Acts 21-22 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Acts 21:1-22:30.

“Then Paul answered ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God’” (Acts 21:13).

There’s a challenge for us. Are we ready to die for Jesus? Are we ready to carry the message of the gospel to someone and they kill us for it? I like to think yes. But then I have to ask, am I ready to be hated, disliked, rejected for Jesus? Am I ready to be thought a fool for Jesus? Am I ready to be made fun of for Jesus? Am I ready to be given sidelong glances for Jesus? Am I ready to be given the cold-shoulder for Jesus? Am I ready to be avoided for Jesus?

Am I ready to put forth the time, effort, and money it takes to go to others with the gospel of the grace of God? Am I ready to give up a night with my family? Am I ready to give up my favorite tv show? Am I ready to give up the football game? Am I ready to give up some of my gadgets? Am I ready to give up some of my retirement investments?

Hmmm. Maybe I need to think a little harder before I think I’m ready to be imprisoned or die for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking here.

——————————————-

*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is Acts 15:1-16:40.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25).

And here I am afraid or ashamed to sing and pray in front of people brought up in the Bible belt. There is no embarrassment, no shame, no fear. Just complete and total trust in the Lord. And that led to a new brother in Christ. I wonder what might happen if I refused to be ashamed and therefore sang hymns to God and even prayed where people could hear me. I’m not saying that I try to barge into people’s lives and be an annoyance with my spirituality. I’m definitely not suggesting I should take a “look how spiritual I am” approach. In fact, I don’t even think this was a calculated attempt at evangelism. It was just what they needed to do at the time and they didn’t have a problem with letting others overhear. If I could drop my guard and quit worrying about what people think of me, I might actually let something spiritual slip in front of someone who ends up wanting to respond to the Lord too.

As a friend of mine says, “It’s really none of my business what people think of me.” If they think I’m weird for praising the Lord, so be it. But what if they think, “Man, I wish I had what he has”?

Guess I better tune up my voice, I feel a song coming on.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS: What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Revelation 11:1-12:17.

Many who call themselves Christians today seem to be trying to figure out a way to be Christian but also have the world like them. I can’t help but remember Joel Osteen on Larry King Live trying to agree with a woman who claimed salvation was only in Jesus but still have Larry King (I believe he’s Jewish) and the “non-Christian” viewing population still like him by saying that even though he agreed with the caller who was he to say how God is going to save someone.

This is a losing proposition. Jesus told the truth and ended up on a cross. Do we think we can do much better? Do you think we can teach about Jesus and have the world like us?

Revelation 11:1-14 tells about two witnesses who teach the truth about Jesus. They end up being killed. But note specifically Revelation 11:9-10:

For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

No doubt, some will believe the message of those who testify of Jesus. For the rest, as amazing as it sounds, the message of Jesus will be a torment. There is no middle ground to avoid this. If we find some middle ground in which the world does not feel tormented by the truth of Jesus, then we aren’t really teaching the truth of Jesus.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying be vicious and hateful in your evangelism. I’m simply saying that no matter how we tell it, if we are telling the truth, those who don’t want to believe will be tormented by what we say. That may even cause them to attack us verbally, emotionally, and perhaps even physically.

But the glorious message of these two messengers is that even though it appeared that the world had defeated them, after three and a half days, God raised them up. They were victorious. That is the message of Revelation. God wins. We want to be on His side no matter how anyone else responds.

***Question: How do you maintain faith in the face of opposition?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

John 4 convicts me about the same way every time. 

The apostles went into Sychar, bought some food and left. No one was taught. No one was helped. No one was saved.

The Samaritan woman went into Sychar and the majority of the town ended up following Jesus.

What was the difference? 

The apostles were too busy thinking about their stomachs. They were too busy and distracted by the routines of daily life. When they went to the market, they didn’t see people who needed Jesus. They simply saw people from whom they could purchase food so they and their master could be filled. Not to mention, they just saw Samaritans. How could Samaritans be saved? 

When the woman went into town she saw people who needed to meet this guy she just talked to. How could she do anything but invite them to come meet Him.

I need to be like the Samaritan woman, but all too often I’m like the apostles. How many people do I actually meet in a given week? I see check out clerks, bank tellers, fellow shoppers, etc. But do I see people who need to meet Jesus? Perhaps if I kept my eyes open more to the kind of people I’m really meeting, I would get the message out more.

It’s something for me to work on.

Just for fun, I’m including an online dramatic representation of the Samaritan woman at the well. I’m not sure I buy every bit of what is presented. However, I think it is definitely food for thought and prompts me to keep my eyes open a great deal more and quit judging ahead of time who might be willing to listen and who won’t be.

What did you get out of today’s reading?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Prisoner by Jennifer Gordon

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will” (II Timothy 2:24-26, ESV).

This passage means a lot to me. It represents a paradigm shift. For the longest time, I would look at those outside the body of Christ with a bit of smugness. After all, even though I had done bad things, I had chosen to enter Christ. These people were the enemy who had decided to follow Satan and deserved whatever they got.

This passage has opened my eyes to some things. First, back when I was in the world, I didn’t want people to look down on me with smugness or just leave me in my captivity because I was the enemy. Second, instead of viewing those still in the world as enemy spies, they are POWs. They have been captured by the enemy to do his will.

Have you ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome? It is the psychological response seen in some kidnapped victims where they become loyal to the one who has taken them hostage. On the surface, it sounds ridiculous to us. However, it is a great illustration of what has happened to those in the world. They have been taken captive by Satan and have developed a loyalty to him. They don’t need us firing our salvos at them trying to beat them down. They actually need to be set free, just like we did. 

Therefore, lets look at our friends in the world in the proper way. They are not the enemy. They are captives of the enemy. They have become dazed and confused by their captivity and they need our help. More than that they need God’s help. So let’s get the message of freedom to them.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel. That I may share with them in its blessings.”

I Corinthians 9:19-23 (ESV)

 

This passage affected me so much, I had to preach on it this week. I need to do better at getting the word out to the loss. I learned five keys from this passage to help.

1. We have to see the gospel as good news.

The word “gospel” has essentially become a specialized word for us. We see that and hear “whatever the Bible says.” However, when our first century counterparts read this letter, they didn’t see a specialized religious word. They saw the word “euaggelion” which literally meant “good message” or “good news.” What do you do with good news? You share it. If we see the gospel as merely a list of requirements and rules that limit us, we’re not likely to share it, because we don’t see it as good news. Only when we recognize the gospel is the good news to set us free from our sins, will we get the message out (cf. Romans 6:16-23).

2. We have to see lost people as lost.

Repeatedly, Paul says he was doing his work in order to “win” and “save” souls. The reason is, he saw lost people as lost. He was like a man walking in a ship of safety, casting out a life preserver because he saw the souls drowning all around him. What would happen if he was walking on the ship looking at the clouds, just chit-chatting with other boat riders and never looking over the edge at the waters? No one would be saved. When we come in contact with people, we shouldn’t just see bank tellers, check-out clerks, co-workers, family, friends, neighbors, we should see lost people drowning in the bad news of their sins. We have the good news that will save them.

3. We have to see ourselves as servants to the lost. 

In I Corinthians 9:19, Paul said he was free from all, but made himself a servant so that he might save some. Being a servant means sacrifice. It means sacrificing our desires, wants and goals in order to accomplish what the lost need. We may have to sacrifice time. We may have to sacrifice money. We may have to sacrifice recreations. We may have to sacrifice our liberties. This is what servants do.

4. We have to get out of our comfort zone.

Think about the first day that Paul went to teach Gentiles in their home and they dropped a greasy piece of pork on his plate. Do you think that was comfortable for him? What about just teaching a Gentile to begin with? Was that comfortable for a Jew raised as a separatist Pharisee? He got out of his comfort zone. We need to have a sign that says–”Comfort Zone: No Parking.”

5. We have to use all means to save others.

“All means,” that was what Paul used to try to save some. That means proclaiming the gospel to the lost is not something we do in addition to everything else we do. That means we are thinking about teaching the lost in everything we do. Little League provides contact with 10 to 15 families who may need the gospel. A trip to Wal-Mart provides countless contacts. Work is not just a place of employment. It is a place in which we can display the fruit of the spirit and pursue spiritual conversations. We need to be thinking evangelism through every part of our life. I’ll give you a practical way to get the spiritual into conversations which someone shared with me and I am starting to use it. While at a restaurant, let your waiter or waitress know you are about to pray and then ask if he/she has something for which you could pray. I tried it for the first time last week and the waiter’s girlfriend’s brother had just died. He wanted us to pray for her. Do you think that made an impact on him? I think it did.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (I Corinthians 1:18, 21-24, ESV). 

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes get discouraged as I walk through the local bookstore and hit the religious or philosophy section only to notice the academics who ridicule and berate anything to do with Jesus Christ and Christianity. Sometimes, I get caught in the trap of thinking I need to become as academic as they are and then try to fight them with their own sword. (Certainly, there are some very scholarly and academic Christians who fight these battles and I’m glad for them, I’m not disparaging them at all.)

However, this passage reminds me that the answers of persuasion will not be found in the halls of academia, philosophy or worldly wisdom. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for studying everything and seeing the whole picture. I’m not talking about putting my head in the sand and ignoring proven facts out there. I’m simply pointing out that Paul says if I move the battle ground into the halls of academia and philosophy of man’s wisdom, I can’t win the battle here. No matter what I say, those who don’t want to believe in Jesus won’t. No matter what I say, those who don’t want to believe the Bible is from God won’t. If I disparage some academic argument, they will only find another. 

Further, I do not have to feel foolish just because some academic thinks he is better and smarter than I am. No doubt, there are more people smarter than I am than I can count. God hasn’t asked me to be the smartest person in the world. He has simply asked me to trust Him that His way is right and, therefore, follow His way. In the end, wisdom will be vindicated by her children. 

Here is the problem, the Jews look for a sign and the Greeks look for wisdom. Though this was in a different age, I have met both of these kinds of people. I’ve met the guy who said if God really wanted him to do something, God would have to give him some kind of sign, like a bolt of lightening from heaven. I’ve met the guy who says the whole Bible and Jesus thing just doesn’t make sense to him. We preach Christ crucified. The one seeking a sign, merely sees this as a stumbling block. The early Jews just couldn’t get their minds around a crucified Messiah. The early Greeks just couldn’t make sense out of God who sacrificed Himself for His people. Modern men looking for signs don’t think a crucifixion and resurrection is enough. They want God to personally attend to them and give them a personal sign. Modern men with earthly wisdom, can hardly get their minds around a real God, let alone one who sacrifices Himself for us. 

What I have to do is simply keep sharing my faith. Instead of being discouraged by those who are so wise in the world they can’t seem to accept the wisdom of God, I need to simply pass on God’s wisdom. It will not return to God void. I don’t have to be embarrassed or discouraged. I know the wisdom of God will eventually be vindicated.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Leprosy Victim

The leper of Mark 1:40-45 amazes me. Jesus told him to keep his mouth shut and he couldn’t. What saddens me is Jesus has told me to keep my mouth open and I don’t.

The thing I need to recognize about this whole scenario is the leper couldn’t keep quiet because of the joy over his cleansing. He knew exactly how defiled and vile he had been. Therefore, he was overjoyed at his newfound cleansing. He had to tell someone.

Who do you think he told first? I imagine he told the only people that had stayed with him, the other lepers he had been relegated to live with outside the city. He probably told his family. He may have told his friends. I bet he told the next person he saw in the street. 

What I need to do is realize just how defiled and vile I was spiritually. Only then can I have the joy of the cleansing Jesus has given. Perhaps, when I remember that and meditate on it, I won’t be able to help telling people about it either.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

With the conversions of the households of both Lydia and the Philippian Jailer, Acts 16 is a great place to learn about how to live an evangelistic lifestyle. Note 5 keys we learn from the chapter.

1. Know the message: In Acts 16:13-14, Paul and Barnabas obviously knew the message they needed to preach to these women. Further, in Acts 16:32, they knew the message to give to the Jailer when he questioned them. No matter what else we do, if we don’t know the message, we can’t be evangelistic.

2. Know where the prospects are: In Acts 16:13, Paul and Barnabas knew where the Jews would meet in the absence of a synagogue. We are probably not looking for a riverside religious meeting. However, we need to be able to tell where the prospects are. They aren’t in our church buildings. They are out in the world. Salt is only useful when it comes in contact with what needs to be salted.

3. Care about people, no matter how they have treated you: I can’t help but think how many of our modern vengeance minded Americans would have acted when the Jailer was about to off himself. Instead of stopping him, many would have thought “good riddance” regarding the man who had placed them in stocks and, no doubt, treated them with disdain. But Paul and Barnabas cared about people. Despite how the jailer had treated them, they wanted him safe. That only comes when we actually care about people.

4. Be a Christian everywhere, displaying your spirituality: Certainly, we are not supposed to shine our lights so people will somehow think we are special. However, we do need to display the light so folks will glorify God. Whether we find ourselves beside the river with a specifically planned time of evangelism or find ourselves in prison, we need to live like Christians displaying our spirituality. No doubt, evangelism is about us going and teaching. But at times, it is also about us just living right so that when people who are not interested right now become interested later, they know where to turn. That is exactly what happened in Acts 16:29-30. The Jailer had not been interested, but suddenly his perspective changed. He knew where to turn for answers not because Paul and Barnabas had already had a Bible study with him. But because they had displayed their spirituality, living as Christians no matter where they were.

5. Don’t stop because of rejection: In Acts 16:16-24, Paul and Barnabas suffered a tremendous rejection. It was so strong, they were thrown in jail. I could see how that would be a tad bit discouraging. However, it didn’t stop them at all. Instead, they just kept right on being Christians. They just kept right on living out evangelism.

I hope and pray we all develop this kind of lifestyle and spread the gospel to all who will hear.

Keep the faith and keep reading

ELC