Breather

Breather

Everybody needs  a breather sometimes, and that’s definitely where we are as we finish up the Fall semester of The Salt Company (TSC) and enjoy some time “off” over Christmas break. I call it a breather instead of a break because we are excited and anxious to see what happens in and through TSC this next semester, we are just in need of catching our breath before running the gauntlet that will be Spring 2013.

This first semester of TSC has been one filled with anticipation and wonder and frustration and joy and awe, and I’ll take a minute to explain how those emotions all played out.

Anticipation and wonder

Simply put, no matter how much planning and praying and organizing we did going into the fall semester, we had NO IDEA what TSC was going to look like at Simpson College in our first semester. We committed that we would be faithful in teaching the Word, that we would work to create an environment and culture of unashamed worship of the Holy One, and that we would start weekly small groups for students, and how that all played out and looked was up to God. We looked forward to it all with anticipation and wonder.

Frustration

To put it lightly, there have been times where the college and it’s faculty have flat-out frustrated us. From speaking lies about our ministry to warning students not to get involved with us to threatening to sue us for including the word “Simpson” on our Facebook page, there have been times this semester where I’ve wanted to make a very public display of what they were saying and doing, to fight back in every way I could, but each time I was reminded that wasn’t the most effective way to win their hearts and souls for the Lord. In the midst of the frustration, we took joy in knowing that this was a battle worth fighting because Satan wasn’t happy with what was going on and he wasn’t going down without a fight. Game on.

Joy and Awe

From the first night when students we’d never met filed into the little Friends Church on Boston Avenue to the weekly small groups where hearts and souls were poured out and prayed for to the night I sat in the middle of the sanctuary reading the things that students needed to give up and get out of the way of their relationship with God, the fullness of the joy we’ve experienced is really difficult to describe. All of it left us standing and sitting and kneeling before our God in adoration and worship and awe as what was done, in our very first semester, was only in and through and because of HIM.

About halfway through the semester we conducted a survey of our students to gather some information and to hear some feedback as to what God was doing in them, and I wanted to share some of those responses with all of you.

In response to the question, “What sort of positive impact has TSC had on your life”, here are a few of the dozens of responses:

“It's given me SUCH excitement for the Gospel in action for now and for future generations.”

“The Salt Company has given me a community I had yet to find on Simpson's campus. I went to campus worship before because I felt obligated and that it excused me from finding a church home in Indianola. The Salt Company has reversed both of these ideas for me. Not only do I have time set aside each week to worship Jesus with my friends, I also have a wonderful group of young women who are supporting my walk with Christ on a very spiritually dead campus, and a church home on Sunday mornings. I am so thankful for The Salt Company and the people who take time out of their lives each and every day to support and pray for the students on our campus- even those who don't yet attend Salt or those who don't even know about it.”

“God has provided great Christian friends through The Salt Company and has blessed me with a chance to have fellowship with them through connection groups. I feel that The Salt Company is playing a huge role in my walk with Christ.”

“I've begun to see changes in how I live my life! The Word has come to life for me and without Salt, New Heights and connection group I would still be very lost in my faith!”

“Really has lit the fire and showed me how much He loves me. And given me a whole new love of life and appreciation for each day.”

Again, after reading those for the 10^th time at least, I’m left with such joy and awe.

Last time we wrote an update we asked for prayers for student leaders, and I can’t properly express through words how excited I am that 11 students are going to step up and go through a discipleship and leadership class we’ll be offering in January, which is the first step towards becoming a student leader. My prayer is that by the end of that class and discipleship process 8 of those students will be ready to lead or co-lead a connection group, so we can launch 3 or 4 new groups in February. To double the number of connection groups, and consequently to double the number of students in those groups, would be a huge accomplishment for TSC for Spring 2013. Will you please join us in that prayer?

Earlier I called Spring 2013 a gauntlet, and we expect it to be just that. We are looking forward to a longer semester (we’ll start the second week of January and go through the third week of May) with less breaks, which will help the ministry continue to build on the momentum that’s already been gained, but it also means more teaching times to prepare for, more small groups to lead, and a longer period before another breather. Add that on top of tax season and it should prove to be a long semester, but one that will definitely be worth it.

As we sit here praying and planning for our second semester for The Salt Company, we have much anticipation and wonder as, again, we really don’t know what God will do. We’re sure this semester will come with some frustration, and even more positive that in 5 months we’ll be filled with more joy and awe than we’ve got now.

Thanks so much for your prayer and financial support, your encouraging words and notes, and all that you do for our family, we couldn’t do it without you all!

Freedom!

Freedom! My emotions begin to stir as I hear this word. I was excited when Ryan told me that this would be the theme for college ministry this fall while going through the book of Galatians. The Salt Company started four weeks ago and it has been awesome to see the excitement of the college students as they have come in the door. I have been amazed at what God is doing in this ministry and so honored to be a part of it. The last few months has been filled with times of discouragement, but many more times of encouragement.  

Since we are talking about freedom, I can’t avoid talking about the coming election. I can become quite intense about politics and the freedom our founders laid out for us in the constitution – Ryan might argue that crazy would describe it better – but with the election coming I have been wrestling with the question, “Where do I find my freedom?” It is a question I have struggled with because I really like the comforts and freedom America offers (probably because they were ideas taken from the Christian faith). But does my hope come from what freedom this country offers, which is temporary, or the freedom my Savior has to offer, which lasts for eternity? While I won’t stop fighting for our country’s freedom, it doesn’t even compete with the everlasting freedom that Christ gives!

Our culture has so many misconceptions of this idea of freedom, and we have encountered some of those misconceptions as we have begun the ministry at Simpson. One of the biggest falsehoods that we are seeing being taught and encouraged is the idea that there is no black and white or right and wrong, but every person has the freedom to make their own truth. As my faith has grown, I have come to understand that if I were the one creating truth, it would be completely biased. Who are we to decide our own gospel and what is right and wrong?!?! Galatians 1:11-12 says, “Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not based on human thought. For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation from Jesus Christ.” God IS truth; and because we are human HE has revealed to US that truth in scripture. We have to constantly fight against that sinful desire that wants to justify our sin and believe that freedom means you have no boundaries, but it is clear that there is right and wrong.

“For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another. I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” –Galatians 5:13-18.

The very next verse Paul tells us what the works of the spirit are and then after that he tells us the fruits of the Spirit. The Spirit is key to our freedom. We can look at these verses and it can be clear whether our actions are of our self or the Spirit. As long as we are in this human body we will never completely stop sinning, but when we depend on God and let the Spirit live in us, then we are getting closer to conquering the flesh and living in freedom.

 Satan has so many men and women on Simpson’s campus fooled and they are blinded to the truth of Jesus. We desire and expect for God to bring His light and throw off the chains that Satan has placed on so many. We ask for your prayers as we face the opposition Satan is bringing as he works to keep so many students and faculty in bondage. We believe he is fighting hard because God has awesome things in store at Simpson. Please pray for truth to be seen and for many to be transformed by that truth. We also would ask for prayers to God for protection for the believers from the traps Satan has set so that we can run this race with integrity and endurance!

So we have seen one false idea of freedom, but this second misconception I have personally seen more often; probably because I grew up in the church. The churches in Galatia were changing the gospel and putting expectations (making them become circumcised) on believers as they were accepting Christ. They were turning back to the law and away from the grace that Jesus shed His blood for –who wants to go back to that?!?! It took me a while to grasp this and even, at times, I still battle it. So often I begin to see myself as better than I really am and think I am doing pretty well and then I am put back on my knees. God shows me that I need Him every hour of every day and faith is about this dependant relationship on Him, not a list of do’s and don’ts, earning our salvation through doing everything just right. Galatians 2:16 and 17 says, “No one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.” What are some of those expectations we put on ourselves or others to know we are a “true” follower of Christ?

For some reason church has become a place where we put on this front that we are a faithful follower of Christ. How often is it a place we see brokenness, believers that are struggling, and sinners in need of a Savior? I believe the younger generations are seeking and desiring authenticity and are not getting it in the church. I fear if we don’t change that we are going to continue to see a mass exodus from the church and a further deterioration of our world. It’s time to be real with one another and real with our God as we live out this freedom we’re offered through an authentic relationship with Jesus.

For those of you wanting to know how The Salt Company is going, we are greatly encouraged. Last Thursday night we had about 50 students show up for worship, and about half of them have already gotten connected in weekly small groups. There is a hunger and thirst for the gospel of Jesus on Simpson’s campus, and as students are connecting with one another and beginning to take ownership of the ministry, we know God is being glorified in their lives. We also know, there are many, many more students that need to hear this message. Please pray those students would find their way to TSC on a Thursday night or a small group sometime during the week!

We so appreciate all the support and prayers, we couldn’t do it without all of you. Specifically, we would ask for prayers for the following things:

Student Leaders: We are already identifying students that will be great leaders in the ministry, but we need more, especially more guys! Pray that God would bring them, encourage them, and prompt them to accept the challenge lay before them.

Protection for our family: We are committed to this ministry that God has asked us to be a part of, and part of that commitment is the sacrifice of time and energy that can wear on us as a family. Please pray that any of Satan’s attempts to disrupt our family would be identified and taken care of, and that Ryan and I would continue to see how to best disciple our kids in the context of doing ministry. We rejoice in the fact that our kids will get to grow up seeing ministry being done daily, but we want to make sure we are living out God’s will for our family as a whole.

TSC Community: We really want to see The Salt Company become a united community of believers, and that process isn’t easy. We are working to figure out how we can develop relationships with students outside of our weekly gatherings, and we strongly desire for our students to begin building those friendships with other believers that will last for a lifetime.

Freedom from the stuff that binds us: Last Thursday in the middle of the teaching time (click here to listen), Ryan gave all of us the opportunity to come to the cross and confess the things that are holding us down and preventing us from living the lives that God designed for us. There were 50 responses, varying from the desire to preserve our self image to struggling with addictions to pornography, and everything else you could imagine. Pray that we would all be freed from these things so that we could pursue an unhindered relationship with our Savior.

That’s all for now – we promise to not go another six months before the next update!

Danielle

June 24 Sermon

The recorder quit recording on Sunday, so here is the text from my sermon covering Acts 9:32 - 10:48.

We are going to jump right in and get going this morning as we are going to finish the remaining 12 verses of chapter 9 and cover all 48 verses of chapter 10. So I’m going to pray and then we’ll go.

Prayer

We pick up this week in chapter 9, verse 32.

The Healing of Aeneas (Chapter 9)

³² As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed,” and immediately he got up. ³⁵ So all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

An observation I think we need to make is what incredible power is held in a transformed life. What awesome testimony and witness it is for someone to see another person completely changed, completely different. Aeneas was stone cold dead and God brought him back to life, and when people saw Aeneas’ transformed life they couldn’t help but to give praises to God and turn and follow Him. Geoff has said this many times, that no one can argue with a transformed life, and that’s what we’re about here at New Heights. We aren’t looking to be known as the church in town with the best worship or the friendliest people or the best children’s ministry, we are looking to be known as a place and a group where God changes lives, because when God changes a life and others witness it, more and more people are drawn to Him.

So Jesus, through Peter, heals Aeneas, and Peter is quickly called to another town.

Dorcas Restored to Life (Chapter 9)

³⁶ In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas.

Dorcas of course is in a heated battle with Gomer for the most unfortunate Bible names.

She was always doing good works and acts of charity.

Wouldn’t that be a nice descriptor to have behind our name? Tabitha is given a one liner and it is that she was always doing good works and acts of charity, what would your tag line be? What would my one liner be? I would hope that it would have something to do with my spiritual leadership of my family and others and the incredible legacy that I would be leaving but I’m a little nervous that if I wasn’t around to write something positive and catchy that it might not sound so good, I’m a little hesitant because I’m not sure the whole truth would be that flattering. Ryan Hill, the one who liked to sit on the couch and watch golf. Ryan Hill, one who displayed selflessness up to a point. Ryan Hill, one who followed Jesus with 60-70% of his life. I’m thankful I’m not dead yet and have the opportunity to affect what my legacy looks like, because it needs to be different. Tabitha’s legacy was that she was always doing good works and acts of charity, and her legacy was further affirmed by what Peter encountered when he got to the house.  

³⁷ In those days she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who begged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.” ³⁹ So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

All the widows were there and were weeping because the one who had cared for them and helped them had died. I hate to get so morbid on us this early in the morning but again, think with me for a minute, what does your funeral look like? What will your visitation look like? Beyond your family and your close friends, who are hopefully mourning your loss and not celebrating that you’re finally gone, who else is going to be there, and what will they have to say about you? I don’t want a church full of people saying Ryan Hill was a good man, what does that even mean? Was I good to my family, was I good to the people around me, was I good at playing basketball or telling jokes, I mean what does that even mean? I want people there like those widows in Acts chapter 9, I want there to be a church full of people saying look at what Ryan did for me, how he helped me when I was down in the dumps, how he helped explain what this scripture meant and how it applied to my life. That guy, his life had an impact on me that will last for an eternity, that’s what I long for. Again, I’m not there yet. That church might be full of people but my legacy, and I have a feeling most all of you are in the same place as I am this morning, that legacy is not ready to be left yet. We can change that. As long as we’re still breathing we can affect what kind of legacy we leave. So all these people are gathering around Peter, they are mourning, and we pick up the text again:

⁴⁰ Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her alive. ⁴² This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And Peter stayed on many days in Joppa with Simon, a leather tanner.

Once again, a changed life in Tabitha results in many more believers in Joppa. Jesus uses Peter in these two towns in these two situations to do great things, and many more believers are added to the number, but I can almost hear your thoughts of skepticism as we talk about the many people believing in Jesus after witnessing these two people raised from the dead. I mean come on, if someone lay dead here in Indianola and Geoff or Kevin went to the house, prayed for them, and Jesus raised them from the dead, people would be coming to the Theater in flocks on Sunday mornings. If Jesus would just perform some of those same miracles He did 2,000 years ago it would be so much easier to get people to believe in Him, isn’t that true? If Jesus would just take dead people and bring them back to life then so many more people would choose to follow Him, would you agree with me? I hope you do agree with me but I also hope you understand that He’s been doing that for 2,000 years and He’ll do it for 2,000 more if He doesn’t come back before then. You and I and millions of others, running down that wide road towards the gates of hell and Jesus snatched us up and changed our lives, He raised us from death to life, He does it every day. The testimony of a transformed life cannot be argued against, and if you are in here this morning and you claim to be a follower of Christ, a disciple of our Savior and your life has not been transformed by Him, then I’m going to argue that maybe you’re not really His disciple. And I know that might sound bold and harsh and a little bit personal this morning but the message of the gospel is very personal and very pointed, and it expects and demands and requires transformation. Jesus didn’t set foot on this Earth and endure the pain and the suffering of the cross so that we could give ourselves the title of Christian without letting Him change anything. He didn’t receive those lashings and have those nails driven into his hands and feet for us to be able to flippantly call ourselves Christ-followers. No way, He desires and demands and delights in our lives and our hearts and our souls containing less of us and more of Him – transformation.

And as we’re being transformed, once Jesus has brought us from death to life, we need to share that and spread that and shout that to everyone that we can. It’s not that Jesus isn’t healing people and raising people from the dead like He did 2,000 years ago, the reality is He’s never stopped, we’ve just quit sharing the news. Aeneas and Tabitha’s lives were transformed, and when people witnessed it they came running to Jesus. Oh church that we would allow the world to see our transformed lives and rejoice as they come running to Jesus as well.

These theme of transformation carries right into chapter 10.

Let’s move onto chapter 10

Acts 10
Cornelius’s Vision

1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment.

Cornelius was a Roman and was essentially a captain or a commander of a group of soldiers, but he was not Jewish and was not a Christian, which is important to understand.

² He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God.

While Cornelius was not a Jew and not a Christian, he believed in and even feared God. He did good deeds and he prayed to God, does that sound familiar to anyone? How many people do we know that believe there’s a God and might even pray and do good works just like Cornelius did? That sounds good enough, there were probably many people in this day that would have said that Cornelius was on his way to Heaven because of his belief and his actions, but that just isn’t the case. In verse 14 in the very next chapter, Peter is retelling the story and he is telling the disciples what Cornelius had reported to him, which was that someone was “coming to deliver a message that you and all your household will be saved by.” Belief in God, doing good works, even praying, was not enough for Cornelius and it’s not enough for you or me. It never has been and it never will be. Last week Kevin talked about the lies that Satan uses to keep us off track from our walk with Christ, and right here is another one of his favorites. Just do more good than bad and you’ll be fine. You don’t have to be the best Christian just better than the guy next to you. Just believe in God, that’s all it takes and you’ll be fine. Lies straight from the mouth of Satan that we are far too quick to believe. Cornelius was going about his good life and his daily ritual of praying, and God decided not to leave him where He was, God decided to give him a vision and show him more of the story.

³ About three in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴ Looking intently at him, he became afraid and said, “What is it, lord?”

The angel told him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have come up as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. ⁶ He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household slaves and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him. ⁸ After explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Immediate obedience. Again, I can’t stress this enough this morning that Cornelius is not a Christ follower, he is not a disciple of Jesus or a follower or believer in the God of the Jews but really more of a believer of the unknown, vague “god”, but when he gets a command to do something he immediately obeys. Oh how I wish I could say I obey that quickly.

Peter’s Vision

⁹ The next day, as they (Cornelius’ men) were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the housetop about noon. ¹⁰ Then he became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he went into a visionary state. ¹¹ He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. ¹² In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. ¹³ Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!”

¹⁴ “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything common and ritually unclean!”

¹⁵ Again, a second time, a voice said to him, “What God has made clean, you must not call common.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into heaven.

This vision sets the stage for Peter to understand more fully the message of the gospel and the salvation that Jesus brought to everyone. Take notice of what was contained in this large sheet coming to the earth. All four-footed animals and reptiles and birds. Peter would have seen the sheep he’d been allowed to eat all his life running around with those tasty pigs that had been forbidden, and when God tells him to get up and eat all of a sudden the traditions and culture and everything he knew about this part of his life became a question mark. He couldn’t understand what was meant by this picture he was receiving, to the effect that this vision needed to happen 3 times just so he would be prepared to understand it later. God is setting him up to be presented with the mind-blowing truth that God shows no prejudice or preference for anyone, but rather has made salvation and righteousness available for all, which goes against everything Peter had been taught up to this point.

Peter Visits Cornelius

¹⁷ While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate. ¹⁸ They called out, asking if Simon, who was also named Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹ While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you. ²⁰ Get up, go downstairs, and accompany them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.”

²¹ Then Peter went down to the men and said, “Here I am, the one you’re looking for. What is the reason you’re here?”

²² They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who has a good reputation with the whole Jewish nation, was divinely directed by a holy angel to call you to his house and to hear a message from you.” ²³ Peter then invited them in and gave them lodging.

The next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.

Notice once again immediate obedience. Cornelius immediately sent for Peter when he was commanded to, and Peter got up and went with Cornelius’ men when God directed him to.

²⁴ The following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

Cornelius was expecting them and invited a bunch of people over. He knew that God had something incredible to tell him and he wanted everyone he was close to experience it as well. He expected God to show up, another lesson we need to learn from this guy who isn’t even a follower of Christ yet. How often do we walk into church and out of church and never experience God and His Spirit? I am continually amazed as we talk each week as a staff and recount stories we’ve heard and conversations we’ve had with people about how God has been challenging and changing them through the teaching of his word in this place each week, and at first I was kind of caught off guard and surprised that every single week God would show up and move in incredible ways, and I was convicted that I shouldn’t be surprised. In my walk with Christ over the last several years I had sort of been lulled into thinking that God shows up here and there, when the songs are just right or the teacher uses just the right approach or a touching story or when I am on some retreat or getaway, I had been tricked into thinking that God wasn’t present every week, every day. Why, in the midst of worship or in hearing God’s word being taught, are we surprised when God shows up and touches our hearts and teaches us something. Isn’t that what He has promised us, that when we gather in His name that He’ll be there as well? Shouldn’t we expect that every day when we meet with Him? Cornelius expected God to show up, and he couldn’t wait for it.

²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.

²⁶ But Peter helped him up and said, “Stand up! I myself am also a man.” ²⁷ While talking with him, he went on in and found that many had come together there. ²⁸ Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner. But God has shown me that I must not call any person common or unclean.

And now it clicked. Peter, completely confused by the vision he had, all of a sudden understood. And here is the truth you and I have to understand, that Peter came to understand in this moment.

As we obey God’s word, further understanding of His word comes. And, further understanding fosters further obedience. Let me say that one more time. As we obey God’s word, further understanding of His word comes. And, further understanding fosters further obedience.

Peter received direct instruction and teaching from God that he didn’t understand but he immediately obeyed. And, because of his obedience, he gained a further understanding of the instruction. He didn’t know why God gave him the vision of all the animals or why God told him to go with the Gentiles, but he immediately obeyed. Once he obeyed, he further understood that God was breaking down the barriers between the Jews and the Gentiles and was opening up the reach of the gospel to the ends of the earth. If Peter would not have obeyed, he wouldn’t have understood. If we don’t obey, we won’t understand.

When I was in my first couple years at Iowa State I very clearly felt God asking me to transfer to Missouri Southern State University in Joplin. God used a girl that would eventually become my wife to kind of seal the deal on getting me to transfer, but I realize now that even at the time I decided to transfer I didn’t fully understand the purpose or the reason. See I thought I was going so I could go to college in the same town as Danielle, but as I look back now I can see that God wanted me to take some Bible classes at Ozark Christian College, and He wanted me to get involved in and be in leadership for Campus Crusade for Christ. He wanted me to receive training and develop a passion for His Word and for students and for doing ministry, so that I would be prepared several years down the line to go into ministry full-time. And now, as I can see more clearly what His plan was and as I am realizing the benefits and seeing the results of my obedience from several years ago, when I am faced with challenges and directives from Him now I am so much more quickly to obey.

When we obey and understood further what God is doing, we will be inspired to obey further and obey quicker, which will help us to see more of what God is doing and to understand what He is doing and why, which will cause us to walk in faith and obedience even quicker, and it’s a cycle that just keeps building and building momentum, it’s an incredible place to be, but it can often be a difficult cycle to get started because it takes obedience without understanding, it takes faith without seeing.

Where, this morning, is God asking you to obey Him? What is He wanting to further reveal to you about His Kingdom and His will for your life, but He’s simply waiting for you to step out in faith and discover?

Peter continues…

²⁹ That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So I ask: Why did you send for me?”

³⁰ Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. Just then a man in a dazzling robe stood before me ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered in God’s sight. ³² Therefore send someone to Joppa and invite Simon here, who is also named Peter. He is lodging in Simon the tanner’s house by the sea.’ ³³ Therefore I immediately sent for you, and you did the right thing in coming. So we are all present before God, to hear everything you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Good News for Gentiles

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “Now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, ³⁵ but in every nation the person who fears Him and does righteousness is acceptable to Him. ³⁶ He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know the events that took place throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the Devil, because God was with Him. ³⁹ We ourselves are witnesses of everything He did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, yet they killed Him by hanging Him on a tree. ⁴⁰ God raised up this man on the third day and permitted Him to be seen, ⁴¹ not by all the people, but by us, witnesses appointed beforehand by God, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about Him that through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

Peter is given the opportunity to share whatever it is that God would lay on his heart and he responds by sharing the message of the gospel. He recaps for everybody the story of Jesus and then delivers the simple point, the simple message of the gospel, that “through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.” Without a doubt Peter had delivered that message before, but up until this moment when Peter would use that word everyone, he and anyone that was listening would always have included some exceptions. They would have put an invisible set of brackets in the middle of that sentence, something to this effect:

“through His name everyone (that was Jewish and…) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

Peter and the other disciples were very open about their belief that Jesus died for the Jews and not the Gentiles, so their “everyone” was always limited, and unfortunately ours is as well.

So what goes in your set of brackets this morning?

 “through His name everyone (that believes the same things I do and...) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

“through His name everyone (that dresses and talks nicely at church and…) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

“through His name everyone (whose kids behave and who doesn’t get a divorce and…) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

“through His name everyone (who hasn’t committed the big sins like homosexuality and adultery, whoever hasn’t beaten their kids or their wife or their dog, whoever hasn’t gotten high on meth or weed, whoever hasn’t murdered their unborn child and…) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

I could go on and on and on but the point is that there are no brackets, there are no exceptions. If we believe in Jesus and trust Him with all that we are, if we’ll say to Him Jesus I want you more than I want my sin, we’ll be forgiven. No matter where we are this morning, no matter what we’ve done, there are no exceptions. Peter delivers this simple message of the gospel and let’s read what happens next:

Gentile Conversion and Baptism

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in other languages and declaring the greatness of God.

Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.

Peter lays out before these Gentiles the message of the gospel that all are loved, all are accepted, and all can be forgiven, and that message demands a response. It demanded a response from Cornelius and his household and it demands a response from us. You can’t hear a message like this one and not respond. I could stand up here and tell you all about the Cardinals and Royals game that I went to yesterday. I could tell you who got hits and who scored runs, I could even tell you about the drunk guys that about got in a fight, and that is a message and that is truth that doesn’t require anything. You could hear that story and say great thanks or wow I didn’t care at all about that. But this message, the message of the gospel is one of those truths, one of those things that you can’t hear and then forget, listen to and then just move on, you have to respond, you just have to. Our sin is laid before us, and we are all deep in sin. I don’t have to tell you that, we all know the sin in our lives and the reality of the matter is that with our sin we are headed to an eternity separated from God in a very real place called hell. But by an incredible act of love and mercy we are given the opportunity for forgiveness and righteousness, an opportunity to spend eternity with God in Heaven, and we’re faced with a choice. Cornelius and his house decided to accept that free gift of salvation and to proclaim that decision to the world through baptism, what is your response going to be? I’ve heard many people, especially students, who’ve said no I’m not going to decide I’m going to wait until later in life. I’m going to wait until I’m done with school or until I’m married and have some kids, I’m going to wait until life settles down until I decide whether or not to follow Jesus. That isn’t putting off a decision, that’s choosing to say no, and there is an eternal difference between those two options. We are either with Him or against Him, there is no in between. There is no putting the decision off until later, and that doesn’t just apply to that initial idea of salvation, that first response to ask for forgiveness. Many of us in this room became a “Christian” many years ago but have decided we would really get serious about it later on in life, that we would go further in our faith sometime down the road. Again, that’s not delaying a decision or delaying obedience, it’s choosing to disobey, it’s choosing to say God you don’t know what’s best for me right now and I do. No matter where we are this morning, whether we are far from God or near to Him, we can’t read a message like this one in Acts chapter 10 and do nothing, we have to respond.

A little over a year and a month ago an EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin Missouri, destroying over 8,000 homes and businesses and only by the grace of God were there only 158 deaths instead of thousands, and a week after it happened I had the opportunity to go with about 25 others to help in the clean-up efforts. One of the days we were there we got to help a man named Shaun. This man was probably in his thirties or forties, but it was obvious that his choices in life had caused him to age much quicker. We got connected with Shaun and went to his grandmother’s house to help him find some things. We find the house, or what’s left of it, and he asks us to help him find his wallet, his grandfather’s class ring from Texas A&M, and Shaun’s upper dentures, all of which he hadn’t been able to find. His house was completely destroyed except for about 3 walls, two walls that made up a hallway and one of the back walls, and you could see where he and his grandma huddled in the hallway as the tornado ripped apart the home because you could see the outline of two bodies in the midst of all the dirt and mud that was caked on the walls, the scene was horrific. So about 10 or 15 of us spent an hour digging through the rubble looking for these things that Shaun couldn’t find, and we actually didn’t end up finding any of them. Finally Shaun resigned to the fact that he wasn’t going to find them, and we decided to quit looking and move on to help someone else. But, before we did, I asked Shaun if we could pray with him and I’ll never forget his reaction. He immediately said that we could and as our group gathered around him he sort of crouched down and put his arm up in the air above his head, almost as if he was shielding himself. His view of God was in a powerful tornado that came, in his mind, to bring destruction and judgment, his view of God was complete and utter fear, and he was scared to death at even the thought of talking to this God. Over these last couple weeks as I’ve been preparing this message this story has continued to come to mind and I struggled and struggled as to how it fit with our message today. Finally, as I was praying through it and asking God why He reminded of times in my life that I had spent cowering from Him, times when I was living in sin and couldn’t even approach Him in prayer because why would He even listen to me. Times I’ve sat in church and stared at the floor during worship because I was afraid if I looked up He might strike me down for living such a hypocritical life. And as I was reminded of those times in my life God made it clear to me that there are many people sitting in this room that are just like that.

I think we can get so burdened and buried in our sin that all we do is cower in fear. Some of us in this room this morning have been cowering in fear for years, knowing that we don’t measure up, knowing that we are dirty and sinful and we can’t even raise our eyes to look up at our God who loves us, our God who wants to heal us and forgive us and bring us to Himself in righteousness. That day I prayed a prayer of blessing and healing and joy over Shaun, but most of all I prayed that God would work in the midst of destruction to bring restoration and hope to Shaun’s life, and that’s a prayer I want to pray over all of us right now.

God we live lives that are broken and shameful and dirty and sinful before you, and we know that isn’t what you desire for us, that isn’t what you want for us. God we need your restoration, we need your healing, we need to know how much you love us right now. God move in this place as there are hearts and minds that right now don’t believe that you still love them. There are souls in this place that think they are too far gone, that they are outside of your reach, God show us that just isn’t true. Come this morning and restore us to yourself, to your righteousness. Father your provision for our salvation requires a response, your love for us demands that we do something. God help us to choose life, to choose you, and not to walk out of here this morning without deciding to live and breathe and walk and speak for you and for no one else. For those in this place that have never trusted you with their lives, let them give that up to you this morning. For those that have never walked in obedience and gotten baptized, move in those hearts and encourage those to take that step. For those in this room that made that decision at one point but have been coasting now for weeks or months or years, God challenge us to walk closer with you. Lord Jesus help us to understand that your love, your unfailing, unconditional love demands a response, and let that response be pleasing and glorifying to you.

A pastor from the church we attended when we were in school in Joplin was speaking at a conference last year and here is what he had to say about the tornado. While the tornado was devastating and horrific, it woke us up to the reality that had been there all along. There were broken and hurting and desperate people, but for a long time they were able to hide all the destruction behind their houses and cars and cozy lives, and it wasn’t until all those things were stripped away that people were willing to admit their struggles and respond to the call of the gospel. Church I don’t want you and I don’t want me to have to face a tornado or a sudden death or a tragedy of some kind for us to finally admit to our struggles and respond to the message of the gospel, the time to respond is right now, the time to choose Christ and the life that He has for us is right now, in this moment. No matter where you are, no matter where you’ve been, know how much God loves you this morning and know that there are no exceptions to the truth that “through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

Will you stand with me as we get ready to close out our time with worship this morning? I don’t know what you’re wrestling through or dealing with but today, as is the case every week, if you would like to talk with someone or pray with someone please just come down toward these side hallways and one of us would love to pray with you this morning.

We serve a God who loves us, who wants only the best for us. If we’ll raise our eyes up this morning, if we’ll change the posture of our arms from shielding ourselves in fear to surrendering ourselves in faith we’ll see a God who dances over us with delight. Let’s sing to that God this morning.

Isaiah 26

A portion of my Bible reading this morning was from Isaiah 26, and God pushed on me to come blog about it. As with everything I write, I don't know if it will speak to or challenge anyone else, but here's how it spoke to me this morning:

Isaiah 26:1-6
On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city.
Salvation is established as walls and ramparts.
Open the gates
so a righteous nation can come in—
one that remains faithful.
You will keep the mind that is dependent on You
in perfect peace,
for it is trusting in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
because in Yah, the LORD, is an everlasting rock!
For He has humbled those who live in lofty places—
an inaccessible city.
He brings it down; He brings it down to the ground;
He throws it to the dust.
Feet trample it,
the feet of the humble,
the steps of the poor.

As I read those words this morning I received an overwhelming sense of comfort and peace but also a sense of warning and caution. It's strange to have both of those feelings at once, so I spent some time processing and praying through what I was experiencing.

I spent some time praying, then continued reading some passages in Numbers and Psalms and 1 John, and those feelings of comfort and caution became even more clear. First of all, I was comforted and peaceful and excited about the fact that my God is bigger and stronger and more righteous than anyone and anything else I encounter. No matter the situation, the circumstance, or the person I'm dealing with, God can and has already taken care of that situation. There can be so much peace in the middle of chaos when we, as verse 4 says above, "Trust in the LORD forever". I think the reason for those feelings of overwhelming comfort and peace that came over me are the result of me ignoring this fact more often than not. I'm an analyzer and an over-thinker, which are words I use to make myself feel like I'm not a sinful worrier, which is probably more accurate.

Trust in the LORD forever - today, tomorrow, the next day, and the thousands of days after that.

Trust in the LORD forever - when my baby girl is in the hospital, when the ultrasound confirms the bad news, when my dad didn't make it home from the game.

Trust in the LORD forever - when the path seems scarier and more confusing than ever before.

Trust in the LORD forever. Five simple words that, when believed and practiced, will transform lives. I already believe it's true, now it's time to put that belief into action.

The other emotion that swept over me this morning was that of caution. Verses 5 and 6 are a little bit scary, especially knowing that pride is something I can struggle with. I don't want to be in that lofty, inaccessible place, a place I don't deserve and a place that only leaves me with one way to go. God deserves the highest pedestal in our lives, and He is going to make sure He has that rightful place. The question becomes, how hard am I going to fight Him for it? That passage gave me a quick reminder this morning that if I don't remain humble by constantly remembering how big and worthy and just and righteous He is and just how opposite I am of those things, then He will help me remember.

He brings it down, He brings it to the ground, He throws it to the dust. For selfish and unselfish reasons, I don't want that to happen to me.

We have been praying a ton at New Heights. In our Sunday services, in Connection groups, in prayer meetings, and one of the prayer requests that came out the other day is that "we wouldn't get too big for our britches." I loved it and I've been praying that prayer a lot lately. For me as a leader, I need to make sure I don't get too big for my britches, and that can only happen by giving up the burden AND the recognition to the One who wants and deserves it all. Whether our student and college ministry has 5 students or 500 students, it will only happen by God's grace and through His provision, and not one bit because of who I am.

God's big and I'm not, and I take incredible comfort and peace in that.

Update

It’s been almost two months since I finished my journey through Acts, and I will be blogging again soon once life slows down a little. Full-time work at Brooks Lodden, part-time work on my own, and helping to start a church is a lot do on top of being a husband and dad to 3 little ones! I am praying through which book God wants me to blog through next, but in the meantime I am loving reading through some other books in the Old and New Testament, I would highly encourage all of you to do the same!

I wanted to take a few minutes to give an update about our journey in ministry and share a little bit of how God is wowing us with all He is doing. First of all, I go on staff the first week of April, and I’ll be working 15 or so hours per week with New Heights Church. This time will be made up of a day in the office, leading a connection group, various Sunday morning church duties, and connection and discipleship times throughout the week. I can’t adequately describe how much I am looking forward to having a block of time set apart each week to do ministry again. I have really enjoyed working at Brooks Lodden again (I know I know, who could possibly enjoy accounting work) but my heart isn’t there, my heart is in ministry. God has been challenging me and growing me and using me in these last few months, and I’m excited to see what happens when I’m able to give Him more of my time.

As for New Heights, it has sort of been a whirlwind. We have done 3 Atmosphere services, 2 Soft Launches, several concerts of prayer, and our Connection group has been meeting every Wednesday since the second week of January. And, although this Sunday is technically a Soft Launch (full service but we just haven’t advertised yet), we are full steam ahead every Sunday from now until Jesus comes back.

Every Sunday morning

Paramount Theaters
10:00am
Indianola, IA 

In the few times New Heights has met so far, we have already gotten to see a glimpse of what God is doing in Warren County and it excites me to know this is only a little bit of what we are going to see God do. From the adult who was excited he stayed awake for a whole sermon (even in the comfy theater seats) to the college students from the area whose faces light up when they hear a Cornerstone network church and its college ministry is coming to town, we are already seeing God prepare the way for an incredible movement. What lies ahead I don’t know, but I know God has big plans and I am humbled that I get to be a part of it.

As I finish this update, I have a few praises that I would like to share and a few requests that I would so appreciate your prayers for. First of all, this season of busyness is almost over. It has been a long tax season and there are still a few tough weeks left, but it’s almost over and that’s a huge praise. Brooks Lodden has continued to be an awesome firm to work for and God has used them to provide for me and my family, in the past and thankfully into the future. I learned a couple weeks ago that they desire for me to stay on and work on a part-time basis well into the future, which is a huge blessing and relief. I won’t need to piece together a bunch of part-time work to pay the bills but will be able to work at Brooks Lodden and the church only. Praise God for that.

Secondly, join me in praising God for the prayer and financial support that has come in and has been pledged by many of you. While we have not reached our full monthly support goal of $750 per month, we are over 50% of the way there and have been blessed and encouraged by many of our friends and family.

Thirdly, we as a family continue to be blessed by many of our friends and family from the Indianola Church of Christ. While things were tough at first and some relationships were broken, there are some incredible brothers and sisters in Christ at that church that have blessed and encouraged us through this process. That brings me to a couple requests I would love for you to pray for. Tony has announced his decision to move from ICOC and they are looking for a new Senior Pastor in addition to a Young Life Pastor, and I and they would appreciate your prayers for that. I am praying that God brings in the right leader to help take that place where He desires them to go, to win more souls in Indianola and beyond! I look forward to partnering with ICOC in the future as we minister in Indianola and Warren County.

Finally, would you please pray for our good friend Lori Meyer? She is a young mom and closet Cyclone fan that has been battling cancer for a few years now and recently had surgery. She faces several months of recovery and rehabilitation, not to mention whatever further treatments are needed. Please lift her up to the Incredible Healer!

I want to leave you with the Scripture I’ll be sharing this weekend at New Heights during our prayer time as we talk about how we can Contribute to God’s story, from Acts 1:8

                “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

This charge that Jesus gives to the believers before He ascends up to Heaven is just as much to us as it was to them. While Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria were all places and areas in the first century, each of us has our Jerusalem, our Judea and Samaria, and our ends of the Earth. We’ll start from the end and work backwards.

To the ends of the Earth: Pretty self-explanatory. Jesus calls us to impact people all over the Earth in some way. Whether that is through short or long-term mission trips, funding missionaries who are working overseas, or sponsoring a child in a third-world country, we are instructed to impact the ends of the Earth for Christ.

In Judea and Samaria: Now before we all take a trip to the Holy Lands, we must understand that while Jesus named specific locations, those locations were regions that were in semi-close proximity to the disciples. He wasn’t telling them you must go to these regions and these regions only, He was instructing them to impact the area around them. Being in Indianola, I look at Warren County and the State of Iowa as my Judea and Samaria, the area that is close to me that desperately needs to hear the message of grace the only the cross can offer. We all have Judeas and Samarias around us, and Jesus commands us to be His witnesses there.

In Jerusalem: This is where we live. These are the people that are closest to us, and this is where Jesus told the disciples to start. As we seek out how we can contribute to God’s story, Jesus makes it very clear. Be witnesses of the grace and forgiveness of the cross and the power of Christ in our Jerusalem, where we live and who we see all the time.

Contributing to God’s story can be difficult and scary sometimes but thankfully "we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us”, and that power is more than enough!

Acts 28 - All I am is Yours!

In this first section of the final chapter of Acts, Paul gets bit by a viper. I almost find this humorous that after surviving this terrible battle at sea and the shipwreck, Paul gets to land and is huddled around a warm fire and a snake comes out and bites him. If I were Paul I would surely be saying “really God, really?!?” Paul is bitten and yet he lives by the power of God, and the people are amazed. While they turn their attention to Paul in a sinful manner, they still take note they see that Paul is not just a man, he is a man with a supernatural connection.

Paul goes and heals Publius’ dad and anybody else on the island that was sick, and he continues to earn credibility for the entire shipwrecked crew. It’s cool to see how Paul has gone from being a miserable prisoner in their eyes to somewhat of a leader among their group. Paul made such an impression on the people of this island that they gave the people whatever they needed to travel. Paul was used by God to change lives on Malta, and as a result people gave of whatever they had to supply their need, and I’ve seen very similar circumstances play out in my life. When I was in high school and we were building Trinity Christian Church, a bunch of poor farmers forked over tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars to help build a church because God had changed them, God had impacted their lives in great ways. The churches that are supporting New Heights are forking over significant amounts of money, not because they like the idea of a new church or they think it is the cool thing to be doing, they are giving a ton of money because God has changed them and they want to see others changed as well. When God moves in our lives, we can’t help but want to express our thanks and help others experience what we have, and often times that means pouring our resources into where God is working.

So Paul finally makes it to Rome and goes immediately to meet with the Jews. He wants to deal with any rumors or accusations they have heard head on, and I think what he says in verse 20 is very insightful. “…In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.” He has walked away from the Jewish religious practices but he hasn’t walked away from the people. I think it is really difficult to step away from a ministry or a church and not feel like you’ve walked away from the people that you love and care about. Paul is saying here that he hasn’t abandoned the people, in fact part of the reason he is preaching and proclaiming the way of Jesus is to help his Jewish brothers and sisters realize the truth. We’ve got to understand that God calls us each to walk down our own paths, and while those paths might intersect from time to time and might even be the same path for months or years, it is still God’s path for us and we are at His mercy as to where we go. When God calls someone away, He is not seeking broken relationships and abandoned friendships; He simply has a different plan for our life and wants us to be obedient. All throughout the book of Acts we have watched Paul minister in a place for a few months or years, pack up and head onto the next place. Don’t you think that the church leaders were sad to see him go? Don’t you think that the congregation members were upset that he was leaving? Sure they were, but they understood so much better than we do today the missional focus of God and the overwhelming truth that God is in control, that God directs our lives and we need to obey. They didn’t hold tightly to those around them because they knew God could call them away tomorrow. I need to make sure that is my attitude and my approach towards those around me. As God calls, I need to support those God is calling not try to hold them back!

Paul shares all about how the Prophets and the Law of Moses pointed towards Jesus and how Jesus was truly the Messiah, and people believe. Others, however, begin to get up and leave because they didn’t understand what he was talking about, they didn’t believe the truth they were being presented. Paul quotes the book of Isaiah with a passage that is really difficult to hear as a church leader and as a friend to unbelievers. They hearts had grown so callous that their ears wouldn’t hear and their eyes couldn’t see the truth right in front of them, so they wouldn’t accept the message of grace that God was offering to them. How sad. How scary. Who around me has a callous heart? Who should I be praying that God would soften their heart and give me the boldness to have a conversation with them about Jesus? Whose ears and eyes are closed that I need to pray that God would open up? It saddens me to think of the people I know very well that fit into the description given by this passage in Isaiah. And I don’t think of those people from a judgmental perspective as to where they are in life, instead I feel some conviction and guilt that I haven’t done more to influence their perspectives and the condition of their hearts. If hearts can be softened, Jesus is there to heal people. Jesus has healed me, he continues to heal me as new wounds are formed and new struggles emerge, and Jesus will heal me for eternity, and it is such an incredible experience to be picked up and taken care of by the same God that created the universe, but I need to share it more often with more people. Jesus is truly our Healer.

The Jews left, and Paul continues to preach for 2 years from his house. For the next two years he rented a house and proclaimed the Kingdom of God with full boldness and without hindrance. I wonder how relieving it was for Paul to finally be able to preach without hindrance. For years he had been boldly preaching but being interrupted by trips to jail and periodic beatings, but now he had freedom. All of the struggles that he endured resulted in him being able to preach the gospel message boldly and, without a doubt, seeing hundreds and thousands of lives transformed by God. Seeing what Paul has gone through over the last several chapters, it leaves me asking the question of myself: “what is stopping me from proclaiming the message of the cross boldly?” Paul did it in the midst of incredible trouble and pain, things I don’t experience. Paul did it in the midst of great persecution and imprisonment, which I haven’t experienced yet. The only thing stopping me is my sinful nature, my tendency to cuddle up to the world and put Jesus on the backburner. Paul spent a lot of his life defending why he was preaching the name of Jesus, and yet I find myself spending a lot of time defending why I’m not. Well the timing just wasn’t right…excuse. But I didn’t want to push them away or turn them off…excuse. I don’t know them that well…excuse. I am going to show people Jesus by how I live, words aren’t all that necessary…excuse.

God has called me to a much higher standard, He has given me the power of the Holy Spirit to live up to that standard, and now it’s time to act! The book of Acts is also called the “Acts of the Apostles”. I am able to read all about how those that walked closest to Jesus lived. If I am walking with Jesus, I need to be living as they lived. Bold. Confident. Dependent. Humble. Spirit-Led. That’s my desire!

Father thank you for this journey. It seems like months ago when I opened up Acts chapter 1 and asked you to challenge me with your Word, and you were incredibly faithful in that request. I pray that you would continue to challenge me and my life, but also give me a ton of help in implementing the challenges. This last month has presented so much that I need to do differently, so many things that need to change, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed sometimes. Give me the ability to hear you loud and clear when you direct my paths and give me the confidence in your plan to step right up and go. God I thank you for your Spirit. I feel like I understand your Spirit better now than I did a month ago, that I am looking to Him and depending on Him more than I have in the past, but that is still a huge work in process. I want more and more and more, and I thank you in advance for pouring your Spirit out on me. Your Spirit works and moves and does what your Spirit wants, and while that can be nerve-racking and uncomfortable, there is such great peace knowing that my life and my world doesn’t depend on me, but rather is held in your hand. I want more of your Spirit, whatever that takes. As you pour out your Spirit, help me be willing to submit and willing to be your soft, moldable, shapeable clay. All I am is yours!

Acts 27 - Shine the Light!

Chapter 27 of Acts recounts the events of Paul’s journey and as I prayed through what God was trying to teach me in and through this passage, one of the big concepts that came through from the chapter as a whole is the fact that God is absolutely, one hundred percent in control. Paul was on a ship that should have been destroyed and was a prisoner that was set to be killed, and yet he made it in one piece to the place where the ship landed. And, not only did he make it, he earned the respect of all the people on the boat as well. Again, God used what seemed to be a hopeless, tragic situation to bring about His plan and His good. He was in control and Paul wasn’t. He is in control and I am not. I constantly need to be reminded of that.

In verse 9 Paul tries to give warning to the centurion that things were going to go bad and the centurion ignores him and chooses to pay attention to the captain and the owner of the ship. Paul was just a lowly prisoner, why would anyone care to listen to him? Would I have listened to him if I was the Centurion? Probably not, I mean what would Paul know about weather and ships and the sort? While I have never been faced with a decision of whether or not to listen to an inmate or a captain, this section has caused me to think about whose opinion I value the most. Do I seek after and heed the advice of the person in a humble situation or a person that is not in a position of influence in my life, or do I always look to the “captain”? Now there is great merit in seeking advice and opinions from those in our lives that are of significant influence, those that know us, those that we can trust. But we shouldn’t just dismiss someone’s ideas and thoughts simply because of the position they are in. Maybe I have a Paul that I run into occasionally, who has great, Godly advice for me, but do I ever hear out what he has to say? I struggle some with a judgmental spirit, and while I don’t necessarily sit around pointing fingers at who is worse than me and who is better than me, it is evident who I am judging by whom I give my ear to. I need to seek after and accept Godly advice, as much as I can get from whomever I can get it from. I need to sit down with God’s Word and examine and test that advice, then seek after God’s direction through the Holy Spirit. If the centurion would have done that in this case maybe they wouldn’t have lost their ship!

The ship’s captain kept coming up with a plan of how things were going to work and was quickly reminded that he wasn’t in control, until finally the situation got pretty desperate. They were 2 weeks into the battle and all hope had been lost, when God comes and shines a light through Paul. Paul receives some instruction from an angel, and he stands up and shares it with everyone on board. Where Paul was ignored earlier on, people took note this time. It’s amazing what desperate times will do to people! We are strong and independent and can do things on our own until life falls apart, and that’s when we open up. That’s been the case in my life and in the lives of many around me, and I’ve seen over and over what God can and will do in those situations. It always makes me think, what would happen if I would just submit and depend on God from the beginning? How much easier would life be; how much better would life be if I would quit requiring desperate times to get me to draw close to God? I don’t know the answer to those questions because that’s not the life that I’ve been dealt, that’s not the path that God has walked me down, and I’m thankful for that.

I need to keep my eyes open for those around me that are going through tough times, because when things get desperate people get more receptive than normal, and I need to be prepared for that. God used Paul to shine light in the midst of a really tough situation, and God can use me to shine light in the midst of darkness today if I’ll let Him!

In the final section of this chapter, Paul’s life is spared because the centurion wanted him to be alive. I have a hard time believing this centurion isn’t becoming receptive to the call of God on his life. How could you be stuck around a guy displaying the faith and grace of God and not want what he had? I want people to want me around because I have something they don’t that they desperately want. Again, not for any vain motives, any selfish recognition, but purely to spread God’s love to others. I need to work harder to shine the light of Jesus in the darkness that is everywhere I look!

Acts 26 - Confidence in Jesus

We see at the start of the chapter Paul beginning to give his defense to Agrippa, and he implores Agrippa to listen to him patiently. That seems like sort of a weird phrase to ask of someone, but as I reflect on it am I one that listens patiently? As I think about conversations I’ve had even over the last 24 hours, patience is not a way in which I listen, especially with my wife. I know she has asked me, maybe with a different phrase or with a different tone, to listen to her patiently. This question and challenge convicts me because far too often I want to get to the point or get to the question that is being asked and not mess with the back story or the build up to it, the context that is often really important but often seems unnecessary. I am constantly being told that I am in too much of a hurry and I need to slow down, and that even translates into my conversations sometimes. I need to work on listening patiently!

Paul retells his story once again, but I think a piece that is interesting that wasn’t included in the other accounts was the last part of verse 14. “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” Months ago at ICOC we studied through this passage and I remember this sticking out then just like it does now. We talked about the fact that the goads were sharp tools used to keep animals moving in the direction they were supposed to go, and when they would kick against them they would actually only end up causing themselves more harm. Knowing that, this phrase becomes so alive in the story of Paul and hits me hard as well. Why do I continue to go back to the things that cause me more harm? Why do I turn away from God and to the things of this world when all they do is hurt me? Why would I not just keep moving forward in the direction God wants me to go? It’s easy to consider how when cattle or oxen would kick against the goads that it isn’t surprising because they are just dumb animals that don’t learn, but couldn’t God say the same thing about me?

As I strive to be one with the Spirit and to walk where the Spirit leads me, I’m not helping myself if I’m constantly pushing back and hurting myself more. My track coach said one time, and these were words of wisdom in a lot of ways, that the fastest way to get from the start line to the finish line was to run in a straight line, rather than weaving from side to side within the lane. Life is the same way, living in the Spirit is the same way. If we want to get to the “finish line” of being completely dependent upon and one with the Spirit, it’s fastest and best if we run straight ahead on the path he leads us down. If I’m constantly swerving left, getting poked by life, kicking against it and hurting more, swerving right, getting poked by life, kicking against it and hurting more, it’s going to take a long time to get to the finish line. The fastest way to get from the start line to the finish line is to run in a straight line. I know where that straight line is, I just need to get back on it and stay on it!

In the last section of chapter 26 we see an exchange between Festus and Paul that brings out incredible words of truth from Paul. Festus calls him out for being crazy and Paul doesn’t back down. Instead, he boldly and confidently tells Festus that he is speaking words of truth. If this concept has hit me once during this study in Acts it has hit me 15 times, words of truth. If I will always speak words of truth and I will always speak God’s words, Scripture, then I will be able to boldly and confidently defend my words, because they won’t be mine! I so desire to be as bold and confident as Paul, so I’ve got to do the work, the studying and praying and living in the Spirit (which really is God’s work and not mine) to get there.

Agrippa challenges Paul on his attempt at converting him, and I’m impressed that Agrippa noticed, which to me reveals the Spirit was really working on him. Paul is retelling what happened to him and as soon as he mentions the king’s name Agrippa knows where this is going, and he stops him – kind of. He challenges Paul on whether he really thinks he could convert him, and Paul says an incredible statement that is worthy of some extended time of prayer and reflection.

“I wish before God, that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am – except for these chains.”

Wow. Father while I pray every day before I study I want to stop and pray specifically for this verse, for this example and for this truth. Teach me what it is you want me to understand, and reveal to anyone else that reads this passage what it means to them. Don’t let me pass by this one without action.

The first phrase, I wish before God, signifies something to me. Paul is always so bold, always so confident in his words and in his prayers, and yet he uses the word wish, or something similar, in this statement. He didn’t know if they would or expect that they would. He had no confidence that every person in the room would become a follower of Jesus, and he was all right with that. I sometimes can beat myself up over the fact that some of my friends and some of my family aren’t Christ-followers, and I can get into the mode of feeling like it is my fault. Without a doubt I can do more, and I need to do more to help them in the process, but I have to understand that their salvation is a wish of mine and not something I can be 100% confident in. I can’t be 100% confident in their salvation because they might choose not to accept the grace that God offers them. They might make the choice to say no to God and yes to this world, and I can’t control that. I need to place my confidence in my Savior, trusting that His sacrifice was enough. I need to place my confidence in my God, trusting that His grace is enough. I can’t be confident in men, because they are just like me, sinful and worldly. My faith and confidence can be in Him and Him alone!

The middle part of what Paul says shows his true heart for his part of the process of salvation in the lives of the people he was around, both in this setting and in others. He didn’t care what it would take, whether through easy times or hard times, he wanted each one of them to follow Christ. And, more than just wanting that for them and saying those words, Paul was truly willing, and actually endured, pretty hard times for the salvation of the people he came into contact with. His perspective was one focused on eternity, for himself and others, and he did an incredible job of keeping his perspective there and not letting it be drawn back to this world like I do. Am I willing to do whatever it takes for others to become followers of Jesus? This short answer is no but the long answer is I hope to get closer to that standard every day.