Year 7, Day 261: Acts 28

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As we finish up the book of Acts, the focus is right where it should be.  No, it’s not on Paul.  We know it isn’t on Paul because the story doesn’t continue with Paul’s life.  We don’t know what happens to Paul.  It is one of the more frustrating elements of this book, in fact.  But it shows us that the emphasis isn’t really on Paul.  If it was, we’d know what happens to him.

The focus is on God and God’s hand at work. 

The shipwreck victims land on Malta and find a group of people who are willing to help hundreds of shipwrecked victims.  In fact, they take them in because the weather is turning poor.  What is the result of this?  The people are blessed by God’s presence.  Because of their kindness to the shipwrecked victims, God blesses them and their sick are healed.  The people who are shipwrecked are blessed by God because of their willingness to listen to God through Paul.

When Paul gets to Rome, he defends himself.  God goes before him.  The Romans are willing to listen to Paul, acknowledging that the Christians don’t have the best reputation.  As they listen, some believe and some don’t.  God’s Word spreads among those in Rome.

In fact, we do know that Paul stays in Rome for a few years, preaching and teaching. He continued to teach at his own expense.   God’s Word spreads in Rome.  Now we look back and see the end of chapter 26 in the correct light.  Yes, Agrippa was right.  Had Paul not declared that he wanted to go to Rome, he could have been sent free.  But had Paul been sent free, would he have ended up in Rome with a two-year mission to proclaim God to the people? 

This is what Acts is all about.  This is what Paul is all about.  We are to be about doing whatever it takes to get the message out.  We are to be willing to proclaim whenever and wherever God leads us.

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Year 7, Day 260: Acts 27

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I think that Acts 27 boils down to wisdom and faith.  Paul is full of wisdom, and I choose to believe that he has his wisdom because he is in relationship with God throughout this journey.  Paul seems to know when to sail, when they shouldn’t sail, and how to keep the people alive when the people are in danger.  Proximity to God tends to allow us the ability to make good choices.

The interesting dynamic in this chapter is how the people around him respond to the wisdom.  The pilot of the boat seems to have no regard for Paul at all.  His mind is on the profit that can be made through the journey.  Safety is on seemingly no concern.  It is dangerous for us when we partner with or even put ourselves in proximity t people whose primary concern is profit.

The centurion in charge of Paul seems to have a growing respect for Paul’s wisdom.  At first, he seems focused simply on doing his job, which makes sense.  He wants to get to Rome, deliver his charge, and accomplish the task.  However, the centurion does show that ultimately he respects living more than money.  As the situation grows more and more dire, he stops listening to the pilot and starts listening to Paul.  Here is a man who can garner some respect.  When there is a chance of success, the centurion pursues his obligation.  But when threatened, he knows enough to abandon the obligation until such a time as it can be properly pursed without walking headlong into danger without a care.

In the end, Paul carries the day and the people are all saved through the storm by God’s hand.  The centurion wins the day through Paul’s advice and keeps his soldiers from killing all of their prisoners.  The centurion listens to Paul and has the boat cut away so that everyone would remain under God’s protection through Paul.  The people listen to Paul, have a good meal before abandoning ship, and then make their way to an island where they might find refuge.  Wisdom does occasionally carry the day in human circles.  When it does, the credit should go ack to God as it does here in this chapter.

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Year 7, Day 259: Acts 26

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Once more we see Paul making his defense.  Once more, he tells the story as it happens.  This time, Festus tells Paul that he is out of his mind.  Festus, of course, is a Roman unfamiliar with God.  He isn’t familiar with a personal God who has relationship with His followers.  Of course, Paul sounds insane to Festus.

Notice, however, that Paul doesn’t let that bother him.  In fact, he doesn’t really even defend himself other than deny the charge.  Paul puts Festus in his place by turning to and appealing to Agrippa, who is familiar with God.  Paul lets Festus know that he’s the only person in the room who thinks the tale is strange.

I think there is a piece of wisdom in this story.  How prepared are we to accept and speak to God’s hand in our life?  Do we shrink from the amazing nature of it and assume people will think us crazy?  Or are we willing to speak and send a message to the world that it truly they who are missing out?  Do we compromise the truth for our public image or are we willing to risk our image for the sake of truth?

Before I leave, I have one small comment.  I used to read the conclusion of this chapter and feel sad.  It seems like Paul would have gotten free had he not appealed to Caesar.  As I’ve studied this year, I’ve lost that sensation.  Remember that the Jews wanted to kill him.  Festus would have probably put Paul in a position to be killed by the Jews.  In truth, the only reason that Paul is alive right now is because of his appeal.  Furthermore, Paul’s appeal is what eventually gets him to Rome, speaking God’s message as he goes along the way and even into the court of Caesar himself.  There is no reason to be sad that Paul doesn’t go free at the end of this chapter.  Paul is once more on a mission; that’s a good thing.

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Year 7, Day 258: Acts 25

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Festus is governor now.  As we hear from Festus’ own words, he views Paul as an inherited problem.  He has no personal investment in Paul.  In fact, we see that Festus views Paul as an opportunity to make friends with the Jews.  Here is where we find Paul. He a captive in a home that doesn’t value him except as a negotiating pawn.

What does Paul do?  To be honest, I think Paul is very shrewd here.  Paul couldn’t escape Felix; Felix wanted a bribe on way or the other.  Paul isn’t likely to survive Festus, who wants to please the Jews.  Paul does the only thing he can.  As a Roman citizen, he appeals to Caesar.  He avoids the trap of the Jews by asking to be transferred to Rome, where the Jews have little influence.

Here’s why this is actually a neat idea.  We’ve heard very little about the ministry of Paul over the last two years of his life.  That doesn’t mean he hasn’t had any; it just means that we haven’t heard about it.  Therefore, it probably has been fairly minimal.  Paul is an evangelist.  He’s cooped up with no chance of getting out.  By appealing to Rome, he puts himself on the move again.  He opens up his life to new people to whom he can talk and relate.  Sure, Paul is interested in escaping the grip of the Jews; but this act is also about him getting back into what he does best.

This is a unique perspective on life.  Sometimes we have to make unique decisions in order to keep going.  Sometimes we have to choose to look for creative solutions.  In the end, though, it is about being the person that God has made us to become.  It is about willing to do whatever it takes to live out the will of God for our life.  In this situation, Paul does that by appealing to Caesar and voluntarily being taken to Rome as a prisoner.

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Year 7, Day 257: Acts 24

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There are certain parts of this chapter that amuse me.  For example, notice that the Jews from Asia who came to cause trouble for Paul didn’t stick around long enough for his trial before the governor.  I find this rather odd.  It’s almost like they were dismissed by the Jewish leaders because they knew that having them around would only cause trouble for their side of the argument.  I am amused by the way that people manipulate circumstances so that their side of the conversation is always presented in the best light rather than the truth.

Speaking of the truth, I am also amused by the very brief – not to mention nondescript – accusations that those Jewish leaders bring against Paul.  They make focus on the riot that ensued because Paul was in the temple.  They don’t mention that it was their own people that started it.  They don’t mention that Paul was just going about his business.  They focus the Roman authority upon the fact that there was a riot.  Let’s face it, that’s really what the Roman leaders are truly worried about.  They could care less about the Judaism; they just want there to be peace in their city.  I find it interesting that people will lie about circumstances to evoke sympathy.

I am also amused by Paul’s defense.  He’s not elaborate.  He corrects a few of the lies.  He then also tells a truer version of what happened.  He doesn’t flourish his words.  He doesn’t retaliate with more lies.  He states his case simply and honestly.  Sometimes the best defense is the simple and honest one.

Finally, a point by which I am not amused at all, is the realization that Paul was stuck in the custody of the Roman governor for two years.  The governor was waiting for a bribe.  Granted, Paul used the time wisely to talk about Christ and His Way.  But that doesn’t take away the fact that Paul was stuck there for two years.  I can only imagine what went through his mind.  He no doubt was convinced that he could have been out witnessing about Christ.  He could have been out helping people find truth in their Creator.  Instead he’s stuck in custody of a Roman governor waiting for his future to come about.  I can only imagine the doubt and helplessness that must have come upon Paul.  Still, he remains faithful. 

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Year 7, Day 256: Acts 23

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Yesterday we saw the human heart turn cold.  The heart of the Jewish mob grew dark at the mention of God’s offer of relationship to the Gentiles.  It was a sad chapter; but an insightful one.

Today we hear more of the same.  A plot is made against Paul.  The Jewish leaders plan to lie in order to get Paul out in the open and away from Roman protection.  They plan to assassinate Paul under the guise of simple wanting to talk.  They deceive and manipulate in order to get their way.

We also are allowed to peer into God’s response.  As these Jewish leaders make plans, they are foiled by a boy.  In fact, they are foiled by Paul’s nephew.  The boy overhears their plan, reports it to Paul, and then reports it to the tribune.  The triune makes plans for Paul to be kept safe, removing him from Jerusalem entirely.

I think that it is rather neat to see that not only is Paul kept safe from the machinations of the Jewish leaders, but that God foils the plans of those leaders through a boy and a group of Gentiles.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that this is a sign that God has turned His back upon the Jews.  That won’t ever happen.  Even when the Jews went into exile God did not turn His back.  What I am saying, though, is that this is proof that God is bigger than us and our plans.

We often want to see the world through our black-and-white lens of right and wrong.  When we do that, we are prone to putting God in a box.  When we put God in a box, we tend to miss His hand at work.  When we put God in a box, He comes around and frequently uses the very people, whom we are so sure to be wrong, to do something grand.  God uses a boy and Gentiles to save Paul from the hands of the Jewish leaders.

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Year 7, Day 255: Acts 22

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I find the motivations of the human heart compelling.  I find it amazing to fathom what the human mind will accept and what it won’t accept.  We can be completely willing to be rational about the most irrational things and then be absolutely irrational about the most rational of things.

As an example, take a look at what Paul gives as his defense.  Paul starts with his own account of how he persecuted the followers of Jesus.  Of course, I understand that this is a predominantly Jewish audience and they would have understood Paul.  But let’s step back a second.  Paul is talking about how he tortured and imprisoned people based on what they believed to be true.  Furthermore, Paul is talking about how he tortured and imprisoned people for believing in the same God as he believed but in just a different way!  We should be able to disagree with people, of course.  But there is something wrong when our disagreements lead to outright persecution of the other!  I am amazed that a whole culture – a large portion of it in reality – could stand and accept, much less applaud, the account of such actions.

Paul then begins to speak about the trip to Damascus.  He tells the crowd about how God comes directly to him and speaks.  Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t mean to cast any shadow of doubt as to whether it happened or not.  But I find it interesting to note that the crowd doesn’t seem to bat an eyelash at this, either.  Paul’s portrayal of the supernatural event doesn’t cause them to even flinch.  They accept that part of the story, too.

Up until this point, the people are willing to listen.  So long as Paul is talking about the persecution of the Gentiles, he has done nothing to upset them.  Things change.

What is this great event that causes the crowd to turn on Paul?  Paul starts talking about how God caused him to bring the message of salvation to the Gentiles.  That’s it.  That’s the great catastrophe.  The Jews want to lynch Paul as soon as they hear about God bringing salvation to the Gentiles.

I’ve got something rather harsh to say.  Hate is easy to create within humanity.  The second half of Acts demonstrates this loudly and clearly.  I assert that any time we hate a group of people so much that we cannot bring ourselves to at least accept the message of salvation going out to them then the fault lies within us.  We are to blame when we hate so much that we are disgusted by the very notion that God could be in relationship with them.  We should be desiring people to find God, not revolting against those who would bring relationship with God to them.

We may have differences.  We may even have disagreements about how things get done.  But at no time should the proposal of a person’s relationship with God generate disgust within us.  When that happens, we are in the wrong.

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Year 7, Day 254: Acts 21

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Acts 21 is an interesting study of human reactions.  We can start with Paul.  As I said yesterday, his mind is on going back to Jerusalem. He wants to go and report about what God is doing among the Gentiles.  He also has a collection of money that has been collected by the Gentiles for the support of the orphans and widows in Jerusalem.  He wants to complete that mission.

On the other hand, we have the whole of the rest of the people that Paul meets.  They know what will happen if Paul returns.  In fact, we can read into the words of this chapter to say that the reason they know is because the Spirit of God has warned them.  They don’t want bad things to happen to Paul.  They urge him to not go to Jerusalem.  They urge him to stay away for his own security.

These two positions often cause an internal debate in my mind.  Is Paul being stubborn when God tries to warn him?  Or is the flipside true: are the people encouraging Paul to take a path other than what God has ordained for him?

I don’t think that either are necessarily right or necessarily wrong.  Has God called Paul to Jerusalem?  Certainly.  Has God warned the people about Paul’s future should he go?  Certainly.  Could God continue to use Paul if he had chosen to go elsewhere besides Jerusalem?  Absolutely.  I don’t think that this has to be a case of choosing one over the other.  Paul goes to Jerusalem, which I personally feel is the higher calling.  He is willing to cast his life aside for the opportunity to proclaim what God is doing among the Gentiles.  But that doesn’t mean that the people are wrong in warning Paul about the danger, either.

We know the end of the story.  We know the incredible ways that God continues to use Paul to reach people at every step of his journey ahead.  Certainly, the right choices are made along the way.  The right thing happens.  We should be careful to not be too critical when looking at those people around Paul who are offering caution.  Nobody wants to see people inherently make tough decisions; and certainly nobody wants their friends to endure hardship.

It should also be an illustration as to how hard it is to follow God.  Being obedient to Him is a tough calling.  Encouraging others to be obedient, especially when it means making a tough decision, can be even more difficult.  We need God’s help in this.  We will also likely make mistakes along the way.  We need God to guide, encourage, and forgive.

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Year 7, Day 253: Acts 20

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Acts 20 starts the beginning of the end.  Here we see Paul make his way back to Jerusalem knowing that it could be the beginning of the end.  Since we know the story, we know that the trip to Jerusalem is the beginning of the end – sending Paul to Rome to be tried before Caesar.

Paul knows this, too.  Beginning in verse 22, Paul’s speech begins to be fairly dark.  He doesn’t know what will happen to him.  He knows that imprisonment and persecution awaits him wherever he goes.  He does not count his life as having value.  He is focused only on completing what God has asked of him.

I think this is a phenomenal claim.  How many of us consider our lives as forfeit?  How many of us are willing to make any sacrifice so long as God’s will is done?  How many of us are willing to go wherever God asks and do whatever He asks regardless of the cost?

Paul has that focus.  That is why he can go anywhere and say the message that God lays on his heart.  Mind you, Paul isn’t looking to sacrifice his life.  But he is willing to do so.

It takes a special person to be willing to look at their life as forfeit while they are still in their prime.  It takes someone who is trying to be like Jesus.

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Year 7, Day 252: Acts 19

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The standard themes of Acts continue.  Paul goes out and does mission.  He starts making disciples.  People get upset.  Trouble comes to Paul’s doorstep.  There really is a pattern of behavior here.  When you speak truth, you are going to upset the status quo and bring trouble upon yourself.  It’s just reality.

That being said, I’d really like to focus on the sons of Sceva.  I find this story really amusing.  First of all, remember that it is primarily the Jews who bring trouble upon Paul wherever he goes.  Yet in this particular story, there are some Jews who decide to imitate Paul.  They start using the name of Jesus.  Isn’t it interesting that people who don’t like you and what you stand for will still imitate you when your methods prove successful!

The second neat point is that the name of Jesus works.  When these Jews start using the name of Jesus, even the demons take notice!  This is important because it reminds us where true power resides.  When God uses me to do something neat, it isn’t me that deserves the credit!  Neat things happen through me because God decides to use me.  It is His decision, His plan, and His power.  His name is far more powerful than anything I can bring to the table.

That being said, the third really neat thing about which we can take notice is that while the name is powerful, it won’t necessarily save us without the relationship with God behind it.  The demons know the name and respect it.  They don’t however, know the sons of Sceva.  They do know that these sons of Sceva have little relationship – if any – with Christ.  The demons tear into these sons of Sceva because the relationship with God is not genuine.

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Year 7, Day 251: Acts 18

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We continue into one of my favorite stories.  In Acts 18 we see the humanity of Paul.  As we read through Acts it is very easy to idolize Paul; this chapter helps us to avoid this.

Paul heads to Corinth.  While in Corinth, Jews rise up against him.  This isn’t anything that we haven’t seen before and certainly I’ve praised Paul before for standing up against this very thing.  In Corinth, however, we see Paul get fed up.  He walks away from the Jews and swears to only focus on Gentiles.  Paul has had enough.

I really enjoy this story because it shows us that Paul is a human.  He is tired of the fight.  He’s tired of having to defend himself against the same accusations in every city.  He’s worn down.  He breaks.

Here’s the neat thing, though.  Even though he reacts out of his human frustration, his ministry continues.  God allows him to continue to focus on the Gentiles.  People continue to come into relationship with God.  God still allows Paul to work in the kingdom even though he is clearly thinking about himself instead of God’s calling.

That being said, God does chastise Paul.  God comes to him and tells him to stop being afraid.  He tells Paul to continue going on speaking, teaching, and preaching.  While God does allow Paul’s ministry among the Gentiles to prosper, He also doesn’t let Paul get away with doing his own thing, either.

In the end, we are all human.  In moments of glory, it is easy to be confident.  Sometimes we can be overconfident.  In moments of frustration, it is easy to focus on our own irritation and lose sight of where God really wants us.  In the end, though, God can continue to use us even in the moments where we may lose focus on His will.  That’s the neat thing about this chapter.  Paul shows his humanity; God continues to use him.

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Year 7, Day 250: Acts 17

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Mixed bag.  Those are often the words that I hear in my mind when I think about Paul’s missionary trip to Greece.  In fact, those are the words that I often think about when I consider the whole scope of Paul’s missionary trips.

Allow me some time to clarify my words, though.   I don’t mean them judgmentally.  So often we hear the expression “mixed bag” and we think it is an insult.  I absolutely don’t see any reason to insult Paul’s work.  Paul was a masterfully fearless evangelist.  His missionary trips inspire awe within me at every step.  He faced rejection, persecution, and arguments at every turn.  He was constantly defending his faith and what God had called him to teach.  His trips are incredibly inspiring.

Why, then, do I call it a mixed bag?  I call it a mixed bag because I can only imagine how hard it was on Paul.  Here is a man who is pouring his heart into his ministry.  He is risking all.  He is calling people out of their normal life and into a true and genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.  He is discipling.  He is being a part of God changing people’s lives.  At the same time, people are refuting his teaching.  They are refusing to listen.  They are choosing the ease of tradition over grace and love and challenge.  I can see the joy of Paul’s work; but I can feel the rejection of Paul, too.  In almost every place that Paul goes, people rise up and make conflict with him.  In many places, they drive him out of town.

Paul’s ministry is certainly not a mixed bag.  His ministry is awesome.  His ministry is inspiring and motivational.  The fact that he faces rejection and conflict again and again and continues to rise up, move on, and do it all over again is incredible.  The mixed bag comes because of the realization of all of the blood, sweat, and tears that happens when he is rejected.

In the end, I think this is a very prudent message to hear.  When we want to reach into the lives of people, we should expect that there will be joy and excitement and all kinds of reason to give glory and praise to God.  At the same time, we need to expect to face rejection from the world, frustration over the roadblocks, and sores from the persecution.  That’s part of what ministry is all about.  On one hand, there is nothing better.  On the other hand, there’s nothing more difficult.  I think Paul’s experience in Greece plays this out.

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Year 7, Day 249: Acts 16

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Acts 16 is a great chapter in the development of the church.  It is in this chapter that Paul picks up Timothy, one of his greatest disciples.  It is in this chapter that Paul begins the Greek mission, one of his greatest missionary journeys.  It is here that Paul ministers to Lydia and in so doing begins the Philippian church, one of his greatest church plants.  Many great things happen in this chapter.

There is one thing in this chapter that allows these things to happen.  Paul is told no.  Paul wants to go into Asia.  He desires to minister to the people in that area.  God, however, has other plans.  In order to get Paul into Greece, He needs to say no to Asia.

I can only imagine Paul’s disappointment as this unfolded in his life.  He couldn’t know what was coming in his future.  He simply felt God saying no again and again.  There surely was some frustration.  Perhaps there was discouragement.  There may have even been confusion.

The one thing we don’t see is disobedience.  Paul listens to God and trusts.  He follows God, believing that if God doesn’t want him to go into Asia then God has His reasons.  This is a great example for us to understand as we go about mission. 

God wants us to go out.  He wants us to invite people into a relationship with Him.  He wants us to remember, though, that it is His plan and His idea, not ours.

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Year 7, Day 248: Acts 15

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Acts 15 is a very important chapter when it comes to understanding the human element in organizations.  We like to think that everyone is like us.  However, that just isn’t true.  The reality is that we all have our own agendas and our own motivations.  We must always be on the alert for those times when someone within the organization changes priorities without consensus or even knowledge of the group.  This is why maintaining unity within an organization is difficult.

For example, notice the people who come from Jerusalem down to Antioch.  They hear people giving praise to God for the various ways that God has been at work among the Gentiles.  Rather than celebrating with God, they feel the need to challenge God’s work.  They tell the Gentiles that unless they are circumcised that they really have no place among God’s people.

Naturally, this makes Paul and Barnabas and likely a whole host of other people mad.  These traditionalist Jews have just gone against what Paul and Barnabas stood for.  They have gone against God’s hand at work.  Paul and Barnabas set off to set the record straight.

Notice that when they get to Jerusalem, there is a group within the Jerusalem Council that is in line with these teachers of the circumcision.  Division is occurring in Jerusalem.  People are beginning to teach different things.  Unity is being lost.

Thankfully, Peter gets up to speak.  He remembers what God did in him at Cornelius’ house.  He’s the one who started this all!  He gets up and reminds the people what God has done and how God did it.

Fortunately, the people capitulate.  The religious leaders in Jerusalem find common ground that has nothing to do with circumcision.  They encourage these Gentiles to carry on with what God is doing in their midst, paying special attention to their purity.

What can we learn here?  Division will always creep into organization.  People will always stop adhering to God’s ideal and start adhering to their own understanding.  It takes a strong and bold presence to stop this.  When we see this happening, we must stand up like Peter in confidence and speak to where God’s truth resides.

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Year 7, Day 247: Acts 14

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Once more we see the themes of the second half of Acts come true to life in the story.  Paul speaks out boldly.  He is not afraid of the truth.  He’s not particularly fearful of what people will think of the truth or think of him for telling the truth.  He speaks truth about God and is always interested in inviting people into relationship with God.  Paul’s focus is unwavering.

We see two more subthemes coming to the surface here in this chapter.  First, as a part of Paul’s focus he is always looking for an audience.  He is willing to talk to any person who will listen.  In Iconium, the city was divided; but there were some who were willing to listen.  In Lystra, there were people who thought that he and Barnabas were gods and were thus ready to listen.  In Derbe, there were clearly people who were willing to listen as we don’t even have any mention of trouble in that city.  Paul is always willing to join a conversation with anyone who will take time to consider what he has to say.

There is a deeper angle to consider when looking at Paul and his audience.  Paul lives with a confidence that he can turn any conversation into a conversation about God.  When people are arguing with him, He can certain talk about God.  When people are genuinely curious, he can certainly talk about God.  Even when people have the absolute wrong idea and want to make gods of Paul and Barnabas, Paul is confident that he can turn the conversation around and paint it the right way.  I believe that in order to have a mindset that is always looking for an audience presupposes the confidence to complete the conversation.

Finally, we also should look at the theme of staying in the midst of persecution.  Paul is willing to take a few hits as long as there are still people willing to listen.  He doesn’t run at the first sign of trouble.  Don’t get me wrong.  Paul doesn’t stay until he’s dead, either.  Paul sticks it out for as long as he can and then leaves.  Persecution will come.  The trick to preaching God’s Word is to preach with confidence and know when to stay, how long to stay, and when to move on to the next place where God is calling.  We will see this again and again in the book of Acts.

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Year 7, Day 246: Acts 13

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Acts 13 starts the ministry of Paul.  There are several very poignant themes that run through Paul’s ministry.  These themes correlate with how God works through Paul and leads us to why he is understood as one of the most influential men of Christianity.

The first theme is that Paul speaks out boldly.  We see him rise up against Elymas in the court of the proconsul.  We also see Paul speak out in the synagogue of Psidian Antioch.  Paul isn’t afraid to speak.  He isn’t afraid to tell truth.  He never really knows how people are going to react to it.  Paul speaks truth and lets the chips fall where they may.

Be careful with this thinking, though.  As we’ll see throughout Acts, Paul isn’t always received well.  Paul earns the favor of the proconsul.  Paul is chased out of Psidian Antioch.

Some human beings receive the truth well.  They like being challenged.  They enjoy growing and becoming different people.  They realize that they don’t understand everything and seek opportunities to gain experience.

Other human beings don’t enjoy the experience.  Some human beings don’t enjoy being challenged.  Some human beings don’t enjoy growth opportunities.  Some human beings don’t mind growing, but they only want to grow in directions that they desire.  Some human beings simply aren’t open to God’s truth, they are only open to truth that agrees with their thinking.

We never know who we’ll meet until after we speak truth and see how they react.  Some people will grant us their favor much like the proconsul.  Others will hear our words and try to drum us out of town like the Jews in Psidian Antioch.  We don’t know who is who until they encounter truth and react to it.  Then we see their true colors.

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Year 7, Day 245: Acts 12

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In Acts 12 we lead off with the challenges to the Apostles.  James, the brother of John, is killed.  When Herod sees that it pleased the Jews, he starts looking for another.  Peter is arrested and slated to die.

Before we get to Peter, I want to spend a second looking at this most senseless death.  We can learn a good bit about human behavior here.  Herod is willing to destroy life because it makes him popular.  Unless we are careful, human beings will absolutely go against their morality and ethic if the reward is great enough.  With training, we can avoid this reality.  Left to our devices, though, we are likely to fall.

We move on to Peter. In fact, let’s contrast what God does with Peter to what God does with Herod.  Peter is in jail.  He’s about to be killed.  God frees him through angelic means.  When Peter gets to where he is going, he is focused on giving glory to God.  Peter tells the story about how God saved him.  That’s a great example to learn.

On the other hand, take a look at what happens to Herod.  Herod finds himself in a place where people are giving him praise.  He dresses quite regally and impresses them with great speech.  There is no humbleness.  There is no nod to the God who equipped him.  In fact, when the people call him a god, Herod doesn’t even deny it.  He dies that day, because in his arrogance he has no humility.

There’s a deep lesson to learn here.  We can do great things.  We can have great things done to us.  There’s no problem there.  But we need to be humble.  God deserves the glory.  God deserves to be the focus.

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Year 7, Day 244: Acts 11

Theological Commentary: Click Here

In the chapter immediately after we celebrate the many and varied ways that the Lord is at work, we are given a sneak peek into what is happening in Jerusalem.  When the conservative Jewish followers hear about what Peter has been up to, they are outraged.  They can’t believe that Peter went and socialized with Romans.  Don’t get me wrong.  They aren’t doubting God’s hand at work.  They are doubting Peter’s ability to stay traditional. Unfortunately, they confuse tradition and ritual with faith and spirituality.

Let’s not miss a reasonably significant point in this chapter.  Immediately following the Jerusalem church’s reaction to Peter, the central location of the church moves from Jerusalem to Antioch.  I realize that there was a growing amount of persecution happening against the Jews in Jerusalem at the time and the location change makes sense.  However, I think there is more to it than that.  The leaders in Jerusalem have looked past God’s hand and they’ve looked back at tradition.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m a big fan of promoting that there are some immutable parts of God.  God is love.  God hates sin.  God saves.  God’s understanding of sin doesn’t change.  There are parts of God that don’t change.

At the same time, though, we need to recognize that God’s hand works in mysterious ways.  God is not opposed to opening an unusual door to further His will.  God is willing to work in unusual ways to reach unusual people.  While certain things of God don’t change, often the first mistake that the followers of God do make is in their inability to accept the fresh movement of His hand.

When it is all said and done, the focus of Christianity shifts to Antioch.  Jerusalem isn’t abandoned as we’ll see throughout Acts.  But Antioch truly becomes the hotbed of faith and when God’s disciples are being trained.  This is an important lesson to learn.  When we focus on our traditional expectations and forget to look where God is moving, we can find ourselves looking out as God moves past us into something new.  We won’t be abandoned, of course; but we may find ourselves looking to get back to where God is at work.

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Year 7, Day 243: Acts 10

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Something amazing is at work in God’s Word as we pass through Acts.  Remember, this book started with the world immediately after Jesus Christ died.  Acts begins with the world in a different place; it is a world in the truth of the crucifixion.

The disciples are empowered.  The wisdom of the religious leaders is being overcome.  The wisdom of the world is being denounced.  God’s Spirit is being passed out among human beings and the world is being transformed one unique person at a time.

We’re at the place in Acts where we see this loudly and clearly.  In the last few chapters we’ve seen more and more people participating in the work of God.  The Apostles aren’t the only ones rising up to be filled with God’s Spirit.  We’ve seen Peter and John and Philip, of course.  But we’ve also seen Stephen rise up.  We’ve seen God get the attention of a Pharisee named Saul.  We’ve seen Barnabas rise up.  We’ve had followers of Christ in a whole city work to save the life of a man they once feared.

In this chapter, we see God’s Spirit at work within a Roman centurion and his whole household.  This Roman centurion is a member of the Italian Cohort.  Yet, he is a god-fearer.  That means he has belief, faith, religious piety … all the love and fear of God that he can possibly have without officially being a Jew.  He’s praying and God comes to him.  He tells him about Peter.  This Roman centurion listens and obeys.  He seeks out Peter.  He wants to know.

We also see Peter listening.  He receives a vision.  It is a message telling Peter that He’s about to do something new.  God is showing Peter that He can make the whole world clean.  Ritual purity isn’t just for the Jews, it’s for the world.  Relationship with God isn’t just for the Jews, it’s for the whole world.  Dwelling with God and having His Spirit within us is for anyone who wants relationship with Him.

Cornelius receives God’s Spirit.  His whole household receives God’s Spirit.  These unbaptized non-Jewish god-fearing Romans participate in relationship with God. That’s the nature of what God has done through the cross.  That’s the nature of what God is doing in Acts.  He’s bringing about a new reality through Jesus.  This chapter is all about how God desires to be open to all people who desire to be in relationship with Him.

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Year 7, Day 242: Acts 9

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Acts 9 is a really neat chapter.  Normally, I get to Acts 9 and talk all about the conversation of Saul.  Don’t get me wrong.  Paul is an incredibly important person when we talk about the development of early Christianity.  It’s okay to focus on Paul at this point in the story.  Today, though, I am led to a different topic.

What I really like about Acts 9 today is the plethora of witnesses in the chapter. Let’s return to the conversion of Paul.  Paul hears a voice and experiences the presence of God.  Who is it that comes to his aid?  There is a disciple called Ananias that comes to his aid.  What is the witness of Ananias?  Obedience.  Notice that Ananias doesn’t particularly want this assignment.  He doesn’t want to go to Paul.  He’s afraid of what Paul will do to him because of what Paul has done to all of the other Christians with whom he’s come into contact.  Yet, Ananias still goes.  He still obeys.  In spite of his own better judgment, he’s pretty clear on what God wants him to do.  He does it.

Saul gets to Damascus.  While there, his life is in danger. The Jews in Damascus want to do away with him.  We aren’t told why, but it probably has something to do with the fat that they now saw him as a traitor and a betrayer of God.  Who comes to his aid?  We have an unknown group of disciples who risk their lives to get Paul out of Damascus.

Next, we hear about Saul in Jerusalem.  At first, the disciples want nothing to do with him because they fear him.  Who comes to his rescue?  Barnabas.  Barnabas comes, listens, mentors, and vouches for Paul.  We know that Barnabas will continue to mentor Paul, too.  Because Barnabas is willing to be obedient, the church has peace and can grow.

Then we get to Peter.  Peter finds a man paralyzed for 8 years and heals him.  He finds a dead woman and tells her to get up and be healed.  In both cases, Peter is the hand of God.  God’s will is done.  God gets the glory.

What can we get from this chapter?  God’s Spirit is spread among a great variety of people.  Many people are involved in accomplishing what God is doing in their lives.  Many people are given gifts and asked to employ them so that God’s will is done.  We can’t be in isolation. Nobody can be the be-all-and-end-all of God’s work.  We have a part to play; it is God’s story being told and God’s will being done.

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