Acts – Romans

— Read and listen to the Bible being read at the same time; also, A. R. Wells, 1908, shares a (self-application) “tiny meditation” on each chapter.

Paul – a strange light from heaven shined around him, Acts 9:3

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Click for a brief easy English summary of the book of Acts.

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Suggestions:
1) Read the “tiny meditation” before and/or after you read the Bible chapter to help make a self-appllication of the scriptures read.
2) Want to use both your eye gate and ear gate in taking in the Word? Just click the “Read” chapter to get started.

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Click to Read Acts 1—My Power

If Christ promises power, the power will come; but it will come in the way Christ promises, and at the time He names. If I seek from the world, from my own wisdom, from my friends, the power that Christ promises to send through the Holy Spirit, I shall seek forever in vain.

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Read Acts 2—My Pentecost

Perhaps with the rushing of a mighty wind, perhaps with the still, small voice. Perhaps with flaming tongues of fire, perhaps in midnight darkness. What care I how it comes, if only it does come? If only the power of the Holy Spirit rests upon me, and enables me to work for God?

Read Acts 3—My Gifts

Silver and gold, if I have it, and if silver and gold are needed by any man; not always, however, silver and gold. Often a kind word is the best of silver, and a warm handshake is the richest of gold. My wealth, whatever it is, to his need, whatever that is–this must be the rule of my giving.

Peter and John Heal a Beggar, Acts 3:1-6

Read Acts 4—My Goods
Shall I follow the example of the early Christians, and hold whatever I have at the call of my brothers in Christ? Yes, if it is also the call of Christ! Not every call of man is to be heeded, for man’s own sake; but every call of the Master is to be heeded for the Master’s sake, and for man’s.

Read Acts 5—My Withholding

When am I akin to Ananias? Whenever, having dedicated to Christ my all, as I did when I joined Christ’s church, I hold back from His service and refuse to His request any part of my all. Then I am brother to Ananias, and his fate, whatever befalls my outward body, befalls the body of my soul.

Read Acts 6—My Serving

Whether I am a deacon or not, have I not some deacon’s work to do? Yes, while there are poor I know, while there are hungry I can feed, while there are weak I can strengthen. If each Christian is a king and a priest unto God, certainly each Christian is also a deacon.

Read Acts 7—My Witnessing

In the face of flying stones? Sometimes flying jibes are as hard and cut as deeply. Before pressing throngs of angry foes? Sometimes indifferent friends are opposition quite as harmful. But however God appoints, in quiet ways or tragic, I am to bear witness with my life, as Stephen bore witness with his; and it is to be to the death,–in ten minutes, or twenty years.

Stephen Stoned, Acts 7:57-60

Read Acts 8—My Chariot

Along some road of life a chariot is moving, and I am to draw near to the charioteer and explain to him the Word. I am not wise to explain it, but it will be given me in that hour what I shall say. How shall I know which chariot, of all that are moving along the road, is my chariot? Ah, if I approach the wrong one, no harm will be done!

Philip and the Ethiopian, Acts 8:27-31

Read Acts 9—My Vision

God grant me, on every Damascus road, a vision of the Lord whom I am persecuting! God show me, whenever I harm any of Christ’s followers, Whom it is that I am harming! God cause me to fall, whenever my success would injure the Kingdom of Christ!

Paul Escapes Damascus, Acts 9:25

Read Acts 10—My Prejudice

If there is a man upon earth whom I call common and unclean, may the Lord cleanse me of that uncleanness in my soul! Lift me O Christ, into that rare charity which loves all men, and sees in every man something to honor.

Peter’s Vision, Acts 10:9-12

Read Acts 11—My Cleaving

If “with purpose of heart” I “cleave unto the Lord,” all good things will cleave to me. That purpose will animate all other purposes, and give strength to all my living. All my perseverance will be made more persistent by it, and it will lead me into the success I crave.

Read Acts 12—My Chain

Prison walls are around me, and prison chains are upon me. That they are not walls of stone or chains of iron makes no difference in my dire captivity. Chains of the spirit are as fearful as chains of the body, and the walls that Satan builds are as terrible as any made by mortal mason. But He that opened the doors for Peter can open for me this severer prison.

Peter Freed by an Angel, Acts 12:7-10

Read Acts 13—My Blindness

If I am an Elymas, let me suffer the merciful fate which he suffered. Far better be blind from the sun for a season than blind forever from the Sun of Righteousness. Far better be led about this world by the hand, than cast hand and foot out of the heavenly world.

Paul Blinds Elymas, Acts 13:6-12

Read Acts 14—My Sacrifices

How do men sacrifice to me? Whenever they bestow upon me any credit that belongs to God, as for any gift that He has given me, or any talent that He has bestowed upon me. Let me not receive honor from men. Woe unto me when all men speak well of me! Woe unto me when I fall under that most subtle of all temptations, and accept credit for what is not at all mine.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, Acts 14:8-18

Read Acts 15—My Preferences

I will learn to distinguish essentials of faith from non-essentials of form. I will learn my brother’s wisdom and I will remember my own frequent folly. I will prove all things, the views and methods I dislike as well as those I like. And I will hold fast to the good.

Paul and Barnabas in Antioch, Acts 15:2

Read Acts 16—My Macedonian

He may not live across the seas. He may not live in another city. He may live in my own town; nay, in my own house. And for years he may have been calling upon me to help him. O thou missionary God, help me to bear and heed all calls for help!

Paul and Silas with the Jailer, Acts 16:29-30

Read Acts 17—My Unknown God

Is my God an unknown God? Do I worship Him ignorantly? Is He a stranger to me, or half a stranger? How little time I give to communion with Him! I could not get acquainted with a petty man in so slight a time; how can I expect to know so easily the Lord of heaven and earth?

Read Acts 18—My Confidence

When God, for whom I speak, bids me not to fear nor to hold my peace, then fear is mistrust of Him, and silence is disobedience to Him. What fear is so great as the fear I should have of disobeying my God?

Read Acts 19—My Profit

Shall I follow Christ so long as it costs me nothing, and leave Christ as soon as my purse is lightened? Ah, what is in Christ’s purse! When I leave Him, I leave the silver and gold of all the earth, and the cattle upon a thousand hills!

Read Acts 20—My Giving

Let me so give as to show that I really believe it to be happier than receiving. Let me not ask to receive anything except larger opportunities of giving. Christ was the largest giver of all time, and He said that giving is more blessed than receiving. He knows.

Read Acts 21—My Readiness

Prison or death, or any other fate that men call misfortune—let me be ready for it all, if God sees best to send it. I will not call it misfortune, if God sends it, or allow others to pity me. It is the best of good fortune, whatever it is, if it is the lot which God has picked out for me.

Read Acts 22—My Citizenship

Am I a citizen of the Kingdom? Am I proud of it? Do I rely upon that citizenship for my safety? Do I depend upon it for my joy? Have I other honors of which I am more proud? Are there other allegiances that bind me more closely?

Read Acts 23—My Cheer

If I am giving testimony for my Master, let me count that fact my passport of safety. Let it be my good cheer, that, as I have testified for Him thus far, I am to testify for Him farther, even as far and as long as His Kingdom needs me. And longer than that I do not want to speak in this world.

Read Acts 24—My Conscience

Ah, but it needs endeavor, strenuous exercise, urgent will and purpose, to have a conscience always void of offence toward God and toward men! By no lax dallying is that great boon to be won. Not for an instant is it to be held subsidiary to other aims. My conscience is a jealous mistress. Ah, but a beautiful one!

Paul’s Defense Before Felix, Acts 24:1-10

Read Acts 25—My Appeal

Not to Caesar, not to any man, shall be my appeal. But let me not say this, and then in my heart, or with my desires and envies and fears, make such an appeal to men and the affairs and powers of men. Let me hold my life serenely above what men can do or say to me.

Read Acts 26—My Visions

Heavenly visions, indeed! They have been visions of my Savior, glorified, loving, mighty, my Master, my Guide, my everlasting King! They have held me entranced; and then I have gone away and straightway forgotten them, and straightway belied my nobler self. How often, oh, how often, I have been disobedient to the heavenly vision!

Read Acts 27—My Belief

When God comes to me, in any storm of life, and tells me that all is well with me and with those that are in the ship with me, and bids me be of good cheer,–how often He does thus come; as often as the storms themselves come!–let me say with Paul, “I believe God, and it shall be even so.” What, otherwise, is the use of hearing God at all?

Paul Shipwrecked, Acts 27:41-44

Read Acts 28—My Vipers

Out of any fire one is liable to come and fasten upon my hand. Vipers of falsehood and calumny. Vipers of misgiving and worry. Vipers of harshness. Vipers of injustice. The woods are full of vipers, upon all shores! And I am to hold myself calm. And I am to shake them off into the fire. And I am to take no harm.

Paul Under House Arrest, Acts 28:16

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Click for a brief summary of the book of Romans.

Click to Read Romans 1—My Pride

Be it my glory, to glory in the right things. Be it my shame, to be ashamed of the things that are right. If I do not glory in Christ, how can Christ ever glory in me? If I am ashamed of the gospel, how shall I by the gospel be rejected!

Read Romans 2—–My Legality

If I do not in my heart the deeds of the law, what avails it that my body does them? The Judge of the law is not outside, but His throne is within my soul. How long shall I befool myself with looking upon my exterior life, and forgetting the evil within?

Read Romans 3—My Justification

Verily I have sinned, and fallen short of God’s glory. What have I done but sin? But I have not fallen short of God’s grace. I am unjust, but He is the Justifier. I am evil, through and through; but He, through and through, is Love.

Read Romans 4—My Resurrection

I have been buried in sin, as Christ in the grave. But He, when He rose, stretched forth His hand to me, and lo! I am risen with Him, I from my grave as He from His. It is a better resurrection, this of mine, than that of Lazarus.

Read Romans 5—My Peace

Since I am freed from the dead body of sin, why do I not move freely? Since I am ransomed from darkness, why do I not sing in the light? Shall the child of the King despond, now that he has found the King’s palace and the King?

Read Romans 6—My Service

I must serve. It is not mine to command, however I feign it. Shall I serve an evil master, or the Just One? For I must serve, but I can choose my master.

Read Romans 7—My Will

I will the good. I will the bad. I mourn over my folly. I rejoice in it. I shrink from wickedness. I long for a chance at it. Alas, my pitiful will, how weak it is, how pliant, how fluctuating! And how it needs to be guided and upheld by the just and mighty will of God!

Read Romans 8—My Helper

If God is for me–nay, since God is for me—who can be against me? What foe within, of all foes the most deadly and insidious, since He is within? And what foe without, however bold and insolent, since He is the Lord of heaven and earth?

Read Romans 9—My Free Will

I am surrounded by a thousand opportunities and incitements to goodness. God means me to be good. But He also means me to choose goodness, not to have it forced upon me. It is His will that I shall be able to fall as well as rise. How am I recompensing His trust in me?

Read Romans 10—My Listening

If belief comes of hearing, and salvation comes of believing, surely I am saved. I have heard very much; I have heard the whole gospel. Ah, but have I heard it, or only my ears? Has my soul listened? Has my life listened? Such hearing only is for salvation.

Read Romans 11—My Fear

When I vaunt myself and am puffed up, with conceit of goodness or pride of attainment, let me look at those that have fallen. So much better than I, so much wiser and stronger than I, and yet they have fallen! And if they, why not I? Ah, let me humble myself before God!

Read Romans 12—My Transformation

From fear to trust, from flesh to spirit, from envy to content, from weakness to power, from folly to wisdom, from ugliness to beauty, from sorrow to joy, from earth to heaven! Indeed I must be renewed for this transformation, and no one but the Infinite Father can effect it.

Read Romans 13—My Debt

Though no man loves me, I am in a love-debt to all men; but Christ loves me with a love greater than the love of all the world, and all the world is His, and He bids me join Him in His love of all the world. Ah, but this is a blessed way of paying the endless debt I owe to Christ!

Subject to Governments, Romans 13:1

Read Romans 14—My Judging

I am not to judge anyone, save one alone,–myself. I can know myself very poorly, and yet I can know myself better than I know anyone else. I can know myself well enough to be ashamed to judge anyone else!

Read Romans 15—My Pleasure

Do I take my pleasure with my Savior? If I do, I take my pleasure in the pleasure of others. Is my satisfaction a lonely one? Then it will not be satisfaction very long.

Read Romans 16—My Fellow Workers

I am the stronger for all the strong men about me. My toil is the happier for all their cheerful labor. The swing of their activity carries me with it. Blessed be God, for all the comrade workers He has given me!

Note on Artwork: We try to share the orginal source of photos and paintings used on this site when known, but in most cases the original source and illustrator are unknown. Most are in the public domain category and several were found at lavistachurchofchrist.org and christianimagesource.org and are used with permission.