BIBLE READING: Acts 14

“When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples…” (Acts 14.21-22a)

Paul liked to revisit places he had already been. Together with Barnabas, their journeys helped the church to grow tremendously. But given the events of Acts 13-14, their return to these cities was unexpected.

In Antioch, the leading men and women ran them out of town for preaching the gospel (Acts 13.50). In Iconium, the city was divided about them, and an attempt was made on their lives (Acts 14.4-5). They fled to Lystra where the people treated them like gods (Acts 14.8-18)... until the folks from Antioch and Iconium showed and incited the people. Paul been dragged out of Lystra, stoned, and left for dead (Acts 14.19); and almost immediately he went back to all those place. Why in the world would he go back?

Paul could have avoided these places and moved along, but he cared about these brethren. His choice to come back to their city after being treated the way he had and seek them out spoke volumes to his love and his faith.

A display of resolute strength is the face of adversity is powerful. I recently had a conversation with my uncle, who suffered for months in the hospital through a double lung transplant. He has been at death’s door on multiple occasions. But he only wanted to tell me how it changed his faith. He gave glory to God for the experience because it has brought him to greater trust. Faith that is tested offers a powerful testimony to other believers.   

Your attitude in difficult situations has the potential to inspire determination in others. Your persistence may encourage someone who wants to give up. Paul didn’t return complaining about what happened, but he didn’t try to hide it either. He was persecuted for what he did and taught. This was part of being a follower of Jesus. When he came back this was his message (14.22b). Paul sometimes struggled with what he suffered. At one point he was nearly driven to despair (2 Corinthians 1.8-9); but he never lost sight of whom he trusted (2 Timothy 1.12). He found peace and contentment in the promises of God (Philippians 4.10-13), and he shared that freely with other believers.

We will all have difficult seasons. It’s important we share that with each other—we’ve all been through tough times . Like Paul, let’s determine to seek out other believers to lean on and find encouragement. But we need to remember that how we carry ourselves matters. We can give into despair, or we can dig into our faith. God has designed the church to bear one another’s burdens, but we must all make a commitment to trust him. A church united in this trust is a powerful source of strength to all involved.

“…with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” (Acts 14.23b)

BIBLE READING: Acts 9

“…Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9.1-2)

Saul was public enemy #1 to these early Christians. His authority and actions drove fear into the new Christian community (Acts 9.1, 13-14). These were fragile times for believers in Jesus and Saul had potential to crush the whole movement.

Given the events of Acts 5 you might have expected God to handle Saul decisively. But instead, how did God deal with Saul? He repurposed Saul for His work and glory. “He is a chosen instrument of mine,” God told Ananias (Acts 9.15). Following Jesus’ appearance to Saul on the road to Damascus, Saul made a dramatic about-face that no one expected. “…immediately he proclaimed Jesus, saying, “He is the Son of God.”” (Acts 9.20)

This came as a shock to everyone (Acts 9.21). Even when God told Ananias his plans, he was skeptical and uncomfortable (Acts 9.13-14). Given Saul’s deep ties among the religious leaders and recent actions (see Acts 8.1, 9.1-2), no one could have predicted what Saul would become. But God knew how useful he would make Saul for the kingdom. This is Saul’s (Paul) testimony to others. He would give no pretense about who he once was or why he changed. He gave all credit to God’s grace, mercy and patience (1 Timothy 1.12-16).

We all have a past and some of it we’re not proud of. There are some of you who may not want to talk about your past. You are embarrassed about who you were and what you have done. But somewhere along the way you heard the gospel and it changed you. Look at what God has done with you; think about how God has changed you. For many of us, the people we are today has nothing to do with what I wanted and everything to do with the power of the gospel and what God has done in me.

The story of Saul reminds us that God’s invitation is for anyone. God may be working in the lives of someone who doesn’t appear to care and may even be opposed to him at the moment (Romans 5.8). But the gospel makes enemies into family; Sinners into saints. The gospel is an invitation from God for every single person to be useful in his kingdom.

May we never forget the source of our change, but also the purpose God has for us. “We are a chosen race, royal priesthood, a people for God’s own possession, that we might proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2.9-10).” God’s calling is for us to be useful in the kingdom, as we introduce others to him. It is not our job to change people but simply to get them connected to Jesus. Sometimes we plant, sometimes we water, sometimes we simply put life events in the context of Jesus, as Ananias did (Acts 9.17). Whatever the case, we are useful when we open the door for God to be known and let him do his work.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1.16)

BIBLE READING: Acts 3

“And a man lame from birth was being carried, who they laid daily at the gate of the temple… And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.” (Acts 3.2, 4-5)

There is a reason in our digital age, that the Girl Scouts continue to sell cookies face-to-face. Having to look those girls in the eyes makes their message more real and relevant to you. They are asking you not just to buy cookies but to invest in them. The Girl Scouts have run one of the most successful direct to consumer businesses in my lifetime simply because they recognize the value of personal interaction.

We live in a world where kiosks are replacing cashiers, social media is replacing true social interactions, and many people just don’t want to be bothered by the anxiety talking to another person. Besides that, Covid has complicated social exchanges altogether. What this means for us is that opportunities to connect with people are becoming more and more scarce. It has become easier to accept this norm rather than step up to the call of the gospel.

But we must not shrink back or give up. In fact, now, more than ever, is when we need to be connecting with others and pointing them to Jesus. But how do we reconnect with people in an increasingly disconnected world?

Notice how Peter turned this potentially awkward moment into a real social connection. He looked this man in the eyes and acknowledged his situation. Surely it would have been easier to just walk on by. This man had been there every day, and I’m sure many others passed by without a thought. But Peter and John stopped. They looked at him and had a conversation. They let him know he mattered.

Choosing to engage someone you don’t know is probably the hardest part of evangelism for most of us. But did you notice it doesn’t have to be a big deal? Peter didn’t lead off with some deep theological question or force himself into this man’s life; he simply acknowledged him. We can’t fix everyone’s problems, but we can show compassion and concern for everyone. Certainly, God has done that for us (John 3.16; Romans 5.5-10)!

More than anything this episode teaches us the personal nature of the gospel. The good news cannot be communicated unless God’s people do so (Romans 10.14-17). We live in a world of people in need. They are our friends, neighbors, people we see regularly at coffee shops, people we see at events we go to, maybe even people in our own family. We may not be able to meet their immediate needs, but because of the power of the gospel, we can give them what they truly need. But we have to take the first step and engage people with compassion and love for their souls.

“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4.19)

BIBLE READING: Luke 22-23

Jesus was betrayed by a follower he handpicked, denied by one of his closest friends and abandoned by all. He was accosted by a cowardly religious cohort, mocked him and accused of the very thing he wanted them to see: he was the Son of God (Luke 22.70). They brought false charges against him to the highest officials. Even these men, who had weak moral compasses, saw the injustice, but failed to act with conviction (23.3-25).

I do not have the words to properly capture the drama and horror of Jesus’ death. As I read through the final chapters of Luke, I was frustrated with the insincerity and ambivalence of so many. I was saddened by the loneliness he must have felt. To see how something so ugly could be done to someone that was clearly innocent was disturbing and unsettling.

And Jesus endured it all. “Like a lamb led to the slaughter… he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53.7). He didn’t fight it, but continually entrusted himself to God, ultimately committing his spirit into God’s hands (Luke 23.46).

Jesus had no romanticized ideas about God’s work for him. Doing the Father’s will was hard. It was not what felt right to him. It was not even what we wanted to do. In agony and earnest, he struggled with his feelings, ultimately finding peace in the plans of God (Luke 22.42-44).

We must appreciate the agony Jesus endured for our sins. We need to walk the path to Calvary with him, realizing he knew exactly where it was taking him. We need to feel the gut-wrenching struggle of knowing he was innocent and yet allowing the wicked to have their way. What determination he had to keep from saying the word and having 12 legions of angels save him!

We must see how purposeful Jesus was in these moments and empowered he was by the will of God. His choices go deeper than mere morality and goodness – they express resolve to accomplish something of lasting value. That’s exactly what he did, but it came at the ultimate cost.

In retrospect, his moments of suffering occurred as a blip in history. But the result has forever changed the lives of every person. “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations…” (Luke 24.46-47). And that’s why he did it.

We come to Jesus looking for forgiveness. We come looking for a way to live. We come looking for hope and determination and purpose. And he offers all those things. He sets our lives on a different path that often includes struggle and suffering, but that serve to align us with the will of God. Sometimes it is hard, but we should “consider that sufferings of this present life are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8.18).

Let us learn to walk with Jesus every day, in every season, with the determination to do the Father’s will at all cost.

BIBLE READING: Luke 16

“There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ (Luke 16.1-2)

Things don’t end well for this manager; but before dismissal, he makes shrewd choices to reposition himself in the good graces of the master and others. He calls his master’s debtors and makes them a deal to recoup some of the debt (16.7). His choices even impress his master (16.8).

The nuances of this parable are difficult to decipher, but a clear point is made regarding stewardship. The master would not allow this dishonest manager to waste his possessions or continue operating under his name. When called to account, we see a glimpse of what the master expected from his manager all along.  

Jesus concludes this parable with some principles we must remember as we go through life.  

The principle of ownership. Luke 16.12 plainly states that we are handling someone else’s stuff in hopes of one day having our own. The psalmist reminds us “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24.1). Our money, our possessions, our children and families, our jobs, even our own bodies and lives do not belong to us. We might be tempted to say: “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me” (Deuteronomy 8.17). But Deuteronomy 8:18 counsels us to think otherwise: “Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

The principle of responsibility. The manager couldn’t just do what he wanted with the master’s possessions. His wastefulness was an affront to the master and was addressed plainly. In the same way, we must understand our responsibility in this life. Remember Jesus’ statement in Mark 12.17: “render to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and to God the things which are God’s”? What things are God’s? We know. We belong to the Lord and should steward everything, even our own lives, in ways that benefit him.

The principle of accountability. God always gives with expectation. Think Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25.14-30; Luke 19.11-2). He’s going to come looking for growth and stewardship. He’s going to expect we are thoughtfully handling the things put into our care. If you were called to account for how you’ve handled your finances and your family, would God find you faithful? If asked how you’ve used the talents he has entrusted, would you be found benefitting the Master’s cause?

The principle of reward. Jesus drives towards a clear hope for all: that God would give us true riches for our faithfulness. This is what he has promised. We all should long to hear the master say what he exclaims in Matthew 25:21: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

We need to be faithful stewards of all God has given us within the opportunities presented through his providence to glorify him, serve the common good and further his Kingdom.