Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

It has been good and sweet, encouraging, and sometimes terrifying to read the Acts of the Holy Spirit through men and women called of God to carry The Message of Jesus to the world.  The movement is now well on its way, as many follow The Way.  Thousands are believing that Jesus is indeed the Messiah come to save us—The One and Only Son of God who the prophets told about through the centuries before He came to earth. Jesus is The Way, Truth, and Life—The Only Way to God.

Both Jews and non-Jews learn that Jesus redeemed us from punishment for our sins by laying down His life in our deserved place on a cruel cross.  They hear that God then raised His Son in resurrection power from death to Life eternal three days later.  God then honored Jesus as King of kings, and Lord of lords—forever!  This act of resurrection from death to life secures our hope of eternal life if we believe.  This gift of His Son is our salvation!  This gift is a result of God’s unchanging, relentless, unconditional love for us.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  John 3:16-17, NIV

Although imprisoned for preaching Jesus, Paul does not hesitate in his assignment to proclaim The Message of Jesus.  He sends letters of love and encouragement to all the churches.  The church is growing in the numbers of new lives changed and transformed by Jesus as The Body of Christ.  Paul tells them how each one in the Body of Christ has been given certain gifts and abilities in order to build and encourage each other in healthy ways so that others may know Jesus by the love that is growing because of Jesus in them. 

It’s an ever-growing learning process!  Believers in Jesus are growing in His love and learning to walk in His ways but the church is made up of imperfect people who don’t always “get it right” and need help and correction.  Paul is the one assigned to carefully encourage and correct while still in chains.  He takes pure joy in seeing the church accept everyone, showing no favoritism, and love “like your lives depended on it”!  All people are drawn to those who love well.  Our work is to pass on The Message of Jesus in a spirit of love, Paul teaches.

God’s church today still leans on this wisdom God produced through Paul’s writings for the church.  Jesus is the Cornerstone of His church and Jesus is the Head of the Body of believers.  Jesus began this work with Peter and many other committed disciples. Later we will read and meditate on their letters, too!  But for now, let’s dive into the letter to the Romans!  Commence to learn so we can pass on The Message as “clearly as we should” so others will know and follow Jesus!

Romans 1, The Message

I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God’s words and acts. I write this letter to all the believers in Rome, God’s friends.

^2-7 The sacred writings contain preliminary reports by the prophets on God’s Son. His descent from David roots him in history; his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master. Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ! And I greet you now with all the generosity of God our Father and our Master Jesus, the Messiah.

^8-12 I thank God through Jesus for every one of you. That’s first. People everywhere keep telling me about your lives of faith, and every time I hear them, I thank him. And God, whom I so love to worship and serve by spreading the good news of his Son—the Message!—knows that every time I think of you in my prayers, which is practically all the time, I ask him to clear the way for me to come and see you. The longer this waiting goes on, the deeper the ache. I so want to be there to deliver God’s gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! But don’t think I’m not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you.

^13-15 Please don’t misinterpret my failure to visit you, friends. You have no idea how many times I’ve made plans for Rome. I’ve been determined to get some personal enjoyment out of God’s work among you, as I have in so many other non-Jewish towns and communities. But something has always come up and prevented it. Everyone I meet—it matters little whether they’re mannered or rude, smart or simple—deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation. And that’s why I can’t wait to get to you in Rome, preaching this wonderful good news of God.

^16-17 It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Letters to imperfect people of the perfect forgiveness of Jesus!  Paul has a definite writing style and position.  In his letters, he begins by going over who we are as believers.  If we know who we are, we will begin to know why we exist, live, and breathe as believers of Jesus. This is the “secret,” he will write to the Colossians, “Christ in us!” (Colossians 1:27).  In the middle of Paul’s letters, the word therefore will appear and change the direction of thee letter from who we are to what we are suppose to do given who we are in Jesus.  “Therefore” is there for a reason an signals the shift! 

Romans is a life-changing letter for people who are willing to admit they are sinners.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Paul writes to the Romans and as a reminder to us.  In this Holy Spirit inspired letter, Paul explores all the wrong options and takes us to the only correct one. The wrong solutions are pleasure and pride (Romans 1-2); the correct solution is Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21–26). According to Paul, we are saved by grace (undeserved, unearned favor) through faith (complete trust) in Jesus and his work.

Paul’s letter concludes with practical instruction for a growing church, including thoughts on spiritual gifts (Romans 12); genuine love (also Romans 12); good citizenship (Romans 13). The final chapters provide brilliant instruction for dealing with everything from church division to difficult brethren. 

Even though Paul cannot physically visit the churches, God has given him the gift of powerful, Spirit filled wisdom; writing from his imprisonment to those who are imprisoned without Jesus.

The Message: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

Lord,

Thank you for Paul who was believed and was fully committed to you.  Thank you for teaching us through Paul’s letters to the Body of Christ.  Thank you for forgiving us when we get it wrong with loving correction. Thank you for encouragement when we get it right as we you lead us. Give us wisdom to live daily in Your Name for Your Glory in ways that please you. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

As believers we go through the same troubles, trials, and life challenges as unbelievers.  But the difference is this—We can see God at work in the middle of our circumstances!  We can feel His peace replace our fears as we put our trust in Him.  We are reminded daily that we live in this world but we are not of it.  There is a Hope in our being that is higher than our thinking.  Hope lifts us up beyond the ground level of our circumstances when we trust our Father in heaven. God will do what He does with our best interests at heart.  He does not rely on our help, only on our obedience.  He does not expect perfection, on our trust in Him who is perfect in every way.  He is God.  We are not. God always has and always will love us with a love that is relentless and unchanging.

Just look at Paul and his friends!  They shipwrecked in the perfect place!  Malta, an island full of people who welcomed the weary and soaked to the bone and treated them “royally.” The islanders fed them, gave them dry clothes, and took them into their homes.  I love how Dr. Luke, the writer, takes us there with all the details!  We can see it in our minds and almost feel the sand between our toes as the crew of the ship, Paul, and his associates are taken in with care for readily.

Acts 28, The Message

^1-2 Once everyone was accounted for and we realized we had all made it, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. The natives went out of their way to be friendly to us. The day was rainy and cold and we were already soaked to the bone, but they built a huge bonfire and gathered us around it.

^3-6 Paul pitched in and helped. He had gathered up a bundle of sticks, but when he put it on the fire, a venomous snake, roused from its sleepiness by the heat, struck his hand and held on. Seeing the snake hanging from Paul’s hand like that, the natives jumped to the conclusion that he was a murderer getting what he deserved. Paul shook the snake off into the fire like it was nothing. They kept expecting him to drop dead, but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to, they jumped to the conclusion that he was a god!

^7-9 The head man in that part of the island was Publius. He took us into his home as his guests, drying us out and putting us up in fine style for the next three days. Publius’s father was sick at the time, down with a high fever and dysentery. Paul went to the old man’s room, and when he laid hands on him and prayed, the man was healed. Word of the healing got around fast, and soon everyone on the island who was sick came and got healed.

Rome

^10-11 We spent a wonderful three months on Malta. They treated us royally, took care of all our needs and outfitted us for the rest of the journey. When an Egyptian ship that had wintered there in the harbor prepared to leave for Italy, we got on board. The ship had a carved Gemini for its figurehead: “the Heavenly Twins.”

^12-14 We put in at Syracuse for three days and then went up the coast to Rhegium. Two days later, with the wind out of the south, we sailed into the Bay of Naples. We found Christian friends there and stayed with them for a week.

^14-16 And then we came to Rome. Friends in Rome heard we were on the way and came out to meet us. One group got as far as Appian Court; another group met us at Three Taverns—emotion-packed meetings, as you can well imagine. Paul, brimming over with praise, led us in prayers of thanksgiving. When we actually entered Rome, they let Paul live in his own private quarters with a soldier who had been assigned to guard him.

^17-20 Three days later, Paul called the Jewish leaders together for a meeting at his house. He said, “The Jews in Jerusalem arrested me on trumped-up charges, and I was taken into custody by the Romans. I assure you that I did absolutely nothing against Jewish laws or Jewish customs. After the Romans investigated the charges and found there was nothing to them, they wanted to set me free, but the Jews objected so fiercely that I was forced to appeal to Caesar. I did this not to accuse them of any wrongdoing or to get our people in trouble with Rome. We’ve had enough trouble through the years that way. I did it for Israel. I asked you to come and listen to me today to make it clear that I’m on Israel’s side, not against her. I’m a hostage here for hope, not doom.”

^21-22 They said, “Nobody wrote warning us about you. And no one has shown up saying anything bad about you. But we would like very much to hear more. The only thing we know about this Christian sect is that nobody seems to have anything good to say about it.”

²³ They agreed on a time. When the day arrived, they came back to his home with a number of their friends. Paul talked to them all day, from morning to evening, explaining everything involved in the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them all about Jesus by pointing out what Moses and the prophets had written about him.

^24-27 Some of them were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe a word of it. When the unbelievers got cantankerous and started bickering with each other, Paul interrupted: “I have just one more thing to say to you. The Holy Spirit sure knew what he was talking about when he addressed our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet:

Go to this people and tell them this:
“You’re going to listen with your ears,
    but you won’t hear a word;
You’re going to stare with your eyes,
    but you won’t see a thing.
These people are blockheads!
They stick their fingers in their ears
    so they won’t have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
    so they won’t have to look,
    so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
    and let me heal them.”

²⁸ “You’ve had your chance. The non-Jewish outsiders are next on the list. And believe me, they’re going to receive it with open arms!”

^30-31 Paul lived for two years in his rented house. He welcomed everyone who came to visit. He urgently presented all matters of the kingdom of God. He explained everything about Jesus Christ. His door was always open.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We must be reminded at this point that Paul is a prisoner!  But he is treated with respect as he shares the Good News of Jesus’ salvation for all!  God is good, we say often, but do we realize just how great and good God really is?  God is for us, not against us.  We must remember this Truth in all our trials and challenging circumstances and trust Him through the “shipwrecks” of our lives! 

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? —Paul, Romans 8:31

God is the giver of good who stands ready to lovingly pour out His blessings over those fully committed to Him as his children who trust in all His ways.  How do I know?  Over the years, God put just the right people at the worst times in my life to pull me up out of the pit, brush me off, and set my feet on level ground.  God provided a way over, around or through challenging circumstances, according to His plan, in His rescue of me in each season of life.  God never sleeps or takes time off!  God is, and always will be, our Healer, Provider, Protector, the One who sent His Son to be our Savior and now our Lord who guides us into all that is good and right.  This is our God. There is no one like Him!

Paul is the “hostage of hope” to all who believe and call on the Name of Jesus.  He is not a hostage of his circumstances.  Paul writes to the Romans what the Holy Spirit has taught him throughout his new life in Christ;

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” –Paul, Romans 8:28   

“Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:34

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

‘For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39

Are you convinced?  Pause to reflect and pray, giving thanks to God!

Paul—The Hostage of Hope to a world seeking rescue while being rescued.  His message: Believe and be saved. 

Lord,

Great are you Lord!  Continue to lead and guide us through all the details of our lives for you said you delight in them!  May we reflect the Light of your Love in all we think, say and do no matter what is happening around us.  Help us to make the most of every opportunity to tell your story of redemption and healing from brokenness.  Thank you for rescuing me with your love and care.  Help us to be Hope not a hindrance.

In Jesus Name, Amen

I’m sailing away
Set an open course for the Virgin Sea
‘Cause I’ve got to be free
Free to face the life that’s ahead of me

On board, I’m the captain
So climb aboard
We’ll search for tomorrow
On every shore
And I’ll try, oh Lord, I’ll try
To carry on

I look to the sea
Reflections in the waves, spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had

We lived happily forever
So the story goes
But somehow we missed out
On the pot of gold
But we’ll try, best that we can
To carry on

A gathering of angels
Appeared above my head
They sang to me this song of hope
And this is what they said

They said come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me, lads
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away…

(“Come, Sail Away” Songwriters: Dennis De Young; Sung by Styx)

“Where God guides, He provides” was proved true as Paul and his friends, prisoners in care of a Roman guard, aboard a ship with Rome as the destination so he can stand before Caesar and declare his innocence.  “Come sail away…”

Acts 27, The Message

A Storm at Sea

^1-2 As soon as arrangements were complete for our sailing to Italy, Paul and a few other prisoners were placed under the supervision of a centurion named Julius, a member of an elite guard. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was bound for Ephesus and ports west. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us.

³ The next day we put in at Sidon. Julius treated Paul most decently—let him get off the ship and enjoy the hospitality of his friends there.

^4-8 Out to sea again, we sailed north under the protection of the northeast shore of Cyprus because winds out of the west were against us, and then along the coast westward to the port of Myra. There the centurion found an Egyptian ship headed for Italy and transferred us on board. We ran into bad weather and found it impossible to stay on course. After much difficulty, we finally made it to the southern coast of the island of Crete and docked at Good Harbor (appropriate name!).

^9-10 By this time we had lost a lot of time. We had passed the autumn equinox, so it would be stormy weather from now on through the winter, too dangerous for sailing. Paul warned, “I see only disaster ahead for cargo and ship—to say nothing of our lives!—if we put out to sea now.”

^12,11 But it was not the best harbor for staying the winter. Phoenix, a few miles further on, was more suitable. The centurion set Paul’s warning aside and let the ship captain and the shipowner talk him into trying for the next harbor.

^13-15 When a gentle southerly breeze came up, they weighed anchor, thinking it would be smooth sailing. But they were no sooner out to sea than a gale-force wind, the infamous nor’easter, struck. They lost all control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm.

^16-17 We came under the lee of the small island named Clauda, and managed to get a lifeboat ready and reef the sails. But rocky shoals prevented us from getting close. We only managed to avoid them by throwing out drift anchors.

^18-20 Next day, out on the high seas again and badly damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo overboard. The third day the sailors lightened the ship further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions. It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.

^21-22 With our appetite for both food and life long gone, Paul took his place in our midst and said, “Friends, you really should have listened to me back in Crete. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.

^23-26 “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me. But we’re going to shipwreck on some island or other.”

^27-29 On the fourteenth night, adrift somewhere on the Adriatic Sea, at about midnight the sailors sensed that we were approaching land. Sounding, they measured a depth of 120 feet, and shortly after that ninety feet. Afraid that we were about to run aground, they threw out four anchors and prayed for daylight.

^30-32 Some of the sailors tried to jump ship. They let down the lifeboat, pretending they were going to set out more anchors from the bow. Paul saw through their guise and told the centurion and his soldiers, “If these sailors don’t stay with the ship, we’re all going down.” So the soldiers cut the lines to the lifeboat and let it drift off.

^33-34 With dawn about to break, Paul called everyone together and proposed breakfast: “This is the fourteenth day we’ve gone without food. None of us has felt like eating! But I urge you to eat something now. You’ll need strength for the rescue ahead. You’re going to come out of this without even a scratch!”

^35-38 He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, passed it around, and they all ate heartily—276 of us, all told! With the meal finished and everyone full, the ship was further lightened by dumping the grain overboard.

^39-41 At daybreak, no one recognized the land—but then they did notice a bay with a nice beach. They decided to try to run the ship up on the beach. They cut the anchors, loosed the tiller, raised the sail, and ran before the wind toward the beach. But we didn’t make it. Still far from shore, we hit a reef and the ship began to break up.

^42-44 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming, but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Paul listens to God’s Holy Spirit and relays what God says to avoid.  But others around us who do not believe live for themselves and lean to their own understandings based on previous experiences or from others who have influenced them.  The captain of the ship could have avoided losing his ship if he would have listened to Paul. But he did not.

The storm came with a mighty force.  The risk the captain and crew took was now full of danger and the possibility of lives lost.  However, God’s purpose in Paul will be fulfilled.  He will does not stop the storm but He provides a way through it without any lives lost.  Read that again.  No lives lost! 

Paul and his believing friends were probably the only ones clinging to the ship that was rocking and rolling in a storm that could destroy them who believed God would indeed save them—because He said so.  “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me.”

In the middle of the storm, Paul served a meal with encouragement!  Who does that?!  Like our grandmas, Paul says, “Eat something”—while the storm rages!

Does this not remind us of Jesus bringing his disciples together to encourage them, serve the Passover meal, wash their feet, showing the full extent of his love for them beforegoing to the cross?  Paul is not Jesus, and is not perfect, but he is learning to trust God completely!  Paul, through this storm and previous experiences, is developing the character traits of Jesus who he tenaciously loves as Savior and preaches and follows as Lord. 

God sent Jesus to earth to save us.  God guided Jesus’ every step along the way.  “I do what the Father tells me to say and do,” was the mantra of our Lord.  (See John’s gospel)  In the middle of storms, Jesus rose up to calm them because He was God’s Son.  In the middle of His own storm, God provided for Him while He completed the mission to save us.  Here’s the difference, however, between Paul and Jesus.  Only Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, without sin, could save us from our sins.  Paul is merely a called servant of His Master, Jesus who is God and is committed to listen, trust, and obey.  Paul would be the first to affirm this Truth.  Because of Jesus, Paul believes, truly believes, that God will do exactly what He tells him—And God does!

PAUSE TO PRAY:

Do we really believe what God says to be really real?  We must take our time to answer from the depths of our hearts, minds, and souls.  What we feed our hearts will produce our behaviors.  Our demeanors developed dictate our doctrine (what we truly believe).  Ponder then praise God for how he cares, convicts, and corrects us!

Now, take time to praise God for the many ways He provides as He guides us through good times and the challenging times in our lives. 

Trust God—He knows what He’s doing. Come sail away with God as the captain of your ship.  God knows what lies ahead and will protect us as we learn to obey what He says. 

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” –Paul, Philippians 1:6, NIV

Lord,

What a story of your miraculous provision and care all because of the deep love you have for all of us.  We each could tell stories of your goodness, rescue, provision, and protection!  Thank you for being with us always—just as you said!  You call us to sail away with you—I’m ready!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Okay, so let me repeat what you just said so you can listen to what you are saying:

• You mean to tell me that a man was born through a virgin somehow by the spirit of God, producing a boy child who became a man who was both human and God in the flesh?  That’s just crazy talk.
• You say that I have been loved and planned for since the beginning of time when the world was created? That’s crazy love!
• So, you’re saying that Someone loves me so much that He came to earth to save me from punishment I fully deserve to pay for of all the wrong I have committed in my life?  Willingly? And this sacrifice was preplanned and written down on paper?  That’s crazy talk.  Who would knowingly and willingly do that?
• You say that this Someone not only knows my name, but knows everything about me—and still loves me?  Crazy, there are many times I don’t love me.
• ALL my sins are forgiven and all I have to do is ask?  What’s the catch?
• And when I ask, I have a place reserved for me at God’s place—forever?!  There have to be dues to pay, right?
• Seriously, is this really real?  We have life forever with all sins forgiven and forgotten, slate wiped clean, all because Someone came, loved, taught us about God, lived a perfect example of a sinless life, then was killed for being God in the flesh as a sacrifice for our sins?  AND then rose from death back to life—scars and all?!

This is crazy! –but tell me more!  This is crazy love is this is all true!

Acts 26, The Message

“I Couldn’t Just Walk Away”

^1-3 Agrippa spoke directly to Paul: “Go ahead—tell us about yourself.”

Paul took the stand and told his story. “I can’t think of anyone, King Agrippa, before whom I’d rather be answering all these Jewish accusations than you, knowing how well you are acquainted with Jewish ways and all our family quarrels.

^4-8 “From the time of my youth, my life has been lived among my own people in Jerusalem. Practically every Jew in town who watched me grow up—and if they were willing to stick their necks out they’d tell you in person—knows that I lived as a strict Pharisee, the most demanding branch of our religion. It’s because I believed it and took it seriously, committed myself heart and soul to what God promised my ancestors—the identical hope, mind you, that the twelve tribes have lived for night and day all these centuries—it’s because I have held on to this tested and tried hope that I’m being called on the carpet by the Jews. They should be the ones standing trial here, not me! For the life of me, I can’t see why it’s a criminal offense to believe that God raises the dead.

^9-11 “I admit that I didn’t always hold to this position. For a time I thought it was my duty to oppose this Jesus of Nazareth with all my might. Backed with the full authority of the high priests, I threw these believers—I had no idea they were God’s people!—into the Jerusalem jail right and left, and whenever it came to a vote, I voted for their execution. I stormed through their meeting places, bullying them into cursing Jesus, a one-man terror obsessed with obliterating these people. And then I started on the towns outside Jerusalem.

^12-14 “One day on my way to Damascus, armed as always with papers from the high priests authorizing my action, right in the middle of the day a blaze of light, light outshining the sun, poured out of the sky on me and my companions. Oh, King, it was so bright! We fell flat on our faces. Then I heard a voice in Hebrew: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me? Why do you insist on going against the grain?’

^15-16 “I said, ‘Who are you, Master?’

“The voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down like an animal. But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I’ve handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what’s happened today, and to what I am going to show you.

^17-18 “‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’

^19-20 “What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn’t just walk away from a vision like that! I became an obedient believer on the spot. I started preaching this life-change—this radical turn to God and everything it meant in everyday life—right there in Damascus, went on to Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside, and from there to the whole world.

^21-23 “It’s because of this ‘whole world’ dimension that the Jews grabbed me in the Temple that day and tried to kill me. They want to keep God for themselves. But God has stood by me, just as he promised, and I’m standing here saying what I’ve been saying to anyone, whether king or child, who will listen. And everything I’m saying is completely in line with what the prophets and Moses said would happen: One, the Messiah must die; two, raised from the dead, he would be the first rays of God’s daylight shining on people far and near, people both godless and God-fearing.”

²⁴ That was too much for Festus. He interrupted with a shout: “Paul, you’re crazy! You’ve read too many books, spent too much time staring off into space! Get a grip on yourself, get back in the real world!”

^25-27 But Paul stood his ground. “With all respect, Festus, Your Honor, I’m not crazy. I’m both accurate and sane in what I’m saying. The king knows what I’m talking about. I’m sure that nothing of what I’ve said sounds crazy to him. He’s known all about it for a long time. You must realize that this wasn’t done behind the scenes. You believe the prophets, don’t you, King Agrippa? Don’t answer that—I know you believe.”

²⁸ But Agrippa did answer: “Keep this up much longer and you’ll make a Christian out of me!”

²⁹ Paul, still in chains, said, “That’s what I’m praying for, whether now or later, and not only you but everyone listening today, to become like me—except, of course, for this prison jewelry!”

^30-31 The king and the governor, along with Bernice and their advisors, got up and went into the next room to talk over what they had heard. They quickly agreed on Paul’s innocence, saying, “There’s nothing in this man deserving prison, let alone death.”

³² Agrippa told Festus, “He could be set free right now if he hadn’t requested the hearing before Caesar.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Paul has just delivered the heart of the gospel of Jesus’ saving work of love, mercy, and grace for all who believe and call on His Name for forgiveness of sins.  Festus is uncomfortable by the Truth.  King Agrippa is almost persuaded to believe the Truth.

Paul was called crazy for believing and telling the Truth of Jesus, but still they listened. They could not dismiss him or look away! Christ fills a believer’s new life with joy, hope, love, and peace. People still in the “old life” can see the difference but do not always understand it.  King Agrippa, Festus, and all listening to Paul can see this joy of Jesus on His face and in his being as he speaks.  It is Jesus in Paul who is doing the talking.  It’s God’ Holy Spirit in the room who is speaking to hearts and encouraging them to listen and believe.

That’s how it is when we tell the story of Jesus to others.  We tell how Jesus changed our lives from “darkness to Light”, as Paul relates what Jesus did for him.  This is our story intertwined in God’s story of salvation for all—for all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.  God wants us, died for us while we were still sinners, and loved us so much He sent a part of Himself to save us.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  John 3:16-17, NIV

I know it sounds crazy, unbelievable, incredible, too good to be true, and too easy—but this is who God is—the Lover of our souls!  He went to hell and back again so that we could free from our sins and live forever with Him—beginning as soon as we say yes, I believe!  This is the Way, Truth, and Life.  This is Jesus who changes everything.

Believe and be saved. 

It’s not as crazy as you think to believe in the One who created us to love Him back.

Lord,

Thank for reminding us through the witness of Paul of your love and compassion for each one of us who you created with purpose.  You are God and we are not.  You did for us what we could not do for ourselves.  You redeemed us and set us free!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Help us to live in your ways by your power working in us.  Give us the words to tell your story to others.

In Jesus Name, Amen

One final thought—

Are you haunted by your past? Are you less accepting of other believers because of their pasts? Take a page from the apostle Paul. God can soften even the hardest heart. Continue to walk forward with him, one step at a time.  You will be amazed!

“It’s my turn to go down the slide!” 

“I decide who goes next.” 

“Who made you king of the slide?”

“Hey, it’s my turn, you’ve gone down the slide more than anyone!”

“Prove it!”  And the argument begins. Sides are taken. The line is drawn in the sand followed by a fight.  The monitor of the playground comes over quickly to rectify the situation.  Playtime stops until the issue is resolved.

To this former teacher, who daily brought resolution to disagreeing kids on the playground and in the classroom, the story of how Paul was accused by the “old school” Jews with no proof to substantiate their charges is relatable.  The Jews stand firm on traditional religion that forgot God and have no real relationship with Him.  Paul is a passionate, committed believer and follower of Jesus who has given him the gift of relationship with God.  He stands firm in his faith of Jesus as the risen Savior and Lord—the only Way to a relationship with eternal life with God.

Who would you choose to support?  The people who present their case most eloquently?  The ones who would support you if you were accused without evidence? Would you go along with the current power holders as a good political move for you that might give you benefits later or punish you if you do no go along?  Or would you side with the one who spoke truth. 

This is the real issue:  Truth or Lies. 

And where is the playground monitor?! Not to worry, God is in control of the entire situation.

Acts 25, The Message

An Appeal to Caesar

25 ^1-3 Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take up his duties as governor, he went up to Jerusalem. The high priests and top leaders renewed their vendetta against Paul. They asked Festus if he wouldn’t please do them a favor by sending Paul to Jerusalem to respond to their charges. A lie, of course—they had revived their old plot to set an ambush and kill him along the way.

^4-5 Festus answered that Caesarea was the proper jurisdiction for Paul, and that he himself was going back there in a few days. “You’re perfectly welcome,” he said, “to go back with me then and accuse him of whatever you think he’s done wrong.”

^6-7 About eight or ten days later, Festus returned to Caesarea. The next morning he took his place in the courtroom and had Paul brought in. The minute he walked in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem were all over him, hurling the most extreme accusations, none of which they could prove.

⁸ Then Paul took the stand and said simply, “I’ve done nothing wrong against the Jewish religion, or the Temple, or Caesar. Period.”

⁹ Festus, though, wanted to get on the good side of the Jews and so said, “How would you like to go up to Jerusalem, and let me conduct your trial there?”

^10-11 Paul answered, “I’m standing at this moment before Caesar’s bar of justice, where I have a perfect right to stand. And I’m going to keep standing here. I’ve done nothing wrong to the Jews, and you know it as well as I do. If I’ve committed a crime and deserve death, name the day. I can face it. But if there’s nothing to their accusations—and you know there isn’t—nobody can force me to go along with their nonsense. We’ve fooled around here long enough. I appeal to Caesar.”

¹² Festus huddled with his advisors briefly and then gave his verdict: “You’ve appealed to Caesar; you’ll go to Caesar!”

* * *

^13-17 A few days later King Agrippa and his wife, Bernice, visited Caesarea to welcome Festus to his new post. After several days, Festus brought up Paul’s case to the king. “I have a man on my hands here, a prisoner left by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem, the high priests and Jewish leaders brought a bunch of accusations against him and wanted me to sentence him to death. I told them that wasn’t the way we Romans did things. Just because a man is accused, we don’t throw him out to the dogs. We make sure the accused has a chance to face his accusers and defend himself of the charges. So when they came down here I got right on the case. I took my place in the courtroom and put the man on the stand.

^18-21 “The accusers came at him from all sides, but their accusations turned out to be nothing more than arguments about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who the prisoner claimed was alive. Since I’m a newcomer here and don’t understand everything involved in cases like this, I asked if he’d be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there. Paul refused and demanded a hearing before His Majesty in our highest court. So I ordered him returned to custody until I could send him to Caesar in Rome.”

²² Agrippa said, “I’d like to see this man and hear his story.”

“Good,” said Festus. “We’ll bring him in first thing in the morning and you’ll hear it for yourself.”

²³ The next day everybody who was anybody in Caesarea found his way to the Great Hall, along with the top military brass. Agrippa and Bernice made a flourishing grand entrance and took their places. Festus then ordered Paul brought in.

^24-26 Festus said, “King Agrippa and distinguished guests, take a good look at this man. A bunch of Jews petitioned me first in Jerusalem, and later here, to do away with him. They have been most vehement in demanding his execution. I looked into it and decided that he had committed no crime. He requested a trial before Caesar and I agreed to send him to Rome. But what am I going to write to my master, Caesar? All the charges made by the Jews were fabrications, and I’ve uncovered nothing else.

^26-27 “That’s why I’ve brought him before this company, and especially you, King Agrippa: so we can come up with something in the nature of a charge that will hold water. For it seems to me silly to send a prisoner all that way for a trial and not be able to document what he did wrong.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn the character traits to be desired from the response of the accused.  After two years in prison, Paul awaited a new trial before the Romans and the Jews. He hoped his appeal to be heard by Caesar would fulfill part of his task to spread the gospel.  Paul never lost hope or vision and made the most of his situation to obtain safe passage to Rome to await trial. While preaching to everyone he came in touch with, Paul developed a positive and respected reputation among those he met.

Paul prayed along with his fellow believers that in every circumstance, Christ is preached as Lord and Savior.  Paul certainly made the most of every opportunity.  (See Colossians 4) Being passed from leader to leader, Jesus is preached as the forgiving Savior of sins and the risen Lord of hope of eternal life.  The leaders response to the Message is in God’s purview and theirs via God’s Holy Spirit at work!

Paul relied on God’s Holy Spirit for wisdom.  Paul knew that his destination was Rome, not Jerusalem, and the fastest way to get there was to appeal to Caesar. Paul also knew that the Jews had not given up their hopes of killing him, so he was wise to stay under the protection of Rome. By appealing to Caesar, Paul forced the Romans to guard him and take him to Rome. Finally, Paul realized that he could never have a fair trial in Jerusalem anyway.

Paul could have moaned and groaned the typical, “Why me?” But he did not.  Instead, knowing what Jesus suffered for him to save his soul, Paul rejoiced in knowing Jesus and sharing in this suffering so he could be more like him in every way.  (See Philippians 3)

Paul knew God was in control and waited for what God would do next.  Waiting is a major part of our committed faith to God!  These verses give us a glimpse of a fully committed heart to Jesus and sums up who Paul is in Jesus:

“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”—Paul, Romans 8:15-17, MSG

Lord,

I give you my life as an offering.  Show me the next steps. I’m yours.  I’m listening.

In Jesus Name, Amen

From birth to live our lives with two factions: 

1. Those who speak and live Truth.  Their words can be trusted because of their observed behaviors that back up what is being said.  They love God and love others with the love of God in them.  They are continual seekers of Truth in all circumstances and seek to understand situations and people asking for wisdom from God.
2. Those who seek to be heard, revel in being ranked above all others, and say things that others want to hear for the purpose of getting what they want.  Truth is irrelevant in their lives of self-satisfaction while exercising behaviors of pride, arrogance, prejudice, judgement, envy—all produced by competing to get what they think they deserve. 

Navigating our world with these two consistent factions has taught us to look closely at the facts, seek witnesses, examine the evidence, before trusting what is said or done.  We need wisdom.  We want the Truth and nothing but the Truth! Who is the best to give us what we need?

Governor Felix seeks Truth. Certain Jews seek to destroy the spread of Truth. 

Paul knows Truth personally and speaks what he knows about Truth. 

Acts 24, The Message

Paul States His Defense

^1-4 Within five days, the Chief Priest Ananias arrived with a contingent of leaders, along with Tertullus, a trial lawyer. They presented the governor with their case against Paul. When Paul was called before the court, Tertullus spoke for the prosecution: “Most Honorable Felix, we are most grateful in all times and places for your wise and gentle rule. We are much aware that it is because of you and you alone that we enjoy all this peace and gain daily profit from your reforms. I’m not going to tire you out with a long speech. I beg your kind indulgence in listening to me. I’ll be quite brief.

^5-8 “We’ve found this man time and again disturbing the peace, stirring up riots against Jews all over the world, the ringleader of a seditious sect called Nazarenes. He’s a real bad apple, I must say. We caught him trying to defile our holy Temple and arrested him. You’ll be able to verify all these accusations when you examine him yourself.”

⁹ The Jews joined in: “Hear, hear! That’s right!”

^10-13 The governor motioned to Paul that it was now his turn. Paul said, “I count myself fortunate to be defending myself before you, Governor, knowing how fair-minded you’ve been in judging us all these years. I’ve been back in the country only twelve days—you can check out these dates easily enough. I came with the express purpose of worshiping in Jerusalem on Pentecost, and I’ve been minding my own business the whole time. Nobody can say they saw me arguing in the Temple or working up a crowd in the streets. Not one of their charges can be backed up with evidence or witnesses.

^14-15 “But I do freely admit this: In regard to the Way, which they malign as a dead-end street, I serve and worship the very same God served and worshiped by all our ancestors and embrace everything written in all our Scriptures. And I admit to living in hopeful anticipation that God will raise the dead, both the good and the bad. If that’s my crime, my accusers are just as guilty as I am.

^16-19 “Believe me, I do my level best to keep a clear conscience before God and my neighbors in everything I do. I’ve been out of the country for a number of years and now I’m back. While I was away, I took up a collection for the poor and brought that with me, along with offerings for the Temple. It was while making those offerings that they found me quietly at my prayers in the Temple. There was no crowd, there was no disturbance. It was some Jews from around Ephesus who started all this trouble. And you’ll notice they’re not here today. They’re cowards, too cowardly to accuse me in front of you.

^20-21 “So ask these others what crime they’ve caught me in. Don’t let them hide behind this smooth-talking Tertullus. The only thing they have on me is that one sentence I shouted out in the council: ‘It’s because I believe in the resurrection that I’ve been hauled into this court!’ Does that sound to you like grounds for a criminal case?”

^22-23 Felix waffled. He knew far more about the Way than he let on, and could have settled the case then and there. But uncertain of his best move politically, he played for time. “When Captain Lysias comes down, I’ll decide your case.” He gave orders to the centurion to keep Paul in custody, but to more or less give him the run of the place and not prevent his friends from helping him.

^24-26 A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. “That’s enough for today. I’ll call you back when it’s convenient.” At the same time he was secretly hoping that Paul would offer him a substantial bribe. These conversations were repeated frequently.

²⁷ After two years of this, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus. Still playing up to the Jews and ignoring justice, Felix left Paul in prison.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

There are indeed two factions at work in our world.  Jesus versus Satan.  The quicker we realize this truth; the more equipped we are to see the “Proof of Life” who is Jesus versus all the distractions, deceptions and destruction that leads to death by Satan. 

PAUSE TO PRAY:

Do you really believe all that God says to be really real?  We must answer this question daily from the inside out.  Who do we really believe?  Who guides our steps? If accused of believing and living for Jesus, doing what He said; would I be found “guilty as charged”?  Like it or not, our behaviors will soon tell the real story of our faith.  We just cannot hide the truth of what we really believe. We cannot hide what is in our hearts.  God knows.  “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9, NLT

We either are or we are not fully committed to God and our relationship with Him because of Jesus’ work on the cross for us.

The accusing Jews did not believe in Jesus as Messiah, Son of God.  They did not and would not believe Jesus died for our sins and rose again to give us hope for eternal life with God.  They were fully committed to self and adamant about preserving traditions that upheld their important status as priests.  So, instead they came to use elements of truth to fabricate lies about Paul for the purposes of getting what they wanted and thought they desired—power and rule over the Jewish people.

Jesus who lives in Paul gives Paul the confidence to speak only Truth.  Seekers of Truth, prompted by God’s Holy Spirit, can tell the difference between what is true and what is false. Like Felix, they might not be persuaded at first and are skeptical of the Truth, but they still seek. 

Paul does not give up telling the Truth.  We love that about Paul!  For two more years, Paul remains in prison. But the Truth is told with every opportunity given to him by God.  This is a work of prayer by Paul and others who live for Jesus and seek God’s will: 

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” –Paul, Colossians 4:2-6, NLT

With God’s Holy Spirit within Paul, he became Christ’s mouthpiece; he defended himself and his faith against their accusations. Paul’s powerful arguments thwarted the priests and won new converts at the governor’s court, although some remained hesitant to receive God’s Word.

God is in control of Paul’s circumstances.  Paul knows, believes and lives in Jesus who won the war with the enemy upon resurrection from death to Life!  Jesus went to hell and back for each one of us.  We merely skirmish with the enemy who continues to try to deceive us in order to draw us away from our real Victor. 

But we know better—we know Truth who is Jesus!  He is the Victor over death.  He is the overcomer and makes a Way for us to be overcomers with Him. And that’s the Truth!

Do you know better?  You’ve probably met people who attend church regularly but are unmoved by the preaching of God’s Word. Their attendance seems more of a social obligation than a means for sharing and being enriched with God’s Word. Is that how life is for you or your family? Think about your relationship with Christ. Does it have a true and real meaning? Seek God next Sunday, giving full attention to Him in worship.  Don’t look around but look up to God through active participation and listening. Seekers of God will find Him every time—Truth.

Lord,

We come to you weary of the skirmishes thrown in paths as we live for you. As we seek you; give us wisdom.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, transform our behaviors, refresh our souls with your new mercies, restore the joy and peace of you in us and us in you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“This is what the Lord says—
    he who made a way through the sea,
    a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
    the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
    extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:16-19, NIV

Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working (You’re the way maker, yeah-yeah)

Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are…

(Songwriter: Osinachi Okoro)

We pray in Jesus Name; then trust and obey.  In the meantime, God is at work.  He is always at work—He never sleeps. He is God!  “…indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:4

Paul knows God, trusts God, and calls on the Name of Jesus with a clear conscience.  Let’s continue to read how God makes a way for Paul to continue His work of telling the Message of Jesus.

Acts 23, The Message

Before the High Council

^1-3 Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: “Friends, I’ve lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment.” That set the Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. Paul shot back, “God will slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law and then break the Law by ordering me slapped around!”

⁴ The aides were scandalized: “How dare you talk to God’s Chief Priest like that!”

⁵ Paul acted surprised. “How was I to know he was Chief Priest? He doesn’t act like a Chief Priest. You’re right, the Scripture does say, ‘Don’t speak abusively to a ruler of the people.’ Sorry.”

⁶ Paul, knowing some of the council was made up of Sadducees and others of Pharisees and how they hated each other, decided to exploit their antagonism: “Friends, I am a stalwart Pharisee from a long line of Pharisees. It’s because of my Pharisee convictions—the hope and resurrection of the dead—that I’ve been hauled into this court.”

^7-9 The moment he said this, the council split right down the middle, Pharisees and Sadducees going at each other in heated argument. Sadducees have nothing to do with a resurrection or angels or even a spirit. If they can’t see it, they don’t believe it. Pharisees believe it all. And so a huge and noisy quarrel broke out. Then some of the religion scholars on the Pharisee side shouted down the others: “We don’t find anything wrong with this man! And what if a spirit has spoken to him? Or maybe an angel? What if it turns out we’re fighting against God?”

¹⁰ That was fuel on the fire. The quarrel flamed up and became so violent the captain was afraid they would tear Paul apart, limb from limb. He ordered the soldiers to get him out of there and escort him back to the safety of the barracks.

A Plot Against Paul

¹¹ That night the Master appeared to Paul: “It’s going to be all right. Everything is going to turn out for the best. You’ve been a good witness for me here in Jerusalem. Now you’re going to be my witness in Rome!”

^12-15 Next day the Jews worked up a plot against Paul. They took a solemn oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him. Over forty of them ritually bound themselves to this murder pact and presented themselves to the high priests and religious leaders. “We’ve bound ourselves by a solemn oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. But we need your help. Send a request from the council to the captain to bring Paul back so that you can investigate the charges in more detail. We’ll do the rest. Before he gets anywhere near you, we’ll have killed him. You won’t be involved.”

^16-17 Paul’s nephew, his sister’s son, overheard them plotting the ambush. He went immediately to the barracks and told Paul. Paul called over one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the captain. He has something important to tell him.”

¹⁸ The centurion brought him to the captain and said, “The prisoner Paul asked me to bring this young man to you. He said he has something urgent to tell you.”

¹⁹ The captain took him by the arm and led him aside privately. “What is it? What do you have to tell me?”

^20-21 Paul’s nephew said, “The Jews have worked up a plot against Paul. They’re going to ask you to bring Paul to the council first thing in the morning on the pretext that they want to investigate the charges against him in more detail. But it’s a trick to get him out of your safekeeping so they can murder him. Right now there are more than forty men lying in ambush for him. They’ve all taken a vow to neither eat nor drink until they’ve killed him. The ambush is set—all they’re waiting for is for you to send him over.”

²² The captain dismissed the nephew with a warning: “Don’t breathe a word of this to a soul.”

^23-24 The captain called up two centurions. “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go immediately to Caesarea. Also seventy cavalry and two hundred light infantry. I want them ready to march by nine o’clock tonight. And you’ll need a couple of mules for Paul and his gear. We’re going to present this man safe and sound to Governor Felix.”

^25-30 Then he wrote this letter:

From Claudius Lysias, to the Most Honorable Governor Felix:

Greetings!

I rescued this man from a Jewish mob. They had seized him and were about to kill him when I learned that he was a Roman citizen. So I sent in my soldiers. Wanting to know what he had done wrong, I had him brought before their council. It turned out to be a squabble turned vicious over some of their religious differences, but nothing remotely criminal.

The next thing I knew, they had cooked up a plot to murder him. I decided that for his own safety I’d better get him out of here in a hurry. So I’m sending him to you. I’m informing his accusers that he’s now under your jurisdiction.

^31-33 The soldiers, following orders, took Paul that same night to safety in Antipatris. In the morning the soldiers returned to their barracks in Jerusalem, sending Paul on to Caesarea under guard of the cavalry. The cavalry entered Caesarea and handed Paul and the letter over to the governor.

^34-35 After reading the letter, the governor asked Paul what province he came from and was told “Cilicia.” Then he said, “I’ll take up your case when your accusers show up.” He ordered him locked up for the meantime in King Herod’s official quarters.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

It’s not over until God says it’s over! Even if the civil rights of a believer are abused, God still holds the situation in his hand.  This incident has God written all over it!

“Conscience” is one of Paul’s favorite words, used twice in this book and twenty-one times in his letters. The word means “to know with, to know together.” Conscience is the inner judge or witness that approves when we do right and disapproves when we do wrong (Romans 2:15). Conscience does not set the standard; it only applies the standard. Conscience may be compared to a window that lets in the light. God’s law is the light, and the cleaner the window is, the more the light shines in. As the window gets dirty, the light gets dimmer, and finally the light becomes darkness.” Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible

When called to account for what he had said, Paul showed respect for the office but not for the man. Ananias was indeed one of the most corrupt men ever to be named high priest.  The captain and his guard brought Paul into the council chamber and stepped aside to watch the proceedings. No Roman soldier could afford to lose a prisoner, for that might mean the forfeiting of his own life.

THE LETTER SENT WITH PAUL

Here Luke lives up to his role as careful historian by providing another official statement from Roman officials, proving that Christians were not considered criminals. The officials in Philippi had almost apologized to Paul (Acts 16:35–40), and Gallio in Corinth had refused to try him (Acts 18:14, 15). In Ephesus, the town clerk told twenty-five thousand people that the Christians were innocent of any crime (Acts 19:40), and now the commander of the Roman regiment was writing the same thing! 

Yes, God is still in control of the circumstances and will make a way through it all.

If ever a person dared to follow Christ, come what may, Paul was that person. Paul did not look for the easy way but for the way that would most honor the Lord and win the lost. He was even willing to become a prisoner if that would further the work of the gospel. God’s people can afford to be daring, in the will of God, because they know their Savior will be dependable and work out His perfect plan. Paul was alone—but not alone! His Lord was with him and he had nothing to fear.  Having a clear conscience before God drives out fear!

Lord,

Thank you for the example of tenacious trust found in Paul.  He wasn’t perfect but he knew he was perfectly forgiven by you!  It is You who gave him the confidence to carry on the work no matter what!  Help us to live for you, knowing full well that we are not alone and that you are always at work in us and around us.  You are indeed the Way Maker! To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen!

“If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, it’s a duck.”  This was my dad’s favorite way of telling us what he thought with how he formed his opinions.  Quite frankly, it’s how all of us form our opinions about life without really listening for the facts, right?!

We do it every day.  We rely on first looks, first impressions, based on heresy and previous experiences without real proof or listening to facts. We assume and presume. How are the terms interrelated?  Let’s define both:

Presume—

• to undertake without leave or clear justification : DARE
• to expect or assume especially with confidence
• to suppose to be true without proof
• presumed innocent until proved guilty
• to take for granted: IMPLY

Assume—

• suppose to be the case, without proof.  “It is reasonable to assume that such changes have significant social effects”
• be given to understand
• take or begin to have (power or responsibility). “He assumed full responsibility for all organizational work”

“Assume” means to suppose something based on little or no evidence. It can also mean to take on responsibility. “Presume” means to suppose something based on strong evidence.

Many assume and presume who Paul is but do not know his backstory.  They assume Paul is just another irritant to the religious system and who speaks against the Jews. They presume Paul is “not one of them.”  They are partially right. Let’s listen in—

Acts 22, The Message

^1-2 “My dear brothers and fathers, listen carefully to what I have to say before you jump to conclusions about me.” When they heard him speaking Hebrew, they grew even quieter. No one wanted to miss a word of this.

^2-3 He continued, “I am a good Jew, born in Tarsus in the province of Cilicia, but educated here in Jerusalem under the exacting eye of Rabbi Gamaliel, thoroughly instructed in our religious traditions. And I’ve always been passionately on God’s side, just as you are right now.

^4-5 “I went after anyone connected with this ‘Way,’ went at them with all my might, ready to kill for God. I rounded up men and women right and left and had them thrown in prison. You can ask the Chief Priest or anyone in the High Council to verify this; they all knew me well. Then I went off to our brothers in Damascus, armed with official documents authorizing me to hunt down the followers of Jesus there, arrest them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for sentencing.

^6-7 “As I arrived on the outskirts of Damascus about noon, a blinding light blazed out of the skies and I fell to the ground, dazed. I heard a voice: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?’

^8-9 “‘Who are you, Master?’ I asked.

“He said, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the One you’re hunting down.’ My companions saw the light, but they didn’t hear the conversation.

^10-11 “Then I said, ‘What do I do now, Master?’

“He said, ‘Get to your feet and enter Damascus. There you’ll be told everything that’s been set out for you to do.’ And so we entered Damascus, but nothing like the entrance I had planned—I was blind as a bat and my companions had to lead me in by the hand.

^12-13 “And that’s when I met Ananias, a man with a sterling reputation in observing our laws—the Jewish community in Damascus is unanimous on that score. He came and put his arm on my shoulder. ‘Look up,’ he said. I looked, and found myself looking right into his eyes—I could see again!

^14-16 “Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has handpicked you to be briefed on his plan of action. You’ve actually seen the Righteous Innocent and heard him speak. You are to be a key witness to everyone you meet of what you’ve seen and heard. So what are you waiting for? Get up and get yourself baptized, scrubbed clean of those sins and personally acquainted with God.’

^17-18 “Well, it happened just as Ananias said. After I was back in Jerusalem and praying one day in the Temple, lost in the presence of God, I saw him, saw God’s Righteous Innocent, and heard him say to me, ‘Hurry up! Get out of here as quickly as you can. None of the Jews here in Jerusalem are going to accept what you say about me.’

^19-20 “At first I objected: ‘Who has better credentials? They all know how obsessed I was with hunting out those who believed in you, beating them up in the meeting places and throwing them in jail. And when your witness Stephen was murdered, I was right there, holding the coats of the murderers and cheering them on. And now they see me totally converted. What better qualification could I have?’

²¹ “But he said, ‘Don’t argue. Go. I’m sending you on a long journey to outsider non-Jews.’”

A Roman Citizen

^22-25 The people in the crowd had listened attentively up to this point, but now they broke loose, shouting out, “Kill him! He’s an insect! Stomp on him!” They shook their fists. They filled the air with curses. That’s when the captain intervened and ordered Paul taken into the barracks. By now the captain was thoroughly exasperated. He decided to interrogate Paul under torture in order to get to the bottom of this, to find out what he had done that provoked this outraged violence. As they spread-eagled him with strips of leather, getting him ready for the whip, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is this legal: torturing a Roman citizen without a fair trial?”

²⁶ When the centurion heard that, he went directly to the captain. “Do you realize what you’ve done? This man is a Roman citizen!”

²⁷ The captain came back and took charge. “Is what I hear right? You’re a Roman citizen?”

Paul said, “I certainly am.”

²⁸ The captain was impressed. “I paid a huge sum for my citizenship. How much did it cost you?”

“Nothing,” said Paul. “It cost me nothing. I was free from the day of my birth.”

²⁹ That put a stop to the interrogation. And it put the fear of God into the captain. He had put a Roman citizen in chains and come within a whisker of putting him under torture!

³⁰ The next day, determined to get to the root of the trouble and know for sure what was behind the Jewish accusation, the captain released Paul and ordered a meeting of the high priests and the High Council to see what they could make of it. Paul was led in and took his place before them.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Before responding at all, we need to pause to listen, really listen to each other.  Lay assumptions and presumptions down and hear what the person in front of you is saying without thinking of a returned response before the hearing! 

But if it quacks like a duck…maybe it’s not a duck at all, but a creature in process of becoming beautiful swan!  Remember that childhood story?

Paul, known as named Saul to the religious elite, has been changed by Jesus.  He is becoming a new creature in Christ, with desiring to become like Jesus in every way—even to share in Jesus’ sufferings. He is not the same man he was.  He is different.

The real point of Paul’s testimony of life change because of Jesus is this:

No one believed in people more than Jesus did. He saw something in Peter worth developing, in the adulterous woman worth forgiving, and in John worth harnessing. He saw something in the thief on the cross, and what he saw was worth saving. And in the life of a wild-eyed, bloodthirsty extremist, he saw an apostle of grace. He believed in Saul. And he believed in Saul through Ananias. (Acts 9)

Have you ever found refuge or support in an unexpected place? Have problems resolved themselves in ways you didn’t expect? 

By the end of this chapter, Paul is saved from torture by telling the captain about his citizenship to Rome by birth. Paul escaped a flogging by asserting his Roman citizenship. Claudius Lysias, the commander who stopped the riot and was about to flog him, brought Paul before the Sanhedrin (Jewish council) to further investigate the incident.  Even if the civil rights of a believer are abused, God still holds the situation in his hand.

God saved Paul from torture that day by giving Paul wisdom to relate this truth in adherences to Roman law.  Paul was spared because of the captain’s ability to listen.

God goes before us, is behind us, and surrounds us.  There is no one like our God.  Listen to Him.

Lord,

Help us to listen with our full attention on what is being said without presuming and assuming what we think we will hear.  Make us holy listeners to you first and then to others.  This is part of loving each other like you love us—listening with awe and respect for you and others.  You bend down to listen to us.  Help us to truly listen to each other like you listen—without judgement—just listen.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Same story—Different place and time, different characters, but the same story. Nearly every drama written or watched on a stage includes good versus evil.  We find our inner selves cheering for the “good guy” and booing the “bad, obnoxious villain” who is the tormenter.  Right?!

It’s been the same story since creation when Adam and Eve made a choice.  They were placed in a perfect garden that gave them all they needed. They were given specific guidance for avoiding what was bad for them.  God who is Good, the only One who is Good loved them, wanted to walk with them in the cool of the evening in relationship with them.  But all too soon, they chose to fall for evil’s distraction and deception from what is good that led them away from all that is Good.  They both chose to follow evil. Because of their fall, we all fall and are fallen.

However, we have been given a Way out of this fallen condition.  We have been given a Way to combat and overcome evil with Good.  This Way is Jesus who defeated evil once and for all.  Ah, but evil does not give up easily.  Even though the war has already been won by Jesus the Victor; evil skirmishes with us daily with his old tricks of distraction, deception, with intent to destroy our relationship with God who is Good. 

We learn from Paul, and others committed to The Way, that “you can’t keep a good man down” who follows Good and avoids Evil no matter what is done to them as they preach Jesus.  We also learn that it is the love of God at the core of their being that drives every thought, word, and action.

How very much like Jesus they are becoming!  Jesus was the one sent to save the world and redeem us from all our sins by giving himself, who knew no sin, to be sin for us and take on our punishment for sins.  No one, not His eyewitnesses, not those who will continue to do His work in Jesus name, could provide this redemption—only Jesus.  Jesus is also the only Way to overcome evil and help us leave it for Good.  Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life—all that is Good. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Jesus was driven by Love.  This love of God, unlike the love the world conjures, mocks and is too fickle to imitate, becomes the core of our being when we decide to believe, repent, and commit to follow Jesus as we passionately pursue God—who is Good.

 Acts 21, The Message

Paul Under Arrest

^27-29 When the seven days of their purification were nearly up, some Jews from around Ephesus spotted him in the Temple. At once they turned the place upside-down. They grabbed Paul and started yelling at the top of their lungs, “Help! You Israelites, help! This is the man who is going all over the world telling lies against us and our religion and this place. He’s even brought Greeks in here and defiled this holy place.” (What had happened was that they had seen Paul and Trophimus, the Ephesian Greek, walking together in the city and had just assumed that he had also taken him to the Temple and shown him around.)

³⁰ Soon the whole city was in an uproar, people running from everywhere to the Temple to get in on the action. They grabbed Paul, dragged him outside, and locked the Temple gates so he couldn’t get back in and gain sanctuary.

^31-32 As they were trying to kill him, word came to the captain of the guard, “A riot! The whole city’s boiling over!” He acted swiftly. His soldiers and centurions ran to the scene at once. As soon as the mob saw the captain and his soldiers, they quit beating Paul.

^33-36 The captain came up and put Paul under arrest. He first ordered him handcuffed, and then asked who he was and what he had done. All he got from the crowd were shouts, one yelling this, another that. It was impossible to tell one word from another in the mob hysteria, so the captain ordered Paul taken to the military barracks. But when they got to the Temple steps, the mob became so violent that the soldiers had to carry Paul. As they carried him away, the crowd followed, shouting, “Kill him! Kill him!”

^37-38 When they got to the barracks and were about to go in, Paul said to the captain, “Can I say something to you?”

He answered, “Oh, I didn’t know you spoke Greek. I thought you were the Egyptian who not long ago started a riot here, and then hid out in the desert with his four thousand thugs.”

³⁹ Paul said, “No, I’m a Jew, born in Tarsus. And I’m a citizen still of that influential city. I have a simple request: Let me speak to the crowd.”

Paul Tells His Story

⁴⁰ Standing on the barracks steps, Paul turned and held his arms up. A hush fell over the crowd as Paul began to speak. He spoke in Hebrew.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We stopped in mid-action at the high peak of the story!  Good versus evil is the storyline—very similar to what Jesus had to deal with before being crucified!  What did Paul say next?  Will this put a halt to the spreading of the Good News?

We will study that tomorrow!

We see readily that the apostles who want to be like Jesus in every way, will indeed, just as Jesus said, suffer for being known as His. Jesus warned his disciples early on that suffering will happen before He comes back—

“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” –Jesus, Matthew 24:4-14, NIV

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”—Jesus, John 16:33

Paul, guided by God’s Holy Spirit, knew what he was getting into when he said yes to Jesus.  He will continue to trust and obey—for there’s no other way for Paul.  Paul writes this declaration of commitment of Christ in him to the churches—

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Paul, Philippians 3:10-11, NIV

So, as we live with Christ in us, for that is the secret to living well and good, (Colossians 1:27); we must pause to pray how we will respond to daily “offenses” and the unfair deeds done in this life.  How can we be more like Jesus in every way?  Pursue the Good and flee from evil.  Pursue God.  Trust God.  Listen to His Holy Spirit’s voice above all other voices clamoring for our attention.  Paul proclaims the Way to do this—

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-2, MSG

God is Good.  Trust Him.

Lord,

It’s not so much what is happening to Paul but who happened in Paul that helps him to respond to beatings and jailtime with joy, giving you the glory at all times!  We learn from Your teachings, dear Jesus, and we now learn for all who follow that you are Good and you help us in all the details of our lives as we follow you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Keep our attention on you all day long!

In Jesus Name,  Amen

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  John 3:16-17

In some churches, people observe and partake in washing each other’s feet like Jesus did for his disciples that last night he was with his beloved.  Judas was there as well, the one who Jesus knew had betrayed him for a few coins.  Jesus is the God who washes feet!  People do this act of loving sacrifice for each other today to remember.  The act of doing what Jesus did is done reverently as we take turns washing each other’s feet followed by a loving embrace and encouraging words for each other. 

We do this to remember the full extent of the love Jesus expressed and do what he did because—he said “do as I have done for you.”  The motivation is simply love.

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”  John 13:12-17, NIV (Read the whole chapter to truly understand the motivation of this act of love for his beloved.)

The motivation of the Message, the Messiah, the Word who became flesh, is the pure and holy, unchanging, and relentless love of God expressed through Jesus.   

Got Questions?

Does observing the act of feet washing save us from our sins, securing our salvation?  No, only Jesus who died and rose again saves us from our repented sins.

Will washing each other’s feet secure us a spot in heaven?  No, only Jesus is The Way to eternal life with God.

By observing this act make me holier?  No, only Jesus makes us holy by his love, mercy, and grace as He forgives us.

Is this act a requirement of loving each other?  No, this is only one of a million ways to serve and love each other in the Name of Jesus and you will be blessed.  To be blessed is striving to be like Jesus in every way.

Above all, to observe this holy act or not, was not intended to divide us but as an example of a loving way to unite us as a blessing from God to and through us. 

Paul has now arrived in Jerusalem.  He is met with division among the Jewish believers who cling to old ways and require the non-Jewish believers to be like them in every way.  Led by God’s Holy Spirit of wisdom, Paul explains the motivation of love behind God’s Message of Salvation for ALL people through Jesus.  It’s not about the ritual or ceremony, it’s about the love of Jesus that motivates us to love like He loved us—unconditionally.

So, why do we do what we do?    

Acts 21, The Message

Jerusalem

^17-19 In Jerusalem, our friends, glad to see us, received us with open arms. The first thing next morning, we took Paul to see James. All the church leaders were there. After a time of greeting and small talk, Paul told the story, detail by detail, of what God had done among the non-Jewish people through his ministry. They listened with delight and gave God the glory.

^20-21 They had a story to tell, too: “And just look at what’s been happening here—thousands upon thousands of God-fearing Jews have become believers in Jesus! But there’s also a problem because they are more zealous than ever in observing the laws of Moses. They’ve been told that you advise believing Jews who live surrounded by unbelieving outsiders to go light on Moses, telling them that they don’t need to circumcise their children or keep up the old traditions. This isn’t sitting at all well with them.

^22-24 “We’re worried about what will happen when they discover you’re in town. There’s bound to be trouble. So here is what we want you to do: There are four men from our company who have taken a vow involving ritual purification, but have no money to pay the expenses. Join these men in their vows and pay their expenses. Then it will become obvious to everyone that there is nothing to the rumors going around about you and that you are in fact scrupulous in your reverence for the laws of Moses.

²⁵ “In asking you to do this, we’re not going back on our agreement regarding non-Jews who have become believers. We continue to hold fast to what we wrote in that letter, namely, to be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; to avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians; to guard the morality of sex and marriage.”

²⁶ So Paul did it—took the men, joined them in their vows, and paid their way. The next day he went to the Temple to make it official and stay there until the proper sacrifices had been offered and completed for each of them.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Paul did warn the Gentiles not to get involved in the old Jewish religion (Gal. 4:1–11), but he nowhere told the Jews that it was wrong for them to practice their customs, so long as they did not trust in ceremony or make their customs a test of fellowship (Rom. 14:1—15:7). They were free to observe special days and diets, and believers were not to judge or condemn one another. The same grace that gave the Gentiles freedom to abstain also gave the Jews freedom to observe.

All God asked was that they receive one another and not create problems or divisions.  Why do we do what we do?

The leaders suggested that Paul demonstrate publicly his respect for the Jewish law. All they asked was that he identify himself with four men under a Nazirite vow (Numbers 6), pay for their sacrifices, and be with them in the temple for their time of purification. Paul agreed to do it. If this had been a matter involving somebody’s personal salvation, we can be sure that Paul would never have cooperated because that would have compromised his message of salvation by grace, through faith. But this was a matter of personal conviction on the part of Jewish believers, who had been given the freedom to accept or reject the customs.

Why do we do what we do is a matter of the heart. God sees our hearts and knows the motivation behind all we think, say and do.  Nothing is hidden from God. 

“You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.” Psalm 139:1-4, NIV

There are many ways to respond to God in worship, praise, prayer, and service; but there is only ONE WAY to be saved with the promise of eternal life—Jesus! 

“We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

Lord,

You are the One and Only Way to be saved from our sins.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls, restore the joy and peace of you in us and us in you.  May your love in us motivate all we think, say, and do today.  Help us to love each other relentlessly like you love us.  You are not a program or even a ministry but the Message of the Way to a loving and lasting relationship that grows because of your love in us.  Hallelujah!  We’re redeemed!

In Jesus Name, Amen