Acts 27:13-38, The Storm at Sea

13When a gentle wind from the south started blowing, the men thought it was a good time to do what they had planned. So they pulled up the anchor, and we sailed along the coast of Crete. 14But soon a strong wind called "The Northeaster" blew against us from the island. 15The wind struck the ship, and we could not sail against it. So we let the wind carry the ship.


16We went along the island of Cauda on the side that was protected from the wind. We had a hard time holding the lifeboat in place, 17but finally we got it where it belonged. Then the sailors wrapped ropes around the ship to hold it together. They lowered the sail and let the ship drift along, because they were afraid it might hit the sandbanks in the gulf of Syrtis.


18The storm was so fierce that the next day they threw some of the ship's cargo overboard. 19Then on the third day, with their bare hands they threw overboard some of the ship's gear. 20For several days we could not see either the sun or the stars. A strong wind kept blowing, and we finally gave up all hope of being saved.


21Since none of us had eaten anything for a long time, Paul stood up and told the men:


You should have listened to me! If you had stayed on in Crete, you would not have had this damage and loss. 22But now I beg you to cheer up, because you will be safe. Only the ship will be lost.


23I belong to God, and I worship him. Last night he sent an angel 24to tell me, "Paul, don't be afraid! You will stand trial before the Emperor. And because of you, God will save the lives of everyone on the ship." 25Cheer up! I am sure that God will do exactly what he promised. 26But we will first be shipwrecked on some island.


27For fourteen days and nights we had been blown around over the Mediterranean Sea. But about midnight the sailors realized that we were getting near land. 28They measured and found that the water was about one hundred twenty feet deep. A little later they measured again and found it was only about ninety feet. 29The sailors were afraid that we might hit some rocks, and they let down four anchors from the back of the ship. Then they prayed for daylight.


30The sailors wanted to escape from the ship. So they lowered the lifeboat into the water, pretending that they were letting down an anchor from the front of the ship. 31But Paul said to Captain Julius and the soldiers, "If the sailors don't stay on the ship, you won't have any chance to save your lives." 32The soldiers then cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall into the sea.


33Just before daylight Paul begged the people to eat something. He told them, "For fourteen days you have been so worried that you haven't eaten a thing. 34I beg you to eat something. Your lives depend on it. Do this and not one of you will be hurt."


35After Paul had said this, he took a piece of bread and gave thanks to God. Then in front of everyone, he broke the bread and ate some. 36They all felt encouraged, and each of them ate something. 37There were 276 people on the ship, 38and after everyone had eaten, they threw the cargo of wheat into the sea to make the ship lighter.

Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o'ershadowed with blackness,
No shelter or help is nigh;
Carest Thou not that we perish?
How canst Thou lie asleep,
When each moment so madly is threatening
A grave in the angry deep?

Refrain

The winds and the waves obey Thy will,
Peace, be still!
Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea,
Or demons or men, or whatever it be
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, be still! Peace, be still!
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, peace, be still!

I sang this hymn many times as a child growing up in church. I had no clue...

Now I"m older, hopefully wiser, and I absolutely know how frightening life can be. Spouses die. Dear friends divorce, Children wander. Health fails. Careers falter. In a lifetime, there really isn't a lot of reprieve from trouble. Pay attention to it and we live in fear.

Of course, we can focus our attention elsewhere. Paul said "Cheer up!" This wasn't simply a baseless word of encouragement, but a challenge based on his own understanding of what God had planned. God had sent him word that he would surely stand trial in Rome. In order to do that, Paul would have to survive the storm.

Likewise, God has given us word that we will dwell with him forever. In order to do that, this world cannot destroy us. We don't always get such a specific word regarding present circumstances, but scripture is saturated with assurances.

Psalms 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?Psalm 32:7
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Psalm 37:3-4
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 112:7
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.Psalms 121:7,8
The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life;  the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more.
Proverbs 2:11-12
Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.  Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men.
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.Daniel 3:17
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king.
John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 17:11
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you.  Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name - the names you gave me - so that they may be one as we are one.
1 Corinthians 13:7
Love... it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Remember..."The winds and the waves obey his will!"

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 27:1-12, Paul Is Taken to Rome

1When it was time for us to sail to Rome, Captain Julius from the Emperor's special troops was put in charge of Paul and the other prisoners. 2We went aboard a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to some ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus from Thessalonica in Macedonia sailed on the ship with us.


3The next day we came to shore at Sidon. Captain Julius was very kind to Paul. He even let him visit his friends, so they could give him whatever he needed. 4When we left Sidon, the winds were blowing against us, and we sailed close to the island of Cyprus to be safe from the wind. 5Then we sailed south of Cilicia and Pamphylia until we came to the port of Myra in Lycia. 6There the army captain found a ship from Alexandria that was going to Italy. So he ordered us to board that ship.


7We sailed along slowly for several days and had a hard time reaching Cnidus. The wind would not let us go any farther in that direction, so we sailed past Cape Salmone, where the island of Crete would protect us from the wind. 8We went slowly along the coast and finally reached a place called Fair Havens, not far from the town of Lasea.


9By now we had already lost a lot of time, and sailing was no longer safe. In fact, even the Great Day of Forgiveness was past. 10Then Paul spoke to the crew of the ship, "Men, listen to me! If we sail now, our ship and its cargo will be badly damaged, and many lives will be lost." 11But Julius listened to the captain of the ship and its owner, rather than to Paul. 12The harbor at Fair Havens wasn't a good place to spend the winter. Because of this, almost everyone agreed that we should at least try to sail along the coast of Crete as far as Phoenix. It had a harbor that opened toward the southwest and northwest, and we could spend the winter there.

For all practical purposes, Paul looked like a tourist...stopping off at ports and visiting friends. He was treated with friendship and respect. He was even part of the discussion surrounding the wisdom of sailing during the winter months.

The truth was...he was a prisoner, headed to Rome to see the emperor. He was not master of his own fate. He was not empowered to make decisions for himself.

It just didn't look like that from a distance.

Occasionally we get caught up in the tempo of life. We get involved with the schemes and dreams of those around us and, for all practical purposes, nobody would ever realize we are not free...that we are slaves to Christ.

I think Christ would prefer that was a little more obvious.

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 26:1-32 Paul's Defense before Agrippa

1Agrippa told Paul, "You may now speak for yourself."


Paul stretched out his hand and said:


2King Agrippa, I am glad for this chance to defend myself before you today on all these charges that my own people have brought against me. 3You know a lot about our religious customs and the beliefs that divide us. So I ask you to listen patiently to me.


4-5All the Jews have known me since I was a child. They know what kind of life I have lived in my own country and in Jerusalem. And if they were willing, they could tell you that I was a Pharisee, a member of a group that is stricter than any other. 6Now I am on trial because I believe the promise God made to our people long ago.


7Day and night our twelve tribes have earnestly served God, waiting for his promised blessings. King Agrippa, because of this hope, the Jewish leaders have brought charges against me. 8Why should any of you doubt that God raises the dead to life?


9I once thought that I should do everything I could to oppose Jesus from Nazareth. 10I did this first in Jerusalem, and with the authority of the chief priests I put many of God's people in jail. I even voted for them to be killed. 11I often had them punished in our meeting places, and I tried to make them give up their faith. In fact, I was so angry with them, that I went looking for them in foreign cities.


12King Agrippa, one day I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and permission of the chief priests. 13About noon I saw a light brighter than the sun. It flashed from heaven on me and on everyone traveling with me. 14We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice say to me in Aramaic, "Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me? It's foolish to fight against me!"


15"Who are you?" I asked.


Then the Lord answered, "I am Jesus! I am the one you are so cruel to. 16Now stand up. I have appeared to you, because I have chosen you to be my servant. You are to tell others what you have learned about me and what I will show you later."


17The Lord also said, "I will protect you from the Jews and from the Gentiles that I am sending you to. 18I want you to open their eyes, so that they will turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then their sins will be forgiven, and by faith in me they will become part of God's holy people."


19King Agrippa, I obeyed this vision from heaven. 20First I preached to the people in Damascus, and then I went to Jerusalem and all over Judea. Finally, I went to the Gentiles and said, "Stop sinning and turn to God! Then prove what you have done by the way you live."


21That is why some men grabbed me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22But all this time God has helped me, and I have preached both to the rich and to the poor. I have told them only what the prophets and Moses said would happen. 23I told them how the Messiah would suffer and be the first to be raised from death, so that he could bring light to his own people and to the Gentiles.


24Before Paul finished defending himself, Festus shouted, "Paul, you're crazy! Too much learning has driven you out of your mind."


25But Paul replied, "Honorable Festus, I am not crazy. What I am saying is true, and it makes sense. 26None of these things happened off in a corner somewhere. I am sure that King Agrippa knows what I am talking about. That's why I can speak so plainly to him."


27Then Paul said to Agrippa, "Do you believe what the prophets said? I know you do."


28Agrippa asked Paul, "In such a short time do you think you can talk me into being a Christian?"


29Paul answered, "Whether it takes a short time or a long time, I wish you and everyone else who hears me today would become just like me! Except, of course, for these chains."


30Then King Agrippa, Governor Festus, Bernice, and everyone who was with them got up. 31But before they left, they said, "This man isn't guilty of anything. He doesn't deserve to die or to be put in jail."


32Agrippa told Festus, "Paul could have been set free, if he had not asked to be tried by the Roman Emperor."

Nothing irritates a boss more than lack of appreciation...

One thing we all should know is the importance of showing proper respect toward those around us. Unfortunately, there are always those who don't get the memo. I gave an employee a week off. I bent over backward to make it happen...at some inconvenience to the rest of the team. The entire time I was making it happen he was on my back nagging that he needed the details sewed up more quickly. I ended up working his weekend for him. He took his week...never said thank you...and when he returned he announced that he needed another week off. Didn't "ask", mind you, but  "announced".

Do you think he got it?

Now we understand Paul's situation more clearly. He used to work for these religious leaders. Can you imagine how many chips were called in and how many backroom deals were made to help Paul (Saul) rise to the level he did? Nobody gets to that level by themselves. Many people had a lot invested in him...and his future.

Now he was working for the other team...

I'll bet the only thing on those minds was teaching Paul a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. Revenge has a long shelf-life.

So... I was thinking. How loyal am I to the Lord who brought me to where I am today? I surely didn't get here by myself. Eternal life was a completely undeserved gift. How well do I show appreciation?

Are there times when it looks like I'm working for the other side?

God will never react like the Pharisees did with Paul, but our narcissism will certainly put a strain on our relationship. And...just like Paul...we won't actually be guilty of anything. We will just have lost the blush of first love. And, its a terrible loss.

Fortunately, grace is a little bit like the Roman Emperor. It's a guaranteed opportunity to talk directly to the boss and put things right.

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 25:13-27, Paul Speaks to Agrippa and Bernice

13A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to visit Festus. 14They had been there for several days, when Festus told the king about the charges against Paul. He said:


Felix left a man here in jail, 15and when I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the Jewish leaders came and asked me to find him guilty. 16I told them that it isn't the Roman custom to hand a man over to people who are bringing charges against him. He must first have the chance to meet them face to face and to defend himself against their charges.


17So when they came here with me, I wasted no time. On the very next day I took my place on the judge's bench and ordered him to be brought in. 18But when the men stood up to make their charges against him, they did not accuse him of any of the crimes that I thought they would. 19Instead, they argued with him about some of their beliefs and about a dead man named Jesus, who Paul said was alive.


20Since I did not know how to find out the truth about all this, I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be put on trial there. 21But Paul asked to be kept in jail until the Emperor could decide his case. So I ordered him to be kept here until I could send him to the Emperor.


22Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would also like to hear what this man has to say."


Festus answered, "You can hear him tomorrow."


23The next day Agrippa and Bernice made a big show as they came into the meeting room. High ranking army officers and leading citizens of the town were also there. Festus then ordered Paul to be brought in 24and said:


King Agrippa and other guests, look at this man! Every Jew from Jerusalem and Caesarea has come to me, demanding for him to be put to death. 25I have not found him guilty of any crime deserving death. But because he has asked to be judged by the Emperor, I have decided to send him to Rome.


26I have to write some facts about this man to the Emperor. So I have brought him before all of you, but especially before you, King Agrippa. After we have talked about his case, I will then have something to write. 27It makes no sense to send a prisoner to the Emperor without stating the charges against him.

The earth is warming...for now.

Some of us want to call this a normal cycle of climate change that goes back thousands of years and is not a function of human habitation. Others want to call it a man-made phenomena that is destroying our plant.

Facts are inconvenient things...They are indisputably true whether we like them or not. They are not subject to hope and dreams. They are not subject to preferences. They are not subject ideology. They are what they are.

That said, we continually find ourselves revisiting facts in hopes that we can make them says something different. Very silly...since facts are indisputable. What has always been a matter of dispute is all the commentary that surrounds the facts. Unfortunately, we have a propensity to blur the lines between facts and opinions. Before we know it we are ardently defending opinions that may be indefensible.

Like...Jesus did not rise from the dead!

So...Paul, and several other disciples say it is an undisputably true fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. They personally witnessed his living breathing form after his crucifixion. No matter how many time the Pharisees challenge this fact...whether through Festus, or Felix, or Agrippa, or Caesar...the fact remains.

"I haven't seen Him" does not constitute evidence. Nor, is that, in itself, even a certain fact. I may have seen Him and not recognized Him.

On the other hand, what this fact means is subject to interpretation. Does it mean Jesus is the Messiah? Paul and his friends say "absolutely! What else would be the point of the resurrection?". You and I should agree this is commentary...regardless of how well-founded we believe it to be.

But...it does make a lot of sense...

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 25:1-12 Paul Asks To Be Tried by the Roman Emperor

1Three days after Festus had become governor, he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem. 2There the chief priests and some Jewish leaders told him about their charges against Paul. They also asked Festus 3if he would be willing to bring Paul to Jerusalem. They begged him to do this because they were planning to attack and kill Paul on the way. 4But Festus told them, "Paul will be kept in Caesarea, and I am soon going there myself. 5If he has done anything wrong, let your leaders go with me and bring charges against him there."


6Festus stayed in Jerusalem for eight or ten more days before going to Caesarea. Then the next day he took his place as judge and had Paul brought into court. 7As soon as Paul came in, the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem crowded around him and said he was guilty of many serious crimes. But they could not prove anything. 8Then Paul spoke in his own defense, "I have not broken the Law of my people. And I have not done anything against either the temple or the Emperor."


9Festus wanted to please the leaders. So he asked Paul, "Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried by me on these charges?"


10Paul replied, "I am on trial in the Emperor's court, and that's where I should be tried. You know very well that I have not done anything to harm the Jewish nation. 11If I had done something deserving death, I would not ask to escape the death penalty. But I am not guilty of any of these crimes, and no one has the right to hand me over to these people. I now ask to be tried by the Emperor himself."


12After Festus had talked this over with members of his council, he told Paul, "You have asked to be tried by the Emperor, and to the Emperor you will go!"


Have you ever reached an impasse...where you suddenly realize that if anything is going to be resolved a third party has to get involved? Eventually the dispute has to be taken out of the hands of the troublemakers and elevated to a more objective judge...a mediator. And boy...where those religious leaders troublemakers! For the third time, they were devising plans to kill Paul.

I thought it was awful when my church decided to quit paying the parsonage fuel oil bill. It least I don't think that could have killed me.

But...it was awfully cold in Northern Minnesota!

It feels like an admission of failure, but it happens to the best of us. Even the wisest and most Spirit filled cannot always affect the outcome they desire. After all, Following God faithfully doesn't mean God gives us everything we want.

So, Paul had no choice but to appeal to a higher authority...the religious leaders were intractable in their wicked desire to kill him. And, appeal to Caesar was his right. Any Roman citizen had the right to appeal to Caesar for justice. 

And...we have the right to go straight to God for relief. I'd suggest we make Him our first stop at the first sign of trouble.

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 24:24-27, Paul Is Kept under Guard

24Several days later Felix and his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, went to the place where Paul was kept under guard. They sent for Paul and listened while he spoke to them about having faith in Christ Jesus. 25But Felix was frightened when Paul started talking to them about doing right, about self-control, and about the coming judgment. So he said to Paul, "That's enough for now. You may go. But when I have time I will send for you." 26After this, Felix often sent for Paul and talked with him, because he hoped that Paul would offer him a bribe.


27Two years later Porcius Festus became governor in place of Felix. But since Felix wanted to do the Jewish leaders a favor, he kept Paul in jail.

It's true that everybody who shows an interest in us is not our friend. It's a real downer when we find out somebody was only using us for their own purposes.

Felix spent two years in dialogue with Paul purely hoping to extract money out of him. On the surface it probably looked like a friendship. At least it would have looked like two men who enjoyed being together to discuss weighty issues of the time.

I doubt Paul minded. He probably knew the truth of the matter. What Felix didn't understand was that Paul was most likely content with his circumstances. After all, his life was not really any different than it had ever been. Only the geography had changed. Paul was called to preach the Gospel and he was doing it every day.

What is our life about? Living near grandchildren? Making more money? Nice house? None of these things are bad, in and of themselves. I believe when our pursuit of these things results in some level of unrest it proves we have lost our focus. God wants us serving Him. Where it is...and under what conditions...is not our primary concern. We should be able to get up each morning with great joy and anticipation for our opportunity to be faithful one more day.

"This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

Live boldly out there today...

Acts 24:10-34 Paul Defends Himself

10The governor motioned for Paul to speak, and he began:


I know that you have judged the people of our nation for many years, and I am glad to defend myself in your court.


11It was no more than twelve days ago that I went to worship in Jerusalem. You can find this out easily enough. 12Never once did the Jews find me arguing with anyone in the temple. I didn't cause trouble in the Jewish meeting places or in the city itself. 13There is no way that they can prove these charges that they are now bringing against me.


14I admit that their leaders think that the Lord's Way which I follow is based on wrong beliefs. But I still worship the same God that my ancestors worshiped. And I believe everything written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets. 15I am just as sure as these people are that God will raise from death everyone who is good or evil. 16And because I am sure, I try my best to have a clear conscience in whatever I do for God or for people. 17After being away for several years, I returned here to bring gifts for the poor people of my nation and to offer sacrifices. 18This is what I was doing when I was found going through a ceremony in the temple. I wasn't with a crowd, and there was no uproar.


19Some Jews from Asia were there at that time, and if they have anything to say against me, they should be here now. 20Or ask the ones who are here. They can tell you that they didn't find me guilty of anything when I was tried by their own council. 21The only charge they can bring against me is what I shouted out in court, when I said, "I am on trial today because I believe that the dead will be raised to life!"


22Felix knew a lot about the Lord's Way. But he brought the trial to an end and said, "I will make my decision after Lysias the commander arrives." 23He then ordered the army officer to keep Paul under guard, but not to lock him up or to stop his friends from helping him.

So...who do we believe...Paul or his accusers? It's not a difficult choice.

Often times we're faced with conflicting testimony and we are forced to make a decision about the facts. It might be two of our children telling opposing stories. We hate to face the fact that we have raised a dishonest child...of which at least one is guilt...so we waffle over the testimony, not wanting to face the truth.

In my job we have something called an Administrative Investigation Board (AIB) that is convened when we have to get to the bottom of something. One of the tools we use is a "believability" assessment. This means we can decide who we believe and our decision is official. I've served on a few of these boards and its not really that difficult to decide who is most believable. With the help of the other board members we can arrive at a high degree of confidence that we have gotten close enough to the truth.

Of course we, as Christians, don't have to depend on other people. We have the Holy Spirit. Some people don't like to sound so pious so they say they have a "gut feeling". Who do we suppose planted that feeling? Could it be the God who dwells there?

We need to be bold when the truth is obvious. Jesus died because Pilate didn't have the moral courage to proclaim the truth he saw (well, not entirely) and we are about to see the same thing happen to Paul.

How many misscarriages of justice are we responsible for simply because we were unwilling to step out on a limb and proclaim the truth the Holy Spirit gave us?

Live boldly out there today...