Today’s reading is Acts 27:1-28:31.

When Paul met with the Jews in Rome, they said, “We desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against” (Acts 28:22). 

I have a tendency to think if someone speaks against what I’m doing, that I must be doing something wrong. I start trying to look around and figure out how to conduct myself so that no one can possibly say anything against me. But Paul’s story reminds me that is impossible. If I’m following God’s way, someone won’t like me. That is amazing to me because when I’m following God’s way I’m humble, serving, merciful, helpful, loving, etc. However, I have to come to grips with the fact that not everyone is going to like Jesus’ way for one reason or another.

I’m amazed at how many websites are set up to blast away at Christians and churches. I’m equally amazed that the authors of those sites actually seem to believe they are making a difference in the world. My first thought is to jump in and try to defend or explain so folks will understand and still like me and my fellow Christians. However, I’ve learned that is practically pointless. Those who are open to Jesus Christ are not influenced heavily by the attacks. Those who are not open to Jesus Christ are not influenced by my defenses. The fact is, no matter what I do, someone won’t like me. No matter what we do, someone won’t like us. 

We’ll never get everyone to like us, we might as well just try to get closer to God anyway.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 23:1-24:27.

Things were bad for Paul. He had been arrested, unfairly accused, nearly beaten, life threatened. Claudius Lysias knew he was innocent and hadn’t done anything worthy of imprisonment, let alone death (Acts 23:29). I can hardly imagine what it must have been like to endure this part of Paul’s life. I can imagine how I would have felt. I might have despaired. I might have wondered how God could let this happen when I had been serving Him so faithfully. It would have been hard to see any good in what was going on.

However, because of this, Paul had opportunity to speak to the Council, soldiers, prisoners, governors, kings, and then on to Rome and preaching to those even in the emperor’s household.

This is a great reminder to me. As I look at the moment in which I live, I can sometimes see some really bad things. Life seems awful. I can go from negativity, to depression, to despair. However, if I could see my life like I see Paul’s, written out from beginning to end, I might see a different picture. I might see how today’s discouraging occurrence builds together with yesterday’s and tomorrow’s to accomplish great things in God’s service. I would likely be completely surprised at what God is doing through my life if I could see the whole picture. But I can’t see that. So I have to take it on faith. I have trust God.

Today is not in a vacuum. Whether good or bad happens today, I can trust God to weave it in to the tapestry of my life and His glory. Instead of despairing, I need simply to trust God and let Him do His job. I need to do the next right thing. God can already see how he is going to use today. I need to trust Him and some day, I’ll be able to look back and see the good that comes out of whatever happens today.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

Today’s reading is Acts 21:1-22:30.

Sin is my problem. I was covered up with it. But I wanted to be holy. I wanted to be righteous. I wanted to be with God and like God. I have a couple of options. I could just say it is impossible and give up, living however I want. I could try to change on my own and try to live perfectly from this point on. I could try to live beyond perfectly striving to pay God back for my past sins while not committing anymore. The problem is that leads me back to option one, trying to live perfectly. I’ve learned that doesn’t work.

Then I read what God did for Paul. In Acts 22: 16, Ananias had told Paul, “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Paul’s sins could be washed away in baptism. So could mine. So can yours.

What a great thought that we can avoid the wrath of God. We can avoid the eternal consequences of all those sins we committed. God has said, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.” He’ll wash your sins away, but you must be baptized.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS: What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 17:1-18:28.

I’m impressed with Apollos today. He was eloquent. He was mighty in the Scriptures. He mostly knew what he was talking about. He taught most things accurately. That is all good stuff. However, what I’m most impressed with is when someone came to him and pointed out his error about baptism in Jesus’ name, he didn’t get defensive. He didn’t dig his heels in the ground. He didn’t start getting manipulative and trying to get back at the people. He apparently listened and changed.

Wow!

I need to be more like that. I need to hear what others are saying to me, even when we disagree. They might just be right. But even if they aren’t, I need to listen with the right attitude. When I find out I’m wrong, I need to change and keep on working for the Lord.

I’m going to work on this today.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 15:1-16:40.

These readings provided me with hope because it showed that Paul was human. I don’t mean I see him doing things wrong necessarily. However, I do see him responding as I might respond with very human emotions.

In Acts 15:38-41, he has an argument with Barnabas and they part ways. I don’t want to get in the debate about whether this was right or wrong or who was right or wrong. I just notice that even the apostle Paul had turmoils, disagreements, struggles. Whatever was right or wrong in this situation, Paul wasn’t perfectly able to bring about 100% accord with Barnabas. I won’t always be able to do that either.

In Acts 16:18, says Paul cast out the spirit from the servant girl because he became greatly annoyed. No doubt, Paul was right to cast out the spirit. He had the authority to do so and there was nothing wrong with it. But I can’t help but see that this happened because he was greatly annoyed. What a human emotion. It is as if this girl had been following them around and each time Paul gets a little more frustrated. At first, he tries to ignore what she was doing. I can see him talking to someone, this girl crying out and him closing his eyes, looking up, sighing and trying to move on until it just had him pushed to the very limit. In annoyance, he turns around and essentially says, “Fine, if that’s the way you want to play this game, watch this. I command you in Jesus’ name to come out of her.” 

In Acts 16:36-40, Paul had been unjustly beaten. Even though he could see how the whole thing worked out for good and the jailer’s conversion, he was still ticked off. The officials had broken the law and he had paid the price for it. He wouldn’t take that lying down. He certainly didn’t do anything wrong and I think we learn some great lessons about using the rights our government gives us. However, I again see that human emotion. “I don’t have to take this. I’m not going to take this. You guys think you can break the law and then send us out privately. No way. I’m going to stand up to this.”

These vignettes into Paul’s life comfort me. I’m allowed to have emotions. I’m allowed to be annoyed at times because some things are annoying. I’m allowed to stand up for my rights some times. I’m allowed to disagree with someone sometime. All too often I live with this ideal fantasy that says when I’m doing everything just right I’ll never have disagreements, never get annoyed, never get angry. That will never happen. This is real life we’re talking about. Paul lived it and yet he was still faithful to God and forgiven by Jesus. I can too. I’m not saying I have permission to let my emotions run my life into sinful behaviors. I’m simply learning that I don’t have to berate myself with shame and guilt simply because I don’t live up to some fantasy standard.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading Acts 13:1-14:28.

Two things hit me today.

First, I normally don’t like the verse divisions because I think they cause an artificial reading instead of just reading it like a book or a letter (I do appreciate how it makes referencing scripture easier). However, there is one division in this reading that really grabbed me–the division between Acts 13:29 and Acts 13:30. 

Acts 13:29: “And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.”

Verse break. End of story. Over. Done. Jesus is dead and buried. The story ends. But wait, there is another verse:

Acts 13:30: “But God raised him from the dead.”

The story wasn’t over. Jesus was raised from the dead. He was victorious and I can be victorious through Him. Which leads to my “second.”

Second, Acts 13:38-39 really struck me.

“Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

Because Jesus was freed from death, I can be freed from death. Because He was resurrected, I can be resurrected from the spiritual death I have caused. I can’t help but think about what Paul says in Romans 7:24-25, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” My body is filled with death because of my sin, but God can and will raise me up from that death through Jesus Christ. In fact, He already has.

Then Paul goes on in Acts 8:2-4.

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be filled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

My story is not over. God is still working on me. I don’t believe this means I was baptized, now I’ll never sin. Rather, this is a progressive victory over sin. This is an increasing putting off of the flesh and its passions. I’m peeling back the layers of the onion to get down to what God wants in me. I am reminded every day that God will set me free and resurrect me as He did His Son, Jesus.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 11:1-12:25.

I don’t have much to say today. However, I’m extremely motivated by the story of Peter’s release. I simply cannot help but learn from this if God could deliver Peter from the hands of Herod and the evil intent of the Jews against him, He can deliver me from Satan and sin. If God can unbind the shackles, walk past the guards, and open the gates for Peter as he walked out of the prison, the God can unbind my shackles of sin and guilt, march me past Satan, and open the gates to the kingdom of heaven for me.

Some days I find it hard to believe this. That is why I’m glad this story is here. It is a reminder to me that I serve a powerful God who in His time and in His way will set me free, providing me progressive victory over sin and Satan. Sometimes there are victories and I sit there like Peter saying, “Wow, I can now see how God delivered me.” It really is amazing to see God work in our lives, setting us free. 

No matter what you are facing today, rely on God. He is the only one who can set you free.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 9:1-10:48.

Before we get to the reading, I have had computer trouble over the weekend. For some reason, Friday’s post didn’t get published then. I just now got it to publish properly. So, if you have subscribed via e-mail, you have received two posts today. Sorry about that. Additionally, because my Macbook crashed over the weekend (which I thought was never supposed to happen) and I was traveling, I was unable to even do yesterday’s post. Sorry about that as well. But hopefully we’re back on track today. On to the reading.

Cornelius caught my attention today. As Luke was striving to explain why God chose Cornelius to be the first Gentile convert, he let’s us know what a good and God-seeking man he was. God chose Cornelius because Cornelius was already trying to find God. The text says Cornelius was “a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God” (Acts 10:2). Of course, I see the devotion, the fear of God, and the praying. What really caught my attention was the giving of alms to the people. Because I believe the church is a spiritual organization and not a social welfare organization, I often miss the passages that talk about being generous with material goods to other people. Of course, folks who view the church as a social welfare organization often miss these passages too. After all, they dropped a fiver in the collection plate on Sunday, they’ve done their part.

Yet, here it is. How did Luke know Cornelius was a man looking for God? Partly because he was giving his money away to others in need. If I’m right, it is not the local church’s job to provide social welfare. However, generosity to those in need (whether brethren or otherwise) is something someone who is actually seeking God will do naturally. He didn’t give his money to a church and let the church dole it out. He didn’t give it to the synagogue. He gave it to the people.

Apparently, if I want to be like Cornelius, a devout man, seeking God, then generosity to those in need should be on my short list of things to do today. This is not a matter of evangelism. It is not a means of giving someone a handout in hopes of getting a Bible study. No, it is a matter of caring about people. When God has blessed me financially, I need to use that to be a blessing to others.

What kinds of things can we do? Well, there’s Haiti, of course. There’s the homeless and indigent. There are numerous charities and organizations that could use time and money. There’s the neighbor, friend, family member, co-worker, brother or sister in Christ who has fallen on hard times. There are plenty of opportunities for us to be generous to the people. I need to start looking for them.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 5:1-6:15.

When the Council became angry with the apostles, Gamaliel, “a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people,” calmed them down. He gave wise counsel, essentially saying, “Hey guys, be careful. If God is really behind this, it won’t be stopped. If He’s not, it will come to nothing on its own” (Acts 5:35-39). Gamaliel is apparently an early practicer of “let go, and let God.”

God is in control. We’re not. We don’t have to try to be in control. We don’t have to try to clamp down on everything and everyone, because God will do His job. We can simply do what is right today and let God deal with the rest. If we are afraid something is going to go very wrong, we can simply do God’s will for our lives and let Him work on fixing things. If we are confused, we can simply choose to do what is right today and let God handle the rest.

I see two sides to what happened here. Gamaliel understood that if I’m with God, I can’t be stopped. If I’m doing God’s right things, I can’t be stopped. Let’s not see this in a shallow way. This doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to me. It simply means that no matter what happens God will see me through it on my way to heaven. I can trust Him to get me to eternal life. Every other fear pales in comparison.

However, there is another side. If I turn from God and go my own way, then I can hardly even get started. After all what is 400 men compared to the about 3000 Christ’s church started with. Theudas accomplished nothing and following his own way simply led to his own death. The same was true with Judas the Galilean. When I get all worked up trying to accomplish things (even what I believe is God’s will) my way, the end is death. I believe there is a proverb that says something like that. I need to remember it today.

In big and small things, if I’m doing God’s right things, there is no stopping me. If I’m following my own path, death is the only end. I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow, but today, I believe I’ll do what God wants me to.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Announcement: I’m in New York this weekend. I’ll be preaching for the Upper West Manhattan Church of Christ in a series this weekend. If you are in the area, I’d love to actually meet you face to face. The series is entitled “Living Righteously–How Can I, Really?”

We’ll be meeting on Saturday (01/23) at 10 AM, 11 AM and 1 PM. Then again on Sunday at 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM. The congregation meets at Hostelling International, 891 Amsterdam Ave @ 103rd Street.

For more info about the congregation go here.

Today’s reading is Acts 1:1-2:47.

I wonder what the disciples must have been feeling between the time Jesus departed and the Spirit came. I imagine there was expectation, mingled with anxiety. There was the daily feeling of joy that today might be the day and the daily feeling of disappointment when it wasn’t. I imagine there was fear that they might be found out by the authorities who killed Jesus before the Spirit came. There was the excitement that they were about to be part of something new.  There was confusion because nothing had gone the way they expected and they still weren’t sure what was coming. There was the fear that they might not be up to the challenge.

How did they handle all of this? Acts 1:14 shows how. “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…”

Two things are found in this passage.

1) With one accord: That is they didn’t try to face all this alone. They didn’t even make any falsely noble spiritual claims that they could face it alone with God. They seemed to understand that relying on God meant relying on each other. They were spending their time with each other.

2) Devoted to prayer: While spending time with each other, they were spending time with God. They walked in His presence. This is not merely offering up prayers prior to meals and as any of their “services” or “meetings” got started. This was a repeated, continual practice of praying. I’m sure it doesn’t mean they were in a prayer meeting 24 hours per day. But it does mean they took what they were feeling, whatever it was at the moment, to God. It does mean they took what they were thinking to God. It does mean they took their fears, their anxieties, their confusions, their joys, their expectations to God. They glorified Him. They petitioned Him. They confessed to Him. They were devoted to praying.

I need to do the same today. We live in crazy times. Not to mention, life can simply be hectic and personally crazy. Confusion, fear, expectation, joy, anxiety, stress, peace: emotions can run like roller coasters. If we stay with ourselves trying to handle these things, we’ll never make it. We need to spend time with each other and be devoted to prayer. God will be with us and carry us through.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?