Acts 27-28 Luke concludes this account of Paul's life with this statement, "Paul remained two whole years... openly and without hindrance proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus the Messiah." He was still a prisoner of Rome, but he was not hindered from completing the tasks that God had planned for him. Many people came to trust in Jesus through Paul's teachings.. personally and through the letters that we still read, fulfilling the words that Jesus spoke to Paul after they met on the road to Damascus.
God had a plan and He completed his plan for Paul.
We are thankful that God's plans and purposes are completed in His people... through storms and shipwrecks, through persecution and suffering, and even through imprisonments and death.
At the end of his life, Paul wrote to his beloved Timothy.. ".. I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." ( 2 Tim. 4:6-8) And, "The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will being me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen". ( v18)
Father, we ask that You complete Your will, Your plan in each of us. May we also be able to stand before You on that day and receive the crown of righteousness. Deliver us from every evil and bring us safely to Your Kingdom we pray. All glory and praise to You, our Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Acts 23-26 Paul is tried before Felix, then Festus, and then King Agrippa. Each time he is considered innocent of the charges that the Jews were bringing against him. There were also many that were trying to kill him by setting ambushes. Through it all, Paul stayed faithful and kept speaking the Truth, hoping that some would be saved. We are not told here whether or not any of them finally believed. But, these events brought about Paul's journey to Rome. This was the Lord's plan for Paul all along.
In Paul's defense before Agrippa he details a little more about his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus says to Paul, "I have appeared to you to appoint you to serve and bear witness to what you have already seen of me, and to what you will see when I appear to you in the future. I will deliver you from the People and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to open their eyes; so that they will turn from darkness to light, from the power of the Adversary to God, and thus receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who have been separated for holiness by putting their trust in me." (v16-18)
These are words of "truth and sanity".. Paul says, when Festus calls him crazy.
Like Paul, we have been given words of truth and sanity to accomplish these same purposes:
That the eyes of the blinded will be opened to the Truth of Jesus Christ.
That they will turn from darkness to the Light.
That they will turn from the power of Satan to the One and only True God.
That they will receive what Jesus alone can offer - forgiveness of sins and a place in God's Kingdom.
Wherever we are, Father, and whoever we are sent to.. give us boldness to proclaim these words of Truth and Life. Some will call us crazy. But, some may listen and turn to You. Open blinded eyes and hardened hearts we pray, in the Name of Jesus our Lord, Amen.
In Paul's defense before Agrippa he details a little more about his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus says to Paul, "I have appeared to you to appoint you to serve and bear witness to what you have already seen of me, and to what you will see when I appear to you in the future. I will deliver you from the People and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to open their eyes; so that they will turn from darkness to light, from the power of the Adversary to God, and thus receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who have been separated for holiness by putting their trust in me." (v16-18)
These are words of "truth and sanity".. Paul says, when Festus calls him crazy.
Like Paul, we have been given words of truth and sanity to accomplish these same purposes:
That the eyes of the blinded will be opened to the Truth of Jesus Christ.
That they will turn from darkness to the Light.
That they will turn from the power of Satan to the One and only True God.
That they will receive what Jesus alone can offer - forgiveness of sins and a place in God's Kingdom.
Wherever we are, Father, and whoever we are sent to.. give us boldness to proclaim these words of Truth and Life. Some will call us crazy. But, some may listen and turn to You. Open blinded eyes and hardened hearts we pray, in the Name of Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Acts 21-22 Paul willingly and deliberately heads to Jerusalem. Every stop they made, people who loved him tried to warn him and stop him. But, Paul was determined. "I am prepared not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." v13
In Jerusalem, the prophecies about what would happen to Paul, happened. He was dragged from the temple, beaten by the crowd, and rescued by the Romans. He was about to be beaten by the Romans when he let them know that he was a Roman citizen by birth.
This is the beginning of the end... Paul had known since the day that his eyes were opened that this is where he would end up. Ananias told him, " The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One, and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard." Paul was determined to do exactly what Jesus told him to do. He ran the race and was faithful even through the most horrible of circumstances.
Paul had the great privilege of seeing the resurrected Jesus, hearing His voice, and knowing "everything that[ had] been laid out for [him] to do.." (v11). But, he also had a great responsibility and burden to preach the good news while enduring persecution, beatings, and worse.
Paul's words in II Corinthians 12:9-10 are a testimony to this, " And, He has said to me,' My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore , I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ many dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. "
Father in heaven, may we be prepared to live for You and to die for You, knowing that Your grace is sufficient for every one of us. We acknowledge that we are weak and we rejoice that You are strong!
Let Your power be seen in us, Your children, so that the name of Jesus Christ will be exalted. O Father, may we be found faithful, even as Your servant Paul was faithful to the end. Fill us with Your Spirit today we ask, in Jesus' name and for His glory, Amen.
In Jerusalem, the prophecies about what would happen to Paul, happened. He was dragged from the temple, beaten by the crowd, and rescued by the Romans. He was about to be beaten by the Romans when he let them know that he was a Roman citizen by birth.
This is the beginning of the end... Paul had known since the day that his eyes were opened that this is where he would end up. Ananias told him, " The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One, and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard." Paul was determined to do exactly what Jesus told him to do. He ran the race and was faithful even through the most horrible of circumstances.
Paul had the great privilege of seeing the resurrected Jesus, hearing His voice, and knowing "everything that[ had] been laid out for [him] to do.." (v11). But, he also had a great responsibility and burden to preach the good news while enduring persecution, beatings, and worse.
Paul's words in II Corinthians 12:9-10 are a testimony to this, " And, He has said to me,' My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore , I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ many dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. "
Father in heaven, may we be prepared to live for You and to die for You, knowing that Your grace is sufficient for every one of us. We acknowledge that we are weak and we rejoice that You are strong!
Let Your power be seen in us, Your children, so that the name of Jesus Christ will be exalted. O Father, may we be found faithful, even as Your servant Paul was faithful to the end. Fill us with Your Spirit today we ask, in Jesus' name and for His glory, Amen.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Acts 20 Paul and his friends make their final journey through Macedonia and Greece.. heading to Jerusalem. Paul knows this is the last time he will see these believers. He knows that what lies ahead will include "imprisonment and persecution". But, he makes this statement, ".. I consider my own life of no importance to me whatsoever, as long as I can finish the course ahead of me, the task I received from the Lord Jesus - to declare in depth the Good News of God's love and kindness." (v24)
Can we say, along with Paul, that nothing in our lives is more important than this.. that we finish the course God has set for us.. and do the tasks He has called us to do? These thoughts take me back to the sermon from yesterday.. ( if you would like to hear it.. check out the Alliance Church of Zephyrhills facebook page ) Pastor Teddy O'Farrell preached a powerful message about what happens now... (I don't think he'll mind me using his main points; did I get them all? )
Purpose- We are assured that God still has a purpose for each of us, even as he had for Paul.
Prayer- The most important thing we need to be doing! Is this the task God has assigned to you? Yes!!! It is a vital work for all God's children!
Praise- We are all called to this task also!
Power- Holy Spirit power is given to us so that we can do what God calls us to do.
Proclaim- We have a life-giving, vital message - the Good News of God's love and kindness!
Produce- God calls us to life fruit-filled lives as we abide in the True Vine.. our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father in heaven, have Your way in our lives. There is nothing more important than this.. that we finish the course You have set before us and that we do the tasks You have called us to and enabled us to do. Your will be done on earth.. in each of us.. as it is done in heaven. In Jesus' name. amen.
Can we say, along with Paul, that nothing in our lives is more important than this.. that we finish the course God has set for us.. and do the tasks He has called us to do? These thoughts take me back to the sermon from yesterday.. ( if you would like to hear it.. check out the Alliance Church of Zephyrhills facebook page ) Pastor Teddy O'Farrell preached a powerful message about what happens now... (I don't think he'll mind me using his main points; did I get them all? )
Purpose- We are assured that God still has a purpose for each of us, even as he had for Paul.
Prayer- The most important thing we need to be doing! Is this the task God has assigned to you? Yes!!! It is a vital work for all God's children!
Praise- We are all called to this task also!
Power- Holy Spirit power is given to us so that we can do what God calls us to do.
Proclaim- We have a life-giving, vital message - the Good News of God's love and kindness!
Produce- God calls us to life fruit-filled lives as we abide in the True Vine.. our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father in heaven, have Your way in our lives. There is nothing more important than this.. that we finish the course You have set before us and that we do the tasks You have called us to and enabled us to do. Your will be done on earth.. in each of us.. as it is done in heaven. In Jesus' name. amen.
Friday, April 24, 2020
Acts 18-19 Paul continued to go from city to city preaching the Word of God. He "felt pressed by the urgency of the message.." ( v5) He added men and women to his company, sometimes leaving them to work in the churches and sometimes taking them along with him. God was working powerfully through Paul and through others. The name of Jesus and the message of the gospel spread throughout Asia and into Europe.
Ephesus was the place where some Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of Jesus to cast out demons and the evil spirit said, "Jesus I know. And Paul I recognize. But you? Who are you?" And the man with the evil spirit beat them badly. This incident caused great fear.. but it also brought a change on those who had professed faith but were still practicing the occult. "Many of those... came and admitted publicly their evil deeds; and a considerable number of those who had engaged in occult practices threw their scrolls in a pile and burned them in public."
" Thus the message about the Lord continued in a powerful way to grow in influence."
And.. the opposition grew too. A riot broke out when the silversmiths who made objects for the worship of Artemis realized that they were losing money because of people turning away from the idol worship. It was the wisdom of a city clerk who finally calmed the crowd and sent people home.
Ephesus was the place where some Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of Jesus to cast out demons and the evil spirit said, "Jesus I know. And Paul I recognize. But you? Who are you?" And the man with the evil spirit beat them badly. This incident caused great fear.. but it also brought a change on those who had professed faith but were still practicing the occult. "Many of those... came and admitted publicly their evil deeds; and a considerable number of those who had engaged in occult practices threw their scrolls in a pile and burned them in public."
" Thus the message about the Lord continued in a powerful way to grow in influence."
And.. the opposition grew too. A riot broke out when the silversmiths who made objects for the worship of Artemis realized that they were losing money because of people turning away from the idol worship. It was the wisdom of a city clerk who finally calmed the crowd and sent people home.
In the book of Revelation we find 7 letters from Jesus to His church. The first of these is the letter to Ephesus. Jesus commends them for their deeds and perseverance , but warns them of the need to repent because they had "left [their] first love." He tells them that they will be removed unless they repented and turned to the love they had at first. Love that led to confession and complete submission to the only True God. Love that denied themselves and took up their crosses and followed Jesus.
Father in heaven, You alone are worthy of our love and devotion. May we not lose our passion for Jesus Christ and just go through the motions of christianity. Direct our hearts into Your love, Father.
Fill us with Your Spirit and ignite our hearts with Your love. We sense the urgency of the message, Lord. We want to faithfully serve You by sharing Your love and the good news of Jesus Christ with those around us. Grant us the words to speak and the boldness to speak up. We ask this in the name of our Loving Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Acts 17 Paul presents the gospel in Thessalonica and then Berea and many come to believe in Jesus. But, the unbelieving Jews came after him in both places, so Paul was evacuated to Athens. There, Paul is given an opportunity to speak to many, ending up before the High Council. There, Paul introduces them to the "Unknown God"..
"The God who made the universe and everything in it, and who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in man-and temples; nor is He served by human hands, as if He lacked something; since it is He himself who gives life and breath and everything to everyone." (v24-25) This is our God!
"From one man He made every nation living on the entire surface of the earth, and He fixed the limits of their territories and the periods when they would flourish. God did this so that people would look for Him and perhaps reach out and find him although in fact he is not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and exist." ( v26-28a) This is our most gracious God!
".. Indeed, as some of the poets among you have said, 'We are actually his children.' so since we're children of God, we shouldn't suppose that God's essence resembles gold, silver, or stone shaped by human technique and imagination." (v28b-29) Hallelujah! Our God lives and reigns. He is transcendent and gloriously infinite!
"In the past, God overlooked such ignorance; but now He is commanding all people everywhere to turn to Him from their sins. For He has set a Day when He will judge the inhabited world, and do it justly, by means of a Man whom He has designated. And He has given public proof of it by resurrecting this man from the dead." ( v30-31) This is the Truth!
Father in Heaven, Mighty God, maker of heaven and earth, we praise and worship You alone. Thank You for making Yourself known to us. Thank You for making Yourself available to all who look for You and reach out to You and find You! Thank You that we serve a Living God, who gives us Life through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thank You that You have shown us the way to turn from sin and to You. Thank You that there is now no condemnation to those who trust in Jesus! All praise and honor and glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
"The God who made the universe and everything in it, and who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in man-and temples; nor is He served by human hands, as if He lacked something; since it is He himself who gives life and breath and everything to everyone." (v24-25) This is our God!
"From one man He made every nation living on the entire surface of the earth, and He fixed the limits of their territories and the periods when they would flourish. God did this so that people would look for Him and perhaps reach out and find him although in fact he is not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and exist." ( v26-28a) This is our most gracious God!
".. Indeed, as some of the poets among you have said, 'We are actually his children.' so since we're children of God, we shouldn't suppose that God's essence resembles gold, silver, or stone shaped by human technique and imagination." (v28b-29) Hallelujah! Our God lives and reigns. He is transcendent and gloriously infinite!
"In the past, God overlooked such ignorance; but now He is commanding all people everywhere to turn to Him from their sins. For He has set a Day when He will judge the inhabited world, and do it justly, by means of a Man whom He has designated. And He has given public proof of it by resurrecting this man from the dead." ( v30-31) This is the Truth!
Father in Heaven, Mighty God, maker of heaven and earth, we praise and worship You alone. Thank You for making Yourself known to us. Thank You for making Yourself available to all who look for You and reach out to You and find You! Thank You that we serve a Living God, who gives us Life through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thank You that You have shown us the way to turn from sin and to You. Thank You that there is now no condemnation to those who trust in Jesus! All praise and honor and glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Acts 16 Paul, Silas, and now Timothy are called to proclaim the Gospel in Macedonia. In Philippi, they meet Lydia and begin a church in her home after "the Lord opened up her heart to respond.. " to the Gospel.
Satan attacks, through a poor demon-possessed slave girl, who screams after them every day, "These men are servants of the Most High God. They are telling you how to be saved!" (v17). While the words were true, the problem was that this was coming from an evil spirit. Paul was greatly disturbed and commanded, in the name of Jesus, that the spirit to leave her and it did. This, however, caused a problem since her owners could no longer use her to make money for themselves. So, they stirred up the judges, had Paul and Silas arrested, beaten, and thrown into a prison.
But, God... ! God had a plan! An earthquake shook the prison. All the doors were opened! All the chains were removed. The jailor and his whole family became believers in Jesus Christ. And Paul and Silas received an apology and and escort out of the city.
Our God moves in ways that we can't imagine. He called Lydia, a wealthy woman, by the side of a river.. and He called a jailor and his whole family, through an earthquake.. in a prison.. while His servants, Paul and Silas, in stocks, beaten, and yet rejoicing... trusted Him to do great things.
Some will come to the Lord gently.. with a stirring to their soul, like Lydia.
Some will come through a violent and painful, life-changing experience.
God's plan is unique to each of us, isn't it? We each have a story to tell... about how God opened our hearts. Perhaps it is time to share your story with someone today!
Father in heaven, I am so thankful that You opened my heart to believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Thank You that You have a plan and that You do amazing and impossible things to reach us and draw us to Yourself. Whatever way You choose to work, Father, we pray that You would bring others..to believe on the name of Jesus Christ and be saved. We ask this in the Name of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Satan attacks, through a poor demon-possessed slave girl, who screams after them every day, "These men are servants of the Most High God. They are telling you how to be saved!" (v17). While the words were true, the problem was that this was coming from an evil spirit. Paul was greatly disturbed and commanded, in the name of Jesus, that the spirit to leave her and it did. This, however, caused a problem since her owners could no longer use her to make money for themselves. So, they stirred up the judges, had Paul and Silas arrested, beaten, and thrown into a prison.
But, God... ! God had a plan! An earthquake shook the prison. All the doors were opened! All the chains were removed. The jailor and his whole family became believers in Jesus Christ. And Paul and Silas received an apology and and escort out of the city.
Our God moves in ways that we can't imagine. He called Lydia, a wealthy woman, by the side of a river.. and He called a jailor and his whole family, through an earthquake.. in a prison.. while His servants, Paul and Silas, in stocks, beaten, and yet rejoicing... trusted Him to do great things.
Some will come to the Lord gently.. with a stirring to their soul, like Lydia.
Some will come through a violent and painful, life-changing experience.
God's plan is unique to each of us, isn't it? We each have a story to tell... about how God opened our hearts. Perhaps it is time to share your story with someone today!
Father in heaven, I am so thankful that You opened my heart to believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Thank You that You have a plan and that You do amazing and impossible things to reach us and draw us to Yourself. Whatever way You choose to work, Father, we pray that You would bring others..to believe on the name of Jesus Christ and be saved. We ask this in the Name of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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