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.

Acts 25 - Battles all around

We see right away in chapter 25 these Jews cuddling right up to the new leader in town and trying to persuade Festus to give in to their demands. Festus appears to be onto them though, and wants to at least hear from Paul first. His words at the end of verse 5 have some real meaning to them and are a lesson for me: “if there is any wrong in this man.” Festus didn’t immediately believe that Paul was guilty, he wanted to hear from Paul and look into the case; he didn’t just take the Jews’ words for it. That’s not very easy to do, especially with a scandal or a problem. For whatever reason most of us are really quick to believe someone when they are talking about things that others have done wrong, in fact we are quicker to believe that than if someone were talking about a person who did some wonderful thing and had great intentions and purpose around it. I know I’m that way sometimes; I’ll meet words of praise about certain people with skepticism and words of condemnation with an assumed accuracy. I think what it comes down to is I know my heart and my sin, and it’s much easier to live with myself when I believe others are as bad or worse off that I am. As I reread that it really sounds horrible to think that way and live that way, but unfortunately it’s truth, and sometimes truth hurts!

Festus couldn’t find anything to charge Paul with, so finally he offered to send Paul back to Jerusalem. I think Paul was led by the Spirit at this moment and he knew what was waiting for him on the road to Jerusalem, so he appealed to Caesar. Again, the path that God wanted him to go down and the road the He had set before Paul didn’t make much sense, but it was His path. Being stuck in jail and taken from prison to prison could not have been how Paul foresaw he would be sharing the gospel message, but it was the most effective method because it was God’s design.

King Agrippa rolls into town and Festus told him all about what was going on in his courts. Again, as he is describing this disagreement between Paul and the Jews he realizes and understands that it is not a legal issue, it is a religious issue. It is a disagreement about religion, and the legal court system really isn’t the place to sort these things out. Festus could tell right away that it was a spiritual battle that was going on, and it makes me wonder how many times in life I miss the spiritual battles. There are all kinds of battles, especially as I think about raising 3 kids; there are all kinds of battles that are fought. How many are really spiritual that I am just missing? As we’ve been working on and preparing for the launch of New Heights Church, one thing we’ve talked about as a staff is where Satan is trying to attack. Again, when we met with the Westwind Elders this week, the question was asked: “Where is Satan attacking you?” As we’ve prayed about these things and as I’ve reflected over the last month or two, we have faced more battles in this short time period than we’ve faced in years. One of those battles we’ve been fighting is with our kids. They have been tougher to teach and disciple and discipline in the last 6 weeks than at any other point in their lives, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of wondering how we are failing as parents or what we’ve done wrong to cause these things to happen. As we have talked and reflected, we see that Satan is coming after our family and he is working through our kids and our relationships with them and, in turn, our interactions as husband and wife as well. As God is moving in incredible ways and because we know we are at the beginning of an incredible work of God, Satan isn’t happy, and he’s coming after us. And while that is frustrating and angers me that he would use my kids, I also have peace in knowing that Jesus has already defeated Satan once, and with Jesus we will defeat Him once again. I take peace in knowing that our kids are not just spoiled little brats (not completely anyway) but they are caught up in the middle of a spiritual battle. I’m not very good at recognizing that, and I need to be better because if I can recognize it quicker I’ll be able to fight back with the right weapons and the right ammunition. Rather than racking our brains over what else we can do as parents, we can gather together and pray that the forces of Satan would be pushed away. Festus understood that the issue between Paul and the Jews was spiritual, and he knew he had no power or control over such matters. When we are fighting spiritual battles, we’ve got to understand that we don’t have any power or control over those matters, but instead we need to ask our mighty warrior Jesus to come fight for us, and He will!

Father even right now I want to lift up my family and just ask that you would keep Satan away. He is trying to get a foothold, he is trying to gain some traction, and we don’t want anything to do with that. God help me to grab my wife and my kids in the middle of those attacks and just petition you for your protection and for your defense, not ours.

Festus and Agrippa came into the auditorium and got ready to listen to Paul’s defense. Festus sets the stage and we’ll see in chapter 26 what Paul has to say!

Acts 24 - The resurrection changes everything!

Once again we see false accusations and what Paul says in response. I think God is trying to pound into my head something, on both sides of this issue. First, I’ve got to make sure I am not bringing any false accusations, any gossip or slander, against anyone. When false accusations or lies are held up against the truth, they will not stand. I need to make sure, in all communication and in all representation that I make of myself and my family, that it is nothing but the truth. Secondly, I need to be prepared to face false accusation and I need to know how to respond. The first thing in that is I need to make sure I’m not leaving room in my life and in my walk for accusations of sin or a reason for someone to falsely accuse me. If a false accusation has any truth to it, then that is on me and that is my issue. I can’t, or at least shouldn’t, get upset when somebody accuses me of something that I am in fact guilty of! Also, I need to take notes from Paul on how he responds. He responds with truth, in love, and without concern about whether he can convince someone that his side is the right side. He simply presents the truth and leaves it at that. That’s the approach I need to take as well.

I laughed as I read these first few verses at the obvious brown-nosing and manipulation that comes from Tertullus, and it’s obvious that he is going to work hard to try to convince Felix of something that isn’t true. Isn’t that the case when we lie, that we often expend much more energy and work to try to convince someone to believe the lie than it would take to just tell the truth. Tertullus sets their case before Felix, and the mob of Jews joined in on the attack as well, then Paul gets a chance to speak.

This is when we once again are given an example of how we should react in situations like this, but the thing that caught my attention in this passage is in verse 15 and again in verse 21. Paul takes a quick minute to bring up the resurrection, which is really at the heart of the issue here. Paul believes that Jesus was the Messiah, and one of the key components of that is that Paul believed Jesus truly rose from the dead as He said He would do. And, because of that, there will be another resurrection someday, of the righteous and the unrighteous. Paul doesn’t beat around the bush or talk about the ancillary things with Felix, he cuts right to heart of the difference between him and his accusers, the resurrection. The cross was an incredible event, but the resurrection changed everything. Jesus dying on the cross was a brave act of sacrifice, but it wasn’t the first act of sacrifice. He wasn’t the only person to have been killed for His faith or His belief in something. He wasn’t the first or the last person to die as a result of his religious beliefs or because that’s what He felt God was telling Him to do. But, and this is a huge BUT, He was the first and the last of these religious martyrs to get up and walk out of the grave. He was the first to conquer the thing that was unconquerable. He was the first to put death and sin and Satan in his place, and that changed everything.

When I think about the resurrection, it’s easy to classify it as a historical event, a great event at that, but it’s easy to leave it as such. It’s easy to remember the resurrection as something that happened 2,000 years ago. It’s easy to even hold a very high appreciation for the resurrection as it was the event that will allow us into Heaven someday. What’s not easy, however, is to look to and think about the resurrection and the effect that it has on my life right now. Right now, today, I can walk away from that temptation to lie to someone to make them think better of me because Jesus walked out of the tomb. Right now, today, I can turn my eyes elsewhere when some girl on TV is wearing nothing but her underwear because Jesus rose from the dead. Right now, today, I can eagerly share the message of the cross with people because the cross doesn’t end with a dead guy, the events of the cross end with Jesus, our Redeemer and our Savior, alive and well and returning back to Heaven where He belongs. The cross was an incredible event, but the resurrection changed everything.

Felix and Paul have a lot of conversations and I think many people can relate to Felix. There was obvious interest in “the Way” as he kept having Paul come back and kept hearing him teach about it, but he just wouldn’t give in. He wouldn’t submit and he wouldn’t take that step to place his faith in Christ. He knew what was at risk: a strained relationship with his Jewish wife, living up to the standard of righteousness, and the call to exercise self-control. For Felix and the position that he was in, that meant giving up a lot. In the end, Felix left Paul in prison as a favor to the Jews. Once again, someone abandoning what was right to please the crowd. Felix did it 2,000 years ago and I struggle with the same thing today. Man’s sinful nature and disobedience runs strongly all throughout history.

You’d think His love would be enough. You’d think I would always choose His approval and His way above the ways of my heart and the ways of man. You’d think that would be a no brainer, but it’s not. As I’m finishing this passage and listening to Pandora, out came David Crowder’s performance of “How He Loves.” You would think hearing those lyrics and believing that truth would be enough. I want it to be!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzfPHnoT0-0

 Father accept my worship and praise this afternoon as worthy of you. I want to always choose you, to always choose your way and your will, but it’s not easy. Remind me every day of your love and the fact that I am sinking in your grace as you pour it out over me constantly. As I remember that and reflect on that, I can’t help but give you all I’ve got, which is what you want.

Acts 23 - God's plan and not my own

Paul starts Acts 23 with a statement that I’ve really never sat and thought much about before, it’s something that has always sort of blended into the passage before. “I have lived my life before God in all good conscience until this day.” Really? Can he really say that? This is the same guy that approved of the death of Stephen and imprisoned and killed early Christians, and yet he makes a statement this big, how can that be? To me, for him to be able to make that statement means a couple things. First of all, the concept of having a good conscience before God doesn’t imply or insinuate that Paul never did anything wrong. He didn’t say he was sinless before God, it says he has a good conscience. He has been honest, truthful, and forthright before God. Paul knew he was a sinner, he knew he wasn’t perfect, but he could stand there and make that statement because he knew he had repented of that sin and had been forgiven. The other part of a statement like that is that he knew in his heart that once he made the decision to follow Christ he didn’t turn back and he never wavered and it was all incredibly authentic. There have been times in my life where I have gone through the motions, when I have been in church because I was supposed to or I have prayed at dinner time because that’s what Christians do, and it couldn’t have been more fake. On the outside things looked great, and others had a positive view of what I was doing, but my conscience was a whole different story. We can lie to our friends and our family and to the people around us, but we can’t lie to the Holy Spirit, and if we are a follower of Christ the Holy Spirit greatly affects our conscience, the Holy Spirit becomes our conscience. Paul was able to say his conscience was good before God, can I? I can right now about this moment in time, but how about 3 years ago, or far more importantly how about 3 years from now?

For Paul’s incredibly bold and profound statement he gets smacked in the mouth, and sometimes that’s life. I always laugh when I read verse 3 as it seems like this reaction from Paul is one that is bottled up inside of him that he does a great job controlling, but just doesn’t hold back in this situation. I am sure there were so many times in his ministry as the Jews were denying the truth and passing judgment on him that he wanted to spout something off, and he does so here. Paul’s reference to Ananias being a whitewashed wall takes me back to Jesus’ statement to the teachers of the law that they were whitewashed tombs, nice and clean on the outside but full of death on the inside. I think it’s easy to laugh at that very accurate assessment of the Pharisees but I need to consider whether or not there are times where I am “whitewashed”. There have been times in my life, and I pray those times don’t return, where I was very white on the outside but very dark and dirty on the inside.

Paul is told Ananias was the high priest and he backs off from his statement. He shows incredible restraint and incredible resolve to obey Scripture, and he knows he is not to speak evil of a ruler. Paul knows this guy is wrong and he knows this guy is unfairly punishing him, but that is no excuse to break the law or to sin, so Paul stops in his tracks. That example is a tough one to follow. When being wronged, when enduring wrong suffering, it is so difficult to remain pure and not to sin. Everyone expects you to react, everyone justifies and excuses sinful behavior in that situation, and the easy thing to do is just give in and abandon what Scripture says. Paul didn’t though; Christ didn’t though, I shouldn’t either.

A dispute breaks out between the people and Paul is taken into custody for safety reasons and gets put into jail. What a wild time and ride this must have been, yet Paul all along is trusting that God has got it all under control.

The next section is intriguing to me as I see an example of how God can work in and through nonbelievers to accomplish his purposes. We as believers are seemingly always trying to figure out God’s will or God’s plan and how that plan is being accomplished, but it’s awesome to think about that whether or not we are seeking it out God can and will still accomplish his purposes. In fact, often he uses people that are not believers and aren’t looking for His will at all. I think of a nonbeliever that recently gave a large sum of money to go towards the plant of New Heights church, someone God is using to further his work here in Indianola who doesn’t even believe in the message of Jesus. If God can use nonbelievers, we as believers should have an incredible boldness and confidence in knowing that God will use us as well! God used this commander to get Paul out of town and to help accomplish the plan of getting him to Rome, as Paul was told would happen in verse 11. I wonder if that commander ever came to become a believer in Jesus, and if he ever understood the magnitude of his decision to get Paul to Rome, which enabled him to spread the message of the cross to even more of the world.

The Jews’ attempt to get Paul killed was foiled and he went to be held by Felix until the Pharisees would come down and present their case against him. Who would have thought that being escorted by the military and being stuck in prison would be God’s provision? If I were in Paul’s shoes I would have had a hard time being real excited about the situation and I probably would have struggled with why God was doing what he was doing. We know that’s not the case with Paul as we read the many letters he wrote, but that’s how I would have been. It is so easy to see the here and now and get caught up in whether the situation is good or bad in the short term, and not have our perspective remind us that God is fulfilling His purposes, not ours. Paul was put in prison, was beaten and stoned, all for the spread of the gospel.

What struggles have I gone through in the past or am going through right now or will go through in a few months that will serve to spread the gospel? Will I see it for what God sees it or will I whine and complain?

What joys have I experienced in the past or am experiencing right now or will experience in a few months and will I see those as God’s doing, His provision and His blessing? Or, will I take the glory and the credit and see it as having a streak of luck?

God’s plan and His purposes are far more complex and more far-reaching than my mind can handle, and I have to trust in that. Paul did, even Jesus did. So should I.

Acts 22 - Paid the price or born into the family?

Paul is given the chance to speak before this mob of Jews and he makes the most out of it, but what struck me is again what he uses to defend himself and his actions. He starts by connecting with his audience and helping them to remember that he was one of them for a long time, that they are brothers and sisters in the origins of their faith, and not enemies.

I am not enemies with anyone, and I don’t think I talk or act like I am enemies with anyone, but I’m not sure I do a very good job of helping them to know that we are in this together and that we are more similar than we are different. Whether it is speaking in front of a group or in a one-on-one conversation, it is so incredibly important to connect with my audience, not just in appearance or on the surface, but to truly, deeply connect with whoever it is I’m talking with. Paul does a great job doing this with this mob, and I think it probably gained him a few more minutes of talking time before they decided to bind and scourge him.

Paul goes on and just tells his story, and while we don’t read about a bunch of people getting converted that day because of it, I have a hard time believing that no one in the audience connected with his story and thought deeper about their life. I fully believe there were people in that crowd that went home that day and decided to walk away from the religion of their fathers and turn towards a relationship with their Heavenly father. So Paul tells his story.

I once heard it said that simply recounting the events of Jesus dying on the cross is not sharing the gospel message, that is simply giving someone a history lesson. The event of Jesus dying on the cross becomes the message of the gospel when we relate that event to what it means for me and for you, when we talk about the fact that on that cross Jesus bore our punishment for our sin, when He deserved none of it. The event of Jesus dying on the cross becomes the message of the gospel when we share with someone how one man’s death on a tree gave every man the opportunity to live forever. The event of Jesus dying on the cross becomes the message of the gospel when we share why it means something, and maybe the best way to do that is to share our story. Paul understood this, and that’s why he went around and told his story of how God blinded him, how Jesus forgave him, and why he chose to proclaim the truth about Christ to the ends of the earth. I’ve got to be ready to tell my story, anytime, anyplace, but part of me doesn’t like to. It’s not that God hasn’t done incredible things for me, it’s not that I don’t appreciate who God is and what He has done in my life, it’s just that sometimes it feels like I’m bragging, sometimes I feel like I’m drawing attention to myself rather than to God, and I don’t like that at all. I think what that probably reveals is that somewhere in my heart I still give myself too much credit for my story rather than giving it to the one to whom it belongs, God.

Father forgive me when I lack humility and for when I take the credit that you deserve. Father I desire the confidence to share how you have changed my life, but that will only come when I give up every last ounce of pride and ownership for that life-change. It wasn’t me who changed me because I tried that, over and over again, to no avail. Only through you and because of you do I have a desire to spend time in your Word. Only through you and because of you do I desire to serve you and your church. Only through you and because of you am I saved, by grace, through faith. It’s not of me or because of me, and don’t let me forget it!

Ironically, I get to share my story this week at our second Atmosphere service at New Heights Church. Every day I’ll be praying that same prayer as I prepare to share what God has done and not what I have done. I need to speak with boldness because I am so grateful for who God is and what He has done, I shouldn’t shy away from that!

As Paul was telling his story (he hadn’t even finished yet) they started yelling and wanted him dead. This is just another example that no matter what we do, no matter how innocent or how much truth we speak, sometimes people just won’t listen, and we have to be OK with that. It can be so frustrating and so hard when people, especially brothers and sisters in Christ and even more so really close brothers and sisters in Christ, won’t believe you when you are speaking the truth. It’s easy to want to lash back or to speak against them and to go down the paths of sin really quickly, but we must resist. Paul resisted, and we don’t see him losing his cool or piping back at this mob, he just waited for his time to speak truth once again. What a lesson that is for me, and what an incredibly hard standard to live up to in my life.

From the other side of this story, from the mob’s perspective, what do I have to learn from them? The obvious thing that I see from them is that they don’t like the answer Paul gives them, they don’t like his story, and so they throw a fit, say bad things about him, and try to get him killed. Now I have never tried to get someone killed, but have I said bad things about people? Have I gossiped or talked badly about or tried to negatively affect the reputation of someone? How about this one, have I ever tried to kill the spirit of someone I didn’t agree with by not being encouraging towards them and respectful of their opinions? This mob looks like a bunch of idiots and jerks here, but I am much easier on myself when I act in really similar ways, I am much quicker to justify my behavior without using the word idiot or jerk, when both those words are pretty fitting. If only I would seek out and listen to truth, without passing judgment on what I don’t know. The mob passed judgment on what Paul said because they didn’t believe it to be true. Where they erred, though, was not searching out the Scriptures and seeking after God to find out if what he said was right. I need to make sure I don’t make that same mistake.

The interaction between the commander and Paul at the end of this chapter is classic, and verse 28 makes me think of my relationship with Jesus and how that came to be. There are many out there, and I used to be one of them, that would stand proud and say I’m a part of God’s family because I paid a heavy price. I’ve worked really hard to keep the commandments and I give 10% of every dime I earn, sometimes even 11%, and I go to church every week, I’ve paid a high price for my citizenship in Heaven. Someday Jesus, and those that understand that it is only by His grace and by His sacrifice and not by anything that we have done will look at that person and say those words of Paul, “I was born a citizen.” In other words, I haven’t done anything to earn my citizenship in Heaven, I only belong there because I’ve been born into the family of God by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus, and that is REAL citizenship. There will be many turned away at the doors of Heaven who have tried to pay the admission price on their own. I’m so thankful God has revealed to me that it is only through Him and for Him and to Him that I exist, that I eat and breathe and live, and that apart from Him I can do nothing.

Acts 21 - Ready to die?

As I sit down to blog through chapter 21, I have to admit that I’m a little bit worn out from a great weekend with family. The awesome thing is as I sit down and read the Word I seem to regain some energy, there seems to be a freshness that comes anew in time spent with God, both physically and spiritually. We read in Scripture about the Holy Spirit being a stream of living water, and it’s incredible to feel that stream filling me up again. I have struggled in my life, as I think most Christians have, of always maintaining that hunger and thirst for God’s word, needing it each day to survive. I go through times where I can’t get enough but I have also gone through times where reading is truly a discipline and not a desire, and thankfully those times are fewer and farther between. What has caused that change in my heart? Discipline.

In this first 14 verses I see a couple things. First of all, once again I see a characteristic of who Paul was shine forth, and that characteristic is one of a need for relationship. When Paul arrived at Tyre he immediately search out and found some of the disciples there. I am sure he was in need of a place to sleep for the week, but I think he also had a great need for relationships with those men and women. He sought them out to study and pray with them, to encourage and be encouraged by them. Am I that relationally driven? Do I seek out those relationships and that time with other believers like Paul did? I need to…

Secondly in this first section, we see this prophesy about what was going to happen to Paul by this guy named Agabus, and it is detailed and very specific. These are the times our faith is really put to the test. It’s one thing to sign up to follow God when there is a chance that something bad could happen. Then, it’s much easier to “stand on faith” and risk whatever it is that we are risking to follow where God calls us to follow. It’s a whole different ball game to step up and to go when God tells us there is trouble waiting for you, there is hardship ahead, and I’m still asking you to go. I would love to say I would have said the same thing as Paul, I would love to say I would have dismissed the pleadings and urgings to stay where it was comfortable and safe, but I really just don’t know.

“For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Am I? Would I? Will I? I pray fervently that if and when the opportunity comes to put my life where my mouth is when it comes to my faith and trust in Jesus that I will walk down that path, not worried about what lies ahead but only concerned with who is leading me there.

Father these words of Paul are incredibly profound, and I have no doubt that Paul meant them with every fiber of his being, but these words are incredibly difficult to say and to really believe. God you have led me down some paths that had forks in the path with some tough decisions to make, but nothing that compares to this. Prepare me for the little decisions and the big decisions, that I will always be willing to take the path you’ve laid out before me, regardless of the amount of comforts, pleasures, pains, or trials that come with it.

 

Finally, out of this passage I see how Paul’s friends and fellow believers treated him. They pushed on him and pleaded with him to stay. They were concerned about his physical well-being, as any friends would be, and they begged him not to go. Have I ever done that? Have I ever tried to obstruct God’s will by pursuing my agenda in someone else’s life instead of my own? I want to be a person that others come to for Godly, Spirit-led advice. I want people to know that I will pray about their situation and earnestly seek God for the direction that He is leading them, and for that to happen I have got to faithfully ask God on their behalf. Paul’s friends were not doing him any favors by begging him to stay. They were thinking about themselves and the struggles that would be ahead for them if, in fact, Paul was bound and was killed. Paul, showing incredible maturity, scolded them a little and asked them to stop. He knew what the plan was and he was willing to pursue it, but they weren’t ready to let him go. I need to be the Paul in that situation and not his friends. No matter the cost to myself or to a friend, no matter the trouble or struggle that will come as a result of a decision, I need to always give those things to God and allow Him to provide the answer. My perspective isn’t big enough, my view of the big picture is pretty fuzzy, but God’s isn’t. I need to make sure I am not breaking people’s hearts by trying to influence their decisions with my own selfish desires rather than God’s plan for their lives!

The final note I want to make about Acts chapter 21 is regarding Paul’s demeanor as he is being falsely accused and beaten by the mob. He is calm, collected, and isn’t rattled at all. He knows he’ll get the chance to speak and he waits for that moment. First of all he is able to react this way because he is filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit brings an incredible amount of patience and forgiveness. When I see myself react in anger or frustration at situations or people, those are clear indicators that I still need to give up control of more of my heart to the Spirit! I also think Paul reacts this way because he knew it was coming. It was prophesied a few verses ago, but even beyond that he knew all along that this life of following Jesus was never promised to be an easy one, and that hasn’t changed for me either. When I am faced with struggles or persecution or whatever else frustrates me, I shouldn’t be caught off guard! I shouldn’t be surprised because I was told early on this would happen. I need to begin praying ahead of the storms, asking that God would give me patience and a calm spirit and an attitude of forgiveness long before I come upon those situations, so when they come I’ll be better prepared. Paul took everything he got with a confidence that it was part of the plan and that ultimate revenge would be God’s, and that was enough for him. I need that to be enough for me as well. Paul was silent until it was his time to speak, and when that time came he let them have it. I need to be prepared to speak, to be silent and gracious until that time arrives, then let the Spirit move through me like Paul did!

Acts 20 - Shepherd the flock!

This chapter of Acts includes a lot of facts about where and when Paul traveled, and the one consistent thing that happens everywhere he goes is that the Jews conspire to kill him. It seems as if he is constantly running for his life, yet he never loses sight of his plan and his mission to share the message of the cross with everyone he meets. Paul is faithful, from town to town and from person to person as he preached the Word of God all over the place. I long to be that faithful.

The final section, verses 17-38, is where God spent the most time with me in this passage. Paul is getting ready to leave an saying his final good-byes to the Ephesian Elders, and there is an incredible amount of truth packed into these few verses. First of all, he recounts for them his story of faithfulness to God, which would have only served to bolster their boldness and faithfulness as well. Could I stand in front of a group of men that I am close to and claim the same faithfulness? Could I stand in front of a close group of fellow believers and honestly talk about how I’ve never shrunk back in the face of persecution? I wish!

Paul makes no bones about it that this journey is hard. He references serving the Lord with humility, but also with tears and with trials. Paul never sugar coated anything and neither should I. Following Christ isn’t always easy and it isn’t the popular path and it isn’t the most lucrative way to go but it is always the best way! If we are going to serve God we are going to have trials and tears, and we shouldn’t shy away from them or be surprised by them. Seeing God work sometimes takes really hard situations to be in or it takes building relationships with people that are going through really tough circumstances, and those things bring on tears. I know it brings a smile to many of my friends’ faces when they see tears in my eyes that didn’t use to come so easily, but that happens when God moves in your heart and the hearts of people around you. And trials, wow do they ever come and sometimes seem like they will never stop. I love reading and studying what Paul went through in his life because my struggles and trials don’t compare. It’s great perspective for me if he could go through what he did and come out OK, and come out still preaching the name of Jesus, then why can’t I?

Paul discusses the fact that he didn’t shrink away from teaching anything, and that is an area that I need to step it up a little bit. I don’t think I’ve necessarily taught scripture incorrectly on sensitive issues or anything like that, but I don’t pray often, if ever, for opportunities to share truth with someone in an area of their life that they are obviously living in opposition to it. It goes back to my desire to be non-confrontational, but Paul was not that way. Jesus was not that way. I believe both men prayed for opportunities to speak truth into the lives of the people around them, and not just general nuggets of truth, but rather very specifically what they were dealing with. I need to do the same.

Father I want to speak truth into the lives of the people around me, especially the men that I am walking through life with and the men that I need to be walking through life with. Present me with opportunities to speak your truth into their hearts, to help them get to know you better and discern what you desire for their lives. Help me to confront when it is necessary to confront because I’m a chicken on my own!

In verse 22 Paul describes himself as being “bound in the Spirit,” and the language he uses really does a great job describing how my relationship with the Spirit should be. The word bound brings on images of being captive or a servant or slave, and that’s exactly what I need to be with the Spirit. I desperately desire to be a slave of the Holy Spirit, to do what the Spirit wants whenever the Spirit wants me to do it. Unfortunately, it is a voluntary slavery that we are given the option of living, and far too often I choose not to be enslaved.

Verse 24 is one I would love to be able to say, honestly, without thinking twice. I feel like God has changed my heart a lot over the last couple years and I feel far closer now to Paul’s statement here, but I’m not there yet. What Paul describes here though is so incredibly true, that I must consider my life worth nothing in order to do the ministry God has given me. If I worry about my life, my comfort, my standard of living, my desires, I won’t be able to do God’s ministry and fulfill God’s mission, it’ll be mine. I need to wake up each day and put myself aside, giving everything that I want and that I desire up to God and allow Him to use me for His purposes. Someday I hope to get to the point where it isn’t a conscious choice that I have to make, because as long as it is something I have to think about I am always going to battle the temptation to think twice. Wow I want to count my life of no value, but it is so so tough to really do that.

Paul lets them in on the fact that he will never see them again, then gives an exhortation that really jumps out at me. He tells them to be on guard for themselves and for the flock, for the church. It was so true when Paul wrote this letter and just as true today, that God’s church and Jesus’ followers are under attack from all angles, and we need to protect our flock. Whether it is a youth minister or a teaching pastor or a small group leader, we all have flocks that are under our care and we need to do everything we can to protect them. And, the reason and purpose for that is simple, they are God’s children that He paid for with Jesus’ blood. Once again, protecting our flock is not about church attendance or church offering or our reputation as leaders, protecting the flock is about Jesus. Once again, surprise surprise, this stuff we do as a church isn’t about the church or about us, it’s about God! I need to work really hard and do everything I can to protect the flock that God has appointed me to oversee because He has entrusted me with His sons and daughters. I need to treat them as such rather than looking at those relationships as something else I need to spend my time on. God has a much bigger purpose and much higher standards for those He entrusts His flock with, and I need to start living like up to that standard!

Father you have put me in a place to shepherd and watch over many people, people in our connection group and in youth groups and college ministry and discipleship groups and in my family, and God I have not been a very good shepherd. I believe I have taught your Word as truthfully and honestly as I can, but you are showing me in this passage that I need to do more than that, that I need to work hard to protect the flock. Give me your eyes as I look at those around me so I’ll quit looking at them from my sinful, selfish point of view. Empower me through your Spirit to know my flock and shepherd them well!

They finished their time together by praying together and they wept as they would not see him again on this Earth. There is nothing wrong with being sad or knowing that you will miss someone, but they understood the purpose and mission He was on, and they sent Him off to go do the mission. I need to be ready and prepared to be sad and to grieve as others leave or as I leave, but always keeping my eyes focused on the mission that God has called us to!

Acts 19 - Make me uncomfortable!

The Holy Spirit descends on some more people, but this time after Paul lays his hands on them. I’ve spent some time discussing baptism and the Holy Spirit’s activity, but the thing that jumped out at me here is this concept that we need the whole experience, not just part of it. These people had only really understood part of the process, or part of what they were trying to do or follow, and they needed the rest. So what am I doing or believing that is only part of the whole? I think it’s easy to fall into the trap of looking at what God asks us to do as followers of Him and only sign up for the part that seems easy or comfortable for us. For some people, yeah I’ll come to church and spend time praying but all that discussion in the Bible about being generous and giving, that stuff isn’t for me. For other people it is the need to give up addictions or sin of some sort, they’ll be perfectly fine not stealing or murdering, but they won’t give up their lust. So what am I holding onto? What haven’t I allowed God to have yet? The thing that comes into my mind when I pray that question is just my overall level of comfort. My life has been and is pretty comfortable, and I don’t like to step outside of that zone. God has not asked me to live a life of comfort, and as I’ve seen in Scripture the life that is sold out to following Jesus was usually very uncomfortable. I so desperately want to give Jesus my whole, to understand and participate in the whole of what He asks me to do as His follower, it’s just really really hard.

In this next section we see God performing great miracles through the hands of Paul, and we see this encounter between an evil spirit and these seven sons of Sceva, which is fascinating. These guys are trying to exorcise a demon by the name of Jesus, and listen to the phrase that they use, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches.” What boldness and stupidity that these guys displayed. First of all it’s incredibly bold to approach a demon and command the demon to leave someone, and I’ll give them props for being bold enough to do that. What was stupid of them was they were trying to cast out a demon in the name of someone they didn’t even know. They knew of Jesus, but they didn’t know Him, and the evil spirit figured that out right away. These evil spirits aren’t dummies, and they also very much recognize their place of power in this world, which is far below Jesus and those that have the Holy Spirit in them. But they also have enough power and wisdom to spot a fake when they see one, and this is what happened with these seven sons. I don’t want an evil spirit, if I ever encounter one, to be able to look at me and say that phrase: “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul – but who are you?” I want those evil spirits to sense God’s presence so strong and so full in my life that they run scared. But, in an effort to give an honest evaluation, I’m not sure that would be their response. Instead, they would probably try to appeal to the sin in my life, to the areas of weakness in my life, and they would try to overpower me like they did these sons. Paul did not give Satan even a tiny foothold because he was so dependent upon the Spirit to guide him and instruct him on how to live, and as a result the demons fled the scene when he showed up. That’s the power that I want to have, the power that only comes when I have less of me and more of the Spirit in my life!

This last section of Acts 19 is an example of greed and control showing up and influencing decisions once again. It is saddening to see how much greed affects people. This guy Demetrius gathers all these people together against the message that Paul is preaching, and notice what he talked about first. It wasn’t the fact that Paul was teaching against the worship of Artemis that he chose to bring up first, it was the fact that if people converted to “The Way” their business would be at risk for failure. His opposition to the gospel was driven by the financial effects it would have. I sometimes greatly envy people in third world countries that don’t have any money and never will have any, as it can become such an obstacle to my faith. I want to spend more time doing ministry and sharing the gospel but I have to work enough to pay the bills. I want to give away more money to those in need but my mind says hold on, things could get tough soon and you want to make sure you have enough. Oh how I long for the freedom of not thinking or worrying about finances and only thinking and worrying about sharing Christ. I know I can do that, with a lot of money or not a lot of money, but I sure seem to struggle more when I have more. The other side of this coin is my frustration with financial-driven decisions in ministry, which is tough because I am a numbers guy with a numbers mind, so I fall easily into the trap of making ministry decisions with finances as the focus. An incredible example of people with a mission-mind and not a money-mind is the encouragement of Westwind Church for its members to come join New Heights. They knew it would affect their attendance and their giving, but they knew that God would protect and provide. They knew their budgets could be hurting if a bunch of people and their giving disappeared, but they saw the bigger picture and the kingdom-purpose in the decision to send as many people as they could to go to Indianola.

What’s incredible, and yet sad that we as humans can’t get things through our heads is that when we stop worrying about numbers and finances and focus on the mission and the people like we should, God always takes care of the finances and the numbers. Westwind encourages their people to leave to start New Heights and their attendance begins to increase and will more than cover the loss in people, and likely the loss in giving, when it comes time for their members to head to Indianola. What was likely going to be a decrease in the short-term has become an increase, something only God could do. How many times does God have to do things like that before I will trust Him and quit worrying about things? How long will He have to be faithful to me before I turn and surrender it all to Him? I want to get there quicker. I want to get there sooner. I want to be there now!

Father you bless and you provide and you are faithful, but I need to trust you and depend on you if I want to see you protect and provide and bless! If I sit comfortably doing the same old things I won’t really need much from you, and that is a terrible place to be in life. It is a comfortable place, but a terrible place. God help me to be uncomfortable. That is a probably  a stupid prayer to pray, but make me uncomfortable because that’s what I need.

Acts 18 - Invest and Encourage

Paul now moves on to Corinth and is preaching to the Jews there, and finally we see him just getting fed up with their response, with their lack of faith, and with their blasphemy against God. He decides to move on and begin to preach to the Gentiles, and he makes a bold statement that speaks to me this afternoon. He says: “Your blood is on your own heads! I am innocent.” While that sounds like he is just giving up on them, which he is to an extent, I think it’s important to know why he could say what he said, and why I can’t say that to very many people. Paul was able to essentially leave the “blame” on them because he did everything he could to show them and teach them the way and give them a chance to respond. He spoke the words of truth to them and lived out what it meant to be a follower of Christ. He did everything he could do and they still chose to not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, so he was going to move on. I think, for me anyways, there have been people that I have sort of written off and said well fine, you haven’t made the choice I know you need to make so I am moving onto someone else. But, the difference between Paul’s position here and mine is that I have not typically done all I can. What I mean by that is not that I should be doing more, but what I have done has not been done well. Have I really preached the message of the cross and allowed God’s words of truth to speak and convict, or have I tried to convince someone to believe what I want them to? Have I lived out my life as a Christian in a way that is God-honoring and in a way that promotes the cause of Christ? Now obviously I am going to mess up, but when I have did I fess up to it and seek forgiveness and share those struggles with others, or did I hide it, acting like everything was fine? If I have not shared the gospel message with someone and have not lived it out in front of them, I am in no position to write them off and “move on” to someone else.

Now, if those things are true, if I have done what I can and have done what I needed to do and a person chooses not to respond, I need to avoid getting frustrated and upset that the person doesn’t “get it”. God asks different people to fill different roles in helping someone grasp who He is and my role could be planting the first seed. I have to trust that God’s will is going to be done and I have to be faithful in doing what He asks me to do as a part of that will. Anything less, and even anything more, is outside of His will and won’t be productive. Paul understood that he was supposed to preach to the Jews, and God used the refusal of the Jews to accept the message he was sharing as the catapult to his ministry to the Gentiles.

I’ve always wondered what Paul was thinking or praying about on the night he received the vision from God that encouraged him to not be afraid and to keep on preaching. Was Paul afraid? Was he contemplating the possibility of not preaching anymore? I think it is easy to put Paul up on some sort of pedestal because he wrote half of the New Testament and because of his bold defense and proclamation of the gospel, but we must remember that he is a human, just like me. While he might have had less fear, he still was afraid. While he might have had less worry, he still worried. While he might have struggled less with answering God’s call on his life, he still wrestled with it. Paul is a human just like I am, and that doesn’t go through my mind in an effort to bring Paul down to my “level”, but rather it is a reminder that the same God that empowered Paul to do incredible things for His kingdom can do the same things through me, if only I’ll let Him.

Father your servant Paul was an incredible man that served you faithfully and shared your message with thousands and thousands of people. The Kingdom was greatly impacted by Paul and his work is still affecting the world today. That is the legacy that I want to leave as well, that I would have a great impact on the Kingdom that would last many years after my physical body gives out. Again, not for my glory or my praise, but for yours. Help me to give myself over to you, every day, like Paul did. I am yours!

The last thing that stuck out to me in chapter 18 is Paul’s travels and what he did on his trips. Paul was an incredible preacher and spoke to many unbelievers and helped many people who did not know about Jesus come into a relationship with him, but that isn’t all he did. He didn’t swoop in, give a stirring message, and move on to the next town. No, instead it says that he moved from town to town, strengthening the disciples. He spent time with them. He prayed with them. He encouraged them. Paul was a guy who invested in people, who shepherded and disciple people, and that is a role that I need to step it up big time. Whether it is my family or my friends or my youth group leaders or my connection group members, I need to make sure that I am encouraging and strengthening those in my close sphere of influence. It’s easy in ministry, at least in my opinion, to get so caught up in all the tasks that have to be done to forget about, or at least temporarily overlook, the people. Paul didn’t do that. He didn’t start a church then never check back in with them. He didn’t help convert a believer then never speak to them again. He invested in lives, and the word invest brings so much more meaning than what I do with most of the people around me. To invest in something means you buy into it, you sacrifice and you pour into it, you pay attention to it and you check on it often. It doesn’t mean you say hi once every couple weeks as you are passing the person by in church. It doesn’t mean you send an email or a text every once in a great while to check in on somebody. It means time and energy and effort and prayers, it means a whole lot more than I have giving very many people right now, and that needs to change!

Acts 17 - Reach out and grab on!

I knew when I started on this journey that I would miss a day or two, that’s why I’m thankful there are 31 days in January and only 28 chapters of Acts! On we go!

In the first four verses of Acts 17 I see that Paul was in the synagogue discussing and debating with those that were present, and what jumps out to me is that the heart of his message to them, where he spent his time and focus and energy with them was the truth of the resurrection. Paul didn’t spend a bunch of time talking about removing sin or how to pray or why we should help people around us or other things that seem to consume a lot of our time and energy today, he focused on Christ. If he could show people and help them see through scripture the truth that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that He had to, and subsequently did, die on the cross and come back to life three days later so their sin could be wiped away forever that everything else was secondary. And, not only was everything else secondary, if they could understand that truth everything else would be a no-brainer. Compelling a non-believer to stop sinning is really difficult if your argument is, “well you aren’t supposed to do X,” or even “well the Bible says Y is wrong.” Instead, if your discussion centers around the fact that Jesus was God’s one and only Son, who went to the cross to remove the penalty of sin and to give you eternal life, that He sacrificed everything He had so you can have a chance to share in His glorious inheritance. God did that for us sinners through Jesus, and the thankfulness and gratitude that comes from knowing that truth compels us to want to live how He wants us to live. If someone can come to understand that truth, you don’t have to convince or compel them to do anything, their recognition of who God is and what He did for them will provide the necessary fuel to get them moving. Paul isn’t trying to convince these people of anything, he is simply presenting what Jesus did for them and letting the Spirit work through that. Once again, it comes back to my trust (or lack thereof) in the Holy Spirit’s work and my faith (usually far too much) in my own ability to convince someone.

I have to come to grips with the fact that someone’s salvation does not depend on me, not even a little bit. If God asks me to share His message with someone I should be faithful to that direction and have those conversations, but I shouldn’t think in my own mind well if I don’t do it their hope at salvation is gone. While thinking that way might help guilt me into responding more often to those callings from God, the negative side of thinking that way is that when someone does respond to the message of the gospel I will be inclined to give myself credit and not God. And, when someone doesn’t respond to the message, I will take the blame and become discouraged. It is a constant battle of humility to remember that it is a privilege and an honor for God to want to use me to accomplish His plans and purposes, but if He wanted to use the trash can sitting outside my house to do it He could. So, I am essentially the equivalent of a plastic container used to hold trash – encouraging!

Verse 6 includes an accusation against Jason and some of the other disciples that is something I would love to be accused of someday. I would love to stand before someone and have another person say, “these men who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” I desperately desire for the people of Indianola and Warren County to look at the churches in Indianola and say these people have turned Indianola and Warren County upside down. What an incredible indictment they received, and what rewards awaited them in Heaven because that was a true statement. I am in ministry to turn the world upside down, and that is a specific phrase I will begin praying for myself, for my church, and for the many churches around, that Warren County would be much much different because of God’s work through His churches.

I love the heart and the action of the Bereans in this next section, and it is my prayer for me and other Christians that we would live this way. It says that they were “open-minded”, and I think it is important to note exactly what is meant by open-minded, because I think that term gets tossed around in a negative way in the church world sometimes. Open minded today often gets equated with liberal or wishy washy in a belief system, which isn’t the case at all. The Bereans were open-minded in that they didn’t immediately write Paul off and say nope, you don’t agree with what we think so we aren’t going to have a conversation. They didn’t hear the beginnings of this “new” theology and this “new” belief system and put their hands over their ears because it didn’t agree with theirs. No, instead they heard Paul out and had a conversation. First of all, I sometimes really stink at this first part, and churches as a whole might be even worse than me. I have my beliefs and my theology and my points of view and when I hear the beginnings of something different I can quickly put up the defenses or zone out and not hear someone out. The problem with doing that is any credibility or relationship that was present is instantly gone. Nobody likes talking with someone who ignores them or writes them off or laughs at their thoughts, and no one goes back over and over to build a relationship with that person. When I treat someone like that, regardless of what they think or believe, I am killing any possibility of a relationship. I don’t care if someone really truly believes in their heart something that is ridiculous and nowhere near the truth, if I write them off I might as well write off any chance at sharing Christ with them as well. So, the first thing I can learn from the Bereans is their open-mindedness, and I am positive there would be millions of more followers of Christ if churches would act this way as well.

Now, the second part of this description of what the Bereans did is essential when we get to a place where we are open to discussing things and hearing people’s thoughts and opinions. They “examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” In other words, they didn’t just hear Paul out and assume what he was telling them was truth. Instead, they searched God’s Word, knowing that it was the absolute truth and if anything Paul said didn’t agree with it there was a problem. That is what I need to do with far more conversations and discussions that I do right now. Before I decide to take someone’s word or advice or pass judgment in thinking they’ve fallen off the deep end with their opinions, I need to examine the Scriptures. The Bereans didn’t immediately say Paul you are nuts or Paul you’re right, they were open-minded by listening and discussing, then they sought out the truth and made their judgment.

Father draw me to your Word more often. Before conversations, in the middle of conversations, after conversations are over. Let my guide and my standard for everything be the truth of your Word, and help me to encourage others around me to hold me accountable to that standard as well.

The last half of chapter 17 has so many parallels to our world today, and the goal and mission of the church needs to be the same thing Paul shared with the people of Athens. There are idols all around, in the lives of everybody, including myself, my neighbors, everybody I know. We all have idols that get in the way of God and detract from the worth and value and praise and commitment that He deserves. Those idols are destroying us, destroying me, and I need to get rid of them. Paul’s address to the people of Athens should be the address that churches bring to the people in a community. The God of this universe, that made all things and all people in all times, did so that we might seek Him, that we might reach out and grab on to Him, realizing that He is not very far away. We as followers of Christ need to be proclaiming this truth to everyone we know. God is not very far away, in fact He is incredibly close to each one of us. All it takes is for us to reach out and He will sweep us off our feet. There are so many parallels between God’s relationship with me and my relationship with my kids, and I feel like I have a fuller understanding of God’s view of me now that I am a dad myself. There are times when my kids need me, like really need me. They have fallen down and gotten hurt or have had their feelings get hurt or something has happened where they really need their daddy. And I, being their daddy, usually can see when those things happen and those situations arise. Sometimes I will run right in and save the day, whether they want me to or not, as all daddies do. But sometimes I wait, sometimes I pause to see if they are going to ask. Sometimes I’ll sit and watch to see if they recognize that they need me and let them seek after help. I’ll be honest I can’t put words to why I do this sometimes, I just do. God treats us that same way sometimes. There are times when we are broken and in desperation and we don’t know what we need and we don’t even ask for it but God sweeps in and saves the day. Those are incredible times, and that’s an incredibly emotional experience. But there are times, lots of times, when I think God sits and waits to see if we are going to ask for help, to see if we are going to reach for Him. He is right there beside us, right there in front of us but He wants us to reach out and find Him, to reach out and grab onto Him. Those are sweet times as well, when we realize we need help, we reach out to find help, and God provides for us. There are so many people all around me that need help, they are broken and hurting and for whatever reason God hasn’t chosen to just sweep in and overwhelm them with His provision, and those people need me to step into their lives and tell them this incredible truth: “God created you so that you might reach out and find Him, and know that He is not very far away!” I need to share that truth with people. I need to help people understand what Acts 17:27 means for them, in their lives, in their situations. I’ve reached out and found Him, I still reach out and hold onto Him, now it’s time to help others do the same.

Acts 16 - Spirit leads, I'll go!

This first section in Acts 16 includes an act that was done that I’ve heard a lot of debate and discussion over. Timothy is chosen to go with Paul to continue to preach the gospel and minister, but Paul decides to circumcise him first. It is interesting to me that this happens just a few chapters after Paul gets done defending why the gentiles didn’t need to be circumcised, so it’s worth giving some prayer to. As I look at the passage, I think the important piece that sticks out to me is that the decision to be circumcised was, in my opinion, made as a way to connect with and relate to the Jews that he and Paul would be encountering, and it wasn’t in any way an effort to earn his salvation and it wasn’t anything that was necessary for Timothy to accept the message of grace. Paul stood up strongly against the Jews that were saying a gentile must do these things to be saved, but now he encourages Timothy to do something to be able to relate and connect with the Jews. For me, this serves as a reminder that there is nothing that I need to physically do to be saved, but there are many things that I need to do to connect with people and help reach them. Paul, who later writes, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some”, understood this concept incredibly well. Where in my life am I not making any effort to relate to people? How am I appearing different or separate or stand-offish that doesn’t allow me the opportunity to share the message of grace with people? What needs to change?

Twice in the next 5 verses the Holy Spirit either prevents them from going somewhere or calls out to them and invites them. Obviously these 5 verses do not happen in 5 minutes, but rather days and weeks, but this is just another example of how in tune Paul, and I assume Timothy, was with the Spirit. This is how I want my life to be! As I seek where to go, who to talk to, what to say, that the Spirit would either prevent me or invite me. As I feel like I am growing in the Spirit, I feel like those conversations are happening more often, and it’s so freeing to be able to give decisions and directions up to God and just let Him have them, but I’ve got a long ways to go and a lot more to give up!

The story of Lydia’s conversion, at least to me, serves as a reminder to always be ready to proclaim the name of Jesus and also be willing to roll with changes that come up. Paul was going out by the river because he thought it was a place of prayer. I assume that phrase is included because it, in fact, wasn’t what he thought it would be. So, rather than being upset or grumpy because something wasn’t what he thought it was, he sat down and had a conversation. And, as Paul typically did, he went right to discussing things of eternal value. How easily do I let things, silly stupid little things, derail my train of thought or my mood for the moment or the day? I have found out in youth ministry that you have to be flexible and willing to adapt on the go, and I feel like I do that in ministry fairly well, but for some reason that doesn’t translate to home. Even as I sit here and type I am fighting the battle of letting the struggles I just had with my 2 year-old and 4 year-old bog me down and affect the rest of my night. Paul never did that, he always pressed on because his moods were not dependent upon situations, his countenance and character was fully dependent on God. When we live that way, little things won’t bother us as much and big deals won’t seem as big anymore. Having constant communication through the Spirit enables us to realize how big of a God we have and how little our problems are. In other words, it puts things back into their proper perspective. I need that reminder often!

Paul’s encounter with the slave girl is another event that happens in the Bible that I can easily relate to as the kind of thing that seems to happen a lot now as well. Not the slave girl and the demons part, but the fact that Paul tries to be the nice guy and tries to do this girl a favor and ends up getting wrongly accused and gets in trouble. It seems like far too often the person that tries to come in and help, or the person that tries to do things the right way, ends up being the one getting blamed for things they didn’t do and gets a hard time for it. The temptation can quickly become to just stop doing anything nice, to stop putting yourself out there for others. And while I can easily fall into that trap, God calls us to a different standard than that. He asks us to ignore the potential consequences, to not focus on the negative that could come about, and to just reach out and help people. Paul’s helping of this girl got him beaten with rods and thrown in prison, but I guarantee he wasn’t worried about that happening when he ordered the slave out and he wasn’t lamenting over what happened when he was sitting in jail. Paul had, again, the proper perspective. As he lived by the Spirit, he responded to what the Spirit prompted him to do and took whatever the consequences were in stride. As I continue to read about Paul’s journey and his life, I just keep hearing in the back of my head this echo that I mentioned a few chapters ago: “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”. I need to imitate this guy Paul as he clearly lived out what Jesus wanted him to!

The next section in Acts 16 is a beautiful portrayal of what the message of Jesus brings, life. The jailer was ready to kill himself because he was sure the prisoners were gone, he would have been in complete and utter despair, ready to take his life and end it all, and all of a sudden he hears those words of life, “don’t harm yourself…”. Wow immediately what comes to my mind is all the times I’ve been in that situation, in that frame of mind. Not in a frame of mind of actually considering hurting myself, but in that mood of despair and confusion and pain. And, in each one of those circumstances, without fail, in some fashion I’ve heard those words of life, “don’t harm yourself.” I’ve heard those words from Jesus, “come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” There are so many emotions tied to those times in my life, emotions that are still so real and tangible today. From the hurt and the pain and the confusion and the helplessness to the joy and the relief and the overwhelming feeling of humility as I wondered, after Jesus had rescued me from that place, why He would do that for a sinner like me. God’s Word is filled with these words of life, ready to rescue us from those dark places, and we need to hold onto those words, we need to fill up with those words.

God thank you for that reminder through the text in the book of Acts tonight, that reminder of how you have filled me up over and over and over again, when I needed it most and didn’t deserve a bit of it. Those words brought life to the jailer and your Word brings life to me. Father help me to cling to and hold onto those words much tighter than I ever have before, knowing that they will comfort me, heal me, provide for me, strengthen me, and sustain me no matter what I face on this earth.

This last passage of Acts 16 has always really intrigued me. Paul, having been delivered from his stay in prison, almost seems to rub it in the faces of the magistrates and the people in charge by making them come apologize and walk them out of the jail. I’ll be honest I don’t have any real significant truths that God is teaching me through this part of the chapter other than justice was served. Paul was released, the people of the town were revealed to be in the wrong, justice was served. I take great comfort in knowing that justice will be served for all those that have wronged God and His church, but I also still struggle when I think justice should be served now rather than later. Paul got to see justice served, and I will too someday!

Acts 15 - God's path and not my own

Chapter 15 has a considerable amount of disagreement and conflict in it among the believers, and I’m starting to get it through my head that God has something to tell me in this area. I’ve never been one that liked conflict, I’ve never been one that desired to deal with tough conversations and situations head on, and I know that has to change. I’ve taken steps that way, I believe, but I’ve got a lot further to go. Paul and even the other disciples give a great example of what it looks like to deal with issues that are being faced and how to handle those situations.

In this first section, we see how and why the disagreement arose, and again it is a story from 2,000 years ago but is something that is seen all the time in this day and age. Large numbers of people are being saved, the Spirit is moving like crazy, and here come the people that always show up, those that want to put in place a bunch of rules, those that want to control things, and it causes some problems. Paul and Barnabas have some discussion about the issue at hand, and finally it is decided that they should go back to Jerusalem and discuss it with the apostles and elders there. The thing that is screaming in my head is how many people missed out on the simple message of the gospel because of this theological debate. How many more people could Paul and Barnabas have ministered to if they didn’t waste days and weeks and maybe even months debating these theological issues with the apostles and other disciples. How many people in my community have missed out on hearing about the grace that God offers through Jesus because of the time I’ve wasted “studying theology” while not living it out. It is truly sickening to me to think about how many people could have been baptized by all the people that have spent hundreds and thousands of hours of their lives debating and studying and proving what they think baptism means and does. Now this is not an excuse to just form a quick opinion about theology and go spread it, we are instructed to know the word and we should attempt to learn the Bible and find out what God intended us to know by giving us His word, but we have to know that the Word is worthless to us if we don’t do anything with it. We can memorize every bit of scripture, have our theology nailed down with exactly what the Bible says and teaches, yet if we don’t do something with the incredible truth we’ve been given we aren’t any better off than the pagan who doesn’t know any scripture. Jesus didn’t call us to be knowers and learners and thinkers, He called us to be followers, to be disciples. His followers and His disciples didn’t sit around debating theology; they didn’t sit around doing anything. They went everywhere, teaching and preaching His name and the salvation that is only offered through him. I heard last year the following quote: “Our level of knowledge far exceeds our level of obedience.” That is so incredibly true in my life and in the lives of most Christians around me and it makes me think, what if those were more evenly matched. What if I sacrificed “knowing” more at the expense of living in obedience to what I already know? That is living how God wants me to live. That is doing what God wants me to do. That is living by the Spirit, and that’s what I want!

Paul and Barnabas convene with the apostles and elders and deal with this issue of disagreement, and this is where we see the Biblical model of confrontation on display. They didn’t talk in secret meetings or behind backs, they didn’t talk in generalities or in second-hand information, they simply got together and talked through the issues. I am sure there were some tough things said and I’m sure there were some awkward moments, but in the end they were able to discuss what was going on and come to a conclusion, the right, Spirit-led, conclusion. This is an area of my life where God has challenged me often over the last year, in dealing with conflict and strife. I have always shied away from conversations and situations like these, but God is asking me to change that. Biblical confrontation is necessary in relationships among believers and in the relationships in a church, and if I want to be a part of a healthy church atmosphere I have to be willing to confront and have open and honest conversations when needed. Lord help me in this!

After much discussion, they come to the conclusion that these Gentiles do not need to be circumcised or follow all of the laws of Moses, and the church decides to send a group of people to relay the message and take a letter to essentially apologize. Again, rather than trying to just let things die or now owning up to the fact that they were wrong, they came right out and apologized and tried to encourage the believers. One of the other things I’ve been strongly convicted on is my unwillingness to apologize. I hate it when I’m wrong, and I still believe it doesn’t happen very oftenJ, but when I am wrong, I hate even more to apologize. My pride runs strong and deep and I just don’t like to apologize, and is another area I need a great deal of help from the Spirit to get better at.

The group from Jerusalem went, shared a message, encouraged the people, and headed back in peace. They resolved the conflict and everyone was able to move forward in a positive manner, which will always happen when both individuals or both groups are being led by the Spirit and are willing to have open, honest conversations. When that approach is one sided, however, that is when things don’t always go so well. When one group is led by the Spirit and the other is led by men, feelings get hurt, bridges get burned, and that reconciliation or healing doesn’t happen.

Father help me to always be willing to apologize, to always be willing to have open and honest conversations, to always be willing to let the Spirit lead in situations where it easy for my heart and my sinful nature to take over. God convict me of bridges that I have burned in the past and help me to live, as far as it depends on me, at peace with others. I want to live by your Spirit, and a good test of that is who I lean on in the midst of confrontation. Let it always be on you!

Once again in this final section of Acts 15 there is disagreement, this time between Paul and Barnabas. This obviously was a big deal, as it was a “sharp disagreement”, but Paul and Barnabas were able to part company and go their separate ways to do ministry. This is a great example of a simple fact of life I think that God calls people into ministry but it isn’t always in the design for those to do ministry together. We need to hold lightly to our relationships and those we are doing ministry with as God might separate that in the future. While there are people in my life that I would love to do ministry with forever, that sometimes just doesn’t happen. There are people at the Church of Christ that I already miss doing youth groups and other ministries with. They will be lifelong friends but God had different plans for our paths in ministry, and that is OK. There are people at New Heights that I already love doing ministry with, but I know and understand that God will likely call us to go down different paths someday. It is God’s will and God’s plan, and not mine. I am sure Paul and Barnabas loved ministry together, and in this moment God used a disagreement to show them the next path they were to go down, it just happened to be different paths. I want to always be one who goes down God’s path, no matter who else is on it.