Day 184: Acts 21:37-40, 22:1-16

"And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name." - Acts 22:16 ESV

Paul's enter-at-your-own-risk trip into Jerusalem has led to an incredible opportunity. The mob which was trying to kill him now becomes an audience for his testimony. This speaks to how much compassion Paul had for the Israelite people (who were his own).

In this carefully crafted message, Paul gives us a few more details into Ananias' role in his conversion to Christianity. As you may recall from Acts 9, Ananias was not, at first, a willing participant in being sent to the murderous Pharisee. He responded to Jesus' command with a question: "Have you not heard how bad this guy is toward Your people?" Jesus had heard (and seen).

The language Ananias uses is so powerful. This time, he asked Paul a question: "Why do you delay?" Paul didn't need more than three days to realize that this Jesus who knocked him on his back (with light) was the Son of God, risen and exalted.

One of the ways I've been praying this verse is to ask that certain non-Christians would not delay, that they would respond quickly in faith via baptism.

Who are you praying for to come to faith in Jesus? Perhaps praying this verse is a way to refocus us on the urgency and necessity of salvation from sin.

In contrasting Cain's descendants with Seth's, Moses includes this detail as he wrote:

"Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD." - Genesis 4:26 NIV

May we and all those we are working to reach do the same. We pray it in Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 183: Acts 21:18-36

'On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.' - Acts 21:18-19 ESV

As he promised, Paul finds his way to Jerusalem. The experience starts with a strong report of what God had been doing among the nations (Gentiles). This positive report will be interrupted by a concern for the "zealous for the Law" Christians in the city. Things won't end well.

Until then, let us focus on the language Paul uses to describe what was happening among the non-Israelites.

First of all, he itemizes what God had done (one by one). Each story mattered because they represented individuals that Jesus deeply loved. The church is comprised of many single souls.

Second, it wasn't Paul's ministry that was proprietary. We won't be able to do things exactly the way he did throughout the first-century Mediterranean world, but we do worship the same God that worked through their efforts. This means we can be assured that a hopeful movement is still possible in Jesus' name today.

God, help us reach one soul at a time, and please do what only You can do (as You have done) in our point of history. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.

Day 182: Acts 21:1-17

'Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”' - Acts 21:13-14 ESV

What is it with us and our aversion to pain? For most of us, safety for ourselves and our families is our top priority. It is understandable. Why would we willingly walk into a situation that we know will bring harm to us?

This is what was confusing all of the prophets among the Christians in every city Paul visited. The Holy Spirit was saying the same thing, "Pain awaits Paul in Jerusalem!" It is interesting to note that the Holy Spirit didn't say that Paul shouldn't go into the city; He only said that opposition awaited him.

How about us?

Do we sometimes discourage someone from doing something difficult, maybe even painful, even if it's the right thing to do?

Since we have the advantage of hindsight, we can now see that this would be the beginning of Paul's most significant opportunity for influence throughout the Roman Empire. More letters would be written (think New Testament). More rulers would be engaged. He would journey toward the largest platform in the known world: Rome itself.

All because he was willing to face opposition in Jerusalem.

What pain are we currently avoiding that could lead to greater influence with those who have yet to confess Jesus?

Day 181: Acts 20:1-37

"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood." - Acts 20:28 ESV

This encouragement that Paul gives to the Ephesian elders gets me every time. When you put great care into any group of people, whether that's teaching kids at church or coaching a little league team, your heart stays remains with them for quite some time. We want to think that the investments we've made will produce fruit for future generations.

Paul can see that there was great spiritual warfare taking place in Ephesus. Their church was started in the midst of an insane book/scroll burning (see Acts 19:21-40). This wasn't an easy place to be a Christian, and the same is true to this day (there is no known Christian church in Ephesus today).

Leadership will always start first with us. We cannot expect to lead anyone anywhere without first being affected by God's grace. Then we have to turn our eyes toward those we are attempting to lead. How much quality time have we spent with them? People don't select leadership in the church like we select a president. The Holy Spirit selects them, and we merely identify them.

How do we know Jesus cares for the church? His blood is all the proof we need, and it continues to power His people day in and day out to do the work He initiated in the first century.

May we all be the leaders God has called us to be, and may we be in prayer for our elders, asking God to give them wisdom and strength.

Day 180: Acts 19:13-41

'But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" - Acts 19:15 ESV

Seven Jewish sons of a man named Sceva tried to use the name of Jesus like you use an air compressor or a hair straightener, but their plan backfired. The demon immediately recognizes them as frauds. They lost their clothes and some of their blood in the process.

We cannot use Jesus like another product that gives us benefits toward what we want. God desires a relationship with us through Jesus. The following quote hammers this idea home:

“God reveals himself in personal relationship and only in personal relationship. God is not a phenomenon to be considered. God is not a force to be used. God is not a proposition to be argued. There is nothing in or of God that is impersonal, nothing abstract, nothing imposed.” - Eugene Peterson

Do we want to use Jesus, or do we want Jesus to use us?

This has the potential to radically change how we pray, how we read the Bible, and how we attempt to help those in need around us. May we be those who come to worship Jesus, and not those who waste the opportunity to pursue wish-fulfillment or personal desire.

Day 179: Acts 18:23-28, 19:1-12

'He began to speak 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.' - Acts 18:26 ESV

Misdirected boldness isn't something that should intimidate us. I think we many times see those who are talented and unafraid as threats. The best thing we can do as we encounter these gifted individuals is to engage them in conversation.

This is exactly what our power couple does. Aquila and Priscilla didn't dismiss Apollos. Instead, they "took him aside" and clarified what he was attempting to communicate.

Now, this could have gone poorly if Apollos wasn't teachable, but thankfully that was not the case. Pride often keeps the talented stunted when it comes to spiritual maturity. Because of his humility, Apollos was positioning himself to become a major player in expanding Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Here we see another African playing a significant role in God's kingdom (see our previous post about the Ethiopian).

Do you recoil at the idea of engaging someone like Apollos? It seems like it is something worth exploring.

Are you ready to learn and grow like he was? It seems like something we should be asking God to develop within us.

Day 178: Acts 18:1-22

'And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”' - Acts 18:9-10 ESV

A pattern that occurs over and over in the Bible is this:

1. God calls someone.

2. That someone responds in faithful obedience.

3. God supplies that someone with all they need to accomplish their call.

Paul ends up in Corinth and is immediately supplied with what he needed. He needed finances, and he needed partners for ministry. God gave them both directly in the form of a power couple named Aquila and Priscilla. The word tentmaker is literally "leatherworker" in Greek. They were good at what they did, and as God had designed, were forced to flee Rome at the exact time Paul ended up in Corinth.

What ends up happening in many cases is that we let fear keep us from recognizing what God is up to. Jesus knew that this would be a temptation for Paul, and so Jesus Himself affirms the purpose of his presence there.

Do you think Jesus has more of his people around you than you realize? Don't let fear keep you from seeing them.

Day 177: Acts 17:1-34

“For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” - Acts 17:23 ESV

We would do well to take some time to consider the differences between Paul’s approach here in Athens versus in Jerusalem back in Acts 2. As we saw on Pentecost, Paul wasn’t real complementary to his fellow Jews. “You crucified Jesus” is pretty straightforward.

In Acts 17, though, we see Paul looking for any way he could find to connect with the Athenians. He complements their devotion to their gods but still looked for an opportunity to share about the true God.

In what ways can you do the same in our culture today? Before we can connect with someone who doesn’t yet believe in Jesus, we have to step into their world, understand why they believe what they do.

Empathy opens the door for epiphany.

May we care enough to know those we are desperately trying to reach.

Day 176: Acts 16:16-40

'And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.' - Acts 16:33 ESV

Luke gives us three lives that were changed as a result of this stop in Philippi. The first was Lydia (wealthy businesswoman), the second was the demon-possessed slave girl, and the third was this jailer who was commissioned to contain Paul and Silas.

Even after being beaten with rods, Paul and Silas couldn't hold back their prayers and praises in the middle of the night. A divine earthquake would give them an opportunity for freedom, but they decided to stay. Their songs and willingness to save the life of this jailer were major witnesses that led to the man asking a question we all love to hear:

"What must I do to be saved?"

This man had the protection of the Roman government, but he now longed for better salvation. He wanted what they had.

Are you ready for someone to ask you this question? Are you ready to "speak the word of the Lord" to people like the jailer and his household? If so, God will be sending them your way. You better be ready to get wet.

I'd love to end with this quote from F.F. Bruce's commentary:

“He washed and was washed,” says Chrysostom: “he washed them from their stripes, and was himself washed from his sins.”

See this resource for help as you prepare.

Day 175: Acts 15:36-41, 16:1-15

'And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.' - Acts 16:9-10 ESV

As Paul and Barnabas made plans to run it back for a Second Missionary Journey, they couldn't agree on what to do with John Mark. This caused them to multiply into two efforts and led to new partnerships for Paul with Silas and a young gun named Timothy.

Because we are flawed and constantly distracted, God has to go to great lengths to guide and direct our steps. This was true with the paths Paul had thought Jesus wanted him to walk, but the "Spirit of the Lord did not allow" them to go into certain places. This is odd language, but it does speak to the care God puts into helping us know where we're supposed to serve.

The call (at this point) was to go to Macedonia. Paul's time there would be significant in many ways. For one, Philippi and Thessalonica were there, which both ended up receiving letters that we still benefit from today. Plus, despite their poverty, the Macedonian churches were insanely generous (see 2 Corinthians 8:1-5).

Have your plans not gone as you expected? As Christians, we have to believe that there is purpose in that frustration. God is always speaking, continually leading. May we respond to the calls He places on our lives.