Acts 21:17-26, Paul Arrives in Jerusalem

17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality." 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

We all know that Paul did not need to perform his purification. He was not obligated. But...he did it anyway. Why? Because to refuse would have caused division in the church.

Yet...we all know christians who feel less encumbered...

It's always been this way...people in the church using the blessings of grace to ignore their obligations to traditions and rituals. What we have in this account is a reminder that grace...while wholly sufficient to redeem us...is intended to change our relationship with the law...not eliminate it.

Rather than ignore it, we are supposed to follow it. Not out of obligation, but out of gratitude.  I am not a slave to the law. I am a slave to Christ. But...obedience is how I show God how thankful I am.

I'm not redeemed by my gratitude but...how does a born again sinner not feel gratitude? I want God to witness how thankful I am every day. I don't know a better way to do it.

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 21:1-16, On to Jerusalem

 1After saying good-by, we sailed straight to Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and from there sailed on to Patara. 2We found a ship going to Phoenicia, so we got on board and sailed off.
    3We came within sight of Cyprus and then sailed south of it on to the port of Tyre in Syria, where the ship was going to unload its cargo. 4We looked up the Lord's followers and stayed with them for a week. The Holy Spirit had told them to warn Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5But when the week was over, we started on our way again. All the men, together with their wives and children, walked with us from the town to the seashore. We knelt on the beach and prayed. 6Then after saying good-by to each other, we got into the ship, and they went back home.

    7We sailed from Tyre to Ptolemais, where we greeted the followers and stayed with them for a day. 8The next day we went to Caesarea and stayed with Philip, the preacher. He was one of the seven men who helped the apostles, 9and he had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. 10We had been in Caesarea for several days, when the prophet Agabus came to us from Judea. 11He took Paul's belt, and with it he tied up his own hands and feet. Then he told us, "The Holy Spirit says that some of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt. They will also hand him over to the Gentiles." 12After Agabus said this, we and the followers living there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

    13But Paul answered, "Why are you crying and breaking my heart? I am not only willing to be put in jail for the Lord Jesus. I am even willing to die for him in Jerusalem!"

    14Since we could not get Paul to change his mind, we gave up and prayed, "Lord, please make us willing to do what you want."

    15Then we got ready to go to Jerusalem. 16Some of the followers from Caesarea went with us and took us to stay in the home of Mnason. He was from Cyprus and had been a follower from the beginning.

With respect to Jerusalem, Paul said in chapter 20 "I must obey the Holy Spirit and go there". The other Christians weren't so sure. Now, in chapter 21 we're told "The Holy Spirit had told them to warn Paul not to go on to Jerusalem." Then, we have Agabus, in Caesarea, giving a similar warning.

What do we do when believers we trust give us conflicting advice? Are they wrong? Are we wrong? What if Paul got it wrong and God never intended him to return to Jerusalem! Taken at face value, we would have to agree that God was warning Paul not to Go.

So...what was God doing?

Testing Paul? I have no idea what the test would be. Paul has given us ample evidence that he was filled with the Holy Spirit and just as much evidence that he was more than willing to suffer for Christ. He was not going to be deterred from Going to Jerusalem.

God knew that...

In hindsight we also see everything that God accomplished through Paul's writing of the prison epistles...which may have never been penned had Paul not gone to Jerusalem. How many countless people have come to faith through reading them over the centuries?

God knew that too...

So, what do we do when everybody has a different message and everybody is right? I'm not sure I know the answer. What I know for sure is this: We now know that when people disagree with us we cannot assume they are wrong. And, that's one of the hardest lessons to learn. It's in our nature to dismiss opposing opinions as wrong. We do it all the time.

I remember a chaplain knocked in a woman's door in San Angelo, Texas. He said "God told me to buy your house". Her answer was "Fine...when God tells me to sell it you can have it". The woman could have told him to take a hike...or even could have called the police.

We are told in scripture to, "as much as possible, live at peace with others." That is very difficult to do when we are busy taking sides between right and wrong opinions. Maybe today's lesson is that simple...we don't always have to agree.

I'd sure like some of my friends more if I didn't have to be so responsible for their opinions. They'd like me better as well.

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 20:13-38, Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

 13Paul decided to travel by land to Assos. The rest of us went on ahead by ship, and we were to take him aboard there. 14When he met us in Assos, he came aboard, and we sailed on to Mitylene. 15The next day we came to a place near Chios, and the following day we reached Samos. The day after that we sailed to Miletus. 16Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, because he did not want to spend too much time in Asia. He was in a hurry and wanted to be in Jerusalem in time for Pentecost. [d]
Paul Says Good-By to the Church Leaders of Ephesus

 17From Miletus, Paul sent a message for the church leaders at Ephesus to come and meet with him. 18When they got there, he said:
   You know everything I did during the time I was with you when I first came to Asia. 19Some of the Jews plotted against me and caused me a lot of sorrow and trouble. But I served the Lord and was humble. 20When I preached in public or taught in your homes, I didn't hold back from telling anything that would help you. 21I told Jews and Gentiles to turn to God and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

    22I don't know what will happen to me in Jerusalem, but I must obey God's Spirit and go there. 23In 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. 24But 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.

    25I have gone from place to place, preaching to you about God's kingdom, but now I know that none of you will ever see me again. 26I tell you today that I am no longer responsible for any of you! 27I have told you everything God wants you to know. 28Look after yourselves and everyone the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be like shepherds to God's church. It is the flock that he bought with the blood of his own Son. [e] 29I know that after I am gone, others will come like fierce wolves to attack you. 30Some of your own people will tell lies to win over the Lord's followers. 31Be on your guard! Remember how day and night for three years I kept warning you with tears in my eyes.

    32I now place you in God's care. Remember the message about his great kindness! This message can help you and give you what belongs to you as God's people. 33I have never wanted anyone's money or clothes. 34You know how I have worked with my own hands to make a living for myself and my friends. 35By everything I did, I showed how you should work to help everyone who is weak. Remember that our Lord Jesus said, "More blessings come from giving than from receiving."

    36After Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37Everyone cried and hugged and kissed him. 38They were especially sad because Paul had told them, "You will never see me again."

   Then they went with him to the ship.

It seems inescapable...if we intend to invest our lives in service to our Lord we face possible persecution and death. Paul is the second example after Stephen.

"But", you say..."that doesn't happen in america!"

Perhaps not, but...if it happened...could we do it?

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 20:7-12, Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas

7On the first day of the week we met to break bread together. Paul spoke to the people until midnight because he was leaving the next morning. 8In the upstairs room where we were meeting, there were a lot of lamps. 9A young man by the name of Eutychus was sitting on a window sill. While Paul was speaking, the young man got very sleepy. Finally, he went to sleep and fell three floors all the way down to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead. 10Paul went down and bent over Eutychus. He took him in his arms and said, "Don't worry! He's alive." 11After Paul had gone back upstairs, he broke bread, and ate with us. He then spoke until dawn and left. 12Then the followers took the young man home alive and were very happy.
   
"Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die."

Makes absolutely no sense, but its perfectly true. How could our eternal perspective get so out of alignment? Well, It's hard to maintain a biblical meaning of life if we insist on an earthly meaning to death.

But it should be different for believers.

I've lost both my parents. Many of my friends are going through this loss now. Some day my children will lose me. It's the cycle of life...not particularly tragic because I'm a believer. Nevertheless, the cycle becomes packed with emotion when a loved one passes on. It's never been the case for me where I could say "well, dad died...let's eat!"

But, with Paul and Eutychus, the death...and resurrection...was barely worth mentioning. At least not when the food was hot and on the table.

Like breathing...

Death is a sentinel event even in the life of a believer. See? Even the way I just said that (in the "life" of a believer) infers that death is not the end of anything. It is merely another event. Yet, we insist on laboring over the finality of something that isn't really final.

I wonder why we can't escape it. Paul says in Corinthians 15 "My friends, I want you to know that our bodies of flesh and blood will decay. This means that they cannot share in God's kingdom, which lasts forever...We will all be changed, so that we will never die again. Our dead and decaying bodies will be changed into bodies that won't die or decay...Then the Scriptures will come true,

   "Death has lost the battle...Where is its victory? Where is its sting?"

Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin. 57But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!

Death is the one event in life we should look forward to because it overcomes the only thing that keeps believers out of heaven...a corrupt body.

The influence of sin is what gives us that lingering distorted fear of death. If I want to be real biblical about it I guess I should not say my parents died. I should say they changed...or maybe they just moved. I like that. Isn't it wonderful to be part of the Body of Christ?

Live boldly out there today.

Acts 19:23-41, The Riot in Ephesus

23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty." 28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it." 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

The editorial said "You can't reconcile Ayn Rand and Jesus!"

Thank you, but I don't need to reconcile the two. I don't use Ayn Rand for my Theology or my Moral Theory. I may, however be a fan of her economic theory.

Just because people are unbelievers doesn't mean they are corrupt in all the do. In Ephesus, Alexander was a man of great honor. He wasn't willing to violate the apostles' rights at any cost. He said If, then, (you) have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. Sometimes we make the mistake of believing we can learn nothing from unbelievers. We suffer for this because we fail to learn from what they have to offer. So, we might get tax advice from an inferior consultant simply because he is a Christian. We might do the same thing with lawyers, and the consequences can be costly.

Remember...unbelievers can be experts about many things...just not about Jesus. When we fail to acknowledge this we generally pay a price. This makes me curious about a  possibility. If we are willing to honor them for their bonafide expertise in their field...might they learn to honor us in ours?

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 19:1-22, Paul in Ephesus

1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. 4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 [One day] the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. 21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also." 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.

Maybe the most foreboding words we could hear are "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Can you imagine trying to share the Gospel and somebody asks "who are you? I recognize the message but I sure don't recognize you!"

First, I think we all have that fear intuitively...because we know we don't always live to a level of holiness that we should...so we keep our mouths shut.

On the other hand...if we're willing to be saturated with the presence of the Holy Spirit we ensure the quesion will never be asked.

Unfortunately...our default reaction is usually to quit speaking rather than quit sinning. It seems easier. God can still get things done, but we make it a lot more difficult.

How about if we just get on board? We'll be more effective, God will be more pleased. I'll bet when God is happier with us we won't even miss the sin.

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 18:18-28, Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos

18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. 27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Passion is no substitute for precision, but too many times we see it happen. I heard the story about two congregants who were sitting listening to their pastor when one said to the other "you can tell when he isn't sure about what he's saying because his voice gets louder".

Apollos was the exception. He spoke with great passion and fervor, but was always willing to learn.

I also like Aquila and Pricilla. Instead of criticizing Apollos for not knowing about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit they invited him to dinner and brought him up to speed. Usually we put our nose in the air and refuse to have anything to do with folks who aren't as smart as we are. Remember...Apollos was not wrong. His theology was just incomplete.

The Gospel is a Gospel of grace. We help the cause when we demonstrate grace with those around us.

Live boldly out there today...