On Sunday we looked at two amazing miracles and the subsequent advance of the gospel in Acts 9:32-43. It is exciting to see the early church being used as instruments of the healing and saving power of Jesus. But as was mentioned, the passage makes the point that we are all instruments of his power. That's you, that's me, that's each and every Christian.

But even though this is the case, often we feel powerless. We pray and pray and share and share and sometimes see very little fruit or effect. It's in this context that God is doing a work of faith. As was mentioned Sunday,

"Faith is not that we get every prayer for healing answered whenever we want. Faith is forged by continuing to pray even after we have not seen the healing that we so desire. When Jesus comes, will he find faith here? Will he find us persisting, eager, expectant that his power is going to be displayed in this local church like we see it on every other page in the Book of Acts?"

The opportunities to see the power of Jesus displayed are all around us. I hope your eyes have been more open to them so far this week. Let's continue to pray that God would use us as his instruments and let us press forward in expectant faith on the basis of God's Word and not on the basis of what we have or have not seen.