Devotionary

Enthusiasm can be a wonderful thing. It can produce some pretty incredible outcomes when applied in a positive way. But enthusiasm can also lead to wrong outcomes when it is motivated by misguided or mistaken conclusions. In today’s episode, based on Acts 21:37-22:5, we’re going to hear the apostle Paul use his own life as a testimony to that fact. Before coming to faith in Christ, Paul had been a devout Pharisee who had been on a personal mission to eradicate the world of Christians. And according to him, he thought he was doing it for God. In fact, he describes his enthusiasm as zealousness. He was a highly motivated, extremely dedicated persecutor of the Way. Nothing and no one was going to stand in his way or prevent him from accomplishing his mission of mayhem. If ever there was a case of misdirected zeal, it was this man-on-a-mission known at the time as Saul. But something happened that changed not only Saul’s mindset, but his entire life’s focus. He came to discover that he had been enthusiastically w

Paul was back in Jerusalem, where he found himself taking part in a cleansing ceremony along with four other Jewish men. They were completing a vow they had made to God, and James had suggested that Paul join them, in order to convince the Jews that he was still a God-fearing, law-abiding Jew. In Acts 21:27-36, Luke provides us with an up-close-and-personal glimpse into the growing resentment that the Jews harbored against Paul. They saw him as a threat. Even believing Jews, who had placed their faith in Christ, found Paul to be a less-than-attractive character. To them, Paul was little more than a heretic who was out to destroy Judaism. After all, he had just returned from his latest missionary journey, where he had been, according to rumors, speaking out against Judaism. They had heard that Paul was trying to convince Jews to avoid the Mosaic Law and to stop circumcising their infant sons. None of it was true, but that didn’t seem to matter. What Paul was experiencing was the pushback that comes with the fa

Wherever there are people, there will be conflicts. And that reality was true of the body of Christ in the 1st-Century. As the church continued to grow, so did the potential for disagreement and disunity, because the church was being formed out of a disparate mix of people from all walks of life and every conceivable religious and racial background. There were Jews who had come to faith in Christ who were natives of Israel and Jews who had been converted to Judaism out of paganism and then had become Christians. There were Gentiles of every imaginable stripe, from Greece and Rome to Asia and Galatia. They spoke a variety of languages and brought a diverse blend of social, ecclesiological, and political baggage along with them. And one of the major point of conflict the church would face in the first centuries of its existence was the one that loomed large between the Jewish believers and their Gentile counterparts. God-fearing, law-keeping Jews who had come to faith in Christ were adamant that Christianity wa

All of us want to know the will of God. But when His will doesn’t mirror ours, we can find ourselves in a quandary. Do we accept His will even though we don’t like it? Do we question whether it really is His will? And do we consider disobeying it if we decide it’s something we would prefer not to do? The apostle Paul faced this dilemma. Well, if the truth be told, it wasn’t so much him, as it was his well-meaning Christian friends who found the will of God for Paul’s life, as revealed by the Spirit of God, to be hard to comprehend and accept. But Paul would remain resolute and committed to the will of God for his life, even when it wasn’t exactly pleasant. In Acts 21:1-16, Luke begins his description of Paul’s journey to Jerusalem, where, according to a vision from the Holy Spirit, Paul will face suffering and persecution for the sake of the gospel. But rather than resist or recoil from such news, Paul accepted it as God’s will and set his mind to go exactly where the Spirit had told him to go. And as he made

Every believer in Christ is only given so much time on this earth. And God is the one who knows the length of our days. In fact, in the midst of all his loss, suffering and sorrow, was well aware of that fact, stating, “You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer” (Job 14:5 NLT). Paul understood the brevity of life and the sovereign control that God maintains over the lives of all men. Which is why he was determined to prepare leaders to take his place when his predetermined time on earth came to an end. Raising up and training new leadership was a constant focus for Paul. And in Acts 20:28-38, as Paul makes his way to Jerusalem, not knowing what awaits him there, he calls the elders from the church in Ephesus and imparts to them some last-minute counsel and encouragement. He wanted these men to take their role seriously and to live their lives soberly, fully embracing the cost of their calling and the vital importance of their position

The Christian life can be difficult at times. We can encounter situations and circumstances that make living out our faith more than a bit tricky and trying. And no one knew that better than Paul. Ever since his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul had experienced a litany of faith-testing difficulties, all the way from verbal assault to stoning. He had been falsely accused, beaten with rods, flogged with a whip, and repeatedly forced to flee for his life. And in Acts 20:13-27, Luke will begin to chronicle Paul’s efforts to make his way to Jerusalem, where he knows suffering awaits him. He had been informed of his fate by the Spirit of God and warned by his friends not to go. But Paul was determined to do what he felt compelled by the Spirit of God to do – in spite of potential suffering and even with the distinct possibility of death looming on the horizon. Paul refused to shrink back from the difficulties of life. He would not run from the commission given to him by Jesus. If death was his lot, he trust

When God works in or around your life, do you find yourself shocked or surprised? If something out-of-the-ordinary or totally inexplicable takes place, are you prone to write it off as strange or do you immediately give God the credit? We live in a day and age when the miraculous seems ludicrous. The supernatural is dismissed as impossible or, at best, improbable. But as we read through the Book of Acts, we see miracle after miracle take place. Blind people have their sight restored. Individuals who have been unable to walk their entire lives, suddenly discover they can walk and run. And the further we delve into Luke account of the growth of the church, we see a certain expectation being exhibited by those in the church. Their shock over the unexpected taking place in their midst clearly dissipates as the miraculous became more commonplace. And in today’s episode, based on acts 20:7-12, Luke provides us with a look into a truly remarkable story of the death of Eutychus. This young follower of Christ fell asl

Do you have any spiritual progeny? Can you claim any sons and daughters in the faith whom you have helped to raise in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Many of us have biological children, and we have a responsibility to point them toward Christ and to mirror the love of Christ in front of them. But we also have a God-given charge to make disciples. And that commission, given to us by Jesus Christ Himself, goes far beyond the initial point of conversion. We are to see to it that our children in the faith grow in their faith. We are to lovingly push them towards maturity and encourage them to take up their cross daily and follow Christ. One of the things we learn about the apostle Paul, as we examine his life in the Book of Acts, is that he had a passionate desire to see people come to faith, but an equally intense desire to see them grow spiritually. In Acts 20:1-6, Luke is going to introduce us to seven men whose lives had been influenced by Paul. They were his disciples, his sons in faith. We know lit

When we talk about salvation, we tend to address it in terms of the impact it has had on the life of the individual for whom faith in Christ has become a reality. We discuss how it brings about life change and results in a new way of living marked by behavioral transformation. But it’s interesting how often Luke describes the end result of salvation in terms of its group impact and communal influence. As we open up Acts 19:21-41, we are going to see the apostle Paul preaching and teaching in the city of Ephesus. And his efforts would not go unrewarded. There would be many who came to faith in Christ and, as we will see, these new believers began to have a powerful impact on the rest of the community. So much so, that the local idol trade had been negatively impacted. People were placing their faith in Christ and recognizing the illogical and unhelpful role that pagan, lifeless gods played in their daily lives. People were discovering Christ and, at the same time, realizing that the hope they had placed in the

Christianity is meant to be life-changing. It is not a religion to be practiced, but a radical new way of life, empowered by the Spirit of God, and intended to be lived out in the sight of a lost and dying world. In the early days of the church, as the gospel continued to spread, many people were coming to faith in Christ and experiencing the redemptive, transformative power of the Spirit of God as He regenerated their hearts and began the process of molding them into the likeness of Christ. In Acts 19:8-20, Luke provides us with a glimpse into the gospel’s life-changing capacity by revealing the impact it had on the people of Ephesus. This was a town with a reputation for witchcraft and sorcery, much of which was directly tied to demonic activity. So, when Paul began to proclaim the availability of new life in Christ made possible by His sacrificial death on the cross, people not only placed their faith in Christ, they underwent dramatic transformations, resulting in behavioral change that was visible and me

We know that Jesus Christ came in order that we might have new life, eternal life. But also, life marked by a radically new way of living. It is said that, upon salvation, we receive new natures. We are new creations. The old has gone and the new has come. But what makes all this possible? It’s the Spirit of God who comes to dwell within us as the point we place our faith in Christ. In Acts 19:1-7, Paul will encounter some disciples of John the Baptist who had not yet experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In fact, they didn’t even know who the Holy Spirit was. They had believed in Jesus, but had not yet been filled with the Spirit. But all that was about to change. Not only would Paul baptize them in water in the name of Jesus, he would lay his hands upon them so that they could receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And at that point, they would receive the power they needed to live truly repentant lives. Rather than trying to live radically different lives in their own limited strength, they would re

With the growth of the church and the spread of the gospel around the world, the need for additional ministers and messengers increased exponentially. Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and the apostles could only be in so many places at one time. And there were many more places where the gospel had yet to be proclaimed. But God was not going to allow the gospel to be bogged down by limited numbers of missionaries. He would simply raise up new ones. And in Acts 18:18-28, we see him raise up a gifted young man named Apollos. He would prove to be a gifted communicator, but would need input and discipleship from Aquila and Priscilla. God calls, but God also equips. He raises up men and women to communicate the good news regarding His Son, but he surrounds them with competent individuals who can step in alongside them, providing much-needed training and, if necessary, reproof. There was going to come a day when Paul’s mission would be seemingly derailed by imprisonment. He would spend two years under Roman custody in Caesare

In Acts 18:12-19, Paul will attempt to give his defense to the Roman proconsul, Gallio, refuting the false accusations of the Jews. But before he can get a word out, Gallio will shut down the proceedings, refusing to hear what he deems to be the internal squabbles of the Jews. He has neither the time or interest to listen to what they have to say, instead, kicking them out of his court and allowing Paul to walk free and get back to his business of sharing the gospel. All Paul had been guilty of doing was attempting to persuade the people of Corinth to believe in God and His offer of salvation made possible through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. The Jews were not interested. At least some of them. They saw Paul as a heretic and a nuisance. And they had hoped to persuade the Roman government to see him as a dangerous troublemaker and a potential threat to the Roman way of life. But Gallio actually found them to be more irritating than Paul. And what we need to see in all of this is the sovereign

When the pressure picked up, Paul seemed more compelled to speak up. He wasn’t some kind of shrinking violet who backed down at the slightest sign of opposition. He was a determined individual with a stubborn streak that had been redeemed by the Holy Spirit. No one was going to shut Paul up or keep him from doing what he had been called and commissioned to do. And in Acts 18:1-11 we are going to get a glimpse of Paul boldly proclaiming the gospel in the face of mounting opposition and increasing hostility on the part of the Jews and the Gentiles. While he was seeing many people come to faith in Christ, he was also experiencing intense resentment to those who opposed his message. And Paul was learning the invaluable lesson that there comes a time when sharing the gospel become nothing more than casting pearls before swine. There were those who were never going to listen and who would never embrace the free gift of God’s grace made available through His Son. While Paul had a deep desire to see his fellow Jews c

Paul got his opportunity to share about the gospel in front of a sophisticated gathering of philosophers and great thinkers. These men had asked Paul to come and tell them more about this foreign deity of his. From their perspective, Paul was teaching something new, something they hadn’t heard before, which piqued their interest. They had described Paul’s message regarding Jesus and the gospel as a strange thing and they wanted to hear more. In Acts 17:22-34, we have Paul’s address to the council of the Areopagus. It could have been easy for him to be a bit intimidated by the sheer number of philosophers and great thinkers in the room. But Paul was at ease, a man in his element. He had received his theological education from one of the best: Gamaliel, considered a leading rabbi and teacher in Israel. He had also been trained as a Pharisee, and had a strong understanding of the Mosaic law. Paul was no slouch. He had the credentials and indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. So, he was not out of his element

You may recall the 1939 movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring Jimmy Stewart in the title role. In the movie, Mr. Smith, a relatively naïve and recently appointed United States Senator finds himself emmersed in the corruption-filled context of Washington power politics. He is a fish out of water, an innocent lamb surrounded by vicious wolves. Mr. Smith is appointed because he is seen as an easy to manipulate stooge who won’t rock the proverbial boat or cause any waves. But he would prove them wrong. In a way, Acts 17:10-21 reveals Paul in a similar vain. But he is far from naïve and anything but a stooge. Paul is a powerful proponent of the gospel and a formidable adversary for any who would stand against it. Even when he finds himself alone in the big city of Athens, surrounded by false gods and pagan philosophers who spend their days debating and discussing, he is anything but overwhelmed. In fact, he is in his element, seizing the opportunity to discuss the truth of the gospel with those who had a p

Radical. Revolutionary. Those are terms we rarely hear used in conjunction with Christianity. Perhaps there are certain third-world countries or places governed by dictatorial or communistic regimes where Christians are still viewed in such terms, but not here in the west. If anything, we’re seen as archaic and old-fashioned, throwbacks to an earlier, more repressive era when people were less educated and enlightened. But in the 1st-Century, when Christianity was still in its infancy, the followers of Jesus were seen as both radical and revolutionary. They were troublemakers who the Jews saw as threats to their way of life and the Romans viewed as disturbers of the peace. While Paul, Silas, Peter, and the other apostles were seeing God move in incredible ways, transforming the lives of countless individuals through the message of the gospel, the opposition was growing and intensifying. All because the light of the truth of God’s grace was shining into the dark recesses of a sin-filled world. In Acts 17:1-9, w

The Book of Acts is full of fantastic, almost unrealistic stories, and Acts 16:25-40 is no exception. In this passage, we have Luke retelling of Paul and Silas being miraculously released from prison by a huge earthquake. Actually, they don’t really get released. They simply have their chains fall off and the doors of their prison cells inexplicably unlocked. But what makes the story so incredible is that they weren’t the ones to get set free. That distinction goes to the keeper of the prison, who came to faith in Jesus Christ because of what happened that night. He was set free from his captivity to sin and released from the death sentence that hovered over his head like a sword. The captor became the freed man. Sometimes we wonder why God allows us to go through difficulties or experience circumstances that are less-than-ideal. But we never know what God has up His sleeve. We have no way of knowing what he may have planned and how He is going to use what appears to be a negative situation and use it to acco

You’re probably familiar with the term, “The devil is in the details.” It is an idiom used to refer to those seemingly small and, often overlooked, aspects of our plans that can end up causing us serious problems later on. It is those unseen or unnoticed elements that can come back to bite us. But in Acts 16:11-24, we are going to see how God is the deity in the details. He is intimately involved in many of those seemingly small and insignificant parts of our lives that appear to be nothing more than luck or chance. For Paul and Silas, God was constantly arranging the details of their days, placing them in situations where they could be used by Him and His power could be displayed through them. There were no chance encounters. Every situation had the divine fingerprints of God all over it. And while Paul and Silas may not have immediately seen God’s presence or sovereign hand in every instant, they were always able to look back and recognize His divine oversight and providential role. Far too often, we fail t

It’s so easy to see life as just some random collection of isolated and unrelated events. Even as believers, we can be lulled into a false sense that everything we encounter in life is nothing more than a byproduct of chance of fate. But as we read the account of Luke, recorded in the Book of Acts, we can’t help but see the underlying handiwork of God, orchestrating the lives of the characters and directing the affairs of their lives in such a way that His will is perfectly accomplished. In Acts 16:1-10, we have Luke’s account of Paul meeting Timothy for the first time. And, as usual, his retelling of the event tends to come across as just another chance encounter. When Paul arrived in Lystra, Timothy just happened to be there. And this young man, who had come to faith in Christ, in part because of the influence of his mother and grandmother, made an impression on Paul. So much so, that he would become his traveling companion and protégé. The encounter between these two men was anything but luck. It was the d