Read Acts 23

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take
courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so
you must also testify in Rome.”
(Acts 23:11)

Food For Thought… “Take courage!” “Fear not!” “Be strong and courageous and do not be afraid!” In one form or another, the directive to be bold and courageous in the face of trouble is the command issued from the Lord’s own mouth more often than any other command in the entire Bible.

That is pretty amazing isn’t it? You would think the command to love, or to give, or to pray would rank at the top, but it is the command to be courageous. Someone has counted up all the “fear not’s” and its derivatives in Scripture and found that there are 365—one for every day of the year. That’s because the Sovereign God knew very well that our chief weakness—the tendency to abandon our trust in him and fall into fear—would be vulnerable to the Enemy’s daily assault. It is abundantly clear not only in Scripture, but in the reality of our daily lives, that Satan’s stock in trade is to entice us to doubt, worry, and ultimately, be paralyzed by fear.

Paul was in a heap of trouble in this account. However, this wasn’t unusual for Paul; his faith seemed to get him into a pickle on a fairly regular basis. Yet whether you are reading about Paul here in the historical account provided by Acts, or reading his own thoughts in the letters he wrote to the churches, he seems to face these life-threatening circumstances with an unusual degree of courage.

How is that? To begin with, Paul knew that his mission was to preach the Gospel, and ultimately to do so in Rome—the center of the empire—where the potential for untold numbers of people to hear the message of Christ was at its highest. It mattered not to Paul whether he went there as a preacher of the Gospel, or as a prisoner of the Gospel, so long as he got there.

Paul also knew that in general, his journey included suffering for the cause of Christ. Jesus himself had given Paul foreknowledge of that at his conversion in Acts 9:16. But in this specific instance here in Acts 23, the Lord himself had stood by Paul, perhaps in a time of prayer or in a night vision, and called upon him to take courage. God commanded Paul to boldness because he, the Sovereign God, was with Paul and was going to accomplish his purpose through Paul no matter what.

Now the real lesson here is that God wants to do that through you too! You may not be facing life-threatening circumstances like Paul. Then again, maybe you are. The point is, God has a purpose for you, and Satan will throw all kinds of circumstances at you to hinder your Divinely commissioned purpose. However, those circumstances are irrelevant. Not unimportant—just irrelevant.

What is relevant is that the Sovereign God is standing by you, and he will accomplish his purposes through you come what may—opposition, hardship, failure, cancer, or any other circumstances you would not have chosen for yourself.

Take courage, my friend. The Lord is standing by you! He knows what he is doing, and he knows how to bring you through this rough patch in a way that will bring him the greatest glory and you the greatest good.

That is your God’s stock in trade. So fear not!

Prayer… Sovereign Father, today I will face the temptation to fear, but right here and now, I resolve to face that fear with faith—and courage. I will be strong and courageous.

One More Thing… “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of a readiness to die.” — G.K. Chesterton

Read Acts 22

“For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and
heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and
wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
(Acts 22:15-16)

Food For Thought… “What are you waiting for?” Water baptism was at issue here, and that’s what the Lord himself had asked Paul to do when he appeared to him on the Damascus Road.

Paul is recounting that life-changing encounter here in Acts 22 before a hostile crowd, and he includes this foundational bit of salvation theology regarding water baptism. Though he is not trying to deliver a teaching on baptism, there are some things we glean from his statement regarding this important Christian sacrament.

To begin with, baptism is important to the Lord. The first thing Jesus asked of the freshly converted Paul was to go get baptized. Jesus himself had been baptized (Matthew 3:13-16) and then had commissioned his disciple to make disciples, which included baptizing those new converts (Matthew 28:19-20). If baptism was that important to Jesus, it ought to be that important to us.

If you have not been baptized, “now why are you waiting?”

Not only that, but baptism is also a public witness to our inner transformation. Jesus had just revealed to Paul that the first great purpose in his new Christian life was to witness to his salvation experience and his personal encounter with the resurrected Lord. What was true for Paul is true for you as well: Baptism is one of the first and most fundamental public witnesses you can express of your faith in Jesus.

So if you have not been baptized, “now why are you waiting?”

Moreover, baptism is an act of obedience. Jesus commanded it, and though baptism doesn’t take away your sins, forgiveness is only complete through our obedience to his commands. That’s why in this conversation with Paul, Jesus tied in the “washing away of your sins” with baptism.

If you want to fully obey Jesus, then “why are you waiting?” Go and get baptized.

Finally, baptism is the pathway to a deeper experience with Jesus. Jesus encountered Paul on the Damascus Road before his baptism, but it was in the sacrament of baptism that Paul was to “call upon the name of the Lord” who hears and responds when his children submit to his will.

If you want to go deeper with Jesus, then “why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized!”

If you have neglected the Lord’s command to be baptized in water, then the next opportunity you get, do it! You won’t regret it.

Prayer… Lord, I must confess that at times I have been selective in my obedience. Please forgive me, for selective obedience is in reality, disobedience.  With your help, from this day forward, in all matters I will offer full obedience to your commands.

One More Thing… “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Read Acts 21???????? ????? ????????

So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying,
“The will of the Lord be done.”
(Acts 21:14)

Food For Thought… “God willing!” For the Christian, that is either a fundamental guiding principle of life or nothing more than a vacuous platitude.

You hear that phrase quite a bit in Christian circles. It has become a part of our “Christianese.” In many cases, “God willing” is used almost as an afterthought or as an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence, perhaps to give what has been said an added spiritual punch. The problem is, the person saying it probably doesn’t even bother to think what “God willing” even means, or what it will require.

When these believers in the city of Caesarea said this about Paul’s plans, both they and Paul knew exactly what they were saying, and what would be required of him. They had tried to dissuade Paul from traveling to Jerusalem. They knew trouble awaited him. One of the respected prophets in the church, a man named Agabus, had prophesied that Paul could be certain of much trouble if he continued to his destination.

Paul was quite aware of the potential for persecution, imprisonment, and even death. But he was ready for that: “For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Verse 13) What was behind Paul’s determination? The will of the Lord! Paul had made a similar declaration in the previous chapter:

“I don’t know what will happen to me in Jerusalem, but I must obey God’s Spirit and go there. In every city I visit, I am told by the Holy Spirit that I will be put in jail and will be in trouble in Jerusalem. But I don’t care what happens to me, as long as I finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do. And that work is to tell the good news about God’s great kindness.” (Acts 20:22-24)

Paul was bound by a purpose, and that purpose was to fulfill the will of God for his life, come what may. It was not to be comfortable, to stay out of trouble, to be successful or to live a long, happy life. It was simply to declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ as strongly and strategically as possible, even it that resulted in persecution, imprisonment, and death—which ultimately is exactly what happened to Paul.

“God willing” was a way of life for Paul—in scorn of the consequences. I want that to be true of me as well! How about you?

The next time you are tempted to use that phrase, stop for a moment and ask yourself, “do I know what I am saying? Do I understand what God’s will is, and what it will require of me?”

If you do, then by all means, go ahead and boldly declare it: “May the Lord’s will be done!”

Prayer… Lord, not what I want, but what you want!

One More Thing… “The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect, but obedience.” —Oswald Chambers

Read Acts 20

“Paul was preaching, and since he was leaving the next day,
he kept talking until midnight…Paul continued
talking until dawn, then he left.”
(Acts 20:7 & 11)

Food For Thought… I used to be a big fan of the twenty-minute sermon. I still am, in fact, when someone else is preaching. But the longer I preach, the longer I preach, if you get my drift. After many years of pastoral ministry, now twenty-minutes is just a good introduction. I’m joking of course—my intros are no more than eighteen minutes:-)

Few aspects of the preacher’s preaching are more prominently discussed than the length of his sermons. In seminary, we’re taught how to “get ‘er done” in fifteen minutes or so, twenty minutes at the most, and violating that rule of thumb was a good indication that your preparation had been sloppy. A friend of my says if you want to preach a twenty-minute sermon, prepare twenty hours; a forty-minute message will take you ten hours of prep time, and an hour-long sermon means you’ve spent about twenty minutes preparing.

In my earlier pastoral ministry I worked years with a phenomenal preacher. But he was an hour-long kind of guy. He had great stuff, he just didn’t know how to bring the plane in for a landing, so to speak. He’d get to the end of his message, and he’d just circle the airport looking for a spot to bring ‘er down. I swear, he could have cut that hour in half and the sermon would have gone from phenomenal to inter-galactic. His preaching kind of reminds of the story I heard about a man who went to the dentist to have a tooth removed. He ask the dentist what the cost for removing his tooth would be, and the dentist told him it would be $150. The guy told the dentist that 150 bucks seemed like a lot of money for a few seconds work. The dentist said, “If it’d make you feel better, I can pull the tooth out real slow!”

Well, I am here to defend the long-winded sermon—since I now qualify as long-winded. Hey, it’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it. And I am in good company. Paul, the greatest theologian in the New Testament, perhaps in human history, preached so long that one young man named Eutychus, fell asleep while sitting on a window seal and fell three stories to his death. Amazingly, that didn’t put a damper on the service. Paul, without skipping a beat, went downstairs, healed the man, then came back upstairs and talked from midnight until dawn. You go Paul!

Here’s the deal: It’s not the length of the sermon that makes it good or bad, it’s the content of the message…it’s the passion of the preacher…it’s the heart of the shepherd out of which the sermon flows that makes it effective or not. If you read this entire passage in Acts 20, you get some great insights into the heart of Paul, the long-winded preacher:

• Paul was full of faith and confidence in the Lord—“don’t worry, he’s alive…and the young man was taken home unhurt.” (vv. 11-12)
• Paul earned people’s respect through his suffering for the Gospel—“I have endured the trials that came to me…” (v. 19)
• Paul was fearless in his preaching—“I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear.” (v. 20)
• Paul was Christ-centered and cross-focused—“I have had one message…repent from sin and turn to God…the work of telling others the Good news about the wonderful grace of God.” (vv. 21 & 24)
• Paul was purpose driven—“My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work the Lord Jesus assigned to me.” (v. 24)
• Paul was faithful to God—“I declare today that I have been faithful.” (v. 26)
• Paul passionately protected his flock from danger—“Guard God’s people and feed and shepherd God’s flock…watch out…” (vv. 28 & 31)
• Paul was pure in his motives—“I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes…I have worked with my own hands to supply my own needs.” (vv. 33-34)
• Paul practiced what he preached—“I have been a constant example…” (v. 35)
• Paul was selfless—“I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard.” (v. 35)

It’s no wonder that when he had finished speaking and was getting ready to leave, “they all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye.” (v. 37)

“How long is the perfect sermon?” you wonder. When the preacher exhibits the same qualities that we see in Paul, his sermon can be a long as it takes!

Prayer… Lord, as a preacher, help me to live the Good News so authentically that my preaching is simply the overflow of my life. May every word I preach point people to a Savior who has purchased them with his own blood. And as a listener of sermons, may I be so truly in love with you that I will willingly listen to your Word proclaimed, no matter how long it takes. Amen.

One More Thing… “I preach as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” —Richard Baxter

Read Acts 19

And many who had believed came confessing and telling their
deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought
their books together and burned them in the sight of all.
And they counted up the value of them, and
it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.
(Acts 19:18-19)

Thoughts… Powerful signs and great wonders attended Paul’s extended ministry in Ephesus. (Verses 11-12) Sick people were healed even by his handkerchief being placed on them, and the demonized were set free in dramatic fashion.

As you might imagine with such a demonstration of Kingdom power, a great number of people in this major city of Asia Minor came to know Jesus Christ. The number of converts was so large in fact that it began to affect the thriving idol making industry in Ephesus—which didn’t make the idol makers all too happy. (Verses 25-27)

One group of these Ephesians who turned to Christ were those who practiced sorcery. We are told that there was such strong conviction they brought their incantation books and publicly burned them. Someone at the scene figured out the total value of the books and placed it at fifty thousand pieces of silver—a figure by today’s worth that would be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

Now that is repentance! When those who come to Christ are willing to put their livelihoods on the line and burn the tools of their trade, you know that real inner transformation has taken place. These sorcerers had experienced a true change of heart, mind and behavior.

And that is what Biblical repentance is all about. It is not just feeling bad over wrongdoing. It is not feeling embarrassed that you have been caught, or fear that you might. It is not just saying, “I’m sorry.” It is a literal 180-degree change in thinking and acting. The Greek word for repentance means exactly that: Change.

Keep that in mind the next time you are under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When repentance is in order for a wrong attitude, hurtful words, destructive behavior, or just plain old sin, Biblical repentance calls you to completely turn from it in heart, mind and behavior.

That’s true repentance. And that’s what the Father wants from us.

Prayer… Lord, search my heart and bring to light any sin that I have committed. Here and now I commit to repenting of anything that stands in the way of my love for you and obedience to your will.

One More Thing… “Wherever there is a pulverized and penitent heart, there grace also is, and wherever there is a voluntary confession not gained by pressure, there love covereth a multitude of sins.” —Menno Simons

Read Acts 19

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
(Acts 18:24-26)

Thoughts… I was in a conversation recently about a young minister who is unusually gifted. His public ministry is well received by the congregation he serves, and at least a few people are ready to anoint him with senior leadership.

That would be a tragic mistake for this young man. He is extremely talented, bright and likeable, and his spiritual gifting is unquestionable. He just needs seasoning in the Lord, and in spiritual leadership. And all of that takes time and intentionality. Fortunately, this young minister understands that, and because he does, he is well on his way to a long run of outstanding ministry.

Christians often make the mistake of assuming gifts, talents and a winsome personality equals spiritual maturity and Christian character. They do not. Gifts, talents and personality can take you to places where only your character can keep you. Your personal charisma can open the door of opportunity, but only your spiritual maturity will enable you to be effective there.

I have seen more than a few young ministers, burgeoning leaders, and high profile converts greatly hampered, if not spiritually ruined, because they were placed too quickly in high places of ministry. I think that’s why Paul advised Timothy when he was establishing leadership in the Ephesians church to “not lay hands suddenly” on unproven leaders. (I Timothy 5:22) That’s why the seasoned ministry team of Pricilla and Aquila pulled the talented and gifted Apollos aside and explained to him the way of God more fully.

Be careful with what you confer upon unseasoned Christians. Encourage them, applaud them, challenge them, and give them increasing responsibility, but don’t ruin them by giving too much, too soon.

Just as you don’t get holy in a hurry, they won’t gain maturity in a month.

Prayer… Lord, now that I have arrived at this season of my spiritual journey with you, help me to take on the role of mentoring others in the way of the Lord. Equip me with discerning encouragement so that I might greatly help those who are young in the faith to get on the good path to spiritual maturity and Christian character.

One More Thing… “We are so subnormal that if we came up to normal, the world would think we were abnormal.” —Vance Havner

Read Acts 17

“These who have turned the world upside down
have come here too.”
(Acts 17:6)

Thoughts… Someone once quipped, “if you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” That is a great question, really, and extremely convicting!

In Paul’s case, he was guilty as charged. Everywhere he went—Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens—the proclamation of his faith stirred things up and got him into a fair amount of trouble. Of course, in each of those places his preaching brought conviction, and many people placed their faith in Jesus. But it also made a few people mad; mad enough to have Paul beaten, imprisoned, dragged into court, disparaged and run out of town on a rail.

Now keep in mind that Paul didn’t set out to be irritating to people. Wherever he went, he was respectful. He didn’t disparage the local gods. He didn’t trash their way of life. Rather, the text says, “he reasoned with them.” (verse 2) He just respectfully shared with them to the truth of the Gospel and the reason for his hope. It was Paul’s witness, not his weirdness that earned him the charge of “turning the world upside down.”

It is probably not likely, if you are like me, that this charge has been brought against you. That’s too bad, isn’t it? It is too bad our reasonable and respectful witness hasn’t turned our respective worlds upside down. It is too bad that we are so afraid of making people uncomfortable or not being liked that we shy away from seizing the opportunity to tell people the only story in the world that will change their eternal destiny.

Maybe we can change that track record of spiritual shyness today. If we are open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, he will make sure we have opportunity to share our faith with a spiritual seeker today. He will make sure that we have just the right words to say, and he will also make sure that their hearts have been prepared to hear our message.

They may or may not receive our words, but that’s not our call. Our call is simply to share in reasonable and respectful ways. The Holy Spirit will work on the hearts of our listeners. But as we are faithful to persistently declare God’s Good News, one thing will be sure: We will turn somebody’s world upside down.

And if that can be said of you, “those who have turned the world upside down have come here too,” I would wear that as a badge of honor!

Prayer… Lord, may my faith get me into a little trouble today.

One More Thing… “Jesus Christ did not say, ‘Go into the world and tell the world that it is quite right.’” —C.S. Lewis