It all started on the evening of May 14, 2012. I was preoccupied with fixing and organizing small details in my iTunes library (it was probably a waste of time...thankfully God made something good come of it). In the process of finding missing album artwork, I found myself on the GYC website. As I browsed, a blog post caught my attention...
Revolution Underway: Memorizing Acts
It started so small. Just two women and one idea so radical I pinched myself wondering if I was brave enough to own it too.Interest sparked.
In the simplest terms, The book of Acts: 28 chapters, 1,007 verses, 24,308 words—in 300 days.
It didn’t take long before the ripple of excitement had extended from Alonna and my sister Natasha to the rest of my family and a few other friends.
And then something came over us, and we ventured to dare....
I read the rest of the post, and then another, and another. I clicked on links to other websites and blogs. I joined a group. I downloaded an iPod app. I prayed. I told other friends about it. And now I'm telling you.
The verdict:
By God's grace, I will
saturate myself in scripture,
hide [His]tory in my heart,
and get preoccupied with the Word.
And why not start with the Book of Acts?
To say the least, I have already tried to memorize other books of the NT, but I have not yet been successful at sticking to it until completion. But this Memorizing Acts Challenge is helping me set definite goals to reach. It helps to have a friend living in the same house doing it too. And there are over 80 of us around the world...
First of all, the Book of Acts is the theme for this next GYC (Acts: The Revolution Continues).
Secondly, instead of, "The Acts of the Apostles," the title really should be, "The Acts of the Holy Spirit."
The experience of the early church, fresh and filled with the Holy Spirit, is to parallel ours in these last days.
And frankly, we're not keeping up with those early apostles and missionaries.
Not yet...
They turned the world upside down in a single generation.
The gospel literally went out to all the known world.
They were with one accord.
They were filled with the Spirit...overflowing, in fact.
But we're still here.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to be here any longer than necessary—here, in this sin-sick world.
And I am very much a sick one...
But I have been saved by grace,
bought with blood,
and prayed for by the King of the universe.
I love Him. You probably do too. The question is, how much?
Enough to seek to turn the world upside down...in a single generation?
To take the gospel to the whole world?
To live with one accord?
To be filled with the Spirit...and overflowing?
Enough to be preoccupied with His Word?
Yes.
No? If you have been preoccupied with other things (and I assure you, I have too, very much...), "now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Today is the day.
It's time for change—
in my life,
in yours,
in the church,
and in the world.
Won't you join us?
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart..."
PS We've just started on Chapter 8, which is where I started. I'll do the first 7 chapters afterwards. Feel free to dive right in!
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