Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

“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

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey

(Song by Don Moen)

I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

Two separate hymns I grew up singing in church describe what it means to commit to obedience to Christ who saves us and sets us free to love like He loves us.  The lyrics come from scriptures of men and women who committed their lives to obedience to our Lord.  We gratefully call Jesus Savior for what He did for us; but we cross over the line from human to the supernatural when we call Him Lord of our lives.  All that is within us now desires to listen for His voice above all other voices clamoring for our attention and follow what HE says for us to be and do.

Paul is committed to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of all He thinks, says, and does—no matter what.  Paul believed, truly believed, as He wrote the inspired words of God’s Holy Spirit: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,^[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28, ESV

In Paul’s heart, mind, and deep within his soul; Jesus is Savior and He is Lord of his life. 

Paul will trust and obey God’s Voice of direction and guidance.

Acts 21, The Message

Tyre and Caesarea

^1-4 And so, with the tearful good-byes behind us, we were on our way. We made a straight run to Cos, the next day reached Rhodes, and then Patara. There we found a ship going direct to Phoenicia, got on board, and set sail. Cyprus came into view on our left, but was soon out of sight as we kept on course for Syria, and eventually docked in the port of Tyre. While the cargo was being unloaded, we looked up the local disciples and stayed with them seven days. Their message to Paul, from insight given by the Spirit, was “Don’t go to Jerusalem.”

^5-6 When our time was up, they escorted us out of the city to the docks. Everyone came along—men, women, children. They made a farewell party of the occasion! We all kneeled together on the beach and prayed. Then, after another round of saying good-bye, we climbed on board the ship while they drifted back to their homes.

^7-9 A short run from Tyre to Ptolemais completed the voyage. We greeted our Christian friends there and stayed with them a day. In the morning we went on to Caesarea and stayed with Philip the Evangelist, one of “the Seven.” Philip had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

^10-11 After several days of visiting, a prophet from Judea by the name of Agabus came down to see us. He went right up to Paul, took Paul’s belt, and, in a dramatic gesture, tied himself up, hands and feet. He said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: The Jews in Jerusalem are going to tie up the man who owns this belt just like this and hand him over to godless unbelievers.”

^12-13 When we heard that, we and everyone there that day begged Paul not to be stubborn and persist in going to Jerusalem. But Paul wouldn’t budge: “Why all this hysteria? Why do you insist on making a scene and making it even harder for me? You’re looking at this backward. The issue in Jerusalem is not what they do to me, whether arrest or murder, but what the Master Jesus does through my obedience. Can’t you see that?”

¹⁴ We saw that we weren’t making even a dent in his resolve, and gave up. “It’s in God’s hands now,” we said. “Master, you handle it.”

^15-16 It wasn’t long before we had our luggage together and were on our way to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and took us to the home of Mnason, who received us warmly as his guests. A native of Cyprus, he had been among the earliest disciples.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

By Paul’s example of trust and obedience to God; all those around him finally admitted that “It’s in God’s hands” and prayed; “Master, you handle it.”  Was this giving up?  Or resolve in trusting and obeying the God who knows all and is in all?

We pray, listen, and obey.  God works!  It is we who make life more complicated than necessary!

All conditions of the political climate in Jerusalem, verified by a prophet, pointed to danger for Paul with possible beatings, bound in chains and thrown into jail.  But Paul knew whom He had believed and knew God was able to accomplish HIS purpose through Paul—even if Paul was jailed for preaching Jesus.  Remember, all the great letters (now called epistles) to the churches that we rely on today for salvation, wisdom, clarity, and direction were written as Paul was sitting incarcerated, imprisoned in chains by those who did not believe. 

But prison did not stop Paul from getting the Message of Jesus out to the world.  In fact, anyone who visited Paul and his friends in prison would hear singing and rejoicing the Name of the Lord of his life before seeing him.  Paul received EVERY opportunity given to him to speak the words of Jesus boldly and clearly so that others might be saved and made whole, restored and forgiven, ready to tell others of salvation! 

Still need proof of Paul’s confidence in Jesus?  Paul writes often to his friends and asks them to pray very specifically for him while he sits in jail and for themselves who are free to tell of Jesus:

“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.” Colossians 4:2-6, NLT

Paul would be the first to tell all who believe—don’t be like Paul—be like Jesus who Paul believed and obeyed! Paul shared that he wanted “to know Christ” and “to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…” (3:10-11). Time and time again, Paul shared from his own experience what it was to follow and become like Jesus.  

Paul didn’t just believe certain things in his head. He didn’t just say “these things are true.” He structured his thoughts, actions, and passions around Jesus. He took steps that Jesus took (even – or especially – the ones that hurt).

This means we have two very important things to prayerfully consider:

First, are you becoming more like Jesus, like Paul was?

Do we actively find ways to walk in Jesus’ footsteps?

It is easy to find some other ideal in this life to chase after. It’s not hard to read our Bible and go to church without actually changing.

Do the things you learn translate to active steps of obedience to the One we call Lord?

Second, who are you following right now?

Lord,

You are Savior to me. Thank you for forgiving me of all my sins.  You are Lord of my life. Thank you for delighting in all the details of our lives.  I love to tell you everything and then listen for your direction.  You never change in your love, mercy, and grace. Why would I trust and obey anyone else?  You are God.  I am not.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Admit it—it’s hard to say goodbye.  It’s hard to leave people who love you and the work God has called you to be and do in a certain place for a period of time.  But it is harder still not to obey God who wants us to be all He created us to be and do for His glory.  We understand more clearly in these moments of Spirit-led change of direction when God says, “to obey is better than sacrifice.”

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
    your burnt offerings and sacrifices
    or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
    and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

To stay where we know people who appreciate our sacrifices of service to them is enticing—and comfortable.  To stay in a place where we learned what to do and when to do it with people we love dearly and would continue to sacrifice our lives in service to them seems best.  When God calls us to another place, it’s daunting without knowing what lies ahead, but we must obey.  To say goodbye, fully trusting God for the outcomes, in obedience to His leading, is greater than staying.  To please God greatly—is our highest praise to Him! 

But it’s hard to say goodbye….

Acts 20, The Message

On to Jerusalem

^17-21 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the leaders of the congregation. When they arrived, he said, “You know that from day one of my arrival in Asia I was with you totally—laying my life on the line, serving the Master no matter what, putting up with no end of scheming by Jews who wanted to do me in. I didn’t skimp or trim in any way. Every truth and encouragement that could have made a difference to you, you got. I taught you out in public and I taught you in your homes, urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus.

^22-24 “But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I’m completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.

^25-27 “And so this is good-bye. You’re not going to see me again, nor I you, you whom I have gone among for so long proclaiming the news of God’s inaugurated kingdom. I’ve done my best for you, given you my all, held back nothing of God’s will for you.

²⁸ “Now it’s up to you. Be on your toes—both for yourselves and your congregation of sheep. The Holy Spirit has put you in charge of these people—God’s people they are—to guard and protect them. God himself thought they were worth dying for.

^29-31 “I know that as soon as I’m gone, vicious wolves are going to show up and rip into this flock, men from your very own ranks twisting words so as to seduce disciples into following them instead of Jesus. So stay awake and keep up your guard. Remember those three years I kept at it with you, never letting up, pouring my heart out with you, one after another.

³² “Now I’m turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.

^33-35 “I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’”

^36-38 Then Paul went down on his knees, all of them kneeling with him, and prayed. And then a river of tears. Much clinging to Paul, not wanting to let him go. They knew they would never see him again—he had told them quite plainly. The pain cut deep. Then, bravely, they walked him down to the ship.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

As we read, we hear the committed heart and God-given wisdom of Paul as he says his goodbyes to those he loves and serves:

• Paul loves the people with whom he worked alongside. 
• Paul did ministry with people not to people. 
• Paul did whatever it took to preach Jesus as Messiah, our Savior and Lord.
• Paul “went the streets” to preach as well in the meeting places where scriptures were read and discussed. 
• He went to homes to encourage people in their faith and trust in the Master, Jesus.
• Paul told the story of Jesus and related the teachings of Jesus so we would know how to live our lives. 

Even though at first read, one might say that Paul was boastful to tell all he had done along with telling of the suffering he endured, but when you read between the lines—it’s all about Jesus who Paul has totally given his life to serve.  Paul will write letters back to the churches with great encouragement with assurance that following Jesus with all that is in them is worth it all;

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”1 Corinthians 1:26-31, NIV

“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, NIV

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3

All Paul’s letters to the churches of only boasting of Christ who lives in us. Remember these words were written while sitting in jail for preaching Jesus!  For Paul–It’s all about Jesus!

Are we all about Jesus?  Pause to pray and reflect.  Who we are reflects what we do every day.  Paul’s advice to those who believe Jesus and want to be like Him is 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

Lord,

Thank you for the way you transform our lives when we give ourselves to you. Thank you for saving us then teaching us how to follow you.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit inspired words to guide us into all truth—You!

In Jesus Name, Amen 

An encourager is born and matured from their own suffering and sacrifice. They have more empathy for others who are discouraged and in pain because they know and have experienced pain.  But an encourager’s pain, sadness over disappointing responses from those loved, circumstances beyond their making, do not overtake them.  An encourager is one who has given all to be all that pleases the Lord.  An encourager is at peace because of the peace given as a gift from their Savior and Lord—Jesus.  The best and most trusted agent of encouragement that truly helps others is one who believes and is fully committed to Jesus.

Paul has become an encourager to all who believe and to all who have yet to believe in Jesus.  His life is Jesus.  His actions result from the prompting of God’s Holy Spirit.  Paul has indeed “shared in the sufferings” of his Savior and Lord and now helps others be lifted up from their pain in Jesus Name. (See Philippians 3:10-11)

Acts 20, The Message

Macedonia and Greece

^1-2 With things back to normal, Paul called the disciples together and encouraged them to keep up the good work in Ephesus. Then, saying his good-byes, he left for Macedonia. Traveling through the country, passing from one gathering to another, he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope.

^2-4 Then he came to Greece and stayed on for three months. Just as he was about to sail for Syria, the Jews cooked up a plot against him. So he went the other way, by land back through Macedonia, and gave them the slip. His companions for the journey were Sopater, son of Pyrrhus, from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, both Thessalonians; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; and the two from western Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.

^5-6 They went on ahead and waited for us in Troas. Meanwhile, we stayed in Philippi for Passover Week, and then set sail. Within five days we were again in Troas and stayed a week.

^7-9 We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master’s Supper. Paul addressed the congregation. Our plan was to leave first thing in the morning, but Paul talked on, way past midnight. We were meeting in a well-lighted upper room. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in an open window. As Paul went on and on, Eutychus fell sound asleep and toppled out the third-story window. When they picked him up, he was dead.

^10-12 Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard. “No more crying,” he said. “There’s life in him yet.” Then Paul got up and served the Master’s Supper. And went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! On that note, they left—Paul going one way, the congregation another, leading the boy off alive, and full of life themselves.

^13-16 In the meantime, the rest of us had gone on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we planned to pick up Paul. Paul wanted to walk there, and so had made these arrangements earlier. Things went according to plan: We met him in Assos, took him on board, and sailed to Mitylene. The next day we put in opposite Chios, Samos a day later, and then Miletus. Paul had decided to bypass Ephesus so that he wouldn’t be held up in Asia province. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem in time for the Feast of Pentecost, if at all possible.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Paul strengthened and encouraged those who were believers. He traveled to several recently planted churches and spent time with Christians there. Paul, knowing that he would never be back at Ephesus again, was careful to explain that his sacrificial love for the Ephesians was like Jesus’ love for the church.  His later letters burst with his love for all believers.  He seeks to build up whoever needs encouragement with the love of Jesus that lives deeply within his heart, mind, and soul. 

Max Lucado, an encourager, writes;

True Christianity is more than just going to church on Sundays. It’s a genuine love for other people—a sacrificial love.

Who wants to live with yesterday’s rubble? Who wants to hoard the trash of the past? You don’t, do you?

Or do you?

Not in your house, mind you, but in your heart? Not the junk of papers and boxes, but the remnants of anger and hurt. Do you pack-rat pain? Amass offenses? Record slights?

A tour of your heart might be telling. A pile of rejections stockpiled in one corner. Accumulated insults filling another. Images of unkind people lining the wall, littering the floor.

No one can blame you. Innocence takers, promise breakers, wound makers—you’ve had your share. Yet doesn’t it make sense to get rid of their trash? Want to give every day a chance? Jesus says: Give the grace you’ve been given.  (Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible)

Paul writes; “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11“

PAUSE TO PRAY BEFORE RESPONDING TODAY:

Let us perform an inventory of our caregiving and encouragement actions both locally and globally. Who gets our help?

Who do we notice first? What is our first thought about them?  Love and encouragement or judgement with guilt-producing “advice”?

What does it take for us to agree to meet someone’s need?

Ask God what He thinks our response of encouragement should be.   

Give something extra today—there are many unmet needs around us. 

TAKE ACTION!  Take 5 minutes to write an encouraging note! 

Pray first: Ask God who needs your encouragement.  He will answer this prayer!

The New Testament letters from Paul, Peter and others show us how to encourage others through writing:

• Tell them that you thank God for them and their fellowship in the gospel.
• Identify one or two traits that give evidence of God’s grace in their lives.  (“I see Jesus in you when you_____.”)
• Share a biblical truth or promise that speaks to their present situation.
• Show how they contribute to your life and the church.

Ian Hamilton rightly affirms; “Encouragers have Christ-like sight and a Christ-like heart. They are not blind to the sins and weaknesses of fellow Christians, but they recognize that “love builds up. . .. Encouragers are often our great High Priest’s means of ministering his divine sympathy to our bruised and lacerated souls.”

“Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thess. 5:11).   

By investing five minutes per day for five days per week, it is possible to personally encourage through handwritten notes more than 250 people every year! It is also possible that God will use our example to foster a culture of encouragement throughout our churches!

Encouragement is something we all need to keep us motivated, loved, and feeling confident in ourselves and what we do. It’s something that is important for our mental and overall health and it truly can give us just the same amount of joy to give it to others as it is to receive it.

Because God created us and knows this about our personalities, he has provided countless verses in the Bible to not only encourage us but also to teach us the importance of lifting up those around us. Imagine how your community could change for the better with a little more encouragement between neighbors instead of community message boards filled with complaints. Or how strong your team at work could become if each person talked up their teammates’ work instead of their own accomplishments in order to get ahead. What a world that could be!

Here are a few encouragement verses to get us started:

Hebrews 10:24-25, Psalm 31:24, Psalm 121:1-2, Romans 15:2, John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Romans 8:31, Romans 15:5, Psalm 90:17, Romans 1:11-12, 2 Corinthians 1:5, 1 Timothy 4:12 , 2 Corinthians 4:16, Isaiah 40:31, Joshua 1:9, 1 Corinthians 15:58, 2 Timothy 1:7,  John 14:27, Philippians 1:6,  John 15:13, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Proverbs 18:10, Galatians 6:2,

Lord,

May we be encouragers of your love, mercy, and grace.  You have given us all the help we need to be encouragers!  May we extend the grace give to us to others.  May we always point the way to you because of you living in us.  May our lives reflect your glory and goodness.  Help us to live so that others are drawn to your love growing generously in us.  May we be generous with our praise for you and our encouragement of others!

In Jesus Name, Amen

In the old west shows we used to watch on tv as kids; we would learn that when a new preacher came to town speaking against the vices of the deplorable habits of drinking to excess, sexual exploits, and other harmful entertainment; it slowed the economy of the local saloon.  When people listened and took heed to the advice it changed their behaviors and spending habits which was bad for business!  Soon, a riot prompted by local saloon owners would ensue.  The new preacher was doomed to be either run out of town on a rail or “tarred and feathered.” 

JUST SO YOU KNOW—

Riding the rail (also called being “run out of town on a rail”) was a punishment most prevalent in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries in which an offender was made to straddle a fence rail held on the shoulders of two or more bearers.

Tar and Feathering:  Tar and feathering is a form of public torture in which a victim is slathered in hot tar and then covered in feathers to humiliate them. Tarring and feathering was usually used as a form of vigilante justice and became a favorite of early American patriots in their protests against British taxation.  Also used as the west was pioneered to expose and punish outsiders not worthy of being a part of the community for all kinds of reasons.

But, after all, making money from people with bad habits is just good business, right?  Just ask Demetrius.

Acts 19, The Message

The Goddess Artemis

^21-22 After all this had reached its peak, Paul decided it was time to move on to Macedonia and Achaia provinces, and from there to Jerusalem. “Then,” he said, “I’m off to Rome. I’ve got to see Rome!” He sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, on to Macedonia and then stayed for a while and wrapped things up in Asia.

^23-26 But before he got away, a huge ruckus occurred over what was now being referred to as “the Way.” A certain silversmith, Demetrius, conducted a brisk trade in the manufacture of shrines to the goddess Artemis, employing a number of artisans in his business. He rounded up his workers and others similarly employed and said, “Men, you well know that we have a good thing going here—and you’ve seen how Paul has barged in and discredited what we’re doing by telling people that there’s no such thing as a god made with hands. A lot of people are going along with him, not only here in Ephesus but all through Asia province.

²⁷ “Not only is our little business in danger of falling apart, but the temple of our famous goddess Artemis will certainly end up a pile of rubble as her glorious reputation fades to nothing. And this is no mere local matter—the whole world worships our Artemis!”

^28-31 That set them off in a frenzy. They ran into the street yelling, “Great Artemis of the Ephesians! Great Artemis of the Ephesians!” They put the whole city in an uproar, stampeding into the stadium, and grabbing two of Paul’s associates on the way, the Macedonians Gaius and Aristarchus. Paul wanted to go in, too, but the disciples wouldn’t let him. Prominent religious leaders in the city who had become friendly to Paul concurred: “By no means go near that mob!”

^32-34 Some were yelling one thing, some another. Most of them had no idea what was going on or why they were there. As the Jews pushed Alexander to the front to try to gain control, different factions clamored to get him on their side. But he brushed them off and quieted the mob with an impressive sweep of his arms. But the moment he opened his mouth and they knew he was a Jew, they shouted him down: “Great Artemis of the Ephesians! Great Artemis of the Ephesians!”—on and on and on, for over two hours.

^35-37 Finally, the town clerk got the mob quieted down and said, “Fellow citizens, is there anyone anywhere who doesn’t know that our dear city Ephesus is protector of glorious Artemis and her sacred stone image that fell straight out of heaven? Since this is beyond contradiction, you had better get hold of yourselves. This is conduct unworthy of Artemis. These men you’ve dragged in here have done nothing to harm either our temple or our goddess.

^38-41 “So if Demetrius and his guild of artisans have a complaint, they can take it to court and make all the accusations they want. If anything else is bothering you, bring it to the regularly scheduled town meeting and let it be settled there. There is no excuse for what’s happened today. We’re putting our city in serious danger. Rome, remember, does not look kindly on rioters.” With that, he sent them home.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

RIOT IN EPHESUS

In Paul’s days of preaching Jesus, Son of the One and Only Living God, philosophers and city leaders would debate until their opinions and beliefs were heard by the people watching as truth.  When disagreements and debates were inclusive to unbelievers; fiery anger rose quickly to the surface and the people would be enticed to riot against those offensive to their cherished culture of worshipping many gods, especially Artemis. 

Preaching Jesus would many times lead you to a public forum where people would gather in great numbers at the local colosseum where “offenders” would be met with public humiliation and certain death.  Igniting crowds were tools used to incite a riot. 

MOB MENTALITY

A riotous crowd was consulted by Pilate when deciding Jesus’ fate, remember?  Riotous crowds never make good decisions.

As Daniel was “thrown to the lions” in his day, Paul, his associates, along with other devout believers in Jesus, were threatened with much the same course of action.  It was common for believers in Jesus to be led to the center of the floor of this public place while people gathered in the stands to watch as wild animals were let loose to eat believers alive.  They were blood hungry as they cheered “this show of humiliation.”

THE ISSUE

Demetrius and his silversmiths were promoting idolatry and immorality in order to make a living, while Paul was declaring the true God and pointing people to cleansing and purity through the free grace of God. 

The silversmiths were really more concerned about their jobs and their income than they were about Artemis and her temple, but they were wise enough not to make this known. Paul taught the truth daily and sent out his converts to witness to the lost people in the city. More and more converts meant fewer and fewer potential customers for Demetrius.

RESOLUTION—FOR NOW

Throughout the Book of Acts, Luke clearly shows that the persecution of the Christian church was incited by the unbelieving Jews and not by the Romans. If anything, Paul used his Roman citizenship to protect himself, his friends, and the local assemblies.

FACT:  Ephesus is gone, and so is the worldwide worship of Artemis of the Ephesians. The city and the temple are gone, and the silversmiths’ guild is gone. Ephesus is a place visited primarily by archaeologists and people on Holy Land tours. Yet the gospel of God’s grace and the church of Jesus Christ are still here.

“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. –Jesus, Matthew 16:16-18, NLT

PAUSE TO PRAYERFULLY REFLECT

Do we really believe what God says about His Son really real?

Who do we say Jesus is today?  Who do we worship?  Who do we think about most?

Are we led by the crowd or by the Living Christ?

Our response will be reflected in our behaviors. 

Lord,

Hallowed is Your Name.  Holy and great are you, Lord.  May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in every detail of our lives.  You are God, the One and Only living God!  Give us this day all you know we will need to please you in all we think, say, and do in Your Name.  Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into temptations to follow the voices of the world but help us to hear and follow your voice alone.  Deliver us from evil and evil’s schemes to distract and deceive us.  We need your help and you give it.  You are God and we are not.  To you be the glory, honor, and praise forever and ever!

In Jesus Name, Amen