ACTS 28

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

1When they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. 2The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.

7Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. 8And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. 9After this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and getting cured. 10They also honored us with many marks of respect; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed.
 
NOTE Paul didn't set out to participate in a healing that day on that island. However, God had one of his children on the island (Paul) and put His purpose for the father of Publius into action, using Paul. God again had set up another divine appointment. Paul showed up with an attitude of "What can I do to help?" When a follower of Jesus shows up with this kind of servant-heart attitude, God will do miraculous things.
 
11At the end of three months we set sail on an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead. 14There we found some brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus we came to Rome. 15And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. 16When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
 
17After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18"And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. 19"But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. 20"For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel." 21They said to him, "We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. 22"But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere."

As always, Paul has a habit of connecting with brothers in Jesus everywhere he goes. NOTE that Paul begins by inviting a group of leading men of the Jews. They had not heard of Paul's problems throughout the world, so they were interested to hear why he was a prisoner "for the sake of the hope of Israel." They had heard about this new Messianic movement.
 
23When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. 24Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe.

After quoting a passage from the prophet Isaiah, Paul said, 28"Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen." 29[When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.] 30And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, 31preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.

NOTE the themes of Paul's message-the kingdom of God and the person of Jesus. I think this is most incredible and instructive for us today. After being educated beyond my intelligence with 4 years of graduate seminary, 7 years of Greek to study the New Testament and 3 ½ years of Hebrew to study the Old Testament, I have come to realize the powerful message of the 21st Century Jesus movement is very simple.

In fact, it's the same as in the 2nd Century. Two subjects that must be shared: FIRST-THE KINGDOM OF GOD SECOND-THE PERSON OF JESUS.

When I stick to this simplicity, then I find people drawn to Jesus and His way of living life. When I add-on to this simplicity and make it more complicated, I find people drawing lines in the sand, poised for a debate.

Here it is again: RELIGION AND ITS TEACHINGS DIVIDE-JESUS UNITES!

ACTS 27

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

1When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius.
 
9When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous. Paul began to admonish them, 10and said to them, "Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives." 11But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. 12Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 13When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.

NOTE Paul shared with the "powers that be" that he believed they should not try to sail this late in the winter, because of the certain storms. BUT they didn't listen to his wisdom and set sail for Rome, hoping to make it to one more port and spend the winter there.

Well, the worst happened. They went into a massive storm, verse 20: 20Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned. 21When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, "Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. 22"Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23"For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, 24saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.' 

25"Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26"But we must run aground on a certain island."
 
27But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to surmise that they were approaching some land. 28They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak. 30But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the ship's boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow, 31Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved." 32Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away. 33Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing. 34"Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish."
 
35Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat. 36All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food. 37All of us in the ship were two hundred and seventy-six persons. 38When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing out the wheat into the sea. 39When day came, they could not recognize the land; but they did observe a bay with a beach, and they resolved to drive the ship onto it if they could. 40And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach. 

41But striking a reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves. 42The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; 43but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, 44and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.

NOTE what's happening here. The best wisdom would have been for them not to make the trip at this time, but they did. Now, Paul is stuck on the ship in the midst of the life-threatening storm. So, what can we learn from this scene? Three observations come up for me: 1. Even when we are caught up in bad or difficult situations, whether we caused them or they are caused by something else, God will still work in the midst of our troubles.

2. God seems to always have "His agent" hanging out in the midst of troubles.

3. If you are walking with Jesus, your life and its circumstances are not all about you. God has you where you are for a purpose and usually it is for the benefit of others who cannot help themselves.

This is just another version of DIVINE APPOINTMENTS. GOD SETS THEM UP-YOU SHOW UP!

ACTS 26

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

1Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense: 2"In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; 3especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently. 4"So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem; 5since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. 6"And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; 7the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. 8"Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead? 9"So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10"And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. 11"And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.
 
12"While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, 13at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. 14"And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 15"And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16'But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'
 
19"So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. 21"For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. 22"So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 23that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."
 
24While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad." 25But Paul said, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. 26"For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner. 27"King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do." 28Agrippa replied to Paul, "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian."
 
29And Paul said, "I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains."
 
30The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, 31and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, "This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment." 32And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

How else would Jesus be lifted up before the governors and the kings? This is how it works, isn't it? We are caught up in a horrendous predicament from our vantage point, but God uses this predicament for a much greater good. Maybe the governors, Felix and Festus, would not have heard the message of Jesus were it not for Paul being in this difficult situation. Maybe King Agrippa would not have heard the message either!

What is needed from us when the door opens is a personal testimony-your personal story. Your personal story includes three ingredients. What your life was like prior to meeting up with Jesus. How Jesus apprehended your life. What has happened since meeting Jesus.

Your story is really His story through you. Try writing out your personal story and then share it first with some trusted friends. Then you will find yourself more comfortable sharing your story with those who need to hear it. Remember, your story is all you've got to share. To do more than this is to preach and no one is asking you to preach; otherwise they would be asking you to start up a church. Your personal story is your highest credibility. No one can argue with it, because it's YOUR STORY. TRY IT OUT!

ACTS 25

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

After 5 days, the high priest, Anaias, came down to Caesarea and brought Paul's case before the governor Felix. Their accusations were made up, for the most part, and in verse 5 the attorney Tertullius says:
 
5"For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6"And he even tried to desecrate the temple; and then we arrested him. [We wanted to judge him according to our own Law. 7"But Lysias the commander came along, and with much violence took him out of our hands, 8ordering his accusers to come before you.] By examining him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to ascertain the things of which we accuse him." 9The Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so. 10When the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded: "Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, 11since you can take note of the fact that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12"Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city itself did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or causing a riot. 13"Nor can they prove to you the charges of which they now accuse me.
 
14"But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16"In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. 17"Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings; 18in which they found me occupied in the temple, having been purified, without any crowd or uproar But there were some Jews from Asia 19who ought to have been present before you and to make accusation, if they should have anything against me. 20"Or else let these men themselves tell what misdeed they found when I stood before the Council, 21other than for this one statement which I shouted out while standing among them, 'For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.'"
 
22But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case." 23Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be kept in custody and yet have some freedom, and not to prevent any of his friends from ministering to him. 24But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened

NOTE that Paul was a real pest, a fellow who stirs up dissension among the religious Jews around the world, a ringleader of the group of the Nazarenes (named after Jesus of Nazareth), he was considered a revolutionary!

But just being these things doesn't qualify a person to be a REVOLUTIONARY in the sense of being a part of a movement of transformation. NOTE what else Paul uses to describe himself.

1. a servant of the God of our fathers, JUST AS THOSE JEWISH LEADERS VIEWED THEMSELVES.

2. believing all that is in accordance with the Law and the Prophets, JUST AS THESE LEADERS BELIEVED.

3. having a hope in God that there will be the resurrection someday, JUST AS THESE LEADERS HOPED IN THE RESURRECTION.

4. doing his best to maintain a good conscience before God and men, JUST AS THESE LEADERS WANT TO DO WITH THEIR LIVES.

So, what's the difference here? Well, Paul is appealing to the hearts of his hearers. They have plenty of common ground to bind them together. They serve the same God. They believe in the same kind of practices that are righteous. They hoped in the same resurrection from the dead. They believed in keeping a good conscience before God and men.

The difference is in the reality of the experience. Paul didn't just talk a good game, but he walked it, too. He really practiced these same things that they all taught and believed in. He was not a hearer of the word who deludes himself. A hearer who deludes himself is one who hears a truth, agrees with it and becomes all enthused about it, yet does nothing about it. Don't be merely a hearer of the word, but BE A DOER OF THE WORD.

Jesus said, "A wise man is one who hears my word and practices it and a foolish man is one who hears my word and doesn't practice it." And then He said, "Just because you speak or perform miracles in my name, this doesn't mean that you are genuine related to Me." "But those who do my will are the ones who will enter the kingdom of heaven." PAUL WAS A DOER. HE PRACTICED WHAT HE PREACHED! He was the real deal. And, when you are the real deal, religious people tend to get jealous and angry and want you removed in some form.

The simplest instruction I've ever heard is, "SEE WHAT JESUS SAID AND DID, THEN GO SAY IT AND DO IT!" That's what it takes to be a revolutionary!

ACTS 24

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

After 5 days, the high priest, Anaias, came down to Caesarea and brought Paul's case before the governor Felix. Their accusations were made up, for the most part, and in verse 5 the attorney Tertullius says:
 
5"For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6"And he even tried to desecrate the temple; and then we arrested him. [We wanted to judge him according to our own Law. 7"But Lysias the commander came along, and with much violence took him out of our hands, 8ordering his accusers to come before you.] By examining him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to ascertain the things of which we accuse him." 9The Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so. 10When the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded: "Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, 11since you can take note of the fact that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12"Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city itself did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or causing a riot. 13"Nor can they prove to you the charges of which they now accuse me.
 
14"But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16"In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. 17"Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings; 18in which they found me occupied in the temple, having been purified, without any crowd or uproar But there were some Jews from Asia 19who ought to have been present before you and to make accusation, if they should have anything against me. 20"Or else let these men themselves tell what misdeed they found when I stood before the Council, 21other than for this one statement which I shouted out while standing among them, 'For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.'"
 
22But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case." 23Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be kept in custody and yet have some freedom, and not to prevent any of his friends from ministering to him. 24But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened

NOTE that Paul was a real pest, a fellow who stirs up dissension among the religious Jews around the world, a ringleader of the group of the Nazarenes (named after Jesus of Nazareth), he was considered a revolutionary!

But just being these things doesn't qualify a person to be a REVOLUTIONARY in the sense of being a part of a movement of transformation. NOTE what else Paul uses to describe himself.

1. a servant of the God of our fathers, JUST AS THOSE JEWISH LEADERS VIEWED THEMSELVES.

2. believing all that is in accordance with the Law and the Prophets, JUST AS THESE LEADERS BELIEVED.

3. having a hope in God that there will be the resurrection someday, JUST AS THESE LEADERS HOPED IN THE RESURRECTION.

4. doing his best to maintain a good conscience before God and men, JUST AS THESE LEADERS WANT TO DO WITH THEIR LIVES.

So, what's the difference here? Well, Paul is appealing to the hearts of his hearers. They have plenty of common ground to bind them together. They serve the same God. They believe in the same kind of practices that are righteous. They hoped in the same resurrection from the dead. They believed in keeping a good conscience before God and men.

The difference is in the reality of the experience. Paul didn't just talk a good game, but he walked it, too. He really practiced these same things that they all taught and believed in. He was not a hearer of the word who deludes himself. A hearer who deludes himself is one who hears a truth, agrees with it and becomes all enthused about it, yet does nothing about it. Don't be merely a hearer of the word, but BE A DOER OF THE WORD.

Jesus said, "A wise man is one who hears my word and practices it and a foolish man is one who hears my word and doesn't practice it." And then He said, "Just because you speak or perform miracles in my name, this doesn't mean that you are genuine related to Me." "But those who do my will are the ones who will enter the kingdom of heaven." PAUL WAS A DOER. HE PRACTICED WHAT HE PREACHED! He was the real deal. And, when you are the real deal, religious people tend to get jealous and angry and want you removed in some form.

The simplest instruction I've ever heard is, "SEE WHAT JESUS SAID AND DID, THEN GO SAY IT AND DO IT!" That's what it takes to be a revolutionary!

ACTS 23

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

NOTE 4 things God uses to accomplish what He wants in our lives:
FIRST-God uses your personal perception and knowledge. 1Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, "Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day." 2The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. 3Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?" 4But the bystanders said, "Do you revile God's high priest?" 5And Paul said, "I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK EVIL OF A RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE.'" 6But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!" 7As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9And there occurred a great uproar; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, "We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 10And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.
Paul was perceptive enough to see how to get the crowd side-tracked away from him. He did it by pulling the Pharisee card, so that they fought among themselves.

SECOND-God uses His more direct communication. 11But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, "Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also."

As you learn to walk with Jesus, it's important to listen to His Spirit in you. Listen to those impressions and follow them as they flow, UNLESS they are illegal, immoral or fattening. As you make it a habit of trusting Jesus to lead out in your life, you'll know what to do next and not too far ahead of time.

THIRD-God uses your enemies. 12When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13There were more than forty who formed this plot. 14They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15"Now therefore, you and the Council notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case by a more thorough investigation; and we for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near the place." 16But the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, and he came and entered the barracks and told Paul.

God used Paul's enemies to get him to Caesarea safely. If they had not been so filled with rage in plotting to kill him, they wouldn't have been found out by Paul's nephew.

FOURTH-God uses officials and community leaders. Throughout this scene in Jerusalem in the last chapter and in this one God uses the Roman Commander to protect Paul from the crowd, from those who were plotting to kill him, took him safely to Caesarea and presents Paul to governor Felix as a man falsely accused.

God has used non-believer leaders to accomplish His work-the King of Nineveh gathered the people to hear Jonah's message. God has even used a donkey, when He was without a human willing to speak up.

Here's the principle: GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT HE WANTS IN YOUR LIFE AND HE IS NOT BOUND BY THE TOOLS HE WILL USE!

ACTS 22

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

1"Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you." 2And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he said, 3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today. 4"I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, 5as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.
 
6"But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, 7and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' 8"And I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.' 9"And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 
10"And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.' 11"But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.
 
12"A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13came to me, and standing near said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very time I looked up at him. 14"And he said, '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. 15'For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
 
16'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.' 17"It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance, 18and I saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.' 19"And I said, 'Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You. 20'And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.' 21"And He said to me, 'Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" 22They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!"

The crowd listened to what Paul had to say, UNTIL he mentioned that God sent him to the Gentiles. Why is this? Why did this incense them so? I think this is all part of the human condition. It's just human nature to:

1. Want to be right and all others are wrong or more right than others which places us above the others.

2. Want to have our own clique or club, separate from all others, feel threatened that others might be as IN as we are.

3. Want to denigrate or destroy those who are not on the inside with us or, at least, we tend to be joyful over the "others" fall or difficulty or ruin.

Five observations: FIRST-Religious systems produce piles of guilt. And what's even more interesting is that the guilty have the urge to throw on more guilt on everyone else.

SECOND-Religious systems produce fear and insecurity. The religious mindset of "innies" and "outies" is filled with insecurity and fear.

THIRD-Religious systems produce angry people. There is nothing more ugly than an angry, passionate, religious person with a bible verse.

FOURTH-Religious systems are not so much about God as they are about ME, MYSELF and MINE.

FIFTH-Religious systems leave the residue of shame on all who participate.
I keep defining religion as man's best attempt to avoid going to hell, but religious systems are hell. A relationship with God says, "I've been to hell and don't want to go back!" This relationship with God is a taste of heaven while going through your hells.

The crowd was firmly implanted, and even stuck, in their religious comfort levels, which emerges from a belief that God is exclusive. It's a WE-FOUR-AND-NO-MORE approach to life. It's ugly and a massive turn-off! Paul was speaking from the reference point of a relationship with God, which is all-inclusive for anyone who is interested. RELIGION ALWAYS DIVIDES; JESUS ALWAYS UNITES. Try it out and see for yourself!

ACTS 21

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

This is an interesting chapter where the fellowship is demonstrated simply, yet dynamically. Let's look at each reference. First, in verse in verse 4. IN TYRE: 3When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. 6Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.

NOTE what happens in Tyre. It's not like they planned to be there, but as soon as they saw an opening, they looked up the disciples in that city. Then, they stayed there 7 days. The fellowship there operated as a family with wives and children participating.
 
7When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brethren, we stayed with them for a day.
IN PTOLEMAIS. At this city they only had a day, BUT they stayed with a few in the fellowship throughout that day.
 
8On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him.
IN CAESAREA. At this coastal city along the Mediterranean they visited an known leader, Philip, and stayed with him.
 
15After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge. 17After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

IN JERUSALEM. Here they travel with a man with whom they were to stay. When they came to Jerusalem, the fellowship welcomed them.

So, what's going on here? The early disciples had a dynamic sense about the importance of fellowship. They may not have even known all of these disciples in the various cities, but they sought them out. This thinking came out of the teaching of Jesus. He prayed in His prayer in John 17 "that they may be one." He made it so clear in His last group gathering with His disciples in John 13-17 that our love for one another-our fellowship-is one of the most powerful expressions of the reality of Jesus that there is. This is why He made such a big deal out of the pre-eminence of "love God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself." If we do that, the world will know there is something supernatural about our lives.

I've got a couple of questions for you. FIRST-Do you see fellowship with other believers in Jesus as important as Jesus and the early believers did?

SECOND-Do you make it a priority in your life locally and in your travels?

THIRD-What keeps you from connecting with others for fellowship?

ACTS 20

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

7On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. 9And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. 10But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, "Do not be troubled, for his life is in him." 11When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. 12They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.
 
NOTE on the first day of the week (Sunday) Paul gathered with a group of believers and broke bread with them. Paul got a little carried away and spoke until midnight. Eutychus fell asleep and fell out of a 3rd story window and was dead. Paul immediately went down to him and brought him back to the group alive and well. Then NOTE Paul continued to speak throughout the night.
What I love most about this setting is the realness of it all. Here is a group of Jesus followers eating and listening to Paul teach them-all in a home. This is presently the largest and fastest growing movement in this country-gatherings in the name of Jesus outside the local, organized church.
 
17From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. 18And when they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; 20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 
 21solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
22"And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. 24"But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. 25"And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 

26"Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27"For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

NOTE here how much of Paul's life was invested in the Ephesian believers. He gave of himself completely for one reason. He was living in response to the call of Jesus on His life. Remember, this calling happened in the 9th chapter where the Lord sent him to bear witness of Jesus among the Jews, Gentiles and the kings.
 
29"I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31"Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32"And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33"I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. 34"You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
 
36When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again and they were accompanying him to the ship.

It's been my experience that disciples left to themselves tend to be distracted away from their original calling from Jesus. The savage wolves are not ugly and furry, but are attractive and endearing. Because of these subtle, savage wolves within our fellowships: FIRST-Reminded the disciples of their duty to be overseers of the flock.

SECOND-Revealed to them the danger of being distracted away from Jesus.
Paul's greatest concern was that savage wolves-false teachers-would rise up after his departure. Three observations here: 1. The savage wolves come from among the fellowship. 2. The savage wolves spend their time distracting the disciples of Jesus away from their calling. 3. The only "salvation" from these savage wolves will come from God and the word of His grace.

This reminds me of the passage in II Corinthians 11:3: "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." The simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus. That's it. That's what it's all about!

ACTS 19

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

1It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus and found some disciples. 2He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." 3And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism." 4Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7There were in all about twelve men.
 
In Acts 2 the Spirit came upon the believers in Jerusalem. In Acts 8 the Spirit came upon the believers in Samaria. In Acts 10 the Spirit came upon the Gentile believers at the house of Cornelius. Now here Paul discovers a group of John's disciples who had not received the word of the Holy Spirit. They immediately understood and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And after that, Paul laid his hands on them and the Spirit came upon them. NOTE that the only group that did not have the experience of tongues was the Samaritans, yet it was somehow clear that the Spirit also came upon them.

John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. It was a threat. It was also a promise of the Messiah Who was to come. Being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus was a baptism of fulfillment and was nothing negative, but was unto the Good News. To be baptized is to be "identified with", a new identification as a follower of Jesus in this case.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit had 3 meanings here in Acts: 1. The unity of the Spirit of God. Before Acts believers had the Spirit of God come on them for special tasks and missions, but only temporarily. In Acts the Spirit came upon the them permanently and pulls all believers into an inseparable union.

2. The mission. The Spirit came upon them for a special mission-an ongoing mission of spreading the message of Jesus. We are to be witnesses of Jesus, meaning to hold Him up to the light for people to examine Him and Him alone, not another doctrinal stance or another church or denominational flavor.

3. The power to carry out this mission. The Spirit came upon believers permanently to empower us to bear witness of Jesus. All of this is what Jesus says in Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be My witnesses."

This same unified mission with power to bear witness of Jesus is ours today and it began in the Acts of Jesus. Encouraged by the experience with the disciples of John, Paul goes back into the synagogue and spoke boldly for 3 months-speak of the Way and of the kingdom of God. And, again an opposition rose up within the synagogue and Paul pulled out of the synagogue with a few disciples and went back to teaching at the school of Tyrannus building next door. He did this for two years. It was so powerful that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
 
11God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. 13But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." 14Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 

15And the evil spirit answered and said to them, "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing. Many are persuaded to come toward God by the evil they encounter. Here the power of evil and the power of God come into contrast. And as the local exorcists tried to use the name of Jesus to free a man from demonic captivity, but these men were overpowered by the power of this man with the demons inside and left them naked and wounded.

I see an interesting principle here. Using the name of Jesus as a mantra may be counterproductive. When you do anything in the name of Jesus, you must align yourself with Jesus so that you are working in concert with Him. As Jesus made very clear throughout His ministry it's all a matter of the heart! This reminds me of the passage at the end of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,' did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, I never knew you.'"

Get this now. These people will come to Jesus and say:
1. We have spoken in your name 2. We have cast out demons in your name 3. We have performed miracles in your name

So, who are these guys? Well, the truth is we don't know, because people don't wear FT or FP for False Teacher or False Prophet on their foreheads. But these people Jesus speaks about here are people who are using the name of Jesus-speaking in His name, casting out demons in His name and doing miracles in His name. The measuring stick all comes down to the heart. Is your heart bent toward God, counting on His grace for your life now and for eternity? Well is it?

ACTS 18

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

1After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. 2And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, 3and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. 4And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
 
7Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. 8Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized. 9And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." 11And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
 
12But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, 13saying, "This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law." 14But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; 15but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters." 16And he drove them away from the judgment seat.
 
17And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
 
23And having spent some time there, he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. 24Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

NOTE 2 issues here in chapter 18: FIRST-The idea of a tent-maker. We normally think in terms of a tent-maker being a job that a part-time pastor must do to pay the bills. But I believe it's more than that. Paul was so caught up in his calling to "love God and to love your neighbor as yourself", he saw it as his higher calling to present Jesus and His kingdom to the Jews, the Gentiles and to kings. Yes, he supported himself through making tents, but it was not because he was a part-time anything. Today, I believe all jobs could be viewed as "tent-making", because your work is not your primary purpose on earth. But you have a higher calling from God. Your job may pay your bills, but there is a greater reason for you to be alive today-to fulfill the calling of God on your life. And, if you don't know what that is, start with loving God with all your heart, strength and mind and loving your neighbor as yourself." And as you gather and enjoy the fellowship of others who are like-minded, you will find Jesus showing up and leading out in your life with His opportunities and orders.

SECOND-The impact of touching people. When Paul felt totally rejected by the Jews at the synagogue, he began teaching Jesus and the Kingdom at a house next door to the synagogue. He didn't do this to start another synagogue (church), but to make himself available to touch more interested people. NOTE that Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed. He is mentioned later in the letter to the Corinthians. Also, note that God touched another leader of the synagogue through Paul being brought to court. After the Jews were rejected by the judge, the people beat up Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue. Then note who wrote the first letter to the Corinthian church of Jesus, Paul and Sosthenes!

One more illustration of touching people. Paul first met up with Acquila and Priscilla, a couple in the same trade, and they came together. They even followed along with him as he left Corinth. When they were in Ephesus, they heard Apollo speak well concerning Jesus. However, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Apollo went on from there using his giftedness even more effectively, because Paul touched Aquila and Priscilla and they, in turn, touched Apollo.

This is how the Jesus movement spreads!

ACTS 17

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

1Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ." 4And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.
 
NOTE Paul's custom was to "go to church" (synagogue). He doesn't criticize it, yet goes to look for the God-fearing who might be attracted to JESUS PLUS NOTHING, for those whose hearts are leaning in and are attracted to Jesus as God's Messiah. And the Jewish leadership stirred up the people and threw them out of the city! Then, there is an interesting comparison here. Look at verse 10.
 
10The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

Thessalonica and Berea. Each had a synagogue where Paul and Silas went in to speak. In Thessalonica "some were persuaded and a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and leading women." But Luke goes on to say that in Berea they found the people more noble-minded than in Thessalonica, real eager students of the word, testing out all that was said. What's most interesting to me is the apparent "noble-minded" reception of the Gospel by the Bereans didn't prove to be nearly the impact that it was to the Thessalonians. After only 3 Sabbaths the believers at Thessalonica really "got it." Once they received the Gospel, they spread the message of the Good News throughout most all of Asia Minor. The Bereans church didn't experience such impact! YOU CAN'T JUDGE WHAT WILL COME FROM PEOPLE'S INITIAL RESPONSE TO JESUS. REAL FRUIT TAKES A LOT OF TIME TO GROW.
 
16Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. 17So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present. 18And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?" Others, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,"--because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? 20"For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean." 21(Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

While Paul is waiting in Athens, he has a divine appointment. This is the first totally non-synagogued (non-churched) audience he has spoken to and therefore handles his message of Jesus differently.
 
22So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23"For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD ' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'
 
29"Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." 32Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, "We shall hear you again concerning this." 33So Paul went out of their midst. 34But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

NOTE that Paul is speaking to a non-synagogued group of people who were not familiar with the Scriptures. So he does the following:

FIRST-Paul affirms their religious zeal as he observes all of the idols of worship. How many ministers would berate the idols and criticize their worship?

SECOND-Paul picks up on an inscription on one of the altars to an unknown God and uses this as a stepping-stone for his message.

THIRD-He appeals to their common-sense belief that there is a HIGHER POWER Who has created everything gives us life and breath.

FOURTH-He doesn't quote Scripture, but quotes one of their famous poets. This is because his audience wouldn't have been familiar with the Scripture. Since all truth is God's truth, then even truth from a local poet can move a person's heart toward God.

FIFTH-He doesn't mention Jesus' name, but only speaks of this one Man whom God appointed to die and be resurrected.

And, some joined up with him and believed. Others decided to hear more later.
Christians spend too much time talking to themselves like "preaching to the choir". Paul is demonstrating how to relate to a non-churched audience and he does it without all the "normal" things we think might be important to say.
When we use Christianese and do not relate to our world, our world cannot relate to our God. We just keep talking to ourselves!

Instead of judging the world and talking to ourselves, we must be about judging ourselves and talking to the world!

ACTS 16

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

Five years ago Paul was in these cities and now he returns to find them vibrant and growing. That must have been an encouraging experience for him to see the fruit of his labor. Then he found a special disciple: 1Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra and a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. 3Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 5So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number daily.
 
Because Paul perceived Timothy to be so special, he believed he could be very effective coming alongside Paul to reach the same people was to reach. Therefore, he required Timothy, as an adult, to be circumcised. What an amazing act of devotion on Timothy's part, yet probably no one was shocked at this, knowing how faithful and outstanding Timothy had proven to be.
 
12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. 13And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

In Philippi there was no synagogue for Paul and Timothy to orbit around. But where the Jews were unable to have a synagogue they had a place of prayer and these places of prayer were usually by the riverside. On the Sabbath Paul and his friends took their way there and talked with the women who met in that place. They met a special lady that day, Lydia.
 
14A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

The extraordinary thing about Paul's work in Philippi is the amazing cross-section of the population that was won over to Christ. Lydia came from the very top end of the social scale; she was a purple merchant. The purple dye had to be gathered drop by drop from a certain shell-fish and was so costly that to dye a pound of wool with it would be the equivalent of a small fortune. Lydia, wealthy woman and merchant prince that she was, was attracted to Jesus.

NOTE her immediate reaction was to offer the hospitality of her house to Paul and his friends. When Paul is describing her character he says that the believer should be "given to hospitality". There is no better place to show hospitality than in someone's home. In the fellowship of Jesus, your home is an open door!
 
22The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. 23When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; 24and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
 
25But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. 27When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!" 29And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30and after he brought them out, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

You just can't give up, no matter how tough your situation is. The Lord is very capable of coming through on your behalf. Don't give up on Him, no matter how dark it seems to be! The response from the jailor was incredible! He had been LISTENING in on Paul and Silas as they sang and prayed, then when the supernatural happenings took place, he instantly asked, "What must I do to be saved?"
 
31They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. 33And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.

After the prison scene was over, 40They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

NOTE 4 things in this chapter. 1. People came to faith after listening to the Good News-Lydia at the place of prayer and the jailor overheard Paul and Silas singing and praying. All that is required is that you be interested!

2. Both Lydia and the jailor, once they entered into a genuine faith relationship with Jesus, turned on the hospitality. Lydia invited them to stay with her. The jailor took them home to clean up their wounds.

3. The entire households of Lydia and the Philippian jailor also came to faith in Jesus. Your influence is very clear and God has brought many around you who will come to Jesus. All for just hanging around these people.

4. Their hospitality focused around their homes. This is what we've lost in many circles-THE HOME. It's the home where people are most comfortable and feel very safe.

Two questions come to mind: FIRST-Are you listening with your heart? Are you leaning in to learn more about Jesus?

SECOND-Are you willing to use your home to make people feel more comfortable and safe?

The JESUS MOVEMENT of the 21st Century is happening outside the local, organized church. This movement is the largest, fastest growing movement in our world today. My philosophy of life is to find out where the Lord is moving and go there immediately to be with Him and His people! 

ACTS 15

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

1Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." 2And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. 4When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."
 
Talk about ADD-ONS. Circumcision would test out your faith for sure! Again, we see the nature of fallen man wanting to be right as opposed to everyone else. In a sense, it's much like the NOT INVENTED HERE syndrome that frequently pops up in relationships.
 
6The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. 7After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8"And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 

10"Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11"But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." 12All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

Peter played a great role here among the leadership in Jerusalem and backed up the reports coming from Paul and Barnabas. NOTE he says, "And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith." Then he nails the point with, "We believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus." By the way, this is how everyone is saved-through the GRACE OF GOD. The only way anyone will get into heaven will be through the grace of God and nothing else or as I like to say, JESUS PLUS NOTHING.

Therefore, there is nothing you can do nor is their any doctrinal system that you must believe or follow in order to get in, because it is ONLY THROUGH HIS GRACE. Do you see it? God will deal with each person fairly, knowing each person's heart, and will appropriate His grace as He wills. Once understood, your pride will take a great beating!

James came to the conclusion that they should not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles. However, he did suggest and all agreed to encourage the Gentile believers to be most sensitive to the Jews and not unnecessarily offend them. So, they sent a letter by way of Silas and Judas which outlined 3 points of encouragement.
 
28"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell."
 
30So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. I've got to believe that these new Gentile believers were greatly relieved that they were not going to be forced into the Law of Moses and especially to be circumcised. OUCH!

Now, while they were there something funny happens: 32Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. You can count on it. Prophets with a word from God, itching to challenge these new believers went a little over time in their speaking. I intimately understand this!
 
36After some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."

This spirit of always being concerned about the rest of the fellowship, to see how they are and encourage them to hang in there, is a vital evidence of the fellowship of Jesus. You don't have to go on a "mission trip" or a "missionary journey" for this. It ought to be present in the local fellowship as well. We are family!
 
37Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 40But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. 41And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Here is one of those incidents that can be found frequently throughout the Bible, where things aren't going so well, people aren't getting along or people are acting wrongly toward God and one another. If you were the author of the Bible and you wanted people to be attracted to your message, most likely you wouldn't include the underbelly of the church of Jesus. You would probably cover it up a bit. But here we have a strong disagreement between Paul and Barnabas as to personnel and they actually parted ways over it. Both were used mightily, but just in different directions! It's almost like this incident happened in order to multiply their effectiveness in visiting and encouraging the disciples throughout the world.

In this chapter you can get a little clearer picture as to how the movement of Jesus multiplies through life-on-life ministry and encouragement in the name of Jesus. NOTE that there aren't many mass gatherings so far as we observe the Acts of Jesus among His disciples. not many large crusades in stadiums, not many evangelistic blitzes, but in the power of the few the message of Jesus is spread in a viral manner. It's catching! And, it's interesting that neither Paul nor Barnabas set out to work alone, but went on their mission trips two-by-two. Maybe Jesus was on to something, when He sent His disciples out two-by-two. Evaluate the things you are presently doing for the Lord and be careful to take another or others along with you. I like to think of this strategy as JESUS FIELD TRIPS! Try it out!

ACTS 14

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

1In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.
 
It's important to note here that this new movement of the Way-the followers of Jesus-didn't avoid the synagogue or criticize it's bureaucratic systems, but continued to attend for a higher purpose. Those of you who are participating in the 21st Century Jesus movement that is growing rapidly around the world, must embrace the same pose with respect to the organized church today. There is no need to criticize it or avoid it. In fact, there is good reason to attend in order to attract more God-fearing, Jesus-loving people into the movement.
Paul had the opportunity to speak at the synagogue, since all visiting Rabbi's are invited to address the assembly. In this case, a large number of people believed his message of the Good News of Jesus.
 
8At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother's womb, who had never walked. 9This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well, 10said with a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And he leaped up and began to walk. 11When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have become like men and have come down to us." 12And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.

Because of this spectacular miracle they began to worship them as Zeus and Hermes. Even the priest of Zeus in that city was leading the way. But then NOTE what happens next.
 
14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out 15and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM. 16"In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; 17and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." 18Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them. 19But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. 20But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.

NOTE, the same people who were all excited about the healing and were ready to worship Paul and Barnabas, are now ready to kill them! But why the turn? NOTE the reason for the worship was the "showy" part of the miracle (or the "vain things" mentioned here), but when they were confronted by the real miracle worker, the living God, Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, they were easily incensed to hate Paul and Barnabas.

This is very common today as well. People are attracted to the external, the showy part of ministry, because there is a real sense of control. But when confronted with the living God, there is no way you will able to control the situation.

I experienced this many years ago in a church board meeting. A young man, who was really enjoying the incredible growth and attention and power he was sensing because of it, made this same dramatic pivot in the period of about an hour. I was resigning from my position, so he used all his charm to keep me from making this move, telling me that I was the greatest Bible teacher he had ever heard. But when he knew there was no way I was going to change my mind, he became so angry, spinning out of control, and used many adjectives against me-stupid, ignorant, irrelevant, obstinate, and more unmentionables. He was so upset that he was losing out on the "vain things" and turned against me in a most embarrassing way (for him and the board). It made no difference what the living God was doing among us.

Since Jesus apprehended my life in a fresh way over the last 4 years, I've seen this same shift in attitude among some of our people. As long as I kept the show (the "vain things") going, all was good. But, as soon as I moved into a pose of following the living God (Jesus), there was little show left. Only the reality of walking with Jesus, walking with others and waiting on Jesus to lead out. To these people I once was a beloved pastor, now I am someone who let them down and don't care.

Now, this next section fascinates me: 21After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." 23When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 24They passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia. 25When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26From there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished. 27When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28And they spent a long time with the disciples.

Even after the rejection in those cities, they came back to strengthen and encourage the disciples in the faith. I love this. Again, as we saw yesterday, it isn't about whose fellowship it is. It's all about Jesus and those who want to be His disciples. WE WALK BEFORE AN AUDIENCE OF ONE-HIS NAME IS JESUS!