing difficulty, they continue to follow Jesus because they had truly seen him and wanted to live their life in obedience to him, even in the midst of persecution. As we truly see Jesus, only response can be to glorify him and desire to follow him in every way. As we think about the last several days of devotions, are we focusing on Jesus? Are we seeing Jesus? Are we obeying Jesus? All of these lead from…

The Next Steps, Day 7 Do we see Jesus? Stephen gives an amazing sermon in Acts 7. As we read through this message, we see such a great drive and passion as Stephen shares his message. Over 50 verses of history is focused in this chapter and yes, it made leaders mad. But it wasn’t until Stephen mentioned that he could see Jesus that the leaders became so enraged that they killed him. As we have talked about placing Christ first and then on being focused on him, if we do those two things, we will see Jesus. While that is an amazing experience, not everyone will be happy about…

The Next Steps, Day 6 Focus. Once we have decided that we are going to value what God values above anyone else (yesterday’s lesson), now it becomes important to keep that focus. Read Acts 6. The disciples had a difficult decision to make. There was much ministry that needed to be done, but there was also studying and preaching and sharing that needed to happen. How could they do it all? The answer is that they couldn’t. The disciples needed to stay focused on what God had given them to do and allow God to raise up other individuals who would be able to focus on other responsibilities. We cannot…

The Next Steps, Day 5 Obey God, not men. Chapter 5 of Acts can be summarized in this verse, 5:29. Too many of these people were busy trying to obey others or please others. Instead, we must please God. When we think about the way that we are seeking to please God, are desiring that first of all? Do we understand how to obey God first in our lives? Whether we’re talking about Ananias and Sapphira who were more interested in what others thought of them than God. Or if it’s the leaders who were more focused on their traditions than on God. Or even Gamaliel who is more interested…

The Next Steps, Day 4 Do we talk about our relationship with Jesus? Does it impact our life so much that we can’t help sharing? As we consider the next steps and we read Acts chapter 4, we see the disciples sharing their faith. When when we think about all that Peter and John were sharing and the miracles that were doing, it can be easy to think that since they were disciples of Jesus that should be expected of them. Yet, they were just common men who had the opportunity to be impacted by Jesus. Jesus changed their lives and as a result, they could not stop talking about…

The Next Steps, Day 3 The disciples saw people. As we read Acts 3, we see an account of Peter and John and how they truly saw the man begging in front of the temple. They saw him, they recognized his need, and they brought him ro Jesus. When we go through the day, do we see the people that we come into contact with? Do we truly see all their needs and desires and how they are hurting? Even though he was calling out, the man didn’t really even see Peter or John until they spoke ro him. People may not know exactly what they need or know where…

The Next Steps, Day 2 The Resurrection. As we take a look at what came next after the resurrection of Jesus, we see just how important the resurrection was to the disciples. Read Acts 2. You see, people died every day there. Seeing someone crucified was not that unusual of an experience. The Romans were brutal and had crucified many people. However, seeing someone raised to life…. that was unusual, that was where the power of God was displayed. The disciples preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ because that was what they had witnessed was the true miracle of God. Yes Jesus Christ was killed, but God raised him back…