Week 6, Day 2
Today’s Reading: Romans 1-2
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
The book of Acts ends without us being able to hear the whole story. We never find, from the inspired account, what happens to the apostle Paul. This is perhaps another one of those “Paul Harvey” moments, where we wish we had the rest of the story. However, we can be assured that God has provided for us all that we need. He showed us much of the work that Paul did through his travels, and through his imprisonments.
We can be fairly confident that Paul was not executed on this stop in Rome. For example, the letter to the Philippians was written during this two year stay in Rome. Paul told the Philippians that he would be coming to see them again, which implies that he had full expectation of being released from his confinement, and would be able to go and visit with them again. Historically, we learn that Paul served 2 stints in prison in Rome. The first time, he was released, most likely after having his court date before Caesar. The second time, he was put to death because of his teachings as a Christian.
Though Luke’s account concludes before the life of Paul was completed, Luke does leave us with some valuable information about what Paul was doing. He stayed for two full years in Rome, held at house arrest. During that period of time, he was not bemoaning his situation, nor was he complaining about how bad things had gotten for him. He didn’t think of himself as being useless to the kingdom now that he was arrested. Instead, he spent the time “preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.” Paul used the opportunities that he was given, so that the gospel might be preached and souls might be saved! Consider what he wrote to the Philippian brethren, while in this circumstance in Rome:
But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
–Philippians 1:12-18
Paul was, it seems, the eternal optimist. How many of us would consider our circumstances to be ideal for teaching the lost if we were cast into prison? How many of us would even think about sharing the gospel with the guard if we were in such a situation? Or with the prisoner in the next cell? Paul used whatever circumstances he was in to spread the gospel message. It was all about looking for those open opportunities. When they were presented to him, he stepped up and took advantage of them. How often do we do that? May we open our eyes, and see the opportunities that are presented to us daily!
Week 6, Day 1
Acts 27-28
Some thoughts from Friday’s reading…
Have you ever tried to put yourself in the place of the Bible characters? Often, you can imagine putting yourself in the place of characters on both sides of a given situation. However, in chapter 26 of Acts, I want you to consider for a moment that you are in the place of King Agrippa. This man sat and listened to the apostle Paul proclaim the gospel message. Paul laid out for Agrippa the background of his own conversion, and expanded his teaching to include more information about Jesus and His resurrection. He used facts that were well known among the Jews, and had obviously been heard by Agrippa himself.
Paul, as he concluded the message before Agrippa, brought the point home quite clearly. He challenged Agrippa with his teaching, forcing Agrippa to make a decision with the gospel message. He asked him directly, “Do you believe the prophets? I know that you do!” Agrippa was put on the spot. He had heard the gospel, and he had the opportunity to either accept it or reject it. Paul had done his job!
We have the same job today. We have the obligation to teach the gospel message plainly, and pointedly so that hearers have the opportunity to either accept or reject the pure gospel message. Far too often, we are timid with our presentation (or at least I am). We lay out the instructions of God’s will, but we are afraid to drive the point home. We teach that one must repent, but we don’t tell the specific person we are studying with what they have to repent of, or that they are the ones who need to repent. We speak in generalities, instead of speaking in specifics so that we don’t make people feel too bad about their circumstances. But, if that is the case, then we have missed the whole point. Paul made Agrippa feel uncomfortable with his circumstances. Unfortunately, Agrippa never obeyed the gospel. It is our job to teach plainly enough that those we teach are made uncomfortable.
So, put yourself in the place of Agrippa. Think about what he felt as Paul was teaching and especially what he must have felt when Paul asked him directly whether he believed or not. That is the very feeling that we want to instill in every person that we have the opportunity to teach. Bring them to the pont that they have to make a choice. To do that, we have to teach them clearly the simple message of the gospel. Once we have done the teaching, it is up to the hearer to make a choice of whether to accept or reject. But, we want to make sure that we do not conceal the gospel because we are afraid of offending someone.
Week 5, Day 5
Today’s Reading: Acts 25-26
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Occasionally when reading through the Bible, I come to an account where I would like to know the “rest of the story” (as Paul Harvey puts it). One such account comes in chapter 23 of Acts. There was a conspiracy to put Paul to death, and a group of about 40 men devised a plan to achieve this end. They decided that they were going to send for Paul, having the Roman authorities bring him down to the Jewish council so that they might question him further. However, they were going to lie in wait, and attack Paul on the way, and put him to death. They made the agreement among themselves that they would not eat nor drink anything until they had put Paul to death.
Of course, we discover by reading the rest of the chapter that they were unsuccessful in their plot because word got out and Paul’s nephew was able to warn Paul, as well as the Roman authorities about the plan. It was going to be quite a while before Paul would be put to death in Rome. So, I wonder what happened to these 40 men? Did they fulfill their vow, thus starving to death because they were unable to trap Paul and kill him? I doubt it! If these men were so unscrupulous as to make a vow like this in the first place, and attempt to put an innocent man to death, then I doubt that they endangered their own well being in the fulfillment of such a vow. But, it would be quite interesting to know what the outcome of this vow was!
Another thing of interest in this section of the book of Acts is to notice how the people involved with Paul rewrote history to try and make themselves appear better. For example, the commander changed the account of the arrest of Paul to make himself look better. In verse 27, he made the claim in his letter to Felix that he had swooped in and rescued Paul from the Jews, who were about to kill him. But, if we go back to the inspired account (and thus the accurate account) we see the truth. In chapter 21, verses 32-40, we see that Paul was indeed “rescued” by the commander, but it was not because he was a Roman. The commander did not even find out about Paul’s Roman citizenship until chapter 22:24-29, where he nearly had Paul beaten (which was illegal to do to a Roman citizen). He simply rewrote the history to make himself look much more favorable.
The same thing can be said about the Jews. The High Priest, Ananias along with one of the lawyers, Tertullus, came down to bring charges against Paul before the governor. They made the claim that Paul was a “plague” and a “creator of dissension among the Jews.” They also claimed that Paul had tried to defile the temple (presumably by trying to bring Gentiles into the area where they were prohibited). But, of course, none of this was true. Perhaps the argument could be made that Paul had caused dissension, but certainly not in the manner they tried to imply. He had certainly not tried to defile the temple! They had rewritten the history of the circumstance to fit what they wanted to believe, and what they needed to be true in order to accomplish their own desires. Watching the news today, we can certainly see that not much has changed over the last 2000 years! The trustworthy account is not what the characters changed the story to, but rather the inspired account of events, as told to us by Luke.
There are two good lessons that emerge from these observations. First, don’t make hasty vows. The first point we observed was that these men made the vow that they would not eat until they killed Paul. Obviously they had not taken into account that they might fail! We should learn that we ought not make vows that we don’t intend to keep. God expects us to keep that which we have vowed! (See Deuteronomy 23:21-23).
Secondly, we need to remember that we shouldn’t try to change history to be more favorable to us. If we change the facts of something, and then base an argument on our convolution of that history, we don’t do anything for ourselves. We show ourselves to be dishonest, and we build up some illusion that will fall when the truth is made known. This commander was going to be in trouble when the truth of his actions were made known. He would be punished by his Roman superiors. The Jews too would be in trouble when the truth was made known. If they failed to be honest, they would cause innocent men to suffer wrongfully. That was condemned in the Law, but it would also be punished by God when the final judgment came.
Week 5, Day 4
Today’s Reading: Acts 23-24
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Watching the character of Paul develop after his conversion is very interesting. We are able to witness his tribulations and trials through the writing of the inspired writers. By the time we reach chapter 21, we are able to see the maturity of Paul in the face of dying as a martyr. Of course, he has already gone through at least one near fatal attack, which showed that he was indeed ready to die for the cause of Christ. But, in chapter 21, what we see is a difference between Paul and the other Christians. I believe it shows a difference between his maturity as a Christian, and their maturity. Paul’s actions/reactions in this chapter helped the other Christians to make strides toward reaching the same level of maturity that he was at.
In verses 10-14, Paul was told by the prophet Agabus that he was going to be bound by the Jews when he returned to Jerusalem. Those who were with Paul, who heard this prophecy, began to weep, and beg Paul to change his plans, avoiding Jerusalem. Paul, as we have seen over the last couple of chapters, is trying to get to Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost. Most likely, he was trying to get to Jerusalem while there would be a lot of people in the city, giving him even greater opportunities to preach. He was determined that he was not going to change that plan. He told his companions in verse 13 of our text that he was ready to go and be bound, and yes, even to die in Jerusalem if that is what was required of him.
Finally, in verse 14, we see that the group of friends come to Paul’s understanding. They stopped trying to argue with him, they stopped trying to change his mind. Instead, they adopted his attitude: It was now in the hands of the Lord. Whatever His will for Paul was would come to pass.
This portrays a great attitude. Whatever God wills, that will be done. We must continue to do what we know the word of Lord teaches, and then be prepared for whatever consequences might come. That doesn’t mean that the things we face will always be easy. But, that doesn’t matter, because there is a greater goal that we are looking forward to, beyond anything that we might face in the here and now. And, through his strength, Paul was able to bring the rest of the disciples to the same point of acceptance that he had already reached.
One final point on this account. Notice that Paul was warned beforehand that he would be persecuted in Jerusalem. This gave him plenty of time to avoid that persecution–he could have easily gone somewhere else, and avoided Jerusalem all together. However, he knew that he was supposed to go to Jerusalem, and he knew there was work for him to accomplish there. Even if he were going to be arrested, he knew there would be work for him. He did not shirk that responsibility. Make sure to watch over the next few chapters how Paul was used by the Lord even though he was in chains. He had opportunities to teach people after he was arrested that he never would have come in contact with other wise. This is yet another great lesson for us! We try to pick the best circumstances for us to have opportunities in, but the Lord does not always provide those opportunities in the circumstances that are good for us!
Week 5, Day 3
Today’s Reading: Acts 21-22
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
In Acts chapter 19 we are introduced to a Biblical character that was determined to stop the spread of the gospel message. Demetrius was a silversmith in Ephesus, who was concerned about losing business. It appears (at least to me) that he was not nearly as concerned about his “religion” as he was about losing sales. After all, if Paul continued to convert people, then that would be less customers for him! In verse 25 of the text, Luke records for us that Demetrius gathered the other craftsmen together and warned them about the problems that were in store for them if they didn’t put an end to Paul and his teaching!
What followed was a perfect example of human nature. These men began to go through the marketplace, inciting a riot against Paul and his teaching. But, they didn’t challenge Paul, they simply appealed to the belief system that was held by those in Ephesus. They cried out, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” This fired the people up, so that they began moving toward the theater. Before long, there was an angry mob that would fill the theater (that’s a picture of it to the left) screaming out support for their goddess, Diana. However, most of them had no idea what the problem was! They were simply following the crowd, trusting that whoever was in charge was right. This is a classic example of the “blind leading the blind”! This reminds me of one of the Laws given to the Jews, the principle of which would apply here, and could be applicable to us as well:
You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.
–Exodus 23:2
The outcome of this issue was favorable to the disciples, as one of the Ephesians who had some common sense gained control over the crowd. He convinced them that if there was a problem, it needed to be dealt with in a lawful way, else they would all suffer the wrath of the Romans, who would not tolerate this type of uprising.
One thing is very interesting in the speech of the town clerk. Consider these verses:
And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly.
–Acts 19:35-36
He actually turned the group back to their beliefs. He cited their tradition that Diana’s image, which had fallen down from Zeus, was the guardian of the city of Ephesus, and that this was a fact which could not be denied. It was believed that the image of Diana, which was kept at her temple, had fallen from the sky (that is, from the gods, specifically Zeus). The city of Ephesus was the keeper for the image, and they took great pride in it. It is unclear, historically, where the image that the clerk was referring to came from. Some suggest that it was a meteorite that fell from the heavens, and bore the resemblance to a person, thus making the people think that it was from the gods. Others suggest that the image fell from the heavens, but that an artisan took it and shaped it to appear like a person, so that the people would accept it as a god. Either way, the people had a great belief in this statue. That was used by both Demetrius and the town clerk. Demetrius used this belief to cause an uprising, and the clerk used the belief to calm the people.
This tells us just how powerful a person’s belief can be. It also tells us how easily manipulated that a person can be when using such beliefs. This is one of the very things that makes it so difficult even today to teach the gospel. People become very defensive of their beliefs (like Demetrius, and those that he incited to riot). They are unwilling to reconsider something else because they are so concerned about letting go of something they have believed in the past. Some of these were true believers in Diana, and others were true believers in the money that could be made from Diana.
Paul, on the other hand, was using the gospel to change the minds of those who were honest. Evidently, he was being somewhat successful as the craftsmen were very concerned about their livelihood! Paul was able to teach the gospel even under these difficult circumstances. He converted many, and even in this city established a strong group, which (we see in chapter 20) had grown to have elders to shepherd the flock.
Week 5, Day 2
Today’s Reading: Acts 19-20
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
In Acts 17 Paul had the opportunity to visit Mars Hill, where he had a very interesting experience. He looked around him, and saw the many idols that were around, one even being made to the “Unknown god.” A few posts back, we looked at how the gospel preachers of the first century started with material that was familiar to the listener. In Acts 2, it was the history of the Jews. It was very similar in chapter 7 with the lesson of Stephen. However, the history of the Jews would not have been a profitable starting place. Instead, Paul started with the idolatry of the people of Corinth. He didn’t blast away at the idolatrous beliefs, but instead was able to us their statue to the “Unknown god” to open the door for teaching.
Paul taught them about this unknown god, and related that to Jehovah. He was the God that they were missing! He was the one that made the world, and everything in it. He was the One that didn’t need their worship in order to exist. You see, if they stopped worshipping their gods, then they ceased to exist. If no one worshipped Jehovah, He would still be there…our worship or lack thereof does not impact the existence of God at all!
Paul was able to teach this group of people about God, and what they needed to do to be pleasing to Christ by starting at the unlikely point of idolatrous worship. It is amazing what opportunities might be open to us if we will just keep our eyes open. Paul was able to show these people that their idolatry was not acceptable, and yet use that same idolatry to teach them the truth. This method was obviously successful, as there were several who listened and obeyed. There were others who were willing to come back and listen to Paul at a later date.
We don’t have much idolatry per se in our society today. But, there are a lot of people who are serving the “Unknown god.” They don’t know about the true Jehovah, even though they are a part of a “Christian religion.” We have the opportunity to start with the religion that they do know, and relate to them the truth of the Gospel message. Let’s teach the world about the “unknown god”!
Week 5, Day 1
Today’s Reading: Acts 17-18
Some thoughts from Friday’s reading…
There is a sequence found in Acts 15 and 16 that I have always found to be very interesting. All of chapter 15 deals with the apostles straightening out a problem that had arisen in the early church. The Jewish Christians were trying to force Gentiles to be circumcised as a part of the process for their salvation. Of course, that was not a part of the plan of salvation, and the apostles opposed this teaching. In fact, we are told that Paul and Barnabas “had no small dissension and dispute” with those who were teaching this false doctrine. That means they were willing to argue and debate about it, until the truth was established. Even when they went up to Jerusalem, they were working diligently along with Peter and James to establish the truth of matter. Gentiles had to obey the gospel in the same way as the Jews. They didn’t have to become proselytes first, and then become Christians. A lot of time and effort was put into making it clear that Gentiles didn’t have to be cirucumcised to be saved.
However, in chapter 16, Paul met up with Timothy and decided that he wanted Timothy to go with him in the work. Because Timothy’s father was a Greek, Paul had Timothy circumcised. Why would he do that after just spending so much time defending the truth–that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised? Paul had Timothy circumcised so that he could be more effective in teaching those who were of a Jewish background. He didn’t have to do this to be saved, but rather to have a good influence on those he was trying to teach.
This context brings forth an important point. This was an issue that had a right and a wrong answer. The right answer was that a person did not have to be circumcised to be saved. However, the act of being circumcised was not in and of itself wrong. Whether one was circumcised or not circumcised did not matter at all to God. But, those who taught that a person had to be circumcised had to be stopped. They were adding something to God’s plan, and therefore were teaching what Paul called in Galatians 1, a “perverted gospel.”
This tells us that there are some things that can be treated differently, depending on the circumstances. There may be something that is ok for us to do, but we cannot force others to do it or not to do it. Romans 14 deals with several issues that fall into this category. For example, it is perfectly fine for us to eat meat. It is also acceptable if we choose to not eat meat. However, if one tries to teach that it is sinful to eat meat, or sinful to not eat meat, they must be stopped.
This also illustrates a point that Paul was making in 1 Corinthians 9:
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.
–1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Paul had Timothy circumcised for this very reason. He became what was necessary to have an impact on his audience. This principle only applies to things that do not involve sin. But, this illustrates just how far Paul and Timothy were willing to go to have the greatest impact on those they were teaching. They became “all things to all men.”
Week 4, Day 5
Today’s Reading: Acts 15-16
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
There is an account in Acts 14 that shows us just how fast things can change. We see Paul and Barnabas in verses 8-18 being praised, even to the point of being worshiped. They had to restrain the crowd from bowing down to them, and even offering sacrifice to them. In a way, this had to be a high for them, as they were being accepted for the works that they were performing. Of course, the problem was that they were trying to do something that was not permitted, and not desired by Paul and Barnabas.
But, the whole scene changed when some of the Jews from Antioch and Iconium came down to Lystra and began stirring the people up against Paul. Instead of wanting to worship Paul and Barnabas, they then wanted to kill them. In fact, Paul was very close to being killed. He was stoned and dragged outside of the city, and left for dead.
There had to be many ups and downs in Paul’s life. We can see many trials and tribulations that Paul had to go through in his life. But we also see some great successes. What we can see, and learn from Paul’s life is that he never allowed either to affect him too much. He was always looking forward to what he could be doing. He was also always looking forward to the ultimate goal. That is what we should be doing as Christians as well. Keep your eyes on the goal of heaven, and don’t let the highs or the lows affect you too much. Enjoy the good times, and grow through the trials. But, always press on through both.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
–Philippians 3:13-14
Week 4, Day 4
Today’s Reading: Acts 13-14
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Chapter 12 of Acts shows us King Herod, and a lot about his personality. In the first part of chapter 12, we see that Herod was determined to appease the Jews, even if that meant taking the life of a man who had done him (or the Jews) no wrong. James was the first of the apostles (at least as recoreded for us) who was martyered for the cause of Christ. But, Herod was determined to do away with some of the others as well, since it made the Jews happy. So, he arrested Peter, and determined to put him to death as well.
In verse 19, we see that Herod also would not tolerate those who had some role in his will not being carried out. The guards, who had been chained to Peter prior to his release by an angel, we executed because they had allowed Peter to escape. Of course, there was nothing that these men could have done to stop this from happening, but Herod was not going to show any mercy to them. It should probably be pointed out that this would have been the standard punishment for a guard who let his prisoner escape. However, under these circumstances, it seems that Herod (if he believed them) could have shown some mercy. There is some question (at least in my mind) as to whether these guards even knew what had happened to them. Peter himself did not know what was happening until he was out of the prison, and had been left in the street by the angel. Whatever the circumstance, it is clear that Herod was not a merciful man.
Finally, in verses 20-23 we get a real view of the character of Herod. He was an arrogant man, who allowed the people to flatter him, and even praise him as “the voice of a god and not of a man!” Obviously, he was allowing this praise to affect him, as he was unwilling to stop such blasphemous sayings. Because he did not give God the glory, he was struck dead by an angel of the Lord, and was eaten by worms. Most likely, Herod was indeed very articulate, and very eloquent. That is not what the problem was. In fact, the problem was that he did not give God the glory for the talents that he had! He put his confidence in himself, and was arrogant about his own abilities. He allowed the people to treat him in a way that he never should have. As a consequence, he was punished with death.
There are many lessons that we can learn from Kind Herod. First, we can learn that we ought not do things just to please other people. Herod’s actions at the beginning of chapter 12 were obviously sinful, as he was putting innocent people to death. But, he did that just to please the Jews, and make them like and accept him. If we make decisions in life just to please other people, we will also end up doing the wrong things. We must do what is right, regardless of how others respond to it!
Secondly, we shoudl learn that we need to be merciful people. Mercy is one of the greatest characteristics of God. If we are going to be like Him, then we must adopt his characteristics. We are not going to be in a position to say who lives or dies, but we have opportunities all the time to be merciful to those around us. When someone hurts us in some way, or sins against us, we can forgive them. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that God links his forgiveness to our willingness to forgive others. He will be merciful to us, if we will be merciful to others around us.
Finally, we should learn that we cannot be arrogant and still be pleasing to God. God has given each one of us talents in this life. He expects for us to use those talents, but He also expects us to give Him the glory. There is nothing that we can do in and of ourselves. We are blessed by God to have the talents that He has given. We should remember the account of Herod when someone praises our abilities. Give God the glory for all that you can do!
Week 4, Day 3
Today’s Reading: Acts 11-12
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
How many times have we heard that Saul was saved “on the road to Damascus?” Most of the religious world would make the argument that when Saul saw the bright light, and was spoken to by Jesus, he was saved. But, that is not what we find in this passage. If we look at Acts chapter 9, we see that Saul was told in verse 6 that he was to go into the city, and there he would be told “what [he] must do.” If he was saved, then why would have to do anything else? Of course, the answer is that he would not!
Once Saul arrived in the city, he had to wait for 3 days for Ananias to come to him. During that time, Saul neither ate nor drank anything. This is probably indicative of the practice of fasting–a task that was entered upon when a person was focused more on spiritual matters than they were physical. For this reason fasting and prayer were connected, and it would not be surprising if Saul was involved deeply in prayer during this period of time. At the very least, we know that Saul had developed a belief in Jesus, and was willing to wait to see what it was that was required of him. At this point, Saul was still not saved!
Finally, Ananias came to Saul, and instructed him in the way of the Lord. As Paul is reciting this account in chapter 22, he tells us that Ananias told him that he needed to be baptized. We see the aftermath of this in chapter 9, by the fact that Saul was baptized after talking with Ananias. This was what he “must do.” Jesus said he would be told what he had to do, and being baptized is what Ananias told him to do! This was the point at which Saul was saved. It was not when he saw Jesus. It was not when he believed. It was not when he prayed. It was not when he fasted. It was when he submitted to what he was commanded to do–be baptized into Christ!
Nothing has changed in the last 2000 years. We still are required to be obedient to Christ. We cannot be saved, without first being baptized into Christ. We must listen to what we “must do”, else we have no hope when this life is over!