For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Romans 1:18
Where the Acts of the Apostles is an account by Luke of the Holy Spirit partnering with the first Christians for the initial spread of Christianity, the books that follow in the Bible are letters to people and churches, many that were part of that account in Acts. First up, Paul’s letter to Rome. Paul begins with a bold thesis to the Gospel message which he lays out so beautifully in his letter to the Romans: “For I am NOT ASHAMED of the GOSPEL, for it is the POWER of God for SALVATION to EVERYONE who BELIEVES, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16) The righteousness of God is given to the sinner – to us – who put our FAITH in Jesus. The wrath of God we deserved was taken by Jesus on the cross. It’s a hard and humbling thing to admit we need a savior. However, as Bible commentator Leon Morris says, “Unless there is something to be saved from, there is no point in talking about salvation.” If we don’t think we are sinners in need of a Savior – if we think we can fix ourselves or we are “good enough” – we will never fully embrace or appreciate what Jesus did for us. We can love Bible study and Jesus, but often not quite grasp our desperate NEED for Him outside of making our daily trials a little easier to endure and hopefully getting a golden ticket into heaven. But it is so much more than that. We need His cleansing. We need His righteousness. Jesus came to die for our sins. He came to take a wrath we deserved and could not bear. And not only that, He gave us His righteousness, making us pure and able to approach God. As believers who put our faith in Jesus, when God looks at us, He sees Jesus. This is the Gospel. Questions: Do you believe you are a sinner in need of a Savior? Are you ever ashamed of the Gospel? In unfavorable circles, have you ever shied away from it?
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He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. Acts 28:30-31
In this last portion of Luke’s letter we call Acts, Paul and his 276 traveling companions arrive safely on an island called Malta, and after three months of waiting out the winter weather and witnessing miraculous healings, they continue their journey. At last, Paul arrives in Rome! Many Christians warmly greet him, some even traveling great distances to do so – Christians who Paul wrote a letter to a few years earlier. Paul is permitted to live by himself chained to the soldier guarding him while he awaits his trial before Caesar. Great numbers come to his place of house arrest to hear his message. From morning till evening, he speaks to the Jews first about the Kingdom of God and persuading them concerning Jesus from Moses and the prophets. Some were convinced, but others disbelieved. A recurring theme. We are left wanting more. Paul is finally in Rome…what happens? How did his trial before Caesar go? Why the abrupt ending? The truth is, Acts wasn’t about Peter or Paul. Acts is about the charge of Jesus to, ”be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) It is about the Holy Spirit moving in the lives of believers to spread the Gospel. And this ending was just the beginning of those to follow. This ending is OUR beginning. The Gospel has yet to reach the ends of the earth…we still have work to do. We are part of God’s story, and our charge is every bit as important as Paul’s. Challenge: What if instead of simply reading the Bible as an account of church history or instructions on how to live, we stepped into the story and became part of it? In our big or small spheres of influence, we too have a role and a Gospel to spread. Let us do so without hindrance and with the same faith, boldness, and determination of Paul. What would this look like in your life? So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. Acts 27:25
How does Paul have such strong faith after being rejected countless times, stoned nearly to death, beaten, in prison unjustly for over two years, and now stuck at sea in a storm without food for two weeks? How can we keep going during our storms? When our minds are messing with us. When the depression is unbearable. When that prodigal child slips deeper and deeper into destruction. When the healing doesn’t come. When our circumstances never seem to change. How can we, like Paul, have the peace of God and the assurance of His love, protection, provision when outwardly everything is a mess? “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8 The only thing I know is to get as near to God as we can. To position ourselves to feel His presence. To crawl under His wings. And though things don’t necessarily get better or go away, we know we aren’t alone. We let Him carry our burdens and lighten our load. We just know He is near. And we beg Him to open our eyes to the doors He is opening for us to walk through in this season of our life and trials. We trust His direction and leading. And we obey. We do what He says. Because He alone is the source of all things good and whole. And with Him beside us, we will get through the fires of life. This is Paul’s journey. His life was far from easy. His circumstances were more often unfavorable. He suffered immensely. But he always drew near to God, and he always knew God was near. He positioned himself to hear and feel and see God. And though sometimes afraid, knowing God was right beside him gave Paul what he needed for each next step. Challenge: If you or someone you love is suffering today, pray that God feels so intimately close today. That you so powerfully feel His love and protection over you, even in the eye of the storm; that you experience peace – even in the trial. Write in your journal, “Take heart, soul, for I have faith in God…I know He is with me and He keeps His promises.” Then Agrippa said unto Paul, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Acts 26:28 (KJV)
Almost has to be one of the saddest words. Almost getting the promotion, the cure, the ring, the win, the prayed-for child, the thing. Almost. A little less than. Nearly. Short of the mark. Almost. Paul makes his case to King Agrippa. And though Agrippa is intrigued and likely even believes, he doesn’t go all the way. Instead, he walks away. The saddest almost of them all. He who is almost persuaded is almost saved, and to be almost saved is to be entirely lost. Time and again we are told there are two sides, two paths, two gates and you can’t almost be on one. There is no third middle group. It is eternal life or eternal suffering. A sheep or a goat. Agrippa was almost persuaded, but he wanted to keep living his sinful life. Agrippa was almost persuaded, but he didn’t want to look the fool like Festus thought of Paul. Agrippa was almost persuaded, but he was too proud to submit. Agrippa was almost persuaded, but he saw his life in pomp and Paul’s in chains. Who knows what was keeping Agrippa from going from almost to heck yes. Life after death for Agrippa will lack pomp, freedom, joy, goodness, peace, love…because of almost. How often does “almost” keep us striving to do things on our own without God. We almost find that joy. We almost find that peace. We almost are content. We feel like we are getting so close; we can see it and taste it. But the line keeps moving. There is always that one more thing that keeps joy, peace, contentment at bay. The only way is wholehearted full surrender. Are you almost or all in? Questions: Ask yourself these questions today… Am I almost in or am I all in? Is Jesus almost the Lord of my life? Am I almost surrendered? Am I almost submitting? Am I almost witnessing to those God has consistently nudged me to witness to? Pray for God to turn your almost into a yes. So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Acts 25:23
From a Roman prison, Paul is given the opportunity to make his case – make the Gospel case – to King Herod Agrippa II and Bernice (his sister and also his lover according to most historians). Herod Agrippa II, whose father Herod Agrippa I had the apostle James murdered. Herod Agrippa II, whose grandfather, Herod Antipas, had John the Baptist beheaded. Herod Agrippa II, whose great-grandfather, Herod the Great, had all the baby boys in and around Jerusalem killed in an attempt to kill Jesus. Agrippa and Bernice arrive with “great pomp” to question the prisoner Paul. Isn’t it interesting how from our vantage point we can clearly see the insignificance of the “great pomp” Agrippa was so proud to walk in? Earthy power is fleeting. The great-grandson of the one who tried to kill the infant Jesus is hearing of Jesus the Messiah, and Paul GETS to be the one to deliver it. Though circumstances look bleak, God is sovereignly working to grant Paul an audience with the most influential Roman and Israelite leaders of the day to share the Gospel. Steven Cole says, “Often the greatest opportunities for ministry that God gives us come disguised as frustrating or confusing circumstances where we seem to be restricted from reaching our goals. If we view those circumstances from the human perspective, as just so much ‘bad luck,’ we will grumble in discouragement and miss the opportunity for ministry. But if we submit to God’s mighty hand, He can use us in such a way that He alone gets the glory.” What a reminder to me that I can grumble and pout about my circumstances and not being where I want or think I should be…or I can press into it, put my head down in prayer and my eyes up to the Master Orchestrator, and with expectation, be used where He has me. Challenge: If you are wrestling with some unfulfilled desires and closed doors, ask God for eyes to see His hand at work. Journal your prayer. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. Acts 24:27b
The heartbeat of obedience over worldly tactics and success metrics continues. It was so important for God to preserve these stories for us, and it is so essential for us to pause and let them soak in. We tend to look at leaders of the faith as major success stories who just had things go right; go their way. That they had a clear mission and plan and executed it flawlessly. That they were extraordinarily gifted in all manner of leadership and communication. That they were given red carpet welcomes and sparkly open doors. But that is simply not the case. The heroes of the faith were obedient. Period. They trusted God; they had faith; they did what He said. They were often in unfavorable circumstances. They usually waited a loooooooong time for things to develop…often not even seeing the end result. Whatever we see on the surface is a breaking through of the steady root-building underground. If we want to be a disciple, THIS is what it really looks like. For over two years Paul sits in prison because the one who knew he was innocent and had the power to set him free was a power-hungry, money-hungry coward. He afforded Paul liberties and summoned him often to hear what he had to say, but for two years he deflected and delayed any action. Not only did he delay and reject the opportunity to free the one he knew had truth on his side, but he also delayed and rejected accepting the ultimate truth for himself. How many people like Felix do we know? He knew the truth. In fact, we are told he, “had an accurate knowledge of the Way.” But it didn’t change him. He was even afraid. But fear doesn’t change us either. We can be scared of condemnation with no conviction toward repentance. Felix sends for Paul often and converses with him. Frequent exposure doesn’t change his heart. Instead, Felix tells Paul to go away. We are good at brushing off confronting truth. Felix secretly hopes for bribes to release Paul. Love of stuff, fear of man, and preservation of status and power keep Felix blind to the Gospel. And as Felix is outed from power and his esteemed position, he leaves unchanged and he leaves Paul in prison…his one last attempt to appease the Jews and gain some favor. Questions: Who in your life is like Felix? They know about Jesus, but they don’t submit to Jesus? Pray that God will soften their heart TODAY. |
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